otto.5684

Maybe, but the whole change seems to be done with only grouped pve in mind. And while it may seem that we use more relics than before, in reality most builds now use 1-2 in all game modes, with these being different for every class/build. It seems the change was make it easier for devs to balance not to give more options to the player. We would have seen far more diversity if they just kept all the old 6th and made them runes versus now.

No need to rehash that the weapon slow and sucks. What I don’t understand is what roll is it for. We already have a melee and a ranged condi weapons covering torment and burning. This doesn’t add anything. It feels like we need to meet a quota vs being useable.

It should be as follows: “boons, boons and more booooooons!”

IMO mirage issue is ramp up. For a melee dps, having to slow damage ramp up, damage loss on target change and difficult rotation, makes it an inferior choice in most pve content. First, all axe skills should apply torment significantly faster in pve. I would have the duration and double the stacks. Second, I would recommend removing confusion in favor of… unsure. Burn seems idle, though not thematic. Another possibility is for Anet to be creative, and torment some different functionality. Something like if the target has 10 stacks apply all their damage instantly or over a much shorter duration(balancing this for pvp ia a different story).

Obviously you won’t remove the boons and call it a day. Devs will still have to balance classes/builds based on the tools available to them. However, if everyone has quickness and alacrity, then they add nothing, since the balance option is to have them on all the time. And this applies to most boons. There should be much less boon sharing. Boons are supposed to added unique tools/buffs for each class. If all classes have all of them 100% of the time, they become useless for balancing and diversification. This is exactly why many players are not happy with the game balance. Things are becoming more homogeneous and redundant.

From PvE standpoint, over the past 2 years the devs brought a ton of stuff from the dead. Stuff that was ignored for years. Anyone remember things like how bad Herald was at everything? IMO, is the issues in the last 3-4 balance patches is in homogenisation. Many of the uniques class elements were removed in favor of easy balancing. That + inflation resulted in much redundancy. I think one of the solutions is to remove alacrity and quickness from being boons to being class specific buffs. I think that will go a long way in adding more variety.

Play short bow.

While meta is important, playing a class is based on liking the game play style and athetatics. And overall, rev has been fairly good, in all game modes, since it was introduced. And it was, is and probably will be, one of the best classes in open world. And currently, in Q2 2024, rev has solid builds in pve. Other people can comment on pvp.

Any change will always come at an opportunity cost. Yes, the trait could have been used with some niche power builds for extra damage. However, it was always weaker than retribution. I think the benefit of the change out-ways the cost. I do however agree, there has been a movement of separation of most major traits to power - condi - support, to simplify balance. For the fun of making builds, this sucks. And it has been a balance trend of simplifying + homogenising classes/builds to make them easier to balance. All this is coming it the cost of diversity.

In pve this a positive change all round. It clears the second off hand for pistol, while maintaining torch functionality. I am not aware of condi builds that use the trait and not torch.

Probably condi guardian with pistols in pve.

I was going to type that. Quoted for emphasis. To be fair, it could be revived, but would need a massive level of rework that is beyond the current devs on both competence and time availability.

Not sure how. I guess if DH is using Zerker, Scholar, had high number of might stacks and the target had 25 stacks of vulnerable. My experience (which again is limited as of late) with Zerker you could hit 5-6k with BGH and obviously while the target is tethered. It is an okayish nerf. Anet could have at least fixed deflecting shot.

I have been out of the spvp loop for years, but this skill damage has been the same for 4 years. I am unsure what changed now that it requires a nerf by 15%. And from my experience (again like 10 games in last year or so) is that LB damage sucks. So I am unsure.

I truly don’t understand what the kitten was Anet thinking with most of the FB changes, over the last 2 years. The issues could have been fixed via simple changes, instead of recreating the wheel. And they are making changes to it every patch. And the funny part, QFB, which presumably most changes we’re trying to target, is still performing at the same level. And spvp wise, 4 years in, since Feb 2020, and the spvp devs still cannot figure out how to make it work. Though, the current spvp devs are pretty bad.