New Elementalist Elite Spec: The Catalyst

[draxynnic.3719]

24 minutes ago, Kodama.6453 said:

Shouldn't dragon be water and kirin air?

Dragons are usually connected to water in Asian cultures.

As some people have already pointed out, Saltspray Dragons - the most 'typical' Canthan Dragon - primarily had lightning skills. Rockhides (dragon tortoises) were primarily earth. Phoenixes were just a prestige pet, but GW2 has firmly associated them with fire.

 

Kirin in Factions weren't associated with an element, but uncorrupted kirin were often associated with healing and cleansing. So in an elementalist context in Guild Wars, linking them to water makes sense.

[Knighthonor.4061]

I hope its tanky for Front Line WvW tank build.  I use to run something similar during vanilla on my necro and Warrior. Dont let me down

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

Why is everyone complaining? Of course the squishiest class in the game should get another melee spec. Why would it be any other way?

[Tempest.8479]

Looking though the trailer some more and I think augments will replace attunements entirely. I think they'll still function as an attunement swap, but it looks like you can cast several augments within a well in a couple of seconds while rotating through the elements. This also seems to change the attunement of the well as you do so.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Tempest.8479

[bluberblasen.9684]

2 minutes ago, Tempest.8479 said:

Looking though the trailer some more and I think augments will replace attunements entirely. I think they'll still function as an attunement swap, but it looks like you can cast several augments within a well in a couple of seconds while rotating through the elements. This also seems to change the attunement of the well as you do so.

maybe catalyst attunements give core eles more options 🙂

D/D catalyst incoming 😛

[Kyraios.8954]

5 minutes ago, bluberblasen.9684 said:

maybe catalyst attunements give core eles more options 🙂

D/D catalyst incoming 😛

Ngl this looks like its gonna be so fun with d/d or even scepter.. i see quickness in the video when he summons the air element!

 

Just really hoping for a staff rework. 

[InsaneQR.7412]

57 minutes ago, Kodama.6453 said:

Shouldn't dragon be water and kirin air?

Dragons are usually connected to water in Asian cultures.

If i would had to guess i would have said the same but the video clearly shows a lightning salt spray/dragon.

Edited September 16, 2021 by InsaneQR.7412

[SlitheSlivier.1908]

I'm woefully disappointed so far. The explanation was much too vague. I don't like the name... sounds like a chemical engineer... and not a fan of something that looks like another full on melee build for a class where everyone wants more range options. Hopefully it synergizes well with staff or scepter or all the deets they haven't explained are amazing...or its sticking to weaver for me. 

Edited September 16, 2021 by SlitheSlivier.1908

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

1 hour ago, mortrialus.3062 said:

Compared to the Bladesword it's kind of hard to exactly tell what is the new mechanic what is the utility skills and stuff.  

Some of the spells look gorgeous though I did laugh at the one air spell that blasted the elementalist off screen. 

You're getting wells. F1-F4 I think will be like overloads where you drop those jade spheres, which will augment your abilities while in range of them. 

FWIW I think ele will be getting strong defenses out of it.

Also, Ele just got 100 Blades but with hammer, and none of the 'backloaded' bs.

[Tempest.8479]

3 minutes ago, SlitheSlivier.1908 said:

I'm woefully disappointed so far. The explanation was much too vague. I don't like the name... sounds like a chemical engineer... and not a fan of something that looks like another full on melee build for a class where everyone wants more range options. Hopefully it energizes well with staff or scepter or all the deets they haven't explained are amazing...or its sticking to weaver for me. 

I actually think the name works pretty well because as a Catalyst, you're "catalyzing" your wells by using augments, thereby potentially accelerating their effects or firing those enhancements out early based on what I can gather from the trailer.

[Lincolnbeard.1735]

I would rather have wards with out of the box effects instead of wells.

One of the few elite specs that made me feel nothing at all.

[Exzen.2976]

1 hour ago, nopoet.2960 said:

I feel like the specs this year aren't meant for people who play that class as a main but instead to draw people who main other classes to the spec.  For example, I main a Thief and a Warrior and this looks interesting.  Long term, it could be healthy for the game if people start new characters.  Sorry Ele mains but if I'm correct you are going to love the new Thief spec.

I think you are correct. 

[fuzzyp.6295]

Yeeeeeesss this looks amazing can not wait to try it out roaming in WvW. So hyped. 

[Tempest.8479]

Actually, after reading this press release, consider me cautiously optimistic. The mechanics they describe sound very different to what we can gather from the trailer, and it sounds like it'll have some support/area control capabilities with a new resource to manage. Plus mid-range skills! For those who haven't seen it:

 

“Catalysts were casters from a bygone era, working to protect Cantha and the throne from enemy threats. They wielded intricate apparatuses called spheres that were used as conduits to channel their immense power. This technology has been revitalized once again—with a couple of improvements! Catalysts imbue ancient magics into their jade tech spheres, calling upon imagery from all over Tyria to concentrate into a powerful burst of elemental energy. The catalyst is primarily a damage dealer that is adept at controlling areas of the battlefield. After building up elemental energy through combat, it can be expended to deploy and maintain the Jade Sphere, creating an area of power that bolsters allies and damages enemies. Wielding a hammer, the catalyst gains access to a mix of midrange and close-range abilities, allowing it to adapt to the situation at hand.”

[Jski.6180]

It looks fun i must say but there a lot of skills to see and what the effects are to over all know what going on with it.

[AlexndrTheGreat.8310]

59 minutes ago, Tempest.8479 said:

 

Looking though the trailer some more and I think augments will replace attunements entirely. I think they'll still function as an attunement swap, but it looks like you can cast several augments within a well in a couple of seconds while rotating through the elements. This also seems to change the attunement of the well as you do so.

 

I noticed the well attunement change as well. The initial well was the fire one, and then in the next scene we saw it change to an air well while they performed their “augment” ability (the three swirling orbs).

 

I feel like that well will be a part of the class mechanic. I know wells are already a utility skill type, but with us only seeing what appears to be only one well which changes based on the attunement swap (and they’re directly related to the jade sphere that accompanies them) I can see the well being an F5. Also, if they’re emphasizing the ability to empower your augements when near the well, I can’t see wells being an optional utility to take and not something that is intimately tied to the elite spec. 

[Vissarion.6509]

1 hour ago, nopoet.2960 said:

I feel like the specs this year aren't meant for people who play that class as a main but instead to draw people who main other classes to the spec.  For example, I main a Thief and a Warrior and this looks interesting.  Long term, it could be healthy for the game if people start new characters.  Sorry Ele mains but if I'm correct you are going to love the new Thief spec.

And then you start playing ele and die every 5 seconds because a mob happened to attack you once and you didn't dodge and quit the class for good 😂👍

[Fueki.4753]

Yet another melee specialization is exactly what Elementalist does not need.

Given that it's one of Arenanet's least liked professions, I'm not surprised Elementalist gets its third flavour of melee DPS in a row.

[Vidit.7108]

I have just four words for you Ele mains unhappy with this.

Rune of the Chronomancer

[Vissarion.6509]

16 minutes ago, Tempest.8479 said:

Wielding a hammer, the catalyst gains access to a mix of midrange and close-range abilities, allowing it to adapt to the situation at hand.”

I think it's pretty obvious that auto-attacks will all be melee ranged, with a few midrange skills added to the skills (i mean all melee weapons do get ranged skills). Gap closers, some kind of ranged CC or something is needed for melee weapons, but i doubt it will have anything else or they would have showed us.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Vissarion.6509

[Naneel.2348]

14 minutes ago, Tempest.8479 said:

Actually, after reading this press release, consider me cautiously optimistic. The mechanics they describe sound very different to what we can gather from the trailer, and it sounds like it'll have some support/area control capabilities with a new resource to manage. Plus mid-range skills! For those who haven't seen it:

 

“Catalysts were casters from a bygone era, working to protect Cantha and the throne from enemy threats. They wielded intricate apparatuses called spheres that were used as conduits to channel their immense power. This technology has been revitalized once again—with a couple of improvements! Catalysts imbue ancient magics into their jade tech spheres, calling upon imagery from all over Tyria to concentrate into a powerful burst of elemental energy. The catalyst is primarily a damage dealer that is adept at controlling areas of the battlefield. After building up elemental energy through combat, it can be expended to deploy and maintain the Jade Sphere, creating an area of power that bolsters allies and damages enemies. Wielding a hammer, the catalyst gains access to a mix of midrange and close-range abilities, allowing it to adapt to the situation at hand.”

Thanks, this sounds a lot better then what was shown 😊

[Tempest.8479]

3 minutes ago, Vissarion.6509 said:

I think it's pretty obvious that auto-attacks will all be melee ranged, with a few midrange skills added to the skills (i mean all melee weapons do get ranged skills). Gap closers, some kind of ranged CC or something is needed for melee weapons, but i doubt it will have anything else or they would have showed us.

Idk I think you might be underestimating the ranged capabilities of the spec. If you look around the :30 sec mark of the trailer, it also looks like you can fire the augments from wells at range.

[len.7809]

I wonder how literal is when they say steady presence in melee combat. 

I feel the traits will have something to boost ele's health or the class will be an another staff wielder in wvw

[draxynnic.3719]

1 hour ago, Lincolnbeard.1735 said:

I would rather have wards with out of the box effects instead of wells.

One of the few elite specs that made me feel nothing at all.

If wards were introduced into GW2, they'd probably be classed as wells purely for the rune synergy.

[Downstate.4697]

So like if wells are the utility what happens if we dont take them?

 

This is really dissappoonting and I feel like it didnt address anything the community wanted.

 

Ill be cautiously optimistic until I try it, but im retiring my ele if its the same bs with no defences but now with stupid sphere micromanagement.

 

Stupid kitten name too.