I feel like the jade sphere animation takes away from the class fantasy

[ROMANG.1903]

For years we've mastered the elements without any help, none of our utility skills involve us using a tool of any sort (we make our own conjured weapons). But now we need a gyro to do it for us? A gyro that summons a spirit that summons a combo field? I know this is just the animation but it feels very convoluted (looks a bit like the devs were undecided between a spirit and a gyro so they just put both, and now the animation is very clustered) and, in my opinion, unfitting of the class. I'd rather have us directly invoke ancient spirits, without a gyro looping around, it feels a bit silly...

[fuzzyp.6295]

Here are my thoughts on it.

The class of Catalyst is supposed to hearken back to a time in the distant past. It's possible that this could be a reference to how in GW1, it wasn't possible to use all four elements at a time (edit: effectively). Maybe back in these ancient times, the sphere served as a conduit to allow Catalysts to channel all four elemental powers. As time progressed, the Catalyst upgraded their orbs to the modern Jade Tech ones to allow even more immense power to flow through them, more so than a regular Elementalist can usually channel.

Basically, I'd think that a regular Elementalist is channeling a small stream of elemental energy when they throw their fireballs around, but a Catalyst through their sphere is channeling a continuous torrent of elemental energy, so much so that it takes on shape of these creatures across Cantha and creates powerful fields of magic that needs to be channeled through the sphere or else it would be too much for the Catalyst to handle.

Of course this is just my interpretation of it. Hopefully, like PoF there will be a Catalyst NPC that helps explain this a bit more in game. To be fair, I actually don't really like the lore direction they went with honestly, I think connecting Catalyst to the Celestial Beings would have made a lot more sense, but what can you do.

EDIT: Basically, If I could write the lore: Elementalist in Cantha have learned to channel their elemental powers directly from the Celestial Beings, but due to the immense power of channeling directly from these godly creatures, they need the jade sphere  to work as a catalyst (wink wink) in order to successfully commune and bring forth the torrent of element energy they possess.

Makes more sense to me. But again... what can you do. 😄

Edited September 18, 2021 by fuzzyp.6295

[fuzzyp.6295]

Sorry about double posting but the more I thought about this question the more I started to think Tempests and Catalysts might be two sides of the same coin. Both classes are said to tap into powers beyond the conventional limits of an Elementalist, although they choose to release these powers differently. 

 

Tempests channel these forces directly into themselves, pushing the limit of what can be done in each Element. At a certain point though, the Tempest releases this stored powered. Because this energy is so primordial, it manifests as more raw, destructive forces of nature, giving more elemental power to the Tempest for a short time.

For a Catalyst, they also reach into this primordial power of the elements, but instead if directly channeling it into themselves, they send it through the Sphere. With the sphere they are able to more effectively control the energy, which is why it manifests like animals and fields. It's not as raw and unfiltered as Tempest, but that also gives them greater control over how to manipulate it. 

 

Just another thought I had. Basically, Tempests are Catalysts without a sphere. Maybe that works better thematically... guess theres the reason the two classes seem to be compared to each other 😄

Edited September 19, 2021 by fuzzyp.6295

[Stallic.2397]

For animation only, they could have stolen the arcane heal skill and made that as the F5. It'll look like the Ele is unleashing tremendous power that remains as a field. The spirits could've stayed. Communing with the Spirits helps the Ele achieve such lasting effects. 

 

No need for a floating sphere. 

[draxynnic.3719]

Honestly, I'm inclined to agree. It could just has easily have been themed towards invoking the powers of the celestials to empower the element associated with that celestial, or some similar theme, without needing to have a sphere floating around. The spirits are a big enough tell as to what's going on that you could easily miss that the sphere is there to begin with. Kinda feels like it just got thrown in because they wanted to link catalyst to jadetech somehow, when it would have been fine just as a spec that draws from ancient Canthan power.

[Luindu.2418]

Agree with the OP.

I was expenting some kind of "elemental" bubble/familiar (or celestial like @draxynnic.3719 says), not a technomagic drone with a projector.

[HotDelirium.7984]

Yes that jade sphere (btw jade can be many colors not just green 😛 ) looks like its projecting the elements but it flies around like an AI drone...