Fixing Bladesworn:

[Lonecap.4105]

1) We need access to Dragon Trigger on both weaponsets.

2) We need ways to instantly open into trigger. Fury signet for example should be instant 100 flow. Flow accumulation needs to increase across the board on all skills. Scrap maximum flow cap of 100 and go back to 30, make it intuitive with classic adrenaline values and function as they do. 

3) We need to gain stability whilst charging Dragon Trigger ammo, each ammo that is filled up grants a single stack of stability for 1/2 second. Boonstrip or corrupt should be the only real way to interrupt DT otherwise its too easy to shut down and will never shine. Make DT2 900 range. Make DT3 1200 range. Rework DT4, make it give resistance instead of aegis (both would be nice). Make DT5 450 range.

4) Damage numbers on trigger bursts need to go up by 50% from their current values to be worthwhile even with the additional changes suggested here.

 

There are also a bunch of less urgent but still important things, like rethinking the "fence" utilities, adding a charge to Dragonspike Mine, etc. but I wanted to focus on the things that will make Bladesworn actually viable.

[Kodama.6453]

27 minutes ago, ProverbsofHell.2307 said:

4) Damage numbers on trigger bursts need to go up by 50% from their current values to be worthwhile even with the additional changes suggested here.

I really hope you mean just in PvP here, because you can't seriously suggest that dragon trigger needs to pull 600k damage in PvE...

[Lonecap.4105]

2 minutes ago, Kodama.6453 said:

I really hope you mean just in PvP here, because you can't seriously suggest that dragon trigger needs to pull 600k damage in PvE...

Yeah it goes without saying my post is concerned with PvP numbers only

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

PoH pretty much only does PvP Kodama.

But yeah, each of these are big sticking points that pretty much every warrior main that frequents the subforum has mentioned in their feedback.

[CalmTheStorm.2364]

51 minutes ago, CalmTheStorm.2364 said:

I agree with many of the posts here (coming from a PvP perspective): 

1.) Competitive damage is way too low

 

2.) Dragon Trigger is very clunky and very punishing.  Specifically, having any interrupt (either from an enemy or you moving or using a skill) cancel the whole thing and lose all flow is a real problem.  None of Warrior's other bursts work that way; if Arcing slice or eviscerate is interrupted, for instance, the skill goes on 4s CD and your adrenaline is preserved.  Also, having to be in gunsaber AND hit F2 before you can access your best skills is very cumbersome...you have to hit 3 buttons to get off one burst (e.g. F1, F2, 1)!

 

3.) "Flow"  mechanics are, ironically, the opposite of fluidity and runs completely counter to the way other Warrior specs "feel"--which is incidentally much more fluid.  That is, on Core/SpB/Berserker, you develop a rhythm of rotating between damaging and mobility skills which build adrenaline and boons (usually might from Forceful Greatsword, weapon swap, magebane tether; fury from Arcing slice, etc) and effects (e.g., stacks of Berserker's Power or Attacker's insight) which gives the feel of building power and hitting harder as a fight progresses.  It feels fluid and intuitive, and it builds to a crescendo.  With Bladesworn, the Dragon Trigger mechanic effectively makes you stop moving (very foreign to Warrior combat) and sit still for up to 5s (during which time many of your boons and effects will dissipate)... it is anti-flow.

 

4.) Loss of F1 bursts on your normal weapon set drastically limits the utility of that weapon set, as most Warrior weapons are built around their bursts.  For instance, taking Arcing Slice away from GS removes at least 50% of its damage capability.  MH mace is little more than a CC stick at base line, but without skull crack?  It's just....a stick.  MH sword without Flurry is only good for mobility and the very niche role of final thrust when the target is <50% HP.  

 

5.) Pistol should definitely be main hand, and the range of the current pistol skills should be increased.

 

In conclusion, while I think the ideas behind Bladesworn are good and interesting, I think the spec ends up tripping over its own mechanics and falling short of its potential.

 

I have a couple of radical ideas for improvement, largely inspired by @Sovereign.1953's excellent post.  I realize they might sound like a reach, but bear with me...

 

1.) Scrap Dragon Trigger altogether.  Instead, as Sovereign suggested, make DT skills 1-3 be the burst skills available while on Gunsaber and make them available F1-F3.  Either make swapping to gunsaber just use the regular weapon swap key or reassign this mode to F4 or something so as to preserve muscle memory for us Warrior mains that F1=burst.

 

2.) Scrap Flow and return to 3 bars of adrenaline.   The old adrenaline system is tried-and-true, and it "flows" much more effectively/fluidly than Flow does.  It also provides better continuity between Bladesworn and the other Warrior specs.

 

3.)  Return F1 bursts on your non-gunsaber weapon set.  This will be made easier by returning to the old bars of adrenaline as well.

 

These changes would streamline the functionality of the Bladesworn spec and solve many of the problems cited by other posters on this thread.  Specifically:

1.)  access to the gunsaber burst skills will be much easier and will feel less clunky

2.)  removes all the issues with trying to stand still and channel DT in a competitive environment where that is simply not realistic most of the time

3.) vastly improves functionality of your non-gunsaber weapon set

 

If, on the other hand, you feel committed to the idea of keeping DT and flow, I would recommend that you be able to keep any  cartridges that you charge up even if you don't use them.  This would allow a player to briefly charge DT to get 1-2 cartridges, dodge or use a skill as needed, and return to DT later and already have those 1-2 cartridges saved up.  In this way, one could power up the burst attacks over time and not be committed to a "well I'm in DT so I've got to use one of the skills or I lose everything" mentality.

 

 

I posted this in the Bladesworn Feedback thread, too, but I figured  I would post it here since it fits with the aim of your thread.

[Lonecap.4105]

21 minutes ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

PoH pretty much only does PvP Kodama.

But yeah, each of these are big sticking points that pretty much every warrior main that frequents the subforum has mentioned in their feedback.

And then there are the innumerable things I forgot- like not being able to stow Gunblade.

There’s a lot of issues and there’s also a few ways they could go about fixing those issues. I think we have generated some hugely valuable feedback as the warrior community just from the past 24 hours and I think like you said Lan most posts reflect what I said.

I posted in this topic instead of the mega thread just to make sure some of the major sticking points are reiterated.

[Psycoprophet.8107]

Lower flow to 30, increasing dt damage (in pvp/wvw), give pistol more range, increasing the damage slightly on all Saber skills, reducing the cds on Saber skills slightly, change left hand position on hilt, allow sheathing when not in use, swap f1 and f2, increase hit box on Saber 5 (goes through targets and does 0 dps often), add stab and damage reduction on dt charge, allow either weapon swap or return the prior weapon burst skills. These are the big things that imo cmc and the design team need to look at, may have missed a few.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Psycoprophet.8107

[oscuro.9720]

I’d like to add Blooming Fire to the list of things that need more damage.

[Smoosh.2718]

Hey you missed an important one!
Mainhand pistol with actual range on it.

[Red Haired Savage.5430]

Another thing I saw from someone else was the fierce as fire trait seems to not have much use especially since the elite spec is so power focused, why not turn it into something that deals with explosion skills or something that deals with might which is about the only boon support that warrior can give in decent amounts to other players.

[Kodama.6453]

33 minutes ago, Smoosh.2718 said:

Hey you missed an important one!
Mainhand pistol with actual range on it.

I highly doubt that anet is going to design an entire new weapon for the spec at this point of development. They will adjust what is already there, but not design something completely anew.

[Angel Hunter D.5037]

5 minutes ago, Kodama.6453 said:

I highly doubt that anet is going to design an entire new weapon for the spec at this point of development. They will adjust what is already there, but not design something completely anew.

Toss an auto attack with decent range on it and I'll take it. 

[TheGrimm.5624]

3 hours ago, ProverbsofHell.2307 said:

Yeah it goes without saying my post is concerned with PvP numbers only

 

Agree it's a bit over tuned down in PvP modes so far in testing.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

13 minutes ago, Kodama.6453 said:

I highly doubt that anet is going to design an entire new weapon for the spec at this point of development. They will adjust what is already there, but not design something completely anew.

Just make a 900 range AA with a fast attack speed, move P5 to P2 and give it 600 range, and move P4 to P3 and give it 600 range on the leap. I don't even think you need to reduce the CDs for those either...

[Smoosh.2718]

3 minutes ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

Just make a 900 range AA with a fast attack speed, move P5 to P2 and give it 600 range, and move P4 to P3 and give it 600 range on the leap. I don't even think you need to reduce the CDs for those either...

Id honestly be more than happy with something like that, I could see more use out of mainhand than offhand, due to that overhanging issue, sustain.

[Smoosh.2718]

Just regarding being able to put away the weapon to cancel attacks, I noticed the weapon is still placed on the back when you come out of your mount... so it should be possible to pull off in a future update.
https://imgur.com/EgIucaU

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

4 minutes ago, Smoosh.2718 said:

Just regarding being able to put away the weapon to cancel attacks, I noticed the weapon is still placed on the back when you come out of your mount... so it should be possible to pull off in a future update.
https://imgur.com/EgIucaU

Your dude is grabbing it from the wrong end...

[Verdict is Vengence.6912]

5 hours ago, CalmTheStorm.2364 said:

MH mace is little more than a CC stick at base line, but without skull crack?  It's just....a stick.

🤣 Without burst, it really is a stick that you can pick up off the ground in the environment. That's funny. Depressing too actually...

But removing F1 burst is a crazy proposition by Anet. It didn't work for Berserker and it clearly doesn't work for Bladesworn. I don't know what the future holds for Warrior anymore. There is clearly a divide between Warriors that play competitive and Anet's dev team.