Bladesworn playstyles that ALMOST work..

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

Having spend some time with Bladesworn in PvE I've noticed it's not as one dimensional as one thinks.
There is potential for some major build variety provided certain obstacles are moved out of the way...
 

1. Rifle Bladesworn - any warrior who likes to whip out his boomstick should start drooling after taking a first look at Bladesworn.
   Major support for ammo based skills,  utilities so good, they look custom made for rifle warr (anti projectile wall, crippling wall, backward evade + stunbreak, ammo reload elite..).
   All looks fine and dandy....until you realize there's no Kill Shot...
   
   The alternative? Taking a squat for 5s for a 900 range slash that is legendary for missing anything and everything...
   Removing core bursts is something devs should really think over twice...
   
    
2. Support bladesworn
   A regular shout warrior is a meme at best. No way that with these recharge timers and shout heal values you're gonna be anywhere near a real team healer.
   Bladesworn's ammo and cooldown management makes it a lot more viable, and having a nice anti-projectile wall utility for your team certainly helps.
   But that's hardly enough.
   
   Because Spellbreaker is cannibalizing warrior support.
   Aoe taunt, boonhate and a pulling skill. These are basic features given a warrior's identity that should belong to core warrior first, and by extension all e-specs.
   Combined with Bladesworn's own additions, we could have something that shapes up to be a real support, provided few nudges here and there (like warhorn skills getting ammo system, or Shake It Off! breaking stuns for everyone if traited with Vigorous Shouts).
   
   But alas we have to play washed-out meme version of a support warrior, because Spellbreaker wants to look cool doing what should be part of base package..
   
   3. Tank bladesworn.
   This one is actually closest to home. Only issue i have is that barrier scaling is just poor. 30% healing power is not enough. Shouts start with almost same base value as Unshakable Mountain barriers but have 4 times the healing power scaling!
   I know there's poison which cripples healing but not barriers, so am not asking for 120% scaling here, but given the opportunity cost (no Lush Forest which is a major hit) i would expect better treatment. Either higher scaling, or higher base value in pve if you want an "out of the box solution"  that does not require additional investments to do it's job.

[DanAlcedo.3281]

ANET: We acknowledge that Rifle is not a good weapon. So we created this Elite Spec that adds new synergies. 

Also ANET: "Removes Killshot"

 

GENIUS 👌

[Geoff Fey.1035]

6 hours ago, ZeftheWicked.3076 said:

3. Tank bladesworn.

Lord Hizen recently released a great video showing the potential for a Tank Bladesworn based on Toughness rather than barrier. Still get 100% crit chance on Dragon Slash and incredible Flow & Self-Sustain, even when taking into account the current clunkiness of Gunsaber/Dragon Trigger.

That said--I agree, the Barrier just isn't enough. Lush Forests is just so strong and so necessary to overcome the limitations (long CDs; accessing 2nd effect of skills by using both ammo charges) that I would argue you would take Lush Forests over any other trait in the entire tree.

I feel it should be wrapped up with Guns & Glory, either the effect as-is (-1s on all CD when using last ammo) or change the effect to on-explosion to match the current Guns & Glory spec (while still including the + Ferocity bit of Guns & Glory)

If changed to on-explosion, it actually would turn Dragon's Roar into an even more bursty weapon as I think every attack/ammo from it counts as an explosion. Use at full charge (-6s)--> Returns +1 count --> Gunstinger for Reloading 3  --> Dragon's Roar (-4s) --> Swap to Gunsaber you'd be looking at -10s on all skills + whatever time it took to do those actions + a decent sized spike and then the Gunsaber has explosions worked throughout it.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Geoff Fey.1035

[Mesket.5728]

6 hours ago, ZeftheWicked.3076 said:

Having spend some time with Bladesworn in PvE I've noticed it's not as one dimensional as one thinks.
There is potential for some major build variety provided certain obstacles are moved out of the way...
 

1. Rifle Bladesworn - any warrior who likes to whip out his boomstick should start drooling after taking a first look at Bladesworn.
   Major support for ammo based skills,  utilities so good, they look custom made for rifle warr (anti projectile wall, crippling wall, backward evade + stunbreak, ammo reload elite..).
   All looks fine and dandy....until you realize there's no Kill Shot...
   
   The alternative? Taking a squat for 5s for a 900 range slash that is legendary for missing anything and everything...
   Removing core bursts is something devs should really think over twice...
   
    
2. Support bladesworn
   A regular shout warrior is a meme at best. No way that with these recharge timers and shout heal values you're gonna be anywhere near a real team healer.
   Bladesworn's ammo and cooldown management makes it a lot more viable, and having a nice anti-projectile wall utility for your team certainly helps.
   But that's hardly enough.
   
   Because Spellbreaker is cannibalizing warrior support.
   Aoe taunt, boonhate and a pulling skill. These are basic features given a warrior's identity that should belong to core warrior first, and by extension all e-specs.
   Combined with Bladesworn's own additions, we could have something that shapes up to be a real support, provided few nudges here and there (like warhorn skills getting ammo system, or Shake It Off! breaking stuns for everyone if traited with Vigorous Shouts).
   
   But alas we have to play washed-out meme version of a support warrior, because Spellbreaker wants to look cool doing what should be part of base package..
   
   3. Tank bladesworn.
   This one is actually closest to home. Only issue i have is that barrier scaling is just poor. 30% healing power is not enough. Shouts start with almost same base value as Unshakable Mountain barriers but have 4 times the healing power scaling!
   I know there's poison which cripples healing but not barriers, so am not asking for 120% scaling here, but given the opportunity cost (no Lush Forest which is a major hit) i would expect better treatment. Either higher scaling, or higher base value in pve if you want an "out of the box solution"  that does not require additional investments to do it's job.

I don' t agree with this. This kind of thinking is great once the espec is properly set in the game. But I hardly believe that this was the gameplay envisioned by the designer when they created a gunblade class. Not support, not tanking... the fact that there is room for this alt-specs is great but the class as it is meant to work is a complete mess and should be reworked.

[Grand Marshal.4098]

Betas were carried by Tactics and Lush Forest in the beta. 

 

Chads were running Arms and Furious.

[JVJD.4912]

On 9/30/2021 at 12:34 PM, ZeftheWicked.3076 said:

All looks fine and dandy....until you realize there's no Kill Shot...

[Caedmon.6798]

On 9/30/2021 at 3:48 PM, Geoff Fey.1035 said:

Lord Hizen recently released a great video showing the potential for a Tank Bladesworn based on Toughness rather than barrier. Still get 100% crit chance on Dragon Slash and incredible Flow & Self-Sustain, even when taking into account the current clunkiness of Gunsaber/Dragon Trigger.

That said--I agree, the Barrier just isn't enough. Lush Forests is just so strong and so necessary to overcome the limitations (long CDs; accessing 2nd effect of skills by using both ammo charges) that I would argue you would take Lush Forests over any other trait in the entire tree.

I feel it should be wrapped up with Guns & Glory, either the effect as-is (-1s on all CD when using last ammo) or change the effect to on-explosion to match the current Guns & Glory spec (while still including the + Ferocity bit of Guns & Glory)

If changed to on-explosion, it actually would turn Dragon's Roar into an even more bursty weapon as I think every attack/ammo from it counts as an explosion. Use at full charge (-6s)--> Returns +1 count --> Gunstinger for Reloading 3  --> Dragon's Roar (-4s) --> Swap to Gunsaber you'd be looking at -10s on all skills + whatever time it took to do those actions + a decent sized spike and then the Gunsaber has explosions worked throughout it.

Its not about stats. Losing adren and acces to bursts is garbage. The entire gameplay feels slow and clunky. Cant swap properly. The weapon you go into with in a fight is the weap you stick with,which is also garbage. I dont care how much dmg i can do to someone that cant play. Any proper player will ignore these slow charge up bursts at all times,unless its a Golem offcourse. Play the spec vs a proper Sb warri and see what happens,hell i think a berserk will even kitten over this spec anyday,condi or power. While youre standing still charging up the berserk can double or triple burst your kitten.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Caedmon.6798

[Lighter.5631]

rifle bladesworn almost work, because when a thief/rev  with half a brain jump you, you have nothing to fight against, specially when during traveling with 0 flow. you are already dead.

 

rifle bladesworn works in theory because it's kinda like reaper, with double range weapon, gunsaber is a ranged weapon. you can poke from range, and go in for shut down as dragontrigger has gap closer..but yea whenever a thief/rev or even power mesmer jump you..you are instantly dead...

 

you know what worked better than all of above for me? axe/axe pure glass canon bladesworn. you pray to kill everyone before you get killed, bladesworn's normal gameplay simply doesnt work, nothing sustain you enough or do enough damage to carry anything.

bullcharge in, axe 4,2,5 charge flow with axe mastery, then swap and proc unseen blade and build more flow, and gunblade 5 away and damage and spam gunblade 3 then go into dragontrigger, if enemy still alive, finish with axe 3.

this is the only bladesworn build with acceptably fluid/enjoyable gameplay and actually kill people.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Lighter.5631