Jump to content
  • Sign Up

The New Jade Sphere: A Significant Improvement, But Still Needs Work


Barnesy.5839

Recommended Posts

I've mained ele since gw2 launch. I play PVP almost exclusively.

In the first beta, Jade Sphere felt very clunky. In this current beta, giving Jade Sphere a shorter duration, shorter cooldown, separate cooldowns per attunement and seperate combo fields per attunement is a very good change.

However, not being able to generate Jade Sphere energy while any combo field is active still feels very clunky. Here's why it is clunky:

1. You only have 30 energy (and each field costs 10 energy) so you can only cast three fields before you have to wait for your energy to recharge

2. Since you cannot generate energy while any combo field is active, you are penalised from spreading out the duration of the fields. You are better off dumping all your energy ASAP so you can start generating energy ASAP.

3. When you swap attenments, there is a 1.5 second cooldown before you can cast Jade Sphere. This feels very clunky. The rest of elementalist skills are available immediately when you swap attunements. Having a 1.5 second cooldown on Jade Sphere breaks the flow and feel of elementalist.

4. Because of this 1.5 second cooldown, it takes about 3-5 seconds to place three fields. Thus it takes even more time to dump your energy, thus delaying when you can start generating energy.

5. If you only have 29 energy, you are penalised for using Jade Sphere because you can only afford to use it twice. You have to wait the time it takes to cast two fields, and then you have to wait for the combo fields to disappear before you can generate energy to cast the third combo field.

6. The cycle of: Generating 30 energy, then casting three fields, then waiting for them to disappear before you can generate another 30 energy is too long. This does not feel like a profession mechanic. It feels like an ordinary skill which you use occasionally.

Suggested Solution:

1. The basic solution should be obvious: Let us use Jade Sphere more often. Jade Sphere is the profession mechanic. It should feel like an integral skill of the Catalyst's kit.

2. I think the best way to increase Jade Sphere usage is: Remove the 1.5s cooldown on Jade Sphere when you swap attunements AND allow energy to generate while the combo fields are active (or just remove the energy cost entirely).

3. If this is too powerful, you can balance it by reducing the duration of the combo field by 1 second. More frequent, but weaker Jade Spheres is WAY better because it maintains the flow, feel and mobility of the elementalist's rotation. Frequent combo fields will give the Catalyst a unique identity and feel. It will encourage and reward the elementalist as they swap into multiple attunements to maximise their combo finishers.

A Catalyst which could frequently create elemental fields would be very cool and it would feel great to play. It perfectly fits within the elementalist theme and it gives the Catalyst a unique class identity.

Edited by Barnesy.5839
  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be a nerf if they take away the energy component cause Anet would then cause limitations somewhere else. 

 

But I would agree to remove the icd limiting Jade sphere from activating instantly upon attunement swap. Also allow build up of energy when when Jade spheres are deployed. 

 

This spec is honestly very close to scourge. Well, Elem's version and instead of dps condi, it's boon support. But even scourge doesn't have limitations regarding energy build up 

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Stallic.2397 said:

It would be a nerf if they take away the energy component cause Anet would then cause limitations somewhere else. 

 

But I would agree to remove the icd limiting Jade sphere from activating instantly upon attunement swap. Also allow build up of energy when when Jade spheres are deployed. 

 

This spec is honestly very close to scourge. Well, Elem's version and instead of dps condi, it's boon support. But even scourge doesn't have limitations regarding energy build up 

Scourge is basically unkillable and generates massive amounts of barrier for itself and everyone else. Ele in melee is basically perma dodge roll. 

Edited by The Great Al.2546
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Barnesy.5839 said:

2. I think the best way to increase Jade Sphere usage is: Remove the 1.5s cooldown on Jade Sphere when you swap attunements AND allow energy to generate while the combo fields are active (or just remove the energy cost entirely).

Completly agree, That's the two solution I was thinking about as well.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, FrownyClown.8402 said:

A also think the energy is unneccessary. Its not like the fields are strong

Maybe it should have more quickness when you have sphere specialist if you have energy but always put out the attunement specific boons. The only boon noteworthy on catalyst is quickness (and maybe resistance). With heal tempest you have role compression, whereas heal catalyst isn't slated to be spectacular so you have diviner's or some condi+boon variant (firebrand rune or otherwise). Dagger + focus catalyst is not likely to be stronger than dagger+warhorn on tempest and the staff variant doesn't have aura heals due to elemental bastion being in tempest traitline. 

Spectacular sphere boils down to : 5 Might, Fury , Vigor, Resistance (5s). Compare this to Deploy Jade Sphere which already puts out might (albeit not nearly as fast as tempest) , resolution, quickness, and protection and it's a hard sell to run Spectacular sphere in most scenarios.

Protection is going to be put out by alacrity renegade or druid/tempest (which also put out might). Resolution is extremely common when you have DH/firebrand and is not better than clearing damage conditions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Energy is super unnecessary. Currently it serves the purpose of not letting you spam every other sphere on its own cooldown. You have to choose either one of each sphere or the same one 4 times, but can't get each sphere 4 times each. But there's another mechanic which does the same thing way more elegantly: Ammo. 

Just make the spheres use ammo. 

Same restrictions, no clunk.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Barnesy.5839 said:

3. When you swap attenments, there is a 1.5 second cooldown before you can cast Jade Sphere. This feels very clunky. The rest of elementalist skills are available immediately when you swap attunements. Having a 1.5 second cooldown on Jade Sphere breaks the flow and feel of elementalist.

This bothers me the most. It collides directly with its purpose of being a combofield. I want to drop it early in skill sequences to combo it with other skills. It messes up the combat flow.

Edited by schloumou.3982
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, The Great Al.2546 said:

The energy mechanic is completely unnecessary. Just let us put out 1 sphere every 7 seconds or something. The spheres aren’t useful enough to use them like sand shades and put them near enemies or by far away allies. It’s just a combo field that you need if you use hammer. 

This. Energy is just a pointless mechanic and it feelsbadman not to be able to cast a field at all (and benefit from traits) until well into the fight. Makes catalyst still feel clunky. Besides pointless mechanic, the UI for energy also sucks

 

Please just remove energy completely and re-balance as needed so as to remove the clunkiness. I dn't want to have to farm yellow mobs for 2min after every respawn. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sphere fields should last forever.  Their current iteration makes it difficult to use them effectively as there are so many limitations placed onto them that there's no real way to play around their mechanics. 

 

Edited by Shiyo.3578
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It should do damage/condi to enemies IMO, and the energy mechanic is a bit questionable, maybe a constantly recharging initiative system like thief or rev would be more suited. Should have a grand master trait to make the field mobile, as well as reworking nearly every other trait because there is no synergy.

Edited by Henrik.7560
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...