I'm really digging sword/dagger + shorbow but sword needs a little somethin' somethin'

[Zexanima.7851]

This is mostly in regards to pvp as that's what I play. The evades and mechanic of resetting your 2 is super fun I find but it's damage is just so underwhelming on top of it being primarily single target and melee. To use torch and dagger as a comparison. The damage is fairly  similar but with torch you're trading your evade/control from dagger for AoE and a fire field. The trade offs seem even and both feel like they have a specific purpose without there being a major damage difference other than single vs aoe. With axe and sword though you're trading your evades on sword  for the safety of range, more damage, more AoE, and arguably better control with axe 3. Even though sword is single target you're more than likely losing damage compared to axe in a single target scenario as well as AoE. My proposal would be to just add a 1 sec immobilization on sword 3 with 2-3 stacks of bleed and 1-2 stacks of poison.

 

It's not much but I think it would really make a difference with sword. Axe would still probably be better in most scenarios but it would make sword a little closer to being inline with axe. Currently the survivability of sword doesn't really mean much without it being able to provide any pressure. I can't think of a more underwhelming 1h primary weapon other than maybe necro dagger. 

[Downstate.4697]

I run sword/axe with berserker. Quickness+one wolf pack is pretty good on sword. I typically run hyena on soulbeast so i pull them into an axe 5+one wolf pack and then finish them with sword and the remaining duration of one wolf pack. Sword was orginally designed to supplement pet builds. The cripple on their auto and evades makes it good for that, however, its out of date and greatsword is better for pet burst. You really want skirmishing to take full advantage of sword.

[Zexanima.7851]

19 minutes ago, FrownyClown.8402 said:

I run sword/axe with berserker. Quickness+one wolf pack is pretty good on sword. I typically run hyena on soulbeast so i pull them into an axe 5+one wolf pack and then finish them with sword and the remaining duration of one wolf pack. Sword was orginally designed to supplement pet builds. The cripple on their auto and evades makes it good for that, however, its out of date and greatsword is better for pet burst. You really want skirmishing to take full advantage of sword.

 

Yeah, I'm running skirmishing. I'm condi though so the only damage I really get out of sword is serpent strike, and landing two of those for the damage and getting value out of the evade at the same time is tricky compared to primary hand axe skills. Since sword buff passive is in skirmishing, and skirmishing is primarily a condi tree you would think sword would have a little more condi pressure than it does. 

[Downstate.4697]

Skirmishing is not primarily a condi tree

[Zexanima.7851]

14 minutes ago, FrownyClown.8402 said:

Skirmishing is not primarily a condi tree

What? It has trapper's expertise (traps are mostly condi), Sharpened Edges, Hidden Barbs, and Light on your Feet. The only other tree that has any kind of condi passives is Wilderness Survival and it has one. If you go condi, you're going to pick up Skirmishing. Sure, you can trait it for crit chance but it is your main tree for condi. 

[Leonidrex.5649]

On 12/10/2021 at 1:01 AM, Zexanima.7851 said:

What? It has trapper's expertise (traps are mostly condi), Sharpened Edges, Hidden Barbs, and Light on your Feet. The only other tree that has any kind of condi passives is Wilderness Survival and it has one. If you go condi, you're going to pick up Skirmishing. Sure, you can trait it for crit chance but it is your main tree for condi. 

skirmishing is all around DPS traitline, I use it on both of my dps builds, be it condi or power, it brings insane damage to the table.
trap trait can easily be changed for vigor trait as its really good too.
I hate sword, I just cant stand the fact that you cant on demand evade with it, and that alone makes it so I will never use this weapon, to me its braindead spam 2->2->3->2->2 and hope you dodged something.
The mobility is really nice for condi builds and I wish I could use it without getting upset over the evade part but I am who I am unfortunately. I just use mobility pets and skills that I can relay for evasion.

[anduriell.6280]

Sword is fine, the problem are the off hand weapons. Those all need rework / tunning. 

[InsaneQR.7412]

Swords AA needs some tweaking. All attacks should cleave and one attack should cripple, one should apply damage and bleeds and one should give the ranger and the pet might.

Monarchs leap would be cool iflit would also apply a damaging condition but otherwise its fine.

Hornet sting shoudl evade on button press until the end of the animation. The aftercast should be reduced too so that its usability is better. Atm i barely touch this skill except for WvW/PvP.

Maybe the GM WS trait "poison master could apply poison when you apply cripple paired withlits previous effect. This would give sword/dagger more condi potential and increase hybrid build diversity tbh.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

Literally just reduce the aftercasts a bit and up the AA dmg a little and the weapon is fine.  The biggest offender is hornet sting because the evade comes way late.  That skill needs a cast time reduction and longer evade window and it'd be fine.  

 

Basically sword is a lot like staff in that it is primarily a evasion tool.  I know people don't like that, but for the ones that know how to use it...they become very, very hard to catch.