Should the fourth elementalist elite specialisation be ranged or melee?

[draxynnic.3719]

We've had this debate banging around the forum for a while now, and we've had people on both sides claiming that their side is more popular. So let's actually resolve this, as much as can be done through a medium that only reaches the forum.

So: Assuming that a fourth elementalist elite specialisation does come, would you prefer it to be primarily oriented towards melee or close combat, like Tempest, Weaver sword, and Catalyst hammer, or towards having a more standoff capability like the GW1 elementalist and the typical approach taken regarding magic-users in fantasy?

Not fussed here about the specific weapon involved, just looking to take the forum's proverbial pulse on whether they'd prefer a melee/close or ranged/standoff focus.

In order to avoid this becoming a debate about definitions, I'm defining the categories as:

1) Ranged: Most offensive skills have range of 900 or more (ArenaNet has pretty much ditched having any weapons that focus on 600 range, as evidenced by changes to weapons such as necromancer and ranger axe and guardian staff).

2) Melee: Most of the profession's offensive capability is within 500 range or less. (Some may extend to 600 or further, such as elementalist dagger Vapor Blade, Zealous Blades on guardian sword, and so on, but most of the design of these weapons are focused on closer combat). This includes things like Tempest which has a specialisation mechanic that is clearly oriented towards close combat.

In order to include a compromise option, I'm also including:

3): Hybrid. This offers a decent ranged capability on some attunements, while others focus on melee for better damage and/or survivability. This is aimed at mimicking what other professions can achieve through having a 900+ ranged set on one swap and a melee set on the other.

[Dadnir.5038]

I chose hybrid because I don't think a specialization should be tied to either melee or ranged gameplay.

I would have chosen "ranged", If the question was:

"Should the next e-spec weapon be a melee weapon or a ranged weapon?"

 

[draxynnic.3719]

22 minutes ago, Dadnir.5038 said:

I chose hybrid because I don't think a specialization should be tied to either melee or ranged gameplay.

I would have chosen "ranged", If the question was:

"Should the next e-spec weapon be a melee weapon or a ranged weapon?"

 

Fair, although as further clarification, the intent for "primarily oriented" does allow for being able to go the other way if you so choose. Similar to how you can run a ranged scrapper or a melee deadeye. I mostly went with specialisation rather than weapon to avoid situations where the weapon itself is ambiguous, but the specialisation mechanics are clearly pointing in one direction or another.

[Bakeneko.5826]

It doesn't matter for PvE, you will stack on boon source anyway. For WvW staff is viable, only wild card is pvp

[Fueki.4753]

Since the other three already are melee, a ranged elite specializations is even more needed than before.

[crosknight.3041]

i been contemplating an idea for a spec with ranged axe, attunement swaps become movement skills and have ranged physical skills (one idea is to punch a wall of earth in a direction).

kinda thinking of the final boss in sunqua fractal as an insperation with how much movement she had, as well as the action sequences in avatar the last airbender.

[Dadnir.5038]

13 minutes ago, Fueki.4753 said:

Since the other three already are melee, a ranged elite specializations is even more needed than before.

While tempest and catalist, as a specializations, can arguably be qualified as "melee" due to the overloads and jade sphere, weaver's only melee side is it's weapon and thus should be seen as a neutral ground for both melee and ranged build as weapons are merely optionals.

If GW2's devs were to make the sphere ground targeted with a 900 range, one would have to see the spec as a ranged one despite the hammer and the augments as both those tools are merely optional and easly replaced by ranged tools.

 

What the elementalist need on it's next e-spec is the ability to switch between 2 weaponsets while in combat. The spec could be something like:

Name: Gunslinger:

Mechanism: F5: Conjure arcane rifle: Manifest arcane rifle in your hands. (CD: 20s. Duration: 10s) This would have 5 fixed skills unaffected by attunment change beyond what the traitline offer.

- AA: Arcane shot: Fire an arcane bullet.

- Skill#2: Arcane volley: Fire a volley of arcane bullets.

- Skill#3: Traversal shot: Shot a bullet at your target, teleporting to the target upon impact.

- Skill#4: Arcane Phase: Gain the blur effect for 1.5s and superspeed for 2s.

- Skill#5: Arcane overload: Push back foe around you.

Weapon: Whatever weapon, it's not important as you can switch with the ranged arcane rifle.

Utilities: An elemental set of Venoms (Pretty simple to create and useful with any skill that hit a foe).

Traits: You can have traits that grant different sets of stats boosts (like conjured weapons does). A trait that extend the duration of the conjured pistols by 1s whenever you switch attunement while using them. Traits that buff a specific arcane rifle skill based on your attunement (like: Traversal shot have added effect based on attunment: Fire-blind, Air-daze, Earth-immob, Water-chill. Gain an aura based on your attunement when using arcane phase... Etc.). The classical gain [X effects] when conjuring your arcane rifle.

They could even make the core conjure weapon trait actually work with the F5 (Yeah, I know, the idea of a core trait working along with an e-spec might be a bit to novel for this game).

[Puck.3697]

After the last 2 it's likely time. Weather we will see it live uptoo expectations or is the next weapon next to staff to be continously raged about however will be the question. 

 

[Noodle Ant.1605]

whatever the next espec happens to be, id also like ele core weapons to get a well-deserved update/revamp so that we have more useable range options in the case that the next espec does not pack a ranged weapon, or for better variety for ele in general if it does

[Emberheart.8426]

The next elite spec will obviously be melee longbow.

Edited February 7, 2022 by Ganathar.4956

[Einlanzer.1627]

Worth noting that neither classes nor elite specs are specifically melee or ranged (which I like), but weapons are. 

Hammer is problematic because Elementalists really want to be able to operate at range for a variety of reasons. Having dagger & Sword already be melee-locked is already dubious - making 3 of their 5 available options only work in melee range is pretty dumb, truth be told. 

[Sunshine.5014]

There should be an option for "I wish it's Range, but ANet will make it melee".

 

[AliamRationem.5172]

ANet: "If you like range, you'll love melee!"

[Ausar.9542]

On 2/5/2022 at 6:52 AM, Dadnir.5038 said:

I chose hybrid because I don't think a specialization should be tied to either melee or ranged gameplay.

I would have chosen "ranged", If the question was:

"Should the next e-spec weapon be a melee weapon or a ranged weapon?"

 

ok this is a good point

[Downstate.4697]

Hammer could work as a hybrid ranged option if its ranged attacks were good. They are a slow wind up of damage that is too hard to hit in pvp. Buffing hammer damage and making the animations faster would go a long way, but that is counter to the "slow and steady" approach they somehow want on it. The burst rotation would prob look like this: 

Air 5, 2, 3 ,4 followed by

Fire 4 3 3 5 followed by

Water 4, 2, 3, 5 or followed by

Earth 5, 3, 2.

Air 5 is not large enough

Air 2 is too slow

Fire 4 and 5 dont do enough damage

Water 2 doesnt do enough damage.

If a weapon is going to be slow it needs to have weight behind its attacks.

[TheDarkness.6947]

I voted hybrid, but I didn’t see the voting option I wanted to pick, which is:

 

-  I don’t want to wait 2 or more years, please fix what’s there now.

 

Mainly staff, and, to a lesser degree scepter.  Hammer is TBD, I guess.

 

And then, the conjure weapons really need some love. Far as I can tell, those are intended to be ele’s version of a weapon swap, and a weapon swap is the way most professions adapt to be effective at different ranges.  But the conjure weapons are so hard to justify taking in their current form.  They’re clunky to use.  Most just have 1 or maybe 2 skills worth using.  And they are kind of locked to a specific element and it’s associated theme of damage, CC, heal, etc.  With the possible exception of FGS, the conjures don’t  really feel like a weapon swap that lets you dynamically adapt to different ranges today.  They feel more like a single skill that’s really awkward to cast.

[brandies.8673]

I don't want to wait 2 more year either, I just want Hammer to be reworked into a majority ranged weapon, like it should always have been.

 

I have zero interest in buying this expansion in current form.

Edited February 15, 2022 by brandies.8673

[James Saulot.4851]

I voted melee. Mace and greatsword are still on the table.