How to make the class more accessible in PvE group content.

[Zunki.3916]

One of the main concerns of elementalist in PvE is, tht the skill floor is generally rather high and failures are quite punishing. This post is a summary of my ideas to make elementalist easier to play while mostly not affecting top end dmg and rotations. It should make the class more accessible without powercreeping it.

All changes are supposed to flatten the difference between top players and average players. No change should lead to wastly better benchmarks, this is NOT a benchmark balance discussion and only looks at specifically the aspect of flattening. Things that help the average group and not only the Ele will also be mentioned. Thing that make non meta builds accessible or easier to play are also considered.

Masters Fortitude:
Give the flat vit boost to any weapon, not just sword.

Weaver's Provess:
Increase duration to 12s.    -    Benchmark rota would hopefully not profit too much from this, average and beginners profit a lot.

Elements of Rage:
Increase duration to 12s.    -    Benchmark rota would hopefully not profit too much from this, average and beginners profit a lot.

Elemental/Vicious/Evasive Epowerment:
Increase all sources from 15s to 20...30s

Empowered Empowerment:
Always double the bonus, not only at 10 stacks.

Burning Precision:
Reduce CD drastically/increase burn duration/100% chance, not 33%    -    This would give good passive dmg as long as you are doing something. It does not matter what you do, as long as you perform any attack you would do more dmg. You can cut some dmg on other fire traits if needed.

Power Overwhelming:
Reduce stack threshold, the pvp split makes no sense on this one.    -    Wont make a difference in most scenarios.

Persisting Flames:
Increase duration to 20s.    -    It might increase top Bench dmg slightly, if so max stacks could be changed to compensate.

Raging Storm:
Reduce cd to 2 or increase duration to 3.    -    Wont make a difference in most scenarios.

Stregnth of Stone:
Reduce cd to 0...1s    -    This opens up some new ways of inflict bleeding that are already possible, but hard to pull off. It also reduces the fear of using arcane skills in the wrong attunement. The builds that can use this are usually not meta worthy but are chill to play and viable.

Rock Solid:
Increase stability duration    -    Good players will trigger it just fine with 2s duration. Bad players would like the leeway.

Soothing Mist:
Increase duration to 15...20s    -    Less punishing if you leave water attunement.

Stop, Drop and Roll:
Increase radius, lower cooldown. Think of other stuff it could cleanse.    -    Gives the ele a option to support in average groups.

Healing Ripple:
Increase radius.

Cleansing Wave:
Increase radius.

Arcane Precision:
Increase dmg for fire and earth.    -    This would give good passive dmg as long as you are doing something. It does not matter what you do, as long as you perform any attack you would do more dmg. You can cut some dmg on other fire traits if needed.

Elemental Attunement:
Increase radius.

Evasive Arcana:
Increase radius.

Gathered Focus:
Reduce Health threshold.

Transcendent Tempest:
Increase duration to 12s, if this affects benchmarks reduce dmg by 1 or 2 %.    -    Makes it easier to have a solid uptime without being stressed too much.

Hardened/Empowering Auras:
Reduce Stacks to 2, increase dmg per stack to 5.

Rock Barrier:
Reduces dmg taken isntead of giving toughness or give vitality    -    Wont mess with toughness tanking any more. This enhances a chill but non meta build.

Signet of Earth:
Reduces dmg taken isntead of giving toughness or give vitality    -    Wont mess with toughness tanking any more. This enhances a chill but non meta build.

Healthpool:
This is a hard one to implement probably. In PvP this might be balneced somehow. But in PvE Ele has both lowest health and armor. But what does it get in return for it? It makes the class unnecessary hard to play as a baseline. This might be hard to adress but if base health would be more on the medium healthpool side in PvE this might help a lot.

This is it. Some stuff might increase benchmarks slightly, but that could be compensated if its a problem. I think with at least some of those changes the gap between good and average ele players might decrease. And more ppl might actually be able to enjoy the class in group content.
What would you say? All trash? Did I miss major ones? What would you change on the weapon skill side, as I totally neglected the skills at this point.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Zunki.3916

[Dadnir.5038]

Pointless.

People fail with elementalist in PvE because they try and fail to stick to complex "optimal" rotations. The best way to make elementalist relevant in PvE is simply to promote already existing easy rotation. Contrary to beliefs, Elementalist's AAs aren't any weaker than the other profession's AA. If other professions can be meta by using their AA most of the time instead of going through a finger breaking rotations, then elementalist can do it as well.

[Zhaid Zhem.6508]

Core/weaver needs traits that reward DPS with sutain and vice-versa. 
And a bit more balance in dps between weapon skills/mechanics and utility skills. Utility skills should not be that determining on DPS (primordial, storm, weaveself ) but mixed with sustain/support or situationnal (like arcane power with group, pets for mights ...)

 

For example on weaver : Elemental refreshment- +10% precision when you have barrier, so you could juste take Bolstered element or Stone resonance and not lose 20% of dps.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Zhaid Zhem.6508

[soulknight.9620]

Wait, what? you want ele to become a good profession? I smell some extremism! 

Edited June 26, 2022 by soulknight.9620