How is Hammer broken? Let me count the ways...

[Mungrul.9358]

Long animations for low damage results.
Long animations also mean that you have less opportunities to clear conditions that punish melee, such as blind. Blind spam breaks hammer completely.
Long animations also also mean adrenaline build-up is adversely affected.
Long animations also also also leave you open to attack for longer without retaliation meaning you are more prone to damage and conditions, meaning you NEED to include sustain and cleanse in your build.

Merciless Hammer competes with Might Makes Right, meaning you have to spec in to Tactics if you want any sustain.
This has a knock-on effect in that you now have reduced access to crits unless you take Arms over Disciplne. And why the hell would you do that?! Especially when Discipline provides further necessary access to cleanse.

Its big skill with a long cooldown (that also happens to be the most highly telegraphed skill in the game), Backbreaker, is also the only one that is single target.

Body Blow is the only sensible choice for hammer in its tier, but it's a trait that inexplicably includes a condition, when hammer (and mace, the only other CC weapon available to warrior!) builds are best when specced in to power.

For PvP, removal of damage from CC skills destroys hammer, so only 3 out of its 5 skills do damage. This also adversely impacts the weapon's burst, Earthshaker. This is doubly-insulting given the high availability of Stability these days, so your lengthy wind-up Backbreaker, that already takes a LOT of skill to land, does 4 damage on impact and doesn't knock down your target.

Earthshaker still regularly misses targets due to elevation issues.

While it makes sense for the weapon to have a push, I would argue that it also needs a pull in order to group enemies so that you can better take advantage of the weapon's inherent AoE.

In fact, why are only two of its skills hard CCs and one a soft CC?
EVERY Hammer skill should be a CC.
Single-target KD on the third hit of the auto-attack, while keeping the AoE splash damage.
Single-target Launch on Fierce Blow, while keeping the AoE splash damage.
Cripple can stay on Hammer Shock.
Staggering Blow should be changed to a pull instead of a push.
Backbreaker KD should be AoE multi-target (3 targets max).
Earthshaker should be an AoE launch instead of a stun.
(I'll admit, maybe I've gone a little over the top here, but something OTT needs to be done to make hammer competitive again).

It has the same reach as a sword, mace, axe and even dagger. ALL two-handed melee weapons on ALL professions should have longer reach than one-handed ones

While I like the combo of CC then Fierce Blow, hammer's damage is almost completely dependent on this combo. Damage needs increasing across the board.

[JTGuevara.9018]

Hammer is in a D-I-S-A-S-T-R-O-U-S, DISASTROUS state. I've stopped using it entirely. It is just that worthless now. Without the CC damage, it is like wielding a squeaky toy. Not to mention slow as molasses.

[draxynnic.3719]

I was with you until you proposed hard CC on every skill, including the autoattack chain. That just isn't going to fly.

What it needs is faster animations and enough damage on the non-CC skills to make up for the damage lost on the CC skills. And possibly some mechanics changes, but CC on everything would either make it no damage on anything or incredibly oppressive.

[oscuro.9720]

Listen. Hammer is the chad weapon. Carried by stronk hands and thicc legs, it asserts dominance just with its presence. When you pound them so hard they are left weak legged on the floor, you will experience a satisfaction that is unparalleled. When you knock them around with your hammer spins, you’ll feel a thrill that you will crave more. Hammer is a weapon descended from God himself, and we are but his smiths, to pound on our enemies like they are anvils made to be struck. 
 

But actually, rework to focus around pulls. For an example, see my rework suggestion; 

 

[Ferus.3165]

it has been so long since hammer was useful, i don't even remember it anymore... and anet did nothing in all those years to improve it, they even knocked it down further with the feb2020 patch.

But hammer is not the only weapon that needs a complete overhaul. Sword offhand is at the same level of power as hammer, meaning it's absolutely worthless. Sword mainhand is almost as bad and is also in dire need of a rework. Well rifle and longbow aswell... and many individual skills on other weapons that are stuck in the year 2012.

The only way for this game to actually come back to life again is if anet is willing to put in the work and remove the dross that accumulated over all these years. All those useless, clunky and outdated traits, skills and abilities have to be reworked and/or replaced by actual useful skills.

Yeah as if that's ever going to happen 😉

Oh and another thing that has made hammer worse even in pve: the introduction of breakbars. Prior to breakbars warriors could stunlock npcs for a very long time as a means of defense. This is no longer possible as almost every elite mob and higher (so especially those npcs that are dangerous) are immune to cc for 95% of the time.

[CalmTheStorm.2364]

I think hammer shock applying immob (2s) would be a great start. It would let you engage the foe from range and set them up for earth shaker or backbreaker.

 

I also think hammer sorely needs some defense to be useful in competitive. Ideally, I'd make staggering blow into a copy of Rangers GS4 : a channeled block with the current Staggering Blow as a flip over skill. 

[CalmTheStorm.2364]

Oh and Backbreaker should be a 3s pulsing AoE that CCs does every second.

 

Lol jk that would be busted AF. Really glad nothing like this is in the game 🙄

[Myror.7521]

And then there are things like necro shroud 5/pistol 3 that does pulsing chrono like field/2 sec cc without any telling but also Big aoe circle/range cc with pretty low cd. Idk how anyone could tell me that EoD specs arent too strong in what they actually do. Would be pretty healthy for pvp to see things like Harb/willbender/mechanicst/bladesworn nerfed. (Well with dmg on cc this classes wouldnt be that mutch of a Problem to be fair)

[Knighthonor.4061]

I kinda feel Hammer is bad across classes except specific builds.

[draxynnic.3719]

6 hours ago, Ferus.3165 said:

it has been so long since hammer was useful, i don't even remember it anymore... and anet did nothing in all those years to improve it, they even knocked it down further with the feb2020 patch.

But hammer is not the only weapon that needs a complete overhaul. Sword offhand is at the same level of power as hammer, meaning it's absolutely worthless. Sword mainhand is almost as bad and is also in dire need of a rework. Well rifle and longbow aswell... and many individual skills on other weapons that are stuck in the year 2012.

The only way for this game to actually come back to life again is if anet is willing to put in the work and remove the dross that accumulated over all these years. All those useless, clunky and outdated traits, skills and abilities have to be reworked and/or replaced by actual useful skills.

Yeah as if that's ever going to happen 😉

Oh and another thing that has made hammer worse even in pve: the introduction of breakbars. Prior to breakbars warriors could stunlock npcs for a very long time as a means of defense. This is no longer possible as almost every elite mob and higher (so especially those npcs that are dangerous) are immune to cc for 95% of the time.

You do remember the system that we had before the current defiance bar, don't you? We didn't have elites then, but CCing a champion or higher was so impractical that most people just didn't bother.

[Mungrul.9358]

9 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

I was with you until you proposed hard CC on every skill, including the autoattack chain. That just isn't going to fly.

Usually, I'd agree with you, but the state of the game is such that some professions proc Stability merely by existing, so surely the only logical counter to that is for at least one profession to have CC on every attack?

[oscuro.9720]

17 hours ago, CalmTheStorm.2364 said:

Oh and Backbreaker should be a 3s pulsing AoE that CCs does every second.

 

Lol jk that would be busted AF. Really glad nothing like this is in the game 🙄

Staggering blow is now a 3 second channel where the warrior spins around with his hammer, knocking back anyone he hits for the full 3 seconds.
 

More spins. More wins. 

[CalmTheStorm.2364]

11 minutes ago, oscuro.9720 said:

Staggering blow is now a 3 second channel where the warrior spins around with his hammer, knocking back anyone he hits for the full 3 seconds.
 

More spins. More wins. 

Heh, it would be like a poor man's tornado. Wouldn't solve the need for a defensive skill, but it sure would be fun! (Until you get CCd because of Warrior's tragic lack of stability...)

[JTGuevara.9018]

12 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

You do remember the system that we had before the current defiance bar, don't you? We didn't have elites then, but CCing a champion or higher was so impractical that most people just didn't bother.

Not necessarily true. Before defiance bars, champions had a Defiance buff. (immunity to CCs - basically Stability applied to enemies) Champions could be CCed by stripping all of its Defiance stacks. The trouble with this was that champions gained more Defiance the more players that showed up on the map. That is why CCing was "impractical". And that's why the bar exists to this day.

[oscuro.9720]

2 hours ago, CalmTheStorm.2364 said:

Heh, it would be like a poor man's tornado. Wouldn't solve the need for a defensive skill, but it sure would be fun! (Until you get CCd because of Warrior's tragic lack of stability...)

It would have a, in scientific terms, metric fuq load of group utility, especially in zergs. Just get 5 warriors spinning straight through your foolish stability stacks. New Zerg meta incoming.

[DeceiverX.8361]

23 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

I was with you until you proposed hard CC on every skill, including the autoattack chain. That just isn't going to fly.

What it needs is faster animations and enough damage on the non-CC skills to make up for the damage lost on the CC skills. And possibly some mechanics changes, but CC on everything would either make it no damage on anything or incredibly oppressive.

I'm not a warrior main so take with with a grain of salt, but I'd rather it be the sole outlier and have its damage on CC skills than be too difficult to keep up with.  Not saying it needs to be AS SLOW as it is now, but that not specific to warrior, I think a lot of kits should be slowed down so PvP can be made more methodical rather than "spam keyboard to land skills and stat-check your opponent."

Fighting warrior hammer pre-feb-2020 patch was honestly one of the more satisfying kits to play against in GW2 because it felt great to prepare against and anticipate and react to mitigate huge hits swung aimlessly while having very visceral oomph to when the hits connected from players who baited and punished mistakes like wasted dodges etc.

[Gorem.8104]

The funny thing about hammer and the "Competitive" Feb 2020 patch is that it effectively killed the pvp scene, or what was left of it. 

Seems like Anet's just always terrible at balancing. They can only make things worse if you are not one of their special children. 

[Mungrul.9358]

I've been very tempted to post a jokey topic recently along the lines of:

 

HOW TO FIX THE GAME:

1: Delete Guardian

2: Replace with Monk

3: As you now have 4 light armour professions and two heavy, give Ele heavy armour. They obviously need it.

 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

[Infinity.2876]

Ok hammer rework idea:

1 (aa): cone attack that moves you forward, remove useless aa chain.

 

2 (fierce blow): same but applies vulnerability and fury additionally 

Spoiler

Feel the fierceness

 

3 (hammer shock): same but applies daze additionally. reduced cast time and cooldown(1/4 cast and 9 second cooldown)

Spoiler

(Shocking!) It would be funny if you got shock aura from this but we can't be catalyst can we.

 

4 (staggering blow): same but does additional damage and you gain might when enemies land(you would avoid this by using a stun break quickly)

Spoiler

*enemy flies through several walls*

 

5 (backbreaker): (this will replace current back breaker) knock down your foe and deal more damage and knock them down for longer if they are dazed or weakened even more damage and duration of they have both(1 cast time, 23 cooldown, base damage 500, base knock down 3 sec, with weakness or daze 4 sec and 1000 damage, with both 1500, you can move while casting)

Spoiler

Oh.. Myback

 

This may be a little op but it is much needed for warrior

(Spoilers are editors notes.)

Edited July 5, 2022 by Infinity.2876