November 29 Balance Update Preview

[Firebeard.1746]

1 hour ago, Saone.1046 said:

There's a bunch of cool, but difficult-to-tap potential in Mechanist, but we have to rely on the AI to access it. This change makes it even more of a pain, since the pet skills overlap in keybinds with the pet control skills, and the ways to control the mech's positioning are clumsy at best. Babysitting where the mech stands (for instance, on bounties with Exploiter) is a big pain. Jade Buster Cannon is potentially a huge source of cleave, but positioning your mech to use it is horrible.

 

If we're going to need to make sure we're close to our mechs periodically, we should really have better positioning controls for our mechs.

 

Seconding as this is an issue with HAM right now as well. You need him close to you to properly support, but sometimes he'll just follow the boss. I tried healing as a HAM on Boneskinner and it was nigh awful. And my entire party died because my mech wasn't next to me when i needed it. 

[Iconking.3906]

This would absolutely hurt the Flavor of Deadeye, which is way more important to a game than the balance team may realize. The sniper class should (in theory) be the highest range class in the game. Now, in practice it's not even tied because of how arrows work, but nerfing the range even further seems a fair step away from the Zafirah fight that it should connect with. This is regardless of if it even IS a buff (The 2 initiative cost is a bit sus) but this shoul'd NOT be the direction the class is moving.

Class identity should be valued higher than streamlined usability, because if people only cared about the character being as usable as possible, they would simply play another class.

[Dragonzephir.6197]

5 hours ago, Double Tap said:

Kneel: Increased initiative cost from 1 to 2

Just why ?

[daninumbers.4036]

I've been saying Spear of Archemorus was going to be nerfed since I saw it during the beta. Anet would never allow a skill with a longer range than 1500 so now it's nothing special, it could be a regular utility instead of an elite.

And seeing deadeye being nerfed to 1200... lol, what are you guys thinking... Removing the identity of a spec. You'd kneel and be rooted for more range and damage, that's your trade off as the sniper class, becoming vulnerable staying at the backline.

Firebrand, I haven't seen how long would each page take to recharge, with double cds. Would each tome have hardly no cd then? And the tome shouldn't be put away even if you used up all of the pages if they are recharging. Just seeing those costs, when you could use 5 - 8 skills per tome, waiting for the cds, now you barely can cast 2 or 3 accross all tomes and idling for longer cds to cast a more powerful skill twice. Massive nerf. Changes in competitive so it's not so op, ok, but that'll affect pve too, and if it's not pvp I'd like my healer to keep the team alive. I don't know why someone would be happy about those changes for pve if they don't just want their fav class to replace healbrands at the cost of not buffing theirs but nerfing the other one. Look I can use my support class now, not because I heal for more but because they heal for less.

And the mechanist one, well, basically stacking with your mech. Either you both are melee and more easily you stay together or you are ranged and hope that when you dodge or have to move your mech (that doesn't move while attacking) doesn't go too far away and is obliterated at half stats. You can't be ranged and let your mech tank or the opposite, be melee and let the mech attack ranged, forcefully restricting the playstyle options. I gotta be recalling it all the time so I get the boons from its skills and now it'll make it even worse trying to constantly be on top of it.

So a few good changes here and there but with some huge things that will push me away from playing some classes. Sad for those that main them.

[dead.7638]

Just now, Iconking.3906 said:

Class identity should be valued higher than streamlined usability, because if people only cared about the character being as usable as possible, they would simply play another class.

finally nice to see people getting mad about other classes then just mesmer being drug through the shitter per usual.   Despite all the other garbo being tossed our way i for one am happy about this change.   In perspective with other class, other than ranger... this makes the fight atleast 1v1 tangible for many specs to have a fight that isnt a DE from 1500 range hitting you while you only have at most 1200 or less and instantly going invis to restore CDS and repeat, time to git gud DE.

[ravennightclaw.8901]

It’s been said a bit but please don’t change Water Trident like this. Please keep the ally heal on it, or put it somewhere back on the ability. Taking away a pretty large source of Tempest healing is rough for them, especially since it was one of the few options usable at range. Less things should be made selfish overall.

 

Outside of that, the other changes look decent. Always excited to see Deadeye buffs for PvE and movement while kneeling should feel nice!

 

 

[SweetPotato.7456]

Why did you touch my mirage??? Why!!?!?

[Kuma.1503]

2 hours ago, Bariel.3562 said:

FB changes aren't thought through, how are we supposed to know a 25s skill in Tome 3 is still on cooldown without jumping in and out of tomes to check? Might work in PVE where you have set rotations but in WvW where you are reacting to current situations in a fight it makes it become a spammy mess. 

Same way Engineers do with kits. We either find a cooldown to line it up with, or we get used to keeping track of the CD in the background. 

[Ultra Genesis.4361]

No changes to Reaper's traits or shouts ? They feel a bit lackluster during gameplay. Maybe it is just me.

[Brasides.9360]

2 hours ago, Griifen.2473 said:

Lel no it's not at all. 

 

Condition untamed is a very, very complex build which the vast majority of the player base (which is casual) won't even dare to try learn because there are so many other options that can perform very well without developing the risk for arthritis XD 

 

The problem with untamed is that a few thousand extra dps is just not enough to sacrifice ease of play that virtually every other class can bring to the table. 

 

You've got to remember that the game is over 10 years old. Most players would jump on low APM builds any day over 100+ APM builds because the game is just so much more casual now due to its age. 

 

Maybe in a different universe where there was constant work on end-game pve with legit competitions thsr required really sweaty dps checks to take place we would see untamed a lot more because of how powerful it can be... But we just don't live in that universe where a few thousand dps is worth the effort. 

Just to make sure, I did a sanity check by looking at the percentage of players who use untamed in raids/strikes/fractals.

Strikes: 0.49%

Fractals: 0.51%

Raids: 0.42%

So I guess their plan is to nerf untamed because it is too powerful? If it were powerful on things other than golem wouldn't these numbers be higher?

Or is it just that a difficult class to play shouldn't be rewarded? Kind of seems like this is the reason they plan to nerf Fervent Force: because it has the highest numbers on golem, though it isn't dominating the meta.

This looks like an example of exactly the opposite of the balance philosophy - improving a trait that just increases numbers (Ferocious Symbiosis) as opposed to an interactable one (Fervent Force) that needs to be actively managed to reach high effectiveness.

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Brasides.9360
Adding specific trait names.

[branwen.1049]

I'm not even going to get into the rest of the patch notes, I don't have the energy for it. The one thing I have to ask is: why the HELL do you think nerfing Deadeye range is a good idea? Not only does it completely decimates the uniqueness of a class that's supposed to be a sniper, but also LB ranger can still shoot halfway across the world? What did Deadeye ever do to you?

Unrelated but still in the realm of balance: it sucks that any and all support / heal classes need to bring alac to be remotely useful to group comp. Maybe y'all should look at how much of a crutch alac has become and give all supports the ability to boon it, or buff non-alac supports so they're good even without bringing alac to the table.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Giovanelli.6071

[Extacy.6192]

6 hours ago, Double Tap said:

General

 

Sigil of Absorption is a longtime outlier in World vs. World, largely due to a bug with its cooldown (or lack thereof) when used against players. We're still planning a larger pass on boon applications and boon removal in WvW for a future update, but Sigil of Absorption was something we wanted to address sooner rather than later.

• Sigil of Absorption: Fixed an issue that prevented this trait from having an internal cooldown when used against players

 

 

Please consider changing the cooldown to 5 seconds. 10 seconds seems a bit harsh. Maybe lower the boon rip to 2 as a compensation. Thanks.

[Bast.7253]

I just want to make a note that I yeeted myself through a wall in Disseau earlier, for the second time this week, with hammer air 4.

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

You guys are really messing up in gross ways lately. These changes concerning competitive modes are just weird and not anywhere in the ballpark of what actually needs to be done for pvp/wvw.

Does anyone in the Arenanet office actually play this game? Why are you buffing Holosmith? Tools Holo is currently overperforming in large ways and yet it receives a ton more buffs this patch? There is a plethora of things I could comment on but even I am getting to the point where I don't care anymore.

Welp GG. I have a bad feeling this is gonna be the patch where things get too weird to continue on in competitive modes.

Arenanet really really needs to remember what it means that "Sometimes Less Is More".

[keykey.9182]

6 hours ago, Double Tap said:

Water Trident: This skill is no longer ground targeted, and instead it fires projectiles at the target and up to 2 nearby enemies. This skill no longer heals allies

This skill no longer heals allies

This skill no longer heals allies

This skill no longer heals allies

 

I think this is the last stone for my mental health as Ele Main.

 

Another Nerf jesusmariaandjoseph

[Bast.7253]

2 minutes ago, Trevor Boyer.6524 said:

You guys are really messing up in gross ways lately. These changes concerning competitive modes are just weird and not anywhere in the ballpark of what actually needs to be done for pvp/wvw.

Does anyone in the Arenanet office actually play this game? Why are you buffing Holosmith? Tools Holo is currently overperforming in large ways and yet it receives a ton more buffs this patch? There is a plethora of things I could comment on but even I am getting to the point where I don't care anymore.

Welp GG. I have a bad feeling this is gonna be the patch where things get too weird to continue on in competitive modes.

Arenanet really really needs to remember what it means that "Sometimes Less Is More".

Right? The only thing I can surmise is a dev or dev in league with some high level player wanting holosmith to be obscenely broken again.

 

It’s sad looking at the differences between spec attention in these patches. Gutting or marginally changing other PoF specs but Prime light boy keeps getting the juice. 
 

I don’t know why you would nerd deadeye range in pve either.

[Mahuyo.3079]

How many pages will Renewed Focus give?

[solemn.9670]

I haven't even read the rest of the patch notes but I'm ok with it regardless. Made the right decision to buff core scepter ele. TYVM much needed. Cata & ES nerfs in pvp were appropriate.

[Nightrise.8937]

please tell me this is a joke and these are not all the changes. how is it that tempest got LITERALLY nothing despite the fact that  DPS tempest needs major help and alac tempest needs qol improvements. you cannot tell me that you guys preach that you "want all classes to feel good regardless of hitbox size" and then leave dps tempest in the state that it's in, where it ONLY performs well on huge hitbox golems. and for weaver to also get effectively nothing is insane. Sword is incredibly weak, staff is weak, dagger is ok, and yet all you "buff" is scepter? 

 

AT THE BARE MINIMUM all im asking for is some dmg buffs to overloads and to increase the radius across all of them to AT LEAST 360. This would go a long way to help dps tempest at least perform marginally better.

 

what i WOULD like is literally any of these:
-sword buffs

-staff buffs (SPECIFICALLY IN AIR)

-core ele utility buffs (arcane skills/conjures anyone hello?)

-overload buffs (dmg/radius/alac on pulse)

-empowering auras to actually refresh duration when you get a new stack

-give old gale song back

-maybe make harmonious conduit 5man so that tempest has a more reliable way to give stability? (wishful thinking but i think this would be nice)

 

please PLEASE anet actually read through the feedback you are given and give tempest and weaver SOMETHING i am begging for crumbs at this point. 

[Forgotten Legend.9281]

Water Trident changes should have been for Healing Ripple (minor master water trait) instead. 

Edit: but still heal allies it  passes through

Edited November 12, 2022 by Forgotten Legend.9281

[Kherae.2109]

I can't agree with some of the decisions here:

• -The dedicated sniper (in other words typically long range) spec is getting its range reduced to basic engineer rifle range, while mechanist (who everyone sees is the new golden child) gets to keep 1500 range mortar kit, and rangers with longbows can still have 1800-2k range?
  • -Guardians have shared 'cooldowns' in the form of tome pages...but the traits mention 'you retain X virtue while it is on cooldown', so not only do they have cooldowns on tome skills and page regen to worry about, they also have to worry about virtue cooldowns?  It feels awful seeing that. Maybe if the cooldowns are something like weapon swap, okay. If they're what they currently are, that's going to be horribly painful and unwieldy.
  • -ranger longbow didn't get a range nerf
  • -warrior still can't be an effective healer
  • -tempest still has to choose between auraheals and alacrity, and alac tempest still feels clunky (maybe make it fire alacrity when you START an overload? could help)
  • -scourge (and necro as a whole) still can't apply alacrity (no, conversion does not count)
  • -reaper's quickness trait is still self-only

things I do like:

-Death's Judgement piercing to hit the target

-CC/movement don't break 'kneel' mode

-buffs to power specs, including holo

-shadow shroud damage reduction. It still needs a boost to the hp to shroud conversion rate (make it 1.0x please)

[Maiden of Ghosts.2736]

Wh... Why would you nerf the range of the sniper spec?

Deadeye's issue isn't really Kneel anyway. Being able to RP walk away from a hydra bearing down on me isn't gonna change much anyways. Deadeye is supposed to kill things before they can even reach you. With the range nerf, and the insistence that only certain skills can pierce, and that non-marked targets take significantly less damage from said piercing, and with no defensive boons to back the spec up like Bladesworn... Man. Deadeye wasn't good in PvE to begin with! Why make it do the one thing it can do, worse?

 

And for Vindicator:

 

I have a lot of thoughts regarding Vindicator. First is I fully agree with Anonynja.3172, the spec really needs better synergy between its skills and traits. Making the middle traits grant the Luxon/Kurzick skills some kind of interaction with one another would be interesting, and it would give a more clear middle-of-the-road type option for the spec. I know you want to avoid letting the spec do too much damage while also taking defensive traits, but maybe having it as a middle-ground with solid but not overbearing damage and defensives, while also having the option of focusing on one end of the spectrum fully instead would work. It would also make sense with the spec's whole concept, of Alliance Stance. As Anonynja said, Saint Viktor and Archemorus feel completely divorced from one another currently.

 

And second, please let heal Vindicator be viable. Even if you don't want to give it alac/quick, maybe letting it be a good source of stability for its group could work? Support Rev as a whole is in a weird spot, of neither of the Actual Healer Legends (Ventari and Viktor) are viable, simply because they can't bring the meta-defining boons.

[Nero.7369]

6 hours ago, Double Tap said:

Quickfire: This trait now also retains the Tome of Justice passive effect while it is on cooldown.

What is up with Permeating Wrath. Can I pick either to keep the F1 passive? I hope so

Does Renewed Focus also restore our pages then? It probably should

Maybe the pool of pages should be 6. Specially when there are tome skills with a cost of 3. But I guess we can see how it goes with 5

[Nero.7369]

4 minutes ago, Kherae.2109 said:

while mechanist (who everyone sees is the new golden child) gets to keep 1500 range mortar kit

Well good luck on hitting moving stuff on that range 😅

But yea ranger long bow and mortar could be reduced too

[fungusjungus.4890]

Overall I think these are great changes and I am genuinely excited to see what future patches bring if this is anet's new direction.

 

The one thing I think is missing from this patch is adjusting tempest's alacrity production. Having to finish a 4 second channel to provide any alacrity seems counter to other recent design changes(example: scrapper providing superspeed and thus quickness at the start of gyros instead of at the end of their well effect). This is compounded with tempest having few ways of providing aegis or stability. Consider other alacrity providers and how they pulse it or don't otherwise have to make themselves so vulnerable to do it.

 

In situations with less stability, solo, or highly mobile situations the channel can be challenging to pull off to make sure it is applied. Since a completed overload is the only way to make alacrity, this can mean enormous holes in uptime if a channel is interrupted.