Make Chilled to the Bone our pseudo Elite Well (for PvE)

[Lahmia.2193]

Like many others, I've wanted an elite well for years now. A proper power elite, that can replace the excuse that is Flesh Golem. But as it is unlikely that anet would add all the missing elites/heals, why not just make our Reaper exclusive elite into it instead? Lower the cooldown and add a pulsing aoe, that follows the the caster after initial damage and deals damage and chill. 

[Methuselah.4376]

As far as I am aware, no shout in the game leaves a pulsing effect (maybe I'm wrong). While it would be great to see Chilled to the Bone see play in PvE, adding pulsing damage to it may not be the best route. You could add a long lasting effect to it, however, to make it worth taking, along with massively increasing it's strike damage in PvE. Example would be giving those hit a special debuff, call it "Brittle", that causes attacks made against the target have +20% more critical chance, or do more Critical Damage for 20 seconds or so (those of you who play ESO, this will sound very familiar). Just tossing ideas here. This will then be an overall increase not only to the Reaper's damage but party-wide, which will make Reaper desireable. 

[Infusion.7149]

^ No shout leaves a pulsing effect. 
"Chilled to the Bone" could just be a stronger CC at least in PVE to rival Flesh Golem by merging the stun duration (to 3s) as well as the cooldown, as you aren't going to be taking it for DPS. Flesh Golem's Charge active is a launch with 232 defiance bar damage and potentially more than that.

It's one of the few skills where the cooldown is higher in PVE than PVP/WVW.

[Gaeb.2837]

x-post from other bread: I had the same thought. Make it drop a 600 radius well on the caster that does damage/chill/weakness in pulses. Gives a melee spec a nice zone of ~denial. As is today, the skill is terrible in PVE.   

• Chilled To The Bone is flat out worse than Flesh Golem in PVE, and should be strictly better than it in group content (strike/raid/fractal). Flesh Golem has a nice position it won't be dislodged from in solo or open world content as a second HP bar/tank, provides constant damage over time (670 DPS unbuffed per wiki) with no direction required, constantly applies Crippled, and provides a 332 defiance bar / knockdown on demand (and ~at range) on 40s cooldown with 3/4 cast time. CTTB, in comparison, just SUCKS: 5/4s cast time, 90s cooldown (THE COOLDOWN IS 30s SHORTER IN PVP/WVW!), aoe 2s stun for 200 defiance damage, 4s chill, and 2 stacks of 10s stability (on a 5/4s cast time - like, really ANET, this isn't remotely an emergency button of a skill. The cast time is insane) which doesn't really add value in group content (both because of support providing stab and because the cast time is SO LONG + can't be used in shroud to begin with). 
   
• PROPOSED Chilled To The Bone: 1/2s cast time, 40s cooldown, 2 stacks of 5s stability, 600 radius 1s stun on cast, and drop 600 radius well with 5 pulses (1x / second) of ~6k strike damage per pulse (6k at full raid buffs) + 2s chill per pulse + 2s weakness per pulse for 5 seconds. That's similar DPS (but stationary and not automatic, the 5x chill would create 5x bleed in a condi build), more defiance damage, on a similar cooldown, and thematically creates a zone of strength for the Reaper (enemy has chill/weakness/takes damage if they stay close) which makes sense for an up-close bruiser. Drop the weakness if it's too OP but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask... I think this would also be a reasonable PVP/WVW iteration (with tweaked numbers - not an expert on Reaper PVP).   

Edited November 14, 2022 by Gaeb.2837

[Lahmia.2193]

1 hour ago, Methuselah.4376 said:

As far as I am aware, no shout in the game leaves a pulsing effect (maybe I'm wrong). While it would be great to see Chilled to the Bone see play in PvE, adding pulsing damage to it may not be the best route. You could add a long lasting effect to it, however, to make it worth taking, along with massively increasing it's strike damage in PvE. Example would be giving those hit a special debuff, call it "Brittle", that causes attacks made against the target have +20% more critical chance, or do more Critical Damage for 20 seconds or so (those of you who play ESO, this will sound very familiar). Just tossing ideas here. This will then be an overall increase not only to the Reaper's damage but party-wide, which will make Reaper desireable. 

Yeah true, I was just looking at the human racial elite Reaper of Grenth, and was inspired. While I do prefer your idea of a unique debuff, Anet's recent stance shows they're trying to cut back on unique effects that professions have, rather than increase them.

Edited November 14, 2022 by Lahmia.2193

[Dadnir.5038]

Instead of "chilled to the bone!", I believe executioner's scythe would be a good fit for that. It already have the lasting aoe, it's begging to have pulsing damage added.

Also, design wise, plagueland is already filling for a well as an elite skill (And I'm still hoping that one day, maybe, the devs will finally get us rid of lich form. They could give us summon madness on a 30-40s CD, make each exploding minion grant LF when they explode instead).

From my point of view, "chilled to the bone!" just need to work like Scourge's Garish pilar or Sandstorm shroud. Instant cast but delayed effect with a visible build up so that intelligent people can dodge it. I wouldn't be against 10s of frost aura on cast being added to the skill, though (for thematic purpose, obviously).

Edited November 14, 2022 by Dadnir.5038

[Arianth Moonlight.6453]

elite signet this, elite well that... Has anyone ever posted a good and realistic idea/suggestion for an elite well/signet yet?

[Kodama.6453]

I agree with Dadnir, plaguelands is already the pseudo elite well.

Yeah, it is a corruption skill. But besides the self condition, it acts exactly like the wells.

Edited November 14, 2022 by Kodama.6453

[Lahmia.2193]

19 hours ago, Kodama.6453 said:

I agree with Dadnir, plaguelands is already the pseudo elite well.

Yeah, it is a corruption skill. But besides the self condition, it acts exactly like the wells.

It's just a shame Flesh golem out dps' it on a power build. I'd happily settle for it otherwise.