Conceptual weapon reworks - By your friendly neighboorhood soloplayer

[Shadowpeixera.2918]

So, been thinking about this for a bit, it has been plaguing my showers and sleep schedule, and no more! It needs to be documented so i don't go another moment without sleeping well.

Basically, these are simple changes that border more on theme and concept, but that i think would be functional enough to apply to the game. Anet are the designers, not me 😛 They can figure it out ( altho the Warrior forums are kinda proof they can't ). The whole idea here is to make the weapons fit the theme/concept they already have, while being somewhat functional. I'm going to try to use Axe/Axe as my threshhold. Every Warrior weapon performing near Axe levels would already fix a lot of their issues. Anyway, let's have some fun.

SWORD:
- Concept: A balanced weapon, the pinnacle of melee warfare, created to be versatile. You won't ever find yourself complaining with a Sword in your hand ( unless you're a GW2 Warrior, then you will find yourself complaining "why didn't i roll Axe" ).

This becomes the Hybrid option for us. The power coefficients in Sword are actually really good. The main problem to solve is it's traitline: Arms is a condition-based traitline, and several of it's power traits aren't bad but they don't compete with the real meat of the traits. Arms also suffers from lack of good synergy. I've never been able to just feel good with Arms while choosing other traits. And no, Opportunist isn't enough. I'm adding A LOT more Torment to the weapon, to give us more condis, i thought about Poison too but for now i'm not humoring it.

- Autoattack chain: Keep 1 and 2 as it is. Rework Hamstring visuals to a quick cast spin and improve it's effects: "Quickly spins around, dodging attacks and crippling, bleeding and tormenting your foes". Hits 5 targets. Apply Bleeding and Torment. The whole idea here is to make Hamstring more appealing to finish it's autoattack chain. Hamstring is a ok utility move, but Warrior is already full of Cripple, so, the chain loses worth. The main reason the chain has any value is because our condition application is actually quite weak, so we depend on autos. If that's the case, make the autos better.

- Savage Leap: Remove the small animation lock the skill has ( for some reason, the skill doesn't respond well? Feels clunky ), add some Bleeding to it. Other than that, keep it as it is. It's not a bad skill really.

- Reworked Flurry: Now on 3rd slot of Sword. "Slows your foes with a flurry of bleeding, tormenting wicked strikes." Cast time gets reduced to 2 seconds. CD increased to 10s. Increased power coefficient. Applies Torment in addition to Bleeding. The skill doesn't root the Warrior anymore.

- Impale/Rip: Impale stays as it is, it's not bad at all, besides being a projectile. Rework Rip: "Quickly blinks to your sword, ripping it out of your enemy, bleeding them." Give it a teleport range limit, and make Rip apply a decent ammount of Bleeding. You're literally ripping a sword from someone, after all.

- Riposte: Make it apply Cripple. Switch Bleeding for Torment, now that Rip gives Bleeding. Buff Adrenaline Rush to give Swiftness and Might.

 - Final Thrust: Reworked to the Burst Slot. The skill now always apply Bleeding, and deals increased damage and Bleeding when below the Health threshhold. To compensate, the base power damage of the skill gets reduced a bit. Something around 4/6/8 normally to 8/12/16 Bleeding stacks when below 50% according to Adrenaline level feels ok to me. It's a pure damage skill.
- ( Primal Burst ) Burning Spiral: "Pierces your enemies with three flaming thrusts, sending fireballs while blocking missiles in front of you." The idea is to make a piercing skill that behaves kinda similarly to Flaming Flurry, but better for melee and aoe, while still keeping the fireball mechanic.

MACE: 

- Concept: Maces are powerhouses, used to break bone, flesh and cause so much damage that even without penetrating armor, they would still be devastating. They were cheap to make, thus they were quite popular with lower class combatants and peasants. And unlike Anet wants you to believe, they are not that slow. YOU are. So much for master-of-arms, eh?

Honestly, it's kinda hard to give a theme to Mace in specific, because the weapon would actually fit the Power role, while Axe should be the condition spot. Axes were brutal, clumsy weapons, that were known for extremely damaging, hemorrhagic and tormenting strikes. That fits way more with the condition fantasy. But i won't really reinvent much of the wheel here, even because this text it getting too long. Let's just go with Anet's design and keep Axe as Power. Mace becomes our de-facto Condition option and the whole idea here is to fit the weapon with lots of Confusion, some Torment, and maybe some other cover condis.

- Autoattack chain: Mace Smash and Mace Bash now apply 2 stacks of confusion per hit. Pulverize now applies 3 stacks of Torment and 6 of Confusion. If the whole idea is the weapon to be slow, then make it eating the chain be rewarding to us. Also, Torment adds cover condis, since our main damage source will be Confusion. Also, the weapon lacks good damage skills, so having a good autochain makes a lot of difference.

- Counterblow: Confuses and Vulnerability on hit. Switch Adrenaline Rush for Protective Rush: Gains Adrenaline, Swiftness and Protection.

- Pommel Bash: "Daze your foe with a mace to the face. Interrupting a skill torments them." Add some Confusion and if interrupting, Torment.

- Crushing Blow and Tremor stays the same. I'm still struggling with Offhand Mace.

- Skull Crack: Add Confusion to it. Like 3-6-9 stacks or something like that. The more, the better.

For more experimental things, i tried this:

- Added Functionality: Body Blow - Crushing Blow and Tremor now become Blazing Blow and Rend Earth. Blazing Blow: "Blazes your oponent armor from the inside with a fiery strike. making them Vulnerable and Burning them". Rend Earth: "Sunders the Earth below your target, knocking them down, and creating a area that Slows and Bleeds them" ( I'm still struggling with offhand mace and if such trait would be better on Merciless Hammer ). Offhand Mace is actually a really good weapon, just highly situational, and it kinda hurts to rework it without a second thought.

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Honestly these exercises are good for the soul. Those are just some ideas i had nagging in my head, and i wanted to write them. I'm not the most skilled Warrior, and this isn't even a suggestion to Anet, i'm just conceptualizing. Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[Kodama.6453]

1 hour ago, Shadowpeixera.2918 said:

Autoattack chain: Keep 1 and 2 as it is. Rework Hamstring visuals to a quick cast spin and improve it's effects: "Quickly spins around, dodging attacks and crippling, bleeding and tormenting your foes". Hits 5 targets. Apply Bleeding and Torment. The whole idea here is to make Hamstring more appealing to finish it's autoattack chain. Hamstring is a ok utility move, but Warrior is already full of Cripple, so, the chain loses worth. The main reason the chain has any value is because our condition application is actually quite weak, so we depend on autos. If that's the case, make the autos better.

Evade on auto attack chain already got experimented with on greatsword ranger. Didn't go well and they removed it later to instead give back a small portion of endurance.

I agree on improving the condition part of the weapon, but let's avoid doing the same mistakes from the past again. Maybe adopt the endurance gain from ranger greatsword instead of the evade.

1 hour ago, Shadowpeixera.2918 said:

Savage Leap: Remove the small animation lock the skill has ( for some reason, the skill doesn't respond well? Feels clunky ), add some Bleeding to it. Other than that, keep it as it is. It's not a bad skill really.

Totally agreed, this skill feels like it is locking you a bit too long. Almost like you are CCing yourself.

1 hour ago, Shadowpeixera.2918 said:

Reworked Flurry: Now on 3rd slot of Sword. "Slows your foes with a flurry of bleeding, tormenting wicked strikes." Cast time gets reduced to 2 seconds. CD increased to 10s. Increased power coefficient. Applies Torment in addition to Bleeding. The skill doesn't root the Warrior anymore.

Do i understand it correctly that you want this skill to apply 9 stacks of bleed, 9 stacks of torment and immobilize, on top of increasing it's power damage coefficient and making you able to move during it and all that on 10 seconds cooldown?

That sounds a bit excessive, doesn't it?

I am not opposed to make this swap places, tho. Final thrust feels more like it should be the burst skill.

1 hour ago, Shadowpeixera.2918 said:

Autoattack chain: Mace Smash and Mace Bash now apply 2 stacks of confusion per hit. Pulverize now applies 3 stacks of Torment and 6 of Confusion. If the whole idea is the weapon to be slow, then make it eating the chain be rewarding to us. Also, Torment adds cover condis, since our main damage source will be Confusion. Also, the weapon lacks good damage skills, so having a good autochain makes a lot of difference.

.... 10 stacks of confusion for one auto attack chain? And 3 stacks of torment on top?

Why always such massive overload? Wouldn't it be a better approach to just speed up the mace auto attack animation and give it some condis? Does anyone actually enjoy how sluggish this weapon feels?

[Shadowpeixera.2918]

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Do i understand it correctly that you want this skill to apply 9 stacks of bleed, 9 stacks of torment and immobilize, on top of increasing it's power damage coefficient and making you able to move during it and all that on 10 seconds cooldown?

That sounds a bit excessive, doesn't it?

No, the torment would be static. My bad for not explaining that, but the idea is that the torment is applied on the initial strike, and the bleeding stacks, so it wouldn't be 9 torment stacks, more like 3/4. That would make the skill still decent if you need to cancel with a dodge, but more rewarding if you hit everything.
 

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.... 10 stacks of confusion for one auto attack chain? And 3 stacks of torment on top?

Why always such massive overload? Wouldn't it be a better approach to just speed up the mace auto attack animation and give it some condis? Does anyone actually enjoy how sluggish this weapon feels?

I'm all for speeding up Mace instead of backloading it with damage. But since it took 10 years and the weapon still struggles in limbo, i'm assuming that Anet likes the concept of the weapon, so i simply fed on it's usability.

If they go 1/1/3 confusion stacks and speed up the weapon, i'll be more than satisfied. But if we take a whole year to circle around the sun and your third attack is still casting, then yeah, the damage should be there to compensate for the fact that it's easier for man to step on the sun than for that third attack to connect.

Your solution is the sensical one. I just went a bit into the theme, but i do comment on speeding it. It would be better, it would feel better, and i hope it's the solution they go with. Hell, if they make Body Blows proc confusion too, that would be a enough buff for a sped Mace.