February 14 Balance Update Preview

[Sojiro.9482]

I guess developers hate thieves .. always nerfing.. changing Swipe to Steal one of the useful skill used by daredevil to counter block skills... then heres deadeye shadow meld no longer remove reveals? are you kidding me? the only defensive mechanism of a thief is stealth then developers try to remove it lol. Its a counter against class with reveal skills like rangers. Once thief been reveal and no chance to stealth then thats mostly their end. Thief with no block, invul, barrier, reflect then trying to remove stealth effectiveness, its just like saying "lets remove the thief in the game". Realtalk: I guess players doesnt agreed on what I said doesnt know how to read thief movements(in stealth) on the field.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Sojiro.9482

[graishak.5406]

I am still sad that they completely obliterated specter shroud in wvw groups and then just left it like that.
I actually like the single target support concept, but it doesnt offer any rare effects like stunbreak or reliable stab or some unique effects, so its not worth it at all.
Its central idea of dealing damage when you support an ally, rotwell venom, is pointless in wvw - noone cares about single target torment.
Mesmer getting glamour boons back is nice, however i hoped for more changes overall, this patch seemed really light.

[Adotiln Urthadar.1823]

All of this from a PvE perspective only:

Loving the pulsing alacrity on Tempest, will finally feel like a reliable support. 

Baffled by the buffs to power weaver - an already very strong spec. Should be something like ~1300 even before any benefits from the new weave self are considered which puts it in real danger of totally eclipsing the condi build and maybe even catalyst (why play classes with slow ramp-up if pWeaver is burstier and has similar long-term DPS). 

 

Power levels in general are absurdly high at the moment, we need nerfs not an endless series of buffs.

 

 

The pWeaver buffs are especially confusing when Scrapper and Reaper (two of the weakest DPS classes) get relatively small buffs (if Reaper gets buffed at all).

 

 

On the subject of Reaper - why on earth are the notes so vague? Other specs get precise coefficient values and Reaper gets "additional damage, stun, and condition duration, and grants you additional boons". 

 

 

0.5s icd on Tomes is brilliant, really want to see this in a few other places (circular projectiles on Catalyst, Facet of Nature etc)

 

 

Very happy to see further walking back of the irritating "disadvantage" concept by giving Daredevil its Steal back.

Rifle deadeye buffs are nice, but this is another very strong build getting buffs where I just feel it would be healthier to nerf the alternatives instead. Great to see that Mark isn't removed when getting downed any more, can we maybe do the same for Catalyst energy?

 

 

While I don't begrudge Bladesworn getting some QoL, it feels quite rough that it's the focus of the warrior changes - Berserker is almost certainly the worst eSpec in PvE right now and a miniscule increase in the damage of Arc Divider isn't going to do a kitten thing - in fact the sundering leap change might actually be a nerf! 

 

 

On a larger note - why do 99% of the balance changes only affect power builds rather than condi? There isn't a single condition damage change in this entire patch and I don't recall there being one in the last one either. We seem to be rapidly moving back towards a meta where condi is completely worthless.

[wesly.6497]

Citadel Bombardment cast cost is too high and requires 30 energy, it's too much for PvP and the problem of renegades in PvP and WvW is Kalla Scorchrozor utilities require a lot of energy but summons can be thrown back by CC and they die very quickly to AOE damage. You can somewhat fix it by making them like the guardian's ghostly summoned weapons so they cannot be killed or just give them more hp and immunity to CC like ranger's pets so they cannot be knocked back in all game modes.

Edited February 4, 2023 by wesly.6497
grammar mistakes

[Waffles.5632]

2 hours ago, Veprovina.4876 said:

@Cal Cohen.2358

 

Can you please comment on what you're planning on doing with Mirage? This patch, as much as i like the changes that will happen to Chrono, are going to yet again nerf Mirage with the Master of Manipulation trait change, and lose a big part of its roaming capability which already is in the gutter due to Mirage being the only one left with a major tradeoff - 1 dodge.

No other class has this kind of tradeoff anymore, and i for the life of me can't see the reasoning behind still leaving it in - especially since, when it was introduced, it was introduced on top of other major nerfs without anything to compensate.

And now again - while other elites did get more, Mirage has been left out without anything to compensate Master of Manipulation.

 

Can't you just return the dodge this patch when it hits, and then we can monitor how this change affects Mirage, and what else needs to be done or changed? I guarantee you it won't even scratch the surface of mirage being fixed, but please, start.

 

There's thread in the mesmer section that's been going on for a while, it doesn't feel good knowing Mirage is the only elite right now with such a huge handicap.

 

 

100% Agree.

Edit- Here is what Anet fears if Mirage gets it's second dodge again:

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Waffles.5632

[Nimon.7840]

every balance patch is appreciated and i think they are much better now, than 2 years ago.
but i feel like with the necro changes, you missed the mark.
let me explain:

dagger:
i like the changes, but i'd rather see the aftercasts reduced on dagger autoattacks, than the damage getting increased. the aftercast makes dagger extremely unsatisfying to play.

Cooldown Reduction Traits

Overall you try to remove traits that, reduce cooldowns of weapon or utility skills.
great, but why does necro still have four of those traits even after the patch?
- spiteful talisman (core- cdr for axe/focus)
- sadistic searing (scourge- cdr for punishments)
- dark gunslinger (harbinger- cdr for pistol)
- sinister shroud (core- cdr for shroud abilities)

reaper:
its great to see reaper getting some work. but will chilling victory and bligthers boon changes achieve anything? - i doubt it.
reaper only feels nice to play, if you have quickness in shroud. if you dont have quickness, reaper ist just way too slow.
so you will always take Reapers onslaugt unless there is a consistent way (like a healer) that can provide you with quickness, but then: why would you take more sustain, if you already have a healer by your side.
 

shouts:
trying to push shouts to be played.
we dont know the numbers yet, but especially that melee range component has me worried.
is melee range 130? like greatsword and dagger autoattack? or is it 300 like soul spiral?

And i dont think, that shouts will see much play in pvp modes as long as necro is as dependant on utility skills for mobility as it is right now.
basically every build needs spectral walk and wurm to have as much mobility as possible, so even if you buff those shouts like crazy, i think you will only see a maximum of 3 shouts on reapers:
- heal
- 1 utility
- elite

Edit:

Also you don't want to be in melee range as a reaper, while not in shroud. You just take way to much damage in pvp modes, since the ability to mitigate damage outside of shroud is purely based on 3 skills: Wurm and spectral walk to blink out of range, the two dodges that Necro has and spectral armor which is the only reliable way to generate a defensive boon.

Harbinger/Scourge:
you might now say "wait, there were no harbinger/scourge changes". and thats exactly why i am mentioning it here.
Harbinger has just a way inferior quickness build compared to every other class, that can provide quickness.
while the dps is somewhat comparable, the boons and utilties are not. harbinger basically only provides quickness and fury,  and like 12 stacks of might?  while having the most uninteresting traits of all classes, since they are basically all only selectable stats.

Scrapper is similar in boonapplication, but at least provides a lot of superspeed and has its funktion gyro.
Revenant: perma regeneration, fury, 7stacks might, quickness, swiftness, protection while being able to increase the duration of every single boon with the facet of nature, and also being able to bring 10 people stability, or 50% dmg reduction for the whole team with the dwarf legend or some very long duration projectile block with the centaur?

And since you try to get firebrand back into pvp, why is scourge still the way it is? i think, it got nuked quite some time ago now.
Yes its extremely strong in carrying bad players , or players that are starting to learn the game (in PvE). but do you really want to teach players: "you dont need to do mechanics, because there will always be someone, to instantly rezz you? - i dont think thats a good idea and healthy for the game. (sorry this is kind of a mish mash of pve and pvp)

All this leads me to think, that necro will get some really nice reworks, hopefully this year? Would be much appreciated.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Nimon.7840

[DylanLucas.6058]

Is it a possibility to make staff skills on Ele slight faster, especially the auto attacks.

The weapon now feels very clunky and I think if you pace it a bit faster it will be more fun and enjoyable. 

And some extra damage potential for Tempest would be nice.

Edited February 4, 2023 by DylanLucas.6058

[Xoa.5140]

So I've suggested this in other posts/sites, and I'm specifically referring to mantras here. I actually like the way mantras work currently, however I do acknowledge the fact that they seem to have lost a bit of their identity by simply becoming ammunition skills. There is something to be said about actually charging a mantra. So here's my suggestion, as a relatively elegant middle-ground solution:

Leave it so mantras can be casted instantly, but allow them to alternatively be charged over the course of a few seconds (holding down the button), maybe as high as 3 to 5 seconds. The longer a mantra is charged for, the greater the effect. Certain mantras will need to be tailored specifically for such a change, but I think it would further differentiate, and introduce a unique playstyle, when it comes to mantras. I really only have experience with mesmer mantras, so I will be giving some examples in regard to them:

1. Mantra of Restoration - No longer has charges. Reduced cooldown to 10 seconds. No longer heals you below a health threshold. Can be cast instantly or charged. Chant a mantra that heals you and allies. Healing is increased the longer the mantra is charged.
2. Mantra of Pain - No longer has charges. Reduced cooldown to 3 seconds. Chant a mantra that deals damage to foes and makes them vulnerable. Damage and vulnerability applied increases the longer the mantra is charged.
3. Mantra of Resolve - No longer has charges. Reduced cooldown to 12 seconds. Can be cast instantly or charged. Chant a mantra that cleanses conditions from yourself and allies. Number of conditions cleansed increases the longer the mantra is charged.
4. Mantra of Concentration - No longer has charges. Reduced cooldown to 20 seconds. Can be cast instantly or charged. Chant a mantra breaking stuns on yourself, and granting stability to allies. Grants increased stability the longer the mantra is charged.
5. Mantra of Distraction - No longer has charges. Reduced cooldown to 20 seconds. Can be cast instantly or charged. Chant a mantra that dazes your target and nearby foes. Upon fully charging the mantra, affected targets are stunned instead.

I think it's also worth noting the charge effect could potentially be extended into the trait Restorative Mantras, to allow for a interesting support play style available to the core build. Values would have to be tweaked, of course. And I'm sure a similar approach could be done with Firebrand mantras. The changes I proposed would also give a alot of potential for skill expression. Is there a big attack coming your way? Maybe start charging Mantra of Restoration to prep for it. Or perhaps you're in dire need of healing, and can't afford to charge the entire mantra, maybe you should instant cast it for a lesser effect. It also allows for plenty of counterplay. I see you charging that Mantra of Restoration mesmer, would be a shame if I interrupted it. Anyway, these are just some of my humble opinions. Thanks for reading.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Xoa.5140
Making it prettier

[Zombiesbum.3502]

Still no fix for the mechanist Overclock Signet and Shift Signet? I'm disappointed.

For those unaware, the worst offending bug is that Overlock Signet goes on cooldown the moment the skill is pressed, this means if the mech is not able to cast the skill (or the mech is in the death animation) neither of the effects of Overclock will work. Usually when a skill is interrupted (before channelling begins) the skill goes on a 3 second cooldown, this also doesn't happen to Overclock, you simply lose the skill on mech interruption (again, before it begins its channel). 

As for the Shift Signet, if you are stunned as the Signet is cast, you will not be teleported to your location (but your mech will be) and the skill goes on cooldown. Additionally, Shift Signet can't be used to teleport to stairs (particularly the ones in WvW), even with both a viable path and line of sight.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Zombiesbum.3502

[schento.4980]

(warrior/Ele main)

 

Please reconcider "Heavy Light" changes. - it basicly is "Stalwart Strength+".

 

Stalwart Strength in a hindsight was a mistake. It encourages unhealthy playstyles and makes Warrior v Warrior matchups wery dependant on whoever lands cc first. It is true, what warrior needs a reliable source of stability, but no source of stability should be connected to CC skills. - please concider changeing "Heavy light" and reworking "Stalwart Strength".

 

Furthermore, with Banners and Warhorn warrior has more than enough Quickness to fit into boon-dps role even withaout "Martial Candance". Currently it only enables dumb shiet like 8 Bladesworn squads  - concider rewerting or reworking it.

 

Finally, most of warrior's abilities aren't used, not becouse they have too small numbers, but becouse there is no reason to pick it over "shake it off" + "Bull's Charge" + "Enure Pain".  If you want to make some warrior skills used, concier reworking unused skills instead of strait buffing them. We want to avoid situation where warrior becomes even more of a walking statcheck than he alreay is.

[miiroto.3672]

Overall great and wonderfull patch that tone down the overpreforming builds, and adds many new fun traits and skills interactions.

But for PvP in general, there are few features that will be overpreforming:

1) Mesmer

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Time Warp: This skill now also grants superspeed to allies and inflicts chill on enemies. Reduced cooldown from 120 seconds to 75 seconds in PvP and WvW.

Time Warp with new effects and massively reduced cooldown will be a strong area effect in teamfights in PvP, having similar impact to teamfights like Spellbreaker's Winds of Disenchantment has for fights in WvW.

And if we add the New Temporal Enchanter effect, 

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Protected Phantasms: This trait has been replaced by Temporal Enchanter. Temporal Enchanter causes glamour skills to grant superspeed and resistance to allies in the area and increases glamour durations by 1 second.

we get a combination that wins teamfights eazilly, Quickness Superspeed and Resistance to teammates, and Chill and Slow to enemies that pulse for 6 seconds in a large area.

 

2) Dragonhunter

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Heavy Light: Reduced internal cooldown from 10 seconds to 1 second.

Heavy Light will now allow Dragonhunters to have on-demand instant stability like Warriors or Catalists has, this is extremely strong effect that push these builds over the top, and negate nearly all counterplay. Not interactive at all.

 

3) Willbender

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Willbender virtues no longer remove the active effects of other willbender virtues.

This Change is really good quality of life for both PvE and WvW gamemodes, but in PvP, it allow for extremely strong interactions of the buffs, which would push already wery strong build to extreme levels. 

[Sindust.7059]

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Mechanical Genius: Increased duration of the boon applied by Mechanical Genius from 6 seconds to 10 seconds.

This is not a fix. The fix is removing this stupid mechanic altogether. Power mech is already dead. Unless you buff its overall damage, having to hug the mech to be able to even do support level DPS is just an insult.

[Skyline Crash.6254]

holy kitten, symbol of protection FINALLY getting a buffed cast time after ALL THESE YEARS 

[Spucke.4163]

very good balancing

Edited February 5, 2023 by kaese.8765

[jokeshop.9548]

Just a note in terms of consistency - it seems that Ranger and Warrior's quickness skills got their cds reduced to 35s, and Thief's was reduced to 24s. Should not Engineer's Elixir U also receive the same reduction to 35s? As it was the original vision of Elixir U to produce a random effect from one of these three other skills (Frenzy, Haste, Quickening Zephyr).

[thivasss.6023]

A small Holo change for Competitive I want to see is, Deactivate Photon Forge CD to go from 6 to 5 by default (matching the Nade 2, and the Mechanized Deployment Trait), and remove the CD from Deactivate Forge for Mechanized Deployment since half the time it bugs out. It will make the class feel smoother, slightly help with condi management and is a good workaround for the bug.

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

6 hours ago, Bai.2607 said:

Skill issue uwu, dont rely on perma stealth. Its cheese

quite difficult to take advice from a 3 poster and stay civil. being honest here. MESMER is cheese with evades and blocks with reflects to chain together...

[mov.1246]

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Fragmentation Shot: Reduced aftercast duration by 25%.

If i understand this correct it is just a reduced AFTERCAST, not a reduce in the whole activation time. According to wiki this skill has a complete time of 0,83 sec, i assume this skill has a pure time of 0,5 sec and 0,33 sec aftercast this update will make this skill to a complete time of 0,75 sec. And this seems pretty bad since this skill is mostly not worth using anyway.

Please consider to reduce the whole cast time of this skill by 25% and not just the aftercast.

Additonally as this weapon is meant to be primarily a condition weapon why does it causes bleed only to the main target? Why no aoe bleed?

On 2/3/2023 at 1:19 AM, Rubi Bayer.8493 said:

Poison Dart Volley: Increased overall animation speed of this skill by 66%

Thanks for this one, just one thing, please make this skill explode at the target and deal aoe damage and poison.

In open world pistol MH feels weak because it barely does any significant aoe damage.

 

I know we cant compare weapons across classes, but every time i see a harbinger pistol i cry. It has a similar skill set but every skill is just straight better.

[nuwanomura.5763]

Haha 45% damage nerf on breaching charge with no compensation Hahaha.

 

Yeah those people hate warrior for some goddamn reason.

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

12 minutes ago, mov.1246 said:

If i understand this correct it is just a reduced AFTERCAST, not a reduce in the whole activation time. According to wiki this skill has a complete time of 0,83 sec, i assume this skill has a pure time of 0,5 sec and 0,33 sec aftercast this update will make this skill to a complete time of 0,75 sec. And this seems pretty bad since this skill is mostly not worth using anyway.

Please consider to reduce the whole cast time of this skill by 25% and not just the aftercast.

Additonally as this weapon is meant to be primarily a condition weapon why does it causes bleed only to the main target? Why no aoe bleed?

Thanks for this one, just one thing, please make this skill explode at the target and deal aoe damage and poison.

In open world pistol MH feels weak because it barely does any significant aoe damage.

 

I know we cant compare weapons across classes, but every time i see a harbinger pistol i cry. It has a similar skill set but every skill is just straight better.

Ricochet says hi from the graveyard...it misses the old days

[schento.4980]

52 minutes ago, nuwanomura.5763 said:

Haha 45% damage nerf on breaching charge with no compensation Hahaha.

 

Yeah those people hate warrior for some goddamn reason.

you know that Spellbreaker is overpowered?

with the 50% damage on top of its 1.32 power ratio in PvP breaching strike easyly hits for 7-8k before stuff like "Sun and Mun" style and "Pure Strikes" get involved. I personaly have hit 12.5k crit with Breaching Strike this monday.

btw, Elementalist's base health is 11,5k.

 

still wanna stick to your argument?

[Krasaric.2405]

Vindicator changes are fine, but taking the chill off Imperial Impact hurts condi vindicator a bit too much, could you perhaps reduce the time to 1/2 a second so we can still proc Abyssal Chill in the Corruption traitline? Revenant seems to be pushed towards a single power dps playstyle in pvp and that's a shame because I really like Mallyx.

[IIIIIII.2438]

GL buffing condi Untamed / Soul Beast. 

Have fun playing WvW now, and fighting against that can.cer

Edited February 4, 2023 by IIIIIII.2438

[Sojiro.9482]

33 minutes ago, schento.4980 said:

Everyone does, including other thieves.

 

If everyone is forced to deal with block why you feel you shouldn't?

 

Reveal is and always was ment to be a counter to stealth. NOT the opposite.

 

That would make GW2 more enjoyable for 90% of the community so mayby don't wave that option in front of people's faces.

I guess you've been traumatized by players that uses thieves.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

With the baselining of a number of cooldown reductions and removing it from traits, I think a pass should be done on the functionality of those remaining traits.  For example, Augury of Death on Reaper will now be a trait that only adds a 125 point life siphon to hit on shouts.  This is in no way a viable trait any longer and needs some attention.  My personal suggestion would be adding protection/resolution on shout hit to help make shout reaper more of the brawler build that it seems to be aiming toward.