[PVE] Feb 14 Balance Patch Feedback

[Jzaku.9765]

Reaction to what was in the Patch:

Core

• Martial Cadence: Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.
  • The only change here that significantly affects PvE. I think it serves its purpose as a band-aid fix making Bladesworn stacking have less consistent quickness uptime.  But I still think many dev hours were absolutely wasted on implementing current Warrior Quickness that will inevitably be seen as a mistake in hindsight (see: alac on core Revenant which had to be removed for Quickness Herald), and hope the devs are working on a proper implementation for Quickness Warrior. 

Berserker

• Arc Divider: Increased power coefficient per strike from 1.4 to 1.5 in PvE only.
  • Is this intended to be a buff for the struggling Power Berserker build? Please see Baseraver's incredibly detailed post about why this is nowhere near enough. This build is in DIRECT competition with both Bladesworn AND Spellbreaker due to Warrior's sad state of being a one-trick-(dps)-pony. Spellbreaker especially is a build that has FAR more QOL baked into the spec, far more utility skill slot flexibility, while still managing to outdps Berserker with all it's flaws. 
• Sundering Leap: This skill now grants aegis on activation. Reduced cooldown to 15 seconds in all game modes. Reduced power coefficient from 2.33 to 2.0 in PvP and WvW, and from 3.0 to 2.5 in PvE. Decreased berserk mode extension from 5 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
  • Please reduce the aftercast and improve the vertical hitbox of this skill (and Earthshaker!), IMO that is the main usability issue stopping people from actually using this skill.  
• Eternal Champion: This trait has been reworked. It now grants stability and endurance when entering berserk mode, and it causes all traits that trigger when entering berserk mode to also trigger when exiting berserk mode.
  • I'm not sure why a core functionality change like being able to end Berserk on-demand is locked behind a Grandmaster Trait when it has MANY useful applications in PvE as well, while this GM trait is in direct competition with a mandatory (for PvE) DPS trait, for both Power and Condi.

Spellbreaker

• Full Counter: This skill will now trigger traits that trigger on burst skill usage when striking an enemy instead of when absorbing an attack.
  • I agree with making Burst skill related trait triggers consistent across all Burst skills. Please also look at Longbow Burst doing effectively the same thing. Thenafter hopefully assess why Warrior uniquely has strict guidelines on being straightforward to counterplay on key aspects of the class' gameplan such as sustain when other classes have uninteractive sustain that just works™. Note that this has likely unintended effects on PvE builds that require sustain without necessarily having things to hit, such as Hand Kiting on Deimos. 

Bladesworn

• Swift Cut: This skill now fires an additional projectile after the melee slash. Enemies hit by the melee attack take reduced damage from the projectile.
• Steel Divide: This skill now fires an additional projectile after the melee slash. Enemies hit by the melee attack take reduced damage from the projectile.
• Explosive Thrust: The secondary explosion portion of this skill is now a ranged attack. Enemies hit by the melee attack take reduced damage from the projectile.
• Blooming Fire: This skill no longer causes explosions along the length of your strike. Instead, this skill now launches a projectile at your target, shattering on contact and causing multiple explosions.
• Artillery Slash: This skill now consumes all ammo when used, gaining bonus damage and different effects based on the amount of ammo consumed.
• Cyclone Trigger: This skill now applies aegis to the caster in addition to its other effects. This skill now blocks missiles as soon as it is activated. The total duration of the block remains the same.
  • QOL on Gunsaber is greatly appreciated. While I think that it's correct to identify that Bladesworn has issues when range is required, I think the root cause is unaddressed: Every Power Warrior build seriously suffers when needing to range because the Core Warrior ranged Power weapon (Rifle) is so awful it sees close to zero play. This weapon is in desperate need of a remake on the same level as the one Engi Rifle received not too long ago. Power Spellbreaker and Berserker are as equally screwed as Bladesworn when Ankka spawns quaggans or uses her vacuum death zone attack. 

Reaction to what was expected in the patch but wasn't:

Core:

• Shield Cooldowns reduced to compensate for the removal of Shield Master's Cooldown reduction effect. This was done for almost every other trait with CDR removed. Please be consistent.
• Some kind of Warrior Rifle buff following Engi Rifle's amazing example - I have a thread of suggested changes here

Berserker:

• Actual DPS buffs like mentioned before.
• Reverting the Wild Blow change which removed a tool from Warrior's already lacking toolbox (long distance knockback) to create a skill that is worse than Bull's Charge to perpetuate Berserker's ill-planned rage-extension mechanic designed to lock utility slots from taking old pre-rework-Banners which no longer exist.

Spellbreaker:

• Spellbreaker DPS hovers around 40k and was not nerfed. All 3 Warrior Elite Specs are in direct competition with each other in every role the class can play - Bladesworn has to jump through many usability hoops. Both Bladesworn and Berserker are almost forced to lock their entire utility slot + elite bar to specific skills to achieve their DPS for Flow/Slash reset/Rage extension. Spellbreaker meanwhile flexes all over both other specs while being an extremely defensive build with tons of QOL and inbuilt sustain in the Defense traitline.  

Bladesworn:

• Doing something about Bladesworn's completely locked 3x utility + elite slots, which are mandatorily exactly [Flow Stabilizer][Overcharged Cartridges][Dragonspike Mine][Tactical Reload] to perform it's function as a DPS build. No other class/spec has their FLEXIBILITY neutered this badly. The buffed [Electric Fence] is a decent skill with projectile destruction previously completely inaccessible to Warrior yet sees close to ZERO play because the opportunity cost for Bladesworn to take this is ridiculously high. 

Hopes for Future patches:

• An assessment of all the Boon builds that require you to spam utility skills off CD to upkeep (Quickness/Alac).
  • Currently playing Quickness Banner Warrior means you are spamming 2-3x Banners off CD to upkeep quickness, meaning their effects are irrelevant because you can't time their casts. Regardless of how strong (Tactics, Defense) or weak (Strength, Discipline) they are.
• Some kind of groundwork laid out in preparation for a future Support Warrior Elite Spec with the next expansion.
  • Assessing why the Warhorn boon support traits are competing with Healing support traits in Tactics when modern healers are expected to do both
  • Assessing if Vigorous Shouts is a healthy way for Heal Warrior to provide healing when it locks down your utility slots which are intended to provide flexibility, for reactive healing which is antisynergy with all of the proactive Shout effects.
  • Moving some support traits into Discipline so it's a good "Third traitline" for a support build, with a focus on using burst skills to deliver support. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Jzaku.9765