How to fix Scrapper

[Kstyle.5829]

Instead of rage posting I will try posting something constructive for a change.  Now the main problem right now is power damage as a whole so that issue needs to be addressed before anything else, but I think some things for engineer need to be changed from a PVP standpoint just for scrapper, and left the same in PVE.

 

The first main problem is you removed quickness due to one overpowered flamethrower build.  Scrapper is heavily reliant on hammer auto attacks for damage, and the entire class is DPS is balanced around 100% quickness uptime.  When you remove quickness, you can't really play without it.  So it forces you to use things like chronomancer rune or take tools.  This is really bad for build diversity.

 

Explosives is problematic because scrapper can stack vulnerability to 25 almost instantly.  So having the 37.5% damage modifier with big boomer and glass cannon, this is like 60% more raw power damage.  Right now the only build people at high rankings are playing is explosives/tools/scrapper, generally with mortar or grenades and taking all talents for stacking vulnerability and max damage.  These kind of builds aren't fun for anybody because it's just reliant on oneshotting people which is boring for the meta.

 

ANET has said their goal is to make scrapper a bunker, but the problem with bunkers is that if you can't deal any damage, you can't force people off the point.  So if you're taking alchemy and inventions or tools, your damage is to low from lacking explosives.  You also only have 16k base health, so now you can be killed in a single attack as a bunker.

 

The one most important solution that is not debatable is giving quickness back to scrapper.  I would suggest giving it only to the scrapper alone in PVP and not to his teammates like it does in PVE.  Then secondly I would say raise the base health to around 20k so you can survive at least 1 attack.   Then you would probably lower the damage scaling on vulnerability for scrappers to take down burst.  Honestly, burst needs to be toned down as a whole and scrapper isn't really a big offender in that regard anyway, but if you buff other things I could forsee it becoming a problem, so maybe nerf scaling in explosives and buff the base damage for scrapper and holosmith skills to not make them reliant on the damage modifiers. 

[Cuilan.7091]

Quickness is a drug, and shouldn't be in the game in the first place.

 

It wasn't Flamethrower making it busted but actual useful kits that we're pushing it to kittenous levels. About Face quickness Mortars and Grenades we're several times more effective than Silver Surfer or Full Zerk Roamer Flamethrower Builds and you were never using Hammer Autos due to their inconsistencies. Even to this day you're just spamming Nades or Mortars with the now subjectively broken Might Trait and Damage Mods. 

 

Before Quickness it was Kinetic Stabilizers, which enable a more methodical but an arguably equal degenerate playstyle during the Gadgeteer abuse before its change. There was a sweet spot during PoF where Scrappers were an actual bunker that didn't rely on auto attack spamming and utilizing your other buttons to actually contest in a fight since you had Stability to pad out the casting times. We already have a similar Trait in Defense Warrior so I'm a bit confused why it can't return on Scrapper. 

 

You don't need Explosives to deal damage as well. As long as you have an offensive amulet and one damage utility such as Elixir Gun's Acid Bomb or Shredder Gyro, then you can easily bully out someone in a node given time. Though you're correct on people in the Higher tiers just running full damage lines, there isn't a need to bunker if you can just glass someone. 

 

If quickness where to return, you'll just get more people going full DPS then trying to bunker, its just how the Meta is right now. 

 

 

[shion.2084]

When I don't run explosives there are 1 v 1's that can simply out tank my damage output... but the other serious issue is that you lose health from not having the second tier lower trait in explosives.    I have tried to work around having it... but its ability to provide both damage and health is hard to get away from.   Also a lot of the scrappers capability is around stacking vuln, so not having the synergy with extra damage on vuln, is a big hit.   Like if you want to do 2-2-3 in scrapper and focus on a stun based build to stack vuln... you pretty much need explosives for the synergy.   It also goes nicely with tools second tier middle trait.