Catalyst Redesign

[Volcanis.4872]

Catalyst Redesign Infographic

This is my high level, but detailed suggestion on a Catalyst redesign. I’ve read the community’s suggestions and I’ve made some in the past, but now I would like to bring some common ideas together. If the community likes my redesign, I can draft a more detailed version focusing on numbers and balance.

1. Energy is a vestige from when the recharge for Jade Sphere was 5 seconds. Now that Jade Sphere recharge is 10-15 seconds, the energy mechanic serves little purpose. Instead, initiative, most recently seen in Firebrand can be an interesting mechanic that is easy to implement and balance.
2. The circling projectiles from hammer skill 3 are very powerful and using a hammer is almost mandatory. Instead, these circling projectiles should be a profession mechanic to allow Catalyst users to use other weapons competitively.
3. Maintaining 10 stacks of Elemental Empowerment is difficult to achieve consistently. Instead, offensive and defensive bonuses should be tied to a profession mechanic that is easier to maintain.

A few more balance discussion points:

1. Elemental Enchantment should no longer reduce attunement recharge. The balance team has made it clear they are planning to remove these kinds of traits.
2. Therefore, swapping between all attunements as fast as possible takes 6 seconds (6 seconds to gain 4 Elemental Catalyst initiative points). However, you only need to swap between 3 attunements to gain 4 Elemental Catalyst initiative points every 10 seconds.

I would like to briefly go over 3 different play styles with this redesign:

1. PvE DPS quickness with any weapon (all bottom traits) - opening rotation involves swapping through all attunements, casting Jade Sphere, and then gaining 4 Elemental Catalysts initiative points every 10-15 seconds to maintain permanent quickness and other boons (with the right balance and gear).
2. PvP power DPS with hammer (all middle traits) - opening rotation involves swapping through all attunements, using Grand Finale for massive spike damage, and then maintain Fire and Air Catalyst bonuses at all times for maximum offense.
3. WvW support with staff (all top traits) - grant stability to allies, can take Powerful Aura to share auras, and then maintain Water and Earth Catalyst bonuses at all times for maximum defense.

Thank you for reading and please critique my redesign if you have the time.

[Downstate.4697]

What’s the point of initiative? You don’t really explain what having 1 vs 4 does

[Volcanis.4872]

6 minutes ago, FrownyClown.8402 said:

What’s the point of initiative? You don’t really explain what having 1 vs 4 does

Good question. The point for the initiative mechanic was for visual clarity - to quickly see if you have 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 Elemental Catalysts instead of finding that information on your buff bar. Also, consuming more initiative when using Jade Sphere or Grand Finale has added effects based on the grandmaster traits (more barrier, more stability stacks, more damage, more quickness).

[Serephen.3420]

So you wanna gut hammer? Idk, hammer is the only thing I like about catalyst and the way it interacts with legendary weapons would be lost. (Honestly that was one of my more conflicting thoughts regarding this) I think if you really wanted to you could tie the buffs they give to the sphere perhaps? Or based on some combo? And have the circular projectiles as damage abilities again. 

[Khalisto.5780]

I always thought the spinning things shiuld be present in all weapons

 

We aint getting cata rework tho

 

They just started working on things 10 years old, they wont touch cata any time soon

[Volcanis.4872]

11 hours ago, Serephen.3420 said:

So you wanna gut hammer? Idk, hammer is the only thing I like about catalyst and the way it interacts with legendary weapons would be lost. (Honestly that was one of my more conflicting thoughts regarding this) I think if you really wanted to you could tie the buffs they give to the sphere perhaps? Or based on some combo? And have the circular projectiles as damage abilities again. 

I wouldn't say I want to gut hammer. I just want to move the circling projectile buffs to be a profession mechanic. I didn't think about the legendary weapon interaction, and that could still be retained with my suggestion, but it will unlikely constantly rotate around you. To be honest, I found it visually distraction, but that's my personal preference.

My inspiration of having the circling projectile buffs to be a separate profession mechanic was the Astral Conduit headgear and how all the elements would rotate around your head. I lean towards not having these projectiles do damage since it was heavily nerfed.

11 hours ago, Khalisto.5780 said:

I always thought the spinning things shiuld be present in all weapons

 

We aint getting cata rework tho

 

They just started working on things 10 years old, they wont touch cata any time soon

Maybe not any time soon, but perhaps redesigns could be a feature for mini-expansions. Deadeye was released in Sep 2017 and had a major rework in May 2018. Yes, the company has less staff now than it did back then, but if an elite specialization is all over the place (which I think the Catalyst is), tidying it up would reinvigorate players to try the profession again.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Volcanis.4872

[solemn.9670]

Do you really think elemental enchantment is that strong?

[Volcanis.4872]

5 minutes ago, solemn.9670 said:

Do you really think elemental enchantment is that strong?

Not really, but almost all recharge reduction traits are on the chopping block. I prefaced my thoughts on it being removed so I can talk about balance of attunement swapping.