Bladesworn in 2024, "An Even Shorter Follow Up" : ANet forgot to Add Duration/Shunt The Hitbox when they added the .5s delay. - So [Dragon Trigger (2) - Boost] Does Not Hit at it's Full 900 Range.

[PseudoOAlias.4279]

 | Explanation Video: ^ https://youtu.be/89wGEdCbxfA |

Heya Tyria! Pseudo here. Back again to shout at some clouds and with a quick update for the ever dwindling population of Gun-Ronin out there.

> If you want to read up with what's been going on with Bladesworn you can check that out here.

> Or a dissection on why new [Dragon Trigger - Boost] (the 2) is both a design and counterplay nightmare for not only you but your opponent as well, check that out here.

I try to be largely positive/optimistic/full of copium, because I'd like to believe you catch more Balance Devs with honey than with vinegar. But:

 | TL;DR :: New, Delayed [Dragon Trigger - Boost](2) also no longer travels/hits at it's full range. |

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 As is shown in the video, my crew and I did some testing and in addition to all of the other bugs and Design Problems* plaguing Bladesworn: The Terrestrial version of the 2nd Dragon Trigger does not retain its hitbox' long enough to account for the added .5s delay. In contrast to the unmodified aquatic version of the skill.* Therefore, while your character model, eventually moves the same distance as before, once you get to your target you will likely find them somewhat healthier than you may have anticipated.

*Problems Such As: Bladesworn currently being the "Alacrity Spec" and not having an F1 burst (which is where ANet chose to leverage the majority of Staff's immediate, on-demand healing. Yes staff is more than artificially healing-juiced enough to compensate for this regardless. No the world's not going to end tomorrow because of it. But in addition to being forced to use Gunsaber - which itself has 0 support, it just "feels bad" on what's supposed to be a support spec. But this is a separate discussion entirely.

^ btw. I may be alone here, but Please DON'T just add base F1 back to Bladesworn. This will fix nothing. It needs a complete facelift, or interesting grandmaster traits/skills, or just to not be a boon support spec, or SOMETHING.

 

 | THE EASY FIX: |

>> The Fix for this is Simple: If we must exist in a world where all 3 slashes have differing attack timing(s) but the same animation(s) -- again which also makes predicting+dodging which one was used borderline impossible, it's not my first choice but fine. But for the love of all the Water Bottles on the planet: Extend the duration of DT2' active hitbox by .5s. <<

Either way (c)hopefully the recent Bladesworn nerfs give the balance team some "Design Space" to add back some FUN' to the specialization. BUT PLEASE, For the future, stick to prioritizing Fun on skills, and then adjust the numbers on them to balance them out. Maybe we'll finally get setup Bladesworn back in some capacity, or get OG [Daring Dragon] back / they'll finally move alacrity to Spellbreaker. Or perhaps even our weapon swap back and have it just share a 10s+ base cooldown with swapping in to Gunsaber like ele attunements, since that coding's already done. Or maybe we'll get none of these things. Only time will tell. But ANet asks for feedback so all I can do is give it.

 | THE BETTER, AND STILL EASY FIX: |

Imo. the delay should be Reverted and the Damage Reduced, AoE Radius on the sides of the slash reduced, or any number of other better changes that could preserve both FUN and FUNCTIONALITY for you and your opponent.

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I don't really have another point here. Everything I would normally put I've already said in my previous Bladesworn dissection posts. So go check those out if you're wondering what's up with the class/want to see what feed1,000+ hours on a Specialization looks like. I just thought the remaining 3 or so people trying to enjoy Bladesworn out there might like to know why their Dragonslashes are literally "Coming up short."

Editorializing a bit in conclusion: This may seem like nitpicking, (and it super is.) I'm biased AF. But it's just another bug on the ever-growing pile of symptoms that make Bladesworn feel awful to play. I'm not going to die on this hill, but we got 0 Explanation for the last round of Bladesworn changes. Changes which made no sense, and not only not only kneecapped the class in PvP it blew it's kitten legs off in PvE and WvW, and even made it harder for your opponent to counterplay. Dragon Trigger 2 was the only fun skill Bladesworn had that felt actually good to use. In a game that's all about Freedom of Movement and Build Diversity, I want Guild Wars 2 to continue to exist in an increasingly competitive game-space, and I want Bladesworn to be fun. But failing that I'd really like it to just be fluid or at least make sense. ANet, please let CmC stick to his guns of making "A Game That Is Fun First" instead of one that's "Perfectly Balanced." For the future: If you want a skill to be used less or competing skills to be used more: Please keep healthy functionality in some way and increase/reduce numbers.

But above all, please, please explain/preview hugely impactful changes like this. And tell us how to give better feedback to possibly fix nerfs like this in the future so that everyone can win. 😄

Cheers, & Thanks for Reading if You Did!! o/

Edited March 12 by PseudoOAlias.4279
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[Rando Khan.3705]

Thank you for doing all of this (including your previous write-ups). I primarily play Bladesworn, and it's pretty discouraging how many technical as well as mechanical problems it has/continues to accrue. I really hope Anet put some resources into taking a broad look at Bladesworn and what they want it to be, and fix a lot of its nagging issues.

Edited March 12 by Rando Khan.3705

[Leo G.4501]

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I take a 5 month break and come back and Boost is changed to a 600 range leap + 250 range forward cone. 

[DanAlcedo.3281]

2 hours ago, Leo G.4501 said:

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I take a 5 month break and come back and Boost is changed to a 600 range leap + 250 range forward cone. 

Given the amount of lines Warrior gets per patch, make that 5 years. 

[Myror.7521]

At this Point ........ Complete rework this kitten e-spec. Let it feels less sleepy. Remove its self rooting mechanic for god Shake xd!

[oscuro.9720]

20 hours ago, Myror.7521 said:

At this Point ........ Complete rework this kitten e-spec. Let it feels less sleepy. Remove its self rooting mechanic for god Shake xd!

I mean you don’t even need to make new skills, just retool the mechanisms that Bladesworn has. It has the foundations of a really cool spec then just misses the mark by trying to make all the drawbacks of warriors features without giving proper benefits.

For Example; a dodge based rework

Adrenaline mechanic:

Amber bullets are now stored in combat. 1 Amber bullet is a tier 1 burst skill. Burst skills are still accessible and consume 1 Amber bullet. Max storage of 5 bullets.

Dragon Stance/Slash:

After completing a dodge roll, enter dragon stance. Dragon Slash consumes 1 amber bullet and is a T1 burst. 

From there you have numerous options; Dragon slash is determined by the GM trait; Forceful dragon is melee slash. Daring dragon uses boost and is reverted to its old version, allowing repeated use of dragon slash if you still have bullets. Immortal Dragon is the ranged DS.

Or, you could have each slash be available and you have to weave cooldowns and utilize each slash.

Gunsaber: 

Honestly I don’t think it’s that bad. I think getting rid of the ammo concept and beefing up each individual skill a little more to compensate would be good. Just let it be a good ole fashioned weapon with a balanced kit.

Then give it an F1: Detonation: detonate an amber shell, granting yourself boons and endurance and blinding and burning nearby foes. 
That gives you an instant cast blind (similar to traited guardian F1) that can be used in a variety of instances, some might and protection maybe, and much needed endurance to help augment the dodge function of the spec.

Now the spec is more fun and dynamic without the static issues or balance problems that arise from ammo spam.

Im not saying to use this idea (though I do think it would be fun), im just saying I spent 30 minutes coming up with a rework using all of the existing skills because the pieces are not bad, but the whole is far less than the sum of its parts. The base is there, it just needs the right implementation!

This game has the best non-action cam combat I’ve played. It’s fantastic because it is fluid and dynamic. It functions on action and reaction, creating an engaging gameplay that is fun in and of itself. Everything flows together with continuous movement and action, and, at its best, requires your skill usage to be intentional in both timing and utility to get the most out of whatever you are playing. Bladesworn is the literal antithesis of this. It is static, the class functions on spamming, and feels clunky. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not the skills. Blooming fire is not unenjoyable to use. It’s the implementation of the specs core mechanics.

It doesn’t have to be that way, Bladesworn could be amazing, but I agree, it would need a fairly heavy handed rework to get there. 

 

[Leo G.4501]

1 hour ago, oscuro.9720 said:

I mean you don’t even need to make new skills, just retool the mechanisms that Bladesworn has. It has the foundations of a really cool spec then just misses the mark by trying to make all the drawbacks of warriors features without giving proper benefits.

 

Just to put the sentiment out there for the record again: just give back the proper benefits for the drawbacks because it makes for an actual unique feel rather than an artificial one with different animations. Keep the root. Keep the charging. Make those mechanics worthwhile.

It's the difference of making different obstacles and hoops to jump through and put on a unique performance vs just opening a different flavor box of off-brand fruit-hoops and pouring it in the same bowl. One type of hoops are different, the other type of hoops all have the same flavor just artificially colored to trick you to think it's a different flavor.

[oscuro.9720]

12 hours ago, Leo G.4501 said:

Just to put the sentiment out there for the record again: just give back the proper benefits for the drawbacks because it makes for an actual unique feel rather than an artificial one with different animations. Keep the root. Keep the charging. Make those mechanics worthwhile.

It's the difference of making different obstacles and hoops to jump through and put on a unique performance vs just opening a different flavor box of off-brand fruit-hoops and pouring it in the same bowl. One type of hoops are different, the other type of hoops all have the same flavor just artificially colored to trick you to think it's a different flavor.

The problem with bladesworn is that the drawbacks are so large, the benefits would be borderline broken (as it was for a little bit).

But that would work too. I’m just not a fan of the way that blade was implemented despite the skills all being fairly good. 

[Leo G.4501]

4 hours ago, oscuro.9720 said:

The problem with bladesworn is that the drawbacks are so large, the benefits would be borderline broken (as it was for a little bit).

But that would work too. I’m just not a fan of the way that blade was implemented despite the skills all being fairly good. 

No, you're right. I'm only airing my sentiment because I know they likely will retool stuff that Bladesworn won't be anything like it used to be and I just want the opinion up there. You're just trying to limit the resultant change to using the same tools. It would be the other option I'd support, at the end of the day. I couldn't tell you if the end result would be fun or not...it'd be fun for someone, just like how it was fun for me before they started snipping stuff from the spec.

[oscuro.9720]

5 hours ago, Leo G.4501 said:

No, you're right. I'm only airing my sentiment because I know they likely will retool stuff that Bladesworn won't be anything like it used to be and I just want the opinion up there. You're just trying to limit the resultant change to using the same tools. It would be the other option I'd support, at the end of the day. I couldn't tell you if the end result would be fun or not...it'd be fun for someone, just like how it was fun for me before they started snipping stuff from the spec.

That’s fair, and it’s definitely good to get all the opinions out there! There’s no right or wrong answers here, just opinions from which the devs will (hopefully) pull from to improve the specialization. Mine own opinions are admittedly only from the frame of mind of competitive modes and from someone with minimal playtime on blade 🤷‍♂️