August 20 patch notes.

[Jobber.6348]

Massive Spear W 

Hammers suffer thanks to people whining. Thanks alot morons. 

Vindicator nerfed hard for PvP but again, targeting the wrong things because what's causing all the problem is 25% sustained Strike Damage bonus, not because Death Drop hurts people. Jesus Christ. Hammer took the hit because you guys don't know what part of the problem to target.

Everyone, just go and play Condi Vindicator/Renegade/Herald/Core in competitive now. 
 

Edited August 20 by Jobber.6348

[Sereath.1428]

I don't think they have noticed that Death Drop also comes with Forerunner of Death; 10 seconds of bonus damage. Which is a lot of damage with 100% uptime.
Just like the people on the pvp-forums here, they don't know it exists. 🤣
So with Grandmasters nothing has changed, Death Drop is still by far the best option. Imperial Impact is dead content.
And again, nerfing every other build. Annoyed by the halved Empire Divided bonus. And why do they think every one used Angsiyan's Trust? Yeah, maybe because the other two are premium garbage, not worth the energy cost and cast time with a 30s cd.

Hammer becoming worse than before the reworks is so pathetic. Instead of simply fixing Coalescence of Ruin being bad since Oct. 2019, they overloaded the weapon everywhere else; faster auto attacks, #4 is now instant, deals damage and provides an Aegis, #5 refreshes #2.
In fact, they are not very good at what they do.

Disappointing.
I'll be back next year.

Edited August 20 by Sereath.1428

[Katary.7096]

I like quite a few of the changes made to spear. Pretty surprised that the range increase which was mentioned as a possibilty in the livestream has apparently not made the cut. We'll see how it plays now.

[Buran.3796]

"Revenant

• The first spear skill slot's melee and ranged autoattacks have been separated to give each its own tooltip. Each attack now inflicts 1 stack of vulnerability for 6 seconds in addition to applying torment.
  • Abyssal Fire: This skill's casting time has been slightly reduced. This skill now attacks up to 3 targets in a radius of 180 upon striking a foe. This attack is a 20% projectile finisher.
  • Abyssal Strike: The casting time has been reduced from nearly 1 second to slightly over 0.5 seconds. Increased the attack radius to match other melee skills.
• Abyssal Force: Reduced the energy cost from 5 to 4. Reduced the casting time to 0.5 seconds. This skill now inflicts 1 stack of burning for 8 seconds instead of inflicting torment.
• Abyssal Blitz: This skill now drops a maximum of 3 mines, and the distance at which they are created has been slightly increased. Blitz mines now inflict weakness in addition to slow and chill effects.
• Abyssal Blot: This skill now pulls enemies on its first damage pulse instead of its last. Each pulse now inflicts poison for 6 seconds.
• Abyssal Raze: The casting time of this skill has been reduced from 1.25 seconds to 0.75 seconds. This skill now inflicts torment without requiring Crushing Abyss, and it inflicts 2 stacks of torment per stack of Crushing Abyss. Increased the bonus strike damage per stack of Crushing Abyss from 20% to 33% in PvE and from 10% to 17% in PvP and WvW. Reduced the energy cost of this skill from 10 to 8.
• Crushing Abyss: Reduced the maximum stacks from 5 to 3.
• Coalescence of Ruin: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.45 to 1.3 in PvP only.
• Phase Smash: Increased the cooldown from 12 seconds to 15 seconds in PvP only.
• Field of the Mists: Reduced the field duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvP and WvW.

Renegade

• Orders from Above: Reduced the alacrity duration per pulse from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds in WvW only.

Vindicator

• Angsiyan's Trust: Reduced the energy granted from 25 to 10 in PvP only.
• Death Drop: Reduced the power coefficient from 1.335 to 0.75 in PvP only.
• Empire Divided: Reduced the power bonus from 240 to 120 in PvP only."

 

   I can't say much:

* R.I.P. Hammer Revenant in PvP. I wasn't able to play it as meta but with demolisher stats and defensive traits kept me ~55% win rate and mostly in low gold for three months across a couple of seasons. I don't see nerfs in the main antogonist it faced, so I guess Rev is out of the meta again.

*R.I.P. power Rev builds in WvW; I haven't really played WvW since the end of the servers so I have no idea if hammer and other power variants were viable for roaming but sure after those changes won't.  The only build I had (cele Rene for Zerg) which I didn't try I guess is now even stronger in cele since boon duration is free in cele gear, whereas in boon gear you have to run with no damage to have alacrity (which isn't that important there).

  I'll move to the other power Vindi build in PvP (essentially ditching hammer again, bye bye for another 9-10 years!). As I said previously, I don't think Jantir Wild has anything for Rev players (aside from nerfs) and I'll vote with my wallet not buying the expansion. On the positive side of things, I'll reach 500+ hours played in Last Epovch this week...

 

[Jobber.6348]

20 minutes ago, Buran.3796 said:

* R.I.P. Hammer Revenant in PvP. I wasn't able to play it as meta but with demolisher stats and defensive traits kept me ~55% win rate and mostly in low gold for three months across a couple of seasons. I don't see nerfs in the main antogonist it faced, so I guess Rev is out of the meta again.

Personally extremely sad this happened because I got into Gold playing nothing but Core Hammer. It's nowhere near facerolly as Vindicator but it was good fun and actually makes Jalis feel good with the buffed Vicious Reprisal and Jalis Upkeep. 

 

 

21 minutes ago, Buran.3796 said:

*R.I.P. power Rev builds in WvW; I haven't really played WvW since the end of the servers so I have no idea if hammer and other power variants were viable for roaming but sure after those changes won't.  The only build I had (cele Rene for Zerg) which I didn't try I guess is now even stronger in cele since boon duration is free in cele gear, whereas in boon gear you have to run with no damage to have alacrity (which isn't that important there).

Not rip yet. Retribution Power Roamer Vindicator, newly buffed Herald still somewhat usable and Shortbow GS Vindicator still usable. No doubt Cele builds gonna inch closer to dominance with the new Spear. I'm excited to try Shortbow/Spear or Sprear/Mace Shield for some funny Condi builds. 

I mainly play PvE and WvW so I'll still get the expansion. Also I like story. 

[Buran.3796]

2 hours ago, Jobber.6348 said:

Not rip yet. Retribution Power Roamer Vindicator, newly buffed Herald still somewhat usable and Shortbow GS Vindicator still usable. No doubt Cele builds gonna inch closer to dominance with the new Spear. I'm excited to try Shortbow/Spear or Sprear/Mace Shield for some funny Condi builds. 

   I don't think short bow would be ever competitive again against humans since quite a lot of the damage comes from torment and torment damage fades hugely when the target is in movement. In PvE you max out the damage tanking the foe (which in most cases stops the target movement). Burns > venom > bleeds > confusion > torment and is not even close...

   Edit: tested hammer in PvP...  Yeah, no reason to touch this weapon again, and was already the only place in the game in which it had any use for me.

Edited August 20 by Buran.3796

[Shagie.7612]

Hammer probably took the nerfs because both Vindi and Rene were using it in the mAT they won (I think? idk the builds were kinda funky)

That condi spread on spear looks pretty nice, though it's a bit upsetting that that's the main way to try and patch up condi rev's weak points.

[Jin.8501]

Gz guys, your whining ruined the cool weapon we were getting. Now its another floaty weapon and the auto attack combo is lame. Finally we were getting meaty soulslike weapon with some heftiness and people complain instantly about it. Same people also complained and the warclaw animations have been ruined for the sake of speed?

Edited August 20 by Jin.8501

[Sonderm.4639]

I congratulate Anet for nerfing hammer 4 in WvW as well, just in case it might become meta again in a few years!

Edited August 20 by Sonderm.4639

[Vennyhedgie.5369]

1 hour ago, Jin.8501 said:

Gz guys, your whining ruined the cool weapon we were getting. Now its another floaty weapon and the auto attack combo is lame. Finally we were getting meaty soulslike weapon with some heftiness and people complain instantly about it. Same people also complained and the warclaw animations have been ruined for the sake of speed?

Lmao what

[Justine.6351]

lolhammernerf

[Vasdamas Anklast.1607]

Watching Coalescence of Ruin getting another nerf is genuinely funny. It's like Axes on necro, but reversed.

[Shagie.7612]

Had a chance to play a few more games now.

It's... pretty good on condi Ren so far.
Is this what it feels like to have damage actually stick to people?

6 poison stacks on Abyssal Blot's kinda nuts lol
I kind of expected it to do little to no damage since it's a CC skill.

I honestly don't even notice the ramp up, like I'm not playing super hard around it and still doing tons of damage and split amongst far more conditions instead of being 99% torment.

 

[Kulvar.1239]

Seems like ANet is trying to remove alacrity and quickness from WvW.

[arazoth.7290]

18 minutes ago, Kulvar.1239 said:

Seems like ANet is trying to remove alacrity and quickness from WvW.

They gave alac for everyone on dodge in a relic allthough 😂

[Jobber.6348]

26 minutes ago, arazoth.7290 said:

They gave alac for everyone on dodge in a relic allthough 😂

It's a self buff too, so it's really odd. I wonder who it's for really. I can see immediately having them dodge bois like Mirage Vindi and Daredevil be like "ayo? free cooldown while running max damage traits? gimmi!" 

[SWLDguitar.5746]

Sad to read all of this.

I didn't preorder/buy JW.  After the beta test i was convinced nothing was going to really change with spear, and i'm not really interested in the story content.  I don't play other professions enough to buy the expansion for them.  Guess i'll buy it when it goes on sale, but after reading current state I wouldn't buy it for more than $5. 

The change I would want to see, recognizing everything else written here, is to skill 5.  Nothing about the skill is fun.  It's like they decided to put "whack-a-mole" on a weapon.

I don't think there's any salvaging the weapon with the mindset of "spam this ground targeted ability."  Ground targeted abilities are the absolute worst in this game.  It needs to be scrapped. 

[Buran.3796]

11 hours ago, Shagie.7612 said:

It's... pretty good on condi Ren so far.
Is this what it feels like to have damage actually stick to people?

   Only saw 3 Revs in 6 matches and only 2 were running spears and were quite easy to farm.

   Being said that, picture me shocked that they put venom in a Rev weapon: lore wise makes 0 sense (is like having a Firebrand with chill skills), and has 0 sinergies with the motto of previous condi weapons since core ones deliver torment + burns and short bow bleeds + torment & burns and Vindi only has access to torment & burns. Venom has 0 business in the Rev repertoire.

[Uete.3805]

1 hour ago, Buran.3796 said:

 Being said that, picture me shocked that they put venom in a Rev weapon: lore wise makes 0 sense (is like having a Firebrand with chill skills), and has 0 sinergies with the motto of previous condi weapons since core ones deliver torment + burns and short bow bleeds + torment & burns and Vindi only has access to torment & burns. Venom has 0 business in the Rev repertoire.

You mean like in Mace auto? Or the Corruption GM trait?

Poison makes total sense on a demonic-based weapon: It decreases healing.

The weapon pumps (benching 50k Ren with double spear xD) and has a great flow to it mechanically and energy-wise. Also: love those skill icons.

[Buran.3796]

34 minutes ago, Uete.3805 said:

You mean like in Mace auto? Or the Corruption GM trait?

  1 stack of poison with every legend swap and another one every 3 auto attacks...   yet we can burst beyond 50 stacks of torment (before the new expansion). Fits the lore "as good" as a Paladin throwing venomous daggers  or a Mage in full plate armor. Spear already had torment and chills so so bleeds at least makes sense and could have benefit from the Renegade traitline, but no, had to be a conditiion with no synergies with any traitline or lore background... 

Edited August 21 by Buran.3796

[Uete.3805]

So you don't want any new niches for a new weapon? Besides obviously having the same damaging conditions the OG condi weapon provided. Mallyx used to give confusion on boon removal. Condi rev had access to all condis except for bleeds and that's your reasoning to add another bleed weapon? Lore?

Poison's good specially for competitive and makes sense alongside burning for demonic reasons. Let it be.

[Jobber.6348]

4 hours ago, Buran.3796 said:

   Only saw 3 Revs in 6 matches and only 2 were running spears and were quite easy to farm.

   Being said that, picture me shocked that they put venom in a Rev weapon: lore wise makes 0 sense (is like having a Firebrand with chill skills), and has 0 sinergies with the motto of previous condi weapons since core ones deliver torment + burns and short bow bleeds + torment & burns and Vindi only has access to torment & burns. Venom has 0 business in the Rev repertoire.

You may forget but legacy Condi Rev had way more Conditions than just Torment and occasionally Burning.

Poison is still very much part of Mace and Mallyx themselves used to apply Confusion liberally. Corruption also used to apply Poison alongside Torment, which was killed the moment Corruption got reworked for no good reason.

Corruption rework was what ultimately killed Condition Rev in competitive in order to reorganise the traitline for PvE. 

[SWLDguitar.5746]

16 hours ago, Uete.3805 said:

The weapon pumps (benching 50k Ren with double spear xD) and has a great flow to it mechanically and energy-wise. Also: love those skill icons.

I would love to see the data/video of someone doing 50k with spear.  Looking on snowcrows, 50k would be 10% higher than the current highest dps. While i believe it is true, it would mean spear will see nerfs, which makes no sense from what everyone else is reporting. 

[Shagie.7612]

15 minutes ago, SWLDguitar.5746 said:

I would love to see the data/video of someone doing 50k with spear.  Looking on snowcrows, 50k would be 10% higher than the current highest dps. While i believe it is true, it would mean spear will see nerfs, which makes no sense from what everyone else is reporting. 

It's higher than just 50k with allies lol

For the tiniest fraction of a second he actually spikes to over 100 torment stacks in there
That's bonkers

[SWLDguitar.5746]

11 minutes ago, Shagie.7612 said:

It's higher than just 50k with allies lol

For the tiniest fraction of a second he actually spikes to over 100 torment stacks in there
That's bonkers

Thank you for this!  Changed my perception of the weapon! Now if they could make it work in WvW (by killing #5 ground targeting) i'll be happy and actually buy the expansion!