Engineer with Greatsword: A Fresh Approach for the Next Expansion

[GoldFingers.4018]

Hello, GW2 community!

I'd like to share an idea for our beloved Engineer's next class expansion. How about giving them access to a Greatsword (GS) with a completely new set of skills?

Key points of the suggestion:

1. Greatsword for Engineer: A weapon that could bring a different dynamic to the class.
2. Skill kit independent of bombs: Focused on melee combat and advanced technology manipulation.
3. Possible theme: An engineer using a technologically enhanced blade, capable of transforming or emitting different types of energy.
4. Potential skills:
   • Area strikes with technological effects
   • Charge ability that leaves an energy trail
   • Defensive mode that creates a force field
   • Ultimate that overcharges the GS for a devastating attack

This could give the Engineer a more direct combat-oriented playstyle option, further diversifying the class's gameplay.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions and ideas to expand on this concept!

[bambi.6214]

No two-handed weapon will ever be more universal than a hammer. You basically just reiterated hammer.

We need main-hand power weapon for core engineer to complement the shield.

[Dadnir.5038]

I vote for an Off-hand dagger with a skill that allow the engineer to combine the Off-hand dagger with his Main hand weapon and thus change the MH weapon skills.

• OH Dagger combined with MH Sword give the Sword-Breaker, creating a more defensive sword skill set with maybe a block and some weakness output.
• OH Dagger combined with MH Mace give the Pic-Axe, offering set of ranged skills like ranger's axe does.
• OH Dagger combined with MH Pistol give a Pistol with Bayonnet, offering some manner of melee attack similar to what Warrior's pistol do.

I don't care what the 2nd skill of the Off-Hand Dagger would do as long as I get that on a decent CD (I'm just asking about getting a 3 skills kit based on my Main Hand weapon after all).

[Cuilan.7091]

I had a similar idea that makes more sense thematicaly with Focus. Engi is lacking in off hand options and we're definately in the later years of this game and this particular solution would cover particular class fantasies with engineer.

Focus 4 - Copy / Paste - 18s CD

Channel your Docus while blocking attacks. Gain access to Copy for 8s

Copy becomes the last main hand weapon skill used while Copy is active.

Focus 5 -  Program - 20s CD

Leap to the target area and unleash an energy blast that causes a condition based on your main hand weapon.

Sword - Blind

Mace - Confusion

Pistol - Torment

None - Self Confusion

Gain access to a unique program based on your Main Hand Weapon for 4s.

Program - Flowing Justice (Sword)

Gain access to Willbender Sword 5

Program - Unleashed Wilds (Mace)

Gain access to Ranger Mace 5, including its Growth at a modified duration.

Program - Mirror Mirror (Pistol)

Gain access to Mesmer Pistol 5.

Program - ERROR (no weapon)

Cause Self confusion

Each of these programs emphasizes each main hand weapon and their roles if they ever had a 'dual' weapon and I dont except new weapons of these types at all. Exception is the pistol, where its more of an alt. version where it enables more condition utility compared to the normal offhand pistol.

 

 

 

[Alcatraznc.3869]

As much as I like the current version of spear (when S2 actually works), I dont want another melee weapon. Engineer has received nothing but melee weapon in expansions and the only one that's not a melee weapon is something completely garbage 98% of the time with the 1% remaining being a niche use in WvW as a support weapon and the other 1% being a niche use as a support in PvE.

 

If Anet isnt going to buff rifle or undo the killing nerf I would like to have an actual good ranged power weapon. Long bow, scepter, dagger, I dont care, but a ranged melee weapon. Or if it is too much to ask then a new kit baked into the class.

[draxynnic.3719]

17 minutes ago, Alcatraznc.3869 said:

As much as I like the current version of spear (when S2 actually works), I dont want another melee weapon. Engineer has received nothing but melee weapon in expansions and the only one that's not a melee weapon is something completely garbage 98% of the time with the 1% remaining being a niche use in WvW as a support weapon and the other 1% being a niche use as a support in PvE.

 

If Anet isnt going to buff rifle or undo the killing nerf I would like to have an actual good ranged power weapon. Long bow, scepter, dagger, I dont care, but a ranged melee weapon. Or if it is too much to ask then a new kit baked into the class.

Pretty much what I was thinking. Engineer has gone from a profession which had only ranged weapons (rifle, pistol) to having more melee weapons than ranged (hammer, sword, mace, spear versus rifle, pistol, shortbow). Even the ranged kits have been rebalanced as support apart from grenades, so in any part of the game where you want to have ranged capability, taking one of those melee weapons means you're basically forced to take grenade kit.

[H K.4057]

Engineer badly needs a 2-handed power ranged damage weapon similar to Warrior spear. Rifle has way too much utility built-in and its damage application is so janky that any damage buff invariably goes to the auto attack, and we all know how that went.

[Rocker.2906]

Personally I'd go for a staff like what is show in some Asura art with the golemancers... maybe each skill could involve little golems doing your biding? Kinda like mesmer phantasms? 

[draxynnic.3719]

14 hours ago, Rocker.2906 said:

Personally I'd go for a staff like what is show in some Asura art with the golemancers... maybe each skill could involve little golems doing your biding? Kinda like mesmer phantasms? 

The asura golemancers tend to use their staves as lightning projectors in-game. There's also precedent in at least one event where you use an engineer-built lightning projector device that uses a staff skin. ArenaNet don't seem to want to give that to players as a permanent thing, though.

[LilBiM.3581]

17 hours ago, Rocker.2906 said:

Personally I'd go for a staff like what is show in some Asura art with the golemancers... maybe each skill could involve little golems doing your biding? Kinda like mesmer phantasms? 

No AI anything. We've been down this road several times, there is no need to go down this road again. The Engineer version of Phantasms/Clones is another story.

[Aenesthesia.1697]

On 9/9/2024 at 7:30 PM, H K.4057 said:

Engineer badly needs a 2-handed power ranged damage weapon similar to Warrior spear. Rifle has way too much utility built-in and its damage application is so janky that any damage buff invariably goes to the auto attack, and we all know how that went.

I don't know. Revenant spear also has two skills for damage. The problem with engineer is that you either use the weapon's auto (so it has to be decent) or use the kit's auto (grenades or bombs) instead. Before the rifle buff, it was grenades. After the ridiculous rifle buff it was the AA of course. Now they nerfed it but they could have buffed skills 2, 4 and 5 to make rifle still a competitive weapon.    

[Gendalfs.7521]

22 minutes ago, Aenesthesia.1697 said:

Now they nerfed it but they could have buffed skills 2, 4 and 5 to make rifle still a competitive weapon. 

That seems logical right? Unfortunatelly Anet lives in different dimension with another rules. Well this friday is a balance preview. Hopefully theyll adress rifle.

[H K.4057]

44 minutes ago, Aenesthesia.1697 said:

I don't know. Revenant spear also has two skills for damage. The problem with engineer is that you either use the weapon's auto (so it has to be decent) or use the kit's auto (grenades or bombs) instead. Before the rifle buff, it was grenades. After the ridiculous rifle buff it was the AA of course. Now they nerfed it but they could have buffed skills 2, 4 and 5 to make rifle still a competitive weapon.    

From the perspective of WvW, you can't buff skills 2, 4, and 5 to make it a competitive weapon. Skill 2 only does good damage when you close to the enemy, but it doesn't fire goes on cd if they aren't directly in front of you. Skill 3 has a super slow projectile that doesn't track. The only time I've gotten it to hit reliably is when I CC the enemy first. Skill 5 is a super telegraphed ground target aoe with a slow animation. You would have to fundamentally change how rifle skills work in order to begin making it viable as a ranged power damage weapon. At that point, you are better off just making a new weapon and letting rifle stay a mediocre utility weapon that can poke at range.

[draxynnic.3719]

10 hours ago, H K.4057 said:

From the perspective of WvW, you can't buff skills 2, 4, and 5 to make it a competitive weapon. Skill 2 only does good damage when you close to the enemy, but it doesn't fire goes on cd if they aren't directly in front of you. Skill 3 has a super slow projectile that doesn't track. The only time I've gotten it to hit reliably is when I CC the enemy first. Skill 5 is a super telegraphed ground target aoe with a slow animation. You would have to fundamentally change how rifle skills work in order to begin making it viable as a ranged power damage weapon. At that point, you are better off just making a new weapon and letting rifle stay a mediocre utility weapon that can poke at range.

Yeah, rifle is mostly built as a general-purpose skirmishing weapon that can pressure from long range, but is also intended to be able to punish an enemy that gets close. Which was a good design under the circumstances - it's good for the core weapons on a profession without an autoattack to have both some standoff presence and the ability to perform as something of a substitute melee weapon. Twelve years and five new weapons later, though... it probably is time for a weapon or two designed purely for long range, especially if they're not willing to make more kits.

[Ale.3280]

Not another melee weapon please!

I prefer ranged, maybe staff?

[Dark Red Killian.3946]

On 9/8/2024 at 10:07 AM, bambi.6214 said:

No two-handed weapon will ever be more universal than a hammer. You basically just reiterated hammer.

We need main-hand power weapon for core engineer to complement the shield.

That is what sword is for. I would argue we need an offhand power weapon to complement the sword main hand.

[Liewec.2896]

i think Engi should have got the Gunsaber concept instead of warrior.

a greatsword that fires bullets is just way more of an engi thing than a warrior one.

[Corvolupo.5708]

uhm... the idea of using a greatsword intrigues me but at the same time I don't want to see yet another melee weapon for this class. ideally I would like to use the greatsword at mid range throwing electric discharges or projectiles (I'm looking at you gunsaber, you don't look good on the warrior imo). Oh and i want It POWER!!!

[draxynnic.3719]

11 hours ago, Liewec.2896 said:

i think Engi should have got the Gunsaber concept instead of warrior.

a greatsword that fires bullets is just way more of an engi thing than a warrior one.

Bladesworn is basically warrior taking engineer as a secondary profession.