Lets talk about axe....

[Ragnarox.9601]

Well lets talk about axe now. Slow, no real dmg 3rd skill does not work on elevations, annoying sounds...

My suggestions:autoattack rework: sounds are really annoying after some time.

• my suggestion is to remove 2x attack dmg skills from 1 and 2 chain and make only 3rd chain doing 2x blue attack and that sound. So 1x 1x 2x final, maybe little increase to attacks and remove bleed from it and give bleeds only to axe trait.
• 2# attack need a little dmg increase (maybe weakness too).
• 3#...oh man....this is most annoying attack, ill rather change to 1 person attack and that I can actually pull someone from elevations than 3 targets and cant pull anything. Most underwhelming attack in this game. (compared to hammer 3# immob skill), or make it a teleport attack that imobilizes foes when you port to them.

Axe trait : give more bleeds and maybe a slow or something.

[Josif.2015]

@Ragnarox.9601 said:Well lets talk about axe now. Slow, no real dmg 3rd skill does not work on elevations, annoying sounds...

My suggestions:autoattack rework: sounds are really annoying after some time.

• my suggestion is to remove 2x attack dmg skills from 1 and 2 chain and make only 3rd chain doing 2x blue attack and that sound. So 1x 1x 2x final, maybe little increase to attacks and remove bleed from it and give bleeds only to axe trait.
• 2# attack need a little dmg increase (maybe weakness too).
• 3#...oh man....this is most annoying attack, ill rather change to 1 person attack and that I can actually pull someone from elevations than 3 targets and cant pull anything. Most underwhelming attack in this game. (compared to hammer 3# immob skill), or make it a teleport attack that imobilizes foes when you port to them.

Axe trait : give more bleeds and maybe a slow or something.

I don't think I've ever seen a Firebrand use the axe. The only thing I would change about this weapon is making the auto attack function similar to the warriors' axe, fast and fluid attack chain.

[Mourningstar.7309]

The multiple hits on the axe auto trigger justice faster, so I'd rather that not be removed - I'm sure that's the point of it.

[Omnicron.2467]

I personally love my axe thank you. Skill 2 is a bit weak but the cleave on my AA is amazing and the pull into a small group and cc damage for #3 is amazing

[yLoon.5289]

Dude......axe is the best weapon for Guardian to CC in Fractal (if traited) and proc Virtue of Justice better than Engineer's Flamethrower xDWas it because you failed to #3 when enemies are running pass you?Or do you often failed to estimate the distance of pulling?Axe#2 did provide the Cripple effect.Axe #3 is just too damn good in pulling mobs, just that it required you to stand on a tactical position. Try comparing to Ranger Sword lol.Axe is a good weapon for Guard because it is very rare to find a 1-hand weapon with decent damage with 3 types of CC.Try to name me one which works like Guard's Axe, I'll bet 10 gold with you. xD

[cat.8975]

@yLoon.5289 said:Try to name me one which works like Guard's Axe, I'll bet 10 gold with you. xD

Warrior mace provides significantly more breakbar damage.

[yLoon.5289]

@cat.8975 said:

@yLoon.5289 said:Try to name me one which works like Guard's Axe, I'll bet 10 gold with you. xD

Warrior mace provides significantly more breakbar damage.

Sure, then go ahead and camp Mace in a raid as a warrior.

[otto.5684]

The symbol is the issue. I could not care less if it CCs (it is not remotely viable in pvp). The 1 sec cast makes it highly unusable outside of raids.

The whole distribution concept with the axe does not work at all (for FB as whole as well).

[Capicorp.1537]

??? Axe is awesome, albeit a bit clunky at times. I really enjoy the weapon. You know you can give yourself quickness right.

[draxynnic.3719]

@cat.8975 said:

@yLoon.5289 said:Try to name me one which works like Guard's Axe, I'll bet 10 gold with you. xD

Warrior mace provides significantly more breakbar damage.

Not quite what yLoon is referring to, I don't think. Mainhand mace for warriors is a fairly specialised stunning tool - it'd better be good at it, that's what it does. Firebrand axe provides a variety of CC effects, with cripple being a soft CC.

[otto.5684]

@Capicorp.1537 said:??? Axe is awesome, albeit a bit clunky at times. I really enjoy the weapon. You know you can give yourself quickness right.

Awesome as no one uses in pvp at all. It is okay PvE weapon, that only used because it adds bleeds. Btw, all FB builds in PvE playing solo are much better with sword or scepter.

If a weapon only provides advantage over others in PvE under 100% quickness and fury uptime, it is most definitely weak.

[cat.8975]

@yLoon.5289 said:Sure, then go ahead and camp Mace in a raid as a warrior.

You don't camp it for the entirety of the fight, you swap to mace/shield for breakbars. CC in raids is often irrelevant until a breakbar shows up.

[Ragnarox.9601]

@yLoon.5289 said:

Or do you often failed to estimate the distance of pulling?Axe#2 did provide the Cripple effect.Axe #3 is just too kitten good in pulling mobs, just that it required you to stand on a tactical position. Try comparing to Ranger Sword lol.

Pulling is not the problem....it just dont work on Y axis it works only on X axis...try pulling someone who is on little elevation ground...it will not pull, same problem is with Tomes...they only work in X axis....saddly if someone is at lower or higher ground it does not do dmg. And wvw is mostly on elevation grounds so it sucks big time, yea raids are on plain and horizontal area....but wvw and pve.... totally different story.

[CptAurellian.9537]

@Ragnarox.9601 said:

@yLoon.5289 said:

Or do you often failed to estimate the distance of pulling?Axe#2 did provide the Cripple effect.Axe #3 is just too kitten good in pulling mobs, just that it required you to stand on a tactical position. Try comparing to Ranger Sword lol.

Pulling is not the problem....it just dont work on Y axis it works only on X axis...try pulling someone who is on little elevation ground...it will not pull, same problem is with Tomes...they only work in X axis....saddly if someone is at lower or higher ground it does not do dmg. And wvw is mostly on elevation grounds so it sucks big time, yea raids are on plain and horizontal area....but wvw and pve.... totally different story.

The solution is theoretically simple: just fix the part that makes axe #3 ignore the Y axis. Better than totally altering its mechanics and screwing a big section of the game. Same for your suggestion for #1 - I see no reason to even make suggestions that would knowingly break the weapon in certain parts of the game. That energy will be better invested in ideas that bring a net benefit, not a zero-sum game or even a net loss.

[Obtena.7952]

@otto.5684 said:

@Capicorp.1537 said:??? Axe is awesome, albeit a bit clunky at times. I really enjoy the weapon. You know you can give yourself quickness right.

Awesome as no one uses in pvp at all. It is okay PvE weapon, that only used because it adds bleeds. Btw, all FB builds in PvE playing solo are much better with sword or scepter.

If a weapon only provides advantage over others in PvE under 100% quickness and fury uptime, it is most definitely weak.

This conclusion doesn't make much sense. If you want to play a condi build, Axe is THE weapon you choose. It's not just an OK PVE weapon because it adds bleeds, it is THE weapon for playing condi builds. We aren't pushing meta here. If you build a condi FB, Axe does significantly more than 'ok'.

As for the OP's suggestion.

1. One of the best things about Axe is the multiple hits.

2. 2 is a mobility denial skill ... not sure why it would get weakness

3. another mobility denial skill ... that breaks bars and burns as well. Why is this skill so bad for OP?

[Vinny.7260]

I think Axe is fine.

1: The auto attacks deal some pretty gnarly damage in combination with Quickness/Retaliation/Might; I've dealt ~10k on the end-of-the-chain auto.2: This is perfectly fine, it has plenty of traits to upgrade it in whatever way you want-- it's a symbol after all.3: I could understand the viewpoint of it being somewhat annoying to land since the Y-Axis can screw the skill over... Other than that it's pretty good.

[Sylvari.2953]

I like Axe, except for the Bleeding. It should be Burning only or Burning and Vulnerability. It's called Firebrand, not Bloodbrand. :P

[Obtena.7952]

The bleeding is there because it's not good to have large stacks of a single kind of damaging condition. They are too easily cleansed. We should care slightly less about the kind of condition and be more mindful about how they are applied, the duration and their sustainability.

[Best.3479]

Axe is pretty good on support firebrand in pvp. I do wish they would give the symbol a boon though. Quickness would be nice, even if it was a pvp only change.

[Ezrael.6859]

FYI the vertical axis in gaming / modelling is the Z-axis.

The Axe needs a Z-axis change so that it pulls in an actual code shape in front of the Guardian, rather than just along a flat plain.

[yLoon.5289]

When i was mining Rich Iron Node at Ruins of Holy Demetra, the mob below elevation of the staircase can be pulled up. o.0

[Omnicron.2467]

@"yLoon.5289" said:When i was mining Rich Iron Node at Ruins of Holy Demetra, the mob below elevation of the staircase can be pulled up. o.0

And yet sometimes while standing in front of Samarog on a CC phase I get a "no line of sight" message from trying to use axe 3 O.o

[JDub.1530]

Ah, the long time nemesis of the Guardian: 3 dimensions. Remember when scepter AA could only travel along the ground?

As for Axe, I was watching a WvW stream today, and the streamer was getting some value pulls with Axe 3. So, yeah, just increase the height of the attack, and I assume Axe would be fine.

[Best.3479]

@JDub.1530 said:Ah, the long time nemesis of the Guardian: 3 dimensions. Remember when scepter AA could only travel along the ground?

As for Axe, I was watching a WvW stream today, and the streamer was getting some value pulls with Axe 3. So, yeah, just increase the height of the attack, and I assume Axe would be fine.

Was that 2012/beta? I don't remember that ever.

[Grandtomatoe.2045]

Pulling is not the problem....it just dont work on Y axis it works only on X axis...try pulling someone who is on little elevation ground...it will not pull, same problem is with Tomes...they only work in X axis....saddly if someone is at lower or higher ground it does not do dmg. And wvw is mostly on elevation grounds so it sucks big time, yea raids are on plain and horizontal area....but wvw and pve.... totally different story.

Yeah this is the problem exactly. The pull should go with the land. And the tomes should have a true cone shaped effect not a triangle shape.