Should the tempest buffs that it provides be buffed so it can be competitive as a healer/buffer?

[Axl.8924]

Or should druids and mesmers be nerfed so that tempest seems more competitive?

I'm kind of out of date but i heard from someone say in the last topic i made that tempest is out of date on a lof of stuff, so what would be necessary to make it competitive? how would you buff it?

If tempest is the healer spec now, what about the hp regen it has, i could have sworn at one time or another the healing over time buffs were said to be very strong.

[Gorani.7205]

I would rather see dominating classes be nerfed than old classes buffed, to stop the power creep, but that does not seem to be the way the Anet Balance team works.

So how to buff tempests (and classic Ele)? I would have a look at Auras:

• increase Shocking Aura from 4 to 6 seconds (so there is a potential to stun an attacker that resumes attacking more than once)
• Magnetic Aura (skill,staff) increase duration from 5 to 7 sec and reduce CD to 25 sec (its due to the vast increase in anti-missile skills on other classes since release)
• Magnetic Aura (from Sand Squall & Aftershock) increase duration from 4 to 6 seconds
• Frost Auras reduce incoming damage by 15% (applies to Conditions too)
• increase Fire Shield from the 4 sec to 6 seconds and apply 2 stacks of burn (instead of 1) each time you are hit to the foe; also increase the might gain from 1 to 2

This would make Auramancing stronger again and not interfere with the Auras gained from combos (where Weaver would gain additional benefits). The Auras listed by me are easier to gain fro base Ele and Tempests than Weaver and should buff Weavers too much. Tempests should benefit on top of the changes due to the ability to create Auras with Overload.

[Feanor.2358]

Unfortunately nerfing the dominating supports won't help Tempest. It will create some diversity, but mainly in the form of support Firebrands and Renegades. Unlike them, Tempest doesn't have offensive support to offer beside Fury, which can be supplied in a variety of ways. Its "specific" thing - the auras - just don't matter in PvE.

[Jski.6180]

Never nerf only buff and there is no point in talking about how other classes should be nerf in another classes from then the class that you want / need to be nerf. If your asking for other classes to be nerf post on the other classes forms.

Tempest lacks strong boons because core ele lacks strong boons. Aura are not worth it any more the healing from auras are far more important. This is all due to core ele never being balanced right before the elite spec where added and the countless times core ele has been nerf because of some other class under-preforming. So lets try not to make another ele class in gw2 that keeps getting nerf over and over and out right hated by the game makers.

[lLobo.7960]

Tempest is about staying longer in attunements to unlock powerfull AoEs.

It has great support potential with auras and overloads, it just lacks the flexibility to use this support offensively (as aura share is in water) and it contains too many defensive traits where it should be more versatile with attunements.

If attunement traitlines had aura improvement traits, and aurashare was in the tempest line, then a fire/air tempest could be a great offensive support, while water/earth a defensive one.

Here was my take from another tread:

@lLobo.7960 said:Air Traitline

• new major master, replacing inscriptions: Zephyr speed - static auras you apply give supperspeed (3s), apply quickness (3s) when you apply supperspeed;

Water Traitline

• change soothing ice to grant frost aura when critically hit, frost auras that you apply grant regeneration (3s)

Arcane Traitline

• final shielding include: arcane shield is considered an aura for the purposes of traits and effects

Tempest Elite spec is about staying longer in attunements and overloading them for greater effects. It relies on caster centered AoEs and group support.

• New trait effective conduit replaces latent stamina: Using skills from an attunment reduces the recharge of its overload.
• tempestuous aria change buffs and conditions to be dependent on the shout (element) and include shout CD reduction.
• harmonious conduit change the buff according to the overload used (fire 5% dmg and condi dmg, air 10% crit dmg, earth -10% dmg and condi reduction, water 10% healing effectiveness)
• Elemental bastion moved to major master (replaces invigorating torrents) and remove frost aura on hit (becomes just auras apply heal)
• Hardy conduit move the improved protection to earth line, overloads provide protection and barrier
• powerful auras moved from water traitline and replaces major grandmaster elemental bastion

This gives the tempest the option to buff allies by sharing auras, improving shouts or being more selfish and focusing on its own overloads to complete them successfully and frequently. The reduced recharge on overloads could be a flat percentage but seems more interesting giving it a reduced recharge per skill use, making that weapons with faster casting times (scepter, dagger) can overload faster than slow ones (staff). The changes try to combine well with the options on each traitline and lets the tempest (by moving aura share from water) becomes a full offensive (fire/air/tempest) or defensive (water/earth/tempest) support or even a mix of those. Tempest can also focus on being more selfish and versatile by focusing on overloading more frequent and successfully at the cost of sharing auras and heals.

[ThiBash.5634]

Elemental Bastion giving barrier instead of healing might be a good change. Ele doesn;t lack heals, but being able to add some defense proactively would be a great improvement. It'd also fit the them for auras. It would also be beneficial to the ele themselves without Powerful Aura, and would allow them to be more competitive in PvP/WvW as well (where burst damage is more prevalent).

[Dadnir.5038]

Contrary to the popular opinion, I don't think the issue of the tempest is a "build" issue. The issue of the tempest is the impact of auras on other professions.

Most other professions can grant themselve auras but don't. Simply put, auras aren't enticing enough for other professions to seek them yet their effects are already good enough (from an objective point of view).

Thus, what support tempest need is not a personnal buff but to have other profession's builds linked more intimately to auras in order to make tempest a convenient aura provider allowing them to reach their maximal potential without having to combo intead of overbuffing tempest and still have little to no impact on the other players.

• Warrior, thief, necromancers and revenant could have a trait granting them a portion of their specific ressource when they are hit while having an auras. (Even druid and guardian could)
• Some key traits for dps could be dependant on having an aura as well instead of the freeby they tend to be at the moment (I'm thinking of warrior's pinnacle of strength)
• ... etc.

The tempest and it's auramancy aren't the issue, the issue is the aura aren't enticing for other professions. As long as it will be the case, you can make auras easier to grant or more convenient to grant boons, the other professions will still see them as nothing more than dog sh**.

[TSOdinson.2518]

Ya, top gvg guilds still use auramancer in their comps. In the right hands, it's still strong. Fielding in staff is challenging but still applicable.

What would push it to meta is if the auras had a slight buff in duration and effectiveness, access to them with more abilities, and most importantly DECREASE THE CAST TIME OF OVERLOADS.

I main a minstrel aurasharing tempest. It's strong, in water 5-6k healing per second is expected without people blasting waters. The CC is good with shock. But what helps the most is frost aura. Dwarf elite 50% damage reduction + 10% damage reduction food + 10% reduction from frost and the 360 degree area healing is what is pushing sustain comps. Oh ya also 33% reduction from protection. 40% for yourself, it makes for a good driver build.

[Usagi.4835]

Floating an idea because I only just realised how much raw healing output and burst healing Ventari revs are capable of in the right situation, thanks to their plethora of outgoing healing modifiers (with all modifiers, a Transference sigil and Monk runes rather than Water, if I calculated correctly, 130% outgoing healing effectiveness; without Invoking Harmony, which is conditional upon swapping legends, around 110-120%). I've not got a rev but am now tempted to test it out. The whole Salvation line for Revenant synergises so well. They benefit a lot from investing fairly heavily into Minstrel's and their scaling from Bountiful Maintenance Oils is a lot better, going off numbers alone.

In another thread, somebody mentioned increasing the target cap of Soothing Mist from 5 to 10. I suggested adding it onto Soothing Power i.e. the trait increases target cap of Soothing Mist to 10, and also perhaps increase the target cap of Healing Rain to 10, though that might be asking for too much?

Auras aside for now, since they're looking to give each spec a loose 'identity', I was thinking that if Ventari revs excel at burst healing, perhaps support tempests can occupy a niche in providing the best sustained AOE heals for large groups?

@lLobo.7960 said:Here was my take from another tread:

@lLobo.7960 said:

Air Traitline

• new major master, replacing
  inscriptions
  :
  Zephyr speed
  - static auras you apply give supperspeed (3s), apply quickness (3s) when you apply supperspeed;

Water Traitline

• change
  soothing ice
  to grant frost aura when critically hit, frost auras that you apply grant regeneration (3s)

Arcane Traitline

• final shielding
  include: arcane shield is considered an aura for the purposes of traits and effects

Tempest

Elite spec is about staying longer in attunements and overloading them for greater effects. It relies on caster centered AoEs and group support.

• New trait
  effective conduit
  replaces
  latent stamina
  : Using skills from an attunment reduces the recharge of its overload.
• tempestuous aria
  change buffs and conditions to be dependent on the shout (element) and include shout CD reduction.
• harmonious conduit
  change the buff according to the overload used (fire 5% dmg and condi dmg, air 10% crit dmg, earth -10% dmg and condi reduction, water 10% healing effectiveness)
• Elemental bastion
  moved to major master (replaces
  invigorating torrents
  ) and remove frost aura on hit (becomes just auras apply heal)
• Hardy conduit
  move the improved protection to earth line, overloads provide protection and barrier
• powerful auras
  moved from water traitline and replaces major grandmaster
  elemental bastion

This gives the tempest the option to buff allies by sharing auras, improving shouts or being more selfish and focusing on its own overloads to complete them successfully and frequently. The reduced recharge on overloads could be a flat percentage but seems more interesting giving it a reduced recharge per skill use, making that weapons with faster casting times (scepter, dagger) can overload faster than slow ones (staff). The changes try to combine well with the options on each traitline and lets the tempest (by moving aura share from water) becomes a full offensive (fire/air/tempest) or defensive (water/earth/tempest) support or even a mix of those. Tempest can also focus on being more selfish and versatile by focusing on overloading more frequent and successfully at the cost of sharing auras and heals.

As it stands, Invigorating Torrents is virtually identical to Soothing Disruption. I suspect it'd be straddling the line of powercreep in adding too much to one trait but do you think it'd be possible to instead move Powerful Aura to major master in Tempest and then condense Invigorating Torrents into Elemental Bastion, perhaps removing the AOE Frost Aura at the same time? Or if Powerful Aura were to become the GM trait, consider combining it with Invigorating Torrents since auras and, to a degree, tempest are skewed towards group-play? So, for instance, in the Tempest line:

• Powerful Aura, Major MasterAny aura you grant yourself is granted to nearby allies.

• Elemental Bastion, Major GrandmasterHeal allies you grant an aura to. Auras you grant also grant regeneration and vigor.

OR

• Elemental Bastion, Major MasterHeal allies you grant an aura to. Grant Frost Aura to nearby allies when struck below the health threshold.

• Powerful Aura, Major GrandmasterAny aura you grant yourself is granted to nearby allies. Auras you grant also grant regeneration and vigor.

It'd open up a slot for a different GM in Water. I think some traits could be condensed. I don't like Latent Stamina as there's already too much vigor in the Tempest line so it's redundant, and I'm not sure many people take or even consider it since it's so mediocre compared to the other two. This is mostly from a WvW standpoint as I could care less about raids/PvE. Somebody made a good point recently that they can just adjust the mechanics/parameters accordingly with AI and NPCs (unlike in WvW/PvP) which is very true but that's a story for another day...

[Usagi.4835]

Made a mistake oops.

[Ceistebi.4023]

I still main tempest staff support/healer in WvW. It's competitive in my hands because I heal circles around most other supports. Been playing it since early/mid-HoT in clerics, then went to a nomad/minstrel setup. Don't buy into the current meta, cause it's gonna change in a month or two. Master a class or two and adjust the builds as needed.

[Mosen.1426]

Hi all.I have tried this combination and the truth is that it is working quite well.Great resistance against melee combat, against conditions (11 direct dispels) and a very acceptable healing ...Could replace the Arcane brillance with Wash of teh pain to improve group healinghttp://gw2skills.net/editor/?vFAQJAodnMICdOg9XCOOA0RgFDAbIHsCCiul2VbsNIAsA6hA-jJRHwACOBAILDA4BAYe/BA