Upcoming Balance Notes

[yohoia.1850]

Love these changes. Want to try out the new gyros. Thanks

[Alver Lyko.4693]

@Kyurem.9702 said:The buff to the bow is nice, but it should just be 1500 range on all skills. If that's too much then make it all 1400 or 1350.

Considered in isolation to the other Guardian adjustments, The True Shot increase to 1500 is indeed nice, but more than nice, I think it is spot on on where it should really be.I also agree with you that Dragonhunter's other Longbow should be increased too but having True Shot have more range than the rest of the DH other Longbow skills just feels intuitively right considering the long charge up time of True Shot. Maybe making the other DH Longbow skills 1350 and making True Shot 1600 might be good if they do decide to increase the range of the other DH Longbow skills.At least it's good to know the Dragonhunter longbow is getting some needed adjustment. So thank you balancing team for adjusting True Shot, it's a step in the right direction when it comes to the DH longbow.

[Levetty.1279]

Look nerf Mirage however you want in PvP but lowering the cloak and super speed duration now makes the dodge worse in PvE where dodging is required to survive. What kind of elite spec mechanic makes the basic foundation of the combat worse?

Also unsplit Ranger axe and use the better pvp values in PvE and it might actually see some use somewhere, its gone beyond a joke now.

[rev in love.8439]

@"incisorr.9502" said:You completely destroyed mirage axe but didn't touch staff at all? This is a joke? STAFF WAS ALREADY THE PROBLEM, LOL. Axe is an active weapon which requires player to be active while staff is a passive weapon as most of your damage comes from illusion auto attacks and from auto attacks bouncing around in general. Staff also makes you tankier and has better CC so it's easier to play with but it had less potential if played correctly but it was already the meta for a reason because it's easy and effective to use. When guns were invented hundreds of years ago in their primal forms they were still worse than bows but bows required a lot of skill and practice to use which is why guns replaced bows slowly, because everyone could learn to use one and be effective with one. Skill should be REWARDED AND PROMOTED in video games but you're literally doing the opposite?

im completely baffled by this one

• Imaginary Axes: Reduced the amount of torment stacks applied in PvP and WvW from 3 to 1. This skill can no longer be used on targets behind the mesmer.• Ambush Assault: This skill can no longer be used on targets behind the mesmer.• Split Surge: This skill can no longer be used on targets behind the mesmer.

you're making the game clunkier instead of doing the opposite, which is a random suggestion i threw awhile ago in a random thread that the game should be modernized by completely removing stuff like this (from all classes) and making your character turn around to make the game feel more fluid and better but instead you're going in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION? That makes no sense whatsoever.

on top of that

Cry of Pain: The number of confusion stacks that this trait allows Cry of Frustration to apply has been decreased from 2 to 1 in all game modes.

so a 3 illusion combo with axe which requires all your resources and cooldowns and to be in exposed melee range and for your enemy to fail dodging, fail cleansing, fail using resistance, fail by using skills while confused will now have 7 confusion stacks as opposed to 18? That's a 70% nerf , it's not even an adjustment or anything, what sort of a game developer nerfs a value by 70%?With this, condition is completely dead in gw2 because mirage was already the only viable condition build spvp class because all others are underpowered because you don't understand the game and now mirage is also dead, oh, except staff i guess which you completely ignored and didn't touch xDxDDDDDDDDDDDdD. You nerfed the build that had risk and reward and promote the build that's actually toxic for the game.

I don't understand how can you even come up with these changes but it doesn't look like we've been playing the same game. Mirage has consistently been the least represented class in high elo, along with elementalist and the game suffers from some major problems but only one of those problems was addressed (guardian's free crit rate) but you nerfed the only fun class in the game to a point where it won't even be worth playing any more when it already wasn't really worth playing it because it was underperforming on a high level. Looks like instead of modernizing gw2 it's going back to be a last decade game.

The majority of these changes are completely random and not what the game needs, absolutely destroying mesmer axe and conditions aside you didn't "change " any other class except guardian. Ele didn't get any dmg/animation speed buffs instead it gets tankier (as if anyone wants that for spvp), gyros buffs when nobody likes gyros. I guess that's what happens when your balance team are not actual pvp players and when you listen to too many low rated streamers that can't play.

mirage actually had more than 1 playable build in spvp which is a GOOD THING but now you completely target-destroyed one of the two builds and leave the already meta one untouched, what am i even looking at ? i can balance this game better in 30 minutes. Why do you even ignore statistics? I'm sure you have statistics on X class play and win rate in X elo

This gentleman will never stop crying in the forum, Incisor I have a good friend who plays mirage and is his main, he has won 1v1 tournaments and finished below the top 20 last league season! In my opinion almost nothing changes in mirage since they can still evade while they suffer hard CC, and they have staff and scepter, nothing changes and my good friend <top20 told me that he will still be strong in pvp. Regarding - 70% damage, revenant suffered - 33% + - 50% = - 83% in staff 5 a long time ago ... Please stop trying to confuse the balance team, thanks! I like changes in general, although they can always be improved

[Levetty.1279]

Also if you are going to nerf Shatter mirage can you at least undo the nerfs you did to non shatter mirage?

[Pervanne.5971]

For the Ele Tempest it will be good for healers. But i can not say same about Guardians... Righteous Instincts: This trait's critical-chance bonus has been reduced from 50% to 25%. It is Huge Nerf , Please think about it reduced %50 to %40 . Cmooon im using Wanderer set for WvW , Becouse im not PRO player like who Alive wvw with 11k HP You changed before Valor line last tier so we lost lots of ferocity. I don't wanna lost my critical hit chanse ...( and sorry but wt.. 11k HP ??? For a guardian ??? Don't tell me about aegis and other trait lines i dont like them . Even full tank healers dies in e few seconds if there is Blob , so im in Gabdara there is looots of blooobbb..

[Cyric.7813]

@Eleazar.9478 said:but guys seriously no change to to soulbeast 4 seconds of unlockable (just make it 1 in wvw only)

Just no

[Eleazar.9478]

@Cyric.7813 said:

@Eleazar.9478 said:but guys seriously no change to to soulbeast 4 seconds of unlockable (just make it 1 in wvw only)

Just no

Why so you can't insta gib people? Shits broke dude I've been getting 25-30k unblockables at 1500-range 2k if I have the high ground. They should 1-2seconds, if you get CCD ya lost it, or you have to think like him do I want unblockable Hunter shot or point blank into a rapid fire. Hell you would still have sign it of the hunt or could precast warhorn 5

[Arcaedus.7290]

@Alver Lyko.4693 said:

@Kyurem.9702 said:The buff to the bow is nice, but it should just be 1500 range on all skills. If that's too much then make it all 1400 or 1350.

Considered in isolation to the other Guardian adjustments, The True Shot increase to 1500 is indeed nice, but more than nice, I think it is spot on on where it should really be.I also agree with you that Dragonhunter's other Longbow should be increased too but having True Shot have more range than the rest of the DH other Longbow skills just

feels intuitively right

considering the long charge up time of True Shot. Maybe making the other DH Longbow skills 1350 and making True Shot 1600 might be good if they do decide to increase the range of the other DH Longbow skills.At least it's good to know the Dragonhunter longbow is getting some needed adjustment. So thank you balancing team for adjusting True Shot, it's a step in the right direction when it comes to the DH longbow.

The auto attack on DH longbow is listed as 1200 but as you know, most arcing projectiles have a range buffer and can actually travel further than the listed range.

If you actually measure it, the LB auto attack on DH can strike a still target on flat ground from around 1600-1650 range which is a pretty insane range buffer... probably one of the larger range buffers in the game.

[Iustitian.9176]

• "Rebound!": This skill now applies 5 seconds of fury to nearby allies in addition to its other effects.

Why fury for a defensive skill. Stability or resistance would be better for this elite.

• Crystal Configuration: Zephyr: This trait now causes Holo Leap to inflict cripple for 1 second in addition to its previous effects.

I don't see a real improvement there. It could increase the distance of holo leap to 900, that would be a buff.

[DarkEagle.7381]

@Lithril Ashwalker.6230 said:

@"DarkEagle.7381" said:So, they nerf Condi Renegade in Raids but leave Mirage alone? Mirage pulls over 40k DPS on Cairn and SH and is oppressively strong on Largos, Cairn, SH, Matthias but they nerf Renegade instead of nerfing Mirage? It's like Anet doesn't even play this game.

how nerfed...its adding MORE burn but slightly reducing torment.

" Rampant Vex: Reduced the duration of torment applied by this trait from 4 seconds to 3 seconds. " <meh just 1 second"Call of the Demon: Increased the duration of torment that this skill applies from 6 seconds to 8 seconds.""Call of the Renegade: The amount of bleeding that this skill can stack has been increased from 1 to 2 in PvP and WvW. It now always grants 1 fervor stack in addition to the stacks gained per each hit in all modes." < barely any change

Rampant Vex nerf is pretty big since it has no internal cooldown and works on every single strike from Renegade. They also nerfed Searing fissure: 4 stacks for 4 seconds down to 3 stacks for 3 seconds and 3 stacks for 1 second.The last 2 things you listed are for a grandmaster trait in Invocation that no one ever uses so that is irrelevant.

[inaho.2046]

On the Chrono, you complain about high damage for a boon giver, but you also created that result yourselves by making boon duration virtually independent of concentration, and releasing diviners which provided concentration as a major stat, and essentially a 4 stat berserkers with concentration as the 2nd major stat. I played chrono for a long time, spent a fortune in gold and hours getting full commanders ascended (incl. ascended trinkets), and played chrono in fractals and raids for a very long time. Given the sheer number of consecutive nerfs of chrono the class seems to be dying by a thousand papercuts. The low damage support chrono builds aren't even viable except for tanking - and even then almost any class can tank in minstrels and nomads. Clearly, chrono is no longer a support, the gear changes on a slow transition are expensive and painful, and like removing a piece of duct tape form your skin - better yank it off than draw out the agony. Why not just replace chrono with a new class vision all together. Obviously, you don't want it as a support. Let revenant provide 100% alacrity up time with a full harriers build and start looking at a new role for chronomancer, since it is no longer a support. If I can be honest, my chrono is just taking up a character slot right now because I have too much invested in time, gold, and hours to just delete him - but that scale is tipping with the latest nerf to the already dismal SOI that already doesn't care about my concentration stat (that is how you got those high damage chrono builds). Please just release where Chrono is going. My worst fear is that there is not a plan. It's not like the support chronos were killing anyone in PvP or WvW with commanders builds and if you were killed by a support chrono (commanders or harriers/givers) - then your problem is not the power of the chrono but your own need to improve you skills. DPS chrono already exists as a build, but sub-par to base mesmer in full zerkers. I want to know what the end game for chrono is, because support chrono is being killed, and DPS chrono is sub-par.

PS: While you are at it - please tone down the birds instability in fractals - I'm tired of getting continually birded so much so that I don't have dodges to escape and I no sooner dodge then the birds hit me again, over and over.

[Apokriphos.7042]

@Crinn.7864 said:@Irenio CalmonHuang.2048 said:NecromancerWe'll be pushing some of its damage higher through skill updates in PvE, but will be mostly leaving it alone in competitive modes, as all the necromancer specializations have a healthy representation in competitive game modes._

So what you just told me is that necromancer is balanced based on popularity rather than effectiveness.

Explains a lot about the class.

Players enjoy the theme and look of necromancer, but this has nothing to do with balance at high rank pvp. Please look at Necromancer again with regard to PvP balance.

[LouWolfskin.3492]

First things first, the ranger spirit and gyro changes sound good.I do however feel like the regeneration being removed from banners will hit me hard. I know that probably now one took the trait for it but still.

On to a question: Any chance you could rework necro staff and horn at some point, both weapons have hardly changed since release and i feel that they don't have aged well. Staff is pretty much a passive weapon and terrible for support (something every other staff, outside of daredevil, is focused on) and the warhorn...yeah, it's just meh, it's trait too is really in a bad spot at the moment. Both other choices are better.

[perilisk.1874]

@Kyurem.9702 said:Just an idea: Dual Pistols on guardian would be nice for the next elite spec.

They have to call it Paragon.

[Rap Tiger.1257]

Now your mirage and chronomancer is the most unskilled class I have ever seen, deserves even a bigger nerf, but I am pleased with these changes, thank you for the balance patch

[Lahmia.2193]

Finally Scrapper is coming back into its own again!

[kharmin.7683]

So I am really in the minority with the scrapper gyro changes. I'm OWPvE and really enjoyed core engineer and being able to throw turrets at range... until that was taken away. I really enjoyed tossing gyros at enemies and now that is taken away. I get the changes, and I believe that I understand how they might better fit thematically with the scrapper, but that wasn't how I played her.

[Apokriphos.7042]

@"Irenio CalmonHuang.2048"Please look to this thread for ideas on how to change Necromancer to make it more fun to play. Get rid of 2nd health bar and make shroud just a resource mechanic:https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/58958/eye-on-necro-ideas

[Turkeyspit.3965]

@Sorem.9157 said:

@otto.5684 said:@Sorem.9157 I do not think Anet dev who made that change has an idea of how this trait functions. Cuz this change has no impact on PvE or trait diversity whatsoever. If you are playing power builds in PvE you are still taking RI. Condi builds still AW. PI, no where.

Honestly if Anet is not doing this change directly to nerf core guardian in sPvP, it is safe to say they have no idea what they are doing.

Clearly.

The real problem isn't on meta raids or anything. Many people built their guardian around RI, in order to maximize efficiency and gain some extra survivability through Diviner, Marauder, Valkyrie sets, etc. Those are the PvE guys that are going to get hit by collateral damage to what was directed as an unjustified pvp core guardian nerf.

That would be me. I recently switched from playing Core Guard to playing Quickbrand in T4s, so DPS output isn't my primary concern atm, but I figure that after the patch if I swap out my Sigil of Air for Sigil of Accuracy, with Spotter and Radiant Power boons I figured my crit chance would be around 95%. If that means lower DPS overall for me, then /shrug. I run with just under 15k health and I find that's a solid sweet spot for me, especially when Frailty is one of the instabilities.

Btw, the cost of a Superior Sigil of Accuracy has pretty much tripled on the TP overnight, so I'm not the only one in this boat.

[bighead.3465]

@Melian.5368 said:I don't think there were that much of an annoyance regarding condi mirages in WvW to justify these nerfs. Axe is completely gone, survivability is greatly reduced by the dodge changes, damaging ability greatly reduced by the ambush changes, even illusionary ambush is nerfed by 15 seconds.

Mirage is an elite specialization that YOU introduced to the game. Wouldn't it be better to try to incorporate it to this game mode instead of trying to eliminate it alltogether? How are people supposed to play roaming condi mirages anymore?

Who cares youve been over performing for years and still have plenty of viability. How to roam as mirage now? Hmm maybe for once you'll have to spend time learning and experimenting like most other classes have to do.

[Ghos.1326]

Irenio, quick question: The new Flame Blast for the Flamethrower kit: is it going to just be a single strike now? Or is there something that will still "roll through foes" and then explode on impact of its selected space? If it's only going to be a single blast attack now, how many stacks of burning will we be expected to see come from it?

[Sarumsa.3895]

Thank you team, love you all <3

[hugo.4705]

Yes Yeesssss Yeeeesss Engineer got an update and it's about scrapper and gyros!I'm pretty sure Scrapper will rock now, all those skills summoning fields on yourself sound very great remember me my Mechanist spec suggestion :DPretty excited, I'm an happy engineer now. Also any project of boosting a little core rifle?

[Murmaider.1805]

Gee wiz, thanks a ton. I'm so excited to play my P/D Thief now. You know sometimes at night I sit around think "Oh how lucky I am to have such a unique and useful skill set such as P/D. One time when I was a child I told my Dad, I said "Dad, I'm going places. I have the unique and useful skill set P/D offers as a Thief." Now just just remember, my father is a very stern man. He got his first job when he was 8 to feed his 9 other siblings. He knows how hard life can be, but that's why he's so hard on me. Not once before that statement did I ever receive an ounce of respect or acceptance from my father. That day, when I made that statement, he said "Son. You have done well and I am proud of you for utilizing P/D as a Thief in PvP. It is such a unique and useful skill set. I really am proud of you."