Extremely lackluster holosmith sword weapon

[Suraci.1642]

All skills of holosmith in photon forge are absolute blast to use, they have decent aoe, holo is pretty much like a reaper melee frontline fighter but why the elite sword weapon skills are so counterintuitive to use?

• The worst of all is Refraction Cutter (Strike at foes in front of you and launch a blade of light at your target. Launch extra blades based on your heat level. Each blade inflicts conditions), I dont know is this skill supposed to be a range pressure skill or a melee damaging skill? cause it failed at both MISERABLY, the bleeding condi on this skill is not that impressive even on 5 projectiles max heat level on condi build, the projectiles spread out like a fan shape that often times would miss the target when they are 400 range away, if lucky you could hit a target with 2 projectiles, so if I want to hit all 5 projectiles at once I have to shove my face inside of an enemy hitbox but guess what the aoe on this skill is so abysmally small in fact so small that I thought it was a targeting single target skill and the enemy can just very slightly step to the side this skill would completely miss at pointblank.
• Next one is Radiant Arc (Leap to your target and create an arc of light that strikes nearby foes. Gain quickness based on your heat level): slow and clunky to use, I think gravedigger would actually be faster than this for a skill that grants quickness and you actually leap like an obese turtle with weights attached to your legs
• Final one the auto attack chain Sun Edge-Sun Ripper-Gleam Saber : ¾ cast time on Gleam Saber is just unnecessary for a skill that doesnt have much of an impact unlike evade on ranger gs or chill foes on reaper gs.

Sword holo rework suggestions:

• Refraction Cutter: strike all foes around you(180 range) and shoot beams of light that bounce between targets ( like mirage Split Surge ) , extra beams based on heat level.
• Radiant Arc: speed up the animation, remove the quickness this skill grants, when over 100% heat, Radiant Arc is replaced by Blinding Dash: teleport to the target and strike them inflicts blindness and immobile.
• Sun Edge-Sun Ripper-Gleam Saber: ½ cast time on each chain, Gleam Saber grants quickness, extra quickness when above heat threshold, gain 50 extra range for auto attack chain when above heat threshold.

[ProtoGunner.4953]

I though it's cool to use. I have no issue with it. Of course you may do things a bit cooler, don't know. I don't think #3 is clunky at all. Also the auto-chain is nice dps and doesn't seem 'lackluster'. Skill #2 I hardly use since I am back to photon forge.

[Suraci.1642]

@"ProtoGunner.4953" said:I though it's cool to use. I have no issue with it. Of course you may do things a bit cooler, don't know. I don't think #3 is clunky at all. Also the auto-chain is nice dps and doesn't seem 'lackluster'. Skill #2 I hardly use since I am back to photon forge.

I am talking about the whole thing being lackluster, all the skills are lackluster not only the auto attack chain, tell me how often do you actually use the #2 skill Refraction Cutter to get an edge in combat, and here you said it "hardly", you would skip this skill most of the time, this is what a lackluster skill is, you have the chance to use it but its actually so bad that you would rather skip it to deal more dps, this skill can sometimes put you at an disadvantage because it is a projectile skill, you could hit yourself by reflect, it deals bad damage for a skill in that #2 slot unlike Gravedigger, Maul, Rapid Fire, Whirling Wrath, Hundred Blades, I dont even know what purpose this #2 skill serve, bad power damage, bad condi damage, abysmal aoe, not a cc skill like hiltbash to use in clutch situation, slow traveling speed for a projectile skill, it is just a placeholder, a skill for the sake of being a skill, if I could spam this skill like an auto attack I would absolutely skip it, now you tell me it is not a lackluster skill.

[Antycypator.9874]

@Suraci.1642 said:

• Radiant Arc: speed up the animation, remove the quickness this skill grants, when over 100% heat, Radiant Arc is replaced by Blinding Dash: teleport to the target and strike them inflicts blindness and immobile.

Engineers don't use any magic.Bad idea. Quickness here is very useful.

I like Refracting Cutter, because it does damage in very close range and targets with bigger hitbox can be hitted by all projectiles. BUT — this skill is completly useless at range. I think projectiles could be replaced by WAVE of heat (it's based on heat level), which means more heat = more damage and increased angle.

[Suraci.1642]

@Antycypator.9874 said:

@Suraci.1642 said:

• Radiant Arc: speed up the animation, remove the quickness this skill grants, when over 100% heat, Radiant Arc is replaced by Blinding Dash: teleport to the target and strike them inflicts blindness and immobile.

Engineers

don't use any magic.

Bad idea. Quickness here is very useful.

I like Refracting Cutter, because it does damage in very close range and targets with bigger hitbox can be hitted by all projectiles. BUT — this skill is completly useless at range. I think projectiles could be replaced by WAVE of heat (it's based on heat level), which means more heat = more damage and increased angle.

Engineers have mastered the art of forging light into solid objects that radiate immense amount of energy, they also figured out a way to travel at the speed of light though only for a short period of time to get an upper hand in combat, what you dont understand you call it magic, if you show prehistoric cavemen a lighter, they would call it magic, magic or not it is the only skill that grants teleport, wouldnt be too OP like thief with millions of shadowstep and tele, also quickness on auto attack would be better cause it wont interrupt your combat flow when targets are already at your face pointblank and you have to leap at them at pointblank to gain quickness and then continue to deal dmg is just ridiculous.

[Antycypator.9874]

@Suraci.1642 said:

@Antycypator.9874 said:

@Suraci.1642 said:

• Radiant Arc: speed up the animation, remove the quickness this skill grants, when over 100% heat, Radiant Arc is replaced by Blinding Dash: teleport to the target and strike them inflicts blindness and immobile.

Engineers

don't use any magic.

Bad idea. Quickness here is very useful.

I like Refracting Cutter, because it does damage in very close range and targets with bigger hitbox can be hitted by all projectiles. BUT — this skill is completly useless at range. I think projectiles could be replaced by WAVE of heat (it's based on heat level), which means more heat = more damage and increased angle.

Engineers have mastered the art of forging light into solid objects that radiate immense amount of energy, they also figured out a way to travel at the speed of light though only for a short period of time to get an upper hand in combat, what you dont understand you call it magic, if you show prehistoric cavemen a lighter, they would call it magic, magic or not it is the only skill that grants teleport, wouldnt be too OP like thief with millions of shadowstep and tele, also quickness on auto attack would be better cause it wont interrupt your combat flow when targets are already at your face pointblank and you have to leap at them at pointblank to gain quickness and then continue to deal dmg is just ridiculous.

Official site says:"By harnessing the power of the sun, holosmiths can create semi-solid constructs of light. "There is nothing about travelling with the speed of light. Engineers can use technology to manipulate light and create OBJECTS (like weapons or holograms). Every type of teleport skills uses magic like shadow magic (shadowstep), mesmers can manipulate the time and space (blink), elementalists have Lighting Flash (magic of air), necromancers can use blood magic to travel (Wurm minion, in LS4 EP1 its called "blood magic") or something with sands (still magic). There is no super-fast travel without magic. I don't know about the Asura Gates, but I think it's still some sort of magic combined with technology, but Asura Gates are connected just like Waypoints.

[Suraci.1642]

@Antycypator.9874 said:

@Suraci.1642 said:

@Antycypator.9874 said:

@Suraci.1642 said:

• Radiant Arc: speed up the animation, remove the quickness this skill grants, when over 100% heat, Radiant Arc is replaced by Blinding Dash: teleport to the target and strike them inflicts blindness and immobile.

Engineers

don't use any magic.

Bad idea. Quickness here is very useful.

I like Refracting Cutter, because it does damage in very close range and targets with bigger hitbox can be hitted by all projectiles. BUT — this skill is completly useless at range. I think projectiles could be replaced by WAVE of heat (it's based on heat level), which means more heat = more damage and increased angle.

Engineers have mastered the art of forging light into solid objects that radiate immense amount of energy, they also figured out a way to travel at the speed of light though only for a short period of time to get an upper hand in combat, what you dont understand you call it magic, if you show prehistoric cavemen a lighter, they would call it magic, magic or not it is the only skill that grants teleport, wouldnt be too OP like thief with millions of shadowstep and tele, also quickness on auto attack would be better cause it wont interrupt your combat flow when targets are already at your face pointblank and you have to leap at them at pointblank to gain quickness and then continue to deal dmg is just ridiculous.

Official site says:"By harnessing the power of the sun, holosmiths can create semi-solid constructs of light. "There is nothing about travelling with the speed of light. Engineers can use technology to manipulate light and create OBJECTS (like weapons or holograms). Every type of teleport skills uses magic like shadow magic (shadowstep), mesmers can manipulate the time and space (blink), elementalists have Lighting Flash (magic of air), necromancers can use blood magic to travel (Wurm minion, in LS4 EP1 its called "blood magic") or something with sands (still magic). There is no super-fast travel without magic. I don't know about the Asura Gates, but I think it's still some sort of magic combined with technology, but Asura Gates are connected just like Waypoints.

Yeah "There is nothing about travelling with the speed of light" YET, there are many things out there that we dont understand, you realize they could add this in right, something the asura have figured out recently to do with light speed travel, I assume you played asura story line with the infinity ball that involves your evil self travel to different timelines, not only that but the A.R.E.N.A human commando squad from the future as well, it is completely plausible to give holo travelling with the speed of light.

[Matoro.9708]

I would make it so that after the blades travel for a bit, they lock on to a target and home in, making a sort of diamond shaped path. Also, wrench autos are very similar.

[Naxos.2503]

My main issue with sword is the lack of actual focus : Is it condi or Power based ? Technically both, but effective at neither. Having the spec traits "customize" the sword skills more (similar to how Renegade skills customize based on their traits) could help with that.

[Yasai.3549]

The only reason Sword for Holo feels bad is because Photon Forge auto and 2 are literally better versions without the weird Sword 2.The only way to make it worth on Holo is to make it different enough.

Iunno bout anyone else, but I for one don't mind a semi ranged Sword.

Auto chain is a 3 target 300 range wave of energy shooting out.

Sword 3 moved to Sword 2 to make the leaps on the same button.

Sword 3 changed to a defensive whirl which Blinds and Dazes in a 400 AoE.

Then we can kinda get rid of Storm Config for something better.

[Vagrant.7206]

@Yasai.3549 said:The only reason Sword for Holo feels bad is because Photon Forge auto and 2 are literally better versions without the weird Sword 2.The only way to make it worth on Holo is to make it different enough.

Iunno bout anyone else, but I for one don't mind a semi ranged Sword.

Auto chain is a 3 target 300 range wave of energy shooting out.

Sword 3 moved to Sword 2 to make the leaps on the same button.

Sword 3 changed to a defensive whirl which Blinds and Dazes in a 400 AoE.

Then we can kinda get rid of Storm Config for something better.

Sword on holo is super wonky because it directly competes with bomb kit, and has some really awkward timing. At least hammer had some uniqueness to it, separating it from other kits.

[Yannir.4132]

@Vagrant.7206 said:

Sword on holo is super wonky because it directly competes with bomb kit, and has some really awkward timing. At least hammer had some uniqueness to it, separating it from other kits.

You can't use Bomb Kit with a shield.

[Vagrant.7206]

@Yannir.4132 said:

@Vagrant.7206 said:

Sword on holo is super wonky because it directly competes with bomb kit, and has some really awkward timing. At least hammer had some uniqueness to it, separating it from other kits.

You can't use Bomb Kit with a shield.

True, but you generally don't need to either. Smoke bomb and glue bomb make for fantastic defense.