Dynamic We Want To Preserve On Our Mains - Alternative Approach To Nerf Threads

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

Let's try something different. Rather than speak out on what needs to be nerfed, let's talk about what we want to see maintained through this new patching.

Most of us have one outlier main that we like to play the most, and there are reasons for this. Usually it's because of a certain build structure or two or three. Maybe it's just the way that the particular class plays, or the role that it's good at. When things start changing too much, it can destroy iconic playstyle dynamic that was once something we enjoyed, that was what kept us coming back to Guild Wars 2.

1. Select the class that you historically main and have liked the most over the years.
2. Explain what it is about that class that makes you like it the most.
3. Explain what it is about that class and its build structures that you want to see maintained.
4. Give some examples of things that you wouldn't mind seeing changed on your main class, and why.

~ Let's keep this one clean. Rather than arguing with each other, let's try to understand different points of views.

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

Example:

I've gone through phases of maining Guardian, Warrior, Necromancer, Thief, but mostly always Ranger.

1. Why I like Ranger - The reason why I like Ranger so much, is because it has a great blend of melee to mid range to long range play. For me, it isn't even about the pets. I like dealing large damage on a ranged approach, and closing in for high risk high reward melee play. I like how all the attacks are designed on the weapon kits, as well as the utilities, it jives with me. I like the specializations and the particular way they can be synergized for different builds as compared to other classes. Some classes may be more powerful, but Ranger has always been more versatile. There is something about this one class, that regardless of the build or specializations I run, the mechanics feel good to me.
2. What I want to see maintained - There are lots of Ranger nerf threads going on, which I'm not going to address any of that in here. Rather I will address what is important to me as a Ranger main, to see maintained. I want the class to maintain substantial ranged pressure that matters. I don't care how glass cannon the build has to be for this to work, it just needs to work. Having high pressure ranged is what makes a Ranger feel like a Ranger. I want it to maintain a relatively strong 1v1 melee presence. It doesn't need to be as strong as a Warrior, but it needs to be capable of dealing with such archetypes. Most non-ranger players don't realize that playing a glass cannon Ranger build is high risk high reward. You either kill the opponent 1v1 very quickly, or he kills you very quickly. If we are talking about more sustainable builds, let's say a Wild/Beast/Soul wearing Paladin/Resistance, the raw sustain being balanced is definitely in question. But see for me, I'm not talking about that. I am a Ranger main who likes to play high pressure builds, and that is what I want to see maintained. If I want to roll something sustainy, I use other classes. I like to use Ranger for high risk high reward 1v1ing, and DPS + Decap roles. That's just what I like. (Now about Druid - Yeah, it was destroyed. It can sort of be viable with odd builds during weird counter 2v2s, but it really is not viable at all right now in the face of the stronger forming meta. Aside from all of that, what I would have wanted to see maintained on Druid, was its ability to sustain and bunker 1v2s, and actually have kill potential in 1v1s. Yeah I said it, I want it to be a Bunker again. I had come to greatly enjoy the iconic playstyle of the Bunker Druid over the years. And I very much so enjoyed swapping between Bunker Druid for side node play, or DPS Soulbeast for DPS + Decap role. I don't want a rework on Druid to be a Team Support. I want it to be a Bunker again.)
3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed - Everyone is still complaining about Ranger damage output on both the pet and the Ranger. Honestly, I would rather see hits in sustain factor. I'd have no problem at all losing bruiser/brawler status. Again, for me Core Ranger/Soulbeast had always been about Mobile DPS + Role. Druid was the spec that I used for sustain play.

[Tayga.3192]

I just like writing so here we go.

1. Why I like mesmer: There are two play styles I like: rule breaking and actively counter playing my opponents. When I first started, I wanted to try the trademark class and here we are today.

2. What I want to see maintained: The uniqueness of mesmer. People should take a mesmer to their team when they want the utility mesmer brings.

3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed: Anet can just delete clones' condi damage. They can also nerf passive defenses and bring more fun and skilled ways to defend myself.

[Perfect.1359]

@Tayga.3192 said:I just like to write so here we go.

1. Why I like mesmer: There are two play styles I like: rule breaking and actively counter playing my opponents. When I first started, I wanted to try the trademark class and here we are today.

2. What I want to see maintained: The uniqueness of mesmer. People should take a mesmer to their team when they want the utility mesmer brings.

3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed: Anet can just delete clones' condi damage. They can also nerf passive defenses and bring more fun and skilled ways to defend myself.

This sums up everything I’ve wanted to say. I wouldn’t mind seeing passives and clone damage go.

[Axl.8924]

I tend to main necro, despite the icon.

Here is why: Before I played this game, I saw videos of people playing this game, and the class I saw was a necro, and I was quite impressed by the conditions it had plus fear.This was PVP of course, and I wanted to go around throwing dots summoning dead fearing people and throwing condis.

My second fav so far in is ele. I think sometimes I play ele more than necro, especially in PvE

AS for playstyles: Core nec I used to play boon corrupt, sometimes power with the shroud. Boon corrupting necros would use feast of corruptions may be some wells destroy people with lots of boons, nowadays boon corrupt got heavily nerfed, and some classes with boons did not, so it's not very effective(EG holosmith and firebrand) Power nec can do long-range and I remember using it in the past to kill some folks, and it did work on core.

Reaper playstyle is interesting. It's less about boon corrupt but you still used to be condi reaper with chills and other stuff, I kinda miss that actually. Now its power mainly GS with slow attacks that hit hard. There is something truly satisfying about going into reaper shroud and going ham.

As for changes: I think personally lich should be changed again just in case, I have a feeling sooner or later people are going to cry about summon madness because it does do a whole lot of damage.

Other changes: I'd like it if anet could overhaul scourge maybe separate more the damaged components and the sustain components, and then deal with the radius issue then buff them again. I don't like that scourge players are being forced to play support and it's probably barely viable in SPVP.

I speak out of love of necro, and I'm genuinely concerned that if not overhauled minutely lich is gonna get nerfed into the ground, and the wrong thing might also get nerfed

[Stallic.2397]

1. I've played every class to 80 but only ever mained Ele.

2. Ele is great cause it used to have the most skills than any other class. Engi can be debated too, but Ele has conjures so they kinda balance out. The balance with so many skills is they have to be played consecutively in order to achieve results. Their not bloated skills. They rely on each other. It's like a piano of skills. Great success if played right! But very hard and challenging to do consistently.

3. Lightning Rod is definitely the power meta for Ele's. Stunning is oppressive, but LR in itself isn't overpowered. I've seen condi ele builds after patch, but I can't say how effective they are.

4. Healing needs to come back for tempest and other builds. Healing power doesn't scale well with water traitline anymore. Even if maxed out healing stats, Ele's still get tossed around and one shot. At least before, with a little kiting/healing, your HP could return. Ele's don't have as many blocks, blinds, etc as other classes. Healing used to be their main defense.

[White Kitsunee.4620]

I've mained engineer forever and I've always found something to enjoy about it despite the era and me not really liking either elite spec.

1.Engineer is a super fun class because of its extremely broad and unique utilities. And engineer build can have: stealth, supreme stomp power, durability, high melee burst dps, and long range dps all on the same build, and all while running berserker.Feeling like I outsmarted my opponent by coming up with some insane build that just works despite everything is my favorite part of engineer.

2.if anything about engineer should be preserved is the feeling of utility. The current elite specs do an okay job of adding to this feeling but really the base class is lacking a little bit in this aspect. Engineers currently have some of the longest CC chain combos in the game and are the best feeling part of the class right now to me.

3. Holosmith can be knocked down a peg imo. Holosmith is an entire class stacked up on top of engineer so it's a little wild. And it's not very engineer-y in the first place but that's just imo. Of course core engi needs some buffs to make nerfing holosmith doable without deleting engineer as well.If you want me to go into specifics, Corona burst is too loaded of a skill, and heat needs to be made more of a mechanic that needs to be paid attention to.

[Daishi.6027]

I like: dual swords, great swords, and both psychic and illusion magic. The ability to deceive opponents... (To bad it doesn't play out that way when a signet and boons is like, OH HEY LOOK I'M THE REAL ONE!, or you can't just auto attack because that gives you away too.)I want to preserve: a unique play style, but something that isn't simply replaced by something easier, nor is simply taken for a utility.Examples of things that you wouldn't mind seeing changed?: 1. Stop Punishing Power for Condi's sins. 2. oh I don't know... HOW ABOUT GETTING RID OF INSANE DOUBLE STANDARDS?!?!? There is 0 reason why Mirage- a class that PRE-PATCH had less on demand defensive/damage mitigation cooldowns than Ranger, Thief, Ele, War, Engie, and Rev (on whatever relevant elite specs), should then post patch lose another method of evasion, while the others didn’t get nerfed all that much outside of passives and possibly refresh rate... And the refresh rate is still far more frequent.

[bigo.9037]

@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:Example:

I've gone through phases of maining Guardian, Warrior, Necromancer, Thief, but mostly always Ranger.

1. Why I like Ranger - The reason why I like Ranger so much, is because it has a great blend of melee to mid range to long range play. For me, it isn't even about the pets. I like dealing large damage on a ranged approach, and closing in for high risk high reward melee play. I like how all the attacks are designed on the weapon kits, as well as the utilities, it jives with me. I like the specializations and the particular way they can be synergized for different builds as compared to other classes. Some classes may be more powerful, but Ranger has always been more versatile. There is something about this one class, that regardless of the build or specializations I run, the mechanics feel good to me.
2. What I want to see maintained - There are lots of Ranger nerf threads going on, which I'm not going to address any of that in here. Rather I will address what is important to me as a Ranger main, to see maintained. I want the class to maintain substantial ranged pressure that matters. I don't care how glass cannon the build has to be for this to work, it just needs to work. Having high pressure ranged is what makes a Ranger feel like a Ranger. I want it to maintain a relatively strong 1v1 melee presence. It doesn't need to be as strong as a Warrior, but it needs to be capable of dealing with such archetypes. Most non-ranger players don't realize that playing a glass cannon Ranger build is high risk high reward. You either kill the opponent 1v1 very quickly, or he kills you very quickly. If we are talking about more sustainable builds, let's say a Wild/Beast/Soul wearing Paladin/Resistance, the raw sustain being balanced is definitely in question. But see for me, I'm not talking about that. I am a Ranger main who likes to play high pressure builds, and that is what I want to see maintained. If I want to roll something sustainy, I use other classes. I like to use Ranger for high risk high reward 1v1ing, and DPS + Decap roles. That's just what I like. (Now about Druid - Yeah, it was destroyed. It can sort of be viable with odd builds during weird counter 2v2s, but it really is not viable at all right now in the face of the stronger forming meta. Aside from all of that, what I would have wanted to see maintained on Druid, was its ability to sustain and bunker 1v2s, and actually have kill potential in 1v1s. Yeah I said it, I want it to be a Bunker again. I had come to greatly enjoy the iconic playstyle of the Bunker Druid over the years. And I very much so enjoyed swapping between Bunker Druid for side node play, or DPS Soulbeast for DPS + Decap role. I don't want a rework on Druid to be a Team Support. I want it to be a Bunker again.)
3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed - Everyone is still complaining about Ranger damage output on both the pet and the Ranger. Honestly, I would rather see hits in sustain factor. I'd have no problem at all losing bruiser/brawler status. Again, for me Core Ranger/Soulbeast had always been about Mobile DPS + Role. Druid was the spec that I used for sustain play.

I feel the same way as you but I think we need to specify which spec we're talking about to clarify.

[Stand The Wall.6987]

I want to remain immortal forever! muahahahahahaaa.

this is a good thread tho, hopefully most ppl take it seriously.

would be nice if necro wasn't reliant on guard to work. its why I switched to engi. on the other hand, it would be nice if so many engi builds weren't reliant on elixir gun. condi clear for engi has always been kinda bad.

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

@bigo.9037 said:

@"Trevor Boyer.6524" said:Example:

I've gone through phases of maining Guardian, Warrior, Necromancer, Thief, but mostly always Ranger.

1. Why I like Ranger
   - The reason why I like Ranger so much, is because it has a great blend of melee to mid range to long range play. For me, it isn't even about the pets. I like dealing large damage on a ranged approach, and closing in for high risk high reward melee play. I like how all the attacks are designed on the weapon kits, as well as the utilities, it jives with me. I like the specializations and the particular way they can be synergized for different builds as compared to other classes. Some classes may be more powerful, but Ranger has always been more versatile. There is something about this one class, that regardless of the build or specializations I run, the mechanics feel good to me.
2. What I want to see maintained
   - There are lots of Ranger nerf threads going on, which I'm not going to address any of that in here. Rather I will address what is important to me as a Ranger main, to see maintained. I want the class to maintain substantial ranged pressure that matters. I don't care how glass cannon the build has to be for this to work, it just needs to work. Having high pressure ranged is what makes a Ranger feel like a Ranger. I want it to maintain a relatively strong 1v1 melee presence. It doesn't need to be as strong as a Warrior, but it needs to be capable of dealing with such archetypes. Most non-ranger players don't realize that playing a glass cannon Ranger build is high risk high reward. You either kill the opponent 1v1 very quickly, or he kills you very quickly. If we are talking about more sustainable builds, let's say a Wild/Beast/Soul wearing Paladin/Resistance, the raw sustain being balanced is definitely in question. But see for me, I'm not talking about that.
   I am a Ranger main who likes to play high pressure builds, and that is what I want to see maintained.
   If I want to roll something sustainy, I use other classes. I like to use Ranger for high risk high reward 1v1ing, and DPS + Decap roles. That's just what I like.
   (Now about Druid - Yeah, it was destroyed. It can sort of be viable with odd builds during weird counter 2v2s, but it really is not viable at all right now in the face of the stronger forming meta. Aside from all of that, what I would have wanted to see maintained on Druid, was its ability to sustain and bunker 1v2s, and actually have kill potential in 1v1s. Yeah I said it, I want it to be a Bunker again. I had come to greatly enjoy the iconic playstyle of the Bunker Druid over the years. And I very much so enjoyed swapping between Bunker Druid for side node play, or DPS Soulbeast for DPS + Decap role. I don't want a rework on Druid to be a Team Support. I want it to be a Bunker again.)
3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed
   - Everyone is still complaining about Ranger damage output on both the pet and the Ranger. Honestly, I would rather see hits in sustain factor. I'd have no problem at all losing bruiser/brawler status. Again, for me Core Ranger/Soulbeast had always been about Mobile DPS + Role. Druid was the spec that I used for sustain play.

I feel the same way as you but I think we need to specify which spec we're talking about to clarify.

1. Core Ranger, I like to see as a brawly bruiser. It can still do this, but it will drop completely out of viable if too many pet nerfs hit. The Core Ranger truly relies more on its pet play than the Soulbeast or Druid.
2. Soulbeast, I just want it to maintain its high potential for mobility/DPS bursting. <- That's what makes the difference between a Core Ranger and a Soulbeast. Soulbeast can get away with pet nerfs. However it will not be able to get away with too much direct DPS nerfing to the Soulbeast. The only thing the Soulbeast has is burst potential. If this is nerfed too much, it won't be able to front enough attrition play to keep up with other classes that are currently winning the gradual attrition wars. Burst potential is the only thing that allows a Soulbeast to dangerous.
3. Druid, I liked it to be a bunker that could win 1v1s through gradual attrition play. This is gone now. A Druid is now a 1v1 like anything else is. It gets destroyed with 2v1 focus more easily than other specs right now, actually. And honestly it's just bad right now. Some people are going to come in here and say: "Condi Druid is strong right now" but it just isn't true in the face of some of the other stronger metas that are forming. Druid is now a dead spec in spvp at this point. The options provided through amulets/runes/sigils are not stated in the areas that they need to be, to make Druid competitive any longer. In WvW however, You can still make Druid builds that can win 1vX.

All of the above, how it is and what I wish it would be again, could all change drastically with this new patching and all of the suggestions currently being thrown around this forum. That's why I wrote this thread up. I figured it would be an important time for players to let the devs know what they want the patching to keep, rather than remove.

[Ithilwen.1529]

Clone damage was already destroyed...clone death was entirely removed from the game.Removing clone damage would make Mesmer unplayable.

I'd like to see clones more powerful and durable. I'd like to see them track, as ranger pets do.IF MM NECRO IS OK, THEN SO ARE REASONABLY STRONG CLONES

Condition damage is my thing. The death by 1000 cuts. Besides I find the Mesmer power weapons difficult and awkward to use.

Mesmer isn't meant to be a close range bruiser. PU Mesmer is probably the best example of "Mesmer" style play.

[otto.5684]

I started the game as a Mesmer, few month before HoT. I really hate chrono, so I switched to rev. Then guardian. I like high power damage on survivable melee builds. My favorite build was core guardian. I used to play zeal/rad/valor in good old days. It makes ranger and thief burst look like child’s play, but lacked CC. It is dead. So is DH.. and everything except Condi/support FB, which has always been my least favorite guardian play style. Heck, even condi FB seems dead after the recent nerfs.

I hate playing anything that revolves around CC (which is the entire current sPvP meta).

I cannot find a single build on guardian that I currently like. I have been playing more condi rev (which is one of my old flames that has been dead for centuries).

[UNOwen.7132]

Well Im mostly playing Engineer nowadays, but Thief was the class I mained before, so lets go with it.

1. Back when I played it most, I liked that thief was a deadly duelist that approached Duels in a more tricky manner. Things like PI with headshot, C&D with Cloaked in Shadows, all that stuff. But thats something from days long past, nowadays thief doesnt really do any of that anymore.

2. Initiative. Really, thats kind of it. I like the initiative syste, in concept, a way to give you more freedom in how you choose to cast your skills, replacing individual cooldowns with a global cooldown thats shared. Now granted, this system while great in theory usually doesnt work out all that well. Most builds only spam the same 1-2 skills, with the other 2-3 being largely ignored. I think if it werent such a monumental task, Id like to see a pass over most weaponsets again, basically any other than D/P (which just needs the PI nerf to be reverted and retroactively fixed, and then all 4 skills have their uses). In particular DD, which is just a weaponset thats confused and doesnt know what it wants to be doing.

3. Shortbow 5. This one skill has defined thief for years now. Its the reason they are always viable, but also the reason theyve been relegated to a decap and +1 bot that actively avoids all even fights since youre nearly guaranteed to lose them. Getting rid of it would allow thief to actually be what it was supposed to be, a Deadly Duelist. Granted, it would require a lot changes and would be quite messy, but get rid of it. Or at least make it so thief cant use it and another weapon.

[Shao.7236]

Most of the Revenant changes are pretty good and justified, the class still works as intended and forces people to combine legend strengths even more which is how it should be. The real problems are usual bugs and inconsistencies like being unable to swap legends mid-air or upkeep skills that have their flow ruined by it.

I've made a list of changes I'd like to see that keeps the class spirit, those are my most desired;

• Soothing Stone to give barrier for each conditions removed.
• Ancient Echo of Jalis to work with Versed In Stone.
• Duelist Preparation brought back as a riposte skill like Ranger counter attack for Shackling Waves.

[Arheundel.6451]

@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:

@bigo.9037 said:

@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:Example:

I've gone through phases of maining Guardian, Warrior, Necromancer, Thief, but mostly always Ranger.

1. Why I like Ranger
   - The reason why I like Ranger so much, is because it has a great blend of melee to mid range to long range play. For me, it isn't even about the pets. I like dealing large damage on a ranged approach, and closing in for high risk high reward melee play. I like how all the attacks are designed on the weapon kits, as well as the utilities, it jives with me. I like the specializations and the particular way they can be synergized for different builds as compared to other classes. Some classes may be more powerful, but Ranger has always been more versatile. There is something about this one class, that regardless of the build or specializations I run, the mechanics feel good to me.
2. What I want to see maintained
   - There are lots of Ranger nerf threads going on, which I'm not going to address any of that in here. Rather I will address what is important to me as a Ranger main, to see maintained. I want the class to maintain substantial ranged pressure that matters. I don't care how glass cannon the build has to be for this to work, it just needs to work. Having high pressure ranged is what makes a Ranger feel like a Ranger. I want it to maintain a relatively strong 1v1 melee presence. It doesn't need to be as strong as a Warrior, but it needs to be capable of dealing with such archetypes. Most non-ranger players don't realize that playing a glass cannon Ranger build is high risk high reward. You either kill the opponent 1v1 very quickly, or he kills you very quickly. If we are talking about more sustainable builds, let's say a Wild/Beast/Soul wearing Paladin/Resistance, the raw sustain being balanced is definitely in question. But see for me, I'm not talking about that.
   I am a Ranger main who likes to play high pressure builds, and that is what I want to see maintained.
   If I want to roll something sustainy, I use other classes. I like to use Ranger for high risk high reward 1v1ing, and DPS + Decap roles. That's just what I like.
   (Now about Druid - Yeah, it was destroyed. It can sort of be viable with odd builds during weird counter 2v2s, but it really is not viable at all right now in the face of the stronger forming meta. Aside from all of that, what I would have wanted to see maintained on Druid, was its ability to sustain and bunker 1v2s, and actually have kill potential in 1v1s. Yeah I said it, I want it to be a Bunker again. I had come to greatly enjoy the iconic playstyle of the Bunker Druid over the years. And I very much so enjoyed swapping between Bunker Druid for side node play, or DPS Soulbeast for DPS + Decap role. I don't want a rework on Druid to be a Team Support. I want it to be a Bunker again.)
3. What I wouldn't mind seeing changed
   - Everyone is still complaining about Ranger damage output on both the pet and the Ranger. Honestly, I would rather see hits in sustain factor. I'd have no problem at all losing bruiser/brawler status. Again, for me Core Ranger/Soulbeast had always been about Mobile DPS + Role. Druid was the spec that I used for sustain play.

I feel the same way as you but I think we need to specify which spec we're talking about to clarify.

1. Core Ranger, I like to see as a brawly bruiser. It can still do this, but it will drop completely out of viable if too many pet nerfs hit. The Core Ranger truly relies more on its pet play than the Soulbeast or Druid.
2. Soulbeast, I just want it to maintain its high potential for mobility/DPS bursting. <- That's what makes the difference between a Core Ranger and a Soulbeast. Soulbeast can get away with pet nerfs. However it will not be able to get away with too much direct DPS nerfing to the Soulbeast. The only thing the Soulbeast has is burst potential. If this is nerfed too much, it won't be able to front enough attrition play to keep up with other classes that are currently winning the gradual attrition wars. Burst potential is the only thing that allows a Soulbeast to dangerous.
3. Druid, I liked it to be a bunker that could win 1v1s through gradual attrition play. This is gone now. A Druid is now a 1v1 like anything else is. It gets destroyed with 2v1 focus more easily than other specs right now, actually. And honestly it's just bad right now. Some people are going to come in here and say: "Condi Druid is strong right now" but it just isn't true in the face of some of the other stronger metas that are forming. Druid is now a dead spec in spvp at this point. The options provided through amulets/runes/sigils are not stated in the areas that they need to be, to make Druid competitive any longer. In WvW however, You can still make Druid builds that can win 1vX.

All of the above, how it is and what I wish it would be again, could all change drastically with this new patching and all of the suggestions currently being thrown around this forum. That's why I wrote this thread up. I figured it would be an important time for players to let the devs know what they want the patching to keep, rather than remove.

100% How I see ranger, why I play it and what I'd like to keep seeing...

[Exedore.6320]

1. My main and favorite character has always been Guardian, since the previews came out during development.

2. I've always been drawn to paladin-like classes. I don't want to be "OMG damage" like a warrior. I want to be more reactive and methodical, and I want to protect my allies from opponents - but not hide in the back and run from danger either.

3. I kinda like the idea of virtues for core guard: you have defenses and you can pop them for a burst to help yourself or allies. Aegis is an interesting mechanic to help defend you preemptively, while at the same time needs to be used at the right moments or it loses its impact. The plentiful amount of defensive boons, especially stability, goes well with helping allies and giving the guardian staying power. Area control is another strong aspect.

4. I would look at a lot:

   • Aegis needs to be more in control of the guardian and in some cases is too plentiful. Aegis in automatic reaction to being CC'ed or other automatic trigger which seems random to the opponent need to go.
   • Burning needs to spread out a bit more so that there's more to it than loading up a target and having them die in a few seconds. But also offset that with better ability to sustain the condition damage.
   • Virtues trait line feels too mandatory, and the choices of the F2 condi clear and the F3 stun break + stab and prot.
   • On core, not much is useful outside of shouts and meditations. Spirit weapons have always been a joke, and most consecrations are niche or don't do enough compared to shouts in a very mobile setting. Signets tend to only be half useful.
   • Meditations are too stacked by Monk's Focus. It leads to builds where the guardian blows everything in a short window; either the opponent dies because the guardian is near impossible to kill in that window, or the guardian has to run away because they didn't get the kill in that window.
   • Dragonhunter just needs a re-design. It's a mess. Half the abilities say "keep my opponent at range" and the other half say "keep my opponent next to me".
   • Firebrand also has design problems. If the tome abilities are strong, they have long CDs, so you just open the book, hit the strong stuff, then drop the book - or they're low cooldown so you want to keep the book out, which in turn makes them weak or to make them relevant, they're too strong. The issue that's hamstringing them is mostly the buffs from the virtues trait line forcing them to keep cooldowns around what the base virtues are. Quickness is too plentiful as well.
   • Staff is still in a bad spot. The #4 skill just feels totally out of place and doesn't justify the self-root.
   • Shield is a bit stacked, which keeps focus out of play.
   • With very little to allow the guardian to stick to a target and limited mobility, scepter feels forced as a weapon choice - especially with it possessing one of the better CC abilities. Exception for DH's with longbow.

[ApaWanka.2698]

My main it’s been Enginneerv as a main since release. All the comments below are based on competitive modes pvp and wvw, I don’t do pve at all.

I’ve select Engineer as a main for the concept of “Jack of all trades” that had the class in the old days. Been able to do almost everything (using combo fields and wide variety of skills) even if not able to do any at S tier.

I would like to keep the concept of “Jack of all trades” for elite specs providing role variety, been able to specialise on different roles even if it don’t do any as S tier. Because right now, Scrapper and Holo do the same thing, bruiser gameplay and I feel stuck on that. I would like Holo as Dps Spec, Scrapper as Support spec and Core as a .... condi spec? Just for variety because the previous ones as mostly power based for the sinergias with their traits.

I think that more or less holo is in good balanced spot atm. I would give damage on scrapper as exchange for more support capabilities to make it unique and... and core and/or condi Engineer dont have any strong points against elite specs or other professions... so not much to give, just a rework to make it unique somehow (F5 is nos enough to choose it in front of the elites), maybe would be nice a buff on kits use for core, overcharged versions on demand (F5) or be able to use them in the tool belt or load a kit on F5 or maybe select one kit as a “weapon swap”. Dunno but at the moment is worthless to use core or condi (in competitive modes)

[Multicolorhipster.9751]

Hello my name is Multi and I am a Warrior user.

2: •I play it because I like the idea of a melee duelist. It reminds me of sword users from games like SSB.•I also like the concept of any fight potentially swinging in either side's favor because it makes it more intense and more exciting.•I can also turn on house music, put on the Elonian Elementalist outfit, and be in the zone.•I also like skills like Arcing Slice, Eviscerate, and Hundred Blades for racking up dopamine points and for not being condi.

3: I would like the ability to do damage on par with the other classes maintained, as well as highly telegraphed and easily counterable melee skills keeping considerably high damage.

4: •I would like some of our CC skills to get some damage back because things like Backbreaker are high risk, low reward right now.•I would like it if hundred blades did enough damage to make a rez an actual risky maneuver. Instead of tickling and being shrugged off.•I would like if punishing boons was a more emphasized part of Spellbreaker's kit because it fits thematically and right now stuff like break enchantment is bad and stuff like Loss Aversion gives me actual Loss Aversion.•I would like if Strength was overall better so I could stop playing Defense bunker warrior because it's not very fun for anyone but it makes getting dailies easy compared to playing the old and actually fun Strength Dagger build in its current state.

[Eurantien.4632]

1. Ranger.

2. Originally I picked ranger because I liked the nature themes, I liked being able to synergize with the pet and have the additional threat, and I loved being able to have ranged pressure yet when the enemy gets close being able to swap to melee and being even more dangerous. It was how I played my GW1 ranger most as a R/W that would beat warriors in melee fights despite being at an armor disadvantage.

3. I have always played power. While I wish condi was an effective duelist, and had any sort of teamfight presence, power is my bread and butter. I have always loved the feel of being able to control the fight with ranged pressure, pet dmg, and CC in 1v1s. In bigger fights I love the feel of getting in there with GS -using what burst I can with pet- then getting back out for safer ranged pressure. Since ranger has little staying power in fights that flow of getting in and getting out for optimal damage/safety is just the best - and yet there is a cost, longbow is a terrible weapon when people get close - it makes for a nice trade off. I never want to lose that. And soulbeast actually makes that playstyle viable.

4. I always hated how core ranger never truly felt top tier because the pets couldn't react fast enough for top tier play imo. I also had like 240 ping in those days though so maybe that was it... I'd like to see more viable pets and more control from the ranger for them. Basically easy ways to increase the skill ceiling on ranger. I feel patch after patch have lowered the skill ceiling on ranger and as a top PvPer Its not the direction I prefer.

4) I'd love to see evades on soulbeast dagger, and other changes to condi ranger to be able to see more viable play. It's a complete opposite playstyle to power where you have to dodge and mitigate other people trying to control the fight until your pet CCs and takes control back or your condis can start DoTing them down so you can be more aggressive. Yet it has no teamfight capabilities - not mobile enough - not burst enough- not anything enough.

4) For power, I'd love to see dmg reductions but keep the burst from GS interrupts there. It's a high risk high reward playstyle- ranger still gets disintegrated under pressure. But in exchange for dmg reductions, i would like to see more counterplay for projectile hate - more unblockable, etc. There is so much projectile hate and only ranger truly relies on projectiles.

[Abelisk.5148]

Elementalist

1 • I like Elementalist because I have this hope that with the right skill combos/usage, utilities such as conjures and trait choices you should be able to come up with some crazy build

2 • I would like conjures and the attunements to stay...one of my favorite offhand sets is warhorn because of its dynamic kit, even if its effectiveness isn't the greatest

3 • That being said, my biggest wish is for Elementalist to have a plethora of synergies that tie multiple skills together, as well as conjures and other skills. I came into this class thinking I'd concoct something incredibly interesting and unseen before, but most of the weapon skills are simply... damage dealers and heal skills, with a few utility skills. I don't really see many trait interactions with the weapon skills or conjures... which is a shame. If conjured weapons receive a significant buff, I'd be all over them and you bet I'd come up with some awesome builds.

[Math.5123]

I've mained DH from HoT and core guard ever since. I'm a big fan of playing stupid one shot builds (not sic'em) but more DD core zerker Ele, hammer guard and zerk dh.1, I've consistently enjoyed any and all guardian builds that are not focused around honor and symbols.

2, burst damage. Guardian has no mobility, no evade frames, no channeled blocks (no, I didn't forget shelter) and no form of disengage. So let me maintain my melee burst potential.

3, literally any form of symbol builds and any form of Firebrand (except ccbrand with hammer axe shield and spirit hammer) can get deleted for all I care. Imagine rolling Firebrand and saying you're a guardian player. Outa here.

[Aktium.9506]

I picked Necromancer by mistake after deleting my first character. My Necro main of 9k hours was supposed to be an Elementalist when I made it at launch. I wanted to play an Ele with Elemental summons back then because I still think Spiritmaster from Aion is the most enjoyable class I've ever played in an MMO. But I was tired and couldn't be bothered make another character after I made my first character a Sylvari Ele and heard the voice which prompted me to delete it as fast as humanly possible. so I stuck with it since Necro also had summons. I ended up sticking with it for 7 years. I wish the minions were actually strong and required micromanaging with little skillbars and commands of their own though.

Not doable at this point, but if I had a vision for Necromancer it would be for minions and different types of minions to be the focus point of Necromancer and Death Shroud to be reverted to being Necromancer's version of downed state as it was originally intended to be.

What I would like to see maintained is Necromancer's debuffing and boon removal capabilities. If I had free reign over balance and design I would like to remove almost all the damage capabilities from the base Necromancer and shift them entirely to reworked minions and a reworked, less accessible but more powerful Death Shroud. Leave the base of the Necro class with mostly debuffs, boonstrips and CC in its kit.

As for what I would like to see go for Necro. AoE damage the way it exists now. There's been a lot of nerfs to it through the years, and that's a good thing. But honestly, I'd be glad to see it gone aside from Epidemic. At most have it tied to just Epidemic and minions.

[alain.1659]

Well I loved mesmer when I first tried it. And unlike others I was really into condi mesmer. I really want mesmer to keep its tricky-ness and do not care about one shot burst builds that much. Dont get me wrong but for me, it kills the tricky aspect and makes mesmer a variant of thief/assassin.

I would like to see the old condition system back where confusion only dealt damage when you use a skill and torment only dealt damage if you move. I know that it is not possible now but it really felt like a trickster when I played condi PU mesmer before pre-HoT condi patch. You had to bait your opponent to move or use skills, your clones were not this clone-y and it was not easy to see the real mesmer. And glamour traits made mesmer unique for the zergs. Mass confusion, boon removal, feedback and veil were so precious that a good mesmer always had a place in zergs/groups. But this is only a dream now.

Now I only want to keep the unique aspects of the class. Mesmer abilities should be unique but none of them really are now. Feedback/null field, mass invis, moa, alacrity etc are already outshined by other profession skills The worst thing is that they gave a better portal to thief. That was a heavy blow to mesmer profession.

So I dont care about dmg. I only want the uniqueness of mesmer back with some trickster qualities.

[UNOwen.7132]

@alain.1659 said:Well I loved mesmer when I first tried it. And unlike others I was really into condi mesmer. I really want mesmer to keep its tricky-ness and do not care about one shot burst builds that much. Dont get me wrong but for me, it kills the tricky aspect and makes mesmer a variant of thief/assassin.

I would like to see the old condition system back where confusion only dealt damage when you use a skill and torment only dealt damage if you move. I know that it is not possible now but it really felt like a trickster when I played condi PU mesmer before pre-HoT condi patch. You had to bait your opponent to move or use skills, your clones were not this clone-y and it was not easy to see the real mesmer. And glamour traits made mesmer unique for the zergs. Mass confusion, boon removal, feedback and veil were so precious that a good mesmer always had a place in zergs/groups. But this is only a dream now.

Now I only want to keep the unique aspects of the class. Mesmer abilities should be unique but none of them really are now. Feedback/null field, mass invis, moa, alacrity etc are already outshined by other profession skills The worst thing is that they gave a better portal to thief. That was a heavy blow to mesmer profession.

So I dont care about dmg. I only want the uniqueness of mesmer back with some trickster qualities.

Actually, Torment never got changed in how it works. It always did damage whether or not you were moving, just twice as much if you were moving.