Auramancer offhand weapon?

[JeetyWeety.2948]

I'm not sure if I understand why Focus is the offhand for this build: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Tempest_-_D/F_Auramancer

Is it just for the curing condition skill of Magnetic Wave? Wouldn't warhon be an overall better offhand for a support spec?

[Mega.5791]

Focus has a lot of defensive and support capabilities - mainly projectile hate. The second big reason ist the fire aura. Fire traitline gives cleanses on auras and aura transmutation. It also gives a lot of fire auras itself, but only focus gives you the tranmutation skill which means a lot of cleanses.€: The invulnerability is not bad either, but a weapon skill with 60s CD? Well... :lol:

Warhorn is generally more offensive and especially slow. There is some nice CC, but when you play a healer, the damage skills won't help you much. Also the magnetic aura skill is no aura skill, you cannot transmute there (noone knows why).

Warhorn can be used in meme builds, for support builds and generaly when cleansing with fire traitline is a thing, there is hardly a way around focus.

[Zeesh.7286]

If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh shit" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh shit moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

[Mega.5791]

@"Zeesh.7286" said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

You can also use Swirling Winds for that. No reflect indeed, but longer duration. And also without that triggering 0.5s (!!!) Protection. :lol: (€: Yes, I know about the boon duration extension. The value just looks so awful.)

I kind of like warhorn though indeed. Sneaking up with it and bursting wit Lightning Orb is fun on zerker builds. :D But competitively and on support builds, focus is the only choice in higher level PvP.

[Zeesh.7286]

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@"Zeesh.7286" said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

You can also use Swirling Winds for that. No reflect indeed, but longer duration. And also without that triggering 0.5s (!!!) Protection. :lol: (€: Yes, I know about the boon duration extension. The value just looks so awful.)

I kind of like warhorn though indeed. Sneaking up with it and bursting wit Lightning Orb is fun on zerker builds. :D But competitively and on support builds, focus is the only choice in higher level PvP.

It's actually around 5 secs of protection xD I take warhorn with either earth or air (for fresh air). On earth it synergizes with earth traitline Elemental shielding which is protection on aura share and the skill also adds duration on boons present so the protection ramps up to 5ish secs for everyone. It can also act as blast finishers so water 5 into earth 3 and then earth 4 is loads of heals, (from 1 leap and 1 blast finisher and heal on aura tempest Elemental bastion) and then protection and reflects for all the pesky projectiles. I also love the fresh air burst from warhorn

but 100% true though. At higher levels and against competitive and knowledgeable players it is just better (and safer) to take focus. Focus is faster and less telegraphed and the synergy of focus with a good team and especially a good roamer is amazing. But right now the populations are so low I usually find gold and sometimes even silvers with plats so I can typically get away with warhorn. I'm forced to swap focus at times too though when I see a team with 2 burn gaurds and 2 necros >_> . Plus reflect is great at killing newbies. I have had deadeyes unload full bursts and kill themselves while I just stood there lol It's just a different style of play compared to focus so a bit refreshing at times. It won't be meta though agree on that.

[Mini Crinny.6190]

@"Zeesh.7286" said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Isn't Shortbow the elite spec weapon for Renegade?

[Zeesh.7286]

@Mini Crinny.6190 said:

@"Zeesh.7286" said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Isn't Shortbow the elite spec weapon for Renegade?

ooof yea renegades not heralds I'm seeing way too many nowadays

[Mega.5791]

@Zeesh.7286 said:

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@Zeesh.7286 said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

You can also use Swirling Winds for that. No reflect indeed, but longer duration. And also without that triggering 0.5s (!!!) Protection. :lol: (€: Yes, I know about the boon duration extension. The value just looks so awful.)

I kind of like warhorn though indeed. Sneaking up with it and bursting wit Lightning Orb is fun on zerker builds. :D But competitively and on support builds, focus is the only choice in higher level PvP.

It's actually around 5 secs of protection xD (...)

Yaah, the duration gets increased by 2 (or 3) seconds right with the skill. And then some concentration in Tempest, boon duration and you have solid numbers. I just hate seeing this 0.5s in the skill description. :lol:

I am currently trolling with warhorn too, some of the weapon skills are huge fun indeed! Lots of lingering AoE fields, rather versatile - it is simply too slow and can usually be avoided easily and the lack of defense lets several classes hardcoutner you. :disappointed: I think some cast times would work wonders on the usability of warhorn in PvP... but I fear that's far down the list on things needed for better PvP. And, well, rightfully so.

[Zeesh.7286]

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@Zeesh.7286 said:

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@Zeesh.7286 said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

You can also use Swirling Winds for that. No reflect indeed, but longer duration. And also without that triggering 0.5s (!!!) Protection. :lol: (€: Yes, I know about the boon duration extension. The value just looks so awful.)

I kind of like warhorn though indeed. Sneaking up with it and bursting wit Lightning Orb is fun on zerker builds. :D But competitively and on support builds, focus is the only choice in higher level PvP.

It's actually around 5 secs of protection xD (...)

Yaah, the duration gets increased by 2 (or 3) seconds right with the skill. And then some concentration in Tempest, boon duration and you have solid numbers. I just hate seeing this 0.5s in the skill description. :lol:

I am currently trolling with warhorn too, some of the weapon skills are huge fun indeed! Lots of lingering AoE fields, rather versatile - it is simply too slow and can usually be avoided easily and the lack of defense lets several classes hardcoutner you. :disappointed: I think some cast times would work wonders on the usability of warhorn in PvP... but I fear that's far down the list on things needed for better PvP. And, well, rightfully so.

I swear right now on ele, they really need to redo or improve a lot of the skills on scepter, warhorn and staff to make them competitive at higher ends. Infact even warhorn isn't as bad as say staff. And this is just the weapon skills... lots of other stuff needs attention too

[Mega.5791]

@Zeesh.7286 said:

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@Zeesh.7286 said:

@Megametzler.5729 said:

@Zeesh.7286 said:If you want cleansing you take focus because of fire transmute aura.

I've been taking warhorn with earth traitline recently because I feel more people are playing power nowadays and because of condi thiefs, shortbow heralds and Lich form and even rangers. Warhorn has an aoe magnetic aura which can save your entire team from a total "oh kitten" moment. You can also blast water 5 which is a water field for better healing again in oh kitten moments. Water 4 and air 4 are aoe CC (not reliable though). Lightning orb has a lot of damage even on menders amulet.

Ultimately you need to always adjust based on team comps and needs. Focus provides more self sustain and team aura cleansing. Warhorn has more team support (imo) but lacks the same level of cleansing that focus gives and obsidian flesh might seem like too long of a CD but paired with mistform and lightning flash it makes you one of the most effective kiting and self sustaining class in the game considering you will be focused hard.

You can also use Swirling Winds for that. No reflect indeed, but longer duration. And also without that triggering 0.5s (!!!) Protection. :lol: (€: Yes, I know about the boon duration extension. The value just looks so awful.)

I kind of like warhorn though indeed. Sneaking up with it and bursting wit Lightning Orb is fun on zerker builds. :D But competitively and on support builds, focus is the only choice in higher level PvP.

It's actually around 5 secs of protection xD (...)

Yaah, the duration gets increased by 2 (or 3) seconds right with the skill. And then some concentration in Tempest, boon duration and you have solid numbers. I just hate seeing this 0.5s in the skill description. :lol:

I am currently trolling with warhorn too, some of the weapon skills are huge fun indeed! Lots of lingering AoE fields, rather versatile - it is simply too slow and can usually be avoided easily and the lack of defense lets several classes hardcoutner you. :disappointed: I think some cast times would work wonders on the usability of warhorn in PvP... but I fear that's far down the list on things needed for better PvP. And, well, rightfully so.

I swear right now on ele, they really need to redo or improve a lot of the skills on scepter, warhorn and staff to make them competitive at higher ends. Infact even warhorn isn't as bad as say staff. And this is just the weapon skills... lots of other stuff needs attention too

Hehe, you are totally right about staff. It is such a PvE weapon, and even there it is not really strong anymore due to the nerfs of all those AoE effects. I mean, some weapons are okay to be subpar in certain game modes, but staff really could use some QoL changes. Has been like that for, like, forever - looking at you, Shock Wave, not hitting anything since 2012!

[JeetyWeety.2948]

Thank you, Megametzler and Zeesh! I feel like I'm learning a lot from your very civil and informative discussion.

[Wyrdern.4092]

The biggest weakness of staff is probably the fact that you cant use focus with it like the other weapons due to it being the only 2h land weapon, and ele has no weapon swap so you can prop up its weaknesses with another weapon either. Also the fact that for a weapon with very little self defence, its offensive capabilities ((both damage and CC) are also arguably worse than the other weapons and generally much more unwieldy, and the support aspect was absolutely gutted so that doesn't work either.

[JusticeRetroHunter.7684]

I'm in the top 100 playing Staff Tempest. It's not as bad as people think...but it's definitely not as good as it us-to be. Geyser was a HUGE reason to take this weapon, and along with the numerous nerfs to overall healing on the class, it really lost the edge that it had over it's meta counterpart; Focus.

The reason people took focus was strictly for Obsidian Flesh, and It's still taken for this reason, despite the nerfs. War-horn was always a crappy weapon because of it's clunky-ness. Could there possibly be a good build or players that use war-horn to it's maximum effectiveness? If there are i haven't encountered any unfortunately.

At this point, you can use whatever weapon you want, they all pretty much suck, and your just trying to make whatever skills that still have some use work.

[Lord of the Fire.6870]

I play condi Tempest atm with horn I agree at least fire 4 and 5 on horn takes too long to cast. I also find that animation of the sigil elite longer then the cast time written on it. For DPS there is also the problem of stabi for the overload they stole stabi sharing on fire overload and it all ways was a bit less /sitting duck.

I mostly play it because it is fun and I actually have started the bad habit since they beginning of this year to 'exploit' what is obviously broken.(™,©Arena.NET) In this case it less the build but everything around it . In case if they fixed this all I would end up properly in 'great' builds on metabattle.

Staff has been nerfed to the ground in all modes except wvw as DPS and that only on range battles

dagger/Focus is more then good (OP)if you use fire trait line transmutation against condi