Suggestion: Harbringer Traits

[Obtena.7952]

I think the biggest room for improvement is the trait 'duplication' between Direct DPS (top line) and condi (bottom line). I get there are compelling reasons to choose one or the other for balance reasons, but this is a really big lost opportunity for Anet to offer more variation on the Harbringer spec. I believe more effort is required to take those duplicates, merge them somehow for a single 'DPS" traitline and use the freed up space to create another theme of traits. I don't have a suggestion what that theme would be. The problem I see with the current approach is that makes the class seem 'thin' in concept. The duplicate traits are just a variation on the DPS theme ... please rethink this approach. 

[Asum.4960]

I get what you mean, and even thought about if the 1% extra damage per Blight stack wouldn't be better as a baseline feature of Blight, but one thing to keep in mind is that the Spec is build for both either Power or Condition damage - merging those Traits or baselining them would massively inflate Harbinger's damage potential - even if entirely focusing on either Power or Condi, gaining a 25% free modifier on the other as global damage mod would be pretty nuts. 

 

Then they'd have to globally nerf damage on the spec, in which case there won't be defined Condi or Power builds for it anymore, rather than having to focus on hybridising to make use of both modifiers to get the damage back to what the current either condi or power build would potentially be. 

 

So while I get your point, I kind of like that the spec is being able to be played distinctly as both power or condi (if they actually managed to make that true and viable will have to see). 

 

That said though, I do wonder how viable power Harbinger will be to begin with, as it's extreme squishyness as well as the sustain options via other Necro Traits and Runes heavily favour going for the condi version, basically demanding the Power Harbinger to do significantly more damage than the Condi version even still, which then in turn would largely invalidate that one, so maybe designing it as full on hybrid spec might have been better. 

 

I'm also not entirely sold on both Power and Condi GM's being very samey small AoE pulses. It's like on one hand they specifically wanted to differentiate the power and condi builds with different trait lines, on the other hand they gave them the same effect and playstyle.

Beyond that it's pulsing Torment in a 180 radius again, just squishier but more mobile than Scourge without the ability to place Shades. 

Other than the massive survivability drop, I'm not sure how different that will actually end up feeling especially in a endgame PvE scenario where you stack on boss and pulse out Torment. 

 

For the Quickness Aura GM, considering it's not something to be actively splashed out at opportune moments/between mechanics like Mantras, as well as how tight the uptime seems to be, I feel like either the Aura Radius is too small or duration too low - especially given mechanics like Social Awkwardness in Fractals, split phases, etc.

 

I guess we'll see how that goes next week.

 

TL;DR:

I may have rambled on.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Asum.4960

[Rym.1469]

Splitting these two is fine - you don't want one modifier to affect both power and condition since in PvE as well as in PvP you build condition dps with mostly power+condi stat sets. One modifier for both would mean a nerf to the trait.

 

As far as other traits go, I think the grandmasters are the ones that need most work. The quickness one is okay, but the pulsing cloaks/auras in Shroud feel particulary odd on this hit-n-run midrange glass dps. These are the traits you'd expect on something that stays in the melee range fight for an extended period of time like Reaper. This might be just an odd way of promoting staying in melee in group PvE, but these traits aren't as defining as you'd expect for a GM tier and are rather uninteresting passive damage.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Rym.1469

[Infusion.7149]

If they merged it there would be no reason to run power or condi if you can go grieving or viper with Berserker / Renegade runes.

It's quite clear this is in response to hybrid builds that do more DPS than condi or power variants.

The way it is presented in the preview there is a clear choice between power, condition, and support.

Edited August 14, 2021 by Infusion.7149