Guild Wars 2

Part 3 of a series dedicated to redesigning and fixing GW2 combat, profession by profession.

ELEMENTALIST: “A MODEL CLASS”
As of right now, aspects of the Elementalist could serve best as a pace car for balance in GW2. To that effect—and despite the length of this thread—the profession is very well put together. The profession mechanic is perfectly attuned with its offensive and defensive capabilities. The majority of its offensive skills have appropriate cast-times and even post-cast delays proportionate to the amount of damage that they can potentially inflict. The profession has a wide variety of skills that require positioning, timing and/or aim in order to hit an opponent. Even so, there are many Elementalist skills that break several balance rules related to granting an opponent counter-play opportunity. Most of these skills create play-styles that rely on pressing a lot of buttons very quickly in order to kill an opponent nearly instantly. If this gambit doesn’t work, the Elementalist is often dead to rights.

The goal of this thread is to not only fix the balance issues associated with poorly cued Elementalist burst, but also to address those same builds by giving them more sustainable DPS across a larger number of skills instead of having it all piled into a select few cheap shots as well as to introduce some more survivability options into weapon skills by means of the addition of more CC and mobility.

Scepter main-hand skills
[Flamestrike] (Fire 1)

• Now uses a projectile: orange Mesmer [Ether Bolt] projectile model.
• This skill shares its projectile behaviour with that of Elementalist [Chain Lightning]..

[Dragon’s Tooth] (Fire 2)

• Added tool-tip: Delay: 2 seconds
• Now uses ground-targeting.
• Damage reduced from 756 (2.25) to 636 (2.25).

[Phoenix] (Fire 3)

• Cast-time increased from ¼ second to ½ second.
• Added a minimum range: 50
  • Now, the [Phoenix] audio clip plays immediately as the Elementalist begins casting the skill.

[Arc Lightning]

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 2½ seconds
• Cast an arc of electricity at your foe.
• Stage 1 damage: 90 (0.3)
• Stage 2 damage: 180 (0.5)
• Stage 3 damage: 273 (0.8)
• Range: 900
  • This skill now strikes a total of 3 times; one strike every ¾ second.

[Lightning Strike] – named changed to Lightning Bolt (to diminish combat log confusion) (Air 2)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 6 seconds
• Strike foes at the target location with a lightning bolt.
• Damage: 386 (1.2)
• Delay: ½ second
• Radius: 120
• Range: 900
  • Now creates a red circle on the ground.
  • [Lightning Strike]’s original functionality remains the same for passive triggers such as swapping to Air Attunement with 15 into Air Magic or the RNG proc on Runes of Air (6/6).

NEW SKILL: [Lightning Orb] (Air 3-1)

• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 15 seconds
• Conjure a lightning orb at target location that periodically strikes nearby foes with an electrical burst.
• Damage per pulse: 252 (0.75)
• Damage pulse: 2 seconds
• Damage radius: 180
• Duration: 8 seconds
• Range: 900
  • This skill pulses 4 times total: the first pulse occurs 2 seconds after the lightning orb is cast and then again at each 2 second interval after that until its duration ends.
  • This skill chains into another skill upon completion: [Blinding Flash].

[Blinding Flash] (Air 3-2)

• Cast-time: 0
• Destroy your lightning orb with a blinding flash that briefly reveals stealthed foes.
• Blind: 5 seconds
• Revealed: 1 second
• Radius: 180
  • This skill lasts for the entire duration of [Lightning Orb].
  • Using this skill prematurely ends [Lightning Orb]’s duration.

[Ice Shards] (Water 1) – Name changed to: [Ice Spear] (Water 1)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 1 second
• Launch a spear of ice that shatters on impact, damaging adjacent foes.
• Damage: 286 (0.85)
• Damage radius: 120
• Range: 900
  • This skill shares its projectile behaviour with that of Elementalist [Fireball].
  • After-cast adjusted to 0.40 second.

[Shatterstone] (Water 2-1)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ¾ second
• Recharge: 5 seconds
• Conjure a shatterstone at the target area that deals damage as it grows. After 2 seconds, the shatterstone explodes, damaging and leaving adjacent foes vulnerable.
• Growth damage (2x): 504 (1.5)
• Explosion damage: 252 (0.75)
• Explosion vulnerability (5): 15 seconds
• Radius: 150
• Range: 900
  • The first two bursts of damage occur at each “burst growth” animation of the Shatterstone when the model cracks and grows larger.
  • This skill now chains into another skill upon cast-completion: [Icy Shackles].

[Icy Shackles] (Water 2-2)

• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 20 seconds
• Chill foes in the area of your Shatterstone with a blast of frost.
• Chill: 4 seconds
• Radius: 180
  • This chain skill remains active for up to 2 seconds.
  • This chain skill’s recharge or usage does not affect the recharge of [Shatterstone]. The two skills share separate recharges and each will immediately go to into recharge upon respective use.

[Hurl] (Earth 2-2)

• Each stone now inflicts ½ second of crippled.

[Dust Devil] (Earth 3-1)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 20 seconds
• Blind foes at target area with a whirling dust devil.
• Damage (2x): 268 (0.4)
• Blind (2): 3 seconds
• Duration: 1 second
• Combo Finisher: Whirl
• Radius: 180
• Range: 900
  • This skill pulses twice, once at creation and once one second later.
  • Each pulse triggers a Whirl Finisher.
  • The [Dust Devil] projectile now spins in place at the target location.
  • This skill now chains into another skill upon cast completion: [Whirlwind].

[Whirlwind] (Earth 3-2)

• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 40 seconds
• Knock back adjacent foes with a whirlwind.
• Knock-back: 240
• Combo Finisher: Whirl
• Radius: 180
  • This chain skill remains active for up to 15 seconds.
  • This chain skill’s recharge or usage does not affect the recharge of [Dust Devil]. The two skills share separate recharges and each will immediately go to into recharge upon respective use.
  • This skill uses a tan-colored [Windborne Speed] visual cue with a different sound clip.
  • This skill uses the Engineer [Regenerating Mist] casting animation and after-cast.

Focus off-hand
[Flamewall] (Fire 4-1)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 20 seconds
• Create a wall of flame at target area that damages and burns foes that cross it.
• Damage: 85 (0.2)
• Burning: 2 seconds
• Duration: 8 seconds
  • Now chains into another skill: [Breath of Fire].

[Breath of Fire] (Fire 4-2)

• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Cause your flamewall to rile up into a tall barrier of flames that foes cannot cross.
• Duration: 3 seconds
  • While this skill is active, the Flamewall riles into a tall wall of fire that acts similarly to the Guardian [Line of Warding].
  • This chain skill remains active for 8 seconds.
  • This chain skill’s recharge or usage does not affect the recharge of [Flamewall]. The two skills share separate recharges and each will immediately to into recharge upon respective use.

[Fire Shield] (Fire 5)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Envelop yourself in a shield of fire that burns foes and grants might each time you are struck (cool-down of 1 second per attacker). If you combo this skill with a fire field, you also gain protection and retaliation.
• Fire Aura duration: 5 seconds
• Burning: 1 second
• Might (1): 10 seconds
• Protection: 3 seconds
• Retaliation: 3 seconds
• Combo Finisher: Whirl

[Freezing Gust] (Water 4)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 3¾ seconds
• Recharge: 35 seconds
• Conjure gusts of freezing wind over target area that inflict chill and vulnerability. If a gust strikes a foe with 10 or more stacks of vulnerability, it immobilizes that foe.
• Damage per gust: 229 (0.75)
• Gust radius: 120
• Chill: 1 second
• Vulnerability (3): 8 seconds
• Immobilize: 1 second
• Spell duration: 4 seconds
• Radius: 360
• Range: 1200
  • This skill functions similarly to [Meteor Shower] in how it produces the wind gusts.
  • Wind gust models are circular whirls of air. They produce red circles and they have a 1-second delay period upon appearing before they deal damage and their effects.
  • Level 1 channel: 4 gusts (1 per second)
  • Level 2 channel: 8 gusts (2 per second)
  • Level 3 channel: 12 gusts (3 per second)

Focus off-hand continued
[Comet] (Water 5)

• Recharge increased from 25 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Now uses ground-targeting.
• Now deals 30% more damage to chilled foes.
• Now stuns (1 second) foes that are already suffering from vulnerability.

[Gale] (Air 5)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 1¾ seconds
• Recharge: 40 seconds
• Channel a cone of biting wind in front of you that blinds and cripples foes before knocking them down.
• Blind (3): 2 seconds
• Cripple (3): 2 seconds
• Knock-down: 2 seconds
• Range: 600
  • This skill hits up to 5 targets.
  • The final blind/cripple tick from this skill is the only tick that inflicts knock-down.
  • This skill’s ticks strike once every ½ second.
  • This skill uses the Guardian [Healing Breeze] cone.

[Obsidian Skin] (Earth 5)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 40 seconds
• Gather an obsidian armor across your body that improves your affinity to the elements and blocks the next three attacks. The next time you swap attunements, you also cast a spell based on that attunement.
• Block duration: 4 seconds
• Elemental affinity duration: 10 seconds
• Elemental affinity (fire): Cast Lava Font at your location.
• Elemental affinity (water): Cast Geyser at your location.
• Elemental affinity (air): Cast Windborne Speed at your location.

Dagger main-hand skills
[Burning Speed] (Fire 3)

• This skill now moves the player in a targeted direction; this skill now uses the same targeting reticle as Warrior [Whirlwind Attack].
  • This skill does not need evasion frames. It’s an offensive AoE with a very high base damage and a 240 blast radius. It only has a short ¾-second animation. Moreover, it comes on a weapon set that also carries [Shocking Aura]. This skill does not need evasion frames.

[Frozen Burst] (Water 3)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 15 seconds
• Detonate a chilling burst of ice at target location.
• Delay: 1 second
• Damage: 140 (0.5)
• Chilled: 3 seconds
• Radius: 180
• Combo Finisher: Blast
• Range: 600
  • The target area is coated with a shrunken [Frozen Ground] AoE model for 1 second before the [Frozen Burst] animation goes off.

Dagger off-hand skills
[Ring of Fire] (Fire 4)

• This is now a ground-targeted skill with a 900 range.
• This skill now has a 1-second post-cast delay before it deals damage and manifests on the field. During its delay time, this skill creates a 240-radius circle ringed by smoldering yellow line. This skill’s red circle appears during its delay period.

[Ride the Lightning] (Air 4)

• Recharge reduced from 40 to 30 seconds.
• Recharge reduction on hit reduced from 50% to 33%.

[Updraft] (Air 5)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 1¼ seconds
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Gain swiftness and evade backwards on a gust of wind. The longer that you channel this skill, the more powerful your wind gust is when you release it.
• Swiftness: 10 seconds
• No channel: Crippled: 2 seconds; Knock-back: 200 range; Radius: 180
• Full channel: Crippled: 4 seconds; Launch: 200 range; Radius: 180
• Evasion: 1 second
  • Base evasion distance increased from 180(?) range to 400 range.
  • The evasion will trigger immediately upon skill activation if the button is not held down to channel. This makes the evasion similar to [Burning Retreat] in that it has a 0-second (instant) activation time.

Earthquake [Earth 4]

• Damage reduced from 336 (1.0) to 244 (0.75)

Staff skills
[Lava Font] (Fire 2)

• Tool-tip added: Delay: 1 second.

[Flame Burst] (Fire 3)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 10 seconds
• Conjure an orb of flame at target location. After 1 second, the orb explodes, damaging and burning nearby foes.
• Delay: 1 second
• Damage: 65 (0.2)
• Burning: 5 seconds
• Radius: 180
• Range: 1200

[Ice Spike] (Water 2)

• Tool-tip added: Delay: 2 seconds.

[Gust] (Air 3)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ½ second
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Unleash a gust of wind that knocks back foes.
• Knock-back: 400
• Range: 600
  • This skill uses the Guardian [Healing Breeze] cone.
  • Hits up to 5 targets.

[Windborne Speed] (Air 4)

• Now also grants haste for 1½ seconds (only for the Elementalist).

[Eruption] (Earth 2)

• Tool-tip added: Delay: 3 seconds.
• Now produces a red/white circle.

[Shockwave] (Earth 5)

• Bleed stacks changed from 1 stack for 20 seconds to 3 stacks for 10 seconds.

Healing skills
[Signet of Restoration] (passive)

• Heal yourself whenever you swap attunements.
• Healing on attunement swap: 608 (0.04)
  • Healing/second assuming 10.4 second attunement recharge (20 into arcane) = 233.8756 h/s

[Signet of Restoration] (active)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• This signet now behaves like a glyph in that its functionality changes based on the Elementalist’s current attunement.
  • New active healing/second at 0 Healing Power (base recharge): 163 h/s
  • New active healing/second at 0 Healing Power (with cool-down trait): 203.75 h/s

[Fiery Signet of Restoration]

• Cast-time: 1 second
• Recharge: 25 seconds
• Heal yourself and blast the nearby area with damage.
• Healing: 4075 (0.5)
• Damage: 101 (0.3)
• Damage radius: 180
• Combo Finisher: Blast

[Soothing Signet of Restoration]

• Cast-time: 1 second
• Recharge: 25 seconds
• Heal yourself and cure up to 2 conditions.
• Healing: 4075 (0.5)

[Swift Signet of Restoration]

• Cast-time: 1 second
• Recharge: 25 seconds
• Heal yourself and gain haste.
• Healing: 4075 (0.5)
• Haste: 2 seconds

[Heavy Signet of Restoration]

• Cast-time: 1 second
• Recharge: 25 seconds
• Heal yourself and weaken nearby foes.
• Healing: 4075 (0.5)
• Weakness: 4 seconds
• Radius: 240

[Glyph of Renewal]

• Recharge reduced from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Healing reduced from 4894 (0.75) to 3915 (0.75).

Signet skills
[Signet of Air] (active)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Strike foes at target area with a blinding lightning bolt.
• Damage: 122 (0.4)
• Blind: 5 seconds
• Radius: 240
• Breaks stun
• Range: 1200

[Signet of Fire] (passive)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• When you blast a fire field, you burn adjacent foes. You gain fury for each foe that you burn.
• Burning: 3 seconds
• Burning radius: 180
• Fury per burning foe: 2 seconds
  • Hits up to 5 foes.

[Signet of Fire] (active)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 20 seconds
• Conjure a fire at target location that burns foes.
• Delay: 1 second
• Damage (4x): 976 (3.0)
• Burning (4): 1 second
• Duration: 4 seconds
• Combo Field: Fire
• Radius: 180
• Range: 1200
  • [Signet of Fire] shares the same pulse schedule as [Lava Font].
  • Now produces a red circle.

[Signet of Earth] (passive)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• You gain protection when you successfully evade an attack.
• Cool-down: 10 seconds
• Protection: 2 seconds

[Signet of Earth] (active)

• Cast-time: ¾ second
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Create a ring of stones that bleeds and immobilizes foes crossing it.
• Bleeding (3): 5 seconds
• Immobilize: 2 seconds
• Ring duration: 3 seconds
• Ring radius: 150
• Range: 1200
  • As a visual effect, a shrunken ring of stones similar to the Sigil of Geomancy proc surrounds the target area for the skill’s duration.
  • Now produces a red circle.

[Signet of Water] (passive)

• Cure 1 condition and chill foes at the end of your dodge roll.
• Cool-down: 10 seconds
• Delay: 1 second
• Chill: 2 seconds
• Chill radius: 180
  • At the end of the player’s dodge roll, a small frozen ground AoE appears marked with a red circle. After 1 second, a [Frozen Burst] animation plays that inflicts the chill in the description.
  • This passive ability will only proc when curing a condition.

[Signet of Water] (active)

• Cast-time: ½ second
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Conjure a font of chilling water at target location that heals allies and chills foes.
• Healing (3x): 1110 (0.5)
• Chilled (3): 1 second
• Duration: 3 seconds
• Radius: 240
• Combo Field: Water
• Range: 1200
  • The [Signet of Water] field is a light-blue colored [Geyser].
  • Now produces a red/white circle.

Cantrip skills
[Mist Form]

• Recharge reduced from 75 to 60 seconds.
• Duration reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.
• Invulnerability reduced from 3 to 2 seconds.
• Now also cures immobilize, crippled and chill upon activation.
  • Now chains into another skill upon use: [Cold Front].

[Cold Front]

• Cast-time: ¼ second
• Recharge: 5 seconds
• Whirl in a target direction, chilling foes that you strike along the way.
• Damage: 33 (0.2)
• Chill: 1 second
• Evasion: ¾ seconds
• Combo Finisher: Whirl
• Range: 450
  • Warrior [Whirlwind Attack].

[Lightning Flash]

• Recharge reduced from 40 to 30 seconds.
• Damage reduced from 365 (?) to 179 (0.55).

[Cleansing Fire]

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 1¾ seconds
• Recharge: 35 seconds
• Channel a cleansing fire that pulses around you three times, damaging and burning nearby foes while cleansing 1 condition from yourself and nearby allies with each pulse. The final pulse knocks back nearby enemies.
• Damage (3x): 309 (0.9)
• Burning (3): 1 second
• Knock back: 240
• Pulse radius: 240
  • [Cleansing Fire] pulses once every ½ second.

Glyph skills
[Glyph of Renewal]

• Cast-time reduced from 3¼ to 3 seconds.

[Glyph of Storms]

• Recharge reduced from 60 to 45 seconds.

Arcane skills
[Arcane Blast]

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 20 seconds
• Build up an orb of arcane energy above you. After 1 second, this orb flies out at your foe, blasting your foe for critical damage.
• Delay: 1 second
• Damage: 363
• Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile (100%)
• Range: 1500
  • Current projectile size increased by 100%.

[Arcane Wave]

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 30 seconds
• Conjure a ring of arcane energy around target area. After 1 second, the ring explodes, blasting foes in the area for critical damage.
• Delay: 1 second
• Damage: 628
• Combo Finisher: Blast
• Radius: 240
• Range: 900
  • The ring floats just off the ground and highlights the area targeted by [Arcane Wave].
  • Delay ring shares its coloration with [Arcane Blast]’s projectile.

[Arcane Shield]

• Recharge lowered from 75 to 50 seconds.
• Duration lowered from 5 to 2 seconds.

Earth Magic traits
Diamond Skin (Earth Magic — XI)

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• When you attune to earth, you cure conditions and reflect incoming conditions back to their sources.
• Conditions cured: 3
• Condition reflection: 5 seconds
• Cool-down: 30 seconds
  • This trait only triggers in combat.

Water Magic traits
Stop, Drop and Roll (Water Magic — VII)

• If you have 3 or more conditions on you when you dodge, you cast [Cleansing Wave] at the end of your dodge roll.
• Cool-down: 10 seconds

Arcane traits
Blasting Staff (Arcane —

• FUNCTIONALITY CHANGED
• Area attacks with staff are larger. When you change elemental attunements while in combat, you conjure an arcane orb at your location that explodes after a delay, striking adjacent foes for critical damage.
• Radius increase: 30
• [Arcane Orb]
  • Recharge: 10 seconds
  • Delay: 2 seconds
  • Damage: 101
  • Damage radius: 180
  • Combo Finisher: Blast

“Almost Perfect” -

If you ignore the terrible health and armor which simply has NO reason to be so low after all the nerfs. The very low damage unless you go full zerker and if you do – expect to die ALOT

The BIGGEST problems the class has are the fact that you are forced to get Toughness/Vit gear or accept you will die ALOT and the fact you are forced if you want to deal ANY damage and be ANY sort of threat forced into Zerkers which shockingly enough is getting nerfed anyway.

Personally i think that Tornado and Glyph of Elementals need to be buffed. Tornado is NO where near as much of a threat as Plague is, You are VERY easily burst down, the Stability is pretty much removed within seconds as well and the fact you dont get any increase to Toughness means you are just a giant bit of wind with an even bigger bulls eye above it.

Glyph of Elementals i have in the ele forum suggested several changes, some would of course need tweaking but mainly would like to see:

1) Stats – Make them have increased stats based on the elementalist stats. These increases would be different based on each elemental. Fire = Power. Air = Precision. Earth = Toughness. Water = Healing Power
2) Cast time – Reduce it 3/4 of a second or 1second at most. It just feels a bit to long of a cast time as it currently is
3) Cool down – Have it start the moment that it is summoned not when it dies
4) Duration – Remove the 60second duration
5) Player control of “best” attacks – SO annoying to see the elemental use its special attack and it to be wasted, i would rather the Elite button become a special attack button kind of like the Charge for Golem and allow us more control over when it is used.

Of course some weapon skills, traits and Utilities i think could use work as well but what is really the point in saying anything? We have been going on about what needs to be adjusted for SO long you get to the point where you just accept that Anet will do what ever it they want and likely something that the player base doesnt want (Necro Dhuumfire for example…)

DONT touch fgs pls.

That’s a lot to change for something almost perfect. o.O

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

“Almost Perfect” -

If you ignore the terrible health and armor which simply has NO reason to be so low after all the nerfs. The very low damage unless you go full zerker and if you do – expect to die ALOT

He has a vision. In this vision eles are nearly perfect and warrs nerfed to the ground.

Swagg.9236:

[Glyph of Elemental Power]

• FUNCTIONAITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 35 seconds
• Gain powers based on your current attunement.
• Fire Attunement: Might (3): 10 seconds; Fire Aura: 5 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack burns (4 seconds) your target.
• Air Attunement: Swiftness: 10 seconds; Shocking Aura: 3 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack inflicts vulnerability (8 stacks; 10 seconds) and blind (5 seconds) to your target.
• Water Attunement: Regeneration: 5 seconds; Frost Aura: 5 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack chills (3 seconds) your target.
• Earth Attunement: Protection: 5 seconds; Magnetic Aura: 3 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack weakens (5 seconds) your target.
• Breaks stun

So ONE attack is all you get? Seems rather weak in my opinion, Prefer it the way it is now compared to your suggestion.

xXxOrcaxXx.9328:

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

“Almost Perfect” -

If you ignore the terrible health and armor which simply has NO reason to be so low after all the nerfs. The very low damage unless you go full zerker and if you do – expect to die ALOT

He has a vision. In this vision eles are nearly perfect and warrs nerfed to the ground.

Now, if only this were true and not some fairy tale.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

xXxOrcaxXx.9328:

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

“Almost Perfect” -

If you ignore the terrible health and armor which simply has NO reason to be so low after all the nerfs. The very low damage unless you go full zerker and if you do – expect to die ALOT

He has a vision. In this vision eles are nearly perfect and warrs nerfed to the ground.

Now, if only this were true and not some fairy tale.

I’m gonna quote him:

I haven’t even gotten to the warrior and thief threads yet. Get ready for nerfs and functionality changes everywhere.

I’m going to say what I said in your Necro thread Swagg, you’re further crippling a class that’s already crippled by delayed skills. Until hard CC lasts longer than the multiple delays you’re proposing you’re flogging a dead horse.

Again 10/10 for effort though!

Swagg, do you want me to upload some of your daily doses of mad from mumble?

Brutal Arts.6307:

Swagg, do you want me to upload some of your daily doses of mad from mumble?

Haha oh wow, you have recordings?

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

[Glyph of Elemental Power]

• FUNCTIONAITY CHANGED
• Cast-time: 0
• Recharge: 35 seconds
• Gain powers based on your current attunement.
• Fire Attunement: Might (3): 10 seconds; Fire Aura: 5 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack burns (4 seconds) your target.
• Air Attunement: Swiftness: 10 seconds; Shocking Aura: 3 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack inflicts vulnerability (8 stacks; 10 seconds) and blind (5 seconds) to your target.
• Water Attunement: Regeneration: 5 seconds; Frost Aura: 5 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack chills (3 seconds) your target.
• Earth Attunement: Protection: 5 seconds; Magnetic Aura: 3 seconds; For the next 20 seconds, your next attack weakens (5 seconds) your target.
• Breaks stun

So ONE attack is all you get? Seems rather weak in my opinion, Prefer it the way it is now compared to your suggestion.[/quote]

The current version is a passive effect with a stun-breaker tacked onto it. The skill either shouldn’t be a stun-breaker or should be functionally reworked into that something more resembles a skill procced by quick reaction.

xXxOrcaxXx.9328:

He has a vision. In this vision eles are nearly perfect and warrs nerfed to the ground.

“Almost perfect” does come off strong, but the main points to take away from the title and the first paragraph is that Elementalist has some of the most well-balanced individual skills in the game and we should be using those as models for balancing other skills.

MarzAttakz.9608:

I’m going to say what I said in your Necro thread Swagg, you’re further crippling a class that’s already crippled by delayed skills. Until hard CC lasts longer than the multiple delays you’re proposing you’re flogging a dead horse.

Again 10/10 for effort though!

The only thing that cripples the Elementalist is bad operators.

Swagg.9236:

Brutal Arts.6307:

Swagg, do you want me to upload some of your daily doses of mad from mumble?

Haha oh wow, you have recordings?

As soon as the words “godkitten pistolwhip” or “pistolwhipwars2” come out of your mouth I start recording.

Also stop making these threads.

Brutal Arts.6307:

As soon as the words “godkitten pistolwhip” or “pistolwhipwars2” come out of your mouth I start recording.

Oh, lovely. Glad to know that I’m putting on a show.

Brutal Arts.6307:

Also stop making these threads.

Nope.

you… do realize that this falls way, way, waaaaaaaaaay beyond the realm of TL;DR and you might as well be writing this on a notebook, because the devs will never read this, right?

Why did you make everything the ele has counterable by moving or dodging?

I commend you for your hard work figuring out how to make ele better, however what you are proposing is basically an overhaul of the class, which is just not going to happen. Many of your proposed changes are “quality of life” that would benefit ele greatly in some game modes, yet ultimately fall short in others. Also I don’t see you addressing the biggest problem of the elementalist, being lack of any form of defense, be it active or passive. This cripples the class across all game modes more than any other issue eles might have. In WvW, eles serve as nothing more than water field bots, in PvE they are treading on a thin ice with their conjured weapon builds, that might get nerfed sooner or later breaking the class in yet another game mode and in PvP they are completely broken already.

I’m curious how you’re supposed to hit anything with Lightning Strike if this change came to be. One can probably walk out the hit area easily,

Dual.8953:

I’m curious how you’re supposed to hit anything with Lightning Strike if this change came to be. One can probably walk out the hit area easily,

This also had me curious as well. Won’t it work like dragon’s tooth? Awesome in PVE, but meh, stars need to aline first to make it work in PVP.

Eles have more than enough skills with delayed telegraphs already, IMO.

Axialbloom.8109:

Why did you make everything the ele has counterable by moving or dodging?

Axialbloom.8109:

Why did you make [insert anything here] counterable by moving or dodging?

Why would you ever say that? You don’t want to see offensive abilities evaded by clutch dodges, blocks or positioning?

Besides, it’s very possible to strike a moving target with a 1-second delayed 120 radius AoE (since that’s probably everyone’s primary worry). It just takes practice. Changes like these would promote a higher skill cap for the Elementalist, and, no, pressing a lot of buttons very quickly doesn’t necessarily denote a high level of skill.

Even so, maybe lowering it to a 3/4-second delay would be best. I wonder if that’s possible.

Axialbloom.8109:

Why did you make everything the ele has counterable by moving or dodging?

Because apparently …

Swagg.9236:

The only thing that cripples the Elementalist is bad operators.

How do you propose we keep a target locked down for all these delayed skills or does everything become ground targeted?

swagg I can appreciate the goal you’re trying to achieve here

one crucial thing that’s left out is that simultaneously these types of changes would have to be made to every single other class out there

I fear that by itself this thread will not result in any valuable change

Implementing counterplay changes for the elementalist and not other classes simultaneously is quite obvoiusly a significant nerf to what are already highly telegraphed skills when compared to other professions

Im curious if you gonna do one about mesmers actually ^^.

After practicing with untraited lava font for some time in pvp, I have discovered that landing a 1-second delay 120 radius AoE is indeed doable, but still pretty difficult. I’m not saying that it isn’t impossible, but it’s difficult enough to warrant a bump to 150.

Shockwave.1230:

swagg I can appreciate the goal you’re trying to achieve here

one crucial thing that’s left out is that simultaneously these types of changes would have to be made to every single other class out there

That’s why these threads are part of a series. So far we’re at 3/8.

BlackDevil.9268:

Im curious if you gonna do one about mesmers actually ^^.

I concur. I would have wanted a more stylized animation for creating clones, phantasms especially. Instead of just raising an arm or swaying two arms up and to the side, the phantasms dramatically appear as pinkish auras coming out of the caster and not just pop out of nowhere near the caster or near the target. If someone’s gonna argue that it’ll spoil the deception thingy mesmers have with their clones, my suggestion still makes sense since if I were the mesmer, I would make a choice of either not moving around much and blend in with my clones or cast a spell or two which would tell my location. How’s that for a better telegraphed skill?

On topic: As much as I would want most if not all skills have a tell on their animation or telegraph or whatever, it does seem fair and will definitely promote a much healthier balance between play and counter-play especially if all classes will have a balance pass on each skill animation. The idea behind your suggesions is nice but most of the changes are asking for complete overhaul of the elementalist skills which I think is not really necessary. Just few number crunching on cast-times, delays, and damage modifiers will be quite enough. Just my two cents.

Swagg.9236:

Shockwave.1230:

swagg I can appreciate the goal you’re trying to achieve here

one crucial thing that’s left out is that simultaneously these types of changes would have to be made to every single other class out there

That’s why these threads are part of a series. So far we’re at 3/8.

It’s so obvious now

Dual.8953:

I’m curious how you’re supposed to hit anything with Lightning Strike if this change came to be. One can probably walk out the hit area easily,

For some reason he made every single ele ability like that…

Swagg.9236:

Axialbloom.8109:

Why did you make everything the ele has counterable by moving or dodging?

Axialbloom.8109:

Why did you make [insert anything here] counterable by moving or dodging?

Why would you ever say that? You don’t want to see offensive abilities evaded by clutch dodges, blocks or positioning?

Besides, it’s very possible to strike a moving target with a 1-second delayed 120 radius AoE (since that’s probably everyone’s primary worry). It just takes practice. Changes like these would promote a higher skill cap for the Elementalist, and, no, pressing a lot of buttons very quickly doesn’t necessarily denote a high level of skill.

Even so, maybe lowering it to a 3/4-second delay would be best. I wonder if that’s possible.

There is already too much dodging in this game, and half the abilities you altered can just be walked out of, yet require a target.

Also, there are these things called lag, and Anet’s horrible rubberbanding code.

BlackDevil.9268:

Im curious if you gonna do one about mesmers actually ^^.

I have a few things planned by it’s by NO MEANS as extensive as these first three threads. These first three are probably going to be the only big ones. Warrior might get a little long—OH WAIT, no, Thief will be really long too. Man, that class is an absolute mess.

Well, I did have an idea on how to make phantasms something a little more complex than just “press button, receive damage,” but it’s another one of those fantasy-tier suggestions that I fear would be incredibly off-the-wall.

In any case, Mesmer is actually also in a tight spot with its playstyle. It’s a very time-starved class (aside from PU) with little sustain or CC in most set-ups. I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about Mesmer, though. Once I make the thread, I’d be happy to receive input.

Axialbloom.8109:

For some reason he made every single ele ability like that…

It’s going to be a learn to play issue. It won’t be at all impossible, but it would require a little practice—unlike most things in this game.

Axialbloom.8109:

There is already too much dodging in this game,

Trait-related vigor nerfs are coming. Sigil of Energy is pretty crazy, though ESPECIALLY now that you can just get one for free on two-handed weapons. That might be something to think about.

Axialbloom.8109:

and half the abilities you altered can just be walked out of, yet require a target.

AoE’s don’t require a target. They can even circumvent line of sight if you play it right. As for worrying about enemies walking out of a delayed AoE, then DON’T cast it on top of them. It’s a learned finesse to be able to lead a target with a delayed AoE attack. Plan ahead. Use your friends as help if need be.

That said, once again, I think that my current suggestion for [Lightning Strike] is a little too unforgiving. I think it’d be best to tweak the damage and then give it a 150 radius AoE. If I was still managing to hit people with the first tick of an untraited [Lava Font] in pvp, a 150 radius AoE would be very viable, would raise the skill cap of elementalist and also provide scepter with some additional AoE.

Axialbloom.8109:

Also, there are these things called lag, and Anet’s horrible rubberbanding code.

There is that, but I won’t consider “lag” or “rubberbanding” as something to consider when balancing. Although it exists, one can’t just factor in random variables into the balancing process; one needs a clean slate.

Swagg.9236:

It’s going to be a learn to play issue. It won’t be at all impossible, but it would require a little practice—unlike most things in this game.

Axialbloom.8109:

There is already too much dodging in this game,

Trait-related vigor nerfs are coming. Sigil of Energy is pretty crazy, though ESPECIALLY now that you can just get one for free on two-handed weapons. That might be something to think about.

Axialbloom.8109:

and half the abilities you altered can just be walked out of, yet require a target.

AoE’s don’t require a target. They can even circumvent line of sight if you play it right. As for worrying about enemies walking out of a delayed AoE, then DON’T cast it on top of them. It’s a learned finesse to be able to lead a target with a delayed AoE attack. Plan ahead. Use your friends as help if need be.

That said, once again, I think that my current suggestion for [Lightning Strike] is a little too unforgiving. I think it’d be best to tweak the damage and then give it a 150 radius AoE. If I was still managing to hit people with the first tick of an untraited [Lava Font] in pvp, a 150 radius AoE would be very viable, would raise the skill cap of elementalist and also provide scepter with some additional AoE.

Axialbloom.8109:

Also, there are these things called lag, and Anet’s horrible rubberbanding code.

There is that, but I won’t consider “lag” or “rubberbanding” as something to consider when balancing. Although it exists, one can’t just factor in random variables into the balancing process; one needs a clean slate.[/quote]

I do think that the version of your lightning strike should be 1/2 second delay as opposed to the full second, mostly because of the extra delay it will already receive by way of ground targeting.

EDIT: something terrible happened to the quote.

P Fun Daddy.1208:

I do think that the version of your lightning strike should be 1/2 second delay as opposed to the full second, mostly because of the extra delay it will already receive by way of ground targeting.

Actually, if you—and anyone else in the thread—want to go see something really neat, head to Orr. I’m not sure which NPC enemy it is exactly (it’s a wizard/spellcaster of some sort), but there’s an enemy risen spellcaster that casts a delayed AoE version of scepter air 2 [Lightning Strike]. It’s actually beautifully made. The delay isn’t terribly long, but it’s long enough that you can dodge it with good timing. I should go back there and find the NPC again, get hit by it and then get the name of that skill in the damage log. That’s what we need [Lightning Strike] to be.

P Fun Daddy.1208:

EDIT: something terrible happened to the quote.

Yeah, that was pretty horrifying. I think that that happens when you try quoting two quotes at the same time.

Swagg it looks like you have put a lot of thought into these skill overhauls looking at both damage and recharge, but are you going to change any stat scaling as well?

Some weapon attacks have different power scaling which is just as important as the base damage (which can be very important in some builds).

I have been collecting some data on the different classes plotting for then next class CDI.

Anyway, I have to appreciate all of the time and effort you have put into a class overhaul, but I think that you may be focusing on the wrong things.

1) the profession is not well put together. It was the first designed when energy was still used for skills and they removed that component with little to no compensation to the elementalist because most of the skills had been designed and balanced for energy (why do you think our recharge times are so long).

2) The primary class mechanic does Nothing, that’s right, besides a weapon switch every other class gets. we have to put traits to get it to do something (another thing I believe that was missing in alpha and later duct taped to the Elementalist).

2a) it used to do something by the way, water fields would latterly slow any creature in a radius and fire and air would do continual damage so you did not have to constantly spam attunements (but could since there were no cooldowns).

3) lowest health means it is 750 vitality short of high health classes and vitality 420 short of medium health classes and lowest armor meaning it is 200 toughness short of high AC classes and 140 short of medium AC classes. (This is probably one of the biggest reasons it feels like when you play the Elementalist you play the game on hard mode)

3a) I am not asking for Elementalist to be given 750 vitality or 200 toughness, I am just saying that it is very hard to balance 1 class when you give 500 – 1000 attribute bonus. I think it would be fair if the elementalist actually traded durability for damage by increasing power and critical % / critical damage by an equal amount lost.

4) our elemental traits only help us with 1/4 of our attack skills and arcane does not give any stats, but is so crucial to the Elementalist. We fall further behind in traits trying to gain some survivability through water (I think it would shock most classes that regeneration in water and curing conditions on attuning to water are not part of the core class abilities).

5) All ranged attacks take a huge DPS hit than comparable melee attacks with no regard for the difficulty of getting their full affect or duration (look no further to the 2 best weapons for the Elementalist the lightning hammer and FGS, but it works across other classes as well). I know it is annoying to hit someone in melee, but I think skills like dragon tooth, ice spike, lava font, eruption, etc need a big buff since they can be dodged by a crippled player. They either should track the target (but be blocked by dodge and other invulnerability, or should get a boost since they are so easily countered to better fit the risk vs reward).

6) Damage of the Elementalist is split between power and condition damage. This really hurts our overall DPS because the best way to maximize DD is power and crit damage which is mutually exclusive with condition damage (not that we have a competitive condition build with just bleed and fire).

7) our auto attack DPS in certain attunements is terrible… I really mean it. Water blast is the worst auto attack in the game at 82 DPS, followed by stoning at 137. Arc lightning does not fair much better at 161 and chain lightning at 174 (remember Air is supposed to be our high single target DPS). (Compare with 280 from guardian scepter orb, 279 with engineer rifle (and hits all targets in a line), 248 from range short bow (485 if you account for bleed), and 224 from Elementalist fire ball. (I only compared other ranged weapons, DPS of melee attacks -range 130 to 150 – start at 323 with Mesmer mind slash and end at 490 with warrior Ax)

7a) You may be wondering if I am a real Elementalist if I harp on auto attack DPS, but there are two reasons. One, I am still building a DPS calculation algorithms for all of the classes accounting for certain staple rotations and builds and this takes time. Two, I am literally tired (no seriourly my wrists are) of constant attunment mashing to activate and rotate skills. I would really love a few competitive builds that focus on 1 or two elements (and don’t get me started on how much easier it is to do the same or more DPS, with more survivability, roughly equal utility for so much less button mashing).

There are other failing of the Elementalist that others have pointed out. From what I see your skill overhaul addresses issues 5 and 7, but it looks like that in an effort to give opponents the chance to dodge, you did not increase the DPS sufficiently to punish them when they do not.

Also by making so many AOE ground target spells you increase the carpal tunnel factor and skill factor by a lot (think engineer grenade kit build). I do not mind a high skill cap for certain classes and strategies, but they either need to be very fun or very rewarding (i.e. do something other classes can’t. right not one of the biggest drawbacks to the Elementalist is it is very high skill for average reward).

Almost perfect and 10 Posts with changes? And you didnt even touch the traits…. wow. The most problems every class has, comes from their traits or core mechanic, the skills, that you obviously only want to make dodge-able, are the minor problem.
The access to bonus damage an ele has is unbalanced, 30% in water, 20% in earth,…. this destroys the balance of the builds and end in “broken fgs builds”, where you have to stay in water, because it deals the most damage with fgs.

Another problem is, that there is no condition or power weapon, you allways have both. But the stats out there, are only power or condition, the only hybrid thing is celestial, but it also gives you defensive stats, which doesnt allow high damage builds. So for high damage, you can either take direct damage or condition damage, but not both. Which makes half or your skills useless. Some set with power, precision, crit damage and condition damage, everything a minor stat could help the ele more, than your changes.

btw. I think you should write at the top of each weaponset/skill, what your ideas behind those changes are. Its hard to understand your changes, because you only post some numbers.

Swagg, have you seen DiogoSilva’s Staff and Scepter changes?
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Elementalist-Staff-Changes/

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Elementalist-Sensible-Scepter-Suggestions/

You’ll note some striking similarities in lines of thought, but there is one thing that I do disagree on with both you and DiogoSilva and that is Shatterstone

Swagg.9236:

[Shatterstone] (Water 2)

• Added tool-tip: Delay: 2 seconds
• Damage increased from 252 (?) to 336 (1.0).

DiogoSilva.7089:

• Shatterstone
  This skill is underwhelming. Because vulnerability was already added to the AA, let’s take this into a new direction.
  Proposal: Each 0.75 seconds applies torment for 1-2 seconds. On shattering, applies 2 seconds of chill.
  Why? To punish or to cripple movement… to set up future bursts with Dragon’s Tooth, of course!

I feel that Shatterstone should be applying 1 second of Chill on placement – with EITHER Torment OR Vulnerability if opponent stays in AOE after detonation. Without Chill; or leaving Chill at detonation, Scepter Ele loses a method to soft-snare a target and/or force dodges.

Counterplay against Shatterstone is still just to walk out of it at the moment – adding Torment on placement or leaving it to not snare will leave Shatterstone ignored outside of cleaving downed bodies – which Phoenix does many times more effectively.

EDIT:
I agree with most of your proposals in general; however, the majority of Elementalist’s issues stem not from Weapon Skills, but from Utilities and Traits. That said, I have identified a few issues:

• Many of your skillshots incorporate post-cast delay, yet there are very few, long CD snares or lockdowns to ensure they land. The current “setups” for /Dagger are Earthquake, Updraft – and you’re essentially removing 1 setup in the form of Updraft making it a 1.5 second channel. More in my next post.

Swagg.9236:

BlackDevil.9268:

Im curious if you gonna do one about mesmers actually ^^.

I have a few things planned by it’s by NO MEANS as extensive as these first three threads. These first three are probably going to be the only big ones. Warrior might get a little long—OH WAIT, no, Thief will be really long too. Man, that class is an absolute mess.

Well, I did have an idea on how to make phantasms something a little more complex than just “press button, receive damage,” but it’s another one of those fantasy-tier suggestions that I fear would be incredibly off-the-wall.

In any case, Mesmer is actually also in a tight spot with its playstyle. It’s a very time-starved class (aside from PU) with little sustain or CC in most set-ups. I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about Mesmer, though. Once I make the thread, I’d be happy to receive input.

Hm well I can give you some heads up what’s wrong with mesmer in the big picture:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/WvW-Mesmer-needs-to-be-balanced/page/3#post3563218

Swagg, read through everything here. You’re not in touch with elementalist as it is now, and you’re suggesting a new elementalist all together. It won’t work.

Operate within the confines with which we have now, and you’ll receive better comments, and your ideas won’t seem so whacky.

At that, you’re giving a boat load of our skills cast times, ect. where they don’t need them. Mist form doesn’t need a damaging attack at the end.. That doesn’t make sense. It does need its cool down brought down though.

The change to cleansing fire is poor at best. Easily interruptible, and it’ll go unused just like ether renewal does for any D/D ele with a brain (in WvW).

The only thing I saw here that I actually liked was a change to updraft. I think both updraft and churning earth deserve to be charge skills… They can be instantly used if you use them as such, but if you charge them they increase in power. Nice idea.

Lastly, I’ll end on the thing everybody is criticizing. The burning speed evasion. It is necessary, the skill already should have had it (continuity with burning retreat) and it gives D/D ele (such a fragile thing) a bit of an opener that can’t be stopped by a randomly swinging hammer warrior.

Best of luck,

P.S. Where the heck do you get the idea of changing nothing about Dragon’s Tooth but the base damage by a few points of damage? Please explain.