Guild Wars 2

Both of these runes have +10% might duration for their 2, and strength has the 5s icd gaining might on hit and +15% might duration on their 4 while aristocracy has only a +15% might duration.

Aristocracy runes should get that stacking might ability on the 4 for these to be balanced, it doesn’t make sense to have a 4 that is the same as another runes 4 but with a bonus, things should actually be balanced enough so that doesn’t happen :/

I think you are asking it the opposite way. All 45% of something in a Rune set needs to go and be done with.

Huh? I think its fine to have increased durations of various boons/conditions on a rune set. I think the levels should be balanced tho, so the 4’s on various runes are roughly the same power level. Obviously having an extra ability for the same +15% might duration is a tad unbalanced.

That particular on-struck ability is not that powerful, but it is odd that it isn’t on the aristocracy runes when it’s on the strength runes. In fact, I can’t think of any reason why it’s not.

One could potentially make the argument that the on-heal might stacks given by the aristocracy runes is so powerful that the runes of strength need both the on-struck might stacks as well as the +5% damage boost (which was previously +7%). However, I find that to be a weak argument as the +5% damage boost is exceptionally strong already, and most players will not simply waste their heal skill to get some extra might if they’re not hurt. Most heal skills can’t take full advantage of the 10s ICD anyways.

I guess the next time they do a rune/sigil balance pass they might add this onto them.

Its why strenght runes are still stppidly OP.

Power even scales better than condi damage, the 4th bonus should be 100% removed.
Almost no runeset has such a gratis effect , and power + might duration is already wombo combo

Yamsandjams.3267:

That particular on-struck ability is not that powerful, but it is odd that it isn’t on the aristocracy runes when it’s on the strength runes. In fact, I can’t think of any reason why it’s not.

One could potentially make the argument that the on-heal might stacks given by the aristocracy runes is so powerful that the runes of strength need both the on-struck might stacks as well as the +5% damage boost (which was previously +7%). However, I find that to be a weak argument as the +5% damage boost is exceptionally strong already, and most players will not simply waste their heal skill to get some extra might if they’re not hurt. Most heal skills can’t take full advantage of the 10s ICD anyways.

I guess the next time they do a rune/sigil balance pass they might add this onto them.

Yeah, it’s super effective on an engi that uses medkit and takes enhanced performance though.

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Yamsandjams.3267:

That particular on-struck ability is not that powerful, but it is odd that it isn’t on the aristocracy runes when it’s on the strength runes. In fact, I can’t think of any reason why it’s not.

One could potentially make the argument that the on-heal might stacks given by the aristocracy runes is so powerful that the runes of strength need both the on-struck might stacks as well as the +5% damage boost (which was previously +7%). However, I find that to be a weak argument as the +5% damage boost is exceptionally strong already, and most players will not simply waste their heal skill to get some extra might if they’re not hurt. Most heal skills can’t take full advantage of the 10s ICD anyways.

I guess the next time they do a rune/sigil balance pass they might add this onto them.

Yeah, it’s super effective on an engi that uses medkit and takes enhanced performance though.

that there would be an engi who gimps himself by not taking incendiary powder instead >.>

Yeah I just wish some of the condi runes were more usable. The perplexity runes are so strong that all the other ones aren’t usable and I figured fixing this easy balance with aristocracy runes might be the lowest hanging fruit to fix.

Also isn’t the shortest heal in the game 15 seconds, why are there even 10s icds on heal skills?

Yamsandjams.3267:

That particular on-struck ability is not that powerful, but it is odd that it isn’t on the aristocracy runes when it’s on the strength runes. In fact, I can’t think of any reason why it’s not.

One could potentially make the argument that the on-heal might stacks given by the aristocracy runes is so powerful that the runes of strength need both the on-struck might stacks as well as the +5% damage boost (which was previously +7%). However, I find that to be a weak argument as the +5% damage boost is exceptionally strong already, and most players will not simply waste their heal skill to get some extra might if they’re not hurt. Most heal skills can’t take full advantage of the 10s ICD anyways.

I guess the next time they do a rune/sigil balance pass they might add this onto them.

Rocketmist.5436:

Also isn’t the shortest heal in the game 15 seconds, why are there even 10s icds on heal skills?

Mesmer has matra of recovery which can be used around every 12.5 seconds and even if there wasn’t such a heal, it is always nice to be prepared for future changes.

Rocketmist.5436:

Also isn’t the shortest heal in the game 15 seconds, why are there even 10s icds on heal skills?

The engineer is the one who can best exploit the 10s ICD since swapping to med kit counts as using a heal skill, and it has no cooldown on it. There’s also certain auto-recharge conditions for heal skills, such as the engineer’s automated medical response trait, which can allow you to use a heal skill that quickly.

Other than that, I think they just set it to that value since it’s lower that most heal skills, but doesn’t necessarily get exploited an insane amount from something like medkit or future healing skills they might implement.

insanemaniac.2456:

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Yamsandjams.3267:

That particular on-struck ability is not that powerful, but it is odd that it isn’t on the aristocracy runes when it’s on the strength runes. In fact, I can’t think of any reason why it’s not.

One could potentially make the argument that the on-heal might stacks given by the aristocracy runes is so powerful that the runes of strength need both the on-struck might stacks as well as the +5% damage boost (which was previously +7%). However, I find that to be a weak argument as the +5% damage boost is exceptionally strong already, and most players will not simply waste their heal skill to get some extra might if they’re not hurt. Most heal skills can’t take full advantage of the 10s ICD anyways.

I guess the next time they do a rune/sigil balance pass they might add this onto them.

Yeah, it’s super effective on an engi that uses medkit and takes enhanced performance though.

that there would be an engi who gimps himself by not taking incendiary powder instead >.>

You can still get incendiary powder if you run 6 in explosives and are not using nades, then you are stuck with the choice of reducing the firearms line or the tools line. But it still works well even without enhanced performance if you are not willing to short yourself in one of those lines.

Meh, IMO I think all current +stat or duration effects (and minus ones, too) are quite too strong.

What I’d do:

• Reduce all stats on items and traits and runes and sigils by 60%. A traitline fully specced gives 120 points of a stat or 2% of a percentage.
• All base stats are increased by ~30%. A character basically gets half of what is lost in the specced part back, but for all stats.
• Rebalance skill durations for the lost duration to achieve the same 30% increased base.

In other words, reduce the extremes. Fully non-specced durations and stats are stronger, fully specced durations and stats are weaker.

Yamsandjams.3267:

Rocketmist.5436:

Also isn’t the shortest heal in the game 15 seconds, why are there even 10s icds on heal skills?

The engineer is the one who can best exploit the 10s ICD since swapping to med kit counts as using a heal skill, and it has no cooldown on it. There’s also certain auto-recharge conditions for heal skills, such as the engineer’s automated medical response trait, which can allow you to use a heal skill that quickly.

Other than that, I think they just set it to that value since it’s lower that most heal skills, but doesn’t necessarily get exploited an insane amount from something like medkit or future healing skills they might implement.

Don’t forget Summon Blood Fiend on Necros or Healing Turret on Engineers.

Really, any Heal skill that has a chain.

This seems like an easy and legitimate change ANet can handle. All of the traits should be given similar treatment imo.

Seems like a lot of the runes and sigils were poorly thought out imo.

Atherakhia.4086:

Seems like a lot of the runes and sigils were poorly thought out imo.

The majority of them are ok, especially with the sigils. The issue with the runes is that there’s so many of them that some of them will either overlap, or the effects are too niche to really be that remarkable in a build.

For instance, if you compare the necromancer runes to the nightmare runes, the former is technically the “fear specialist” rune since it gives you the biggest fear duration boost. However, the nightmare runes only have 5% less fear duration, with 15% extra duration on all other conditions, plus an extra source of fear at the cost of 1k life. This makes the nightmare runes much more effective in a terrormancer build even though the necromancer runes are tailored towards it. It’s not that the necromancer runes are bad, per se, there just generally not as useful as nightmare runes.

In the case of strength vs. aristocracy though, there’s really no sensible reason I can’t think of as to why they don’t also have the on-struck ability for the 4-piece bonus. I think you can definitely chalk that one up to design oversight.

Yamsandjams.3267:

Atherakhia.4086:

Seems like a lot of the runes and sigils were poorly thought out imo.

~snip~
In the case of strength vs. aristocracy though, there’s really no sensible reason I can’t think of as to why they don’t also have the on-struck ability for the 4-piece bonus. I think you can definitely chalk that one up to design oversight.

It’s because aristocracy has might on heal instead of might on being struck. It’s not a design oversight, it was intentionally done this way. Obviously that doesn’t balance the two different runesets in terms of might generation but I don’t think they are meant to be balanced that way. These two runesets are always the most effective if you have some other way to generate might ie strength sigil, blasts, traits etc etc. The bonus might generation the runes provide is meant to be just that, a bonus not the standalone method for generating might.

Carighan.6758:

Meh, IMO I think all current +stat or duration effects (and minus ones, too) are quite too strong.

What I’d do:

• Reduce all stats on items and traits and runes and sigils by 60%. A traitline fully specced gives 120 points of a stat or 2% of a percentage.
• All base stats are increased by ~30%. A character basically gets half of what is lost in the specced part back, but for all stats.
• Rebalance skill durations for the lost duration to achieve the same 30% increased base.

In other words, reduce the extremes. Fully non-specced durations and stats are stronger, fully specced durations and stats are weaker.

I am completely against lowering the benefit for invested trait points. Personally I think it is a terrible idea for players investment benefits to be reduced for the trait points the earn.

I don’t think runes are balanced overall though, thats why I think this is an easy fix hopefully, most all of the 1-6’s seem like they were trying to balance them out with eachother. However, in this case I feel like they could fix it not that bad. When they lowered strength runes from 7% to 5% a lot of people were happy they didnt wait 6 months to balance it, I think stuff like this could be dealt with very quickly and people would enjoy these oversight style balance fixes.

Rocketmist.5436:

I think stuff like this could be dealt with very quickly and people would enjoy these oversight style balance fixes.

I’m fairly certain they could, although I doubt they will. The primary reason is that runes of aristocracy are not terribly common as a rune choice.

Strength runes were tweaked because they became one of the most highly demanded runes on the trading post, and they were used very frequently in sPvP. So they felt it was more worth their time to change them immediately (esports and all that).

coglin.1867:

I am completely against lowering the benefit for invested trait points. Personally I think it is a terrible idea for players investment benefits to be reduced for the trait points the earn.

All other sources of stats except base stats would go down by the same percentage too, however. The change can also be done another way around, boost base stats significantly across the board but reduce multiplication-modifiers on skills.

Either way, the comparative impact of chosen stats (traits / gear) is lessened, making you weaker where you’re strong and stronger where you’re weak.

Something this game pretty desperately needs IMO. A big issue with balance is how different we are. A bunker guardian and a full zerker guardian are two different classes. And so far apart comparisons are pretty meaningless.

Yeah unfortunately the condition runes get overlooked more since its not as meta in the pvp (esports) side of the game. Anywho, I think tweaks to runes/sigils could be a big thing for balance, its pretty easy to see which runes/sigils need some work. I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone using or even testing out runes of aristocracy, there’s a lot of low hanging fruit left to balance on the runes/sigils front.