Guild Wars 2

A NOTE: All numbers and even specific stat reductions in this suggestion are subject to critique and are mainly placeholder variables. The point of this post is to provide general concepts for improvement rather than nail down the numerical specifics of how those ideas would function in active play.

Burning

• Now upgrades itself based on its total duration. Stacks in duration.
  —> 0-3 second duration = 1st Degree Burn: Current Burning damage coefficient
  —> 3-6 second duration = 2nd Degree Burn: Current Burning damage coefficient; Target’s precision is reduced (reduction based on source’s Condition Damage; capped at 200)
  —> 6-10 second duration = 3rd Degree Burn: Current Burning damage coefficient; Target’s precision is reduced further (reduction based on source’s Condition Damage; capped at 400)
  —> x > 10 second duration = 4th Degree Burn: 105% Current Burning damage coefficient; Target’s precision is reduced equal to 3rd Degree Burn calculations; Target’s Toughness is reduced (reduction based on source’s Condition Damage; capped at 200)

All stat reductions are calculated according to the Condition Damage of the last person to inflict Burning on a target. In this regard, in addition to contributing to a stack of Burning on a target, it is possible to overwrite another person’s Burning on that target with a more or less effective version based on a group’s coordination.

This version of Burning would be more useful for PvE where large groups of people could stack long Burning durations onto a target with a massive hit-point pool and thereby somewhat reduce its Toughness in the form of a pseudo-Vulnerability stack.

It wouldn’t be horridly imbalanced in PvP since stacking 10 seconds of Burning would require quite the skill and possibly even trait investment. Even if one were to stack a Burning duration on a target past 10 seconds, by one’s self, it is difficult to achieve a 4th Degree Burn for a substantial amount of time (maybe enough to get off a few attacks before it degrades into a 3rd Degree Burn). Furthermore, since it’s a condition, it is subject to removal.

Blind

• Now split into two types of Blindness.
  —> Clouded sight [place-holder name]: Functions as per the current Blind mechanic
  —> Blind: Next outgoing attack misses; if you missed an attack, Precision is then reduced and 50% of all Non-critical hits are glancing blows (50% damage) for 3 seconds; does not stack duration (Precision reduction based on source’s Condition Damage; capped at at 800)
  —> This condition would receive an even more dramatic on-screen effect than [Clouded Sight], or perhaps [Clouded Sight] would receive no on-screen effect and that effect would be kept on Blind.

The new Blind would be a sort of offensive Protection that could be used to mitigate incoming damage on either yourself or other teammates. This sort of change would promote active play in how players could choose how and when to utilize this powerful Condition in the midst of battle. More importantly, since the duration does not stack, there won’t be players running around with their damage capacity stunted for 10-15 seconds. If two respective instances of the new Blind were to occur on a single target, the second would simply overwrite the first and restart the Condition from the initial “Next outgoing attack misses” stage.

The split into two Conditions would allow ANet to safely buff to certain skills that utilize the current Blind as their main utility gimmick without completely changing them otherwise. Skills like Ray of Judgment, Signet of Air, Counterspell, Signet of Midnight, as well as others could inflict the new, buffed version of Blind instead of [Clouded Sight], thus buffing their utility and better justifying their use as Weapon Skills or Utilities. Furthermore, it would avoid a game-wide Blind buff that would be difficult to balance given that some current Blind skills are easily spammed and that the Thief has a vast access to the Condition.

Aegis

• Given its relative rarity as a Boon granted among skills, traits and runes, it would not benefit from a self-enhancing stack mechanic like Burning.
  —> Block the next incoming attack; if you blocked an attack, then for 3 seconds, you are shielded from massive damage.

The “shielded from massive damage” clause refers to losing health within a range of 20% – 10% from a single attack. The specific percentile for each respective instance of Aegis would be calculated based on the source’s Healing Power. This means, with 0 Healing Power, a target with Aegis on could not lose more than 20% of his total hp from a single attack. The potential damage mitigated from a single hit beyond 20% of a player’s total hp would only lower from there with higher Healing Power until the effect capped out at 10% total hp.

This idea is in lines with the GW1 enchantments: Protective Spirit and Spirit Bond. Those were useful and pro-active mechanics, and they should see play in GW2 at least in this Boon.

Weakness

• Now upgrades itself based on its total duration. Stacks in duration.
  —> 0-6 second duration = Weakness: Current Functionality
  —> x > 6 second duration = Exhaustion: Endurance regeneration decreased by 50%; 66% of Non-Critical hits are glancing blows (50% damage); Skill use drains 3% of your Endurance

Maybe Weakness doesn’t need a buff. And if it does, perhaps this one is too strong. With the right adjustments, I personally don’t believe this suggestion to be that overpowered given that most skills and traits inflict 2-5 seconds of Weakness on cool-downs that prevent solo stacking. The only loopholes would be the Warrior mace main-hand auto-attack, the Thief skill Skale Venom and the Thief trait Lotus Poison. Beyond that, it’s either impossible, incredibly difficult or luck of the draw to achieve a Weakness duration longer than 6 seconds by one’s self.

Mobs don’t have Precision stats, though?

Man… I would reaaaaally love this. This game desperately LACKS depth in terms of game mechanics. These are all too simple as they are right now.

There are certain conditions/boons that cannot be improved upon stacking them (i.e: Immobilized, stability, protection, swiftness, poison, chilled) simply because it either makes no sense or it would get out of line (in terms of balance)

I would love to see your suggestions about Aegis/Fury/Vulnerability/Weakness
DIVA

Olba.5376:

Mobs don’t have Precision stats, though?

The precision reduction is mainly for PvP. The 4th Degree Burn is sort of a PvE-only aspect (since its easier to get groups that can stack the duration that high and maintain it there) that can be achieved to an extent in PvP (but also mitigated more regularly there due to Condition removal).

D I V A.6018:

I would love to see your suggestions about Aegis/Fury/Vulnerability/Weakness
DIVA

I think Vulnerability is in a good place where it is now. It was a little too overpowered during the betas and, although it’s pretty bland, I think they’ve found a safe place for it with the “1% incoming damage per stack” mechanic.

Fury is a problem for me. Whereas it is digustingly one-dimensional (Haha, let me get 20% Critical Damage for a fixed duration and nothing you spec into can change it—la, la, la), it’s still very powerful. Since you can stack it, there’s the option to using the self-enhanced stack mechanic like I showed with Burning and Weakness, but one would have to be very careful about that to the point where I don’t think it would be worth doing at all. Maybe something like “For every 15 seconds of Fury stacked, you get a guaranteed Critical Hit” or something, but again that’s sort of shallow.

Doesn’t take much effort for an Elementalist to keeping something burning continuously. All encounters with Destroyers would need to be rebalanced as well as any environment that could keep applying burning( I am thinking of the grawl fractal and Evolved Destroyer fight). There are also all the traits that convert X% of one stat to another.

Having blind and weakness give overlapping effects does not look like a good idea. They might be fine on their own but that looks too powerful when both are in effect.

Weakness already reduces Endurance regeneration by 50% so I am not sure where you are going with that.

The Aegis change sounds like it would be very annoying to play a melee character. Especially a guardian.

Khisanth.2948:

Doesn’t take much effort for an Elementalist to keeping something burning continuously. All encounters with Destroyers would need to be rebalanced as well as any environment that could keep applying burning( I am thinking of the grawl fractal and Evolved Destroyer fight). There are also all the traits that convert X% of one stat to another.

Having blind and weakness give overlapping effects does not look like a good idea. They might be fine on their own but that looks too powerful when both are in effect.

Weakness already reduces Endurance regeneration by 50% so I am not sure where you are going with that.

The Aegis change sounds like it would be very annoying to play a melee character. Especially a guardian.

Weakness is focused on limiting Endurance and giving a chance at limiting damage.. Blind is about reducing Critical hits.

Elementalists can burn things constantly if the thing they’re targeting is braindead. The only way to reliably achieve a >10s burn on another player with an Elementalist would be to get an entire Drake’s Breath off on them (which would quickly degrade into a 3rd degree burn due to the channeling time), get some friends to throw burning bolts/projectiles all over the place while you do some moderate burning (more power to you for the teamwork), or use Signet of Fire and a burning skill (which—Signet of Flame, really?—is honestly a bit crippling to lose one of your utilities for that; and it could also be nerfed quite easily).

You’re maybe right about the PvE aspects of it from monsters that can stack burning quickly. Then again, it might just make things more interesting.

Aegis. Then remove the bubble? These are broad ideas I’m throwing out, not specific demands. I’d be fine with it just being a block followed by 3 seconds of a 1-shot Protective Spirit ala GW1. It’d be better than what it is now anyway.

Bump because of slight updates to the suggestions above.