Guild Wars 2

There is one major thing that turned me off playing the game, it was it’s lackluster basic combo system…….lacking to a point where there are builds benefiting from stacking one buff (Might) by repeated use of the same field which has different effects.

I have a 80 guardian one thing that I noticed was all symbol fields produce the same effect regardless of there purpose. I know all symbols count as light but it was stupid how the mace healing symbol produced the same outcome as the hammer protection symbol or greatsword retaliation symbol which would 3 stacks of might.

Why couldn’t the mace healing symbol syngeies with it’s role? healing and protection so a blast finisher would result in an out come of a stack of regeneration (Also so find it stupid how might is the only positive stacking buff) or a blast finisher on a protection symbol result in an out come protection ?

Would help the guardian in upkeep of buffs not only for himself but also for the group it seems only Eles are able to maintain such buff upkeep because o there bazillion tools guess it’s the reason why 3 or more eles is actually beneficial.

I have an 80 guard; so, I feel ya on the combo fields.

The reason for our vast majority of light fields is probably theme-based. Guards bring the light, so we have light fields. I would personally like a water field for healing… but that might be a little over powered for our spec, due to the other abilities and buffs that we have.

On a more positive note, a couple of our skills produce a fire field… that mixes it up just a little bit. We only have 2 combo fields, but different finishers can give different buffs for the same field. Our ability to keep the protection buff on ourselves and team-mates for extended periods of time is nothing to sneeze at either.

I would like a combo field system that is more complex and dynamic… but this is the one we have (for the moment).

3 or more ele’s is overkill really.
The combo’s do not justify the loss of DPS you will get by running triple ele.

What I would like to see from combo’s is stronger versions of conditions. When you shoot through a poison field, I dont want to see additional poison, I want to see disease. When you shoot through a fire field, I dont want burning, I want immolation.

as it stands currently there’s not much reason to be using most combo fields.

top tier:
Fire – might and burning. Burning is still a pretty strong condition, and short durations usually mean no toe-stepping
Smoke – Easiest blind spam in the game, total shutdown.

high tier:
Water – heals
lightning – vulnerability stacks up to 25 times, so it’s basically always just free damage

mid tier:
Dark – chance for blindness, but you have to give up better alternatives
light – Retaliation is good, but as good as might? Eh. Cleansing conditions is pretty awesome, but if you’re with an ele he’s probably cured them all already.

low tier:
Ice: freeze is good, but it’s not the most impressive combo field. Also anyone using a blast finisher into it makes me weep into my elementalist robes. (Why didnt you use that in my fire field!) It’s also very rare. Dont expect to see this unless you’re with a staff ele.
Poison: Poison is ok. It’s not bad, but it’s not on the same level as the others

Doodoo tier:
Ethereal: I cant number the ways this is bad. For starters confusion does basically jack all to monsters. So projectiles and whirls are right out. And chaos armor? Really? You’re relying on 3 things here. 1. Activation of the combo field through blast or leap (both of which could be used to more effect on basically any other field) 2. that in a 3 second timeframe afterwards, the person who proced the field is hit 3. That the effect granted by chaos armor will be worth it (spoilers: it wont)

It’s the only combo field that gives essentially no effect unless your party is struck by an attack, which is the opposite of how you should be approaching combat. Also given how strong attacks are from monsters, the single condition and boon will not be worth taking that hp chunking.

when faced with either 3 stacks of might (note: an ele can keep lava font on the ground almost permanently, there’s basically no reason to use a blast finisher anywhere but this combo field) or pretty much any alternative given by combo fields, you quickly realize that there’s no contest. If I cant shoot through your field to gain good effects, then im probably not going to use it.

Chaos armor will proc on each tic of a condition. It has it’s purpose. Burning, Poison, or bleeding will quickly ramp up all those wonderful boons.

Confusion also hits like a truck in PVE, if maintained at high stacks. You give Ethereal a lot less credit than it deserves. Especially when it can come from Time Warp.

Combos are the mad thing EVER. In some events full of people, and we must call friends or guildies that know how to do them, for do them. :P

Max Lexandre.6279:

Combos are the mad thing EVER. In some events full of people, and we must call friends or guildies that know how to do them, for do them. :P

Yes they are mad? but doesn’t require much coordination, place X here so i can Y to produce Z. At it’s most basic form.