Guild Wars 2

I like the fact that you dont have to run a specific trait to play spirit weapons, but I think more AI is what we don’t need in this game. In addition, they are pretty bad as utilities for a support guardian. Not even close to shouts or even consecrations. Not to say they just die to AoE.
Change to Renewed Focus is good, for both dps and bunker guard (specially dps).
Changes to Tomes are good but not enough. I want to explain that.
Gaining stability is really good when traited (+10 more seconds active), but the problem with tomes (in pvp) are basically 4:
- You can’t stomp/rezz.
- Too long cast time for #4 and #5. 4 and 1/4s in pvp is just not viable. And you can’t move.
- Too long cooldown.
- You can’t use utilities/virtues/heal.
Suggestions to tome changes:
- Decrease cooldown to 120.
- Decrease cast time (and make it moveable?) for #4 and #5 to (let’s say) 2s and 3s.
- Make it so at least you can stomp/rezz (like the change to DS for necros which is really good btw).
- Reduce overall power for tomes: #1 and #2 same. #3 6-7 sec prot and regen instead of 10s. #4 2s daze down from 3s. #5 10k heal.
Why this changes? Now you have stability but they can still corrupt you, so if you use this 180s cooldown elite and they manage to corrupt you its gonna be really tough for you since you wont have elite for 3 minutes. Moreover they’ll never let you use #5 due to long cast time and animation, since you can’t move its really easy to know when you’re casting it and you can just be cc’ed to death while standing still for 4 and 1/4s. So lower cooldown and power of this elite so you can use it more often (and actually you can use all skills in pvp by lowering cast times) but its not that powerful that fully heals everyone.
Finally, I missed some changes to Sanctuary. With this 120s cooldown, it looks like an elite, but it’s not worth at all. Smaller radius than AA, so melee can AA you from outside bubble (they can stomp/rezz as well). Only block projectiles (not ranged attacks). You still get hit by AoE damage.
Suggestions to Sanctuary:
- Decrease cooldown to 90s.
- Increase radius from 120 to 180.
- Make it so people inside get boons (let’s say prot and/or regen and/or aegis) instead of direct healing.

You’re downplaying the ability to have stability on Tome option back.

Have more than 5 buffs, and your stability becomes un-corruptable. Corrupt isn’t what it used to be.

Pretty much the only mechanic you have to not eat while you’re using Tome, is a Thief’s 21s Steal.

It doesn’t seem like it will be hard to successfully full heal your allies if you have any decent timing.

I would support interacting with targets while using a Tome, though.

CB + Dark path (traited) = 7 boons corrupted.

Thief can steal.

Mesmer can remove 4-5 boons easily and almost instantly.

4 and 1/4s standing still is just too much. You can LoS yes, but it has too long cooldown for such a long cast times.

Not to say that you are probably forcing someone else to stay on point while you go out of it and cast for 4 and 1/4s (if you manage to not get corrupted) and you can’t even stomp rezz. So lets say you use it, 5-10 sec later someone dies and you need to stomp, or at least stop it to give stab. 180sec cooldown for only 5-10 sec use.

I think you’d agree that if someone of your team dies while casting #5 then you have to stop it and rezz or then you’ll be outnumbered (but full health:)).

thieves will interrupt you anyways with steal, no matter if you have stability.

This change is for WvW imo.

Yes, there are still counters to tomes, but that doesn’t mean that they’re useless/bad/non-viable/etc.

The changes are solid. Just because they don’t completely rock the meta doesn’t mean that they won’t give more options to guardians out there.

As for spirit weapons, I agree that I’m not a fan of more AI builds, but I at least like that they made using them more of an active type of gameplay.

The Tome of Courage is extremely strong (Wrath is terrible, but that’s another story). Only reason why you don’t see it more, is it so vulnerable. The only way to really guarantee you get your skills off is with Hallowed Ground. HG already has a very long CD, so pretty much you have to give up a utility slot just to use Courage. I’d like to be able to rez and stomp, however other transformations can’t. So it would be a bit unfair.

I really like the changes to Elite Focus, and I’m sure there will be a huge increase of players using Tomes after the patch.

With regard to the whole rez/stomp stuff, just remember that you can heal downed allies with Tome of Courage. It’s not as fast as rezzing a downed ally (well, not sure how it compares with healing stats, but with non-healing stats it doesn’t), but you do an AoE heal that can also heal allies rezzing.

Also, I would assume that the stability stays with you if you end your tome early, in which case, you could still get a stab stomp by dropping your tome and stomping. It would come at the cost of the remaining duration of your elite, but is still something that could turn the tide in a fight.

The fact that now you can use it with stab doesnt make it strong. It makes it better than before, but still weak imo. From a pvp POV, you can get interrupted pretty easy when you’re stand still casting (necros, thiefs, mesmers). It could be good if you can spam AA healing in AoE for the whole duration since cast time is short but what happens if you need to rezz/stomp? you need to drop it and then its 180sec cd. (ok you can rezz but cmon its 10times slower than rezzing as you would do without tome). The problem wasn’t stab, its the fact that you can’t rezz/stomp/use utilities and cast times are too high which makes:

1. People have 4s to interrupt you.
2. You dont have a fast reaction when your teammate is about to die. Most of the times your teammate wont have 4s to get the heal, he will die earlier more than probably, in case they dont focus on interrupting you.

In a game like that, you just can’t cast something for 4secs and without being able to move!

The changes are solid. Just because they don’t completely rock the meta doesn’t mean that they won’t give more options to guardians out there.

I dont want the tomes to be overpowered or mostly used by everyone. I just want them to be useful. And I dont think they will be useful even after patch. Patch will improve them. OFC. Patch will make it useful over Renewed Focus. I dont think so.

- Almost 3x cd when Renewed Focus traited.
- Renewed focus makes you survive a burst and recharge your virtues which are A LOT better to help allies in case they’re about to die. Instant, 1200 range.

Btw tried it. You can’t heal people in downed state with tome of courage.

how awsome would it be if the bow command would be a waterfield and we could use the hammer to blast it for some extra heals:D

Demon.2430:

Btw tried it. You can’t heal people in downed state with tome of courage.

Worked for me last time I tried…

So either it was changed or it just doesn’t work in sPvP? (I only tried in PvE)