Note: This is not a Cleric Amulet/Bunker Tempest QQ. This concerns Anet’s initial design for the specialization and the current direction of the game
To any mod that thinks that this should be moved to Elementalist Subforum, please read this first because it’s generally aimed for PvP. It requires the opinions of non-ele players as well and posts moved to class subforums just die in general.
Tempest Specialization was created to support. This statement is supported by the Tempest specialization weapon which is a Warhorn, Tempest Traits and utilities, and Anet’s statements regarding Tempests pre-HoT (which can be found in their various streams in twitch).
The direction of the game is changing to something more fast paced, more action packed, and more exciting gameplay. I fully support that and I think it’s for the better of the game. However, Tempests were not created for this kind of playstyle because they were designed to prolong fights. With these changes in the direction of the game, I believe Tempests require an overall redesign.
First of all, let’s list all the facts that we know about Tempests:
• Tempests have a lot of damage mitigation skills and traits – True
• Tempests have a lot of healing abilities -True
• Tempests has a lot of skills which are PBAOE – True
• Tempests have good access to boons – True
• Tempests have good access to condition cleanse – True
• Tempests have a lot of weapon skills – True
Really looks good on paper, right? Now let me explain why these won’t work for non support Tempests in the current direction of the game.
Damage mitigation tools
Tempests has a plethora of access to damage mitigation using their traits, utilities, and weapon skills which is a must to compensate having the lowest base HP and Armor in the game.
• Outdated bruiser traits – Most of these traits require the Tempest to be hit. With the current amulets available and the direction of the game, people want to avoid soaking up damage at all. This effect is doubled on Tempests because of their bad base stats. These traits should be changed to something that promotes active play in defense instead of waiting to get hit.
• Outrageous Cooldowns – The active defenses of Tempests have very huge cool downs. Cantrips, Conjures (Earth Shield), and Arcane Shield are really good in paper but are outdated as well. Arcane Shield blocks 3 attacks but will easily get removed because a lot of skills now are unblockable, not to mention that there are lots of multi-hit skills.
• Outdated traits and weapon skills – Blind used to be a very good active damage mitigation effect. Scepter has good access to Blind along with Burning Ashes. However, most skills now are pulsing AoEs which completely counters blind.
Access to Healing skills
Tempests have abundant access to healing from traits, weapon skills, and utilities. Healing Power scales a lot better with Toughness than Vitality and all amulets with the Healing Power/Toughness combination was removed because most, if not all, bunker builds of all classes will definitely use it.
• Lots of heals, bad scaling – With the recent changes to Tempest Healing and its scaling, Anet is promoting Tempests to stat for healing power. However, there are no Toughness/Healing power combination amulets left in PvP. Having this kind of amulet promotes bunker builds but this is one of the core stats that Tempests need regardless of build following the recent changes.
Tempest AoEs and PBAoEs
Tempest is hands down one of the best classes with regards to having access to AoEs. My only gripe with this are Overloads and Scepter
• Overloads are PBAoE – Plain and simple. Overloading for DPS is suicide in the coming High Risk High Reward meta. It requires Tempests to be in harm’s way and you can’t dodge while overloading. Not to mention that it requires both waiting and channeling to get the full effects. It is exclusively designed for bruisers, not for casters.
• Scepter – I don’t even know where to start… Scepter needs huge buffs aside from Auto Attacks and Shatterstone.
Tempest, lord of the boons
Tempests, like the old Elementalists, have the best access to multiple boons. You can get Fury, Swiftness, Protection, Vigor, and Regen by just proccing an Aura if traited correctly. With the new Diviner Amulet, Fresh Air Eles can get permanent access to these boons.
• Boons won’t cover bad base stats – 40% damage reduction from protection means nothing if you have very low HP and Armor. You can still get condi-bombed or bursted even if you pair it with Scrapper runes. Heck, you may even get below 30% HP just by trying to stomp the Necro NPC in HoTM with protection in Diviner’s Amulet.
• Boon Rip, Boon Steal, and Boon Corrupt – Mesmers and Necros will probably still be rampant in the coming meta. Thieves are arguable. Permanent access to these boons means nothing to those classes.
Tempests and Condition Cleanse
Tempest, again, is top notch in this area. With the correct traits and runes, they were able to hold against the rampant condi spam meta for the past few seasons.
• Cleanses are exclusively locked to Defensive Traits; Water and Earth – There were no changes to conditions in general. Conditions will still be spammed to no end and locking access to cleanse in defensive traits promotes bunker playstyle which is the complete opposite of the upcoming meta. Some may argue that there are sigils and runes available for these but then again, the rate of condition application is too much for sigils and runes alone. Having the lowest vitality which is the main passive counter to conditions doesn’t help either.
4 Attunements, 20 weapon skills, and 4 overloads
Tempests along with Engineers have most access to different weapon skills. This is one of their core mechanics and one of the reason why Elementalists were touted as a high skill floor class prior to the discovery of bunker builds.
• Times have changed but cooldowns keep getting nerfed – Elementalists, like engineers, don’t get interrupted when changing attunements (kits for engineers). These weapon skills were designed to be chained to actually deal decent damage. But as we all know, 20 weapon skills are not enough to carry a class especially if the vital ones have high cooldowns.
Core Mechanics and Base stats
All classes have different core mechanics paired with their base stats. Comparing other light classes, Necros have 2nd HP bars while Mesmers have access to stealth, Invulnerability, and blocks.
Elementalists were given minimal mobility and evade frames, no access to stealth, and High CD invulnerability and block skills/utilities to pair with its lowest HP and Armor, but has abundant access to healing. Their design was downright reliant on Healing which then causes a domino effect to taking more Toughness. As stated earlier, these 2 stats are core stats for any Tempest build following the recent nerfs to Tempest Healing scaling but these stats also promotes bunker playstyle on any other class.
TL;DR
I am not asking for Cleric/Celestial Amulet to be returned. I just want a decent non-bunker competitive-tier viable DPS build for Tempests to go along with the upcoming High-risk high-reward meta. We will certainly see people use Magi Amulets but there are many players who are sick of being healbots. Tempests should not be locked to a single viable boring healbot build.
Very very TL;DR
Tempests were designed to prolong fights and this isn’t the direction Anet is going for PvP.
For those who really love or loved the game, we need your opinions on how you think Tempests should be designed for the current direction of the game.
(edited by Kyon.9735)