more build diversity on Elementalist
I believe, that the elementalist needs one major change to get already a lot more build diversity: He needs his attunement effects from BETA back. These effects got changed, so you need the 15points minor trait in every traitline to get them – sun spot, discharge, magnetic wave and healing ripple.
Because of this every elementalist is forced to have either 15 points in water and 20 in arcana or 10 points in water and 30 in arcana, because elementalists desperatly need their heal and fast attunement recharge.
So these 4 effects have to be given permanently passive, maybe a little bit weaker, like healing ripple only healing for 70% of its current value. This way elementalists wouldn’t be forced anymore into Water, because they have the heal they needed, and they can go into earth/fire. Water would be still viable to become bit more tanky and supportive.
In a second step the 15 points minor traits could be changed towards a direction that encourages to stay and to specialize on attunements, instead of being a jack-of-all-trades with no strength at all. This way arcana wouldn’t be that mandatory as well, as you don’t focus on permanent attunement switching, unless you want to be a jack-of-all-trades.
So you can either specc into raw burst dmg (fire), single target dmg and mobility (air), tankyness and CC (earth) or healing and support (water). Arcana would give utility only. For example, these new 15 points minor traits could be something like for every second you stay in combat in this attunement you gain one stack of a certain buff – dealing for example 1% more dmg in fire for every stack, up to a max of 30 stacks, 1 stack per second. Works together with lingering elements (so you can basically “combine” elements).
After a change like this you can discuss other balance changes, so like nerfing the elementalist by making it impossible to switch attunements while being stunned, but therefor giving him 1-2k more base hp etc.
Base attunement recharge: 16s → 13s.
Attunement Recharge Rate: Nerfed to half.
With this change, 30 arcana elementalists should remain unchanged, while non-arcana elementalists will have faster attunement cooldowns. It’s a very simple change, but it would open a lot of new possibilities to any build that doesn’t requires boon duration, like Rock Solid Buffs.
Another thing elementalists need, is a tweak across all several minor traits. Especially earth’s 5th, which is underwhelming and doesn’t works with Lingering Attunements; air’s 5th, which has little to no impact; and possibly all fire’s minors. Also arcana’s 25th, but Renewing Stamina should be toned down (and the same applies for all vigor-on-critical traits), and Elemental Attunement tweaked for 3s of protection (instead of the crazy 5) and 3 stacks of might (instead of just 1).
Staff’s radius spells should be naturally higher, especially #2 skills. Staff’s trait shouldn’t be as required as it is.
Scepter needs some bug or funcionality fixes on dragon’s tooth (which deals no damage if the ele gets disabled) and fire grab (which has clunky hit detection, same applies for lightning touch). Shatterstone and dust devil could get some buffs. To not make burst scepter eles too strong, arcane utility skills could become more predictable (half projectile speed for arcane blast; delayed damage for wave) with 5s lower cooldown each to compensate.
Staff needs better protection from burst classes. Maybe a radius damage on burning retreat’s starting animation, to punish melee opponents; and maybe blinding surge applying blind while channelling versus a single target, before it blows off (take blind out of its last effect). Buff unsteady ground’s damage per hit, and maybe Shockwave could be aoe like gust (too powerfull?).
About focus… :P That requires something larged. Have Fire Shield last for 7s instead of 5s, and it won’t still be that great. Buff flamewall’s damage per hit, while having it apply several seconds of burning without stacking. Freezing gust could be aoe while having a lower cooldown (15s?), gale could last for 3s and do something else. Comet needs a buff somehow.
Earth focus is fine, but I have a few creative suggestions for it. Have obsidian flesh half own movement rate, but remove one condition per second. And remove condition removal from magnetic wave, and add a pushback. Why a pushback? For D/F, it’s going to be a useful tool to interrupt foes. For S/F, it’s going to be an interesting tool to keep foes at range.
Elementalist Diversity = 0/0/0/0/30 everything.
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Steps for more build diversity on ele:
Step 1. Increase base HP by 5k
Step 2. lower healing coefficient of water trident and cleansing wave, add dmg+sec effect
Step 3. Attunement base recharge lowered to 12s, arcana bonus halved
Step 4. Buff to focus and staff ( buff to shatterstone and dust devil also )
Step 5. Better Fire trait line , something that doesn’t force you to sit in fire 24/7
Elementalist build diversity achieved ETA 2015
Lower CD on Fire shield. Condition cleanse or Vigor for passing through Flame wall.
Higher dmg on Freezing gust and signets of fire,water and earth.
“Base attunement recharge: 16s ? 13s.
Attunement Recharge Rate: Nerfed to half.” I like this.
The great forum duppy.
Lower CD on Fire shield. Condition cleanse or Vigor for passing through Flame wall.
Higher dmg on Freezing gust and signets of fire,water and earth.“Base attunement recharge: 16s ? 13s.
Attunement Recharge Rate: Nerfed to half.” I like this.
It needs to happen.One would think that investing in defence traitlines would be the way to become tanky,or the offencive lines the way to dps hard.
No sir Anet disagrees.Do that and you ll burst or heal half the time compared to someone who invested in arcana..
Makes sence,doesnt it?
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“Base attunement recharge: 16s ? 13s.
Attunement Recharge Rate: Nerfed to half.” I like this.
This is the single change that elementalists need the most.
Boons are already very important to eles, so it’s not like the stats from arcana line are going to be useless with that change. And it’ll still be viable even for attunement swapping builds duo to the traits that support that playstyle.
With the way the current attunement’s cooldown is set, there’s almost no reason to NOT use arcana. Not even traits like fresh air help at that, first because that would be a bandaid to the problem, and second because, ironically, fresh air has good synergy with arcana (especially its 5th and elemental attunement).
This change alone could probably create a new type of ele bunkers, with 20 in earth and 30 in water. Rock Solid bunkers with protection auras or auto armor of earth. Although earth does really need another (or a stronger) way to get protection, or else elemental attunement does its job better than the entire trait line, lol.
This might sound heretic, but maybe elemental attunement could be moved to 25th. It would be a direct buff to 30 arcaners (not exactly needed) and staff elementalists (cool!), but a direct nerf to everyone else (yeah, it does sounds like a bad idea), and have earth trait line offer the most reliable 10-point trait protection. It just makes sense. If anything, 10 point arcana eles would benefit more from extra toughness and condition damage than boon duration, but that’s IF the base attunement recharge was shorter, of course.
Finally, about Dragon’s Tooth, I like the idea behind it, but it’s just too unreliable. Churning Earth works better because it can be lightning flash’d, its area is bigger, etc. I wouldn’t mind if DT dropped slightly faster for slightly lower damage. That, or the scepter could get some extra support to make it hit. 3s gale, and maybe a shatterstone that could chill. Even some form of torment could indirectly help.
Sugestions for Focus Fire #4:
- 1.Flamewall
(Basically you can now detonate Flamewall)
Flamewall can now be activated a second time after being laid on the ground, consuming the firewall and fire field but inflicting burning and knockback (burning duration and knockback increases the closer the enemies are to the center). - 2. Fiery Rampage
Move incredibly fast for x seconds, leaving a flame trail behind you that burns foes crossing it. Aditionally this trail can be detonated for damage and knockback (small knocback radius, similarly to engi’s shield)
Fiery Rampage would allow for some awesome combos with lightning flash and burning speed, just imagine a D/Focus charging on an unsuspecting enemy with fiery rampage + lightning flash to opponent’s feet, triggering the instant knockback into burning speed while he sits on the ground.
Instead of Flamewall being detonatable I created this Fiery Rampage which sounds pretty cool and adds some mobility to the focus.
Sugestions for Fire Focus #5
- New name: Infernal Outbreak
Channeled skill x seconds (3-4seconds?)
On release: flame blast animation around the caster
After full channel unleash a radial fire wave that deals damage and cure conditions on the caster.
(Damage and number of conditions cleansed increase with aamount of hits suffered during the channel (max 4 conditions?)
This skill is now a blast finisher.
Sinergizing trait buff:
Fire Trait Line, Grandmaster Persisting Flames, now aditionally, Infernal Outbreak condition removal affects allies.
Sugestions for Water Focus #4:
- Freezing Gust V1:
Same skill. Your next skill dazes for 1 second - Freezing Gust V2:
Same skill. Your next skill heals for 100% of the damage dealt.
V2 calls for a good distinction between a bad elementalist that spams skills (and therefor wastes the heal from V2 on a low damage skill) and a great elementalist who uses V2 and then swaps to Fire for a Phoenix to get a nice amount of healing
Sugestions for Water Focus #5:
- Comet
(No longer dazes)
Drops a comet on target that area that deals damage and destroys 3(4?) boons per target and leaves an ice field (5 seconds)
Unblockable. (Still can be dodged)
(Same falling time as Dragons Tooth)
The ice field is actually quite powerful if used correctly:
Using blast finishers, either through Infernal Outbreak, Arcane, or Phoenix, Dragons Tooth, or even leap finishers like Magnetic Grasp grants Frost Aura, reducing incoming damage besides chilling attackers.
The overall kit gives players interesting options, should you pop your blast finishers on flamewall for aoe might or the ice field for some damage mitigation? Different tradeoffs for different situations
(edited by Quickfoot Katana.8642)
It needs to happen.One would think that investing in defence traitlines would be the way to become tanky,or the offencive lines the way to dps hard.
No sir Anet disagrees.Do that and you ll burst or heal half the time compared to someone who invested in arcana..
Makes sence,doesnt it?
Elementalist players have been asking for this change since forever. It’s the most logical change to make for elementalists. But Anet hasn’t done a thing so far. Fresh Air is a niche trait that only affects scepter builds, but regardless, and ironically, it demands at least some arcana.
I’m not sure what Anet thinks about this matter, as they haven’t said a thing. Maybe they want to make sure that each traitline offers a completely different and unique playstyle from each other? I’d say that, in this specific case, it’s just not working well. Besides, arcana has plenty of good traits for attunement swapping and for boons and boon duration. It would offer an unique elemental-dancing playstyle EVEN if that change were to come in.
As of now, the heavy base costs and the huge difference the cooldown stat makes are only crippling and restricting the class.