Guild Wars 2

Maybe not THE Fifth Element, although perhaps “Divine Light” could be a decent synonym, with free multi-pass.

The introduction of an extra element could open up some exciting possibilities for improving Elementalists, adding some much needed power to a class that many consider below average.

Firstly, this would introduce 20 new skills for each of the existing weapons, and might alleviate the call for extra weapons to be introduced. These could open up new combination fields or even focus on alternate conditions such as torment/confusion builds, adding variety.

Along with a fifth element, you also gain the ability to switch attunements more often, lowering the impact Arcane has in each build via having more options to attune to. Runes that proc on weapon swap can happen more often. Extra crowd-support can be introduced with area effect on-attune bonuses also.

It doesn’t simplify the class, but as a class mechanic I feel there should be some high level of complexity anyway. It adds to PvP through the inability for other classes to pre-determine what kind of build an elementalist foe might be using, whether they focus on two primary attunements, or if they play across the whole field of five. The build-diversity expands exponentially with these extra skills, as does the counters to other player builds.

Personally I see it as a way to revamp a class, making it something more than it currently is, without changing the current core class mechanics. It’s not for us to come up with the skill-set either, but something that lies purely in the developers choice for encouraging us to play.

The drawback is the amount of development and balancing required for a pretty major modification however..

Yea because giving the elementalist more variety in skill selection is exactly the kind of thing this game needs right now.

Sorry, but cant you put up with your insane amount of build selection as it is? At least until the other classes recieve updates… I mean, we only have 5 skills per weapon. Crazy talk i know.

Sure, “Big bada boom” would be perfect for number 5 skill

So what you want Heart so you can summon captain planet or something?

Adine.2184:

So what you want Heart so you can summon captain planet or something?

Yeah, that could replace the elite elemental summon skill.

Well, you already have the Aetherblades in-game, so why not just give eles their aether element too?

Adine.2184:

So what you want Heart so you can summon captain planet or something?

Either him or Bruce Willis.

Aetherblades use Air Element…
A fifth element will not solve any problem that elementalist can have.
Elementalists have virtually four weapons skills sets instead of two. How a fifth (or more) will help ?

Arcane for fifth element and all arcane utilites goes under this. Sounds legit

Arcane as fifth “element” is the only possible option, not that it is actually needed, but if they were to add another element that’s the only one i’d accept

…unless of course every elementalist gets a free Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat (yeah, had to look her full name up) …then i’m good

5th element – turns your character into Milla Jovovich and gains both sexiness and power enough to kick the kitten of an armed squad of mangalors..

Also, add mangalors to the game…..

I want this because of reasons…

Im sorry but how are people so ignorant when they post stuff like this. Firstly, I wonder since when Elementalist’s have been considered ‘below average’, especially when you compare it to the rework that is needed to Rangers & Thieves. Surely Anet should focus on classes that need it first?
20 new skills? You can’t give a class 20 new skills with complete disregard to other classes. Especially when Elementalist’s probably have the most diverse set of skills as it is.
And you say that doing this will relieve the call for more weapons? Yes, for Elementalist’s perhaps . . . But hey as long as Elementalists are happy then we can just scrap weapons for the rest of the classes, doesn’t really matter.
I don’t want to come across as rude or anything but to me this is just another thread with a crazy OPed adjustment for a single class. Let me guess, you play an Ele? Shock horror there . . . People need to learn that modifications should be necessary or benefitial to communal gameplay, not things people simply want implemented to make their own class better. From a balance perspective this makes me want to vomit in my own face.

Kulvar.1239:

Aetherblades use Air Element…
A fifth element will not solve any problem that elementalist can have.
Elementalists have virtually four weapons skills sets instead of two. How a fifth (or more) will help ?

The problem with eles currently is that they are pigeon holed into choosing one weapon set and sticking with it indefinitely. You are either ranged, or melee. There’s no swapping between the two. It makes eles in PvP cakewalk to counter.

Rather than giving us another attunement, allow us to switch weapon sets like everyone else.

Parlourbeatflex.5970:

Yea because giving the elementalist more variety in skill selection is exactly the kind of thing this game needs right now.

Sorry, but cant you put up with your insane amount of build selection as it is? At least until the other classes recieve updates… I mean, we only have 5 skills per weapon. Crazy talk i know.

But with weapon swap you have ten. And other classes skills are balanced to be more powerful in comparison→ ele has to work harder for same results. Ops idea is still bad though. Weve got arcane as the ‘fifth element’ traitwise.

Dante.8456:

Im sorry but how are people so ignorant when they post stuff like this. Firstly, I wonder since when Elementalist’s have been considered ‘below average’, especially when you compare it to the rework that is needed to Rangers & Thieves. Surely Anet should focus on classes that need it first?
20 new skills? You can’t give a class 20 new skills with complete disregard to other classes. Especially when Elementalist’s probably have the most diverse set of skills as it is.
And you say that doing this will relieve the call for more weapons? Yes, for Elementalist’s perhaps . . . But hey as long as Elementalists are happy then we can just scrap weapons for the rest of the classes, doesn’t really matter.
I don’t want to come across as rude or anything but to me this is just another thread with a crazy OPed adjustment for a single class. Let me guess, you play an Ele? Shock horror there . . . People need to learn that modifications should be necessary or benefitial to communal gameplay, not things people simply want implemented to make their own class better. From a balance perspective this makes me want to vomit in my own face.

First of all, ele is currently considered the weakest pvp class, to the point of people being told to never play ele in pvp, cause its supposedly terribad. And it wouldnt be another 20weapon skills, just a new element. Thats 5 skills for dagger, trident and staff, 3 for scepter and 2 for focus. So 20 skills, but not per weapon.

Reverence.6915:

Rather than giving us another attunement, allow us to switch weapon sets like everyone else.

Weapon swap for elementalists will never happen as it would give ele’s way more skills to access than other classes.

Weapon swap would increase our usable weapons skills during combat from 20 to 40. Please, what class has 40 weapon skills currently?

While it would be nice to be able to switch weapons while in combat, it’s something that all players who like elementalists need to realize will never happen.

We’re way more likely to get a fifth element since it would be just 5 more skills. And if we got another element, it would likely be arcane. And paired with a massive drop in number of available utility skills as ANet would likely move the utility skills to weapon skills.

If Elementalists should receive more access to new Elements, it should be imo Shadow Attunement and Light Attunement through a Synergy System.

Aether is no Element, its just the term for the world of Tyria for element neutral energy, what would be basically called in other rpgs “Mana”.

By making a synchronization with a Thief, Elementalists should become able to use F5 and perform a Shadow Attunement to receive for the time the synchronization is held active shadow elemental weapon skills.

By making on the other hand a synchronization with a Guardian, Elementalists should receive the feature of becomign able to make Light Attunements to become able to receive light elemental weapon skills, so that the game receives through the synergy system the possibilitiy to see also Shadow and Light Elementalists in the game.

That would be a serious improvement for Eles, even if the class would be able to attune to those 2 special elements only, while being in synergy with those 2 specific classes.

I do not always go to PvP, but when I do, I use Elementalist.
Because I use it for everything else too. I just like it over all the other classes, ranger being the only class I don’t play at all.
I mean, obviously PvE it’s tagging all the kills, WvW is a constant loot bag rain and in dungeons you’re the guy everyone wants to hang around since you got solution to every single problem. AND you keep your teammates alive with potent AoE heals, AND get them up from downed even if the boss is targetting you with his most powerful burst dmg. ‘tleast in my personal experience.
But in PvP, I don’t really see a huge problem unless I end up 1v1, that being the only thing my Ele can’t seem to handle as well as some duelist profession. I wonder why.

a fifth element wouldn’t fit the key bindings. It’s also not necessary, and wouldn’t solve anything for them. 5 elements rather than 4 would also be complicated lore/flavor wise.

Life/Death could be decent elements to consider, but probably more appropriate for the Necromancer’s kitten nal.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a 6th trait line for each class though…

Also, anyone who thinks ele’s 20 weapon skills is an advantage is way off, and “build selection” is also quite narrow.

What if the ele had a weapon swap, but could only attune each set with two elements? Say you chose the staff with fire and water, you can use the d/d with lightning and earth. I’m not sure if it would be balanced to use for example fire and water for both weapon sets though.

This way you can change from ranged to melee, but not have 40 skills as a result. If we’re talking about ways to open up builds, I think this would be it. A 5th element doesn’t change the gap between ranged and melee. The ele would be a lot harder to read too.

Fififififi. Ffffffff. Fifth. Element. * Faints *

Elementalists are already punished enough with the “Hybrid Tax” making each individual power suck. If they added a fifth weapon skill bar, they would “compensate” for “increased versatility” by nerfing everything we already have even harder. There are no Elementalists who play only some of their attunements. We all have to blow the whole load across all four attunements to compete against anything more taxing than WvW Zerging or solo PvE. All your suggestion would do is increase the number of cooldowns we had to juggle to still fall far short of most other classes (but not Rangers, lol).