Guild Wars 2

Hello frands! It’s me! Vee Wee, retired #1 Engi NA and world first rank 80!

My frands and fellow Engineers! Are you tired of being forced into using explosives to be useful! I know I sure am! Wahoo! It’s time for some balance changes! Here are some ideas frands! Let’s also hear some of your ideas! Yippee~!

Healing Abilities!

AED!
-In addition to the current effects, if you receive a would be death blow, you are cleansed of all conditions! For 5 seconds afterwards, condition duration is reduced by 50%!
Static Shock!
-Cast time reduced from 3/4 to 1/2!

Utilities!

Tool Kit!
-Thwack cast time reduced from 1 to 1/2! This attack can now cleave 2 extra targets!
-Box of Nails duration increased from 4 to 5!

Grenade Kit!
-Range reduced from 1200 to 1000!

Flamethrower Kit!
-Flame Jet channel time reduced from 2.25 to 2! Number of hits reduced from 10 to 5! Each hit deals double damage to make up for half amount of hits! Total damage is further increased by 30%!
-Air blast cooldown increased from 15 to 20!
-Napalm burn duration increased from 1 second to 3 seconds to anybody who crosses the line!
-Smoke Vent is now a blast finisher!
-Incendiary Ammo burn time reduced from 3 to 2!

Elixir U!
-Removed Frenzy and Haste effects!

Elixir C!
-Removed cast time so it will cleanse fear!
-Cooldown reduced from 40 to 30 seconds!
-Maximum of 5 conditions converted!

Flame Turret!
-Overcharged Flame Turret now pulses blind every second down from every 2 seconds!

Rocket Turret!
-Rocket (toolbelt ability!) is now a targeted ability that shoots in a straight line!

Utility Goggles!
-Cooldown reduced from 40 to 30!
-Analyze is now a self buff that allows you to see stealthed players within a 360 radius! It does not apply revealed like Sic Em because that’s just silly!

Mortar!
-Mortar is now a kit! 1-5 skills each have a charge! Each charge has a 30 second cooldown! Launch Mortar Shot has 3 charges! 2-5 have 1 charge! Charges come off cooldown 1 at a time! That means if you pull out a fresh Mortar Kit, you have 3 charges on your auto attack! If you use them all you’ll need to wait about 120 seconds before you have all 3 again!
-Mortar abilities that deal damage can now crit!

Traits

Incendiary Powder!
-When Incendiary Powder is up, the Engineer’s weapon (or hands if there’s no weapon!) gives off a fiery glow!

Grenadier!
-Additional range decreased from 300 to 200!

Fireforged Trigger!
-Also increases Flamethrower and Elixir Gun damage by 10%!

Coated Bullets!
-Grants Static Shot an additional bounce!

Bunker Down!
-On critical hit, you fire an explosive projectile from your toolbelt that latches onto the target! After 3 seconds it detonates and deals whatever damage the current Bunker Down mine deals! 180 radius!
-Cooldown increased from 2 to 3 seconds!

Protective Shield!
-Changed trait to remove 1 condition when critically hit! 10 second cooldown!

Deadly Mixture!
-Changed trait to have a 25% chance to leave a poison field on Elixir toss or consumption!

Formula 409!
-Increased conditions cleansed on Elixir consumption from 1 to 2. Tossed Elixirs still only remove 1 condition!
-Toss Elixir R will remove 1 condition per pulse instead of 2 when traited with Formula 409!

Automated Response!
-At 33% health, removes 3 conditions! 40 second cd!

Scope!
-Moved to adept tier!

Kit Refinement!
-Moved to Master Tier!
-Kits now have a unique charge! There is a maximum of 1 charge per kit and each charge has a 25 second cooldown! When you use a kit that has a charge, the next ability used from that kit has an added effect! This does not affect Toolbelt abilities!
Grenade Kit
-Throw an extra grenade! This extra grenade is identical to one Shrapnel Grenade!
Bomb Kit
-In addition to its normal effects, your next bomb also pulls foes towards you in a 240 radius!
Flamethrower
-Your next damaging attack causes a 240 radius aoe that burns for 2 seconds!
Elixir Gun
-Your next damaging attack is infused with sticky glue! Immobilize foes for 1 second and cripple them for 4 seconds after!
Tool Kit
-Your next attack places a Magnetic Shield on you for 3 seconds!
Med Kit
-Swapping to Med Kit removes Chilled, Crippled, and Immobilized! <-This one seems a bit OP but I couldn’t think of anything!
Mortar Kit
Your next Mortar ability doesn’t consume a charge!

Packaged Stimulants!
- Bandages are thrown much faster! Similar to grenade speed!
-Throw Antidote changed from -25% cooldown to removing 2 conditions!

Speedy Gadgets!
-Replaced with Elixir Infused Toolbelt!
-Removes 1 condition when you use a toolbelt ability!

Gadgeteer!
-Reduces recharge on Gadgets by 20%!
-AED does not grant retaliation! Instead when you heal you also discharge a 180 radius electric shock that dazes anyone caught inside! Does not need to be a death blow to activate!

Thanks for reading! Wahoo! Bye frands!

Some changes I like, some I don’t. So this means that what you are proposing is in line with what Anet is doing.

These are good changes, maybe increase incendi powder icd for less burn spam.
Vee Wee for balance dev.

Dont think nades need a range nerf, hitting anything that can move at 1500 is a skillshot already with the slow arched projectile speed. Other than that I like this.

ANet would never do this.

Why? Because some of these changes are actually good.

i dont understand the nades hate either

insanemaniac.2456:

i dont understand the nades hate either

I think the logic is to dumb down explosions, honestly id like to see bombkit take a hit. But not exactly? its just like even with this changes, I wouldnt run flame, id still run bombs. I already run toolkit in pve, and more people should start. And nades range is great for zerg in wvw, I dislike them in dungeon los stacking. Bomb kit is just the best kit we have…. it has blinds, blast, fire field, tons of vuln/condtions/bleeds when traited etc. it does alot of kitten for no good reason rofl. it being delayed melee sucks in pvp alot for me, but in pve it dont matter.

if toolkit sequnce was full cleave for all hits, id never equip bombs tho true talk. give the last hit vuln while your at it. :>

Dice Dragon.4326:

And nades range is great for zerg in wvw, \

Yeah but retal already punishes nades in a zerg fight.

Lowest Animal.8014:

Dont think nades need a range nerf, hitting anything that can move at 1500 is a skillshot already with the slow arched projectile speed. Other than that I like this.

It’s an impressive skillshot when you’re 1v1 in open terrain – but since gw2 PvP is allll about node control, it really is very powerful (and I’d say too powerful) to be able to lob these ‘hard-to-aim’ attacks into the area your foes have to stay within to contest against your allies… while out of range of anything they can throw at you.

You can’t just balance around one game mode though.. If they ever get their heads out of their kitten and separate pve/WvW/pvp then they can make that change in pvp.

cheese.4739:

It’s an impressive skillshot when you’re 1v1 in open terrain – but since gw2 PvP is allll about node control, it really is very powerful (and I’d say too powerful) to be able to lob these ‘hard-to-aim’ attacks into the area your foes have to stay within to contest against your allies… while out of range of anything they can throw at you.

Not sure what you are trying to argue. Yes, that’s the description of what a ranged attack is capable of in a point capture game mode. Plenty of classes have ranges attacks that can do tons of damage at range away from the point and there is and has always been counter play to it including but not limited to dodges, blocks, reflects, counter range attacks, LOS, walking out of the way of the ranged attack, stepping off the point until they decide to come in, etc. And as soon as you start bringing in allies into the equation then this becomes an argument about team work and team comp and not about the ranged capabilities of one class.

Lowest Animal.8014:

cheese.4739:

It’s an impressive skillshot when you’re 1v1 in open terrain – but since gw2 PvP is allll about node control, it really is very powerful (and I’d say too powerful) to be able to lob these ‘hard-to-aim’ attacks into the area your foes have to stay within to contest against your allies… while out of range of anything they can throw at you.

Not sure what you are trying to argue. Yes, that’s the description of what a ranged attack is capable of in a point capture game mode. Plenty of classes have ranges attacks that can do tons of damage at range away from the point and there is and has always been counter play to it including but not limited to dodges, blocks, reflects, counter range attacks, LOS, walking out of the way of the ranged attack, stepping off the point until they decide to come in, etc. And as soon as you start bringing in allies into the equation then this becomes an argument about team work and team comp and not about the ranged capabilities of one class.

Even without considering particular specs, it’s far more difficult to chase down (and so apply pressure to) someone attacking from 1500 range than someone attacking from 900-1200 range. This is especially true when an Engineer is freely able to change between these long-range attacks and their close-range defensive options.

I realise now that I’ve been assuming sPvP and not thinking about WvW (or even PvE) – but in that one game mode, at least, it’s safe to assume that a lot of the match is going to revolve around fighting in and around capture nodes with allies present.

Guess i’ll quote only the ones where there is something i have to argue upon.

ArrDee.2573:

AED!
-In addition to the current effects, if you receive a would be death blow, you are cleansed of all conditions! For 5 seconds afterwards, condition duration is reduced by 50%!

Imho, there is an unsolved issue here about the opportunity cost. As you have to wait until you have low hp to make it profitable, you often could just have used another healing skill…and even multiple times, considering the high cooldown of AED.
Thus what i suggest is to make it so that if AED activates without a death blow, its base cooldown is reduced to 25s – is it still a terrible heal without the deathblow clause, but you can use it at the start of a battle and resist until the skill is up again to use it when lethal damage is being inflicted (the part about the condition cleanse on the death blow is fine, though – albeit, i wouldn’t add that condition reduction then, since it could make it too strong).

ArrDee.2573:

Grenade Kit!
-Range reduced from 1200 to 1000!
Grenadier!
-Additional range decreased from 300 to 200!

I can’t agree with this. Grenades are already a design mess – a kit balanced upon its grandmaster-traited version, unlike any other utility or weapon in the game.
It would make untraited grenades even more terrible – but considering no one uses them untraited due of how awful they are, that wouldn’t be a big issue.
Yet, it would make the grandmaster trait quite lackluster (especially since, as i’ve said before, the kit is already balanced upon having it).
I don’t think it is a good idea. I would rather see the kit balanced upon the untraited version – as it should be, anyway – and adjust the traits to make it good, but not overpowered (eventually making grenadier or whatever the new name would be a master trait, if the effects weren’t strong enough to warrant a grandmaster slot).

ArrDee.2573:

Flamethrower Kit!
-Flame Jet channel time reduced from 2.25 to 2! Number of hits reduced from 10 to 5! Each hit deals double damage to make up for half amount of hits! Total damage is further increased by 30%!
-Air blast cooldown increased from 15 to 20!
-Napalm burn duration increased from 1 second to 3 seconds to anybody who crosses the line!
-Smoke Vent is now a blast finisher!
-Incendiary Ammo burn time reduced from 3 to 2!

I can fully agree only with the part about the flame jet here, basically.
I’m not sure about increasing Air Blast cooldown; after all, its relatively low cooldown is justified by the reduced effect it has – a simple, non damaging conical push. Still, considering other changes on the kit, it could be justified.
About napalm, i would rather give it some particular status (like a proper “napalm” status effect, akin to warriors’ impale).
Regarding Smoke Vent, well…we have already enough blast finishers. No need to add others. I could agree with a second pulse of blind after some second, eventually. But no more blast finishers.
Regarding Incendiary Ammo, dunno. The cooldown is already quite high after all.

ArrDee.2573:

Elixir U!
-Removed Frenzy and Haste effects!

Having no drawback would make it too strong compared to similar quickness skills. Albeit, the current situation isn’t nice too, as not knowing exactly what shall happen is indeed risky. Maybe they should implement an appropriate drawback for the engineer class. Maybe some status that slows down toolbelt cooldowns?

ArrDee.2573:

Mortar!
-Mortar is now a kit! 1-5 skills each have a charge! Each charge has a 30 second cooldown! Launch Mortar Shot has 3 charges! 2-5 have 1 charge! Charges come off cooldown 1 at a time! That means if you pull out a fresh Mortar Kit, you have 3 charges on your auto attack! If you use them all you’ll need to wait about 120 seconds before you have all 3 again!
-Mortar abilities that deal damage can now crit!

The idea is nice. But i’m not sure that it would be enough to make it useful – after all, the abilities of the mortar aren’t that good. They probably should be rebalanced.

ArrDee.2573:

Incendiary Powder!
-When Incendiary Powder is up, the Engineer’s weapon (or hands if there’s no weapon!) gives off a fiery glow!

Could work, as long as it isn’t possible to cover it via some other particle effect due to some weapon or suchs.

ArrDee.2573:

Protective Shield!
-Changed trait to remove 1 condition when critically hit! 10 second cooldown!

Seems nice, but imho it should be renamed.

ArrDee.2573:

Formula 409!
-Increased conditions cleansed on Elixir consumption from 1 to 2. Tossed Elixirs still only remove 1 condition!
-Toss Elixir R will remove 1 condition per pulse instead of 2 when traited with Formula 409!

Could end up being too powerful. Maybe it would be more appropriate as a grandmaster?

ArrDee.2573:

Automated Response!
-At 33% health, removes 3 conditions! 40 second cd!

On the opposite spectrum, this is probably too weak for a grandmaster trait. Especially when there are adept traits removing a condition every 10s, without any health threshold requirement.
I would rather see it better as a powered-up guardian’s purity – remove a condition every 6 seconds, or 2 conditions every 15s.
Or it could work with a twist. As in: remove a condition every 3 seconds, but any other condition removal beside Automated Response is disabled (Transmute would still work, as it triggers on incoming conditions).

many ideas, such goodness, but i think there are some problems

ArrDee.2573:

Incendiary Powder!
-When Incendiary Powder is up, the Engineer’s weapon (or hands if there’s no weapon!) gives off a fiery glow!

give this to every proc on crit trait over all the classes so everyone has some counter play to there randomness

ArrDee.2573:

Protective Shield!
-Changed trait to remove 1 condition when critically hit! 10 second cooldown!

Formula 409!
-Increased conditions cleansed on Elixir consumption from 1 to 2. Tossed Elixirs still only remove 1 condition!
-Toss Elixir R will remove 1 condition per pulse instead of 2 when traited with Formula 409!

Elixir C!
-Removed cast time so it will cleanse fear!
-Cooldown reduced from 40 to 30 seconds!
-Maximum of 5 conditions converted!

Speedy Gadgets!
-Replaced with Elixir Infused Toolbelt!
-Removes 1 condition when you use a toolbelt ability!

Bunker Down!
-On critical hit, you fire an explosive projectile from your toolbelt that latches onto the target! After 3 seconds it detonates and deals whatever damage the current Bunker Down mine deals! 180 radius!
-Cooldown increased from 2 to 3 seconds!

Mortar!
-Mortar is now a kit! 1-5 skills each have a charge! Each charge has a 30 second cooldown! Launch Mortar Shot has 3 charges! 2-5 have 1 charge! Charges come off cooldown 1 at a time! That means if you pull out a fresh Mortar Kit, you have 3 charges on your auto attack! If you use them all you’ll need to wait about 120 seconds before you have all 3 again!
-Mortar abilities that deal damage can now crit!

Scope!
-Moved to adept tier!

all of these have the problem of fitting in to a single build that would be very overpowered, even more so in a proper team setup, it like them alot especially elixir C, alone they bring some non viable builds up to standard but in the right build it would be just way to strong unfotunatly.

btw the build im thinking would be 0/30/0/30/10, with battle/air/strength/any power amulet, your auto alone would be doing 4-5k+ every 3 seconds thanks to the potential 80-90% crit chance, mix it with a HGH build and the mortar kit you could sufficiently upkeep 20+ might stacks, elixirs H/B/S/C would make you immume to conditions, yea thats what i would call a bit op.

formula 409 would be the only trait i would never recommend implementing, or maybe the idea i suggested on another thread that it also applys to elixir gun skills that are classified as Elixirs, so in alot of builds that currently take Backpack regenrator as there master in alchemy they could give up that extra regen (which is quite alot over extended fights) for more condition removal on a kit that dosent really deal that much damage, that way HGH builds dont get a buff they dont need since EG dosent give the damage output a HGH build needs to be effective, and multikit builds would have a better source of condition removal at the expense of what is quite common currently backpack regenerator.

bunker down i like alot and could bring some not so good builds more up to a good standard but once again in the right build would be to strong, maybe instead give it a 10 second CD and the mine also removes a boon, that way its not as strong with “on proc” builds and give us a better source on boon removal (i dont know about anyone else but ive wanted a source of boon removal outside of sigils and mines for ages).

Cont.

ArrDee.2573:

Elixir U!
-Removed Frenzy and Haste effects!

engineers need to start dealing with there own problems thats why im going to suggest we get a downside that disables our toolbelt skills, because like Frenzy and Haste the downside is using them at the wrong time, so with my idear if you use it at the wrong time you could be locked out of stun breakers/detonating turrets/condition removal/static discharge, seems fair to me.

ArrDee.2573:

Deadly Mixture!
-Changed trait to have a 25% chance to leave a poison field on Elixir toss or consumption!

not a fan of your idear but they need to make the damage proc before the effects so i can use it in a elixir build properly(toss Elixir S) everyone knows that frustration.

ArrDee.2573:

Automated Response!
-At 33% health, removes 3 conditions! 40 second cd!

Burning Fire: Use Cleansing Fire automatically when you have a number of conditions on you.

that’s a master trait for ele’s, maybe take it a complete other direction and have it cancel CC, with some of your ideas we could get sufficient condition cleanse and this would give us an opportunity to also counter CC a bit better, but then again we might be a bit strong with better access to condition removal and anti cc.

all in all some good idears and somethings that id like to see on the engineer like your mortar kit, flamethrower and kit refinement idears, so i hope anet sees them and takes them into consideration.

Hello frands! Vee Wee here retired #1 Engi NA and world first rank 80!

Thanks for all the replies and constructive feedback! I’ll edit this later with some responses but I just had to post right away to thank you guys!

Wahoo! Bye frands!

The consistent theme of elixirs is some degree of randomness, and I really wouldn’t want to throw that away.

Yes, in smallscale encounters randomness is meh, but as you fight group-vs-group or larger stronger skills in return for some lack of reliability can be useful. The group fills out each other’s gaps, so the extra power can be handy.

In that sense, if Elixir U loses the part where it copies another classes’ haste skill, then it should randomly disable a toolbelt skill while on CD. Which one is random, although with the Med Kit I’m not sure it shouldn’t disable the kit itself instead.

Range reduction in both grenade kit and grenadier could hit too much any www 6xxxx engi. From a zerging perspective, engi already takes (too) much damage from retaliation, fair if you can hit from a long distance. Add the fact more distance, more hard to land the hits on mobile targets.

Always speaking about www, Protective Shield and Automated Response changes could kill the frontline bombheal build.
Until leg mods stays in the tools tree and remains master trait, AE is the only condi reduc viable for frontliners engi.

Good the AED and flamethrower changes.

Don’t forget:

•Modified Amunition: Increases Damage by 4% for each condition on your foe. Will increase damage by 8% when duel wielding Pistols.

•Juggernaut: in addition to periodically gaining might when equipped with the Flamethrower you also gain 200 toughness each time you recieve an incapacitating effect. This effect can stack 5 times and last 10 seconds before expiring.

•Rifle Mod: (Replaces the Bunker Down Trait in the Grandmaster line) Deal increased damage the closer you are to your foes when wielding a Rifle. 5%/10%/15%

•Coated Bullets: Pistol shots now pierce. In addition your non-piercing Pistol skills now have a bonus effect.
-Static Shot now bounces an additional time.
-Blow Tortch is now unblockable.
-Glue Shot now removes Stability and Swiftness from those struck.

•Bunker Down: now has a chance to drop two mines. This trait is now effected by the trait Elixir-Infused Bombs.

•Elixir-infused Bombs is now renamed Elixir-Infused Explosives and now works with bombs and Mines.

•Energized Armor: Each time you recieve an incapacitating effect you recieve a Energized Charge on the third charge you will detonate dealing damage and knocking nearby foes back.

•Reinforced Shield: Gain toughness when wielding a shield. Reduces recharge on shield skills. In addition, when both Shield Skills are on cool down you will divert power to your armor gaining 300 additional toughness.

•Blood Injection: When you receive Poision or 4 or more stacks of Bleeding, you convert them into boons. Internal cooldown of 30 seconds.

•Always Prepared: When downed You will now toss a random Elixir at your feet. The random elixir may be any of the Toss Elixir tool belt Elixirs.

•Scope: The first attack made from 800 is guaranteed to be a Critical Hit, in addition will daze targets struck for 1.5 seconds. Internal cooldown of 20 seconds.

•Leg Mods: Cripple, chill, and immobilize durations are reduced. In addition you will not trigger the first Trap/Mine or Mark you walk over. (Internal cooldown on this effect of Leg Mods is 20 seconds.)

Wolf.5816:

*•Modified Amunition*: Increases Damage by 4% for each condition on your foe. Will increase damage by 8% when duel wielding Pistols.

Completely unrelated to the rest of your post, but since AR is regarded as pretty terrible now, how about for something like:

Automated Response: decrease incoming direct damage by x% for each unique condition on you.

or

Automated Response: for each unique condition on you, conditions deal 10% less damage to you.

Something that still allows snares and condition pressure against Engies running it, but also gives a pratical passive buff. With coordinated cleanses from allies, I could see the first one making a powerful point bunker.

Im a noob when it comes to engis, dont play mine that much, but:

ArrDee.2573:

AED!
-In addition to the current effects, if you receive a would be death blow, you are cleansed of all conditions! For 5 seconds afterwards, condition duration is reduced by 50%!

i think the anti-condi stuff, cleanse AND half a zerker stance) is a bit too much here. maybe small cleanse (3 conditions) + a second or two of invulnerability?

Packaged Stimulants!
- Bandages are thrown much faster! Similar to grenade speed!
-Throw Antidote changed from -25% cooldown to removing 2 conditions!

I thought the problem with this is that changing it to ground-target is kittening annoying? and that you cant throw them directly at people, since they then have to move out of the aoe and in again to pick it up?

Also, what about pistol offhand? so far it appears to be pretty underwhelming to me.

•Modified Amunition: Increases Damage by 4% for each condition on your foe. Will increase damage by 8% when duel wielding Pistols.

Sure, just make it ridiculously overpowered. you realise that this is now 2/4 times as strong as the necro trait?

cheese.4739:

Wolf.5816:

•Modified Amunition: Increases Damage by 4% for each condition on your foe. Will increase damage by 8% when duel wielding Pistols.

Completely unrelated to the rest of your post, but since AR is regarded as pretty terrible now, how about for something like:

Automated Response: decrease incoming direct damage by x% for each unique condition on you.

or

Automated Response: for each unique condition on you, conditions deal 10% less damage to you.

Something that still allows snares and condition pressure against Engies running it, but also gives a pratical passive buff. With coordinated cleanses from allies, I could see the first one making a powerful point bunker.

^This would be actually pretty sweet if balanced correctly. Although it seems like a mechanic a Warrior would ultimately recieve I would love to have a trait that functions this way.

That being said I’d still like Anet to start leaning away from passive mechanics, or at the very least give these passive mechanics their own unique buff/debuff and/or animation so that people can figure out strategies during the fight and not after your already dead and recapping the battle.