Guild Wars 2

This is very unhelpful, there are times where my heal is canceled because I need to avoid taking hits with decoy, but when my health is low I’ll die anyways since my heal goes on a 5 second cooldown and decoy only lasts 3 seconds.

Honestly it is not needed, sadly this is a l2p issue, and I hate using that term. If you think you won’t make your heal before it casts then cast decoy then heal, rather then heal then decoy thus canceling it. that 5s recharge is no one but your own fault for miscalculations

It has no cast time, why should it rupt other skills? Double op.

I think Decoy is already strong enough as it is. I mean come on, it’s on basically everyone’s toolbar.

Every skill that interrupts your heal skill is bugged in my book.

lakdav.3694:

Every skill that interrupts your heal skill is bugged in my book.

Like interrupts, dazes, knockbacks, stuns etc?

Klocknov.8219:

Honestly it is not needed, sadly this is a l2p issue, and I hate using that term. If you think you won’t make your heal before it casts then cast decoy then heal, rather then heal then decoy thus canceling it. that 5s recharge is no one but your own fault for miscalculations

I’m not saying there isn’t a work around. I’m saying it’s super unhelpful that it interupts your healing skill. It’s annoying for heals and mantras that it interrupts, and it totally screws you when it comes down to the heal skill and low health.

It’s actually great that it interrupts skills that require enemy targets otherwise decoy would allow you to use it then reveal yourself. For skills that won’t inflict reveal, it shouldn’t interrupt these, which for me is mantas and healing skills.

Carighan.6758:

lakdav.3694:

Every skill that interrupts your heal skill is bugged in my book.

Like interrupts, dazes, knockbacks, stuns etc?

No. Enemies interrupting your heal skills is skillfull playing. Your own skill interrupting another of your skills, especially the most important skill on your bar, thats a bug.

Heal skills regularly interrupt your skills because they are top priority. That makes sense, when you channel an attack and get serious damage doing it, you want to heal up as fast as possible. Canceling the channeled skill with Esc and then heal takes time and an additional move of the finger you may not be able to afford.

Decoy is like another escape option, so it makes sense for it to cancel your currently cast skill. The stealth would be gone immedietly if that current skill is finished and it deals damage. But your heal skill should always stay top priority.

Just don’t do anything else while healing? This is a problem with you, not with the game.

lakdav.3694:

No. Enemies interrupting your heal skills is skillfull playing. Your own skill interrupting another of your skills, especially the most important skill on your bar, thats a bug.

What if it’s a balance mechanic?

I remember back in EQ1, Enchanters had a nuke which caused a 0,0s stun. Why that? Because that way it interrupts an actively casting spell, without actually CCing the target.

Likewise, a skill can very much be made instant-cast – for balance reasons – but still be made to interrupt whatever you’re using. Again, for balance reasons.

The problem is not with players, it’s with the skill.

Don’t know why other skills with no cast time, like Blink or Mirror Images, don’t interrupt healing cast while Decoy does…

Ansau.7326:

Don’t know why other skills with no cast time, like Blink or Mirror Images, don’t interrupt healing cast while Decoy does…

Maybe because it’s a stun breaking , clone generating, stealithing, instant skill that also ignores reveal?

I dont think this is a bug, its just how the skill (and most skills work). Most classes dont have any utilities they can use during channels, the fact that blink and shadowsteps can be are the exception not the rule.

If you dont want to cancel your heal dont use decoy, and if you are in that just trouble use decoy first then heal. That makes a lot more sense anyway.

Cufufalating.8479:

I dont think this is a bug, its just how the skill (and most skills work). Most classes dont have any utilities they can use during channels, the fact that blink and shadowsteps can be are the exception not the rule.

If you dont want to cancel your heal dont use decoy, and if you are in that just trouble use decoy first then heal. That makes a lot more sense anyway.

And stances, and steal, and shouts, and any instant cast skill.

Again I’m not saying there isn’t a work around. I’m saying I shouldn’t be able to put myself in a situation where I put my heal skill on cool down by using an instant cast defensive skill. It shouldn’t put any skill on cool down that doesn’t damage enemies.

Tim.6450:

Ansau.7326:

Don’t know why other skills with no cast time, like Blink or Mirror Images, don’t interrupt healing cast while Decoy does…

Maybe because it’s a stun breaking , clone generating, stealithing, instant skill that also ignores reveal?

Other skills also do amazing things, for example blink allows you to get out of range so you cannot be interrupted or you can avoid an AoE spike that could kill you. Shatters are also amazing and can be used while casting other skills.

However, I only see problems with mantras, cause Decoy also interrupts the utility mantras. With such high casting times, Decoy should, at least, not interrupt mantras.

It’s not a bug and that’s why I don’t understand it. Balance is not a good argument…

if it wasnt able to interrupt another skill youve queued, it couldnt be a stunbreak.

l2p issue. the point of the skill is immediate reaction. make sure you dont have an incomplete gold progress bar when you use this skill.

insanemaniac.2456:

if it wasnt able to interrupt another skill youve queued, it couldnt be a stunbreak.

l2p issue. the point of the skill is immediate reaction. make sure you dont have an incomplete gold progress bar when you use this skill.

Both Mirror Images and Blink are also stun breakers and they don’t interrupt skills. So there’s no technical/mechanical difficulties.

Again, it’s a balance feature and I don’t see why it exists, mainly with mantras, as they have very high cast time without effects during it.

Being able to decoy while casting mantras would make them more useful, and it would decrease the issue mantras have in fights after its first part.

Ansau.7326:

insanemaniac.2456:

if it wasnt able to interrupt another skill youve queued, it couldnt be a stunbreak.

l2p issue. the point of the skill is immediate reaction. make sure you dont have an incomplete gold progress bar when you use this skill.

Both Mirror Images and Blink are also stun breakers and they don’t interrupt skills. So there’s no technical/mechanical difficulties.

Again, it’s a balance feature and I don’t see why it exists, mainly with mantras, as they have very high cast time without effects during it.

Being able to decoy while casting mantras would make them more useful, and it would decrease the issue mantras have in fights after its first part.

hmm.. ok nevermind, its the stealth. the skill stops your queued action so you dont reveal yourself. but this is still an l2p issue.

insanemaniac.2456:

Ansau.7326:

insanemaniac.2456:

if it wasnt able to interrupt another skill youve queued, it couldnt be a stunbreak.

l2p issue. the point of the skill is immediate reaction. make sure you dont have an incomplete gold progress bar when you use this skill.

Both Mirror Images and Blink are also stun breakers and they don’t interrupt skills. So there’s no technical/mechanical difficulties.

Again, it’s a balance feature and I don’t see why it exists, mainly with mantras, as they have very high cast time without effects during it.

Being able to decoy while casting mantras would make them more useful, and it would decrease the issue mantras have in fights after its first part.

hmm.. ok nevermind, its the stealth. the skill stops your queued action so you dont reveal yourself. but this is still an l2p issue.

Ok that makes sense, didn’t understand you.

I was always puzzled by this behaviour as well. A similar thing occurs for thieves if you use blinding powder during hide in shadows. The ability is “instant cast”, but its behaviour is contrary to the way other instant cast things work (i.e. you can blink during your heal).

If they deliberately implemented it this way, my guess it’s so that you can’t react to something like an interrupt to save your heal. That is, you have to expend your decoy/blinding power in order to defend your heal, rather than start your heal, check what the opponent does, and then use it as a reaction.

That way, it puts more pressure on the healer to commit to their defensive utilities, rather than protecting their heal “for free”. That is, you have to expend the utility to guarantee the protection of your heal, rather than just using it "if needed’.

If it’s not deliberate than it’s just some odd property of those utilities. So far I only know of it happening with decoy and blinding powder, which are both stealth-based utilities. I’m not sure if it happens with any others (haven’t tested). It may be that they just made it a special case for those instant stealth abilities.

People heal outside of stealth? o.O

any skill with “breaks stun” interrupts casts. not only decoy.

No, you can blink during, say, iWave (GS #5) without interrupting it.

Ross Biddle.2367:

People heal outside of stealth? o.O

Call me crazy, but I want them to hit my Mirror.

You have a choice to use it without interrupt yourself. For Thief, you DON’T even have that CHOICE.

Last Refuge says Hi.

Does the decoy trait interrupt your heal?

I don’t mind the decoy skill interrupting your heal; Decoy’s a strong ability, and if it’s that big of a deal, decoy and then heal. But if the trait interrupts your heal that’s kind of silly.