Guild Wars 2

Created an elite spec concept that attempts to emphasize active play and defense by changing weapon skills and normal Elementalist mechanics. Each weapon has a specific theme and mechanical playstyle it is meant emphasize, decreasing versatility to justify improved offensive effectiveness. Elite Spec adds: new weapon skills, new defensive/utility cooldown, shortbow skills, and wells.

The GW2 Elementalist dances between attunements, activating a suite of separate weapon skills per attunement with individual cooldowns. Weapon skills for each attunement belong to a general theme and allow Elementalists to actively swap to different modes (Fire-damage, Water-support, Air-control, and Earth-defense) as the need arises. This comes with an opportunity cost of having limited access to those themes outside of the associated attunement and being unable to revert to the prior mode for a limited period of time.

In GW2 “Arcane” is in reference to both an Elementalist traitline and utility skill type. The traitline associates itself with general utilitarian enhancement of each attunement, particularly as it applies to their themes, and decreased cooldowns. The utility skills have instant or low cast times, deal critical damage, shield the user, and can be traited to apply thematic conditions and increase ferocity. Though not particularly clear thematically, “Arcane” energy appears to be raw magical energy before it is sculpted by elemental association OR magical energy simultaneously sculpted by all elemental associations. A number of keyword mechanics or concepts associated with the “Arcane”: critical hit and damage, speed of activation and cooldowns, thematic conditions and boons, enchantment, active defense.

At the core of the Arcanist/Arcane Archer design is the attempt to move away from the corner the game designers seemed to have worked themselves into: PvE Elementalist deals too much damage too easily against AI and/or their versatility is too easily accessible, and PvP Elementalists are forced into support bots due to low base stats, a reliance on healing and passive defense over active defense, and general overcosting of versatility.

Where the Elementalist provides the core design concept and the Tempest generally slows down play while increasing access to passive defenses regardless of current attunement, the Arcanist/Arcane Archer aims to emphasize the attunement swapping of the Elementalist and speed up its play and reactivity. Though versatility is an irremovable hallmark of the Elementalist, the design herein aims to decrease baseline versatility by hiding it behind skill combinations (increasing button presses, skill requirement, intelligent use, cooldown management, etc.) and focus on solid mechanical and role design choices by weapon.

• All weapon skills are reworked as “Arcanist Weapon Skills”, and each weapon skill shares a cooldown across attunements (activating a skill in an attunement with an associated “Training” trait still lowers the cooldown). Naming terminology of Arcanist Weapon skills are consistent across weapons so as to denote specific meaning: “Arcane” skills are the same regardless of attunement, and “Elemental” skills are the same on a basic functionality level but produce fields, boons, conditions, and other effects thematic of that attunement.

• All weapon skills have a 3/4 sec activation time and a 1/4 sec aftercast, maintaining a possible 1 sec per skill cadence, except in the case of a few channeled skills (Dagger 2: Elemental Breath and Focus 5: Arcane Abjuration) and an instant cast sequence skill (Focus 5.5: Arcane Detonation).

• Traitline synergies allow for decreased cooldowns based on active play (skill use and attunement swap), simultaneously decreasing the cost of a “limited” number of skills and shared cooldowns so as to maintain the frequent skill use hallmark of the Elementalist while increasing the succeptibility and negative effect of hard control and lockdown, increasing skill requirements, etc.

• All Arcanist weapon skills possess the same cooldown across weapon sets. Initial ballpark numbers to assist with explanation: Auto-No cooldown, Skill 2-10 sec cooldown, Skill 3-15 sec cooldown, Skill 4-30 sec cooldown, Skill 5-40 sec cooldown. This is to ensure no playstyle or associated weapon is inherently favored over the next by cooldowns or traitline synergies, but rather opens build diversity uniformly.

The Arcanist/Arcane Archer elite concept is offensive in nature and these themes are carried through to mechanical focus of the weapon skills. Some build diveristy outside of the defined focus of a specific weapon is still possible through additional traitline selection, utilities, etc. However, baseline versatility was purposefully limited so as to justify or counterpoint the necessary strength of weapon skills. This elite concept is not meant to allow for those alternative options that other builds or elite specs already provide (aura heal support for example).

(Near Melee Hybrid Bruiser – Good power multipliers and condition access)

• Dagger Auto: Arcane Lash – Lash your foe with acrane energy. (Lightning Whip)

• Dagger 2: Elemental Breath – Spray a cone of elemental energy at foes, inflicting conditions and creating a lingering field of elemental energy that deals continuous damage and continues to inflict conditions. (Fire-Burn and Fire field, Water-Torment and Ice field, Air-Vulnerability and Lightning field, Earth-Bleed and Magnetic field)

• Dagger 3: Elemental Burst – Detonate a burst of elemental energy that inflicts conditions on nearby foes. Blast finisher. (Fire-Cripple, Water-Chill, Air-Blind, Earth-Immobilize)

(Evasive Defense and Mobility)

• Dagger 4: Elemental Retreat – Quickly roll backward, creating a field of elemental energy that inflicts conditions on enemies. (Fire-Fire field that inflicts Burn, Water-Ice field that inflicts Chill, Air-Lightning field that inflicts Vulnerability, Earth-Magnetic field that inflicts Bleed)

• Dagger 5: Arcane Speed – Gather arcane energy as you surge forward, evading attacks. Blast enemies with your gathered energy when you stop. If no enemies are struck, Arcane Surge can be activated for a short period of time.

• Dagger 5 Sequence: Arcane Surge – Use your gathered energy to surge forward a second time, evading attacks.

(Mid Range Condition Pressure and Burst – Low power multipliers but good condition access, duration, and synergies)

• Scepter Auto: Elemental Flares – Strike your foe twice with elemental energy, inflicting a condition with each hit. (Fire-Burn, Water-Torment, Air-Vulnerability, Earth-Bleed)

• Scepter 2: Elemental Ring – Damage and apply a condition to foes with a ring of elemental energy. Apply a separate condition to foes that pass through it. (Fire-Cripple and a Fire field that burns, Water-Chill and an Ice Field that Torments, Air-Blind and a Lightning field that applies Vulnerability, Earth-Weakness and a Magnetic field that Bleeds)

• Scepter 3: Arcane Ally – Unleash an unblockable arcane phoenix that attacks foes in a line before exploding and returning to you, curing a condition and granting vigor. Increase the duration of conditions on foes caught in the blast. Blast finisher.

(Defensive Utility)

• Focus 4: Elemental Tide – Launch a wave of elemental energy that damages and applies a condition to foes while blocking projectiles. (Fire-Fire field that applies Cripple, Water-Icy field that applies Chill, Air-Lightning field that applies Blind, Earth-Magnetic field that applies Immobolize)

• Focus 5: Arcane Abjuration – Channel arcane energies to block attacks that can be released to daze nearby foes.

• Focus 5 Sequence: Arcane Detonation – Unleash a blast of arcane energy to daze nearby foes. Blast finisher.

(Long Range Control and Support – Focus on hard and soft control access and duration alongside boon application and duration)

• Staff Auto: Arcane Innervation – Cast an arc of arcane energy, damaging foes and granting Fury to allies caught in the arc.

• Staff 2: Elemental Font – Create a field of elemental energy that damages and applies conditions to foes while granting boons to allies. (Fire-Fire field that applies Blind and grants Might, Water-Ice field that applies Vulnerability and grants Vigor, Air-Lightning field that applies Weakness and grants Swiftness, Earth-Magnetic field that applies cripple and grants Retaliation)

• Staff 3: Elemental Blast – Conjure elemental energy that detonates in a blast after a short delay, applying conditions to nearby enemies. Blast finisher. (Fire-Cripple, Water-Chill, Air-Blind, Earth-Immob)

• Staff 4: Arcane Winds – Summon arcane winds to cure two conditions and grant superspeed to you and nearby allies.

• Staff 5: Arcane Fissure – Conjure a fissure of arcane energies that pulls enemies toward it after a short delay. For a short period after the fissure has detonated, the ambient energy unleashed by the fissure can be sculpted into an Elemental Calamity.

• Staff 5 sequence: Elemental Calamity – Sculpt the lingering energy released by your arcane fissure into an elemental blast, inflicting control effects based on your attunement. Blast finisher. (Fire-Knockback, Water-Stun, Air-Float, Earth-Knockdown)

(Mid Range Power Pressure and Burst – Great power multipliers with incidental condition access for synergy and control)

• Shortbow Auto: Arcane Shot – Fire an arrow of arcane energy at your foe. 20% projectile finisher.

• Shortbow 2: Elemental Arrow – Fire an arrow at the ground that explodes on impact, dealing damage to foes and applying a condition. Ignite the ground in elemental energy to deal continuous damage over time. (Fire-Blind and Fire field, Water-Chill and Ice field, Air-Blind and Lightning field, Earth-Cripple and Magnetic field)

• Shortbow 3: Arcane Quiver – Conjure a number of arcane bolts that can be unleashed at your foe.

• Shortbow 3 sequence: Arcane Barrage – Unleash your arcane bolts, barraging your foe in a continuous stream. 20% projectile finisher.

• Shortbow 4: Arcane Contingency – Fire an unblockable missile that pierces enemies. Activate Elemental Jaunt to teleport to the missile.

• Shortbow 4 sequence: Elemental Jaunt – Teleport to the missile you unleashed, appearing in a blast of elemental energy and inflicting a condition on nearby enemies. Blast finisher. (Fire-Cripple, Water-Chill, Air-Blind, Earth-Immobolize)

• Shortbow 5: Elemental Detonation – Fire a projectile at your foe that deals a high amount of damage. The damage is doubled if the your foe is inflicted with a condition based on your attunement. (Fire-Burn, Water-Chill, Air-Vulnerability, Earth-Bleed)

• Heal: Well of Water – Heal yourself and create a well of Water magic that pulses Regeneration and Vigor to allies. (Water field)

• Utility 1: Well of Cinders – Burn enemies and create a well that pulses Blind and Cripple on foes. (Fire field)

• Utility 2: Well of Frost – Chill enemies and create a well that pulses Torment and Vulnerability on foes. (Ice field)

• Utility 3: Well of Air – Daze enemies and create a well of swirling wind that blocks projectiles and grants Swiftness to allies. (Lightning field)

• Utility 4: Well of Earth – Break stun and gain protection. Create a well that pulses Stability to allies. (Magnetic field)

• Elite: Well of Arcane Energy – Gain Quickness and Fury. Creat a well that inflicts damage and applies conditions based on your attunement. Conditions applied change dynamically with active attunement swapping. (Fire-Burn, Water-Chill, Air-Blind, Earth-Immobolize) (Light field OR Dark field)

• Minor Adept: Arcane Armaments – Gain access to Arcanist weapon skills and Arcane Prodigy. When attuning to an element decrease the cooldown of Arcanist weapon skills (5 sec). (Arcane Prodigy – F5. Instant Cast, 30 sec cooldown. Break stun and gain Might (10 sec), Regeneration (5 sec), Swiftness (5 sec), and Protection (3 sec).)

1. Well Attuned – When attuning to an element you decrease the remaining cooldown of wells.
2. Chilling Invigoration – Ice fields you create heal you. Activating a combo finisher on an ice field activates a second combo as though it were a water field.
3. Arcane Assault – Quickness increases your critical hit chance and endurance generation.

• Minor Master: Arcane Attunement – Gain Superspeed (5 sec) and Quickness (5 sec) when you activate Arcane Prodigy.

1. Arcane Echo – When you activate a combo finisher, it activates twice.
2. Arcane Dampening – Damage and slow (5 sec) nearby foes when you activate Arcane Prodigy.
3. Elemental Molting – When attuning to an element you decrease the remaining duration of conditions on you.

• Minor Grandmaster: Elemental Lord – Activating a weapon skill decreases the remaining cooldown of attunements (0.25 s).

1. Master of Magic/Enchantment – Might also increases your Precision and Healing Power.
2. Frost Burn – Apply torment whenever you apply chill.
3. Critical Mass – Whenever you perform a critical hit while wielding a Shortbow gain a charge. At enough charges gain quickness (3 sec) and a Minor Arcane Shield. (Minor Arcane Shield – Block an attack with an energy shield. After blocking an attack the shield explodes, granting endurance.)