I’m not sure if I’m the only one, but Blasting Staff irks me.
It feels so necessary for staff PVP, but it feels more like it takes away than gives you something.
Vigorous Scepter and Windborne Dagger both give something that can be desired, but does not change the weapons inherent function, I find these acceptable.
Blasting Staff may be part of the reason that staff is considered not a good 1v1 weapon.
I don’t agree, when you want to fight 1v1 with staff, you need your enemy to stand in your AOE to take dmg or conditions or anything and it’s easier with bigger AOEs, it’s not only for AOE dmg… also if you cover whole point with your skills AOE, it’s even better, enemy have to move from the point, dodge or take dmg, always a win for you… and blasting staff makes quite a difference especially with lava font which is kind of small by default
The reason why blasting staff is bad isn’t because it’s a weak trait; it’s the exact opposite. Blasting staff is such a massive improvement and untraited staff is so bad that it’s just not reasonable to play staff without blasting staff.
Consider that most of the damage on staff comes from 120 radius attacks. This gives them an area of 45238.9 square range units. With blasting staff that goes up to 180 radius and 101787.6 square range units; more than double.
Mandatory pick traits are bad in general because they negate any intelligence around making a build.
ok now I understand… but imagine it was even worse when Blasting Staff was a master trait, now you can at least invest just 2 points and spend other points in different lines… also it’s not that necessary, in PvE you can often play even without it because mobs should be on one spot so even melee can cleave them and for this even 120 radius is enough imo, it’s just the PvP where it’s quite necessary…
I feel this way as well, not only because it’s mandatory for Meteor Shower, but because it’s in a line that essentially gives you no stats. That entire line’s attunement cool down bonus is a joke since they general buff months ago. I frequently wonder what ele would be like if 90% of non PvE builds didnt require 6 wasted trait points in boon duration.
Frankly right now staff’s other qualities negate this drawback, but I would really enjoy seeing an improvement to that horrid trait line’s passive bonuses.
I personally don’t trait it, despite having a second ele that runs primarily staff. The reason being is that I find spreading out the blasts of Meteor Swarm really sucks the life out of that skill, as there tend to be more misses. One any of the others, they are fine. Its just that one I use the most. Quite frankly, I’d rather have that AOE a little more concentrated than widened.
I personally don’t trait it, despite having a second ele that runs primarily staff. The reason being is that I find spreading out the blasts of Meteor Swarm really sucks the life out of that skill, as there tend to be more misses. One any of the others, they are fine. Its just that one I use the most. Quite frankly, I’d rather have that AOE a little more concentrated than widened.
That’s not how blasting staff works. The AoE radius of the total meteor swarm is unchanged. When you don’t run blasting staff the individual meteors are smaller which make them each less likely to hit.
I personally don’t trait it, despite having a second ele that runs primarily staff. The reason being is that I find spreading out the blasts of Meteor Swarm really sucks the life out of that skill, as there tend to be more misses. One any of the others, they are fine. Its just that one I use the most. Quite frankly, I’d rather have that AOE a little more concentrated than widened.
That’s not how blasting staff works. The AoE radius of the total meteor swarm is unchanged. When you don’t run blasting staff the individual meteors are smaller which make them each less likely to hit.
Yes indeed and is the staff skill the benefits perfectly from blasting staff. Just need a trait that reduces radius on meteor shower now ;-)
I personally don’t trait it, despite having a second ele that runs primarily staff. The reason being is that I find spreading out the blasts of Meteor Swarm really sucks the life out of that skill, as there tend to be more misses. One any of the others, they are fine. Its just that one I use the most. Quite frankly, I’d rather have that AOE a little more concentrated than widened.
That’s not how blasting staff works. The AoE radius of the total meteor swarm is unchanged. When you don’t run blasting staff the individual meteors are smaller which make them each less likely to hit.
Yes indeed and is the staff skill the benefits perfectly from blasting staff. Just need a trait that reduces radius on meteor shower now ;-)
In that case just use burning retreat to drag all the meteors to the closest corner of the meteor circle!
The issue is that the base Area of Effect from staff attacks are extremely kitten by default. You will never see smaller AOEs from Fire 2 or Water 3 compared to any other weapons —designed to be an area support weapon-.
It should be there by default. Traited Staff feels like default and the Untraited Staff feels wrong.
When you put it that way I kind of agree. It also makes the radius of individual meteors larger (without making the total area larger, increasing the chance that meteors hit), it really is detrimental to use staff but not blasting staff, I rarely do it, and only in PVE.
Making blasting staff size default would give staff eles that don’t want to run cantrips viable options to get vigor, or it opens up the possibility of arcane builds being more effective. It’s basically one small change that drastically increases build diversity.
The whole class is balanced as though every build has mandatory (and OP traits) in arcana. Without those traits, the class is a joke, while with them it is competitive. This is terrible design, honestly.
It’s like saying “you can choose from all these customizations for you car…You have the customization that adds and engine and wheels (arcana), and customizations that will put a nifty spoiler on there or give you an extra cup-holder (other lines).” There isn’t REALLY choice.
The whole class is balanced as though every build has mandatory (and OP traits) in arcana. Without those traits, the class is a joke, while with them it is competitive. This is terrible design, honestly.
It’s like saying “you can choose from all these customizations for you car…You have the customization that adds and engine and wheels (arcana), and customizations that will put a nifty spoiler on there or give you an extra cup-holder (other lines).” There isn’t REALLY choice.
A lot of meta builds only go 2 in arcana for PVE (just for blasting staff really)
No, there is no issue here. The trait is very good and staff is extremely good.
My point is not “Blasting staff is bad”. I mean that it is mandatory; everything feels awkward without it. In comparison to the other weapon traits in the Arcana Line, Staff is the only weapon that absolutely need it unlike the OP scepters and the dagger. I just wish to see in-class weapon parity and play the game against them without that missing trait that I waste on the Arcana to have a radius. (Perhaps I would like that vigor on crit?)
I am pretty sure that there are other classes that would love to have some of these mandatory traits given free. Honestly, I would rather give it for free and make the trait like the other Elementalists weapon that gives an interesting bonus.
It’s probably already happening in the expansion already.
A lot of meta builds only go 2 in arcana for PVE (just for blasting staff really)
I should have clarified, was talking about pvp. You can do just fine in all of pve with a 3-3-3-3-2 build even (although this is CLEARLY not optimal for speed running). Balance is around pvp activities b/c players are more complex than their AI could ever be.
Metas are 6/4/0/2/2 or 6/4/2/0/2 (your choice of more damage at range as long as you’re 90% health or more or more damage within 600 units) for staff. Both rely on persistent flames. I don’t do staff for pvp except wvw.
Blasting staff is not the most efficient in a lot of cases.