Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet wants to promote build diversity for all classes, yet the Elementalist is stuck with the same meta build for a long time. Others, as well as myself, have been trying hard to break the meta by coming up with different builds such as a workable Fresh Air build or a condition damage build, but are restricted by the pointless trait-lines that could very well promote the build diversity we all want.

For example, on June 23 2015, the Power Overwhelming master-tier trait was added to the game by replacing the former trait called Fire’s Embrace.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Fire's_Embrace
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Power_Overwhelming

I don’t know about you guys, but I think PO is a very underwhelming trait to have in the Fire trait-line. With Fire’s Embrace, there would no doubt be a change in the builds we could be able to use, and now with the introduction of Tempest, the formerly used trait would synergise well with Invigorating Torrents and Cleansing Water.

Signets have been in the game from the start, but are rarely used in a PvP format because the activation on them were laughable. Thankfully, changes were made on the Signet of Earth and Fire, and have been somewhat usable in some builds, but the same cannot be said for Air and Water which have been left in the dust since the start of the game.

If the FE trait were to be brought back into the game, unchanged, we could possibly be able to play with new builds that wouldn’t be extremely boring as the “Auramancer”.

Now that PvP has come into the conversation, do you really think the base health of 11,645 for an Elementalist is justifiable with the sudden “power creep” in the game? This is why people stick to the Mender’s amulet in PvP.

What use is there to use another amulet that doesn’t include vitality only to be killed in a matter of seconds by other classes with better base stats? Increase the vitality and toughness of this class and just maybe there’ll be some form of change in the way the player-base plays.

Conjures: the shameful son of the Elementalist, unwanted and neglected since its birth. Frost Bow is dead, Lightning Hammer is usable in PvE (maybe) and Earth Shield is a lost cause. What is the Flame Axe by the way and what is its purpose?

Good work on the GoEP + GoEH buff, although Glyph of Storms could use some work. Haven’t really seen that skill used in action since the first year of GW2.

I would really like to see an ArenaNet response to this thread and many other threads on this site instead of having to see them on Reddit. Contribution goes a long way.

Give me your thoughts on this, my fellow Elementalists. Who knows, we may even see some changes if we give them.

Some additional info: I have played as an Elementalist for 9,254 hours over the past 1,597 days with many different builds. The class is very enjoyable to play, but could be much more if certain changes were made.

*was enjoyable to play.

it was because it was a class with fluid and engaging animations and skills compared to the others. now its left behind even in that regard – not even talking about the kittenty dmg output in every field in regards of a pvp scenario, not even talking about the kittenty mobility nor base stats.

we are stuck with clunky and outdated weaponskills on all weapons good for a meta 3 years ago. and i bet most ele mains still feed of that timeperiod.

ele 2k17 unengaging, uninspiring, underwhelming and underperforming. u could probably build to counter nearly everything out there – leaving a big whole to get countered by nearly everything else – but how does a skillcap like that must feel for a new ele player.
that moment were someone told u he fell in love with ele gameplay is so long gone cause of all the mentioned reasons. stuck in repeat are the veterans of this profession. wouldnt even call it a profession anymore more of an obsessions based on overcoming struggle.

Nonsense, the only thing you’re obligated to use metabuilds for are raids, raids need the higher numbers and that spot can only be occupied by ONE build.

Don’t bring PVP into this because there’s a lot of viable builds in and especially out of metabattle, and the rest of pve and WvW is the same.

Ghataka.1604:

Nonsense, the only thing you’re obligated to use metabuilds for are raids, raids need the higher numbers and that spot can only be occupied by ONE build.

Don’t bring PVP into this because there’s a lot of viable builds in and especially out of metabattle, and the rest of pve and WvW is the same.

Not really. In PvP, you can try to use other builds as I do that aren’t meta and people will cry about it because it’s not “support”. Most classes will destroy you because you don’t have the legendary Mender’s amulet or shout utilities.

WvW is different. You can roam with whatever because the stats there are different and can compensate a little for it, but the build variation for the Elementalist is quite poor.

shinta.8906:

*was enjoyable to play.

it was because it was a class with fluid and engaging animations and skills compared to the others. now its left behind even in that regard – not even talking about the kittenty dmg output in every field in regards of a pvp scenario, not even talking about the kittenty mobility nor base stats.

we are stuck with clunky and outdated weaponskills on all weapons good for a meta 3 years ago. and i bet most ele mains still feed of that timeperiod.

ele 2k17 unengaging, uninspiring, underwhelming and underperforming. u could probably build to counter nearly everything out there – leaving a big whole to get countered by nearly everything else – but how does a skillcap like that must feel for a new ele player.
that moment were someone told u he fell in love with ele gameplay is so long gone cause of all the mentioned reasons. stuck in repeat are the veterans of this profession. wouldnt even call it a profession anymore more of an obsessions based on overcoming struggle.

Too real.

We knew it from the instant they gave us tempest though. It’s simply not a specialization aimed at experienced and proficient elementalists, but rather at those who the dynamic nature of attunement swapping ele didn’t appeal to. Those who wanted the destructive-but-weighty feel of a traditional wizard archetype.

That would have been fine if they didn’t decide to leave the game in which base ele made any sense, behind.

To disguise this melancholy episode as an actually useful post for the sake of this thread: the frost aura from soothing ice needs to be removed, additive damage reduction removed, time for overload to become available reduced by one second, base attunement cooldown slightly increased. At that point the auramancer becomes less innately tanky, as it should be considering how unstoppable it makes its teammates. Personally I think the whole idea of having a full support build goes against what makes this game, and it’d be better off if it was scrapped entirely, but that’s a little radical.

You may wonder how any of this would lead to build diversity. I’m still of the opinion that nerfs are the only way to a game in which you can have ele in a healthy spot.

To end on a positive note, i genuinely believe we’ve gone about half the distance to such a game, coming from the trainwreck that was the game just after HoT release. The resurgence of a bit of dd ele gameplay is a testament to that. Still not there though.

Dahir.4158:

Ghataka.1604:

Nonsense, the only thing you’re obligated to use metabuilds for are raids, raids need the higher numbers and that spot can only be occupied by ONE build.

Don’t bring PVP into this because there’s a lot of viable builds in and especially out of metabattle, and the rest of pve and WvW is the same.

Not really. In PvP, you can try to use other builds as I do that aren’t meta and people will cry about it because it’s not “support”. Most classes will destroy you because you don’t have the legendary Mender’s amulet or shout utilities.

WvW is different. You can roam with whatever because the stats there are different and can compensate a little for it, but the build variation for the Elementalist is quite poor.

“People will cry about it” Well news fly, this game is filled with cry-babies and try-hards, and it is kinda comical considering this game is the easiest mmo i’ve played and there’s no necesity to be this kinda person, but oh well, i’ve seen lvl 50 characters getting kicked out of DUNGEONS for not switching weapon sets or not knowing metabattle rotations (yeah, ridiculous).

Cries are conditioning your “build diversity” from what i understand, that’s your problem and some people’s problem, not the elementalist’s problem.

No… Elementalist is lacking in general.

Dahir.4158:

No… Elementalist is lacking in general.

Oh, you convinced me.

Problem with ele has ALWAYS been survivability – we are given so little on weapon skills and utilities are on such a long CD that we are forced to max out every bit of defense we can get elsewhere, then figure out what role our max-defense build can perform.

The ONLY time that ele was ever able to do anything else was back when RtL had a 15s CD, was 1550 range, lightning flash was a stunbreak, mistform didn’t break channeled skills, and cleansing fire was a stunbreak. Also, air had more instant damage, and damage/mitigation/healing was lower back then, when people played 0/20/0/20/30 builds that mixed some air with water and arcana to have decent damage from air+phoenix+ring of fire + firegrab+Earthquake, etc with good survivability thanks to healing that could be easily covered by that 15s CD 1550 range RtL. They nerfed all the non-trait survivability, so every build we have now consists of 9/9 traits for max defense, 4/4 utilities/elite for defense, weapons that maximize defense, runes that maximize defense, and sigils that maximize defense.

D/D ele was in the same boat, and got by in terms of damage by stacking might to combo with soft mitigation (traits) and healing.

Support ele (now that d/d can’t keep up with powercreep, and no cele amulet) is also in the same boat, but can’t do any damage so it just maximizes team-healing/support.

The first step they made towards reversing this was putting a more reasonable CD on arcane shield, but ele is still pretty far from having a build that doens’t just maximize defense.

This is obv. all for pvp.

its clear that immunities/blocks/evades, stealth, mobility and so on rule the pvp landscape.

but on the offensiv side of the meta it became braindead too and here is ele slacking the most.

skills that require no target:
-> we have them on dagger mainly in air mediocre dmg on cost of melee range

skills that require target but work unfaced while moving:
-> lightning strike

skills that track down the target
-> u know things like mesmer clones, mirrorblade, ranger pets and rapidfire, eviscerates, killshots, headshots, shadowshots, rocket charge, unrelenting assault….

yeah none

unblockable skills that aint controle skills:
-> phoenix which u have to aim and be in melee for to even hope to land

this meta requires unblockable dmg, bursts on low casttime and cd, skills that can track down targets even if they stealth up, skills that can be done while on the move and unfaced.

my suggestion:

-> burning speed in direction of target

-> firegrab in direction of target + unblockable

-> churning earth while moving

-> phoenix in direction of target

-> dragons tooth should follow target like hurl does. precasttime of pvp in all gamemodes

-> staff gust in direction of target + following target + unblockable + bigger

- > staff auto possible without target BUT starting of as a ringskill like aura

- > lava font instant dmg

-> revert meteor to 5 + make the meteors track down a target like air ol does.

-> warhorn skills not only in ur facing direction but if target set on target

-> lower the precasttime and stop pretending the animations look like something that is uptodate and wortwhile looking at while u wait for it to happen

and i aint even start talking numbers here required to outperform other classes sustain due to the passivs around defensive and offensivewise.

They nerfed might traits on the elementalist because of the celestial amulet (ruining staff builds using the fire line in pvp and WvW), then they removed the celestial amulet and didn’t buff the might to how it was before.

There is nothing to understand, they just have no clue what they are doing when it comes to balance.

I still remember when you could heal, use utilities and elite while using Mist Form as well as being able to jump+RtL. Good times.

I am completely pvp player and for me:

1. TEMPEST IS ABSOULTE GARBAGE AS IDEA AND AS DESING: Playing ele is swapping attunements, being good ele is swaping attunements and mixing skills. Tempest as idea for staying in attunement longer to do something is wrong. Making new mechanic that can be stopped by random cc is just stupid. You can’t stop necro from using death shroud, war for going berseker ect ect. Tempest that don’t use overloads doesn’t differ from core ele almost at all (ok one big aoe heal and shouts and perma protection)!

2. Removing cele and cleric, hard tying together healing power on everything valuable on tempest without addressing problems of ele survival on lowest defence stats in game after hot power creep, murdered and buried our build diversity COMPLETELY.

Clueless is to far nice word to address what devs did with pvp ele with HoT and 2016 ,,balance" updates.

1. TEMPEST IS ABSOULTE GARBAGE AS IDEA AND AS DESING: Playing ele is swapping attunements, being good ele is swaping attunements and mixing skills. Tempest as idea for staying in attunement longer to do something is wrong. Making new mechanic that can be stopped by random cc is just stupid. You can’t stop necro from using death shroud, war for going berseker ect ect. Tempest that don’t use overloads doesn’t differ from core ele almost at all (ok one big aoe heal and shouts and perma protection)!

Absolutely this…to add a mechanic that can be easily interrupted by anyone..it’s beyond kittened, that’s why I left ele

The whole idea that there isn’t build diversity because there is one meta that a class has had for a long time is just such bad logic. Even if Anet made changes that changed what was meta … you STILL wouldn’t have build diversity of the kind you’re talking about.

Agree with this ^^ there are only really 2 context where the optimal build is required – raiding with certain groups and spvp.

guys its about the mechanic itself thats outdated. e.g. dd ele. the burst skills dd ele has – power spec given – are all to aim. burning speed and firegrab need to be aimed in a really slim marging way.
there is no such thing anymore in this game were u – esp in melee range – need to aim any skill. this whole game is based on not to need to aim. be it aoes who cover a large area to minimize the chance to miss or skills on a set target.

as the pve pros u seem to be. jump doric lake and test the npc’s there. u will atleast need to admit they definitly got the ele right there: squishy af and no dmg whatsoever dealing.