I think it would be amazing to utilize some of the new skill tech we’ve seen to imagine how the Warhorn could be used at melee AND 1200 range simultaneously, allowing it to fit into multiple builds and provide the range flexibility that D/X and S/X genuinely lack.
I imagine the main skill type would be a long range “cone” with a generous arc, that has an effect on foes within 600 range, and then a different effect for foes between 600 to 1200 range, obviously fanning outward and covering more total area.
Here is an example of some abilities that could be super thematic and fun with the above design:
Call of Lightning – Warhorn – Air 4
3 second Channel, full Mobility, 10 second Recharge
Call forth clouds rain down 5 lightning bolts per pulse (1 second pulse) that cascade outward. (think the three-hit mace ability for Revenant but with lightning bolts on each of the three hits that cascade forward). These bolts deal decreased damage to foes under 600 range, but apply 1 stack of Vulnerability for 10 seconds. To foes beyond 600 to 1200 range, the damage per bolt is significantly increased and they instead apply a 3 second Blind.
Storm’s Embrace / Storm Cry – Warhorn – Air 5
3/4 second Cast, Immobile cast, 20 second Recharge.
Damage and pull up to 5 foes from 600 range, Knocking them down for 1 second. Second skill it links to deals damage and Knocks Down ranged foes in the 600-1200 range wide arc for 2 seconds.
Basically, these two abilities combo well with each other depending on the range at which you are fighting your foes. Storm’s Embrace can pull foes together into melee range of you, giving you time to channel Call of Lightning for maximum close range potential of hitting all 6 bolts, which will stack Vulnerability quickly due to all 6 bolts hitting (which only happens on foes directly in melee range of you due to them spreading out along the arch as the distance increases).
Additionally, if fighting a ranged foe, you can use the secondary skill Storm Cry to damage and knockdown distant foes, either if chasing them down or trying to win a ranged war. Call of Lightning deals increased damage per bolt at longer ranges, but hitting a foe with more than 2 bolts would be almost impossible, certainly at the max 1200 range, so their increased damage would help offset this without making it complete comparable to the close range melee overlap, while the Blind would help win the ranged poking war.
I think if they make really interesting skills like this for each attunement, with low enough cool downs so that you actually want to stay in an attunement depending on your combat situation, then Warhorn might actually have a decent place as the “consistent aoe damage, wide area control” offhand weapon, giving it a unique place among the off-hands that isn’t completely filled.
Each attunement could employ a similar scheme as the air abilities listed above, with things like:
Each 5 skill being some unique type of control that works well with a channeled 4th skill.
Each 4 skill offering “something” that that attunement is really supposed to provide, on a low cool-down, with a channel.
Maybe there could even be a Warhorn trait in the Tempest line that provides 3s of Stability at the start of a Warhorn channel, causing foes in PVP to have to blow a boonstrip to interrupt your channels.
I could see water’s Warhorn being:
4- Channel to deal damage and send out 5 frost whirlwinds that apply Chill to distant foes and Weakness to nearby foes, and heal up to 5 allies within the cone while removing 1 condition per hit.
5- Cast to Immobile nearby foes for 3 seconds, and create a projectile reflecting wall of ice in an arc at 600 range that also stuns foe’s who pass through it for 1 second with the “frozen” visual effect.
Earth could be:
4- (similar to air) Channel to send out waves of 5 sandstorm whirlwinds to apply Protection and Stability for 2 seconds per pulse to allies they pass through while applying 2 Bleeds for 8 seconds to enemies. Close enemies are Blinded and distant enemies are Crippled for 5 seconds per hit and receive 4 stacks of Bleeding.
5- Applies 3 bleeds for 10 seconds and knocks down nearby foes in the cone, distant foes are Immobilized for 2 seconds.
Fire could be:
4- Channel to send out 5 firestorm whirlwinds that apply 2 seconds of Burning per hit to close foes and 4 stacks per hit to distant foes (so 15 stacks against any melee target that literally sits right in front of you for the 3 second channel and is hit by all 6.)
5- Backdraft – Knocks back close foes and extends duration of burns by 1 second (max of 25), distant foes are sucked inward 600 range toward you.