Guild Wars 2

Is it just me or the focus just an awful weapon. Sure, obsidian armor is kinda cool but overall off-hand dagger seems to outshine the focus. It seems that the focus was meant to be tank/control based and the dagger was meant for dps. But Updraft, earthquake, and Freezing aura are some of the best control skills the sentimentalist has. I don’t think ele’s could ever really tank or out sustain in a fight due to their health pool, low armor, and the passive healing/condi removal isn’t better than other class have.

This build gains nothing from having a focus. Especcially in PvE, dropping combo fields is and aoe healing is way better than random KD’s and dazes since like he said, there’s defiant everywhere. He actually explains at the end why half the focus abilities are bad. S/D is a much better fresh air build.

No, you’re right, it’s pretty bad. I want it to be good but it’s just not. It’s a defensive weapon without a heal or mobility, and taking it absolutely destroys your damage. If you absolutely need projectile destruction/reflection then it can be a good choice, but overall it just can’t contend with the Dagger offhand.

What I feel is that because of focus, ele’s are allowed to go all out, if only for a few seconds. That means I could go for burst in WvW with focus and allow the focus to cover my kitten when things go wrong. Really, I can’t reset fights as well, but I’m sure as hell to put heavy pressure on the opponent to give me some breathing room.

As for potato’s build, dunno why he took focus in PvE. No need for the defensive/cc when smart playing with s/d or d/d will kill it faster and with just as little risk. Focus is more of a PvP weapon.

Focus had a lot of potential, but Anet was terrified of giving us a KD with a decent CD and water/fire are just awful.

Leuca.5732:

Focus had a lot of potential, but Anet was terrified of giving us a KD with a decent CD and water/fire are just awful.

Indeed. If Fire had some actual damage and Water had a heal instead of a crappy single-target Chill or a finicky Daze, then it might be a more respectable weapon. As it stands, Air and Earth are good (but not necessarily better than Air and Earth on the Dagger), but Fire and Water suck (whereas they are both excellent on the Dagger).

Blaine Tog.8304:

Leuca.5732:

Focus had a lot of potential, but Anet was terrified of giving us a KD with a decent CD and water/fire are just awful.

Indeed. If Fire had some actual damage and Water had a heal instead of a crappy single-target Chill or a finicky Daze, then it might be a more respectable weapon. As it stands, Air and Earth are good (but not necessarily better than Air and Earth on the Dagger), but Fire and Water suck (whereas they are both excellent on the Dagger).

There are easy improvements you could make. I don’t like Flame wall because it’s a line, but if it must remain that way, it needs to do significant damage when crossed to further accentuate focus’ role as a defensive weapon. (This is a line, and you shouldn’t cross it.) Fire shield needs to have a different name from regular flame auras, needs a shorter cd, and needs to punish people for hitting us by additionally doing damage. The only way an ally can gain this unique aura is by the Powerful Auras trait.

For water, simply increase the base damage on Freezing Gust and make Comet stun chilled foes instead of dazing them, to promote synergy with properly timed chills.

Air and earth are fine except for Gale needing a shorter CD.

Leuca.5732:

Blaine Tog.8304:

Leuca.5732:

Focus had a lot of potential, but Anet was terrified of giving us a KD with a decent CD and water/fire are just awful.

Indeed. If Fire had some actual damage and Water had a heal instead of a crappy single-target Chill or a finicky Daze, then it might be a more respectable weapon. As it stands, Air and Earth are good (but not necessarily better than Air and Earth on the Dagger), but Fire and Water suck (whereas they are both excellent on the Dagger).

There are easy improvements you could make. I don’t like Flame wall because it’s a line, but if it must remain that way, it needs to do significant damage when crossed to further accentuate focus’ role as a defensive weapon. (This is a line, and you shouldn’t cross it.) Fire shield needs to have a different name from regular flame auras, needs a shorter cd, and needs to punish people for hitting us by additionally doing damage. The only way an ally can gain this unique aura is by the Powerful Auras trait.

For water, simply increase the base damage on Freezing Gust and make Comet stun chilled foes instead of dazing them, to promote synergy with properly timed chills.

Air and earth are fine except for Gale needing a shorter CD.

what do you mean it needs to have a different name? It is the exact same thing as a regular fire shield. also allies can get flame shield by leaping in fire fields.

I’ve been using it lately and it is actually quite good. Water, air, and especially earth all have good skills. Obsidian flesh and magnetic wave are so good that it is worth taking 20% off earth cooldowns trait. Both fire skills and water chill skill are borderline useless though. Since flame shield is instant though, it is at least better than nothing, and flame wall allows for some (difficult) might stacking. Gale is also on an obscene cooldown (but is otherwise an excellent skill).

It does desperately need a mobility skill, preferably in water or fire to replace the crappy skills.

Jabberwock.9014:

I’ve been using it lately and it is actually quite good. Water, air, and especially earth all have good skills. Obsidian flesh and magnetic wave are so good that it is worth taking 20% off earth cooldowns trait. Both fire skills and water chill skill are borderline useless though. Since flame shield is instant though, it is at least better than nothing, and flame wall allows for some (difficult) might stacking. Gale is also on an obscene cooldown (but is otherwise an excellent skill).

It does desperately need a mobility skill, preferably in water or fire to replace the crappy skills.

No it doesn’t. Defense and control is focus’s niche. Damage and mobility is dagger’s. Focus should be buffed/changed to better reflect this. Such as fire skills being changed to something else a lot more useful. Other than that, cd’s across the board shouls be reduced.

The fire attunement is a bit problematic, in a thematic way, for a mainly control and defense weapon. “Earth Shield” “Swirling Winds” and so on make sense, but what kind of control and defense can we give to Fire? “Crippling burn”?

Azunai.5974:

Jabberwock.9014:

I’ve been using it lately and it is actually quite good. Water, air, and especially earth all have good skills. Obsidian flesh and magnetic wave are so good that it is worth taking 20% off earth cooldowns trait. Both fire skills and water chill skill are borderline useless though. Since flame shield is instant though, it is at least better than nothing, and flame wall allows for some (difficult) might stacking. Gale is also on an obscene cooldown (but is otherwise an excellent skill).

It does desperately need a mobility skill, preferably in water or fire to replace the crappy skills.

No it doesn’t. Defense and control is focus’s niche. Damage and mobility is dagger’s. Focus should be buffed/changed to better reflect this. Such as fire skills being changed to something else a lot more useful. Other than that, cd’s across the board shouls be reduced.

If we were another class with weapon swap I would agree, but given using focus precludes using a major mobility weapon (outside of a long cooldown elite), I think focus could use a minor mobility skill, like a second burning speed. Dagger offhand has a little control/defense too, so why can’t focus have a little mobility?

They could also actually make flame shield useful by simply tweaking the numbers on the burn, duration, might, cooldown, and/or icd. As it is there is very little incentive to stop attacking an ele using it. They should make the shield separate from the one you get from fire field leap finishers so as not to overpower that one.

Sancz.9345:

what do you mean it needs to have a different name? It is the exact same thing as a regular fire shield. also allies can get flame shield by leaping in fire fields.

I’m saying it needs to have a different name to reflect its status as a unique skill/effect. This is all theoretical; I know it functions exactly like the leap finisher right now. We’re looking for ways to improve the focus, not state what it already does.

Nikaido.3457:

The fire attunement is a bit problematic, in a thematic way, for a mainly control and defense weapon. “Earth Shield” “Swirling Winds” and so on make sense, but what kind of control and defense can we give to Fire? “Crippling burn”?

Flame wall doing heavy damage for crossing it along with the 1 second of burn, and Fire Shield doing damage to attacking foes based on your power level, akin to retaliation but not an actual boon. This new Fire Shield needs to be unique to the ele’s focus weapon, and the regular one can stay with the leap finisher. This discourages foes from running to certain areas and also gives them a reason to avoid wailing on you mindlessly.

Ok, here’s what I’d like to see for the Focus:

Fire 4: Deals heavy damage if Foes cross it, also can be activated a second time to cause it to explode for heavy damage (and act as a Blast finisher). It also explodes at the end of its duration if it hasn’t already been exploded.

Fire 5: In addition to the Fire Aura, this skill also deals moderate-heavy PBAoE damage on activation, applies a pulse of Burning around you, acts as a Whirl finisher, and gives you a unique buff that pulses low PBAoE damage every time you are struck for 5 seconds. The idea of this skill is fine (enemies are punished for attacking you and getting close), it just needs to be taken up a notch. The Fire Aura alone isn’t nearly enough.

Water 4: Freezing Gust: Make it 600 AoE from your target and it’d be fine, or even make it ground-targeted.

Water 5: Remove the Blast finisher, have it apply a decent AoE heal at your position (where the comet originates) and upon landing both with 240 radius. Maybe increase the Daze/damage radius to 180.

Air and Fire are fine. Gale’s cooldown is kinda long, but it’s a ranged targeted knockdown with no real dodgeable animation so it probably should be pretty long.

TGSlasher.1458:

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The only changes I think would be really good would be to swap dagger water 5 and focus water 4 or 5, revert the RTL cool down and reduce the cd on Fire Shield (fire 5) or greatly extend its duration. Daggers ability to be mobile, tank and do damage is a bit over the top, moving the tank/bunker across to the focus would be a good change in my opinion.
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