Guild Wars 2

Reduced fear’s maximum stacks to 5 to prevent excessively long periods of time where players don’t have control of their character.
Updated the stability boon to stack duration up to 3 times.
Elementalist
Air Pocket: This skill no longer allows players to shadowstep out of water.
Cone of Cold: The healing gained from the this skill’s heal attribute has been increased from 480 to 780 at max level.
Earthquake: The responsiveness of skills used after this skill has been improved.
Fire Grab: This skill has had its attack angle increased.
Glyph of Renewal: This skill no longer resurrects dead allies; it only revives downed ones.
Lightning Touch: This skill has had its attack angle increased.
Magnetic Grasp: The responsiveness of skills used after this skill has been improved.
Ring of Earth: This skill now applies cripple.
Signets: All signets have been updated to function properly with the Earth Magic traits Written in Stone and Signet Mastery.
Downed State Updates
Discharge Lightning: This skill can now stack vulnerability up to 2 times.
Grasping Earth: This skill has been moved to skill 3 and given a 10 second recharge. Damage has been increased by 50%, and it bleeds enemies on every pulse. This skill can now be interrupted by other skills.
Vapor Form: This skill has been moved to skill 2, is instantly available upon being downed, and has a 20-second recharge.
Guardian

Downed State Updates
Discharge Lightning: This skill can now stack vulnerability up to 2 times.
Grasping Earth: This skill has been moved to skill 3 and given a 10 second recharge. Damage has been increased by 50%, and it bleeds enemies on every pulse. This skill can now be interrupted by other skills.
Vapor Form: This skill has been moved to skill 2, is instantly available upon being downed, and has a 20-second recharge.

Glad to see this.

But wheres the Ride the Lightning fix?
Owell next time i hope.

Going miss all the crazy cool jukes I did with air pocket :/

I like all the buffs though. Especially downed state :s

Dear GOD….did they….did they fix the Ele downed state?

I…I….I don’t know what to say…..

Ring of Earth change sounds nice.

Are there also bug fixes listed? And OMG this patch is huge.

Small changes, but good ones, especially vapor form

Ooh, crippling spikes!

This downed state is going to be… interesting. Gonna have to see how it feels.

I’m so sad that they changed Air Pocket, it was sooo good for getting out of trouble.

I guess it’s worth it, when i read the “Cone of Cold” part I was expecting a huge nerf, to my surprise, they buffed it big time, so I guess bunker/healing builds will be more popular than ever.

Really nice overall.

Also, no RtL fix, was really looking forward to it.

Looks like my D/D elementalist is verrrry happy.

Mist form on skill 2= squeal with joy. 50% damage increase AND bleeds on skill 3? I’m lovin’ it!

Ahh yes… Fire Grab angle increase. Can’t wait to test this out!

Lovely week for ele’s indeed! Also, I can’t believe how much has gone into one update! 30 new dynamic events???? Mind is blown. I’m practically giddy hehehee

Meh.. no scepter buffs..

All in all. Hats off to Anet.

It’s good to see some positive changes coming to the elementalist. It’s far from all the changes we need, BUT it is good to see THEY WERE listening to some of our suggestions and comments and are implementing some fixes.

Yes, we’ll still have some issues, but thanks for listening to us and starting the balancing of the class! +1

I hope they also fixed some of the bugs.

Very nice changes with the exception of GoR being nerfed into nothingness. Very happy with the downed state changes on paper and Ring of Earth cripple. That skill is on a short recharge. Cone of Cold healing being increased and Fire Grab and Lightning Touch radius’s being increased. All in all, very nice changes for D/D Ele’s.

And surprise surprise, making this even more a melee class, i believe the first expansion pack either releases a proper elementalist with a different name or looses popularity quite fast.

Staff and Scepter (but especially Staff) left in the gutter as usual.

TheWarKeeper.5374:

And surprise surprise, making this even more a melee class, i believe the first expansion pack either releases a proper elementalist with a different name or looses popularity quite fast.

Staff and Scepter (but especially Staff) left in the gutter as usual.

Can you people just stop being so pessimistic? They buffed like 6 skills on dagger/dagger and put elementalists from having the worst downed state to one of the best (on paper). Major demands like larger angles for cone attacks have been met. You want them to fix every single build/weapon set in a single swoop? Lol.

Loses, not looses.

no man should be praised for doing what is expected

and conjured weapons are still useless

Turbo Whale.1738:

TheWarKeeper.5374:

And surprise surprise, making this even more a melee class, i believe the first expansion pack either releases a proper elementalist with a different name or looses popularity quite fast.

Staff and Scepter (but especially Staff) left in the gutter as usual.

Can you people just stop being so pessimistic? They buffed like 6 skills on dagger/dagger and put elementalists from having the worst downed state to one of the best (on paper). Major demands like larger angles for cone attacks have been met. You want them to fix every single build/weapon set in a single swoop? Lol.

Of course people want that. Sure, it is not feasable (probably), but some would like to see them try. Also if the 100+ bugs we have s till there, then…

And surprise surprise, the only profession that has gotten a clear buff in this patch still attracts whiners.

And surprise surprise, my guardian deals more aoe dps on auto attack with full exotic cleric than my ele does with semi berserker/rampager and only 2 pieces of sapphire items with fireballs ever will.

Staff dps still useless in spvp and melee range buffed forcing players into melee even more than before, for you D/D users this might be excelent, for us Elementalist purists who came from GW1 and other games that played mages this is not only meaningless to us but also clearly shows that A-Net is forcing the class in the way its not meant to be played.

So your concept of clear buff, is clearly nothing for us, except making us consider D/D even more.

As for downed state, its trully the only buff that actually affects the entire class.

DiogoSilva.7089:

And surprise surprise, the only profession that has gotten a clear buff in this patch still attracts whiners.

What a stupid thing to say. You have to look at classes in relation to each other. You cannot just say ‘dey gotz buffs must be gud lol u complan!’

TheWarKeeper.5374:

And surprise surprise, my guardian deals more aoe dps on auto attack with full exotic cleric than my ele does with semi berserker/rampager and only 2 pieces of sapphire items with fireballs ever will.

Staff dps still useless in spvp and melee range buffed forcing players into melee even more than before, for you D/D users this might be excelent, for us Elementalist purists who came from GW1 and other games that played mages this is not only meaningless to us but also clearly shows that A-Net is forcing the class in the way its not meant to be played.

So your concept of clear buff, is clearly nothing for us, except making us consider D/D even more.

As for downed state, its trully the only buff that actually affects the entire class.

You are really doing it wrong if you think a staff ele is useless in pvp. spvp, tpvp or wvw, staff ele’s are something that you simply must deal with immediately or they’re going to rip a team apart.

Downed state change is amazing, giving us one of the best downed states instead of the worst. Good bug fixes and interesting buff to d/d. Ele still needs a few more things, but definitely a step in the right direction. Overall I’m pretty happy with this patch… Except for the fact that paid tourneys aren’t out yet.

True, D/D are the main benefitters, but S/D and staff needed less help (not that I think they should be ignored). There’s only so much that can be done at one time. I’m just happy they put a decent portion of their effort into getting our class cleaned up in general. Downed state was a big deal.

I agree with Corebot. Staff ele are no joke in team play, and everyone knows there are viable S/D builds out there. I still think focus is lame, but that may just be me.

Avatara.1042:

DiogoSilva.7089:

And surprise surprise, the only profession that has gotten a clear buff in this patch still attracts whiners.

What a stupid thing to say. You have to look at classes in relation to each other. You cannot just say ‘dey gotz buffs must be gud lol u complan!’

I’m not saying that. But you people seem to expect that the entire profession is going to get reworked in two weeks, which is unrealistic.

MH Dagger got some much needed changes. Ring of Fire was a bit irrelevant and Magnetic Grasp bugged. Now with added cripple and the responsiveness fixed, earth MH dagger eles sure can keep their targets where they can hit them. It was a really good step to take for a weapon that has restricted range and is all about dealing damage. With Fire Grab and Lightning Touch hitting far more often than they used to, elementalists’ S/D or D/D burst damage became more reliable, and D/D’s defense too, as it really needed. And cone of cold’s stronger healing is an extra nice touch to MH dagger survival.

Overall, from what I’ve tested (in pvp), I’m very pleased with those changes. And, of course, the new downed state is awesome! Vapor Form is super fast now, and #3 is quickly available, which makes the downed state actually fun to play too.

Yeah and after 100 patches, if 1 patch comes after the other in 2 days, we are unrealistic because we expect a class to be fixed within 2 days.

Also, ive said Staff DPS is useless, which is the only full range way of dealing damage.
I would be more than happy to have a proper dps weapon at full range, or just rename this class to something else since its clearly not an elementalist but more of a mix of paragon and horrible gw1 elementalist support in disguise.

I dont see why what i am asking is unreasonable, most melee classes can easelly jump or teleport at you making ur full ranged ability not so great.

A lot of things are not good with the elementalist. If your staff was fixed, the MH dagger, scepter and focus users would then come complaining about how they were being ignored. It would be the same thing, but anet has to start from some point, and MH Dagger was clearly the one that needed most help with S/D being the better choice for pvp and staff for wvw.

Hopefully, next in line is focus.

Awesome changes, all but one, my air pocket!
I really loved it in the capricorn pvp map. Right before leaving the water I casted air pocket and I would teleport up in the air on land.
Oh well, guess you can’t have it all.

They broke Magnetic Grasp. You sit in mid-air for several seconds like RTL.

Otaur.9268:

They broke Magnetic Grasp. You sit in mid-air for several seconds like RTL.

Seriously? That’s what used to happen before this update, and from my experience, it no longer happens since the update is out.

@ DiogoSilva Just tested it 10x in row on Svanir in sPvP setup
Edit: This never happened to me before, the only problem I had was it wouldn’t hit people even if in range. Say I used it and then they continued running, it would hit where they used to be. But I use it as an Immobilize / gap closer. Maybe I am trying to use the keys to fast and it just doesn’t want to respond. At first I thought it was lag, but then it happened again, and again, and again.

They made my build even better…….. I was so afraid of nerfs. Happy and all but we still have no DPS option. Can’t wait to see if fire grab actually hits now! Will have to wait till tomorrow!

Dear GOD….did they….did they fix the Ele downed state?

I…I….I don’t know what to say…..

Yeah, I’m going to miss skipping half the Borderlands jumping puzzle

Nice to see some buffs and fixes though. If they ever make eruption slightly easier to hit, I’ll be one very happy staff ele.

Oh my god YES, thank you ANet! Finally a working down state, and buffs to d/d (my favored playstyle)! The cripple on earth ring, extra healing on cone of cold, and increased angle of fire grab/lightning touch (it’s always been pretty hard to land these) are just awesome, and go a long way towards making d/d more viable.

I like all of these but…

they seem like a bit of a bandaid approach.

I love these changes. Especially the downed state ones.

Elementalist now arguably has one of the best downed states.

Edit: Air Pocket nerf sucks, but is understandable, as people were using it to glitch into keeps in WvW.

A good first step, and without buffing numbers. Very impressive, and I like it.

TheWarKeeper.5374:

Also, ive said Staff DPS is useless, which is the only full range way of dealing damage.

If you’re not dealing damage at range with a staff, then you’re doing it wrong. Be sure to make use of any combos you can make. Even without Evasive Arcana, you can get a lot of Might through combos. Also, keep in mind that a ranger firing through your static field or lava font deals more damage. Damage that’s directly a result of you, even if it only shows up on their screens.

The staff may not be as direct about it, but it can deal a chunk of damage still.

Downed state fixes, buffs, AND bug fixes!? Awesome! only flaw left with D/D ele is RTL, which I’m sure they’re working on.

caufenkamp.7210:

Downed State Updates
Discharge Lightning: This skill can now stack vulnerability up to 2 times.
Grasping Earth: This skill has been moved to skill 3 and given a 10 second recharge. Damage has been increased by 50%, and it bleeds enemies on every pulse. This skill can now be interrupted by other skills.
Vapor Form: This skill has been moved to skill 2, is instantly available upon being downed, and has a 20-second recharge.

Glad to see this.

But wheres the Ride the Lightning fix?
Owell next time i hope.

oh yeh! ride the lightning is one of the most fun skills to use but most bugged. Would be kool it worked right.

Did they fix downed state? Yes? Awesome.

Do we still do less damage for more effort vs other classes? Yes? Not so awesome.

The thing that makes me the most sad is that due to the amount of PVP changes in this patch, eles and necros will still probably remain craptastic in terms of damage output for a while as the next patch won’t be for a long while :-/.

bad changes are bad

downed state is much worse now than it was before, 20 seconds cooldown on vapor form just lol, how stupid is that? only noobs were crying about ele downed state

you should l2p instead whine to anet so they make stupid changes like that, ele with old downed state and lava tomb trait could beat almost every one , easily. I’ve been downed at the same time as my enemy so many times that u cant even imagine, and what happens then? I beat them with auto attacks and hp ‘reset’ with vapor form. Its now impossible to do so

If you’re dealing craptastic damage, try changing your build.

Downed state lacked an interrupt at all, incisorr. That was the problem. Now we have one. This is a good change.

Cripple on Ring of Earth shall be sweet. Time to go test the new angles on Fire Grab and LT.

Not to mention Assassin’s Signet nerf is a big hit to the Backstab build. It can still put out some great damage, but it shouldn’t be knocking 10k+ on Backstab anymore. Overall a 15% nerf to the combo.

You want them to fix every single build/weapon set in a single swoop? Lol.

Realistically, the game has been out, and the Ele has had broken skills, for well over a month. I expected some of these changes two weeks ago, but better late than never, I guess.

Yeah, why get mad at the downed state change? You think that every person who didn’t want to use a lava tomb build is a noob? Use your spec or suck? w/e The new downed state is useful to all ele now, like it should be.

I want them to atleast try fix the game. Why’d they even nerf staff on the first place? Its beyond me, especially lava font. Ele was fine on first beta, since then its been taking nerf after nerf after nerf, and now you can’t even play a dps ele.

On first beta guardians, rangers and bunch of other classes didn’t even have an interruption skill, why the hell did they get one and ele didn’t? The ranger has some lighting stun.. rofl, i don’t like the new downed state , not to mention it promotes water traits once again (which is stupid, water traits are already op compared to fire ones)

Any PvPer who takes a trait to improve their downed state is already accepting defeat. Stupid waste of a trait.

Why are you bringing up beta? Yeah, they got one, Ele didn’t, now we have one, but you’re complaining about it.

Yes, Water traits are the best, along with Arcana. It happens. Maybe some day it will be fixed. Until then we get decent survivability through healing, and DPS Eles indeed completely possible and viable – with Water traits.

Ele was OP during BWE1. Instagibbing people like Thieves have been. We probably got overnerfed, but we’re still viable.

Nice changes in general. Except as incisorr said, the 20s cd on mist form can be a bit much. Also, I’m not sure if glyph of renewal’s resurrection can now still be applied meaningfully in actual gameplay, with this nerf.

Seems pretty nice over all. I like it
Now I’m hoping fore some future bug fixes, especialy on traits

“Air Pocket: This skill no longer allows players to shadowstep out of water.”

This was literally all I ever used this skill for. To skip one route of the WvW jumping puizzle. I seriously do not see an other proper use for this skill outside of that. So yay for this utility skill losing its only utility I guess.

“Glyph of Renewal: This skill no longer resurrects dead allies; it only revives downed ones.”
Wait what, didn’t they already like… did that a few patches ago?
Nobody is using the kitten thing anymore anyway. Just remove it from the game already.

At least now we have a useable down state. Hooray.