Alerie Despins
How do I justify Icebow?
I think its still useful for the 4 and 5.
50% damage reduction is still gonna do considerable damage with Zerk armor. Though I do think that 50% damage reduction might be a little high. Definitely still gonna be viable in PVE, though as 1 Ice bow could destroy a burrow with just the skill 4 if running power. Now your teammates actually have a reason to attack and do the other half of the damage that the Ice Bow had removed.
I think its still useful for the 4 and 5.
50% damage reduction is still gonna do considerable damage with Zerk armor. Though I do think that 50% damage reduction might be a little high. Definitely still gonna be viable in PVE, though as 1 Ice bow could destroy a burrow with just the skill 4 if running power. Now your teammates actually have a reason to attack and do the other half of the damage that the Ice Bow had removed.
I am strictly speaking about sPvP here. If I understand the nerf, if I was to deal 500 per shard, I am off to deal 250, right? In sPvP, you need a very good reason to pick a conjured weapon over a more classic utility. In sPvP, casting number 4 and 5 puts you in a great risk since you have to be immobile. We’re miles away from PvE AI.
Alerie Despins
It does suck that the damage nerf, though justified in PvE, also got rid of one of the only incentives to use FB in PvP.
We need a Conjure overhaul.
Fear the might of SHATTERSTONE.
I would like to see the devs compete in PvP without using a cantrip build, I really would.
On topic for Alekt: You won’t kill anyone with #4 anymore. The #5 stun might help facilitate killing (by your allies or whoever…). You can use #1 for awkward targeted healing…which you already have on staff. #2 You know you can combo through fields for multiple finishers, and #3 as you say is a mess.
I have been using icebow no more frequently than lightning hammer or flame axe, it just isn’t that good. Using icebow comes with tremendous risk (rooting yourself in place for hit-or-miss moves), and longer cooldowns than the other conjures. You already use earth shield better than anyone so stick with it.
Josre
Zulu Ox Tactics [zulu]
Zulu Ox Tactics [zulu]
(edited by Celtus.8456)
They need to remove the cast time and just give #4 the animation from warrior’s arcing arrow.
I would like to see the devs compete in PvP without using a cantrip build, I really would.
On topic for Alekt: You won’t kill anyone with #4 anymore. The #5 stun might help facilitate killing (by your allies or whoever…). You can use #1 for awkward targeted healing…which you already have on staff. #2 You know you can combo through fields for multiple finishers, and #3 as you say is a mess.
I have been using icebow no more frequently than lightning hammer or flame axe, it just isn’t that good. Using icebow comes with tremendous risk (rooting yourself in place for hit-or-miss moves), and longer cooldowns than the other conjures. You already use earth shield better than anyone so stick with it.
I’ll probably be replacing Icebow to Signet of Earth like before.
And Josre, on #1, it does not work like staff’s water bolt. With water bolt, you can target the ground to self-heal. With icebow 1, you need to hit an enemy first to heal in the area, which would be a pretty interesting trick. 780 heal 3/4 cast I think?
Icebow needs a true auto-attack with a good velocity, which elementalists absolutely lack. One rare conjure weapon where using all stacks could be worth.
Range 900 —→ 1200
Auto attack could be of the like… A quick shot that shatters in contact with the target dealing damage and vulnerability in an area behind the target.
Frost fan could also leave a mist on the targets enemies hit that would heal (a small amount) you and your allies for a short duration.
Ice Storm (#4) could be a mix of disabling shot (thief bow 3) and cluster bomb (thief bow 2). Shoots a large bolt of ice in the air while evading backward. You could reactive the skill to detonate the mass of ice for multiples shatters. It would cause bleed and chill.
Even the devs are making a freudian slip with Icebow. “Icebow getting 50% damage nerf and now affects 3 targets per hit.” They meant Icebow #4 and generalized the whole thing with that ability.
Alerie Despins
(edited by Alekt.5803)
Ice Bow did a tremendous amount of damage, especially against large hitbox enemies, and undoubtedly skewed the balance of many encounters. With the upcoming PvE Raids for next week, they had to nerf Ice Bow.
It was a change they should have made a long time ago, honestly.
Ice Bow did a tremendous amount of damage, especially against large hitbox enemies, and undoubtedly skewed the balance of many encounters. With the upcoming PvE Raids for next week, they had to nerf Ice Bow.
It was a change they should have made a long time ago, honestly.
I am strictly speaking about sPvP.
Alerie Despins
Ice Bow did a tremendous amount of damage, especially against large hitbox enemies, and undoubtedly skewed the balance of many encounters. With the upcoming PvE Raids for next week, they had to nerf Ice Bow.
It was a change they should have made a long time ago, honestly.
I am strictly speaking about sPvP.
We all know that they should have split the skills a long time ago, but ANet is merging all the skills across all game modes. Ice Bow had a tremendously negative impact on PvE, so unfortunately, unless they split the skill between PvE and PvP (they should, btw. And I wish they did), the skill has to be nerfed, which happens to affect the PvP version as well.
Ice Bow did a tremendous amount of damage, especially against large hitbox enemies, and undoubtedly skewed the balance of many encounters. With the upcoming PvE Raids for next week, they had to nerf Ice Bow.
It was a change they should have made a long time ago, honestly.
I am strictly speaking about sPvP.
We all know that they should have split the skills a long time ago, but ANet is merging all the skills across all game modes. Ice Bow had a tremendously negative impact on PvE, so unfortunately, unless they split the skill between PvE and PvP (they should, btw. And I wish they did), the skill has to be nerfed, which happens to affect the PvP version as well.
Instead of fragmenting the game in two (pve vs pvp) they might want to adjust skills in a way where it become difficult to abuse pve AI. Icebow 4 is only so good when the target do not move.
This effect is felt on Staff too. Things are so good against immobile targets, but so average on players. In my opinion, it’s the skills that need to be looked at. Eruption, Lava Font, Ice Spike, Meteor Shower essentially fit that unhealthy design. In pve those have a very good chance to hit; in pvp, you need to trap the target into them (but it’s not worth it). Faster and more reliable skills they need to design I say.
Alerie Despins
Ice Bow did a tremendous amount of damage, especially against large hitbox enemies, and undoubtedly skewed the balance of many encounters. With the upcoming PvE Raids for next week, they had to nerf Ice Bow.
It was a change they should have made a long time ago, honestly.
I am strictly speaking about sPvP.
We all know that they should have split the skills a long time ago, but ANet is merging all the skills across all game modes. Ice Bow had a tremendously negative impact on PvE, so unfortunately, unless they split the skill between PvE and PvP (they should, btw. And I wish they did), the skill has to be nerfed, which happens to affect the PvP version as well.
Instead of fragmenting the game in two (pve vs pvp) they might want to adjust skills in a way where it become difficult to abuse pve AI. Icebow 4 is only so good when the target do not move.
This effect is felt on Staff too. Things are so good against immobile targets, but so average on players. In my opinion, it’s the skills that need to be looked at. Eruption, Lava Font, Ice Spike, Meteor Shower essentially fit that unhealthy design. In pve those have a very good chance to hit; in pvp, you need to trap the target into them (but it’s not worth it). Faster and more reliable skills they need to design I say.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, but the thing is, that would require changing a bunch of skills all over the game, plus possibly changing the AI of the game to act differently. Given all of this, plus the fact that they want to give us beta Raids next week, put ANet in a position where they had to nerf Ice Bow directly. Imagine raids being brought to GW2 for the first time, only to have 10 Ice Bows immediately destroy the encounter before anything even happens. It would have been a joke.
For the health of the game, Ice Bow 4 had to be nerfed.
I used it in PvP for Ice Storm (and Deep Freeze to a much lesser extent). Not touching it now. It can go in the trash with the horde of other useless utility skills in this game.
Ice bow damage nerf was good for the game (to an extent, although just properly designing encounters to be smarter like pvp where people just move out of it would be better).
Ice bow damage nerf without making the weapon more rewarding to use outside the 4 skill was terrible.
I would really like to see them do the work to skills to make them usable, but all that happens is you get forced more and more into “cantrips or gtfo”…for pvp at least
BlackBeard, I’d love to hear your opinion on my rework for the Conjures.
The jist of it is they would become infinite duration, Instant Cast, Stunbreakers that would completely shift all of a player’s Equipment stats to a specific configuration for each Conjure. Each Conjure would be rebalanced to be “decent but not the best” at specific roles.
Flame Axe – Sinister – ranged burning application, short duration, easy application.
Ice Bow- Apothecary – ranged support and healing, moderate condi clense, good bleed pressure (limited by not being main stat condition damage)
Earth Shield – Toughness main-stat with Condi / Vitality secondary – Very defensive control and personal protection weapon with bleed stacking and some personal condi removal.
Lightning Hammer – Berserker – melee damage cleave weapon with decent damage, toned down slightly from current iteration, gains access to some personal Fury.
Fiery Greatsword – Marauder (Power/Precision with lesser Ferocity/Vitality) – a mid-range aoe cleaving power weapon with decent evade frames to help skirmish admist many foes.
BlackBeard, I’d love to hear your opinion on my rework for the Conjures.
The jist of it is they would become infinite duration, Instant Cast, Stunbreakers that would completely shift all of a player’s Equipment stats to a specific configuration for each Conjure. Each Conjure would be rebalanced to be “decent but not the best” at specific roles.
Flame Axe – Sinister – ranged burning application, short duration, easy application.
Ice Bow- Apothecary – ranged support and healing, moderate condi clense, good bleed pressure (limited by not being main stat condition damage)
Earth Shield – Toughness main-stat with Condi / Vitality secondary – Very defensive control and personal protection weapon with bleed stacking and some personal condi removal.
Lightning Hammer – Berserker – melee damage cleave weapon with decent damage, toned down slightly from current iteration, gains access to some personal Fury.
Fiery Greatsword – Marauder (Power/Precision with lesser Ferocity/Vitality) – a mid-range aoe cleaving power weapon with decent evade frames to help skirmish admist many foes.
Let me look into it.
Alerie Despins