Guild Wars 2

I’ve been trying to get the Elementalist’s focus skill “Fire shield” to work for awhile now with no avail.

Whenever I activate it within range of any enemy, it seems to do NOTHING at all. I’ve tried activating it when standing next to an enemy, and despite them being within the shield itself, they take no damage, no burning effects, no loss of health, and don’t initiate combat.

Am I just a noob who is using this skill work, or does it just not work? =S

Sorry meant “Fire shield” (Not sure how to edit, new to these fourms)

It is supposed to burn the enemy when they hit you, it does not do PBAoE damage.

I’m not sure what “PBAoE” means.

It does deal damage back to them when they hit me while it’s active just as you described.

Thanks for your help =D

This awful, awful skill is a large reason as to why I don’t take the focus seriously. It’s a complete waste of a weapon skill. The damage done is pitiful, it lasts for a very short time, and it offers no defensive bonuses. I’d rather spend my time trying to not get hit than waste it casting this.

Moocow.2415:

This awful, awful skill is a large reason as to why I don’t take the focus seriously. It’s a complete waste of a weapon skill. The damage done is pitiful, it lasts for a very short time, and it offers no defensive bonuses. I’d rather spend my time trying to not get hit than waste it casting this.

You never played as signet auramancer then.

Moocow.2415:

This awful, awful skill is a large reason as to why I don’t take the focus seriously. It’s a complete waste of a weapon skill. The damage done is pitiful, it lasts for a very short time, and it offers no defensive bonuses. I’d rather spend my time trying to not get hit than waste it casting this.

Haha I’ve already written this on the suggestions forum. They really handicapped the elementalist with this skill, it’s perhaps the most useless skill in the entire game…..I so much hope Anet will get rid of this skill and put something useful there

PBAoE is Point Blank Area of Effect or AoE that happens right where you are.

OneBloke.7264:

Haha I’ve already written this on the suggestions forum. They really handicapped the elementalist with this skill, it’s perhaps the most useless skill in the entire game…..I so much hope Anet will get rid of this skill and put something useful there

Honestly, get at least 10 points in air, grab Zephyr’s Boon and suddenly this useless skill will grant you fury and swiftness.

Winds.3087:

OneBloke.7264:

Haha I’ve already written this on the suggestions forum. They really handicapped the elementalist with this skill, it’s perhaps the most useless skill in the entire game…..I so much hope Anet will get rid of this skill and put something useful there

Honestly, get at least 10 points in air, grab Zephyr’s Boon and suddenly this useless skill will grant you fury and swiftness.

Then it just becomes a waste of trait points too. I’d rather have a decent damage or defensive skill in it’s place.

This is possibly the worst skill for the elementalist. :P It’s basically asking for you to suicide yourself for the sake of 1s burning.

It’s half-decent for aura builds, but then you can use OH daggers and use the much better frost aura for a smaller recharge.

Please. This build plays well for the auramancer builds, as already mentioned in this thread.

Any worthwhile aura builds is not going to depend on a terrible aura from the focus when there’s a good alternative for the OH dagger.

Any worthwhile aura builds will if not need focus, but could just consider this: focus utility is great and allows you to survive, destroy projectiles and interrupt which is almost necessary in dungeons. Fire shield is just another oomph which makes it more appealing for dagger-mainhand aura build.

Winds.3087:

OneBloke.7264:

Haha I’ve already written this on the suggestions forum. They really handicapped the elementalist with this skill, it’s perhaps the most useless skill in the entire game…..I so much hope Anet will get rid of this skill and put something useful there

Honestly, get at least 10 points in air, grab Zephyr’s Boon and suddenly this useless skill will grant you fury and swiftness.

I’m glad you mentioned this. So basically we elementalists have to use our skill#5 (which is normally a major damage/CC ability on all other classes) AND on top of that spend 10 trait points to get two boons for 5 seconds….while other professions such as mesmers get boons by just spamming their default attack skill……

If you want to be an auramancer, use the dagger OH. Why should we also have an aura that grants no defensive boons, doesn’t block any attack, and only burns for the tiniest amount of damage? It is absolutely useless unless you build around it (which isn’t how this game is supposed to be played (play how you want, not how the game makes you)) and since the focus doesn’t offer much at all in the line of fire (two REALLY bad, short, burning skills that the dagger OH does much better) it can only be used by people who spend most of their time in other builds…. so not damage builds.