Hello all, I just thought Id share some of my ideas for making staff damage relevant for smaller engagements in pvp and wvw, outside of zergs and simply standing in cap circles, so it can compete a bit more with s/d and d/d builds. Currently staff damage is incredibly weak and unreliable, making its damage almost moot in most situations that dont include a zerg.
The main issue with staff is that most of the damage coming from staff is highly unreliable. The damage is all there, and in PvE and zergs, a staff ele can dish out a fantastic amount of dps. The problem is, that the damage is only there if the target is standing still in red circles. So what Im aiming for is ideas to increase damage, without increasing damage. That is, getting the damage to actually do damage instead of hitting nothing. Here are some possible suggestions for modifications of current skills that Ive thought of. Note that all of these are suggestions to individual skills and dont have to be all applied, and percentages can always be subject to changes for balance, and are simply used as examples
Fire
- Fireball: Increase projectile velocity. Does decent damage, but the fireball is slow and can be dodged by simply running sideways.
- Lava Font: Change where damage occurs, keep the same overall damage, but instead of 3 equal ticks. The first tick does more damage ie. 200%/50%/50% or 150%/75%/75% damage per ticks. In many situations, the first tick is the only one the does damage simply because the circle is easily exited. This could help make staff a bit more bursty.
- Meteor Shower: Allow some compensation for casting. Standing still and casting can get you murdered very quickly, since youre a sitting duck for the cast. Either a: Allow movement during the cast (It worked with Healing Rain, why not this too), or b: give a buff during the cast, such as protection.
Water
-Ice Spike: After casting, allow a 2nd click of the button to drop prematurely, for less damage. The damage scaling something like 25%-75% for the time before the full tick, and 100% for letting it drop on its own. This makes it more attractive to wait the full duration, but also gives you the option to have at least SOME damage if your target is exiting the circle, instead of none.
Air
-Chain Lightning: Increase the damage of the initial hit, with decreasing damage per bounce, you know, like how it functions in every other game. ex. 150%/100%/50%. This would make the spell actually damaging for single target scenarios but keep the same overall damage.
-Lightning Surge: Daze instead of blind, shortened cast time, deals damage in a line + target
-Gust: This skill is incredibly lack luster for what it does and how reliable it is. 1200 range is completely unecessary, as its unlikely to hit, and a knockback is not needed at the range. Either 1: add damage, or 2: increase the width of the blast. Another cool option would be to reduce the knockback distance, but make it a short range aoe based around the caster.
Earth
-Eruption: Give it a similar function to the Ice Spike suggestion. Or give it a utility that occurs while it is waiting to erupt. This could be a chance to daze for 1/4s or so every second before it erupts / a cripple / damage per second / or a chance to knockdown
per second before eruption. This could allow it to actually do SOMETHING before your target dodges out of it, along with making a unique and interesting skill.
- Unsteady Ground: Damage isnt even a tickle on this skill. An added or changed utility would be a good addition. A knockdown on crossing would be fantastic (not a knockback like some of the wall skills) , and would give a tool to use for landing other skills or allowing some time to cast a meteor shower or heal.
These are just some thoughts to help make staff ele feel like that ranged nuker we all hoped it could be, and to make something other than bunker or support a more viable option. What do you guys think about changes like this? Do you guys agree, or have your own ideas you want to share?