Guild Wars 2

I’ve been playing several classes at low levels to better understand game mechanics before choosing a main character. I like Ele but it seems a bit clunky and underpowered.

I have a suggestion to improve Elementalist by respecifying which Staff skills are Combo Fields and which are Combo Finishers. Staff is a widely used weapon by the class, and successful changes here could also prompt changes to other weapons.

When using Staff, currently Water seems to have 3 Combo Fields and no Finishers, while Earth has no Fields but 3 Finishers. Switching attunements just to access a Finisher can take longer than the duration of the Combo Field, leading to over-reliance on skills #7-9 (eg Aura Blast). At least at low levels, which is when people form their first impressions of the class.

A simple way to change this would be to add Projectile Finisher attribute to #1 skills in Fire, Water and Lightning (Fireball, Water Blast, Chain Lightning). In Earth attunement, skill #2 (Eruption) could also be switched from Combo Finisher: Blast to Combo Field: Earth.

This would allow Elementalists to more easily self-combo, increasing their flexibility when soloing and allowing them to better help the group when in Dungeons.

Feedback welcome – I’ve only been playing Ele a short while and its potential for flexibility seems very fun, but right now it’s not living up to its potential.

Thanks!

I actually think that’s one of the interesting things about staff gameplay. Combining those fields from one attunement with finishers from another gives an extra dimension for more skillful players.

The only problem is that currently with the elementalist you kinda NEED that skill level to get along with other classes; while they should give an advantage rather than put you on an even level.

Yes, one of the things I think is good about this tweak is that it would introduce new players to the idea of Elementalist self-Combo. As they get better, they can then start cross-attunement self-Combo, giving more depth to their play.

You can also use arcane skills for comboing alone.

But you have to think that others can use your fields to combo, staff is not really a “solo weapon”, but its really good in groups.

You can cast Earth #2 somewhere and then cast a combo field on top of it, because Eruption has a 6 second delay or so you can blast finish every combo field by yourself.
Also removing the blast attribute from Eruption would greatly weaken a Staff Ele; first because they would lose the ability to self-combo and second because they would lose the (to my knowledge) second most frequently useable blast finisher in the game.

I would love to see the #1 abilities gain the standard " 20% Physical Projectile Finisher " that many other classes basic attacks get.

That being said, what about Ice Spike? That looks about as much of a Blast Finisher as Dragon’s Tooth… so why is that not one?

I recall reading somewhere also that lowering the absolutely massive delays on many of our attacks (Ice Spike, Eruption, Dragon’s Tooth etc.) might help a bit as well to alleviate the combo usage issues.

I love my staff ele- I can combo all day long to effectively double the amount of effects I have access to. However, it’s a real cramp when Earth is on CD. Considering staff’s already low survivability, I think that it’s justified to have another finisher in another attunement to help the playstyle work more smoothly. I hate setting up an epic combo with consummate skill (Yay for the most complicated class! woo! I loves it) and then have to wait autoattacking for another 10 seconds. Just one more finisher would do the job.

Possibilities:
Burning Retreat becomes a leap.
Gust becomes a whirl (and pbaoe knockback, instead of shockwave lite)
Ice Spike becomes a blast (OP, with it’s short CD and 3 fields in water; not my choice)

Gust becoming a whirl is my favorite… since fire, earth and water are already heavily used in our combos, putting a finisher in Air would be ideal. Whirl finisher’s arent that powerful offensively either, so it would be most useful for support by removing conditions with an allies light field. Fits in with the staff theme perfectly.

Re: Eruption, the delay is required to combo off of it. It could stand to be slightly faster (.5 second or so), but too much and it won’t be able to self-combo anymore.

Rhyse

Gust becomes a whirl (and pbaoe knockback, instead of shockwave lite)

Same opinion sir! xD Ability to put 1 second tornado on enemy way to prevent his escaping from the AoE field OR to put it into the Geyser to shot healing bolts is EXACTLY what staff needs to be close to perfection :j

Long live the Versatility!

Nah, dont take away our only staff blast finisher. The delay allows you to lay down E2 swap to fire/water/etc, lay down your field and use arcane wave to get a double blast finisher allowing for instant group 6 stacks of might.

I just wish combo fields would stack, eg frost field on top of water field to get area healing AND frost armor, or 2 water fields for double the healing.

It requires planning and coordination, but a well oiled team could make these really powerful.

Ender.3508:

Nah, dont take away our only staff blast finisher. The delay allows you to lay down E2 swap to fire/water/etc, lay down your field and use arcane wave to get a double blast finisher allowing for instant group 6 stacks of might.

I just wish combo fields would stack, eg frost field on top of water field to get area healing AND frost armor, or 2 water fields for double the healing.

It requires planning and coordination, but a well oiled team could make these really powerful.

Exactly right. I don’t even use blast finishers when I play my staff in Dungeons. My team uses their finishers to combo the field. If you want to solo as a staff and you want to proc your fields, bring Arcane Blast to take care of that for you. While there’s nothing stopping you from soloing with Staff, it truly shines in a good group that knows how to proc the fields you lay down. I think a .5 reduction in Eruption would help greatly. It’s like a 2.5 cast time and another 2.5 before it actually erupts. Staff is fine. @Midnightjade The problem is you said you play them at low levels so if you can’t understand the class or give it the proper amount of time, you’re not gonna know the potential. Again, Staff truly shines in groups that proc the fields you lay down for them.

hakurface.2619:

Again, Staff truly shines in groups that proc the fields you lay down for them.

Was in a random event with rangers and at least one hammer guardian. Combos firing left right and center from my spreading fields around.

feelsgoodman.jpg

My problem is some combo fields simply dont do enough to make them useful. A quickened ranger using quickshot over my ice field should lay down enough chill to make sure kohler never gets that pull off again (exaggerating obv.). 2 seconds of frost armor from a blast finisher, really?

The duration from fire-blast is good, water heals for an okayish amount, especially if you chain blasts from it.

One glaring problem is that anything-projectile simply doesnt have enough duration. When you have an entire team applying chill, or vuln, or poison, or fire through a field, it shouldnt disappear 5 seconds after the field goes away.

Another is that blast finishers or pretty weak in general. Some are good, (fire, poison, smoke) but most are just weaksauce.

Fix those, and allow field stacking and a highly skilled group could keep a strong uptime of 25x might on themselves and 25x vuln or 40s chill on the enemy.

Ender.3508:

Nah, dont take away our only staff blast finisher. The delay allows you to lay down E2 swap to fire/water/etc, lay down your field and use arcane wave to get a double blast finisher allowing for instant group 6 stacks of might.

I’m going to try this tonight – thanks everyone for the great advice!

Midnightjade.3520:

Ender.3508:

Nah, dont take away our only staff blast finisher. The delay allows you to lay down E2 swap to fire/water/etc, lay down your field and use arcane wave to get a double blast finisher allowing for instant group 6 stacks of might.

I’m going to try this tonight – thanks everyone for the great advice!

Glad to hear it! I’ve been theory crafting with an engie, ranger, and mesmer on the possibilities of groupwide 25x stacks of might, and 25x vulv on the enemy. We seem to be making progress.

The blast finishers for water (aoe heal) air (swiftness), poison (weakness- lucky asura) and fire (aoe might 3-stack) are really good. I agree that the others are a little too weak- 2 secs of frost armor is indeed pathetic. The projectile finishers are also short, burning inflicted this way only lasts a single tick.

I can see the projectile effects being balanced as they are around groups. The utility effects (armors, etc) should be buffed to 3 secs per blast. Blast finishers just aren’t common enough, even in groups, for this to end up with ridiculous stacking, plus they aren’t terribly powerful to begin with, chaos armor excepted. That one can stay at 2 because it’s more powerful.

Honestly though, whirls need a look at first. They are pretty weak, except for removing conditions.