Guild Wars 2

I have over 700 hours of play on my elementalist across all game modes GW2 has to offer. However, I have the most experience in PvE, especially fractals as I run them almost daily. I dont consider myself a “highend pro player”, but I have a fair amount of experience and a good understanding of the elementalist profession and the different environments of GW2. Besides elementalist I play mesmer (it is my first character and I have almost as much hours on him) and have a level 80 character of each class.

There is enough text incoming, so I want to keep it short and just jump into it. I hope I achieve my goal to give a constructive feedback and can contribute a tiny bit to the goal of Anet in making the elementalist a versatile, viable and fun class to play.

1. Fire

Minors:

• T1: Flame Barrier: Gain Fire Aura when you attune to fire (20% chance to trigger)
• T2: Sunspot: Inflict damage at you location when you attune to fire
• T3: Burning Rage: Deal more damage to burning foes (10%)

All minors seem fine to me. I like the change to T1.

Adept:

• Burning Precision: Critical hits have a chance to cause burning (30%), burning lasts longer (33%)
• Conjurer: Conjure weapons have more charges (10), gain a fire aura when an ally picks up a conjure weapon
• Power Overwhelming: Gain condition damage based on power (7%)

Conjurer does not seem useful in any way to me. Unless you have traited Zephyr’s Boon (Air Adept) or Elemental Shielding (Earth Adept) it does not a lot for you. Also the aura will not be shared with allies through Powerful Auras (Water Grand Master). I would rather see something that provides you a buff while using a conjured weapon. Maybe that you grant boons to allies, while using one (Icebow=regeneration, Earth shield=protection, Lightning hammer=fury, Flame Axe= 5 might, FGS= fury, might and swiftness) or that you gain an aura according to the weapon you conjure (earth shield = earth aura etc.). This would encourage the use of conjured weapons. Otherwise I think, that they will not be used anymore in their current state, after the nerf to LH and icebow. And please: remove the casting time of Earth shield so it can be an actual defensive tool.

Power Overwhelming seems just bad. Burning Precision seems better in any case. I highly doubt that the damage gain from this trait can make up for a longer burning duration and for more burning stacks you get from critical hits.

Master:

• Pyromancer’s Training: Deal more damage while attuned to fire (10%), fire skills have reduced cooldown (20%)
• One with fire: Fire auras last longer (33%) and give might when applied (2 stacks)
• Burning fire: When you have 3 conditions: Cure 3 conditions and burn nearby foes (CD: 40s)

Masters seem fine to me. They offer something for different playstyles. Maybe buff One with fire (more might) and Burning fire a bit.

Grand Master:

• Persisting Flames: Blast finishers you execute on fire fields grant fury (10s), fire fields last longer (2s), create a lava font when downed
• Pyromancer’s Puissance: While attuned to fire, each skill grants you might (~20s)
• Blinding Fire: Blind foes that you burn (CD: 5 s)

Persisting Flames is by far the best choice to buff your personal and your group’s direct damage. I appreciate the buff, but it was not needed. Pyromancer’s Puissance seems very underwhelming in comparison and I don’t see any use for it. If you go for direct damage, Persisting Flames is always the better choice. A change to PP is needed to make it useful. I suggest a change that supports a condition damage build. Maybe something like: “Burning you apply is also applied to nearby enemies”.

Blinding fire has another field of use and I do like the idea. I think when the CD gets removed or decreased to be in line with Burning Precision, this is a nice trait for certain playstyles.

1. Air

Minors:

• T1: Zephyr’s Speed: Move faster while attuned to air (10%).
• T2: Lightning Strike: Strike you foe with a lightning when attuning to air.
• T3: Weak Spot: Chance to cause vulnerability on critical hits.

Minors T2 and T3 seem fine. I always enjoy the Lightning Strike when attuning to air.
p. I like the flavor for T1 but it is just underwhelming – you will never feel the 10% boost. A buff to 25% seems too much, but maybe something like: “Gain 4s of Swiftness when attuning to air”?

Adept:

• Zephyr’s Boon: Auras grant Fury (5s) and Swiftness (5s) when applied.
• One with Air: Gain Superspeed (100% Speed) for 3s when attuning to air.
• Ferocious Winds: Gain ferocity based on your healing (7%)

Zephyr’s Boon is fine as it is. One with Air got a buff from 1.5 s to 3s. This is a nice change and I think this trait will see its uses.
p. Ferocious Winds does not make sense to me. Why does someone with a healing build need a tiny amount of ferocity? It was better before the change, but even then a terrible (and boring) choice. A change to this Adept is needed in my opinion. Maybe go with something defensive like Blindness or 0.5s Daze on attunement? Okey the latter seems OP.

Master:

• Inscription: Grants a boon associated with your current attunement when activating a Glyph. Glyphes have reduced CD (20%).
• Aeromancer’s Training: Air skill have reduced CD (20%), Ferocity is increased (+150) while attuned to air.
• Shocking Aura: Envelop yourself with a Shocking Aura when disabled (stun etc.)

Masters seem fine to me. But buff the Ferocity granted through Aeromancer’s Training to be on par with the 10% damage increase the removed trait Air Training granted.

Grand Master:

• Bolt to the heart: Gain increased damage (20%) to foes below the health threshold (33%).
• Fresh Air: Recharge Air Attunement on critical hits (5s CD)
• Lightning Rod: Call down a lightning (damage and Weakness for 4s) on a disabled foe.

Moving Bolt to the heart to Grand Master is a nerf to Fresh Air DPS builds (mainly D/F and S/F LH). Players aiming for max damage will stick to staff (that gets buffed anyway, by making Blasting Staff baseline) most of the time. This removes viable builds and can lead to a less versatile meta for DPS elementalists in PVE. Is this really the goal of this change?

Maybe consider buffing the scepter auto attack while in air attunement in some way, so that it can still be a more or less viable option in PVE DPS builds. Otherwise scepter will be gone from this environment after this change and the nerf to LH hit the game. And dagger will have a hard time being viable DPS wise in comparison to staff.

I see Lightning Rod primarily as a trait for staff elementalists in WvW and PvP to crowd control enemies with Static Field. A buff that is in line with those specific environments would be nice. In the current state it is a bit underwhelming in my eyes. Maybe grant the caster a boon for every disabled target (Swiftness or Fury) or put an additional condition on them (slow)?

1. Earth

Minors:

• T1: Stone Flesh: Gain toughness while attuned to earth.
• T2: Earthen Blast: Damage foes and cripple them (3s) when attuning to earth.
• T3: Geomancer’s Defense: You take less damage (20%) from foes within close range.

I’m fine with all the minors, in my opinion they have flavor and are useful. I especially like the new T3 trait – it is powerful and fits the theme of earth magic for me.

Adept:

• Armor of Earth: Protect yourself with Armor of Earth when your life falls under the threshold (25%), CD: 75s
• Serrated Stones: Bleeding lasts longer (20%), you do more damage (5%) to bleeding foes.
• Elemental Shielding: Grant protection (3s) when applying an aura to yourself or an ally.

I’m fine with the adepts.

Master:

• Strength of Stone: Gain condition damage based on your toughness (10%)
• Rock Solid: Grant stability to nearby allies when swapping to earth (2s)
• Geomancer’s Training: You recover from crippled, immobilized and chilled faster (33%), earth skills have decreased CD (20%).

Why not give a flat boost to condition damage with Strength of Stone? It would open up the possibility for hybrid builds that use Rampager gear (Power/Precision/Condition damage). When you base it on toughness you force condi players to go with a full condi gear (rabid or dire). This is a) not on line with the trait Serrated Stones (minor) that is designed for hybrid builds and b) we know that full condi builds aren’t viable on elementalists in almost any case (at least so far). If you decide to go with the “based on toughness” theme, consider a change to Serrated Stones, so that it further increases condition damage instead of direct damage.

Rock Solid: The duration of stability should be buffed to 4s. Consider raising the stacks to 2, so it would have a noticeable impact.

Grand Master:

• Diamond Skin: Condition cannot be applied to you, when your health is above the threshold (90%).
• Written in Stone: Maintain the passive effects of Signets, when activating them. Recharge reduced by 20%.
• Stone Heart: You cannot be critically hit while attuned to earth.

I like Stone Heart and Diamond Skin, they offer something for different use cases and fit the earth theme.

Written in Stone seems underwhelming in comparison. Signets on elementalist have specific use cases and you usually don’t run more than one at the time. This trait will not see a lot of use.

1. Water

Minors:

• T1: Soothing Mist: You and nearby allies regenerate health while you are attuned to water.
• T2: Healing Ripple: Heal nearby allies when attuning to water.
• T3: Aquatic Benevolence: Healing done to allies is increased. (25%)

Minor traits in water were always very good in my opinion. I like the change to T3 – it fits the water theme very good.

Adept:

• Soothing Ice: Gain regeneration and Frost Aura when you are struck by a critical hit.
• Piercing Shards: While attuned to water, your spells deal more damage to vulnerable foes. Vulnerability lasts longer.
• Stop, Drop, and Roll: Dodge rolling removes burning and chilled.

The numbers they showed for Soothing Ice are most likely subject to change – 4s of Frost Aura every 10s is a very strong tool on the defensive side. D/d eles could use a buff in this department though, based on the changes in arcane.

Piercing Shards will be the go to trait for max damage in PvE, as it helps stacking vulnerability.

Stop, Drop, and Roll: in 800h of playing elementalist I never used this trait. To be fair, it had to fight against strong choices in the master slot. Beeing in the adept tier, I still don’t see use for it.

Master:

• Soothing Disruption: Cantrips grant you regeneration and vigor. Cantrip recharge is reduced.
• Cleansing Wave: Remove a condition from you and your allies when attuning to water.
• Aquamancer’s Training: Deal extra damage when your health is above the threshold. Reduces recharge on all water weapon skills.

Three solid choices for different uses – nothing to add

Grand Master:

• Cleansing Water: Remove a condition when granting regeneration to yourself or an ally.
• Powerful Aura: Auras you gain from weapon skills are also applied to nearby allies.
• Bountiful Power: Deal more damage for each boon on you (2%).

Three traits for different use cases – that’s how Grand Masters should be designed. I think that Powerful Aura should share all auras the elementalist can grant himself through weapon skills, utility skills and combo finishers. I’m not sure how this turns out in terms of balance, though.

1. Arcane

Minors:

• T1: Arcane Fury: Gain Fury when you switch attunements (2s).
• T2: Lingering Elements: Attunement Bonuses linger after leaving that attunement (5s).
• T3: Arcane Precision: Skills have a chance to inflict a condition on critical hits (10%). Attunements recharge faster (15%).

T2 does not work with the Attunement Bonus in fire and with the change I suggested to air. You could change it so that it buffs the Attunement Bonuses in fire and air instead.
T3 inflicts damaging conditions in fire and earth. This messes with condition builds in your party. Maybe this is not a problem anymore after the change to the amount of conditions you can stack on enemies. Nevertheless, it does nothing if you are not playing a condition build.

Adept:

• Arcane Energy: Arcane skills restore endurance when used (25) and have reduced recharge (20%).
• Renewing Stamina: Gain vigor when you deliver a critical hit (5s on 5s CD).
• Arcane Abatement: Take less damage from falling. Create a spell based on your attunement when you take falling damage.

Renewing Stamina is the set choice here, unless you build around arcane skills.

Master:

• Arcane Resurrection: You have increased revive speed (10%). When you revive an ally, you and him get an aura based on your attunement.
• Elemental Contingency: Gain a boon based on your attunement when you are struck.
• Final Shielding: Gain an Arcane Shield, when your health goes below the threshold (25%).

In my opinion this tier lacks a solid offensive choice.
Arcane Resurrection should grant an aura to you when you start reviving so that it supports you while you are without defense.
Elementals Contingency grants retaliation while in fire – not really something you want as an ele. The other boons are okey, earth could be buffed in duration a bit to really be useful and at least offer something in return for the loss of Elemental Attunement.
Final Shielding was an adept I never used. Now it is not in conflict with Renewing Stamina anymore and therefore will see use in PvP I guess. It should get a buff that makes it worth a Master trait, though.

Grand Master:

• Evasive Arcana: Create an attunement-based spell at the end of a dodge roll.
• Elemental Surge: Based on your current attunement, arcane skills cause a condition to foes they hit. Gain more ferocity when you use an arcane skill.
• Elemental Attunement: When attuning to an element, you and nearby allies gain a boon.

Elemental Surge is bad and will not see any use. The only good part on it is the immobilize in earth for 1s. Which is like nothing In comparison with the other traits in this tier.
The change to Elementals Attunement was a bitter one. In my opinion Elemental Attunement should get a buff to differentiate it from Evasive Arcane and to make it worth a Grand Master trait. For example give it an increased range, so that you have the choice between to go for AoE support with this trait. Also buff the number of might stacks you get.

Great feedback! I strongly agree with almost everything you said, and your feedback seems to match that of many other experienced players. One thing I would like to add, though, is Arcane Precision. This trait does not only have a tiny trigger chance and underwhelming effects, but also doesn’t fit well in a line that focuses more around boons and support.
Even with a substantial buff, this trait would only fill a small niche in the Arcana line (that of a crit/condition hybrid), making it a very bad candidate for a minor trait. I would like to see Arcane Precision swapping places with Elemental Contingency and being buffed, particularly in its Fire, Water and Earth effects.

Also, I believe that Elemental Attunement will become less broken with the loss of boon duration on Arcana, but we will have to wait and see if viable boon duration armor will become available.

Very good feedback. The only thing I have to say is about Final Shielding and Armor of Earth. Both of these traits got nerfed in my opinion. They both went from a Below 50% activation to a Below 25% activation. To me on an elementalist with the lowest health pool that is to late of a time to activate it. It goes from activating at 5000 health to at 2500 health(assuming no vitality on armor). A class with very little base defense 2500 health will go in 1-2 attacks from most classes. With the little delay in time it takes to activate these skills, most efficient class at killing people(Mesmer and Thief) will have already gotten off their skill to bring your health down completely.