Guild Wars 2

Someone already beat me to a write-up for Ele torch (although there was a nice one written a while back that I like too) so decided to go ahead and get on with some concepts and try to keep it brief. Added cast times where important but beyond that, the cast times aren’t important because they are completely flexible.

Warhorn
A bit similar to Focus but less personal defense and more support. Alters the battlefield itself by manifesting the elements in a wide yet subtle manner. Think of it as an off-hand staff but with less precision. Built mostly for team play.

Fire
4| Mighty Bellow (radius: 600/cd: 20sec) Grants might (1 stack) and swiftness (12 sec) to allies and burn foes. Can burn longer depending how many stacks of might you have. 2sec of burning at base + 1sec of burning for each stack of might.

5| Searing Conjure (cast: instant/radius: 300/range: 900/cd: 50sec) Conjure yourself to a targeted location, dealing damage and burning foes as you vanish and appear. A lightning flash clone but with fire. Not a stun breaker but can be used while stunned.

Water
4| Ocean Breeze (radius: 600/cd: 25sec) An air with the subtle scent of the brine cleanses 1 condition of allies and gives each ally 2 charges to transfer a condition when they attack (lasts for 10sec). A limited Sigil of Generosity, pretty much.

5| Foghorn (radius: 600/cd: 45sec/duration: 15) A fog bank rolls in at your call. You and allies within the fog are immune to boon removal and blind. No boon stripping, stealing or corruption for 5 allies. Enemies will be unable to see red circles within the area.

Air
4| Winds of Change (radius: 400/cd: 25sec) Summon a strong gale that destroys enemy projectiles around you(3sec) as well as lowers the movement speed of foes by 15% and removes swiftness (12sec)

5| Nimbus’ Protection (radius: 600/cd: 50sec/duration: 12) Summon cloud coverage overhead. Within the area, foes are randomly struck by blinding flash attacks that blind for 4sec.

Earth
4| Trumpet Tremor (radius: 600/cd: 30sec/duration: 9) Your call shakes the ground and foes’ eardrums to cripple and bleed (8 stacks) foes. Blast Finisher

5| Upheaval (cast: 4sec/range: 600/radius: 400/cd: 45sec/duration: 15) The earth shivers and quakes at your call, randomly creating lines of unsteady ground and grasping earth attacks in the area to damage, cripple, bleed and immobilize foes. Think of this as the off-hand, condition version of Meteor Shower. You can’t move while channeling this skill

Pros:

• A very support oriented weapon if one wanted to keep using scepter or dagger as a main-hand.
• Offers a few tricks that cannot be granted elsewhere such as boon protection, non-conditional speed reduction, condition transfer and a teleport as a weapon skill.
• A condition oriented weapon.
• Point control weapon.
• The visuals could be pretty nice!

Cons:

• No combo fields.
• Offers mainly condition damage and nearly zero direct damage.
• Not as good as daggers in 1v1, not as good as staff in groups, not as good personal defense as focus.

Sword (off-hand)
Someone already did a main-hand sword write-up and since I had an interesting idea for an off-hand weapon, I’ll just keep it to that. The concept is it’d be somewhat related to the type of play of Necromancer Marks and Ranger/Thief Traps. But for elementalist, we’ll call them Ley lines. All ley line abilities can be placed a short distance from you and last for 30sec or until a foe triggers them by walking over them. They will then divert power to you in a line once triggered.

Fire
4| Fire Ley Line (range: 1500/radius: 180/cd: 20sec) Draw out a well of fire arcane power that explodes when a foe walks over, pulsing damage at the location (3×70dmg per tic). If within range (1500), power is drawn back to you, burning foes and granting vigor (5sec) to allies along the way. You gain a fire shield. NOT A fire field.

5| Flaming Leap (range: 600/cd: 20sec) Leap and strike your foe with a flaming strike, dealing heavy damage (775) and burning (6sec) your foe. Leap Finisher

Water
4| Ice Lash (range: 450/cd: 30) Dash past your foes, evading their attacks (0.75sec) while slashing through them, causing minor damage (225) and chilling them for 2sec. Directional Leap Finisher attack…kind of like Whirlwind.

5| Water Channel (cast: 4sec/range: 400/cd: 40) Direct a flow of water into a strip to heal allies over time and grant regeneration every 3sec. The strip of water is created instantly but only lasts its full duration if you complete the channel (full duration = 15sec). Water Field

Air
4| Lightning Ley Line / Flash Step (range: 1500/radius: 180/cd: 40) Draw out a well of lightning arcane energy that explodes in a lightning bolt, dealing damage (575) near the target that triggered it. If within range (1500), you draw power from it in a line, granting vigor (5sec) to allies and blinding foes along the way. Grants you Shocking Aura.

Also, one can activate the chain skill, Flash Step, to teleport to ley line which destroys it.

5| Blade Discharge (cast: 3.25sec/radius: 300/cd: 40) Stab your sword into the ground and discharge electricity around you every pulse, dealing damage (730 over 3 pulses) and applying weakness (3sec). Cannot move while channeling

Earth
4| Polarity Ley Line (range: 1500/radius: 180/cd: 30) Draw out a well of magnetic arcane energy that explodes in a wave if triggered that does damage (225), cripples (7sec) and immobilizes (1sec). If within range (1500), you draw power from it in a line, granting vigor to allies and bleeding (3stacks) to foes. Grants Magnetic Aura. Blast Finisher once triggered

5| Salt Crystals (radius: 360/cd: 40sec/duration: 10) Spread sharp salt crystals around you, doing minor damage (75) to those hit and giving a special trigger for its duration. If the victim takes damage, the salt crystals apply an additional (1 stack) of bleeding for 3sec. This also will apply 1 stack of bleeding.

Pros:

• Offensive oriented mid-to-short range weapon.
• Point control.
• Balanced between condition and direct damage.
• Has a long duration water field.
• Has lots of auras to share.

Cons:

• Ley lines are less flexible than Marks or Traps as they only last 30sec which is equal or less than their cooldown.
• The buff from ley lines travels and isn’t instant.
• Only field is a water field that must be channeled.
• Has a teleport but it’s clumsier than other options (you have to set it down then recall back to it within 30sec and if a foe triggers it before then, the opportunity is lost)

No comments on the overall style?

Considering the Ele is suppose to be a jack-of-all, I just thought the whole traps/marks combat would be a type of strategy that Ele could make great use of.

As far as the warhorn, I specifically like the concept of a ‘different Meteor Storm’. Making it condition based is just a new twist, although adding in flame bursts (burn) and sulfur geysers (poison) ontop for a bit of added burst conditions would be fun, possibly at the expense of the immobilization and some of the direct damage.

On the sword – this combined with a main-hand dagger would give you access to two Shocking Auras, two Fire Auras, and Magnetic Aura. The reason I designed my GS concept to include heavy aura use was that it would possess its own unique auras which can be balanced independently around their availability on that weapon. A weaponset with heavy access to standard auras can’t receive focused balancing in the same way.

That said, I like the concept of ley lines, even if I think that the name “ley line” is unfitting

Duke Blackrose.4981:

On the sword – this combined with a main-hand dagger would give you access to two Shocking Auras, two Fire Auras, and Magnetic Aura. The reason I designed my GS concept to include heavy aura use was that it would possess its own unique auras which can be balanced independently around their availability on that weapon. A weaponset with heavy access to standard auras can’t receive focused balancing in the same way.

Technically, combos aren’t considered a part of a weapon’s repetiore with regard to auras but regardless, the prospect isn’t the same. The leylines don’t simply grant the auras upon cast, they grant them upon trigger and they can fail to trigger all together. I also didn’t mention you need line of sight with your leyline to get its buffs because the buffs effectively travel in a line between the trigger and you. You grant vigor to allies (and effects to foes) in a line and upon reaching you, gain an aura. This also requires time to travel…which I feel is a strong balancing point for why this weapon has 3 auras.

And I’m not sure what you mean by the last sentence. Auras by themselves (with the exception of Magnetic Aura) aren’t really that strong. Are you saying your concept for GS is easier to balance because you can just nerf your auras?

That said, I like the concept of ley lines, even if I think that the name “ley line” is unfitting

-shrug-

I went with the basic Tvtropes definition of fictional leylines:

“Now ley lines (sometimes written as leylines) are hypothetical alignments between places of power, which may be magical, magnetic, or psychic in nature. These places of power are where two or more ley lines cross and are often known as Ley Nodes, Nodes, or Nexuses. Nodes are often regarded as spooky or unearthly. Stone Henge is said to be built on one such intersection.

They are often invisible conduits of magical power that flow through the earth and air. Mages can tap into them to gain their powers. Places where multiple lines intersect at nodes attracts wizards like moths to the flame. "

Basically, by setting the 3 ‘traps’, the leylines effectively makes the Elementalist a leyline nexus where those places of powers created cross.

Could be I’m not actually taking in a vital point about leylines in my hypothetical idea. Perhaps that places of power that create leylines are always static yet these traps can be placed in designated places chosen by the elementalist? To which I’d say, a certain amount of disconnect should be taken…I find it rather hamfisted that a Ranger can ‘throw’ a spike trap that erupts into 3foot spikes from the ground when stepped on when the initial thrown trap is basically just a sack no bigger than a basketball

do a bit of tweaking here and there so it balances out properly and it won’t be half bad.

I love the idea of using a sword, I mean sure we have daggers but as we have already learned ele can spend quite a bit of time being in melee (provided you dodge right) so I sword while not likely is still very viable for a magic user

If you like the prospect of using a sword, maybe comment on this thread by DiogoSilva:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/elementalist/MH-Sword-Concept-for-Elementalists/first#post2118482