Guild Wars 2

I’ve been having fun playing tempest in PVP. I didn’t really participate in any betas, but I heard a lot of negative comments about tempest. My question is, how much has tempest improved since BWE3? Were the changes quite drastic? Because it seems quite fun to play.

Tempest for pvp is basically just d/d ele with the tempest line so that auras heal. You have the option of taking soldier runes with “wash the pain away” over SoR (although most will probably settle on SoR), “Feel the Burn” over cleansing Fire, and Rebound over FGS to get more condi cleanse (with the trait that makes aura provide regen and vigor), but those are the only things that change. You get more bunky and slightly more supporty, but deal way less damage. It might be the best option since they made fire line feel very unrewarding (you basically take fire for pyromancer’s training and +10% damage against burning enemies)

You do not ever, and I mean basically EVER overload in PvP, esp without the stab on overload. Even then, the damage is piddly in pvp compared to what many specs are putting out. Also, CC is flying all over the place, like to insane degrees.

I think tempest, unless things are seriously balanced, is going to be a middle-of-the-road bunker bruiser. This leaves it in a bad spot, as scrappers and heralds (and maybe reapers) are better bruisers, guardians and druid are better bunkers (herald might play this role maybe), and dps ele is so far outclassed by vanilla thief, chronomancer, and other specs that it isn’t even funny.

For PvE, it is ok because having high aoe damage on a short CD (with fresh air) still works well in open-world situations, but you can still make basically anything work in PvE.

From a PVE perspective, I’m having lots of fun with the Tempest balances they have made. I caught myself chuckling outloud a few times when I dropped enough AOE and warhorn skills that the little white damage markers hide mobs because there are too many hits happening. It’s highly satisfying.

Anything works in PvE. I ran a zero trait Tempest in PvE for a couple hours due to Hero Points gate, and I could kill anything, solo champions/Hero points and stuffs.

Haven’t tried WvW. (Why, lol)

In PvP Tempest is a mess. As BlackBeard said, the damage scaling is pitifully low for the cost.

After trying to avoid slotting tempest because its not complete yet, I decided after the second day to try it.

Traited/geared completely for support. My survivability went up quite a noticeable amount. I am not terribly happy I had to do that just so I can be present in these new maps. I have to practically solo events, because the content zerg is already done with everything, and now I’m stuck in the back of the bus in a stupid hybrid build I don’t actually like just to break even on an event grind.

I don’t mind the content is tougher. I expected that. I don’t want to beat all this is in a couple of days. What I do want is to enjoy what I’m playing, and I am finding it mind-numbingly boring to do the same events over and over that require groups, as a solo player. I have one or two levels 80’s of every class in the game. If doing this once is being an utter PIMA, I don’t think I’m going to enjoy doing it a second or third time either.

I’ve not taken my Tempest into WvW or PvP yet because I can’t even finish what’s in front of me. Not because I’m playing a Tempest either. It’s because wtf good is a support profession if there’s no one but myself to support. Most of the NPC’s are dead in seconds, and their dog fart level damage isn’t even worth rezzing them. I have to spend 10 seconds getting boons up with a ten second duration so I can take another 10 seconds to actually kill a mobs.

In pvp it’s being used a lot on NA, most builds using some combination of cele fresh air, aura share or diamond skin with all the bottom line tempest traits and D/F.

MahouKami.6095:

I’ve been having fun playing tempest in PVP. I didn’t really participate in any betas, but I heard a lot of negative comments about tempest. My question is, how much has tempest improved since BWE3? Were the changes quite drastic? Because it seems quite fun to play.

Not good in any game mode, doesn’t do enough damage and isn’t as survivable as other specs.

Having lots of fun with Fresh Air Tempest in PvP… as long as you don’t get marked. I’ve only been back for a day but I don’t find it strong/stronger than I expected. Maybe I’m only having lots of fun because of the new animations.

As I’m basically a noob again, I find the idea of staying in one attunement too long for overload and actually overloading an attunement suicidal. It’s either go for Fresh Air or don’t use overloads at all for me.

Tempest is amazing for Staff Bunker build in sPvP! With condi-removal on Shout and Auras (via Invigorating Torrents – Regen and Vigor through Auras), plus Earth Attunement’s immunity to crit, plus weakness on auto-attack from Earth, plus Protection from Auras, nothing is gonna ever keep you down!

Iohanna.4863:

Tempest is amazing for Staff Bunker build in sPvP! With condi-removal on Shout and Auras (via Invigorating Torrents – Regen and Vigor through Auras), plus Earth Attunement’s immunity to crit, plus weakness on auto-attack from Earth, plus Protection from Auras, nothing is gonna ever keep you down!

Sadly, that trait is bugged and the regen from aura doesn’t remove a condition.

SchmendrickTheMagician.8247:

Iohanna.4863:

Tempest is amazing for Staff Bunker build in sPvP! With condi-removal on Shout and Auras (via Invigorating Torrents – Regen and Vigor through Auras), plus Earth Attunement’s immunity to crit, plus weakness on auto-attack from Earth, plus Protection from Auras, nothing is gonna ever keep you down!

Sadly, that trait is bugged and the regen from aura doesn’t remove a condition.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/updates/Game-Update-Notes-October-23-2015/first#post5657571

Iohanna.4863:

SchmendrickTheMagician.8247:

Iohanna.4863:

Tempest is amazing for Staff Bunker build in sPvP! With condi-removal on Shout and Auras (via Invigorating Torrents – Regen and Vigor through Auras), plus Earth Attunement’s immunity to crit, plus weakness on auto-attack from Earth, plus Protection from Auras, nothing is gonna ever keep you down!

Sadly, that trait is bugged and the regen from aura doesn’t remove a condition.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/updates/Game-Update-Notes-October-23-2015/first#post5657571

Sweet! Back to craftin’ aura builds it is then

I find Rebound is completely terrible as an elite. It’s so situational, basically it’s a 75 seconds cd on what is just a delayed aura. It even interrupts overloads because it is not instant, which is where you’re the most susceptible of taking a killing blow.
Doesn’t seem like “good expansion content” to me at all.

Shouts are not worth their long cooldown even with the weakness/might bonus. Only Fire is interesting, because the fire aura can be traited in 2 trait lines.

Traits are ok I guess, none feel like a real choice or game changer. Stability is essential and the 10% damage bonus makes it the only viable choice.

Warhorn has… the worse weapon skills of the expansion. Why?

Air overload is good, Fire overload is ok, Water overload and Earth are kinda bad in WvW.

All of this would be “alright” if we didn’t get outclassed and easily beaten by other Elite professions that are way better, like Chronomancer and Reaper.

Overall some of Tempest is usable, but not really good. And what is usable is not really different from what we played before as ele (unlike scrapper, daredevil and druid for example).

I played a bunch of PVP Tempest in BWE3 and now I’ve played a fair bit with the release of HoT.

Basically, it’s very average. You can go full-on Auramancer, but IMO that is only truly good with a premade to coordinate with. Or you can go Fresh Air D/F or S/F. It’s a good build if you roll the matchmaking dice and somehow your opponents lack CC. Neither build should use Warhorn, which is total unmitigated trash.

Now I’m not going to over-react and say now Ele is the worst PVP class. I don’t think that’s true – D/D ele is still quite good and Staff I find good as well. But sadly, I think both variants of Tempest are not as good as the two traditional Ele PVP builds.

My personal feeling is that Tempest not being able to dodge while overloading is the dealbreaker. If there was a GM trait that enabled overload dodging, suddenly the entire spec would make some sense.

Xillllix.3485:

I find Rebound is completely terrible as an elite. It’s so situational, basically it’s a 75 seconds cd on what is just a delayed aura. It even interrupts overloads because it is not instant, which is where you’re the most susceptible of taking a killing blow.
Doesn’t seem like “good expansion content” to me at all.

While I actually really like the utility and heal shouts (besides the horrible air one), Rebound is REALLY TERRIBLE still. It’s basically 75 seconds cooldown for an aura which is ridiculous. The ~2.5k heal will never save anyone and even if it would it’s not instant and not a stunbreak so you can’t use it when you’ll need it most and the buff is so short you’ll need to use it shortly before death.

You forgot, Rebound also doesn’t work on you, only your teammates. So it doesn’t even save you from death for a second or two.

If the heal numbers were FAR higher, like 3-4x, and if you still got a heal even if the skill doesn’t proc on deathblow, then it would be decent. As it is, it’s one of the worst elites in the game.

Rebound DOES work on you, i’ve gotten the ~2950 heal (with celestial) multiple times shortly before dying. It’s just that the measly heal will never save you, you’ll just die from the next attack. It REALLY needs to give the aura when it saves you from death too, so you’ll have a chance to get regen/protection. Maybe it also should break CCs.