Guild Wars 2

All classes have a defining function. Something that is “extra”. Something that adds something to the class. Above the weapon skills. A definition.

Warriors have adrenaline.

Necros, deathshroud.

Elementalists have attunements. Except, the attument switching is required. If you don’t use it, you are crippled.

Why is it, that the elementalist “special function” an absolute requirement in order to access all our “extra weapon skills”?

It doesn’t fit.

Not only does the elementalist special act as a necessary part of survival, it doubles as a time gate.

Now, because the elementalist has access to so many skills. The developers in their “infinite wisdom” decided to make them generally weaker than other class skills and add fairly long cool downs. That not being enough, they added a cool down on the elementalist “special function”.

Lets take a good long look at this. So all skills have cool downs, and the attuments have cooldowns. So effectively elementalists have double cool downs. In order to try and alleviate some of this mess, elementalists generally put points in Arcana. A lot of builds (not all), but a lot are based around 30 points in Arcana. Why? Because putting in just 20 seems a bit silly when you can put 30 and get Evasive Arcana (or whatever other Grand Master trait tickles your rear).

Not to get tied up in builds, point being anywhere from 10 to 30 points (or anywhere in between) is pretty much recommended in order to try and work around “double cool downs”. So in summary on this point, elementalist players have to use trait points (if they choose) to try and work around the elementalist “special function”.

Wait…what? Trait points used to WORK AGAINST the classes “special function”?

Before we go any further – no I’m not arguing for lowering cool downs on skills or attunements – just making a vague point that the class seems to be somewhat self defeating before you even really get started with it

Seems to me, that if you need to use traits points (generally used for making a defined build) to try and “fix” the classes “special function”, you have a broken class. At the very least you have a class that will never be properly balanced.

This entire concept of attempting to use trait points to fix double cool downs, doesn’t fit. There is no other class this amount of stupid packed into it.

Lets have a look at the class. I mean, if the design of the class is based on this amazing amount of stupid, there has to something decent about it.

Health…nope.

Armor…nope.

Survivability, pretty shabby even when pigeon holed into a second class bunker.

In a nut shell. If we look at Armor, Health, with the starting stats, the elementalist really drew the short straw. Its hardly a surprise that elementalists are becoming an endangered species in “competitive pvp” (I guess this exists, at least the devs seem to think so..).

Going forward, things will get better, right? I mean, we have a feature pack coming up with new Grand Master traits, this should fix everything – including world hunger, right? I would like to be optimistic, and say yes. However, after seeing what the internal cool downs are on the new traits, I’m going with no. The best the elementalist can hope for out of the new feature pack, is one more “one trick pony” build, nothing more.

This write up does not mean I hate the elementalist, on the contrary. The elementalist design is absolutely amazing, and wonderfully done. Just not for Guild Wars 2. In fact, when I look at this class, compared to the others, I have no idea how it made into this game. It feels like its been imported from a much better game that requires far more strategy and intelligence than Guild Wars 2 requires.

I think you pretty much nailed it.

tl:dr

To me, the elementalist’s versatility is their special mechanic, not attunement swapping per sé. No matter what build you pick, you’ll always have damage skills, conditions, cc and heals.

I do agree with your final point though: it does seem that the other professions (and namely the warrior) kinda ruin the game for the elementalist. Maybe if the other professions were toned down a bit (don’t make healing signet equal immunity against everything but bursts for example) the ele would be in a good place.

Either that, or increase ele health by 2-5k. Anet doesn’t like it, but 1 numerical change would solve all the elementalist’s problems in one go.

Snow White.1842:

All classes have a defining function. Something that is “extra”. Something that adds something to the class. Above the weapon skills. A definition.

Warriors have adrenaline.

Necros, deathshroud.

Elementalists have attunements. Except, the attument switching is required. If you don’t use it, you are crippled.

Why is it, that the elementalist “special function” an absolute requirement in order to access all our “extra weapon skills”?

It doesn’t fit.

Not only does the elementalist special act as a necessary part of survival, it doubles as a time gate.

You mean like every other mechanic you listed off above? You act as if Adrenaline and Death Shroud start off full, and don’t require uptime/ICDs between uses, just like attunement swapping.

Sorry, but attunements are a MAJOR benefit > Multiple weapon swap for the Ele. You have access to 20 weapon skills compared to the average 10 + X for class skills.

The only downside to it is that each attunement specializes on certain aspects (Fire = Power, Lightning = Crit, Earth = Condition/Sustain, Water = Healing), but there isn’t enough variation between the attunements to make swapping ideal. Perhaps if Anet made all Grandmaster minor traits on each element offer a bonus to ALL attunements, it would help.

- Fire: Increase the damage you do with all non-fire spells by 2% against burning foes.

- Lightning: Critical hits with spells will recharge all elemental attunements by 1 second (10 second cooldown per attunement)

- Earth: Leaving Earth attunement weakens nearby foes for 2 seconds.

- Water: All non-water spells heal for 2% of the damage dealt.

While these may not fix the problem with leaving an attunement you specilized in, they help keep some aspects of those attunements carried over when you do switch over.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that these effects would be added alongside the current Grandmaster Minor traits, and NOT replace them.

Youre entirely wrong, eles have a very specific defining function that makes it unique and treasured among all classes. Its called carpal tunnel syndrome.

ThiBash.5634:

To me, the elementalist’s versatility is their special mechanic, not attunement swapping per sé. No matter what build you pick, you’ll always have damage skills, conditions, cc and heals.

I do agree with your final point though: it does seem that the other professions (and namely the warrior) kinda ruin the game for the elementalist. Maybe if the other professions were toned down a bit (don’t make healing signet equal immunity against everything but bursts for example) the ele would be in a good place.

Either that, or increase ele health by 2-5k. Anet doesn’t like it, but 1 numerical change would solve all the elementalist’s problems in one go.

I really dont get the versatility argument. ALL CLASSES HAVE VERSATILITY. All classes can heal all classes can get boons all classes can do conditions all classes can do dmg. So what is so versatile about the ele that other classes don’t have. They have more bad weapon skills with long cooldowns and as the op pointed out double cooldowns due to attunment swap awesome.

Sizer.5632:

Youre entirely wrong, eles have a very specific defining function that makes it unique and treasured among all classes. Its called carpal tunnel syndrome.

Whenever I move any part of my hand it makes a small crack sound…