Guild Wars 2

The only reasons to use Tornado as it is currently are:

#1: To boost power on a meteor shower you just finished casting to get 5 digit numbers
#2: To throw players off a small platform on top of towers, garrisons, and cliffs in WvW or PVP

Reason #1 is going away entirely

Leaving only reason #2, which is a VERY specific niche.

Most people will not opt to use the elite skill at all now.

It makes you into a large target (yes, you have stability but you are still the class with the least armor naturally and lowest health naturally), that cannot use heals or utility skills(meaning it gets worn down quickly and doesn’t have things like arcane shield and lightning flash to protect it), and is easy to chill or cripple to render into a sitting duck, and its damage is periodic, and it has no real skills to use, just ways to alter what kind of damage is done periodically. You can do WAY more damage not using this skill and doing damage faster than once every 3s as well.

Unless there’s a cliff that a player can go splat off of, what’s the point of Tornado now? It has 0 point in PVE since you can’t shove mobs off cliffs.

Funny that the guy who balanced “Smiter’s Boon” is the main guy balancing skills in GW2.

How long has that been sir? 7 years now of effectively removing a skill from play?

+2 points for someone actually bringing up Smiter’s Boon,been wanting for this to happen
i agree with this entire post

My bad, it’s been 6 years according to http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Smiter%27s_Boon_%28PvP%29

almost exactly 6 years.

This skill was modified in the August 21st, 2008 update to effectively remove it from PvP. In a Developer update, ArenaNet stated, “We recognize that the changes to this skill will essentially remove it from play. In the future, we may consider whether or not there is an incarnation of this skill that would be viable but balanced. For now, we do not expect it to see serious use.”

It has never received changes that make it a viable skill, ever. They just removed the skill from play and called it good.

Tornado will be in the same league of conjure earth shield. There is not a single aspect of gw2 in which it will be favored to use.

In WvW, it is a liability in which all party support and DPS is sacrificed for a weak kd aoe which has smaller area than lava font. If you are facing semi-competent players, or just a large enough group, they will have stability. All you will have done is removing yourself from the fight.

In PvE/PvP/dungeons, its useless, and often counter-productive.

Tornado is the anti-elite. I wouldn’t use this garbage even if it was a utility skill. This is one of the few skills in the game that makes you objectively less effective in combat. But then you have skills like Mist Form that are OP in almost every way, and can be easily buffed via traits, and is a cantrip (instant-cast).

It’s a mess.

Believe it or not, PvE is not the only game mode. This got a bit stronger as a skill in PvP and WvW. Bonus: no more exploitative stupidly large hits. I mean, it’s a static field that moves! That means if allies in WvW leap through it, they daze people! Tons of vuln will go out with this skill too. Overall, I like this change. Fair and interesting.

The Gates Assassin.9827:

Believe it or not, PvE is not the only game mode. This got a bit stronger as a skill in PvP and WvW. Bonus: no more exploitative stupidly large hits. I mean, it’s a static field that moves! That means if allies in WvW leap through it, they daze people! Tons of vuln will go out with this skill too. Overall, I like this change. Fair and interesting.

Uh, in WvW, using Tornado is a huge risk. You become the biggest target on the field, and you’re the squishiest class in the game. Generally if I use Tornado in a zerg fight, I’m anticipating that I will be downed, so I will only use it in a Lord’s room in a tower, where I have a chance of doing some good knocking people off the tower, possibly killing them to rally.

Also in a zerg fight, it’s not good to launch people uncontrollably all over the place, you’re knocking them out of necro and ele aoes and out of the hammer train, while doing very paltry damage in return.

Comparing static field with an aoe skill that hits 5 targets once every second makes me wonder if that person ever used either skill.

If it worked as a static field that moves, it would be a great skill. Unlimited targets, unblockable, constant hitting on edge, static fields radius which is about twice that of tornado.

Sure, make me that skill and I consider using it.

Belorn.2659:

Comparing static field with an aoe skill that hits 5 targets once every second makes me wonder if that person ever used either skill.

If it worked as a static field that moves, it would be a great skill. Unlimited targets, unblockable, constant hitting on edge, static fields radius which is about twice that of tornado.

Sure, make me that skill and I consider using it.

Yeah the key thing about static field is it stops people in their tracks, where all the other damaging aoes are going off, knocking them OUT of those aoes, is not really helping.

Static, frozen ground, unsteady ground positioned right, and a pro targeted shockwave that ends up running through multiple people and rooting them is much more valuable than tornado, because it slows them down or immobilizes them so they get hit by all the big bombs and the hammer train.

Eles need redesigned elites. Tornado will have no use. FGS was already only for mobility/escapes. Elemental is only for small scales.

I came to the conclusion over a year ago, when they nerfed mist form and the ele traits that they have no clue how to balance the classes. This is the hardest class to play and all we get are tons of nerfs and a few useless buffs.

Moa form: Death Sentence for the targeted
Tornado: useless in 99% of the situation

Oh, but it’s “AoE”. Like that makes a useless skill more useful.

Xillllix.3485:

I came to the conclusion over a year ago, when they nerfed mist form and the ele traits that they have no clue how to balance the classes. This is the hardest class to play and all we get are tons of nerfs and a few useless buffs.

Moa form: Death Sentence for the targeted
Tornado: useless in 99% of the situation

Oh, but it’s “AoE”. Like that makes a useless skill more useful.

You should have come to that conclusion years ago when the SAME ANET EMPLOYEE “balanced” a skill by just taking it completely out of play. That same guy is now lead developer.

Well tornado is now a useless elite. It does less dps than your auto attacks, and enemies have to run into you to get knockback. A slow moving target. If tornado did a passive pull to you the decrease speed would be justified but it does not? How are you suppose to hit anyone with this elite? Meteornado gave it one use, it is best to stick with FGS to run or our elemental for support now.

Maybe it wouldn’t do as much damage when combined with Meteor Shower but, combine it with the new Lightning Rod, fire and air sigils and the constant lightning whirl finisher it produces, that could be quite a floor clearer.

Xillllix.3485:

I came to the conclusion over a year ago, when they nerfed mist form and the ele traits that they have no clue how to balance the classes. This is the hardest class to play and all we get are tons of nerfs and a few useless buffs.

Moa form: Death Sentence for the targeted
Tornado: useless in 99% of the situation

Oh, but it’s “AoE”. Like that makes a useless skill more useful.

I can do the same!

Fiery Great sword: crazy mobility and good damage.
Mortar: Useless in 99% of the situation

Azzer.8137:

Xillllix.3485:

I came to the conclusion over a year ago, when they nerfed mist form and the ele traits that they have no clue how to balance the classes. This is the hardest class to play and all we get are tons of nerfs and a few useless buffs.

Moa form: Death Sentence for the targeted
Tornado: useless in 99% of the situation

Oh, but it’s “AoE”. Like that makes a useless skill more useful.

I can do the same!

Fiery Great sword: crazy mobility and good damage.
Mortar: Useless in 99% of the situation

The funny thing is, this is actually true.

The lightning field can lead to some interesting team plays, and apparently, the new version of Tornado’s skills might end up having higher damage input at times, according to the developer.

In no way is this a Smiter Boon.

DiogoSilva.7089:

The lightning field can lead to some interesting team plays, and apparently, the new version of Tornado’s skills might end up having higher damage input at times, according to the developer.

In no way is this a Smiter Boon.

The biggest problem is, a glass ele using tornado is just a glass ele with 10k more hp and no survivability while in it. The buffs may sound good, but the moment you pop tornado you are as good as dead if you don’t come out of it.

Belorn.2659:

Tornado will be in the same league of conjure earth shield. There is not a single aspect of gw2 in which it will be favored to use.

In WvW, it is a liability in which all party support and DPS is sacrificed for a weak kd aoe which has smaller area than lava font. If you are facing semi-competent players, or just a large enough group, they will have stability. All you will have done is removing yourself from the fight.

In PvE/PvP/dungeons, its useless, and often counter-productive.

Earth shield can be used…
As for the tornado nerf, its completely unforgiving. Do elementalists have any good elite skills once these nerfs come to pass? I’m fine with the rest of the changes but our elites are being nerfed to the point where they’re worse than ordinary weaponskills.

Anet needs to realise that Tornado isnt Lich or Plague because those actually work and could take a nerf(Lich in PvP is just a dumb). After the patch we eles will slot racial elites and will have taken a huge nerf on our spike dmg. Sorry but your “buffs” dont help because you only change numbers on skills whose concept is already flawed and useless.

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

GoodWithGravy.8019:

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

Um, no. That is the primary concern with Lich Form. Have you seen the numbers on Chill of Death, Fire and Air? It’s stupid. You get like 14k hits in PvP. Not to mention, yes, you do use it in the same way that tornado works. Put down the damaging wells and go Lich Form and they get super powered. 3k+ hits per tick. It’s insane.

@Everyone else, I think you need to know the difference between Strong in certain modes and crazy OP. Tornado is moving from crazy OP to Strong in certain modes. Yeah, you won’t use it in PvE anymore unless you need lots of AoE launches. But it still completely decaps points in PvP (now with daze leaps) and causes cause on points during WvW fights.

The Gates Assassin.9827:

GoodWithGravy.8019:

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

Um, no. That is the primary concern with Lich Form. Have you seen the numbers on Chill of Death, Fire and Air? It’s stupid. You get like 14k hits in PvP. Not to mention, yes, you do use it in the same way that tornado works. Put down the damaging wells and go Lich Form and they get super powered. 3k+ hits per tick. It’s insane.

@Everyone else, I think you need to know the difference between Strong in certain modes and crazy OP. Tornado is moving from crazy OP to Strong in certain modes. Yeah, you won’t use it in PvE anymore unless you need lots of AoE launches. But it still completely decaps points in PvP (now with daze leaps) and causes cause on points during WvW fights.

You don’t balance a class over “capture objectives”. Specially not an elite skill that does 10 times less damage than all the other class elite skills.

Like the Ele needs to be more support than it already is. We spend half the freaking time casting water fields.

Tornado will be boss with the new lightning rod. Every 3s has a knockback (one proc) and using the rock-throw skill will proc another diable (another proc). It will be pretty yolo, but lots of damage!

GoodWithGravy.8019:

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

You appear to have missed my point.

Lich form does not need wells to be OP. Tornado needed meteor shower to just about scrape viability.

Nobody cared about Tornado, but a lot of people care about Lich Form even outside of how it overpowers procs.

By attacking the weakest one, they have set a massive precedent for having to nerf Lich and all other similar transforms or it will be a ludicrous case of double standards.

Then again, that’s what happened with RTL.

GoodWithGravy.8019:

GoodWithGravy.8019:

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

You appear to have missed my point.

Lich form does not need wells to be OP. Tornado needed meteor shower to just about scrape viability.

Nobody cared about Tornado, but a lot of people care about Lich Form even outside of how it overpowers procs.

By attacking the weakest one, they have set a massive precedent for having to nerf Lich and all other similar transforms or it will be a ludicrous case of double standards.

Then again, that’s what happened with RTL.

Cast Lich form, do 3-4k dmg every seconds or so.

Cast Tornado… 1k dmg every 3 seconds, perhaps, if you survive the first 3 seconds. Maybe it will push back someone every few seconds, so that a necromancer in Lich form actually do the job of doing damage.

BlackBeard.2873:

Tornado will be boss with the new lightning rod. Every 3s has a knockback (one proc) and using the rock-throw skill will proc another diable (another proc). It will be pretty yolo, but lots of damage!

it’ll still do less damage than meteor shower. Not worth the risk.

Xillllix.3485:

The Gates Assassin.9827:

GoodWithGravy.8019:

Lich/Wells abuses the same mechanic as Tornado and gets more extra dps out of it, but that isn’t peoples primary concern with Lich form.

Why?

Lich form doesn’t suck.

Um, no. That is the primary concern with Lich Form. Have you seen the numbers on Chill of Death, Fire and Air? It’s stupid. You get like 14k hits in PvP. Not to mention, yes, you do use it in the same way that tornado works. Put down the damaging wells and go Lich Form and they get super powered. 3k+ hits per tick. It’s insane.

@Everyone else, I think you need to know the difference between Strong in certain modes and crazy OP. Tornado is moving from crazy OP to Strong in certain modes. Yeah, you won’t use it in PvE anymore unless you need lots of AoE launches. But it still completely decaps points in PvP (now with daze leaps) and causes cause on points during WvW fights.

You don’t balance a class over “capture objectives”. Specially not an elite skill that does 10 times less damage than all the other class elite skills.

Like the Ele needs to be more support than it already is. We spend half the freaking time casting water fields.

Maybe in the future they can make it so the skills of tornado are a bit more usable so that it’s not just about running into stuff and knocking it around. Even still though, it’s a strong elite in some places. I mean, there’s a trait for necromancers that removes conditions from them when they kill a foe. Terrible for PvP, but it is what it is. A PvE trait. Moa Morph is a PvP Elite. The new Triumphant Distortion is a PvE/WvW elite. Turret are PvP utilities. Forceful Greatsword is a PvE trait. For something to be good, it doesn’t need to be good everywhere. It should …In a perfect game. But in the end, as long as it’s good somewhere, I think it’s fine. But having skills, trait and utilities that work in all game modes mean that all game modes need to have core things that all of them have. All modes don’t have stomping. All modes don’t have a good place for condition damage. All modes don’t use CC a lot. All modes don’t need heavy sustained damage. All modes don’t have zergs.

Funniest part was that warrior and guardian bunkers didn’t even need to waste dodge when you dropped meteornado.

Hmmm… Beta Tornado was an elite skill. Now it’s just a suicide note.