Guild Wars 2

Note: I make these suggestions primarily from a PvP/WvW perspective. I’m not sure how this would affect PvE.

The current conjure skills are largely ignored in every game mode. I’ve always found the most interesting aspects of them to be the utility-focused skills (movement skills, CCs etc.), but due the slow activation of the weapons they’re extremely awkward to use in any high pressure situation where you might need the skills. As a conceptual rework, I suggest the following changes:

• 1. Remove the second weapon that drops on the ground and make the cast instant.
  This would effectively make them similar to engineer kits, giving much better access to the weapon skills.

• 2. Remove cooldowns and charges, and disable the conjures outside of their corresponding attunements (FGS excepted).
  As another move towards better accessibility, I’d like to see the cds either removed or dramatically reduced (remember that the skills on the weapons also have their own cds). To compensate for such a buff, and to force decision making in combat, I think it would be interesting to limit conjure activation to the relevant attunement (e.g. Ice Bow can only be activated in water attunement).
  FGS should probably be excepted from both these changes.

• 3. Focus the conjure skills more on utility functions.
  Damage isn’t particularly interesting, ele already has plenty of options for that. Leaps, pulls, evades, blocks, CCs, on the other hand..
  Some of the skills already have these effects. The shield has a movement skill that dazes, a pull, a (bad) block, and an invuln. Hammer has a leap, a launch and a static field etc. I’d like to see all the skills (except autos) given this type of functionality. In turn, damage should be scaled down or completely removed.

This would offer a way to add better active defense to the class without messing with weapons, which in turn would allow some much needed nerfs to the current face-tank-and-heal iteration of the elementalist (tempest).

QOL changes to go with the above:
- The skill is grayed out while the attunement is on cooldown. When activating a conjure, attunement is automatically switched (to prevent latency making quick switches awkward).

Thoughts?
Perhaps further limitations would be needed so as not to have too many skills available?
My own main concern is that this would cover too many of the inherent weaknesses in the real weapons, and make conjures a bit too dominant. On the other hand it would also open up weapon choices more, which would be great.

1. is fine.
2. sounds like a nice idea and good.
3. I don´t agree here. Ele has lots of skills for utility. The focus should be offensive where eles currently lack.

FSG not attuement bound would be great then, but with no CD it will get very powerful.

I would make them instant and without drop. No charges. Start the CD after it is dropped not when conjured. No attunement binding. And no hold time so you can keep then infinite. An element swap drops them.

I’d love to see them remove the second weapon on the ground. It should be easier to make meaningful changes to the conjured skill bars without needing to consider what they could do in other classes’ hands, and they would probably be less clunky without having to ground target. I’m ok with having a cast time. I think the cooldown to conjure a weapon should come down a lot, to maybe 20-30s for utility conjures, 50-60s for elite.

The trait could be conjuring a weapon creates an elementally flavoured spell of some sort, different for each. (not an aura)

Flame axe seems close to being in a good place. Maybe make the auto a projectile finisher, and add an AoE splash or bounce on hit.

Lightning hammer could use a bit of defense, like an evade frame on skill 2. Taking this out of melee range might be the best thing though. 600 range auto attacks?

Earth shield I’m not sure about. More bleed access? Less self rooting? +condi damage instead of +vitality?

Frost bow seems like it’s trying to do too much. I picture the bow to be more of a ranged support, with heals, chills, and moderate damage. I’d be open to the idea of reworking skills 4 and 5 with that in mind, and considering possible synergies with the water line.

Fiery greatsword… how about elemental greatsword? Like the elite glyph, differs based on your current attunement. The skills could be a slight rework of the current ones, just modified to add the flavour of another element.

Aesthetically, it’d be nice to dual wield axes. Maybe shields too.