Guild Wars 2

Engineer
The goal for engineers in this update is to improve trait synergy, weapon usefulness, and kit purity of purpose. Both power and condition builds will be affected in this round of changes, with a focus on PvE group viability. Notable to this, the trait Pinpoint Distribution now grants a unique condition-damage bonus to allies around the engineer. The Flamethrower utility kit is now focused on burning and keeping that condition on your enemies.

Blunderbuss: This skill has been unsplit from PvP and will now deal the higher (10%) damage values in all areas of the game. Increased bleeding stacks from 1 – 4 to 2 – 5, based on range. Increased bleeding duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
Fragmentation Shot: Bleeding duration has been increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
Blowtorch: The number of burning applications that this skill applies has been increased from 1/2/3 to 2/3/4.
Elixir U: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 45 seconds to 40 seconds.
Toss Elixir U: The recharge of this skill has been reduced from 50 seconds to 40 seconds.
Super Elixir: Fixed a bug where this skill would display the wrong healing values underwater.
Shredder Gyro Self-Destruct: Increased damage to match other gyros.
Shredder Gyro: Increased damage by roughly 50%.
Glue Bomb: Immobilize duration of this skill has been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds.
Big Ol’ Bomb: This skill is now affected by Short Fuse. The visual size of this bomb has been increased by 33%.
Short Fuse: Updated the Fuse Time to correctly display the fuse time reduction of 0.5 seconds. This trait now affects Big Ol’ Bomb.
Glass Cannon: The threshold for damage increase has been reduced from 90% to 75%.
Shaped Charge: The damage of this skill has been increased from 7% to 10%.
Static Discharge: The damage dealt by this trait has been increased by 20%.
Shrapnel: The chance for this trait to activate has been increased from 15% to 33%. Reduced cripple duration from 2 seconds to 1 second. Reduced bleed duration from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. Fixed issues with this trait that caused it to activate at lower-than-expected rates for some skills. Updated the description to specify that this trait only activates on hit.
Explosion: Skills that count as explosions for the traits Steel-Packed Powder, Explosive Powder, and Shrapnel are now marked with a skill fact. Scrapper gyro detonations are now considered explosions. Skills that do not hit the enemy, such as Smoke Bomb and Magnetic Bomb, are no longer considered explosions for combat clarity reasons.
Pinpoint Distribution: This trait no longer grants condition damage based on precision. This trait will now instead grant up to 150 condition damage to nearby allies.
Flame Jet: The duration of burning inflicted on the final hit of this skill has been increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.
Flame Blast: Reduced the base damage of this skill by 66%. This skill now inflicts burning for 3 seconds.
Detonate Flame Blast: Reduced the base damage of this skill by 57%. This skill now inflicts 2 stacks of burning for 3 seconds.

It’s fun that they are giving more love to Condis for engie, because it makes my subpar hybrid build somewhat more powerful. However is still sad they seem so incapable of fixing Rifle.

slowly but surely everything power about engi is falling into disfavor and condi overtakes

insanemaniac.2456:

slowly but surely everything power about engi is falling into disfavor and condi overtakes

Power overtook condi hard when scrapper came out. Condi coming back is a good thing, balancing the two builds (though I think one has dominated in pvp, and the other in raids). I will admit I don’t understand why rifle #3 exists (condi on the power ranged weapon?!?), and that should be fixed. Pistols might see more use now, and I’m all for the kits getting slowly reworked to be more focused, and not all over the place like they are now.

pvp – FT was always way to go for condi engis in pvp. More burning stacks, more ways how to apply burning meaby can make condi engi viable but not meta.
- Static discharge is great buff for me. I love running SD rifle build so any small buff is welcome
- nothing really change for pvp

pve – so engi can be now viable in raids. No because buffs, but we have dps meter how to proof our dps. Condi ranger + condi engi can be strong duo now. FT changes are great and prupouse. This kit since hot was condi meta always.
- shrapnel “buff” is welcome. Apply more stacks in less time is good
-shredder gyro: well… somebody explain please I dont understand – “Increased damage to match other gyros.”
- elixir U buff is something usefull. I am ready to try this one in pvp with condi build.

So devs give us decent buffs to our piano rotation and open another tiny theorycrafting window for pvp. what they missed?

- Riffle jump shoot must be evade frame
- Rocket boots stunbreak OR evade frame OR 1200 distance
- Med kit heal increased by 200%, 2-5 skill aoe
- turrets rework
- Blowtorch swap from off hand pistol to main hand (and still will be hard choice in pvp!! Both skills are awesome! )
- Shield CD reduce by 25%. Shield trait reworked (trait CD reduce deleted and reworked)
- Gadgeteer trait need some rework
.
.
- and Anet should consider to bring back DAZE for gyro destruct (only for few gyros like shreddy, bomby, and heal gyro)

CONS
Explosives is still kind of meh, the only decent GM trait is siege rounds and it is tied to Mortar. If you picked the line for power damage and you do not run mortar what GM trait do you pick? Thermobaric is next to useless and shrapnel is more angled towards condi builds.

Alchemy to me still seems 100% necessary in any build in the tired 2-2-1 form and gadgets are still underwhelming.

PROS
Upgrades to pistol/pistol and flamethrower in regards to condi which is nice. Firearms getting the group condi buff is nice.

Explosion skills getting a tool tip is a good QoL change for newer players and the gyros being detonated counting as explosives is also a win.

The blunderbuss buff finally makes it’s way into WvW.

Static Discharge 20% dmg increase is around 175dmg from it at 1000 power? Could be interesting to trial.

The rest of the changes are just fluff some minor bomb kit tweaks, the Elixir stun break U gets a lower timer but it’s never going to replace S. And some buffs to shredder gyro

I’m really curious to try the boosted static discharge.

bearshaman.3421:

I’m really curious to try the boosted static discharge.

It’s not much better but it’s still better. Still won’t be anywhere near viable to 4kit builds.

leviathan.2148:

bearshaman.3421:

I’m really curious to try the boosted static discharge.

It’s not much better but it’s still better. Still won’t be anywhere near viable to 4kit builds.

wasn’t aware that they were mutually exclusive.

Man, all I wanted was rifle to be viable again…

Yes, rifle still needs a lot of love.

Considering almost every profession received noticeable buffs to CDs and damage, I have to ask: Are the changes done to the Engie enough to put Engie in the same level as the rest? Or are we still going to be “not reccomended” in most areas?

WTB evade on Jump Shot, Overcharged Shot (evade backward instead of self-knockback), Rocket Boots.

That would do wonders for Rifle survivability and would reduce the pain of Overcharged Shot-ing into a cc-proc trait or Jump Shot / Rocket Boots -ing and hitting some random cc mid-travel.

I love the Explosives line and I was expecting more from the balance patch.

The explosion change for Scrapper Gyros, while good, is kinda lacking. I mean, what do you get? 1 stack of vulnerability and a chance for cripple and bleed, the damage boost is negligible. Not enough to consider pairing Scrapper with Explosives.

My dream buff would be:

Thermobaric Detonation: Removed the damage boost but now also removes the cooldown on Evasive Powder Keg. Still turns it into a blast finisher.

Now thats an Explosives GM trait, if it’s not too much to ask.

I was hoping to get more blast finishers from the Explosives line cuz we only get to choose one between two GM traits. Siege Rounds doubles your Orbital Strike but it has a long cooldown and an awkward delay. Thermobaric Detonation is hard to utilize cuz Evasive Powder Keg is tied to your dodge and has a cooldown.

I really think that giving the Explosives line more blast options would make for a more defined play style given that the Engineer already has great access to a variety of combo fields.

If a no-cooldown blast dodge is too strong for a GM trait, I still have other things in mind:

Evasive Powder Keg: Now shows a status icon when ready.
Short Fuse: Now affects Evasive Powder Keg.
Explosive Powder: Now affects Gyros when detonated or destroyed and turns their explosions into blast finishers.
Reworked Siege Rounds: It now only reduces the cooldown of Orbital Strike by xxsec.

I have a question. What are you guys using open PVE now? I did use the might stacking FT, but without the number 2 skill burst its a bit slower.

I used to love condi engie back when our nades went further, in fact I mained that PVE and WVW. Should I take the plunge and go full viper open PVE? How does this work? Rotate the burns each mob like the raid rotation?

Thanks in advance

Bish.8627:

Should I take the plunge and go full viper open PVE? How does this work? Rotate the burns each mob like the raid rotation?

Yes, it works exactly the same except you kite mobs around while they melt from condis.
Your chills, blinds and immobs are also very useful.

bearshaman.3421:

leviathan.2148:

bearshaman.3421:

I’m really curious to try the boosted static discharge.

It’s not much better but it’s still better. Still won’t be anywhere near viable to 4kit builds.

wasn’t aware that they were mutually exclusive.

I’m sorry, I was referring to the old SD build that focused primarily on doing dmg with SD (used utility goggles, tool kit, rifle turret and mortar). Anyway it’s better in general but IMO they could go higher with its dmg. Maybe when (if) they rework gadgets we’ll be able to return to it.