Guild Wars 2

So I started playing engineer recently and got the Elixir U skill. The description says “Drink Elixir U, gaining quickness and a random utility skill from another profession.” However, when I use it, all I get is an increase to how fast I attack and a decrease to my endurance regeneration. Also, Toss Elixir U seems to just create a wall that doesn’t do anything except for let me make combos. Is this skill good in PVE? Is it good in PVP (if available)?

The tooltip for elixir U has always been very poorly worded. I think they made it this way so that they could modify the utility without necessarily having to change the tooltip information, but it does make it very confusing.

The simplest way to describe elixir U is that it will produce the same effect as either the warrior’s frenzy utility skill, or the thief’s haste utility skill, chosen at random (I assume it’s 50-50). So if you want to know what elixir U does, just learn how frenzy and haste work, and then know that you will have one of those effects upon using elixir U. Frenzy grants quickness for a duration, during which you will take increased damage, and haste grants quickness but empties your endurance and causes it to regenerate slower while quickness is active.

So the “utility skill” you gain is either the frenzy or haste utility. Again it’s worded very oddly as it kind of sounds like there’s two effects or something.

As for toss elixir U, “random spell” is again a very vague description, which they again probably did so that they could alter the ability without having to worry about changing the tooltip.

Toss elixir U will replicate either the thief’s smokescreen ability, or the guardian’s wall of reflection ability. So if you want to know what toss elixir U does, just learn what those two abilities do. Smokescreen blocks projectiles, blinds enemies that touch the wall, and can be used as a smoke combo field (can be used to cause additional blinding or grant stealth). Wall of reflection will reflect projectiles back at opponents, and can be used as a light combo field (can cure conditions or grant retaliation).

As for where they are good, it depends on the situation. Elixir U is sometimes a bit difficult to fit in the utility slots, but the quickness can be potentially powerful in PvP because it can allow you to apply damage much quicker to an enemy and overwhelm them. Or you can also use the quickness to speed up the cast of your heal or other abilities. I’d say it’s less valuable in PvE since the mobs are generally more than manageable without quickness, although it can make some fights go faster. It might be useful against time-limited world bosses since you may have to do a lot of damage to them really fast during a “burn phase”.

Toss elixir U can be very valuable in PvE, especially dungeons or fractals. This is because many mobs or bosses use projectile attacks, and they won’t try to counter the walls like a player would. It will depend on the particular dungeon or fractal, but it can be very useful. It can also be useful in PvP, although the skill is inherently more defensive. As such, it won’t necessarily help you kill people, but it can stop them from pressuring you. It can be useful on nodes in sPvP since it prevents some opponents from forcing you off. You can also use the smokescreen (if you get it) with blast finishers to give yourself stealth and escape your opponent or just sneak by them towards your tower or something (although the stealth is a bit short from it).

By gaining a random utility skill it means getting one of those negative effects from another profession along with quickness; either a more damage taken or less endurance regen. And the toss u walls are able to block (reflect?) shots

Elixir U has its uses in PvE but is easily out-shined in PvP by more defensive skills such as elixir S. Elixir U gives you quickness and “a random other utility” but be careful as these so called ‘other utilities’ are actually debuffs. One causes you to take 50% more damage and the other reduces your endurance regen. Toss Elixir U is the part of this skill that really shines in PvE because reflect can be so powerful in some areas of the game. Toss Elixir U has randomness built in as well. It creates either Smoke Screen which blocks projectiles or Wall of Reflection which reflects projectiles. Both of these skills are good though WoR is obviously a more favorable outcome. The fact that you can ground target this skill means that you can place a projectile block/reflect at a distance which is useful and neither of the professions that these skills are taken from can do this. :p This is a fairly situational skill though so keeping it on your bar always might not be as good as say Elixir S for survival or something else. Once you learn content and when to swap this in and out, you can work wonders with it for a group w/o reflects or for speedy revives. Also note that the tool belt skills are on a separate CD than the utilities they are associated with. This means that you can equip Elixir U for the tool belt reflect for a certain situation and then swap it out for something else even while the tool belt is on cool down. This is good to note for the tool belt revive or stealth as well. As long as you’re out of combat and the elixir itself is off CD, then it can be swapped out regardless of the tool belt cool down. This is a very good trick to learn and I recommend getting familiar with ALL of the tool belt skills for this reason.

I know that’s more than you actually asked but I got carried away.

Ninja’d :p

when you use elixir u you gain either the warrior skill frenzy: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Frenzy_%28warrior_skill%29
or you gain the thief skill haste: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Haste

the toss ability throws out either the guardian skill wall of reflection: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Wall_of_Reflection
or the thief skill smoke screen: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Smoke_Screen

i wouldn’t use it in pve or pvp. imo it’s bad. the game is all about dodges. an ability that has a 50% chance of removing all your endurance is bad. very bad. plus they nerfed quickness a while back.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I do like it when people give more info than I asked for Tman.

Use it for reflection, damage wise other utilities are better (more might stacks f. ex.)