Guild Wars 2

This traitline I believe focuses on the use of Bomb kit, Grenade kit and Mortar kit.

Evasive Powder Keg

I feel this should have a reduced cooldown of 5 seconds but half the damage. I feel this should be considered as it would let this trait stand out on its own without being completely tied to the trait Thermobaric Detonation. The cooldown on Thermobaric Detonation should stay the same to keep balance between the two traits.

Glass Cannon

My first opinion of this trait was offputting as it only really applies to ranged fighting in my opinion. After looking into this though, it is fairly decent as there are 2 different weapons and 2 different kits to benefit from this.

Aim-Assisted Rocket

This seems gimmicky to me. What use does it have that could compete with the other Major Master traits in Explosives?

Concerns

There is nothing that benefits the Bomb Kit in the Major Adept traits. What if just the Bomb Kit was just wanted and not the Mortar Kit and the Grenade Kit? Both of those kits benefit from all three tiers of Major traits yet the Bomb Kit only benefits from two (Major Grandmaster and Major Master).

This has a theme involving critical hits and conditions. Focusing on guns Flamethrower, Grenade kit, and Mortar Kit.

Sharpshooter

At first glance I thought this trait was quite bad. 3 seconds of Bleeding doing a total of 66 damage? Sounds terrible right? However, if you’re running a condition build, it gives a decent amount of protection against limited condition clearing skills.

E.g. you inflict a foe with burning which does considerably more than bleeding. The enemy uses a skill which clears one condition. The bleed you applied through a critical hit lowers the chance of the burning you applied of being cleared by 50%, which is a lot!

Sharpshooter works well with the other minor traits Hematic Focus and Serrated Steel.

Heavy Armor Exploit

Similar to my opinion of Sharpshooter, with the decoy condition thing going on. The three seconds of vulnerability doesn’t really benefit many skills, (the swiftness application of this trait seems reasonable).

This trait seems to benefit these best: Pistol, Grenade Kit, Flamethrower, Throw Mine and Turrets.

If whirl finisher projectiles deal critical damage, I can see this working well with the Shredder Gyro.

High Calibur and No Scope

These two traits are just too similar in my opinion. I suggest that these traits be merged to become one Major Adept trait that gives a 350 Precision (roughly 16.5% critical hit chance), when in range of the enemy. This would open up a Major Master trait slot for something else that would give more diversity and options to builds without sacrificing or overpowering the combined trait. This would also benefit Pinpoint Distribution as critical hit % boons or traits doesn’t synergize well with this, yet the Precision increase would.

Seems to focus mainly on healing, and also Elixir Gun and Mortar Kit.

Autodefense Bomb Dispenser

At first I wondered why this wasn’t a Smoke field, even if it were to last 1 second. I then realized it would interfere with deliberate combos nearby team members would be trying to use, especially as it is a passive and almost unpredictable trait, (would be hard to coordinate with).

Heal Resonator

First off, Regeneration is quite bad currently in my opinion. I’d much prefer this deal a flat heal to nearby allies.

Note: Three traits in all of Guild Wars 2 benefit from receiving Regeneration from other players.

1. Engineer – https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Energy_Amplifier
2. Ranger – https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Oakheart_Salve
3. Mesmer – https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illusionary_Membrane

Soothing Detonation

When I was looking at this I asked myself, “the heal is so small, why doesn’t this also heal the caster? Probably because there is no cooldown?”

Considering Engineers has 19 blast finishers and a hell of a lot of combo fields, this is fairly decent.

However, if I want to run a support build, I would like to be able to sustain myself as well as allies. This currently makes me feel the engineer would need another support build to assist it in supporting (if I ignored all other stats, skills and combos).

Bunker Down

I just want to show appreciation for the design of this trait.

If critical hit chance was 100%, this trait would give a 502 heal every 2 seconds (and thats without the regen ontop). Also, gives a little vulnerability upkeep if used with Steel-Packed Powder

Medical Dispersion

The heal share percentage is good, I wouldn’t change that. However, I would either increase the radius of this skill or remove/ lower the cooldown.

Basically focused on Elixirs whether it be from a kit or not.

Health Insurance

This would be better if the Med Kit skills were AOE (area of effect/ has a radius) that effects multiple allies rather than a single one.

Invigorating Speed

Currently clashes with the trait Adrenal Implant

Self-Regulating Defenses

Not really a fan of auto-skill traits. Would much prefer them to be activated much like the thief’s f2 skill for a limited time to be used in. In the current state, this trait can badly interrupt close fights, but can give enough of a heads up to the auto-caster that they should use their A.E.D. heal skill immediately after they come out of their shrunken state if that is their active heal skill.

Focuses on the Toolbelt and Gadgets.

Streamlined Kits

I think this trait could benefit from having a 60 second cooldown for each individual kit, rather than a 20 second shared cooldown.

OR

Benefit from an icon and/or noise (maybe like the ding of a microwave) that indicates when this trait is off it’s cooldown period. This would aid strategic gameplay rather than random gameplay.

Lock On

This trait doesn’t have a cooldown according to Wiki (which would be overpowered), yet the effect of it does (Analyze). Wiki page just needs updating.

Optimized Activation

The second trait I spotted that clashes with Adrenal Implant. However, this one clashes far worse than Invigoration Speed as it is a mandatory Minor trait in the same traitline as Adrenal Implant therefore creating an unavoidable clash.

Adrenal Implant

A couple of suggestions to reduce trait clashes:

1. Move Optimized Activation somewhere else. (Major trait or another trait line)
2. Change Optimized Activation all together.
3. Let the effects of Adrenal Implant and Vigor stack. Even if it means nerfing Adrenal Implant by 50%.

Gadgeteer

I would prefer this to be a passive % cooldown trait, or let it overcharge all Gadget skills.