Guild Wars 2

So something I try to do when forming builds with tanks is to find the point of a kit and build something around that.

Example: Grenades- long range AoE dps/condi damage.

Now when I reach the flamethrower I can’t seem to find a purpose to it other than things that the other kits do better. It has a little longer range than a toolkit, but toolkit does more damage and has more survivability (shield, crowbar, toolbelt, etc). The FT can also be said to do condition damage, but bomb kits and grenade kits just dominate this aspect of the damage in every way.

So what do you guys think the point of the FT is? I really want to use a build that uses it, but I can’t think of anything viable/ worth using compared to what the other kits can do.

Deified.7520:

It has a little longer range than a toolkit, but toolkit does more damage and has more survivability (shield, crowbar, toolbelt, etc). The FT can also be said to do condition damage, but bomb kits and grenade kits just dominate this aspect of the damage in every way.

Bomb Kit requires you to literally stand right on top of your enemy, so it makes sense why it does the most damage. It’s also not viable at all in a lot of PvE content and is used more for Elixir-Infused Bombs than actual damage.

The Grenade Kit excels at bleed stacking and attacking from range, but it doesn’t have the survivability the Flamethrower does. The Tool Kit comparatively is tankier and Pry Bar and Thwack both do a lot of damage. But they both only hit one target compared to Flame Blast being able to hit 5.

The Flamethrower is suited for AoE when you want to hit multiple targets with Flame Jet and Flame Blast while still having ample control with Air Blast and Smoke Vent’s PBAoE Blind. The Tool Kit is an exceptionally powerful melee weapon, but it is a gap closer designed to keep people within range between Magnet and Box of Nails—not push them away.

I love using the FT in all areas of the game. P/S + FT = Exceptional point defense in sPvP. The Tool Kit is tankier, but sometimes it’s best just to be able to get people out of a point. Between Magnetic Shield and Air Blast I’ve been able to neutralize a point even in 1v3 situations. The Tool Kit can’t do that. You’ll just stand there, smack one of them with Confusion, mitigate damage for a few seconds, and die. You’ll probably die anyway with the FT, but at least you’ll have neutralized a point or taken it for your team in the process.

Big Ol’ Bomb with the Bomb Kit is good too, but it’s so obviously telegraphed.

I can see your point about it being good in PvE, however in PvP it doesn’t seem better than bombkit. With Ft you’ll mostly be applying burning, more if you’re traited/runes. However, the bombkit can apply more than one boon, and even untraited it can cove most of a point. It just seems to be that if I want to go for condi damage and not choose grenades, bombkit is the only other viable thing for spvp.

Honestly I think FT #1 needs a damage boost or maybe something more to it. Maybe it will apply burning and a condition where it increases the damage done by all burning.

I don’t know how you use bombkit in PvP to do damage. You can’t even aim it, you just randomly drop bombs in an area and hope people walk into them. Try fighting a ranged class with bombkit.

To look superduper awesome while your at with your guild!

The flamethrower is fantastic at stating on crit conditions. Between Incendiary Powder, Sharpshooter, and Precise Sights you can apply several stacks of all 3 conditions with one burst of flame jet. Pair it with sigils that also apply conditions on crit like Sigli of earth and you’ll be dealing out a large numbers of conditions. FT also has a lot more control than any other kit. When traited Air Burst is on a 12 second cooldown which is crazy good for interrupting heals and pushing people off points. I’m torn between P/S and P/P because blowtorch is a great way to make sure your targets are always on fire and giving you a damage boost from Flame jet while Shield gives you another push back and stuns/daze. I feel like smoke vent either needs a faster cooldown or have a 3 second smoke cloud that applies 1 blind/sec but as it is currently you can use it while stunned and also while stomping which is very useful indeed. Napalm can seem useless but throwing it down and kiting over it or dropping it on someone after a air blast applies a few more seconds of burning.

Most importantly, the thing looks cool. Priorities.

Dimes.7281:

I don’t know how you use bombkit in PvP to do damage. You can’t even aim it, you just randomly drop bombs in an area and hope people walk into them. Try fighting a ranged class with bombkit.

Well, if you go with Forceful Explosives, which is really the only trait you need in PvP with the Bomb Kit, your bombs will pretty much hit anybody that’s standing on the point. This is why people say the Flamethrower is not an effective “pressure” kit because Flame Blast does good damage but doesn’t really “punish” people for trying to capture a node—something the Bomb Kit definitely does.

I can see how that can be useful. However, while the FT may lack the “punishment” the Bombkit provides, it definitely makes up for it by having improved accuracy and the ability to more effectively stack bleeds, burns, and vulnerability on multiple targets, as well as the increased survivability it has.

There are much better applications than Flamethrower for AoE. When the Flamethrower had its "Double Pop" it was very viable for a multitude of builds. Now that its been removed however it is usually used for its ability to rapidly apply "on crit" conditions. Having only 2 primary offensive skills it is very lack luster in other regards. Although Flame Jets fast attack speed can apply several conditions, and Napalm’s combo field will allow easy access to additional Burning aside from the Tool Belts Incendiary ammo. While the Air Blast knock Back is just more CC that any build can use, All this and it’s easy Access to synergistic traits can add to a fun (and aesthetically pleasing) build. Great for "Hot Join Hero" players but you will notice immediately it’s viability drop off once fighting skilled players, and all it’s pros can arguably be found in most other Kits with less trait allocation required.

Concerning the OP, All in all the Flamethrower Kit does need to be leaned in a direction for its performance is easily undermined by other kits. But currently it’s most viable application is in condition/might building specs.

Without the Elixir Infused Bombs trait, I would take the FT over the Bombkit every time in close quarter group skirmish situations. However, both FT and Bombkit are extremely specialized for close quarters situations and are far less effective in 1v1, transition, and open-field situations.

one of my favorite things to do when assaulting or defending a node is to ride the rail, so to speak.

it’s like ba gua zhang, circle walking. just strafe the line and fire inwards. . . ft hits everything inside.

my other most favoritistest thing with the ft/rifle/net turret combo is to pick one target and lock them down until they call in the cavalry or run away like like kittens who lost their mittens.