Guild Wars 2

Is ANet trying to force Engineers into Tool Kit and Grenade Kit builds?

I’ve been trying to make a go of builds that don’t use the Tool Kit (I much prefer mid-range play over melee) or the Grenade Kit (I prefer auto-targeting at range), but every patch this seems to get harder and harder to do.

Overall it seems that the buffs (and bizzare nerfs) to under-performing kits, gadgets and turrets still leave too big a deficit compared to the Tool Kit/Grenade Kit, and to other classes. Take the last two patches:

• 26 Jan: nice buffs to FT (especially when you include the Flame Blast bug) and EG were nice, but major nerf to Kit Refinement for these kits; Tool Kit gets a great confusion buff.
• 26 Mar: KR is nerfed so hard it gets its own headstone; minor (aka ‘insufficient’) buffs to turrets; Grenades no longer require line of sight to auto target.

While there are a lot of options in the Engineers skill set, it seems we’re repeatedly forced into a Tool Kit or a Grenade Kit build for viability. Include a stun breaker and there is just only one utility slot left for so called diversity. The most obvious thing to put in that last slot? Tool Kit or Grenade Kit – whichever you don’t already have.

Where’s the build diversity in this?
Are we only ever meant to have two sorts of Engineers: ‘Naders and Pry Bar’ers?
Or should I just be grateful that at least we have those two options?

umm FT still works fine. EG is good also with glue trail.

Not sure what you are seeing as the big problem.

I know FT and EG really well. I’ve been running FT/EG builds for the last couple of months and really enjoying them, even if they were less effective than Tool Kit and Grenade Kit builds.

Unfortunately this patch nerfed both FT (Flame Blast extra damage removed) and EG (KR proc loses Super Elixir, gains some glue) and removed the condition removals on their KR procs.

The overall result, Tool Kit and Grenade Kit (even with the KR nerf to its burst) remain so superior to other Eng options that it’s very hard to consider any build that doesn’t run at least one of these kits.

I don’t think you can say that the patch nerfed the EG’s viability — but rather it nerfed it’s effectiveness when paired with KR.

Soon.5240:

I don’t think you can say that the patch nerfed the EG’s viability — but rather it nerfed it’s effectiveness when paired with KR.

Didn’t think I said that, either.

The problem is the performance deficit compared with Tool Kit and Grenade Kit. Kit Refinement on the EG closed the gap a bit (Super Elixir = heal + condition cleanse + 10s light field every 20s). Today’s changes to Kit Refinement (replace Super Elixir with a strip of shot lived glue) reversed that. EG builds drew heavily on KR for their viability; Tool Kit and Grenade Kit builds (aside from 100nades) didn’t. Overall, today’s patch had the effect of widening the gap between EG and the Tool Kit and Grenade Kits.

I thought all EG/FT builds went 30 into Alchemy to get Cleaning Formula 409 and HGH, and then ran with Elixirs H and B. Plenty of condition removal there.

I run about the same thing with Grenades, and I’ve never complained about my condition removal. Only reason I don’t run EG/FT is because I like explosions more than flames.

Also, EG’s Super Elixir was buffed pretty generously last patch. With the two KR Super Elixirs on top of each other you were healing for more than any of your #6 abilities in a large AoE. And that’s without healing power. Way overpowered.

So there’s no gap to close, really. Sure, you lose the cleanse, but with the glue… am I the only one not bothered by having more ways to harass and control enemies? EG/FT builds excelled at that and continue to.

EDIT: Also, how can you compare those kits to the Tool Kit? The Tool Kit requires very specific builds to do an effective job, as well as melee range. And Grenade Kit? It’s ironic that people are talking about that kit again, considering how two months ago Grenade Kit wasn’t “worth it” unless you were running 100nades or a condition build.

And FT conditions are on-par with the ones I’m dishing out with grenades. If you want to just compare raw damage, grenades might have it beat, but I am sacrificing almost everything else a FT/EG build can do in terms of support.