Guild Wars 2

180-240 radius is the key.

If you are melee, you will be standing in the bombs just to get me.
How much “keep away” value do you find with forceful explosions?

To what extent are you using the trait to:
1) Hit more targets (which DOES make a lot of sense in group play) vs
2) To Ensure that 1 target is getting hit? (Does it really help more than the loss of Shrapnel)?

For healing bombs, absolutely the radius helps heal more.

Thoughts?

If in WvW and you rely on the extra damage from bleeding a foe, switch to Shrapnel (especially if you can stack Swiftness to keep close to your enemy(s?)); if you prefer to have the Burst capabilities against (at least) one enemy, with the increased chances of hitting more than one, use Forceful Explosions, but use Shrapnel if you have the Firearms Trait line at 25. If in PvE, I find the enemies run into you like a kitten, then stop for 2 seconds when you move away after they’ve attacked, so Forceful Explosions for that too… If against a Boss/Champ in PvE, the Guild Claimers in WvW or if you’re in Dungeons, I’d suggest the Forceful Explosions if your Build supports it (it’s a must if you have the Healing Bomb Trait), but if your Damage is low in a Tanky Build, switch to Shrapnel for the Extra Bleed damage and -if you can- get the Firearms Trait to 25 for even more damage in Burst & Condition as stated above.

And, FYI, you do realise you can have both if you get Explosions to 20, right?

Hope this was useful! Merry Christmas!

Thanks. Yes I can have both BUT at the expense of IP which is often the only real source of initial burn damage until the enemy gets close.

Love IP for small battles. Just not sure it is worth it any other time! Glad I have choices in this class versus a predefined build with few options though.

Merry Christmas to you too.

it’s very usefull in any wvw or pvp thingy, in pve u can use something else

What I find a bit annoying is, that the autoattack doesn’t trigger until you stand inside the closer radius, even if traited. So this trait is semi-useless, unless you spam your number 1 key (or whatever your keybind is).

Saturn.6591:

What I find a bit annoying is, that the autoattack doesn’t trigger until you stand inside the closer radius, even if traited. So this trait is semi-useless, unless you spam your number 1 key (or whatever your keybind is).

I was afraid they would pull something like that…

Well, I have a mouse that allows me to hit the auto attack quickly. Don’t mind that as much as trying to figure out how often would the enemy have avoided the bomb if it were not 240 (which is REALLY hard to predict). I’m not having too much luck “bombing at the edges” of the radius and avoiding melee but that may just take more time and practice.

I seem torn between faster condition build up for bursting and some of these utility’s even including BR (which untraited is only 120ish).

Anyone going more burst and less defense?