Guild Wars 2

Off-hand Shield
Perhaps change Over-shield to drop Edit: at your feet End Edit a Throw Gunk field on successful reflect / block. All reflected projectiles become projectile finishers as well.

Keep the party wide protection but remove the 20% cool-down reduction off this trait and return it as baseline figures for shield. (Yes any reflect / block)

Why these changes?
Shield combos with Pistol and is often expected to be used in condition builds therefore as a result of these changes shield now has greater value to a condition spec’d Engineer by allowing it to take advantage of projectile finishers to apply additional conditions to foes.

This change also allows the Condition Engineer to more effectively control range between itself and it’s targets, which is often the goal of combat as a P/S Condition Engineer.

Also these changes do not offer players who do not use their skills effectively additional passive benefits.

Some potential synergy with Condition Hammer Scrapper and Inventions GM traited Turret Engineers.

Flame Turret
Can Throw Napalm not have a radius barely large enough to fit one bottle of Charr Whiskey in it? 180 radius? plz senpai, the struggle is real. Also could the duration go up by 1 second? plz, too small and doesn’t last as long as a snow cone in the desert.

Energy Amplifier
Keep what it does now and add the following: Remove 1 condition every 10s while you have Regeneration (5 targets).

Why this change?
Right now… Alchemy or bust. Let’s add some variation to Engineer set ups. This isn’t going to be the holy grail of condition-cleansing that we all worshiped finally rearing it’s head but it has the potential to broaden Engineer build horizons. Inventions is our party trait-line, so let’s bring this trait up to par with GM minors of other classes while better posturing the Engineer class with some added value to party compositions.

Bunker Down
Keep the current stats. Increase the cool-down by 1 second. Add 2 stacks of bleeding for 5 seconds and 1 stack of Cripple for 1 sec.

Why these changes?
To promote better synergy with condition builds in the Inventions Traits line. Improves melee control for Scrappers. Lowers Scrapper Sustain however improves Scrappers ability to control melee engagements.

Increasing Bunker Down CD by 1s isn’t really nerfing Scrapper sustain if you add bleed, cripple, and buff Inventions condition removal.

It’s just going to be more of Alchemy + Inventions or bust.

The Overshield trait is a good idea. I think it’s not enough, though – I suggest that Overshield ability reduction get increased from 20% to 33%, and summon the gunk at your feet on activation. Going further and reducing the base shield cooldowns by 5 seconds on #4, and 10 seconds on #5, this would make me consider using shield instead of pistol when forced into using a pistol mainhand.

The trait lines that need to become a more complete package are firearms and explosives, though.

I know your post is largely concerned with Inventions, but I’ll digress:

Goals, don’t affect PvE damage, highly increase PvP quality of life, accuracy, and utility of the abilities/weapons supported by Firearms and explosives.

My over-all intent isn’t to nerf Scrapper’s performance but provide benefits to P/S condition builds that decide to trait into the Invention Trait lines. Scrapper would get one additional condition clear but less overall “medical packs” via Bunker Down procs + overall similar DPS via additional bleed stacks.

P/S builds running Inventions would get access to Gunk (at your feet) and Bunker Down mines could actually inflict damage via the bleed procs while aiding with a brief weak CC. Pure damage Bunker Down mines offer little to no value to P/S condition builds and the other GMs do not offer much that you don’t already have access to (reflects) or do not necessarily need (medical dispersion).

I agree that Firearms and Explosives need some attention but I believe that if Over Shield is to exist where it is and be viable then the Trait Line needs to provide traits that support that play style or ultimately any changes to it won’t make much of a difference (as to whether players consider taking this or not).

I agree with you that Shield skill cool-downs should ideally be around 25 seconds for #4 and 30 seconds for #5. Something like a base 25% cool-down reduction and then see how that performs. 33% may be too much with Engineers having the option of double elixir S, the relatively new and improved gear shield etc probably resulting in making Engineers ‘too hard to kill’.

It may be inappropriate to have this Off-hand Shield with Condi performance conversation with out bringing Firearms and Explosives Trait lines into the light. I believe that this is probably ‘easier’ and faster to implement and test than reworking all of the related trait lines. These changes also do not seek to over-throw the role of Off-hand Pistol as the current undisputed ‘King’ of Condi pressure but instead to support Shield play-style and give it an identifiable purpose / role.