Guild Wars 2

Ok so other than reasons it will prolong my hands from getting carpal tunnel, I’ve been wondering since the pre HoT patch when they made mortar into a kit why it’s skill 1 still isn’t an auto attack.

First let me say that mortar auto scks in terms of dps, it gives no aoe field like the rest of the mortar skills, its slow to reach the target(2 sec delay on max range), it does a combo projectile though nothing worthy of use. It has no use in raids or pvp, and it’s only use is max range especially when not using 1200 range rifle auto.

Look at staff necro skills, skills 1 is an auto atk, skills 2-5 are aoe skills much like mortar skills 2-5. Doesn’t necro staff auto also does projectile combo (could be wrong), nonetheless necro staff auto is slow to hit a max range target and isn’t really best used for tagging enemies. You won’t hear anyone say they got rekt by staff auto either, it’s mostly used to gain life force.

I get that grenade skill 1 is not an auto atk, but mortar should be.

I want this change as well. I like all the skill combos and rotations that the different builds engis are capable of, but personally I find mortar 1 useless in any game mode.

I’ve tried comboing it with all the different combo fields the engi has but still feel the lackluster of the skill. It really should be changed to an auto attack like op said similar to necro staff skills. I don’t see it being game breaking but rather it might find more uses. I don’t mind if it misses the target who is moving at max distance, bcuz even the way it is now their is hardly any use for it and will only ever hit an enemy that is not moving at range, or an enemy at melee range where it’s harder to dodge it’s aoe hit.

Overall I feel this is a quality of life change for the mortar kit.

mortar needs a whole rework
or to be reverted back into a mortar and given a 50%+ damage boost and 10 target limit

Please don’t.

The ground target and large arc means we can hit thing above ledges that normal projectiles can’t. That is the great thing about mortar #1.

You don’t need to make all skills and utilities raid viable for dps, there will always be a best in slot and a higher dps skill to use as a filler….

You could use mortar in Raid and PvE if you want, it’s not garbage like medikit, but yea, there are better tools for the job. Nothing wrong with that (except how garbage medkit is)

honestly all mortar needs is for the grandmaster trait field duration effect to be built in and remove the trait altogether and maybe give the orbital strike a 25-50% damage raise

and the promised projectile rework that never happened so field effect shots happened on the mortar explosions instead of direct missile impacts

Hey Granada, there is a very easy way to have something “similar” to an auto attack.
You just need to change some of the options!
Take a look at “Combat/Movement”:
→ Use Ground Targeting: Instant
also: → Lock Ground Target at maximum Skill Range

What you have got now is this: Hold 1 and your Mortar shoots constantly, if you bind the skill to maybe mouse 1 or something more comfortable you can just hold that button.

Another option could be: → “Snap Ground Target at current Target”
That can also be bound to a key! e.g.: press Mouse 3= de-/activate —> when you have a target and hold your key for the first skill (1 or mouse 1, whatever you are using), the projectile will fly to your target.
But(!) the projectile lands where the target was located, when it started to shoot from your position- I would not suggest you to use it, because you should predict, where the enemy will be, when the projectile lands. It is easy with just a little practice.

Maybe you did already know about this, but it makes it a lot easier to use Mortar freely. I would just like the Mortar skill 5, that is an Elixier, to work as such an Elixier with every other trait: longer duration+longer field-duration of the Mortar from its own trait to have a long lasting field for Water-Combo-Finishers.

Terrorangel.1526:

Hey Granada, there is a very easy way to have something “similar” to an auto attack.
You just need to change some of the options!
Take a look at “Combat/Movement”:
-> Use Ground Targeting: Instant
also: -> Lock Ground Target at maximum Skill Range

What you have got now is this: Hold 1 and your Mortar shoots constantly, if you bind the skill to maybe mouse 1 or something more comfortable you can just hold that button.

I second this.
I use it on some OWPvE and WvW Zerg scenarios and works great.
If you have quickness (easy uptime with the right traits) the RoF is quite nice.

But yes, an increase in number of tgts to 10 would be great and make it a nice elite (maybe on the trait that improve the fields).

lLobo.7960:

I second this.
I use it on some OWPvE and WvW Zerg scenarios and works great.
If you have quickness (easy uptime with the right traits) the RoF is quite nice.

But yes, an increase in number of tgts to 10 would be great and make it a nice elite (maybe on the trait that improve the fields).

I don’t agree.

I like the OPs design change, I play wvw and pvp alot and I have always hated using mortar skill 1, idk about raiding since I don’t raid but I only ever have used mortar skill 1 for max range hits and never for anything else since it’s dmg scks, for the most part I prefer using my hammer for pvp and wvw and as such have no long range attacks outside elixir gun auto which is 900 range only.

Mortar skill 1 is definitely lacking in a lot, I’d rather use grenades or elixir gun auto than use mortar 1. I’ve never killed anyone single handedly because of mortar 1 either which shows how useless it is. And I even use fast ground targeting, even then it’s crap and never will use in pvp, only spamming mortar 1 above tower walls on enemy zerg and their rams is the use I’ve seen in wvw or killing npc above tower walls, which is crap since the dmg is bad.

I agree with OP and that the devs should really learn from the necro staff auto.

LucyFurr.6589:

lLobo.7960:

I second this.
I use it on some OWPvE and WvW Zerg scenarios and works great.
If you have quickness (easy uptime with the right traits) the RoF is quite nice.

But yes, an increase in number of tgts to 10 would be great and make it a nice elite (maybe on the trait that improve the fields).

I don’t agree.

I like the OPs design change, I play wvw and pvp alot and I have always hated using mortar skill 1, idk about raiding since I don’t raid but I only ever have used mortar skill 1 for max range hits and never for anything else since it’s dmg scks, for the most part I prefer using my hammer for pvp and wvw and as such have no long range attacks outside elixir gun auto which is 900 range only.

Mortar skill 1 is definitely lacking in a lot, I’d rather use grenades or elixir gun auto than use mortar 1. I’ve never killed anyone single handedly because of mortar 1 either which shows how useless it is. And I even use fast ground targeting, even then it’s crap and never will use in pvp, only spamming mortar 1 above tower walls on enemy zerg below and their rams is the use I’ve seen in wvw or killing enemy npc above tower walls, which is crap since the dmg is bad.

I agree with OP and that the devs should really learn from the necro staff auto.

No thanks. Mortar is actually one of our most powerful skills in WvW. Desieging is important and Mortar 1 with it’s nice arcing shot allows us to hit a lot of arrow carts and such that could not be hit otherwise.

I have a video for guildies but I don’t have a good video editing so it shows a lot of chat and has TS chat in it, so I’m not sharing it. Nearly every wall has some angle you can hit the arrow carts up top with. Most notably for anyone desiring to learn is the Hills arrow carts on Cata wall. If you aim correctly to where your cursor is or would be on top of the wall you can land the attack up there. It’s just a matter of finding the right personal elevation and angle to get that shot over the wall.

If it became an auto attack what would the benefit to Engi be? The only real benefit would be easier use of combo fields on a stationary enemy. Without a massive increase to travel time people could still side step it easy (especially at 900+ range) so yes, stationary is required to get a realistic benefit. When an enemy is stationary though it’s easy to get the combo fields, you just have to aim a little past them so the projectile passes through the target.

So no, we’d get no real benefit while losing something for WvW Engis.

As for it seeing currently little use, or being too hard to hit with at range again, I disagree. Lately I was using grenades and Mortar kit in my WvW build (change to light fields really opened up options for us with less retaliation up time). When chasing opponents I’d try to land grenades and especially freeze grenades as they ran. If they still kept going (warriors anyone?) I could swap mortar and lay down a chill field ahead of them and continue to lead them with mortar 1 until I was able to catch up with superspeed or rocket charge (pitiful but it’s something) and get them at least back in grenade range.

So again, we gain nothing, well unless afking from 1200 range is something people find desirable.

Only thing I use it for is arching over wall pillories to hit siege. That’s about it.