Guild Wars 2

So with the new info > https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/combat-changes-dotsanddashes/

Vul letting condi hit harder, and condi over all getting a somewhat boost. Without See all the updates (there still many updates and trait changes coming so this isnt 100% final).

But I feel Condi nades will be the main go to build, Nades stack Vul like mad, with p/p or p/s (Love shield so fun) Its looking like the meta over Cele rifle, Static D or bombs.

Just some Speculations

buff to everything engi. too early to make judgement.

Engi will be god after this patch:-)

As if condition grenades wasn’t a thing already…?

In any case, if you want to maximize the effectiveness of that sort of synergy, you’d likely need to invest in explosives and firearms, leaving only one other specialization line open to you (probably tools).

So it’s not like it won’t have to sacrifice some things, but it will definitely give a boost to overall damage output. If nothing else, it’ll make the carrion-based grenade elixir build I use in fractals that much more potent.

Isn’t “nades” like meta already…
With condi changes maybe rampager/sinster, hybrid builds will appear.
Also I always thought celestial works well on character that effectively use most statistics (like engi).

rabid engineer is going to be bonkers… I’m rather chuffed

Yamsandjams.3267:

As if condition grenades wasn’t a thing already…?

In any case, if you want to maximize the effectiveness of that sort of synergy, you’d likely need to invest in explosives and firearms, leaving only one other specialization line open to you (probably tools).

So it’s not like it won’t have to sacrifice some things, but it will definitely give a boost to overall damage output. If nothing else, it’ll make the carrion-based grenade elixir build I use in fractals that much more potent.

For WvW/PvP, you just go Explosives/Firearms/Inventions and you got plenty of defense while maximizing your damage output. No need to invest in tools if we got the 25% movement speed trait in either Firearms or Inventions.

Guess it is too soon to talk about whatever will be meta. We don’t even know our own traits (and it was said that they’ve made even more changes after the core specialization presentation).
Also, many classes still lack their elite specializations. Seeing as the grenade kit can be completely countered by projectile reflects (and neutralized by projectile blocks) any addition of those is a nail upon such a build’s reliability (especially since it also means we’ll be getting more damage back, and we’re already lacking in condition cleansing, so we would really hurt ourselves in such a scenario).

Also, assuming it didn’t change, the cripple they added upon shrapnel (and that made it a grandmaster trait) is losing most of its usefulness – and since grenades are supposedly getting reduced to 900 range, an enemy could just use some movement skill and get to us anyway. It would be quite disappointing.

Either way, things are going to change for everyone. Guess we’ve got to wait until there is some certainty on whatever classes will get.

then fun part about reflecting nades is that the reflected nades are broken in a way that they won’t
a) blow up in a aoe-explosion upon hitting you back
b) apply their effects only when hitting you directly
c) usually have a really strange firing arc that goes a good bit above your character, so miss more often than not (usually 1 of 3 nades hits you back)

unless their fix that, I won’t start to worry about walls of reflection too much. And since the new nade trait will also increase the impact-size of them, just throw them next to a dome / wall or swirling winds, and you’ll most likely still hit your target. From elevated positions you easily can throw them over walls as well.

Wolfar.6508:

Yamsandjams.3267:

As if condition grenades wasn’t a thing already…?

In any case, if you want to maximize the effectiveness of that sort of synergy, you’d likely need to invest in explosives and firearms, leaving only one other specialization line open to you (probably tools).

So it’s not like it won’t have to sacrifice some things, but it will definitely give a boost to overall damage output. If nothing else, it’ll make the carrion-based grenade elixir build I use in fractals that much more potent.

For WvW/PvP, you just go Explosives/Firearms/Inventions and you got plenty of defense while maximizing your damage output. No need to invest in tools if we got the 25% movement speed trait in either Firearms or Inventions.

That’s my point though, you need to sacrifice something at least.

Speedy kits is gone, obviously. While you can elect to take the infused precision replacement, this does necessitate precision (i.e. no full dire) and causes you to miss out on the condition improving pistol trait that is apparently TBD.

You’re also losing common defensive traits such as transmute, protection injection, backpack regenerator, self-regulating defences (although I’ve always felt that’s a poor option), and invigorating speed. Then your also missing the various endurance regeneration traits from tools as well as lower cooldowns on tool belt skill and the power wrench trait.

That’s not considering the fact that inventions also seems to be a much more allied-support oriented line, which may not be so useful in some situations.

In any case, it’s not like the engineer will be exactly the same it is now, with just more stuff. To have the sort of insane condition grenade pressure the OP was imagining, things would have to be given up for it.

Of course the entire engineer specialization layout highly WIP, so this discussion is always at least partially moot.