(split into two posts)
So another balance patch drops, and once again, many engineer mains are underwhelmed.
The changes are documented here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/updates/Game-Update-Notes-October-18-2016/first#post6368392
These changes show a clear disconnect between where the skills team want to see improvements, and where the engineer community wants to see improvements.
For the past few patches, the individuals responsible for balancing Engineers have made changes that make no sense, or are extremely inadequate.
For instance, the buff to bomb kit. A buff to power builds for sure. But here is the problem: we are ALWAYS forced into Bomb and Grenade kit. Either as condi, or power builds. Do you know what we wanted? We wanted changes to rifle. We wanted rifle (hammer, for some) to become the additional element to increase our DPS abilities. We wanted changes for rifle that would allow us to perhaps drop bomb kit in favour of other skills, so that we aren’t shoehorned into the same playstyles over and over again. In PvE we have been living in the shadow of explosives for too long.
A buff to shield is very welcome, but how can we use shield and also give up off-hand pistol? In all gametypes, the trade-off for losing off-hand pistol is too great. Blowtorch is THAT powerful and dominant in the P/P skillset. Do you want us to use Overshield more? Overshield offers a measly 4 seconds of protection! Why would we want to use that over superior traits?
The damage buff to rocket boots is laughable. Rocket boots functions as an escape. When we use it in any gametype, we reserve it for when we NEED TO MOVE. Furthermore, utility goggles having a shorter cooldown is not going to make us use it more. The problem with gadgets is FUNCTIONALITY. Why would I take rocket boots, when I can bring Elixir gun, which has a stun break (which you removed from rocket boots), condi clear, leap and more? Why would I take Utility Goggles, when I can bring far more versatile skills? Personal Battering Ram is outshined by Flamethrower, which gives me an AOE knockback, as well as a PBAOE blind. AED will never be used so long as it has that cast time. It is unreliable when there is so much CC in PvP. Cut down on CC, or cut down on the cast time on AED. Otherwise I will never touch AED.
Gadgets will never be seriously used until you address their inferior usage in comparison to kits. Elixirs will never be used seriously (with the exclusion of Elixir S and Elixir X toolbelt) until you make their supportive effects comparative to kits. Elixir B only gives ONE stack of might. ONE. The only reason I have ever taken it was for the toolbelt stability, and the condition clear with Alchemy.
Speaking of Alchemy. This traitline, in my opinion, has been the defining failure for Anet in terms of establishing Engineer diversity. For years, in PvP and WvW we have been forced to take Alchemy to survive. After continuous nerfs to Self Regulating Defenses, we are still forced to use it, because we have nothing else. How else can we deal with conditions? Alchemy, a traitline full of passiveness. A traitline that contains nothing that scales with an Engineer’s skill. Inventions is inadequate in the condi-clear department, and tools has nothing to help us with conditions.
Despite the fact that we have been stuck with Alchemy for so long, you nerf Gear shield. One of the active skills that truly helps Engineers who refuse to use Alchemy. Engineers who prefer to use Tools, which offers a myriad of more fun and exciting traits, relied on gear shield to overcome the power-creep of HoT. It was the Tools version of Self Regulating Defenses. But no, you decided to nerf it. Why?
The nerf to Gyros is the most laughable of the changes, only because of your justification. “Purity of Purpose”? Why do you mention such a thing, but not define what you mean? Is your purpose for gyros that we not detonate them early for the daze, but rather keep them out for the buffs? Why are you controlling the purpose of gyros, instead of letting the community dictate this? We don’t want to use gyros passively, we want to actively use them in an offensive manner. We want to control our enemies. It’s not our fault that the only gyros that have a good passive effect are Purge and Bulwark (and stealth gyro, but we use that for the passive anyway). Perhaps if you improved the targeting on Blast gyro (so it can fly down cliffs), or improved…EVERYTHING on Shredder gyro, we would find active uses for passive abilities. But you didn’t, so we won’t.
(edited by Eastcorn.5901)
. I’d love to hear everyone else’s opinions.