Guild Wars 2

There is a trait which makes Pistol 1 pierce. Pistol 1 already hits multiple targets with its explosion, so how exactly does the pierce help?

Does the bleed only apply to the target hit by the shot, or to all aoe targets? Does the pierce enable the bleed to hit multiple targets?

If the bleed applies to the aoe already, how does pierce help the shot?

Pierce makes the bullet, well, pierce the target it hits, which mean it keeps going and can keep hitting whatever is behind, potentially exploding and causing an AoE on each foe it pierces through.

As for the bleed, as far as I know only the target directly hit has the bleed applied, not the ones hit by AoE.

Only the initial hit gets the bleed, but every hit gets the explosion. So you enemies are tightly grouped you can get the explosions to overlap and increase the damage of the ability of 3-4×.

Pistol #1 is not my only pistol skill. Having a frontal cone AoE stacking poison shot, that doesn’t stop when it hits an enemy is very useful.

i thought the things damaged by the explosion caused bleeding?

“Fire a shot that explodes on impact, bleeding nearby foes.”

from the wiki, so wouldnt that mean that the piercing #1 skill would pierce the first target exploding on that one, and for every other pierce applying a bleed?

Go to the mist and test it.

I will tell you this though, be careful in how much faith you put into wiki’s. All the information in them is put there by players, it is not an encyclopedia. As well, things worked different in betas and previous updates, players do not always take time to update a wiki.

i was just wondering, hence the question mark. im currently running this build and i still see lots of bleeding numbers on things

If you can hit your enemy at max range you’ll do damage for the hit and another hit for the projectile terminating, also if you shoot downward so it explodes on the ground. Most useful in WvW, somewhat useful on stationary targets like world bosses and destructible objects, though those don’t bleed.

Explosive shot.
Bleeds targets hit directly by the bullet.
Explodes for damage aoe.

With 5 points in firearms.
chance to bleed applied on crit to every target hit by explosive shot, per hit. (not just directly hit by shot. this bleed is aoe)

Coated bullets.
Causes the direct hit shot to keep going after its primary target, or hit every target in a direct line between your target, and you.
The effects of explosive shot, are applied to each. if a target b is between you and target A. target b will get hit by shot, and direct bleed. popping and aoe hit around him. then the shoot will continue to target A, dealing a direct hit, that will bleed and aoe pop. Target C was in between target B and target A. it was NOT in direct line of the direct hit, but was in range of both B and A’s aoe explosion. It will get hit twice and have the chance of firearms 5point chance to bleed twice.

I will point out, since it goes hand in hand. 10 point explosive trait, incendiary powder does have a chance to be applied to every aoe hit. However, there is a hidden cooldown on the skill, so that only 1 can have the burn applied 1 at a time.

Casia.4281:

Explosive shot.
Bleeds targets hit directly by the bullet.
Explodes for damage aoe.

With 5 points in firearms.
chance to bleed applied on crit to every target hit by explosive shot, per hit. (not just directly hit by shot. this bleed is aoe)

Coated bullets.
Causes the direct hit shot to keep going after its primary target, or hit every target in a direct line between your target, and you.
The effects of explosive shot, are applied to each. if a target b is between you and target A. target b will get hit by shot, and direct bleed. popping and aoe hit around him. then the shoot will continue to target A, dealing a direct hit, that will bleed and aoe pop. Target C was in between target B and target A. it was NOT in direct line of the direct hit, but was in range of both B and A’s aoe explosion. It will get hit twice and have the chance of firearms 5point chance to bleed twice.

I will point out, since it goes hand in hand. 10 point explosive trait, incendiary powder does have a chance to be applied to every aoe hit. However, there is a hidden cooldown on the skill, so that only 1 can have the burn applied 1 at a time.

thanks for the clarifying post, so thats how i get all the bleeding on people, i didnt think it would count for the 5 point trait if the explosions crit or not, was believing it would only count for the actual hit, or is the hit in the explosion? if im thinking about this wrong or not XD

5 point firearm trait is applied to every hit no matter the source. grenades, explosive shot, poison dart volley, etc. and it has no cooldown.
so yeah. when you shoot a target with that trait, everything hit by the explosion has the 30% chance to have the bleed applied on crit.

Explosive shots inherent bleed is applied only to the direct hit. not the aoe.