Guild Wars 2

At the moment elixir x is affected too heavily by rng. Getting rampage is basically an aoe launch skill with a 105 second cooldown. What engineers really need in order to become viable in WvW (and PvE) is a skill that gives stability reliably and lets us use the normal skill bar while doing so. Here is my suggestion.

For 20 seconds you gain 3 seconds of stability and two other random boons when disabled (stun, daze, knockback, knockdown, sink, float, fear or launch). This effect can only trigger once every 3 (5 in sPvP?) seconds.

Activation time: 1 second
Recharge: 90 seconds

This would make engineers have very reliable stability which is hard to counter with boon removals but on the other hand can’t be stacked for a long period of time with boon duration gear/traits. Also elixir x would still have some randomness but rng alone wouldn’t make the skill good or bad.

I’m actually quite okay with Rampage & Tornado. They fit well with what I try to do much of the time, which is make opponents prone so my buddies can beat their face in.

I prefer to get Tornado in group situations and Rampage in solo, but I work with both.

I just need Elixir X to be instant cast, then I’m happy as can be.

I do like the change you’re suggesting for Elixir X but engineers are viable in WvW. If you are having trouble with being knocked down, bring stun breaks/blocks or trait to take less damage when knocked down. With food/traits I have 70% less dmg taken while knocked down( 20% trait/30% protection from trait/20% food).

Hmm elixir X is one of my favorite skills. Here is how I see it. If I get tornado I can drop into a group and keep them blinded while others DPs plus I cc at the same time. Solo if I get rampage either I beat them up or simply hit Dash and run away. Rampage has come in very handy in many outnumbered situations much like rocket boots. I can not say your suggestion is bad but much of the cc is melee range and we have access to a number of skills to reduce the damage, punish (retal, confusion), or simply negate it (blind, dodge, block).

OMG, do not touch Elixer X! Fix Mortar.

P.S. 84 second cooldown, yo!

if mortar used power targeting instead of ground targeting, and had a little longer range, id be very content with it. yes, if we had a stun breaker that also provides stability, similar to guardians stand your ground shout, we would be SO much better off in any fight.

Elixier X must be a Stunbreaker

naan.1823:

For 20 seconds you gain 3 seconds of stability and two other random boons when disabled (stun, daze, knockback, knockdown, sink, float, fear or launch). This effect can only trigger once every 3 (5 in sPvP?) seconds.

Activation time: 1 second
Recharge: 90 seconds

Thank you for making a decent PvE skill entirely useless in the process of the PvP crusade.
While I understand the idea behind the change, keep in mind you have to balance it for three game modes. Four if you consider dungeons, which work quite different from the rest of PvE.

A better implementation would be to give stability and always give Rampage, but make it not be the same as Warriors get. Autoattack and #5 are the same in all forms, there’s 4-5 sets of the other three skills + a different visual mode.

OTOH, I <3 Tornado, so that’d still be rather meh.

Diet Plain.4513:

I do like the change you’re suggesting for Elixir X but engineers are viable in WvW. If you are having trouble with being knocked down, bring stun breaks/blocks or trait to take less damage when knocked down. With food/traits I have 70% less dmg taken while knocked down( 20% trait/30% protection from trait/20% food).

73% at all to be sure. Was running the same for some time.

Popping Elixir X when you see a group of players on a bridge in WvW, then heading to the center and knocking them off?

HILARIOUS!

I hate Elixir X not just because its a bad elite but because its lazy. We didnt even get a unique Elite we just got a copy/paste elite from 2 other professions with a coin flip to descide which one we come out as this time.

I want Elixir X to be a unique Elite, to be an Elite that fits Engineers. Make it a powersuit or make it a transformation but into something different like some alchemical abomination. Without the stupid RNG.

And yes, fix Mortar, its worst then most racial elites for godsake… So much wrong with that elite, but there are seperate threads on that special train wreck.

Terrahero.9358:

I hate Elixir X not just because its a bad elite but because its lazy. We didnt even get a unique Elite we just got a copy/paste elite from 2 other professions with a coin flip to descide which one we come out as this time.

I want Elixir X to be a unique Elite, to be an Elite that fits Engineers. Make it a powersuit or make it a transformation but into something different like some alchemical abomination. Without the stupid RNG.

And yes, fix Mortar, its worst then most racial elites for godsake… So much wrong with that elite, but there are seperate threads on that special train wreck.

I really like the idea of a transformation into an Alchemical Abomination, which is kind of the flavor of the ability as is. I wouldn’t mind them mix matching some of the other transformation abilities as long as it loses the RNG aspect. Maybe we could have an all in one skill bar? Tornado knockback, rampager dash, the lichs’ boon strip, plagues AoE blind, all on coolsowns of course, just a thought.

As it stands I have started to use Elixir X in all my builds for WvW group play. The stability is nice, lots of AoE CC, decent damage with high might stacks, there are many redeeming qualities to this skill. Biggest thing to keep in mind is what each form does and how to adapt your play when you use it.

Diet Plain.4513:

I do like the change you’re suggesting for Elixir X but engineers are viable in WvW. If you are having trouble with being knocked down, bring stun breaks/blocks or trait to take less damage when knocked down. With food/traits I have 70% less dmg taken while knocked down( 20% trait/30% protection from trait/20% food).

I believe it’s multiplicative rather than additive, so you’re looking at closer to 58% reduction than 73%. Your point still stands though, it’s a great way to counter CC without stability. Especially when you can get Runes of Melandru to reduce the duration by 25% on top of the damage reduction.

Terrahero.9358:

I hate Elixir X not just because its a bad elite but because its lazy. We didnt even get a unique Elite we just got a copy/paste elite from 2 other professions with a coin flip to descide which one we come out as this time.

I want Elixir X to be a unique Elite, to be an Elite that fits Engineers. Make it a powersuit or make it a transformation but into something different like some alchemical abomination. Without the stupid RNG.

Imho, a “Mr. Hyde-like” transformation would be thematically appropriate for the class. Give him skills worthy of an evil, mad scientist (maybe also something like “corrupt boons”, due of the theme).

Terrahero.9358:

And yes, fix Mortar, its worst then most racial elites for godsake… So much wrong with that elite, but there are seperate threads on that special train wreck.

Indeed.

Terrahero.9358:

And yes, fix Mortar, its worst then most racial elites for godsake… So much wrong with that elite, but there are seperate threads on that special train wreck.

If by “fix” you mean the queue bug which delays shots by up to 5 seconds and makes #5 only fire a single shell, yes, definitely.

But other than that? What’s so bad about it?

Camera, damage and radius, the fact that it can be aoe’d before you even have a chance to use it, range, and some say also the lack of a close-range defense mechanism.

I used to use this all the time, even before the changes to rampage, although the builds that I run now can’t fit it.

I still wish they would make the stability for the transformations non-removable. I don’t understand the reasoning for it not being like that, other than they just haven’t been able to implement it properly.

Yea, it just doesn’t seem like stability on transformations are supposed to be removable…

Chaba.5410:

Camera, damage and radius, the fact that it can be aoe’d before you even have a chance to use it, range, and some say also the lack of a close-range defense mechanism.

It’s not a 1v1 weapon, clearly. It’s also clearly – and I hope this is clear just from reading what the skill does, if not I am losing faith in humanity here :S – not meant to be a straight-up-combat weapon.

It’s a Mortar.
One issue is, as you say, the camera. Being a weapon which – unlike the grenade kit – can viably fire over cover, it would need to move higher. Not further out, just higher.
But beyond that? Hell, most of the time I’d argue it’s not a weapon meant to be used yourself. You can supply someone with a 1500 range weapon, that’s fairly huge on a lot of classes.

Carighan.6758:

Terrahero.9358:

And yes, fix Mortar, its worst then most racial elites for godsake… So much wrong with that elite, but there are seperate threads on that special train wreck.

If by “fix” you mean the queue bug which delays shots by up to 5 seconds and makes #5 only fire a single shell, yes, definitely.

But other than that? What’s so bad about it?

-It cannot crit, so no scaling from crit, crit damage, any trait/rune/sigil/foodbuff remotely related to crit.
-Short range for an immobile Elite, you can get picked off from beyond the Mortars max range easily by Rangers, Warriors and Engineers.
-Slow projectile speed. Its easy to avoid the shell without even pressing the dodge button. Not to mention the high arc on the shell often conflicts with all sorts of terrain, especially caves.
-Minimum range, considering how easy most professions move around, getting within the Mortars minimum range without getting hit by a single shot is easy.
-Very low durability, it has zero staying power. As a result i will have inflicted minimal to no damage at the expense of a 2min cooldown.

I’m sure im still missing some issues, and i havent accounted for various bugs.

Elixir X is beast!

You just have to use it properly like any other skill. What you should be talking trash about is that useless pile of dog %#@& they call Mortar. Now that’s an elite that I wouldn’t use if it was a regular utility skill.

Here’s how you use Elixir X:
Trait Potent Elixirs, Fast Acting Elixirs, HGH
Equip Runes of Lyssa
Tactic Active the following as your zerg makes a push into another zerg or if roaming wait for a thief to pounce on you:
- Activate Elixir U
- Immediately activate Elixir X
- Maim, mutilate, slaughter
- Pick up loot bag(s)

Carighan.6758:

Chaba.5410:

Camera, damage and radius, the fact that it can be aoe’d before you even have a chance to use it, range, and some say also the lack of a close-range defense mechanism.

It’s not a 1v1 weapon, clearly. It’s also clearly – and I hope this is clear just from reading what the skill does, if not I am losing faith in humanity here :S – not meant to be a straight-up-combat weapon.

It’s a Mortar.
One issue is, as you say, the camera. Being a weapon which – unlike the grenade kit – can viably fire over cover, it would need to move higher. Not further out, just higher.
But beyond that? Hell, most of the time I’d argue it’s not a weapon meant to be used yourself. You can supply someone with a 1500 range weapon, that’s fairly huge on a lot of classes.

Your kidding right? Its not a mortar. Its a Toy.

Penguin.5197:

Carighan.6758:

Chaba.5410:

Camera, damage and radius, the fact that it can be aoe’d before you even have a chance to use it, range, and some say also the lack of a close-range defense mechanism.

It’s not a 1v1 weapon, clearly. It’s also clearly – and I hope this is clear just from reading what the skill does, if not I am losing faith in humanity here :S – not meant to be a straight-up-combat weapon.

It’s a Mortar.
One issue is, as you say, the camera. Being a weapon which – unlike the grenade kit – can viably fire over cover, it would need to move higher. Not further out, just higher.
But beyond that? Hell, most of the time I’d argue it’s not a weapon meant to be used yourself. You can supply someone with a 1500 range weapon, that’s fairly huge on a lot of classes.

Your kidding right? Its not a mortar. Its a Toy.

Grenades do not require LOS
Grenades do not have a equipping CD they’re a kit
Grenades have a traited 1500 range
Grenades cannot be destroyed and rendered unusable
Grenades do not sacrifice mobility
Grenades do not sacrifice the use of other skills
Grenades trigger any proc on/while using kit equip traits
Grenades are part of a balanced breakfast…of nubs

Mortar stinks like a hot steaming pile of dog #$&@ in a pool of vomit that a skunk slipped and drowned in after it was blinded by getting coated in a jug of three month old expired milk. It’s physically repulsive, and I hate it on a molecular level.

Penguin.5197:

Carighan.6758:

Chaba.5410:

Camera, damage and radius, the fact that it can be aoe’d before you even have a chance to use it, range, and some say also the lack of a close-range defense mechanism.

It’s not a 1v1 weapon, clearly. It’s also clearly – and I hope this is clear just from reading what the skill does, if not I am losing faith in humanity here :S – not meant to be a straight-up-combat weapon.

It’s a Mortar.
One issue is, as you say, the camera. Being a weapon which – unlike the grenade kit – can viably fire over cover, it would need to move higher. Not further out, just higher.
But beyond that? Hell, most of the time I’d argue it’s not a weapon meant to be used yourself. You can supply someone with a 1500 range weapon, that’s fairly huge on a lot of classes.

Your kidding right? Its not a mortar. Its a Toy.

That’s why other professions like it. I gives them something to play with for awhile… they’re like “ooo neat, watch the explosions”. Eventually they’ll get bored and leave, but the next guy who wants to make pretty explosions will hop on.

Which is another problem with the mortar… other players can hijack your elite skill, and you can’t do anything about it. Why would I want to drop that thing so some pug runs up to it and starts shooting in random places when I hopped off for a second to go do something?

I’m a bit surprised that they’ve even bothered making updates to the skill like it’s something they think will be relevant in the long term, despite the fact that’s it’s never been truly relevant. You can even shoot it onto walls in WvW properly to destroy seige, though rangers and elementalists can do it with their weapon skills. If it could do that, then it would at least have some tiny niche to fill.

The only place I’ve really gotten any use out of it is at the beginning of the uncategorized fractal since you can hit the harpies by shooting the bottom of the platforms. However, they can just do their “I’m in your face and I’m invulnerable” stuff, so it only gets you so far.

At the very least you should be able to detonate the mortar like other turrets. At least then it would have a blast finisher, so it wouldn’t be a completely wasted elite slot (although supply crate has that anyways, so yeah).

Obscure One.4357:

Elixir X is beast!

You just have to use it properly like any other skill. What you should be talking trash about is that useless pile of dog %#@& they call Mortar. Now that’s an elite that I wouldn’t use if it was a regular utility skill.

Here’s how you use Elixir X:
Trait Potent Elixirs, Fast Acting Elixirs, HGH
Equip Runes of Lyssa
Tactic Active the following as your zerg makes a push into another zerg or if roaming wait for a thief to pounce on you:
- Activate Elixir U
- Immediately activate Elixir X
- Maim, mutilate, slaughter
- Pick up loot bag(s)

OMG shush. If everyone got the hint on Elixir X, it will get nerfed!

P.S. Drop potent elixirs for elite supplies and pick up 409…

Chaba.5410:

Obscure One.4357:

Elixir X is beast!

You just have to use it properly like any other skill. What you should be talking trash about is that useless pile of dog %#@& they call Mortar. Now that’s an elite that I wouldn’t use if it was a regular utility skill.

Here’s how you use Elixir X:
Trait Potent Elixirs, Fast Acting Elixirs, HGH
Equip Runes of Lyssa
Tactic Active the following as your zerg makes a push into another zerg or if roaming wait for a thief to pounce on you:
- Activate Elixir U
- Immediately activate Elixir X
- Maim, mutilate, slaughter
- Pick up loot bag(s)

OMG shush. If everyone got the hint on Elixir X, it will get nerfed!

P.S. Drop potent elixirs for elite supplies and pick up 409…

Runes of Lyssa condition clear, and every boon for 5 seconds + boon duration (+1% damage per boon off the minor Grandmaster). Used to use 409, just Runes of Lyssa made it redundant, even when I had Elixir X on a 94 second CD pre-buff with Fast Acting…now that it’s at 84 seconds, Invaders must die! Freed up 20 points to shove into Explosives for Enhance Performance which coupled with a Sigil of Battle Elixir X is the Engineer’s wicked fist of death.

Obscure One.4357:

Chaba.5410:

Obscure One.4357:

Elixir X is beast!

You just have to use it properly like any other skill. What you should be talking trash about is that useless pile of dog %#@& they call Mortar. Now that’s an elite that I wouldn’t use if it was a regular utility skill.

Here’s how you use Elixir X:
Trait Potent Elixirs, Fast Acting Elixirs, HGH
Equip Runes of Lyssa
Tactic Active the following as your zerg makes a push into another zerg or if roaming wait for a thief to pounce on you:
- Activate Elixir U
- Immediately activate Elixir X
- Maim, mutilate, slaughter
- Pick up loot bag(s)

OMG shush. If everyone got the hint on Elixir X, it will get nerfed!

P.S. Drop potent elixirs for elite supplies and pick up 409…

Runes of Lyssa condition clear, and every boon for 5 seconds + boon duration (+1% damage per boon off the minor Grandmaster). Used to use 409, just Runes of Lyssa made it redundant, even when I had Elixir X on a 94 second CD pre-buff with Fast Acting…now that it’s at 84 seconds, Invaders must die! Freed up 20 points to shove into Explosives for Enhance Performance which coupled with a Sigil of Battle Elixir X is the Engineer’s wicked fist of death.

Soldiers Gear + Elixir X = Double Power and Double Health = Juggernaut of death and despair that has come to reap the sinners.

I wasn’t aware that engineer was not “viable” in w3 or pve, must have missed the memo. I know I know, the zerg bots don’t think engi has any place in the current knockdown/ retal fest. But you know there is plenty of other cool kid stuff to do I promise! On a serious note, having more reliable stability is never a bad thing, but not viable? Are we playing the same game?

ShadowPuppet.3746:

I wasn’t aware that engineer was not “viable” in w3 or pve, must have missed the memo. I know I know, the zerg bots don’t think engi has any place in the current knockdown/ retal fest. But you know there is plenty of other cool kid stuff to do I promise! On a serious note, having more reliable stability is never a bad thing, but not viable? Are we playing the same game?

I don’t think we are… I know my engi build (mainly gadgets) has CC out the kitten , so we totally fit into the CC fest lol, not to mention slick shoes is hilarious in the Zerg battles!!

Durzlla.6295:

ShadowPuppet.3746:

I wasn’t aware that engineer was not “viable” in w3 or pve, must have missed the memo. I know I know, the zerg bots don’t think engi has any place in the current knockdown/ retal fest. But you know there is plenty of other cool kid stuff to do I promise! On a serious note, having more reliable stability is never a bad thing, but not viable? Are we playing the same game?

I don’t think we are… I know my engi build (mainly gadgets) has CC out the kitten , so we totally fit into the CC fest lol, not to mention slick shoes is hilarious in the Zerg battles!!

Yeah, I must have spent the first week after the RB change just using myself as a charr bowling ball with slickshoes for the lawls, oh good times… maybe we can organize a all engi bowling league or something, that would be pretty awesome to sneak around and just hit into the side of some zergs with! I could see the qq now, “They came out of nowhere, those cruel harbingers of mayhem. Like a flash they were upon us, their intent shown in their beady little eyes, five by five we fell, and for every five there were five more. It was a slaughter, chaos….madness!!!! the foul unviable demons of slippery death stopped our zerg cold! It left me feeling quite bowled over to say the least”

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Durzlla.6295:

ShadowPuppet.3746:

I wasn’t aware that engineer was not “viable” in w3 or pve, must have missed the memo. I know I know, the zerg bots don’t think engi has any place in the current knockdown/ retal fest. But you know there is plenty of other cool kid stuff to do I promise! On a serious note, having more reliable stability is never a bad thing, but not viable? Are we playing the same game?

I don’t think we are… I know my engi build (mainly gadgets) has CC out the kitten , so we totally fit into the CC fest lol, not to mention slick shoes is hilarious in the Zerg battles!!

Yeah, I must have spent the first week after the RB change just using myself as a charr bowling ball with slickshoes for the lawls, oh good times… maybe we can organize a all engi bowling league or something, that would be pretty awesome to sneak around and just hit into the side of some zergs with! I could see the qq now, “They came out of nowhere, those cruel harbingers of mayhem. Like a flash they were upon us, their intent shown in their beady little eyes, five by five we fell, and for every five there were five more. It was a slaughter, chaos….madness!!!! the foul unviable demons of slippery death stopped our zerg cold! It left me feeling quite bowled over to say the least”

lol omg, this is absolutely amazing…. i want to do this now…

naan.1823:

At the moment elixir x is affected too heavily by rng. Getting rampage is basically an aoe launch skill with a 105 second cooldown. What engineers really need in order to become viable in WvW (and PvE) is a skill that gives stability reliably and lets us use the normal skill bar while doing so. Here is my suggestion.

For 20 seconds you gain 3 seconds of stability and two other random boons when disabled (stun, daze, knockback, knockdown, sink, float, fear or launch). This effect can only trigger once every 3 (5 in sPvP?) seconds.

Activation time: 1 second
Recharge: 90 seconds

This would make engineers have very reliable stability which is hard to counter with boon removals but on the other hand can’t be stacked for a long period of time with boon duration gear/traits. Also elixir x would still have some randomness but rng alone wouldn’t make the skill good or bad.

I’ve been wanting Elixir X change for a long time. My idea was to “Steal” the Elite of your target’s profession upon use.

Warrior: Rampage
Elementalist: Tornado
Ranger: Rampage as One
Necromancer: Plague
Guardian: Tome of Wrath
Mesmer: Time Warp (On your location)
Engineer: Supply Drop (On your target)
Thief: Basilisk Venom

So you target a Mesmer, pop Elixir X and Time Warp pops on your location. Target another Engineer when you use Elixir X, Supply Drop on his face.

If you use Elixir X with no target, or a monster; it reverts to it’s original form of Tornado or Rampage.

The kitten is wrong with you people, Elixir X is complete trash. They just took 2 already crappy elites from other classes and gave it to us. They didnt even bother to change the names or graphics. You cant get more lazy than that.

Yes, Mortar needs some major buffs and changes to be worth using in ANY situation. But Elixir X needs completely replaced and this time come up with something original.

XelNigma.6315:

The kitten is wrong with you people, Elixir X is complete trash. They just took 2 already crappy elites from other classes and gave it to us. They didnt even bother to change the names or graphics. You cant get more lazy than that.

Yes, Mortar needs some major buffs and changes to be worth using in ANY situation. But Elixir X needs completely replaced and this time come up with something original.

If you think Mortar just needs buffs and Elixir X needs removed your doing it wrong.

I dare you to present a single build in the history of this game in which Mortar is used that even close to competes with Elixir X. You know what I do when I see an enemy Engineer use mortar? I stand next to him and spam /laugh as he gets the red error messages saying he can’t target me, and as soon as he gets off of it I open my course curriculum, activate Elixir U and Elixir X, and “educate” the !$&# out of him.

Or I’ll just use an Acid Bomb on his location and watch his poor decision in elite skill selection melt to nothing.