Guild Wars 2

What if instead of being forced to use Mortar and Supply Crate, we could change our elite slot into a 4th utility?

Having a 4th utility slot instead of elite would greatly emphasize the versatility of Engineer, and free up our utility space to let us use at least 1 kit.

One possibility this unlocks is allowing us to use all 3 offensive turrets with the Wrench to heal them.

So wouldn’t it be a great idea to turn the Engineer elite into a 4th utility?

That was pretty much how Guild Wars 1 worked.

I don’t understand why they didn’t allow the option to begin with.

Except in GW1 the Elite skills were actually game-changing and had a decent cooldown.

Where in GW2 we have…. Mortar -.-

Personally, I think our elites are fine. Sure, they’re not the best, but they can be helpful. If I had more friends that had higher leveled engineers, we could all go into WvWvW and have a mass mortar attack on a supply camp from 1400 range and take it, or destroy a node in PvP. You could do something similar with supply crate and go out kicking kitten with a massive coordinated dropping of boxes on people. :p Elixir X is also pretty fun to use. It ups your health, but more importantly it gives you a massive increase to attack and critical hit chance, which can be used with skills that have a delayed activation time (like Big Ole Bomb. ) and do a lot more damage. I’m sure there’s plenty of other ways to use these skills, but those are a few that I just thought of.

Kain Francois.4328:

Except in GW1 the Elite skills were actually game-changing and had a decent cooldown.

Where in GW2 we have…. Mortar -.-

Supply Crate is definitely a game-changer.

In GW we weren’t forced to take an elite but if you didn’t you were definitely hampering yourself. They were amazing and usually build defining. Most times in open world (and with all professions) I’d rather have a 4th utility than an elite. I’d rather have Goggles instead of Supply Crate when solo.

Phineas Poe.3018:

Kain Francois.4328:

Except in GW1 the Elite skills were actually game-changing and had a decent cooldown.

Where in GW2 we have…. Mortar -.-

Supply Crate is definitely a game-changer.

While I agree with this I think changing my Supply Crate out for another block, pull with a good range, cripple, and another source of confusion would be a good trade. Perhaps I’m a bit biased but it seems to me that the engineer would benefit more than any other class if the elite slot could be slotted like any of the regular slots. Also our elite slot should have a tool belt skill like our other slots

I think it’s also done for a pseudo-balancing effect. Essentially, since you have to put one of the “elite” skills in that slot, they will always know that a given build will have 3 utilities and 1 elite (along with 1 healing skill, the weapon skills, and class mechanics).

If they were to allow you to pick and choose either an elite or utility, the complexity that is possible with each profession would rise, and they would need to evaluate the utilities differently.

As a result, certain utilities may need to be weaker to compensate for possible combinations, and this could also be taken into consideration for other skills as well as traits.

I would agree that the engg elite skills have limited usefulness in PvE (they’re generally not useful at all on bosses), but that’s just further evidence that they could use some more tuning (particularly mortar).

One of the differences in GW1 is that you actually had to hunt down your elite skills, which would involve killing a boss (in PvE, that is). This could create a situation in which someone simply wouldn’t have an elite skill, so they didn’t limit you to only 7 skills in case you didn’t have one. In GW2 they are readily accessible to you when you have enough skill points, so that’s never really an issue (except sometimes when you just turn level 30 and don’t have enough points saved up).

99.99% of people always used an elite skill in GW1 anyways, especially once the expansions added a bunch more (some OP ones too). It’s an odd case in GW2 where some utility skills are more highly valued than the “elite” skills, but the game does play much differently.

For that matter I wouldn’t mind if they explored the radical notion of allowing multiple utilities of certain of the same types. For example, 2 or 3 rocket turrets or even 3 of the same Necromancer pet.

A few weeks ago I made a funny post about a possibility for a signet for engineers. I was thinking of signets that could complement the actual popular builds. Here are a few ideas:

1) Perpetuum Mobile Motor (Signet to increase movement speed)
Passive: 25% movement speed increase
Active: Quickness 3 seconds, Faster endurance regeneration for 10 seconds.
Background: This motor is the dream of many engineers out there, especially those who don’t use Speedy Kits trait or boon duration runes. Endurance regeneration dosen’t stack intensity with this.

2) Antikythera Calculator (Signet to encourage the rifle and P/P builds)
Passive: +10% Rifle range and +10% Pistol fire rate.
Active: Gain Stability, Fury and your next 3 attacks do more damage
Background: In order to follow a certain build players feel forced to use grenades, bombs or other kits even if they don’t enjoy them. This impeccable precision relic will empower dedicated Rifle and Pistol users differently but efficiently.

3) Urn of Phoenix Ashes (signet to encourage FT only users)
Passive: Flamethrower damage increased by 15%. Range increased from 425 to 600
Active: Burn nearby foes, +50% speed for 2 seconds.
Background: The Phoenix represent the speed and force of fire. Activating will consume the orb but it will rise from it’s own ashes. This signet will empower engineers who love the flamethrower and prefer to use it as a main weapon. (other FT skills (2,3,4,5) will not receive a buff so players who use it as secondary a utility skill will not be over powered).

JubeiTM.5763:

A few weeks ago I made a funny post about a possibility for a signet for engineers.

Interesting ideas:-) what about some Deathstar looking transformation into unstopable mechanical ball what will roll around like Karka knockback and burn them and everytime you transform some old charr tell on backround: " Rytlock i am you father! ":-D

To be honest, Elites are so weak in GW2 that I would go for a fourth utility on all my characters (that is Mesmer, Engineer, Necromancer and Elementalist).

Elites are just… meh. They are too specialized, too fragile, too small and have way too long CDs.

Why is everyone suggesting to remove elites instead of taking the more sensible option … vastly buff them.

Supply Crate Drop: Reduce cooldown to 120 seconds, make all turrets overcharge after 5 seconds and drop a random kit.

Mortar: Increase duration to 100 seconds, spawn 3 mortars (so you can barrage with non-engis). Problem is just that 1 Mortar is worthless.

Elixir X: Gain all boons and +200 to all stats for 15 seconds.

marnick.4305:

Why is everyone suggesting to remove elites instead of taking the more sensible option … vastly buff them.

Mortar: Increase duration to 100 seconds, spawn 3 mortars (so you can barrage with non-engis). Problem is just that 1 Mortar is worthless.

Not enough. Mortars are incredibly useless unless you can form an artillery regimen with it. 1200 range is not far enough to cover important bits, and short enough for most professions to just stroll over and start screwing you.

For instance, Engineer itself has Jump Shot, a 700-range gap closer.
Elementalist has Ride the Lightning (900) or Staff Fire 4 (600). Not to mention teleport Cantrip (600)

Mesmer has teleport (900)
Thief has bleeping stealth
Guardian has bleeping teleport or leap (about 600-700)
Warrior also has leap

To make sure you won’t touch Mortar again, ANet decided that mortar:
1) Has very slow projectile. Enough to warrant clairvoyant-level of targeting
2) Cannot shoot anything that is within 600 range of itself, so enemies don’t have to go the whole 1200, the only need to go 600

Either you buff the range to 3000 AND increase the projectile speed or just remake Mortar into some kind of portable Bazooka (or, Balthazar forbid, Heat-Seeking Missile Launcher)

Guardian actually has a 1200 range teleport. LULZ

marnick.4305:

Mortar: Increase duration to 100 seconds, spawn 3 mortars (so you can barrage with non-engis). Problem is just that 1 Mortar is worthless.

Now your d/d ele and HB warrior friends can be worthless with you! XD

I’m of the mind that mortar needs an entire rework if it’s going to be at all worthy of anything aside from some select PvE scenarios.

That elixir X change sounds a bit over the top though, especially since it’s traitable to 90 seconds… like signet of rage on crack. I think that one can work as it is now, they just need to implement some more fixes to transformations (i.e. actual perma stability, not a strippable buff).

Raestloz.7134:

marnick.4305:

Why is everyone suggesting to remove elites instead of taking the more sensible option … vastly buff them.

Mortar: Increase duration to 100 seconds, spawn 3 mortars (so you can barrage with non-engis). Problem is just that 1 Mortar is worthless.

Not enough. Mortars are incredibly useless unless you can form an artillery regimen with it. 1200 range is not far enough to cover important bits, and short enough for most professions to just stroll over and start screwing you.

For instance, Engineer itself has Jump Shot, a 700-range gap closer.
Elementalist has Ride the Lightning (900) or Staff Fire 4 (600). Not to mention teleport Cantrip (600)

Mesmer has teleport (900)
Thief has bleeping stealth
Guardian has bleeping teleport or leap (about 600-700)
Warrior also has leap

To make sure you won’t touch Mortar again, ANet decided that mortar:
1) Has very slow projectile. Enough to warrant clairvoyant-level of targeting
2) Cannot shoot anything that is within 600 range of itself, so enemies don’t have to go the whole 1200, the only need to go 600

Either you buff the range to 3000 AND increase the projectile speed or just remake Mortar into some kind of portable Bazooka (or, Balthazar forbid, Heat-Seeking Missile Launcher)

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Yamsandjams.3267:

That elixir X change sounds a bit over the top though, especially since it’s traitable to 90 seconds… like signet of rage on crack. I think that one can work as it is now, they just need to implement some more fixes to transformations (i.e. actual perma stability, not a strippable buff).

Trait would buff it to 20 seconds or so …

In my opinion, elites should be game changers, and making you into god for 10 seconds is exactly that. At that point there’s two things going on:
- you’re trying to make the most out of your elite since it has a long cooldown
- opponent tries to waste the most of your elite since it has a long cooldown

If elites are not inducing that behaviour, they’re not functioning as elite skills.

marnick.4305:

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Only if the Arrow Cart is an exact duplicate of WvW’s.

Raestloz.7134:

marnick.4305:

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Only if the Arrow Cart is an exact duplicate of WvW’s.

That would be a little too strong. Engineers would replace the Warrior Zerkers in dungeon runs

JubeiTM.5763:

Raestloz.7134:

marnick.4305:

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Only if the Arrow Cart is an exact duplicate of WvW’s.

That would be a little too strong. Engineers would replace the Warrior Zerkers in dungeon runs

And this is bad how? :p

on topic, the problem isn’t being forced to take an elite, it’s that elites are worse than utilities. We should have 5 toolbelt slots and elites that are actually good, like in gw1.

It was rare to see someone with no elite even though the choice was there.

Mortar I could easily buff to be useful:

• Range to 1750 base, 2000 traited (with Elite supplies, Rifled Turret Barrels shouldn’t affect it, it’s not a turret).
• Shots can crit and scale as expected, work with sigils.
• Stability while using the Mortar, fades instantly when you let go.
• Protection while using the Mortar, fades instantly when you let go (only the engineer gets this!).
• Health increased by ~125-150%.

Also, duration 60s + CD 60s. Makes it more easily replaceable.

Raestloz.7134:

marnick.4305:

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Only if the Arrow Cart is an exact duplicate of WvW’s.

Genius. To make it not as OP reduce the damage, or increase the cooldowns between skills.

Specterryu Quipter.8412:

Raestloz.7134:

marnick.4305:

How about change “Mortar” to “Arrow Cart” ?

Only if the Arrow Cart is an exact duplicate of WvW’s.

Genius. To make it not as OP reduce the damage, or increase the cooldowns between skills.

We have Mortar in WvW

When the devs decided to “make it not as OP”, they completely thrashed it.

Rather than reducing everything to thrash, I’ll take keeping something OP but has incredible cooldown on the Elite itself