Guild Wars 2

Dirame.8521:

choovanski.5462:

Thermobaric Detonation does need to be replaced. it’s a terrible trait with the nerf to the powder keg.

Doesn’t need to be replaced but it needs to be moved away from GM in my opinion

I really don’t understand your obsession with putting grandmaster traits on a pedestal when grandmaster traits and adept traits are literally equal in opportunity cost now. It’s all or none.

It has nothing to do with being a grandmaster trait. No one would take that over Grenadier or Glass Cannon either. It’s just not good and needs to be revised.

They just need to remove the ICD on the dodge bomb. No reason for it to even have an ICD, even with the blast finisher trait.

Phineas Poe.3018:

Dirame.8521:

Phineas Poe.3018:

Bunker Down’s mine without Explosive Powder does like 30% the damage of Aim Assisted Rocket, and requires me being hit. You’ll notice that in that screenshot I had already taken a lot of damage clearing out their guards with that guy on me. He nearly killed me, but I got a Toss Elixir S off and dropped a Healing Turret from stealth. I said screw it, saw Streamlined Kits was up, and was literally a magnet pull -> Grenade Kit swap -> Grenade Barrage. He was downed instantly.

Bunker down only requires that you crit to proc it and it’s cooldown guarantees that you’ll proc it more often than Rocket. But it’s not good against ranged classes though so I guess that’s what Aim-Assisted Rocket is for.

You’re right, I was mixed up.

Still, Bunker Down is significantly less damage than Aim Assisted Rocket, and without Explosive Powder it just gets that much worse. I think Inventions all together is a very overrated tree. It was great when AMR had a 10 second cooldown, but unless you’re planning on taking a support role, Firearms+Inventions or Inventions+Tools is a pretty considerable downgrade in damage compared to Explosives+Tools or Firearms+Tools.

The power in Inventions comes from the sustain it provides. As a Marauder amulet wearing procineer, I can stand my ground against Eles and stale mate the fight because I am constantly healing and literally have infinite regen. Not to mention the fact that when I hit 5k health my heal resets.

Explosives has some utilitarian traits but there’s only 4 of them and the rest of the traits, you could remove them and no one would truly miss them.

Dirame.8521:

The power in Inventions comes from the sustain it provides. As a Marauder amulet wearing procineer, I can stand my ground against Eles and stale mate the fight because I am constantly healing and literally have infinite regen. Not to mention the fact that when I hit 5k health my heal resets.

I think you forgot how we got here.

The whole purpose of my post (and its supporting image) is to establish that Explosives+Tools offers superior burst damage compared to any other combination, to the point where it can drop over 15K damage on a heavy armor target in the span of a second if you line things up properly; and all I did was swap to Grenade Kit and use Grenade Barrage, and got a little help from Sigil of Air. I didn’t use Jump Shot, Pry Bar, or any of my Grenade Kit weapon skills.

You claimed Inventions could offer the same, but obviously that just isn’t the case. It literally cannot replace the role of Explosives, especially if running both the Grenade Kit and Mortar Kit. The double blast finisher, the longer fields, the faster grenades with a larger radius, and Aim Assisted Rocket are a pretty complete package.

For that reason this thread is kind of pointless. The Explosives tree isn’t as dominant as it was pre-patch (which is a good thing imo), and Shrapnel and Thermobaric Detonation could use a re-look, but it clearly fills a role. To say it “isn’t good” is just a tad bit hyperbolic.

Dirame.8521:

Explosives has some utilitarian traits but there’s only 4 of them and the rest of the traits, you could remove them and no one would truly miss them.

The same could be said of Inventions. There’s a reason why pretty much every build with Inventions runs AMR, Mecha Legs, and Bunder Down. I think you’re greatly inflating how good Invention is just in the same way you’re greatly inflating the problems Explosives has. Aside from a couple bad traits, there’s good reason to pick 7 of the 9 traits available in the tree depending on your utilities.

Phineas Poe.3018:

The same could be said of Inventions. There’s a reason why pretty much every build with Inventions runs AMR, Mecha Legs, and Bunder Down. I think you’re greatly inflating how good Invention is just in the same way you’re greatly inflating the problems Explosives has. Aside from a couple bad traits, there’s good reason to pick 7 of the 9 traits available in the tree depending on your utilities.

Personally, I do not think you know what your talking about when you try to imply that everyone uses AMR when using this trait line. My experience and conversations with other players suggest few use it.

I see Over shield used by everyone I have discussed it with who run P/S, in almost every case I have encountered. I am curious as to how you support your claim to know what the expanded player base uses and why? Such claims without any evidence to prove it, only serve to misguide and misinform any new players or anyone looking to learn or understand their options since the changes.

dancingmonkey.4902:

Personally, I do not think you know what your talking about when you try to imply that everyone uses AMR when using this trait line. My experience and conversations with other players suggest few use it.

I see Over shield used by everyone I have discussed it with who run P/S, in almost every case I have encountered. I am curious as to how you support your claim to know what the expanded player base uses and why? Such claims without any evidence to prove it, only serve to misguide and misinform any new players or anyone looking to learn or understand their options since the changes.

AMR was pretty much the default trait when it had a 10 second cooldown. Now that it has a 90 second cooldown I’m sure opinions have scattered, but I have not heard of anyone running Autodefense Bomb Dispenser.

It’s really not that hard to figure out what most people are running. Metabattle, Twitch, Reddit, and right here is where most discussion occurs. And truthfully I haven’t seen a single Inventions build created by someone credible that took anything but Mecha Legs and Bunker Down that was updated beyond the first week of the new patch.

I do find it interesting that you feel you determine who is or is not credible. Decreeing whose opinions are valid isn’t particularly constructive to the conversation in my opinion. Particularly when there is reasonable logic behind shield users, utilizing the shield trait.

For clarification, are you speaking strictly in terms of PvP? Lif you are suggesting it is a popular trait in that respect, then sure, it may be popular, but given its current cool down, and the popularity of P/S, I hardly find declaring it as used by everyone, to be a reasonable statement, particularly in WvW.

dancingmonkey.4902:

I do find it interesting that you feel you determine who is or is not credible. Decreeing whose opinions are valid isn’t particularly constructive to the conversation in my opinion. Particularly when there is reasonable logic behind shield users, utilizing the shield trait.

I believe everyone is allowed to have their own sense of credibility. Just because I tend to value what Brazil or Chaith have to say about a build over some random person doesn’t mean you have to do the same; I’ve been around the block enough times to know who puts in the work, but it’s still just my personal opinion.

No one is above criticism, but I do tend to take certain posts at face value more than others. If there’s a pistol/shield engineer winning tournaments with his build, please—show us.

As new as all of the changes are, That is not entirely reasonable of a demand, not to mention, the you ask it with some implication that I owe something to you. Not entirely certain why you are so abrasive to anyone with differing views in this case, but to each thier own I guess.

One could ask you to prove that “everyone uses AMR by default”, since your making that claim.

Anyway, I was very clear to state that I was refering to outside WvW. I can easily show you thriving builds and a few T1, engineer commanders, who are extremely successful. The traits are not exclusive to PvP, nor is this discussion, that I am aware of.

Phineas Poe.3018:

I think you forgot how we got here.

No, you stated; “Inventions as a whole is an overrated tree” and I responded to that

Phineas Poe.3018:

The whole purpose of my post (and its supporting image) is to establish that Explosives+Tools offers superior burst damage compared to any other combination, to the point where it can drop over 15K damage on a heavy armor target in the span of a second if you line things up properly; and all I did was swap to Grenade Kit and use Grenade Barrage, and got a little help from Sigil of Air. I didn’t use Jump Shot, Pry Bar, or any of my Grenade Kit weapon skills.

You claimed Inventions could offer the same, but obviously that just isn’t the case. It literally cannot replace the role of Explosives, especially if running both the Grenade Kit and Mortar Kit. The double blast finisher, the longer fields, the faster grenades with a larger radius, and Aim Assisted Rocket are a pretty complete package.

I personally feel the increased duration of fields is overrated and the role of the Rocket. It’s great, it works and I use it but I won’t overstate it’s value. Something better could be in it’s place and I seriously would not miss it. Same thing with Siege Rounds, it could be better, it could do more. It isn’t a mind-blowing trait.

Phineas Poe.3018:

For that reason this thread is kind of pointless. The Explosives tree isn’t as dominant as it was pre-patch (which is a good thing imo), and Shrapnel and Thermobaric Detonation could use a re-look, but it clearly fills a role. To say it “isn’t good” is just a tad bit hyperbolic.

Possibly hyperbolic but it highlights a problem that is being re-echoed by several more people. Simply give the explosives line better traits. Traits that even if they are specific to explosives, actually warrant some use in those builds because right now, I’m using bombs and I’m not even using the Explosives line.

Phineas Poe.3018:

The same could be said of Inventions. There’s a reason why pretty much every build with Inventions runs AMR, Mecha Legs, and Bunder Down. I think you’re greatly inflating how good Invention is just in the same way you’re greatly inflating the problems Explosives has. Aside from a couple bad traits, there’s good reason to pick 7 of the 9 traits available in the tree depending on your utilities.

Nah you’re understating the flexibility of that line. As a solo player, yes, AMR, Mecha legs and Bunker down are best. As a team player who wants to support, 3, 2, 3 could work. Or 3, 1, 3 (taking Thumper and Flame Turret) or as a turret player 3, 1, 1.

As you can see, the only trait in there that may need tweaking is the shield trait because rarely will anyone take that.

Phineas Poe.3018:

Dirame.8521:

choovanski.5462:

Thermobaric Detonation does need to be replaced. it’s a terrible trait with the nerf to the powder keg.

Doesn’t need to be replaced but it needs to be moved away from GM in my opinion

I really don’t understand your obsession with putting grandmaster traits on a pedestal when grandmaster traits and adept traits are literally equal in opportunity cost now. It’s all or none.

It has nothing to do with being a grandmaster trait. No one would take that over Grenadier or Glass Cannon either. It’s just not good and needs to be revised.

First off, it’s not just about it being a GM, it’s also about it taking up space that could be used by something more fulfilling.

Second, you think no one will take it over Glass cannon? You’re wrong but I wasn’t even asking for it to be in the Adept tier. If I had my way it would be a Master Minor.

All I know is, I can not stand the engi changes, my flame thrower, pistols, and nades build does crude for damage now and i always feel like i am one shot as soon as anyone hits me. Before i was holding my own 1 v 5 and even wrecking people in 1 v 3. not anymore. I knew things were going to change but i did not expect this. Don’t feel like relearning the entire game just because of an overpriced expansion that bring some minor updates to the game and one new zone and a new class.

At least pve is still spam flamethrower 1 skill and watch everything die….

Darsch.1705:

All I know is, I can not stand the engi changes, my flame thrower, pistols, and nades build does crude for damage now and i always feel like i am one shot as soon as anyone hits me. Before i was holding my own 1 v 5 and even wrecking people in 1 v 3. not anymore. I knew things were going to change but i did not expect this. Don’t feel like relearning the entire game just because of an overpriced expansion that bring some minor updates to the game and one new zone and a new class.

It’s probably just your gear dude. Gear has changed as well. Take a look at your gear and see what needs changing.