Guild Wars 2

I was coming up with a discussion about how I think we should take this opportunity with new skills being introduced and shaking things up to introduce the ‘missing’ healing and elite skills, so we get 1 complete set of skills per specialization: 1 healing, 4 utility, 1 elite, and I was coming up with examples of possible skills and their types, but then I stumbled upon something:

While all other professions have 5 sets of 4 skills of the same type, and 1 healing and 2 elites ‘missing’, engineers have 4 sets of 5 skills.
If we wanted to make sets of skill types even, 4 engineer skills would have to be replaced by skills of a different type.

Now, this is not a discussion about if this should or should not happen, that’s a completely different topic, this is a ‘thought experiment’ that considers this is not some wild though on someone’s head, and that it actually happens and new skills are added, and engineers get 4 skills replaced by a 5th type, a 5th skill type that gets a full set of skills like the rest: 1 healing, 4 utility and 1 elite like the other sets.
Now, with that in mind:

• Which 4 skills would you mind the least being replaced or repurposed into a 5th skill type for the CORE engineer, what type of existing or new skill type would you choose, and what would these 6 skills do?

Here’s my picks as an example:

• Elixir: Elixir B.
  • This guy is the least “like the rest” elixir, and it doesn’t give any particular thing you can’t get some other way. It’s not like it’s a bad skill, but it’s the one to pick by process of elimination.
• Turret: Net turret
  • At first I though ‘rifle turret’ as the least unique of all, but then I realized that when it comes to immobilize, you’d rather have more control over how and when it’s applied, and it’s something rather strong so it’s limited when applied by a turrent constantly, you’d rather have it being applied on someone actually moving, not a random target picked by AI. Moving the immobilize to a different type could allow better ways of using it.
• Kits: Grenade kit.
  • If you roll both device and weapon kits into one type, you get 5 skills. And if you look at them, there’s clearly two that overlap the most in themes and behavior: Mortar and Grenades. Both are mostly AoE explosions, while one has fields and the deals direct hits only. With mortar being changed into an Field generator, mortar and grenades would be merged into a single kit that uses grenades as a base and gets ‘the best’ of both.
• Gadget: Mine.
  • Like the others, it’s not like the Mine is not a bad skills, but they have always been weird in that they are a mine that you can see. Usually, mines would be hidden, like traps. So I though: “well, why not making that the 5th skill type?”

And so we get to the new skill type:
Traps.
Engineers would use traps in a particular way. They’ll throw a mine object that can be attacked, and after 2 seconds or so, if the object was not destroyed, it will bury and arm itself, setting the actual trap.
Because mine traps would be temporarily visible and something that can be prevented, they can in exchange also be a bit more powerful than the average trap. Instead getting something like shorter recharges, more damage or longer effects, they’ll get a ‘rearm’ mechanic.

• Rearm. After an engineer trap has triggered, the mine object would appear again with its remaining health, and rearm itself giving enemies time to attack it again, but also making engineer traps last longer than one use if enemies do not destroy them.

Here’s an example of the traps I think could work for engineers:

• Pro-personnel Mine
  • The healing skill version of the mine. This mine has two healing effects. One is done on self when used. The other triggers when an ally inside of its area has less than 33% health, and it is an AoE healing that heals up to 5 allies.
  • This trap can rearm itself once.
  • Toolbelt skill: First Aid. Removes bleeding, burning and poison and heals a tiny bit plus a bit more for each condition removed.
• Claymore Mine.
  • Replaces the net turret. This mine is unique in which although its trigger area is still round, it fires a cone-shaped cleave. The cone aims in the direction of the enemy stepping on its area and deals 1 stack of short bleeding, little damage and 2s immobilize to up to 3 targets caught in the cone.
  • This trap can rearm itself 4 times for a total of 5 shots, and its mine object has more health than other utility mines, but as a downside, this trap would not count as an explosion for traits.
  • Toolbetl skill: Same as Net Turret – Net Attack
• Landmine.
  • Replaces Mine. It behaves mostly like Mine. When it fires, it hits 5 targets, removes a condition and pushes enemies away.
  • This trap can rearm just once, but has the shortest cooldown of all engineer traps.
  • Toolbetl skill: Same as Mine – Mine Field
• Tear Gas Boobytrap:
  • This would replace Grenade kits. When it explodes, it hits up to 5 targets dealing stun, damage, confusion and crippled once, and then creates a smoke field that pulses blind 5 times.
  • This trap can ream itself twice, but the rearming does not start until the field pulses have ended.
  • Toolbelt skill: Same as Grenade kit – Grenade barrage.
• B Mine
  • Replaces Elixir B. This trap does not deal damage. Instead, every 2 seconds since it’s armed, it’ll store 1 stack of might up to 5 stacks. When it triggers, it’ll give the engineer and up to 4 other nearby allies the stored stacks of might, plus a short 5s ferocity.
  • This trap can rearm itself 3 times.
  • Tooblet skill: Same as Elixir B – Toss Elixir B
• Thermobaric Mine
  • This is the Elite mine. This trap’s mine object has lots of health, but takes a whooping 5 seconds to arm itself. When it explodes, creates a large fire field that pulses for 5 seconds and deals about as much damage and burning per second than a level 3 adrenaline Combustive Shot. So you really, really want to destroy that mine before it arms itself.
  • This trap can ream itself only once.
  • Toolbelt skill: Mine. Yup, the good ‘ol mine skill. It’s back, in toolbelt form.

I don’t like the idea of it being damagable even before its first effect comes into effect.
it will suffer from the same issues as turrets in zergs: virtually useless.
in dungeons proper timing between hard-hitting boss-attacks might fix that issue, but for PvP it would be horrible to have utilities that offer so much counterplay for virtually no gain in the first place.
Think net turret: it maybe is very squishy and dies withing seconds now, but once you place it, it fires immediately and gives you that sweet immob you placed it for. If it gets destroyed in the process, fine, that’s what counterplay means, but your utilities would offer enemies to render your chosen utilities completely useless. like a turret that takes 3 seconds minimum to fire after being placed.

in that light I’d rather have the following utilities:
Minions (specifically drones / bots)
- they have active and passive modes
- once the active mode is triggered, the passive effect ends & they self-destruct with the end of their active effect, going on the listed cd’s.
- they can only be damaged during their active phase. if destroyed, their active effect ends immideatly. They are very squishy.
- in their passive mode they always stay with the engineer, and are not considered a NPC, but just a animation of a themed drone orbiting the engineer, so they will not get stuck in terrain, nor count to the aoe-target cap. If the active mode gets triggered, it technically spawns the actual NPC, performing his effect until he self-destructs.

Healing drone:
- passive mode
Grants a unique buff to up to 5 allies in medium range. The buff lasts for 10 seconds. it is applied every 10 seconds. If a target with this buff gets struck by a condition, the condition gets transmuted into a boon and the buff ends. It can stack up to 5 times.
- Active mode
Grants 4 healing pulses to the engineer itself in 2 seconds, where the first pulse heals for 1k, the 2nd for 2k the 3rd for 3k and the last for 4k.
CD: 30sec

Defense Drone:
- passive mode
pulses aegis for 3sec and protection for 5 seconds every 10sec for up to 5 allies in medium range
- active mode
stunbreaks & sets up a mobile shield bubble with 240 radius that is reflecting projectiles and lasts for 4 seconds
CD: 40sec

Offensive drone:
- passive effect
pulses fury for 2 seconds and 1 stack of might for 15 seconds every 5 seconds to 5 allies in medium range
- active effect
Flies fast towards the currently selected target and explodes, dealing heavy aoe-dmg, ripping 1 boon and causing a 1sec daze. It profits from “explosives”-traits.
CD: 20sec

Utility-drone:
- passive effect
Pulses swiftness for 10 seconds and vigor for 5 seconds every 10 seconds to up to 5 allies in medium range
- active effect
Clears immob / chill / cripple once from up to 5 allies in medium range and pulses 1 second stealth every second to up to 5 allies in medium range. The drone itself keeps its position and remains visible. Lasts for 5 seconds.
CD: 40sec

Elite drone:
- passive effect
pulses 3 seconds of 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds to the engineer alone.
- active effect
pulses 3 seconds of 2 stacks of stability every 3 seconds to up to 5 allies in medium range. This active drone is unusual sturdy and requires a reasonable amount of dmg (like zerker eviscerate or jumpshot) to be taken down preemptively. Lasts for 15 sec
CD: 120sec

Possible traits:
- 20% CD reduction (minor)
- 20% faster pulses on passive effects (master)
- Destruction / Self-destruct triggers blast-finishers (minor)
- Passive effects remain active after the drone is destroyed. Active effects still go on the listed CD (grandmaster)

Arguable these passive effects are beyond OP, but at least this kind of utility-skills will allow counter-play only if you intend to use their powerful actives, so are a weird mix of passive signet effects (that you don’t have any counterplay against) and minions (that are basically dumb AI, prone to spontaneous combustion in zergs). I guess that should be unique enough for our class.

By the look of things, they will be adding a new previously unavailable type of skills for each class through elite specs.

Engineers could get skills of various existing types, though, since we know they are getting the new flying drones/turrets, and I can’t imagine they would want to implement a full AI line, especially not after the turret issues.

Of course, the new drones could be a weapon skill, but I doubt it.

RabbitUp.8294:

By the look of things, they will be adding a new previously unavailable type of skills for each class through elite specs.

Engineers could get skills of various existing types, though, since we know they are getting the new flying drones/turrets, and I can’t imagine they would want to implement a full AI line, especially not after the turret issues.

Of course, the new drones could be a weapon skill, but I doubt it.

I think of a few things the drones might be…

1. New Turret GM trait, think Spirts Unbound but for turrets.
2. Spirt Weapons (not in name, of course, but in function) I doubt they’d be identical to minions, or at the very least, I suspect that Necromancer players would be even more livid having another, even more iconic to Necro skill type given to another profession.
3. New profession mechanic. A new F6(?) skill would summon a swarm of 4-5 drones, each with abilities based on your 5-0 skills. Alternatively, the current toolbelt skills are replaced with drone-related skills that also depend on your healing, utility, and elite skills equipped.

If they’re not a new type of skill, I wouldn’t be shocked if we get signets; right now we are the only core Profession that doesn’t have them.

Foefaller.1082:

I think of a few things the drones might be…

1. New Turret GM trait, think Spirts Unbound but for turrets.
2. Spirt Weapons (not in name, of course, but in function) I doubt they’d be identical to minions, or at the very least, I suspect that Necromancer players would be even more livid having another, even more iconic to Necro skill type given to another profession.
3. New profession mechanic. A new F6(?) skill would summon a swarm of 4-5 drones, each with abilities based on your 5-0 skills. Alternatively, the current toolbelt skills are replaced with drone-related skills that also depend on your healing, utility, and elite skills equipped.

If they’re not a new type of skill, I wouldn’t be shocked if we get signets; right now we are the only core Profession that doesn’t have them.

In the trailer, all drones looked the same, and I doubt they would implement identical turrets that function differently, when this was their biggest issues with kits. Also, spirits will now become immobile, and the trait will be removed, so I don’t think they would make turrets mobile, either.

Actually, I doubt they are minions at all. They seems to closely follow the engineer when he moves, like the Toxic Spore back item, and even respond to his animations, which is unlike other summons. They look more like buffs, that use turret models for flavour only, so your Signet idea makes sense.

Maybe they are indeed Signets, and activating them detaches the drone from your character and Summons it as an actual minion.

Arantheal.7396:

[…]

The idea of making them targeteable is to make them more useful when ‘setting’ a stage. The less damage they take, the more they last, so it’s better to use them preemptively, like when enemy waves are coming, or at the star of a pvp match in a point.
They won’t be squishy either, unless 2-3 guys in the enemy team focuses on them, they may not destroy them before they trigger at least once. Further damage will mostly prevent additional triggers.

So turrets would work better on the fly and on arrival at the enemy’s location, and traps when waiting for enemies to come.

As for drones, I think they are something that fit better a specialization rather than the core engineer.

RabbitUp.8294:

Foefaller.1082:

I think of a few things the drones might be…

1. New Turret GM trait, think Spirts Unbound but for turrets.
2. Spirt Weapons (not in name, of course, but in function) I doubt they’d be identical to minions, or at the very least, I suspect that Necromancer players would be even more livid having another, even more iconic to Necro skill type given to another profession.
3. New profession mechanic. A new F6(?) skill would summon a swarm of 4-5 drones, each with abilities based on your 5-0 skills. Alternatively, the current toolbelt skills are replaced with drone-related skills that also depend on your healing, utility, and elite skills equipped.

If they’re not a new type of skill, I wouldn’t be shocked if we get signets; right now we are the only core Profession that doesn’t have them.

In the trailer, all drones looked the same, and I doubt they would implement identical turrets that function differently, when this was their biggest issues with kits. Also, spirits will now become immobile, and the trait will be removed, so I don’t think they would make turrets mobile, either.

Actually, I doubt they are minions at all. They seems to closely follow the engineer when he moves, like the Toxic Spore back item, and even respond to his animations, which is unlike other summons. They look more like buffs, that use turret models for flavour only, so your Signet idea makes sense.

Maybe they are indeed Signets, and activating them detaches the drone from your character and Summons it as an actual minion.

or nukes em for blast finishers…id love to have that to be honest

Well, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting traps.