Guild Wars 2

Hi,

I would like to propose a couple of improvement/ideas for turrets

TURRETS :
New* Lasersighting : Every time you overcharge a turret it will focus the target the Engineer is currently attacking for the next 12sec or until the target dies.
Debuff tooltip : You have a very bad feeling, it is like something is targeting you.

New* Gateling Turret (Replace Rifle Turret) : Damage 110×4, Cast 1.00sec, Bleeding 4×2sec, Windup 2sec, Projectile Finisher 20%, Range 1000, Recharge 20sec.
-> Overcharge : Supressive Fire (Replace Automatic Fire) : Damage 161×12, Bleeding 12×2sec, cast 3.00sec, Windup 4sec (overcharged*), Cripple 6sec, Cone 45° (3 targets), Range 1000, Recharge 30sec.

• Note : Overcharged, thin smoke comming out of the gun barrels representing the sinking heat.

Flame Turret : Damage 127, Cast 0.00sec, Burning 2sec, Windup 3sec, Cone 60° (5 targets), Range 450, Recharge 20sec.
-> Overcharge : Smoke Screen : Blind 5×2sec, Instant (does not requiere target), Radius 450 (5 Targets), Recharge 30.00sec.

Rocket Turret : Damage 794, Cast 0.00, Burning 3sec, Windup 4sec, Radius 240 (5 Targets), Range 1200, Recharge 45sec.
-> Overcharge : Rocket Barrage (Replace Explosive Rocket) : Damage 524×3, Burning 3×2sec, Knockdown 3×1sec, Cast 2.25sec, Windup 1.75sec, Radius 240 (5 Targets), Recharge 40sec.

Thumper Turret : Damage 381, Cast 0.00sec, Cripple 3sec, Windup 3sec, Radius 360 (5 Targets), Recharge 45sec.
-> Overcharge : Megadrill (Replace Thump) : Damage 1141, Stability 1sec, Instant (does not requiere target), Radius 360 (5 Targets), Blowout 400, Blast Finisher, Break Stun, Recharge 45sec.

Net Turret : Immobilized 2sec, Cast 0.00sec, Windup 10sec (right now it is +-12sec), Range 600, Cooldown 30sec.
-> Overcharge : Electrified Net : Damage 128×3 (155×4 Traited), Immobilized 3×1sec (4×1sec Traited), Stun 3×1sec (4×1sec Traited – Special*), Instant, Vulnerable to damage, Range 600, Recharge 30sec.

• Note : Traiting for Rifled Turret Barrels will increase the duration of the net by 1sec, Break Stun removes the electrified net effect.

Healing Turret : Healing 2520 (0.50), Regen 3sec, Cast 0.00sec, Windup 3sec, Radius 480 (10 Targets), Recharge 20sec.
-> Overcharge : Cleasing Burst : Healing 2520 (0,50), Regen 5sec, Cleanse 2 conditions, Instant (does not requiere target), Radius 480, Water Field, Recharge 15sec.

*note : Turrets do not attack anymore if ennemies are not it their line of sight.

TOOLBELT :

Gateling Turret
→ New* Surprise Salvo (replace Surprise Shot) : Damage 31×4, Bleeding 4×2sec, Instant, Projectile Finisher 20%, Range 1000, Recharge 10sec.

Flame Turret
→ Throw Napalm : Damage 170, Burning 5sec, Range 900, Radius 180, Recharge 30sec.

Rocket Turret
→ Rocket : Damage 370, Burning 2sec, Instant, Range 1200, Recharge 20sec.

Tumper Turret
→ Rumble : Damage 146, Cripple 3sec, Instant, Radius 360, Blast Finisher, Recharge 30sec.

Net Turret
→ Net attack : Immobilized 3sec, Range 600, Recharge 45sec.

Healing Turret
→ Regenerating Mist : Regen 6sec, Cleanse 1 condition, Radius 480, Recharge 25sec.

• Note : Every Toolbelt skills are also affected by Rifled Turret Barrels, increasing base damage, condition duration and range.

TRAITS :

Explosives :
Accerant-Packed Turrets : Turrets explode when killed. When your turrets explode, they push back foes, burning them for 2sec.

Invention :
New* Blast Shields(replace Metal Plating) : Reduce damage dealt to turrets by 35%, grants protection for 6sec to every turrets whenever those get targeted by an AoE (Recharge 20sec).

New* Repair Specialist (Replace Autotool Installation & Power Wrench) : The Throw Wrench and Smack skills heal turrets twice as fast, and cripple foes for 5 seconds. Tool kit skills recharge 20% faster. Turrets are self-repairing 4% of their total health every 3sec. This amount is twice as powerfull when the Engineer equip his Wrench.

Rifled Turret Barrels : Turrets deal 20% more damage and have 25% longer range*, condition dealt by turrets last 1sec longer, Overcharge skills recharge 20% faster.

• Including Thumper and Healing Turret, right now those two aren’t affected by this trait.

Tools :
Deployable Turrets : Turrets skills recharge 20% faster and use ground targeting (Range 900).

New trait (Replace Power Wrench) : Sinds it is a turret sugestion I won’t make something out of topic, but it could be a trait increasing Gadgets sinds those are relatively inexistant.

To explain why I made those changes I will give a little bit of information.

Turrets in their current state are clunky, the overcharges requiere you to anticipate the next cycle of attack from all your deployed turrets and they seem to easely bug out at every patch. Turrets are also limited to the fact they always choose the closest target to them, even when hiding behind a wall making it very hard when fighting ennemies in PvP and makes some DE in PvE a nightmare when destroyable structures are respawning behind walls.

To fix this issue, I transformed every Overcharge utilities into instant abilities, this way you can keep the attack cycle of the Turrets untouched unless the Overcharge has an incorporated windup at the end of the animation, and with the Lasersighting passive ability it becomes more practical to target players in PvP hiding behind pets and also in PvE when you want to control a specific target and not the closest to your Turret.

Turrets also have surviability issues, the hitbox is also to big, making them very susceptible to AoE damage, while I am compeltely against high damage resistance to AoE or complete immunity. I came with the idea to make a “Oh kitten” button to every turrets, taking the Blast Shield will provide a slighty improved metal plating passive resistance and also a temporary protection buff to every turrets when they get targeted by an AoE (not when hit), so whenever should they be inside of a red circle they will automaticaly respond by using their protection buff before and this only once every 20sec. With the extra health regen and lowered hitbox it could possibly make them more viable but not completey indestructible.

I also merged Power Wrench and Autotool Installation together and improved the rate at wich they regain health. The ammount is slighty improved compared to the old value. Overall health before was 10% every 10sec, new value is around 13.33% every 10sec wich becomes 26.66% if you are wearing a Wrench. By doing this you reduce the amount of points you have to pick to trait for turrets, you give the choice to the player between more sustainability or more firepower while still keeping improved regeneration capabilities for your turrets. The increased healing rate also helps turrets sustain for longer because the health gain will kick in faster.

Switching Rumble (toolbelt) to Thumb (overcharge) was needed, you usualy want to keep your Thumper Turret close to you and use it whenever you are stuned to blast ennemies away from you. I just compensated both toolbelt and overcharge abilities with extra damage, extra utility or increased/reduced cooldown. It now means that you are more vulnerable to stuns when your turret is not deployed but at the same time I think turrets engineers should always feel vulnerable when their main assets are removed from them. It adds more dept in the combat.

I improved a couple of Toolbelt abilities to make them a bit more usefull in combat and working around different possible builds, especialy condition damage engineers.

I nerfed the base Immobilized effect on net turret but the duration is the same now with Rifled Turret Barrels, on the other hand the overcharge is a powerfull chain stun, that can only be countered by damage, the net will reaply immobilized and a stun frequently protecting its effect against condition removal but it will be destroyable. The idea is to make that skill work like Entangle, turning it into a powerfull control skill but giving the opportunity to team members or people with stability to counter the crowd control. For Pve it is more like a Defiant breaker, the idea is to reduce the number of defiant on a boss low enough to allow other people or the Engineer to interupt the target later when he channels a powerfull ability.

For the Rocket Turret it was more about style realy, the turret has 3 rocket sillos and only use one, so shooting 3 lobing rockets in a small interval instead of 1 would give a better spread against moving targets for greater area of denial and would also grant a visual explanation for the 3 sillos.

For the Gateling Turret, when I think obout Rifle Turret, it lacks synergy and utility compared to the rest of the Turrets. I added some condition damage and firing rate to give better synergy with combo fields and condition damage builds and I turned the overcharge into a Burst with utility to make this turret more adaptable depending on the fight. Sinds the overcharge is rather strong I putted a biger windup to give ennemy players time to recover a bit.

I’m pretty sure i’m still missing some points but I’ll complete those later if you have any questions or oppinion to give about this thread.

Enjoy the writing, and don’ t be afraid to give an oppinion!

Good lord those sound like they would be fun. I’ve learned to use turrets… but they feel so slow and clunky compared to the ones you envisioned. If only anet could take the turrets a bit further…

That said…i’ve had some use with the new thumper turret stun break. Dropped two turrets and kept thumper on reserve waiting for a thief to jump me. He did the whole basilisk +Cloak & Dagger steal warp to me. I think he was a bit surprised when i stun broke and dropped thumper then overcharged it knocking him on his butt.

Its too bad that all the turret rates and overcharges are messed up right now.

Sinds this post took me while to create, i’m just gonna bump it so everyone has the occasion to read it.

• Note : For the Gateling Turret I would personnaly like to see the one used in the original Charr Engineer Artwork. Those can also be found in the Black Citadel, check the link bellow :
  https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/engineer/Anet-I-cried-today/first#post1664284

The only change turrets really need is focus fire targets you target. Apart from that, I think turrets are fine.

Dirame.8521:

The only change turrets really need is focus fire targets you target. Apart from that, I think turrets are fine.

It was something that I wanted to bring in until I realised this wouldn’t work, because turrets are stationary unlike pets and this could cause issues in a couple of situations.
- What happens when your target is behind a wall or ceiling? Do they keep missing their shots?
- What happens when they are out of range and defend a point? Are they going to stay passively there and wait until someone or something comes and destroy them?

While your idea would certainly improve turrets, I think it wouldn’t be enough to make them viable.

Those changes sound very interesting and I would love to try turrets again under your patch notes

Some ideas I had, think I posted some of them on here before.

1. Turrets gain a % of the player’s stats (power, toughness, precision, etc.), maybe a trait to increase the % (I believe, currently, that only player condition dmg is calculated for turrets?).

2. Give a turret, thumper maybe, a passive effect that it casts aegis in a large AE every 10sec or so, but only itself and other turrets, of the same player, receive it. This would make clumping your turrets together helpful and reduce some of the AE dps they take. _Maybe every turret has this ability but only when X amount, from same player, are in close proximity to each other (only one aegis at a time though). That way a solo turret doesn’t benefit but if you drop 3 or so they gain some protection for an AE just wiping all of them out. It probably wouldn’t help much, but think about that new dungeon in the laser room… all turrets are completely pointless… _

3. Just add to a trait the passive ability of reducing AE damage turrets take by 75% or so.

4. Change Tool Kit “repair” so that you repair turrets in an AE around you while you have Tool Kit equiped. Maybe, when you have Tool Kit equipped it also reduces dmg to turrets or just AE dmg. That way it’s more of an active thing you have to do, with your wrench, pry bar or gear in your hand… can’t just sit back and shoot ppl letting turrets take the dmg.

5. Change it so that you drop 2 turrets at once from a utility ability and change the utility abilities to something like:

Utility Skill #1. Long Range Turrets:
Tool Belt: Belt Rocket: Range=1,200; DPS= High; Condition= Knock Down (1s); Radius= Single Target; Recast= 40s.
…..1) Rocket Turret: Range= 1,000; DPS= Low; Condition= Knock Down (1s); Radius= Single Target; Rate of Fire= 12s; Activation= Motion (like the new condition, but it only attacks what it sees and is moving).
…..2) Mortar Turret: Range= 1,200; DPS= Medium; Condition= 0; Radius= 240; Rate of Fire= 8s; Activation= Motion.

Utility Skill #2. Medium Range Turrets:
Tool Belt: Electrified Net: Range: 600; DPS= Medium; Condition= Immobilize (2s); Radius= Single Target; Recast= 20s.
…..1) Rifle Turret: Range= 800; DPS= High; Condition= 0; Radius= Single Target; Rate of Fire= 2s; Activation= Motion.
…..2) Net Turret: Range= 600; DPS= 0; Condition= Immobilize (2s); Radius= Single Target; Rate of Fire= 10s; Activation= Motion.

Utility Skill #3. Short Range Turrets.
_Tool Belt: Turret Portal: Drop an entrance portal that allies can “use”. Ability changes to “Turret Exit Portal”: Drop an exit portal that allies will appear at after “using” the entrance portal. Unlike Mesmer portals this is 1way only.
…..1) Thumper Turret: Range= Point Blank; DPS= Medium; Condition= Cripple (4sec); Boon= Turret Aegis; Radius= 400; Rate of Fire= 12s; Activation= Constant (Goes off ever 12s regardless of what is happening).
…..2) Flame Turret: Range= Point Blank; DPS= Very High; Condition= Fire (2sec); Radius= 240; Rate of Fire= 4s; Activation= Constant.

Anywho… I’m babbling now, just some thoughts… Let me know what you think

Valar Morghulis.7049:

1. Turrets gain a % of the player’s stats (power, toughness, precision, etc.), maybe a trait to increase the % (I believe, currently, that only player condition dmg is calculated for turrets?).

It would indeed be interesting to be able to make turrets scale at least with Power, to see more Rifle Turret Builds, but I think the rest should stay the same. Some builds rely on toughness to take aggro of their turrets. So making them scale on player stats wouldn’t allow the Engineer to take toughness to draw aggro away from them anymore. On the other hand Turrets would be much more surviable on their own.

Valar Morghulis.7049:

2. Give a turret, thumper maybe, a passive effect that it casts aegis in a large AE every 10sec or so, but only itself and other turrets, of the same player, receive it. This would make clumping your turrets together helpful and reduce some of the AE dps they take. _Maybe every turret has this ability but only when X amount, from same player, are in close proximity to each other (only one aegis at a time though). That way a solo turret doesn’t benefit but if you drop 3 or so they gain some protection for an AE just wiping all of them out. It probably wouldn’t help much, but think about that new dungeon in the laser room… all turrets are completely pointless… _

Personnaly I think Turrets should have complete immunity to AoE in only 1 situation, and this one are trap rooms, or at least give them an unreachable gamespot for us, Engineers, to place our turrets safe with Deployable Turrets trait. If you give them to much AoE resistance you end up with people exploiting the AoE cap by putting turrets packed together. Aegis has the potential to block powerfull AoEs, but the only problem comes from the fact in almost every dongeons you have your AoE roaming around for a period of time, that is why I took Protection instead, but yeah Aegis could work for the eventual shockwaves and selfradius AoE coming out from some boss fights.

Valar Morghulis.7049:

3. Just add to a trait the passive ability of reducing AE damage turrets take by 75% or so.

While yes this would benefit greatly for turrets, it should never be an option in any games with an AoE cap. Take for instance Champions Online, they once added 75% dmg resistance on every pet, when you had a pet build around, you didn’t had to worry anymore about AoE because the pets would soak up everything instead of you and were close to invulnerable. Turrets already have the advantage they are immune to condition, wich makes fighting them a nightmare if are relying on condition only. And like in my answer 2#, people would start exploiting the AoE cap to protect them against damage, and this would be wrong. I think a temporary Aegis or Protection buff, even if it is not perfect, would be more apropriated and would already improve turrets situation.

Valar Morghulis.7049:

4. Change Tool Kit “repair” so that you repair turrets in an AE around you while you have Tool Kit equiped. Maybe, when you have Tool Kit equipped it also reduces dmg to turrets or just AE dmg. That way it’s more of an active thing you have to do, with your wrench, pry bar or gear in your hand… can’t just sit back and shoot ppl letting turrets take the dmg.

We basicaly got a very similar idea on this but instead I took the approche on Autotool Installation, wich became Repair Specialist, allowing every Turret to gain the double amount of self healing every 3sec when you have your Wrench equiped.

Valar Morghulis.7049:

5. Change it so that you drop 2 turrets at once from a utility ability and change the utility abilities to something like:

I’m not a fan of that idea, wouldn’t it allow us to create to many turrets on the field? If you have 2 Turrets for each powers, how do you overcharge them? How does Deployable turret works. A lot of the Turrets right now have a role and requiere different tactical positions to be effective, regrouping them two by two would remove all the strategy behind picking the right turret in the good situation. Also how do you seperate them?

I think it is better to improve the skill the way they exist right now instead of working back from scraps.