Guild Wars 2

I was watching a couple of old gw2 videos from back in the betas and apparantly FT 5 used to be an AoE pull! Imo that’s a lot better than this blind we got atm and would probably make FT way more effective in PvP, WvW and PvE. So why did they change it?

They changed it with a reason that was something the lines of: “The Flamethrower is being used as a control weapon now, and that’s not what we had it intended for, so we have changed it to another but worse controll spell”, okay the last part about what they changed it into they didn’t say, but that’s pretty much what they did :P

Buh.. too bad. Why not change it into something usefull.. I mean static shot does the same but applies confusion and damage with half the cd.. I don’t get it. If it had a low cd sure. But atm it’s cd is way too long for such lackluster skill

It’s only benefit is it’s zero cast, so it costs nothing to use for a quick blind it if/when it’s up.

As for being a worthwhile #5 – like you said the low benefit and long CD dones;t make sense. The latest patch did improve the FT, but it was from such a low base that it still has a bit further to go. Its #5 skill being the most obvious area needing improvement.

I question the use of an AoE pull given that it is precisely the opposite of what you want to do in sPvP. Magnet already does this for WvW, and in PvE there’s more need for a blind than a mid-range pull. Smoke Vent has saved me from getting downed a lot of times because it can be activated while stunned.

Phineas Poe.3018:

I question the use of an AoE pull given that it is precisely the opposite of what you want to do in sPvP. Magnet already does this for WvW, and in PvE there’s more need for a blind than a mid-range pull. Smoke Vent has saved me from getting downed a lot of times because it can be activated while stunned.

Actually it was a pull without a channel, so it could be used to pull your targets to you, while interrupting them and then you could easily blow them away, and altho i agree the blind while stun could be nice, just 1 blind won’t be enough to make a difference since its melee only and is really only useful when fighting a backstab theif ( if you can predict )

Ply bar on tool kit used to be a knockback as well! I miss old engineer

I like the blind honestly, it’s good for some oh kitten situations.

google.3709:

altho i agree the blind while stun could be nice, just 1 blind won’t be enough to make a difference since its melee only and is really only useful when fighting a backstab theif ( if you can predict )

Well I was talking about PvE needing a blind more than a pull, not sPvP.

Amadeus.5687:

They changed it with a reason that was something the lines of: “The Flamethrower is being used as a control weapon now, and that’s not what we had it intended for, so we have changed it to another but worse controll spell”, okay the last part about what they changed it into they didn’t say, but that’s pretty much what they did :P

Yup seems right.
Everyone was using the FT for a utility control kit so they nerfed it by removing an AoE Pull (if you didn’t get a chance to actually use this, IT WAS AWESOME) and replacing it with an insult to Engineers.
Now oddly enough they are talking again of how more kits need Utility of damage, ie Grenade Kit.

So don’t be surprised when KR Barrage gets replaced with:
Smoke Grenade
a single grenade drops and blinds nearby enemies once.

But Mesmers are getting some new definatly OP skills.
Dev Fanboys.

CriSPeH.8512:

But Mesmers are getting some new definatly OP skills.
Dev Fanboys.

Sotg interview: We got too much aoes! Oh yeah btw were gonna make mes skills hit multiple targets

Ft5 is awesome.

Believe it or not, there is more to life than hot-join and wvw.. Situations where survivability skills matter.

Hint: it’s instant, and useable through most or all control.

Blinds with a cast time… not so useful. Instants, in good hands?? Gamechaging.

CriSPeH.8512:

But Mesmers are getting some new definatly OP skills.
Dev Fanboys.

Anyone up for a tesla coil?

I think we should keep the blind, make it a bigger radius, and lower the CD.

. . .Maybe some damage. But if we add the first two I mentioned then, combined with the ability to activate while stunned, this would be a good #5.

The old Backdraft was a much cooler spell. The new blind has a niche that it works through CC and isnt on global cooldown. But its still a melee-range blind on a fairly long cooldown and nothing more.

Basicly they did it because people only used FT for its utility/control. But guess what, just nerfing the utility doesnt suddenly make it a decent damage kit. And since they still havent properly balanced its damage, most people still just use the FT for the utility/control. Its just a bit worst.

Back Draft was an amazing ability, perhaps even too good. So many combos from that. Rifle: Net Shot>Flamethrower: Back Draft>Rifle: Blunderbuss> Overcharged Shot>Tool Kit: Magnet>Pry Bar> Flamethrower: Air Blast> Rifle: Net Shot > Jump Shot. I just pray and pray that they do not fix the Flame Blasts “Double Pop” at the end of a un-detonated Flame Blast. This is the only thing keeping the Lamethrower remotely viable for applying pressure in PvP battles. Without this burst this kit would truly fizzle out.

The next thing I would suggest in the Flamethrowers utility would be giving Smoke Vent a 1 second smoke field. Or a 1 second invisibility would be great in simply granting some much needed survivability since I don’t see any condition cleansing making an appearance in this kit.

I played the Engineer all through beta, FT5 was awesome, sorry Anet, but when you changed it you made the Engineer just that bit less fun. I still remember the video of one of your devs playing an eng and having a heap of fun in the battle of Khylo. Ask him how he feels the loss of a great skill with the replacement of a lackluster one.

There were a lot of things i miss from beta.

Amadeus.5687:

They changed it with a reason that was something the lines of: “The Flamethrower is being used as a control weapon now, and that’s not what we had it intended for, so we have changed it to another but worse controll spell”, okay the last part about what they changed it into they didn’t say, but that’s pretty much what they did :P

Oh god, the irony in this is just too delicious. I don’t think anyone even uses the FT except as a control weapon. It’s STILL kittenty even with the bug on the 2 hitting for 10k.

But the bug will be fixed and the flamethrower will find it in league with rocket boots and throw mine again. What it really needs is a huge buff to flame jet. Even with the 10% increase in damage on burning targets it’s still incredibly kittenty. Hell, even the 4 needs help. Compare the 4 on the FT with the 4 on the eles dagger offhand, twice the CD as the dagger offhand, 1/5 of the burn duration, zero physical damage and a substantially smaller radius. Hilarious.

The old backdraft was just better in any way. Everything the blind now does could have been done with backdraft anyway, with an interrupt instead of blind, which is actually even better in a lot of cases.
Big ol bomb + aoe pull + barrage could have been made into an aoe version of the now nerfed 100 nades build maybe. But as engineers, we can’t have nice things it seems.

Engineer as a whole was far better balanced in Beta1 than now. Balance excludes the few bugfixes that have been actually addressed, like finally letting sigils and stats on weapons work properly for engineers.

Kalan.9705:

Engineer as a whole was far better balanced in Beta1 than now. Balance excludes the few bugfixes that have been actually addressed, like finally letting sigils and stats on weapons work properly for engineers.

ahh the good old no Cooldown on Incendiary Powder and the OP Pistol Auto attack, just take 30 alchemy, 30 firearms and 10 points in explosives and everything died in your path (Was op tbh, but still)

i have to sign this petition to have backdraft reinstated into the flamethrower.

an aoe pull would just add too much synergy to an engineers weapon kits, and be too useful in dungeons. big ol bomb into a backdraft pull, you might actually be able to hit someone with that skill now.

Actually. Kits could be made very useful with very little changes really.

I also miss Backdraft for FT and Napalm Wall that besides burning also blinded.

I believe it was changed because at that time, juggernaut still gave constant stability. They were trying to make flamethrower less OP without completely reworking juggernaut, so they nerfed several things about it before finally reworking juggernaut as well. So, the things that weren’t actually OP outside of juggernaut remained nerfed.

The flamethrower was originally intended to be a control-focused kit, centering on backdraft as the “signature” move, and having the push as well to make you feel like, well, a juggernaut. Now it is unfortunately a fast-hitting light damage kit, which really doesn’t feel like a flamethrower at all, and focuses on using autoattack way too much.

Also: the new #5 skill really is useful for the instant cast. It’s not too tough to time it for stomps. In Temple of the Silent Storm, I even got to use it once at the very end of channeling the 10-second buff, right as a warrior was about to hit me with rush from across the bridge…most epic feeling ever. Finished the channel at that exact instant. BUT: it’s not nearly as powerful as backdraft.

Sporadicus.1028:

I think we should keep the blind, make it a bigger radius, and lower the CD.

^ this exactly. I like the aoe blind, but the range is just awful. I don’t see the sense in having an aoe grapple on the same weapon bar as an aoe push-back. 1 or the other.

well the point of having the push and the pull had to do with the fire wall.

you could grab someone off of your teammate and force them through your combo field, then before they could react force them through your combo field again.

i would argue that a pull is actually more useful then a push since a pull centers your targets instead of dispersing them.

Ostricheggs.3742:

Amadeus.5687:

They changed it with a reason that was something the lines of: “The Flamethrower is being used as a control weapon now, and that’s not what we had it intended for, so we have changed it to another but worse controll spell”, okay the last part about what they changed it into they didn’t say, but that’s pretty much what they did :P

Oh god, the irony in this is just too delicious. I don’t think anyone even uses the FT except as a control weapon. It’s STILL kittenty even with the bug on the 2 hitting for 10k.

But the bug will be fixed and the flamethrower will find it in league with rocket boots and throw mine again. What it really needs is a huge buff to flame jet. Even with the 10% increase in damage on burning targets it’s still incredibly kittenty. Hell, even the 4 needs help. Compare the 4 on the FT with the 4 on the eles dagger offhand, twice the CD as the dagger offhand, 1/5 of the burn duration, zero physical damage and a substantially smaller radius. Hilarious.

No..! NO! Please don’t even speak of them changing Flame Blasts “Double Pop”! It’s the only thing keeping the dream alive!!