Guild Wars 2

Hey there i just wanna know why is there chance to became tornado.. I mean I can understand that rampage because it’s elixir but tornado its kinda weird in my opinion. In order to keep our engineer lore, I just can’t understand why we after drinking elixir x became tornado and in the end of it we materialized back into body again. Am I missing something? (sorry for my english, Im not good at it)

Elixirs often have a fair amount of random effects, why that is exactly i don’t know. Tornado doesn’t make much sense though, maybe it was chosen together with rampage because it was the least amount of coding work to implement and still have RNG. (death shroud consumes life force and i don’t know any other pre hot transformations similar to rampage).

The randomness of elixirs is not liked much by many players.

The RNG and that fact that it simply copies skills of two other classes (three if you include underwater, four if you include the tool-belt skill) shows how Elixir X remains a relic of the old state of Engineers, where Anet just mish-mashed a bunch of skill effects together and called it a day (remember the old rocket boots?).

Tornado does not make any sense at all, but in my opinion they need to change Elixir X in its entirety to make it a far more unique skill. Although Moa-ing 3 people in PvP is pretty fun…

List of Transforms

Since you need to exclude racials, that leaves Rampage (yup), Tornado, Lich Form and Plague. Lich Form is a very necrotic lore-based form. Plague is really the only other option and is drastically different than Tornado.

Engineer was the last class to be developed, and probably they were in quite an hurry, so they recycled assets as much as possible. Or other skills entirely, in this case.

Lore wise it’s totally fine. Engineers specialize in alchemy. Alchemy is a fusion of chemistry and magic. Elixirs are one of the products that come from the engineers alchemy craft. They have “Magical effects”, which is to be expected.

Elixir X is an Alchemy item. So changing to another form, or using another classes skill, or gaining random boons, is a result of the properties within said Elixir X or any other elixir. It’s contents are half magical and half scientific, resulting in a random fusion of possibilities.

Elixir X-Randomly change into another form. Tossing it changes foes into Moas.
Elixir U- Tossing it, creates a random spell at target location
Elixir C- Converts conditions into boons
Elixir S- Shrinks you and tossing it grants stealth

As you can see, an elixir is a concoction of various ingredient, that will have a magical alchemical effect. Alchemist in most fantasy lore could not cast spells on their own, which meant they had to devise new methods in gaining magical effects through the practice of alchemy by using alchemical bombs, elixirs, and other various creations. Some sought ways to understand the material world and magic even further than the typical Mage. In order to do so, they had to cross boundaries most mages wouldn’t, and that was understanding the “Science” behind magic.

And engineers elixirs, produce spells/ skills that other classes have access to. Allowing them to use Necromancy, Elemental, Illusion, and guardian magic. As well as more physical skills like Smoke wall, and Rampage. So in a sense Gw2 engineers are crossing that barrier most mages from other fantasy lore would frown upon.

The fact that alchemist or “Engineers” in this case, have access to spells/abilities from a variety of professions, allowing them to use magic from other schools without actually having to be the class required to use those spells naturally, makes them seem as “chaotic” to most in the Mage community due to the random nature of their alchemy craft, despite its versatile effects.

Hope this helps!

I think Lich Form would make somewhat more sense.

Tornado form is strange because it’s too magical. For an elementalist or any kind of professional mage character you can kind of suspend your disbelief when the character “Turns into a swirling tornado”, but if you put any science into it, you start to think too much into it.

“Does his body actually break down to small particles? How does his will remain intact?”

With the rampage ability, its easy, its practically a Hulk serum. With Lich Form it would be an elixir of concentrated necrotic essence (probably not very healthy) that for a short time infuses the inviber with powers similar to the necromancers Lich Form (along with a physical transformation).

But with Tornado… I don’t know. It just feels too much.

Solution is obviously to decrease CD by 50%, and replace tornado with moa.