Guild Wars 2

pretty much the title, it seems like it does more damage then most of our other weapons(though eguns heal is better)
When i am running scrapper with a hammer I tend to favor mortar because it gives me a nice long range weapon for those fights I really dont feel like getting in close.

Is it the travel time to target that is the issue?

It is a kit that doesn’t stand alone very well. It’s very supportive with all of it’s fields so in solo play it is weaker than most other viable options. It also is not a bursty kit.

I dont think its is considered bad, but usually you have better options.

cuz gyro 2 gud

Wait, mortar is considered bad? I’ve seen it used by numerous builds and I love it. Mortar kit is field-popping utility machine with 100% projectile finishers which count as explosions for the purpose of traits. Used well it can be the base of some really strong condition cleanse, crash defiance bars and mass-blind opponents.

The only time I wouldn’t use Mortar kit is if I needed to mass-stealth people. It may not be the best choice in such situations but it’s absolutely not “bad”.

The old version of mortar kit was bad. This one rocks.

That is simply not true. I always use mortar. It has great utility in having 4 extra fields that each have some great uses. Also in wvw it acts like an arrow cart in that you can shoot safely over the walls because the projectiles traven in an arc.
Mortar > Gyro every time

It’s not bad. It’s actually the one of our better ones and requires some knowledge on how to use it properly. That being said, have a self-SR on 45 second CD, or being able to go into rampage as well as forcing reapers out of shroud is just too good at the moment for mortar kit to have a solid position.

Because mortar 1 projectile finisher is bugged.

In pvp gyro is pretty strong for survivability and against thieves and mesmers, but nothing wrong with mortar there if you use it correctly.

For pve mortar is always the way to go. You only use gyro for skips or supply drop as a setup before a fight and then swap to mortar again.

Mortar is not bad. It’s as good as any of our other options. Even better when traited.

I definitely favor the mortar if: 1) I am not using a turret build; or 2) I have not gotten the scrapper skills and traits completed yet. Does anyone use the elite elixir?

Mortar is great. The other elites are just better.

MinerBob.5312:

I definitely favor the mortar if: 1) I am not using a turret build; or 2) I have not gotten the scrapper skills and traits completed yet. Does anyone use the elite elixir?

i hate it tbh. (the elixir) Worst elite we have imo.

IMO, it’s not that Elite Mortar Kit is bad, it’s that it serves a lot of the same purpose/role as Elixir Gun except that Healing Mist is far more and generally better to most Engin builds over Orbital Strike (way too slow) and Super Elixir is just way more powerful as a heal/condi cleanse.

Mortar just seems to be balanced around having the Siege Rounds trait (it’s actually pretty good with it and but there are just better options – Elixir Gun – without it).

EDIT: When ANet nerfed the Mortar autoattack DPS to be that of Rifle hip shot, they should have made the Siege Rounds trait enhancements (+50% to durations) base to the other abilities (although preference would be to take a pass at the cooldowns for 2-5). The projectile finisher component is also still “bugged” (likely due to the projectile trajectory not passing through most fields before hitting the target).

Yes orbital Strike is just too slow. I think thats the worst part of the kit. I can deal with the delayed hit but the cast time shound be halved or something.

Artaz.3819:

Mortar just seems to be balanced around having the Siege Rounds trait

This. They reworked grenades because of their balance being dictated by their grandmaster trait…and gave us another kit with the exact same issue.
Let alone that condition builds – the only ones that would get some mileage from those pulsing fields – won’t get siege rounds either way, as they’ll go directly for shrapnel instead.
Not that those skills are good, anyway…despite being an elite skill, it pales compared to normal kits. It is just that, as far as PvE goes, the other elite skills happens to be even worse. Transformation skills have no use there, let alone one that is even randomic. Supply Crate summons turrets, thus not something that can actually have some use. And stealth gyro is meaningless in combat situations…thus almost always, since we’re talking about PvE. So that leaves only the mortar, and that we use.

I use mortar quite often for its fields, ranged damage and orbital strike. It’s far from useless and has a place in many builds; especially for WvW.

Dash.8027:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb-ziDXhd2I

I use mortar quite often for its fields, ranged damage and orbital strike. It’s far from useless and has a place in many builds; especially for WvW.

Just a tip for you and another nice thing about the mortar. You can fire it behind you. So if you hold down the button you have set to looking behind you you can run at full speed while shooting the mortar and dont need to backpeddle.

Pride.1734:

Dash.8027:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb-ziDXhd2I

I use mortar quite often for its fields, ranged damage and orbital strike. It’s far from useless and has a place in many builds; especially for WvW.

Just a tip for you and another nice thing about the mortar. You can fire it behind you. So if you hold down the button you have set to looking behind you you can run at full speed while shooting the mortar and dont need to backpeddle.

I did just that on multiple occasions throughout the video.

Walking backwards was more for the AI trail behind for my Gyro to do an AOE interrupt/daze with field as the Gyro moves slower when walking backwards so it would feed into the outnumbered zerg advancing on us.

guildabd.6529:

Because mortar 1 projectile finisher is bugged.

Yup, it was, according to the developers before its redesign release, supposed to proc a projectile finisher if its blast hit anyone, however it instead only procs a finisher if the actual projectile passes through an enemy before hitting the ground, which is ridiculously infrequent given the sharp angle it drops in at.

bearshaman.3421:

MinerBob.5312:

I definitely favor the mortar if: 1) I am not using a turret build; or 2) I have not gotten the scrapper skills and traits completed yet. Does anyone use the elite elixir?

i hate it tbh. (the elixir) Worst elite we have imo.

Actually, Elixir X is arguably our strongest elite in sPvP. Moa forces reapers out of shroud (and we have an absolute infestation of reapers right now), as well as temporarily preventing an opponent from stomping or rezzing, ending tempest overloads, etc. That isn’t even including how devastating rampage is in a team fight, or how tornado can give you free clock tower captures on Kyhlo.

Mortar has 5 pretty good skills on short cool downs.
-2] Poison field is something people generally ignore because it doesn’t do damage, but the point isn’t to do damage, it’s to simply keep poison applied.
-3] Chill field is annoying as hell.
-4] Blind field is worth a few good dodges.
-5] Water field is great in combo with Orbital Strike and Hammer 3 for an extra heal.

That said, Elixir X has the Moa which deadly against Necros and runners. Necros rely on their shroud as sort of a second and third health bar. So if you get a Necro low, they will quickly shroud up to buy time. Moa is a death sentence to them right there.

Sneak Gyro on the other hand is great for survivibility and running away, but is also capable of destroying thieves and mesmers who rely on their stealth for defense.

In general I find that Mortar is great against melee classes, while the other two options are just great in general.

Ging.6485:

Mortar has 5 pretty good skills on short cool downs.
-2] Poison field is something people generally ignore because it doesn’t do damage, but the point isn’t to do damage, it’s to simply keep poison applied.
-3] Chill field is annoying as hell.
-4] Blind field is worth a few good dodges.
-5] Water field is great in combo with Orbital Strike and Hammer 3 for an extra heal.

That said, Elixir X has the Moa which deadly against Necros and runners. Necros rely on their shroud as sort of a second and third health bar. So if you get a Necro low, they will quickly shroud up to buy time. Moa is a death sentence to them right there.

Sneak Gyro on the other hand is great for survivibility and running away, but is also capable of destroying thieves and mesmers who rely on their stealth for defense.

In general I find that Mortar is great against melee classes, while the other two options are just great in general.

All true, although it’s worth noting that the meta mesmer build does not use stealth. This and the prevalence of necros means that I favor Elixir X over gyro.

It’s not really bad, it just doesn’t fit the game, and its counterparts fit the game better.

Crate Drop applies a stack of effects simultaneously; it does Stun, gives you a bunch of bodies, an immobilize happens soon after, and then Burning starts happening.

Elixir X has the crazy strong toolbelt and Rampage isn’t a bad effect at all. Tornado not so great, but it causes disruption.

Sneak Gyro gives you a few seconds of invisibility which can be massive when that’s what you need to do a heal turret→overcharge→explode combo or whatever else.

Mortar also tends to synergize with Explosives and I think Firearms, but those aren’t meta traitlines to take.

Mortar isn’t bad. It’s a long-range weapon with tons of combo fields, and a very useful toolbelt if traited.

I find mortar the most versatile of the elites and run with it. Plus I run mercenary runes so can make a little use of the condi it applies.

If there’s a guardian sitting on his trap you can use the AOE to move them out of it, or simply soften them.
When you need to get out of the action in a team fight, but would still like to contribute you swap to it, drop the heal at your feet while dropping some chill and poison on the opponents en mass. It really shines when you have three enemies running about in a smallish area.

I drop orbital strike then put down the firewall and get three blast finishes when compbined with napalm and Acid bomb.

The orbital strike has an intimidation facctor which lets you position people for your other attacks.

In any case, I rather like it.