Guild Wars 2

Let’s talk Deflecting Shot.

Out of all the Longbow skills i feel like it’s the most underwhelming. While our other Longbow skills have minor issues the basic idea/mechanics for them work fine.

I feel like the “destroys projectiles” feature of this skill is a horrible gimmick.

Ranged attacks are so fast and vast in number that this skill barely has any significant effect. Even if you were fast enough to react to the enemies attack or predicted the projectiles incoming it is barely a drop in the ocean to the barrage of projectile damage incoming.

When we have access to such skills like ‘Sanctuary’, ‘Wall of Reflection’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Shield of the Avenger’ and even the new F3 shield, this weak difficult to use projectile destroyer just feels like a horrible gimmick that should be redesigned.

Thoughts?

I have said many times they should change deflecting shot in the following ways

1: Make it knock back enemies that it hits (then change the trait heavy light to do something else)

2: Make it count as a block when it stops projectiles.

I agree about the block. Guardian has LOTS of blocks….all in certain areas. Mace. Shelter. It would be nice to have them spread out abit more seeing as its constantly pushed as our class mechanic

Since this skill is meant to be supportive i was thinking a redesign along the lines of ‘Bow of Truth’ spirit weapon. For example we fire a magical arrow through our allies and it provides some positive effect.

I just have 2 suggestion for this skill (not necessary to have both even if it would be nice):

1: reduce cooldown to 8s
2: since the animation is too fast, make the ray created from the shot lasts 2 more second, so we can benefit of a 2 sec mini wall that increases our projectile reflects..
And keep also the blinding cause is the only thing that is worth in this skill atm

Some changes I think would be nice:

1) Increase the damage
2) Remove the projectile blocking aspect
3) Make it a target-based skill
4) It bounces to nearby enemies if it hits someone

My main problem for this is that it’s centered 100% around PvP & i’m sick of PvP centered skills. PvP balanced skills are so boring in PvE.

Blocking projectiles is only useful in PvE when the block lasts for more than 4 seconds and it blocks many projectiles coming from many directions.

Blocking 1 projectile in PvE is worthless. Doing it once every 10 seconds with a moving object that lasts for 1 second is just a waste of a skill slot. Very few mob projectiles do enough damage to make stopping 1 significant (& the only ones that do are unstoppable boss projectiles) & all the major damage coming from mobs is aoe.

Deflecting shot should do a KB so we can push mobs into our traps & keep them at distance, something we can’t do well with our new ranged weapon. The blind is ok I suppose but it’s not that great & it’s not fun.

The purpose of this skill is to destroy projectiles and blind enemies, wich is mostly like war #4 longbow..
The only thing needs is to increase the duration of the blocking ray, since it’s animation is too fast to being effective in some situation (it can block 1/4 of ranger rapid fire just for saying)
Plus, projectile destroyed should count as block, to better sinergize guard blocking trait like Defender dogma

Spartacus.9743:

The only thing needs is to increase the duration of the blocking ray, since it’s animation is too fast to being effective in some situation (it can block 1/4 of ranger rapid fire just for saying)

That seems to be the biggest issue. I feel like there should be a 1/4 knockdown effect associated with it along side reflection. Or have any reflected projectiles stun/daze the target. That would add the counter play Anet was going for i think. But… it’s additional coding that I doubt they’ll be willing to do.

Suggestion: make it move really slow.

Based on it’s nature as the only projectile skill-shot and the very small path it runs along, it needs more.

Either more damage, reflect projectiles or a quick daze when it connects.

Deflecting Shot

Generally, I feel that the mechanic behind Deflecting Shot is interesting but the projectile targeting type is not. I speak for my experience in WvW where I attempted to block enemy projectiles on multiple occasions.

• Deflecting Shot projectile speed is too fast to even be useful. Reduce projectile speed but make it travel slightly faster than Orb of Light (Staff 2).

• The ground targeting aspect of it makes it clunky to use. This is especially true when one is trying to deflect projectiles from enemies that are standing up on a wall (defending a gate for a example). The Guardian is forced to come close to the wall in order to aim Deflecting Shot up on a wall, but that itself don’t work most of the time because the projectile seems to pierce through the wall, rather than travel upwards.

• Change targeting method from the existing “line” targeting UI to a regular “AoE” ground targeting UI, just like Symbol of Swiftness (Staff 3). Make it as small as possible so that Guardians can choose which spot they would like to shoot Deflecting Shot at. I believe this would make it useful since we will then able to deflect caster’s/range unit’s projectile attack more accurately.

• Reduce Blind to 3 seconds but either increasing its base damage by 5-10% or granting one stack of Aegis that lasts for 5 seconds.