Guardian
The guardian is faring well in multiple game types with a few exceptions. In the next balance patch, we’ll be normalizing some of the dragonhunter specialization’s defensive capabilities while increasing some effects for baseline guardian abilities.
Shield of Courage: The baseline duration of the blocking effect has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds.
Zealot’s Embrace: Projectile speed has been increased by 100%.
Cleansing Flame: The casting time of this ability has been reduced from 4.25 seconds to 3.25 seconds.
Merciful Intervention: The recharge time of this ability has been reduced from 50 seconds to 40 seconds. Base healing power has been increased by 20%. Healing-power contribution has been increased by 83%.
Signet of Wrath: The recharge time of this ability has been reduced from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. This change also modifies Wrath of Justice in the Radiance specialization.
Symbol of Punishment: Skill facts have been updated to display the light combo’s field effect.
Signet of Courage: The casting time of this ability has been reduced from 4.25 seconds to 3.25 seconds.
Purification: The cast time of this ability has been increased from 0.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds. The initial heal’s base healing value has been reduced from 80 to 40, with level scaling also reduced by 6%. The initial heal has had its healing-power contribution increased by about 33%.
Piercing Light: Daze duration from this trait has been reduced from 0.5 seconds to 0.25 seconds.
Hunter’s Determination: The ability triggered by this trait has been split from the utility skill and renamed Shards of Faith. The cooldown of this trait has been increased from 45 seconds to 60 seconds. The number of fragments dropped has been decreased from 5 to 3.
Hunter’s Verdict: This ability can now be used underwater.
A little savagery now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Don’t cry, Signet of Mercy. Others may forget you, but I will always remember.
Our deficiencies may be overcome by practice and self-discipline.
As long as the skills themselves dont change in an interesting, meaningful way, Signets will always be very questionable. The only signet that is really useful is the one that gives power; because, well, it gives power and active is useful for breakbars.
I’m always happy when base guardian abilites recieve buffs, and they get better and better every patch. Though why are the spirit weapons still useless is beyond me. The only useful one is the shield, and it can be clunky as hell sometimes.
I dont do sPvP much, at least not as much as I used to pre-HoT; so I dont mind the nerfs as much as other people do; and frankly they were justified. The only thing that concerns me is the Daze trait nerf; which, correct me if I’m wrong about how they work, will effect our power against breakbars.
I am happy with the changes as a Guardian, considering most other classes didn’t get off this easily. That being said, we may see an increase of Engis and Eles in PvP, which is bad news for us in there.
Cleansing Flame: The casting time of this ability has been reduced from 4.25 seconds to 3.25 seconds.
Merciful Intervention: The recharge time of this ability has been reduced from 50 seconds to 40 seconds. Base healing power has been increased by 20%. Healing-power contribution has been increased by 83%.
Signet of Courage: The casting time of this ability has been reduced from 4.25 seconds to 3.25 seconds.
Useless changes.
Cleansing Flame has to remove conditions from user.
Merciful Intervention, useless skill with that ally in targeted area requirement, we all know this.
Signet of Courage: Jesus! need to reduce the healing interval and can be casting while you run. This is the most easy skill to interrupt in the game.
I’m pleasantly surprised they buffed MI, especially by the margin they did. Although the changes to SoC aren’t enough to change use, it is in the right direction if in the wrong way.
Still want a SoM buff tho
A little savagery now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Don’t cry, Signet of Mercy. Others may forget you, but I will always remember.
Our deficiencies may be overcome by practice and self-discipline.
I think these changes were pretty good. Underpowered stuff got buffed, and overpowered stuff got nerfed. If ANet did this sort of thing every patch then the game would be a lot more balanced and it’d have a lot more variety.
And no, the problem with Signet of Courage isn’t that its useless pulsing heal doesn’t pulse frequently enough. The only semi-good thing about it is the full heal, but it was borderline unusable because the cast time was ridiculous.
Predictable changes that come from nerf screams in PvP (Daze on traps, heal trap too stronk and too many blocks). PvE DH goes untouched as daze will still reduce defiance bars the same because daze still lasts <1.
Hunter’s Verdict underwater might be useful to use Spear #2 and #4.
Other changes aim to improve less popular skills so. Sincerely I thought we were getting something worst, like poor Mesmers did with signet of inspiration nerf.
Once again not a single Spirit Weapon change… this is beyond a joke at this point.
And yet more Signet buffs no one asked for… signets still suck ArenaNet.
Are the devs even trying? Are they listening? This is embarrassing.
Spirit Weapons are beyond the scope of a balance pass.
They need an overhaul, and that’s only possible when the next expansion is close to release and the new specializations are developed. Base classes will be looked, like it happened last time.
Again … another patch change confirming Guardian’s position in the profession hierarchy. You can’t ignore Anet’s desire to regard Guardian as a baseline profession. How can we expect grand changes on SW’s and the like if that’s where we sit?
Bulwark is now >>> Hunter’s Determination. And since everyone with meditrapper will run Bulwark prepare yourselves to taste the salty tears of the moaners now that Shield of Courage will last 6 seconds instead of 5
I still think you get more out of hunter’s determination over bulwark. The use of stability in pvp can’t be overstated. Maybe if bulwark also reduced f3’ cd i might be tempted.
I still think you get more out of hunter’s determination over bulwark. The use of stability in pvp can’t be overstated. Maybe if bulwark also reduced f3’ cd i might be tempted.
Nah, Hunter’s Determination cooldown increased to a whole minute while the daze effect from Piercing Light reduced (already nerfed in the past) from 0.5 seconds to “barely more than 0” means that HD is now a waste. And those extra juicy seconds from Bulwark to Shield of Courage are gold.
The two nerfs sinergized turned HD in crap will push people to rise Shield of Courage to 6 seconds with Bulwark which were exactly one of the most hated skills from bad PvP players. Can’t wait for the laughts…
As usual they buffed sigils that noone uses and nerf our survivability, spirit weapons still remain unchanged. I guess gaurd/dh is in good spot again? Lucky me cause I am playing Legion.
As usual they buffed sigils that noone uses and nerf our survivability, spirit weapons still remain unchanged. I guess gaurd/dh is in good spot again? Lucky me cause I am playing Legion.
Lucky for us you’re playing Legion too… :P jk
They BARELY nerfed our survivablity – compared to other classes, AND with all the whining pre patch for nerfs, DH got off easy… like, what really has changed w/ DH? yes purification – is not small nerf. But it’s not class breaking. I do agree about spirit weapons. Signet changes were meh but expected, I’m fine with changes I thought there shoulda been some DH trap/trait nerfs; but was afraid devs would gut it.
I have to add tough, that I honestly have to give A-net credits for not outright gutting DH besides me not bieng happy with the nerf on initial healing and the longer cast time on top of nerfing the traited fragments of faith. It does promote a tiny bit more skillfull gameplay however at pro leagues. I’m not sure this is the right direction to make it viable at proffesional levels.
But then again. I must say that I’m surprised. that A-net didn’t cave and kittened symbols and traps.
