Guild Wars 2

First for me let’s just say I feel GM traits should be gameplay / build defining. They should be interesting. Now with that lets discuss the Guardian’s new GM traits announced;

Zeal: Amplified Wrath- Burning damage is increased by 33%
First I’ll say I love the concept, be afraid to be burned by a Guardian but I feel for a GM trait AW by itself feels lacking, merging AW with KZ (rebalance values) this now feels so much more like a GM trait to me.

In the live stream they mentioned the new GM traits should not be competing for the same type of gameplay as the existing. But that’s exactly what I see Amplified Wrath (Increase burning by 33%) doing with Kindled Zeal (13% Power converted to Cond Dmg), Gameplay Condition Damage focused.

• One effects only one condition – Burning.
• The other effects all conditions.

Yes Guardian can only apply burning but with Rune & Sigil changes we now have access to more damaging conditions. I was also abit surprised developers thought KZ effected condition duration.

Radiance: Radiant Retaliation – Retaliation Damage scales from condition damage instead of power
This is one GM trait I can get behind. I love it, this is what a GM trait should be about interesting and gameplay / build changing. Not much more I can say other the looking forward to trying it out.

Valor: Communal Defenses – Grant 5s of aegis to allies in 360 range when you block an attack. 20s cooldown.
This is again interesting and I like the concept but thinking about guardian blocking skills; One heal skill (Shelter), One Virtue (Virtue of Courage passive & active), Mace 3 (Protector Strike), Focus 5 (Shield of Wrath) and one shout (Retreat) a total of 6 skills. The only sync I can see with this GM trait as is, is with Mace 3 and VoC passive the other skills have too long a cooldown. Mace 3 is controllable but VoC passive is not. The effect this GM has on VoC passive is like that of Battle Presence, granting aegis to the group (in range) after the passive aegis is consumed but with less range then Battle Presence.

Two problem skills are retreat (range 600) & VoC active (range 1200).These already apply aegis to the group with long durations (20sec base) and greater range (600 & 1200) so applying aegis over these skills is only going extend aegis duration but still only block 1 attack.

This is a problem with aegis stacking duration not effect and the fact even if using a blocking skill aegis will also be consumed wasting aegis. Aegis feels very powerful in PvE content (AI mods) but so unfulfilling in WvW and sPvP (cannot block all of a player channeled skill but only the first hit)

Now a GM trait changing aegis to either be a channeled block, say 1/4 or 1/2 second or that aegis can now stack say 3 times max. This would create some very interesting gameplay.

Honor: Force of Will – Gain up to 300 vitality, based on your level. (around 3k HP at level 80)

For me this is NOT a GM trait this is boring and feels more like a stacking sigil (eg bloodlust) and that they could not think of a new interesting GM for Guardian’s honor line. Make this a sigil not a GM trait (Why not make a kill stacking sigil for all individual stats).

Now looking at the name Force of Will what could this do?

Wait what about the Elementalist new Earth GM trait Stone heart. Now I’m not too sure about Stone Heart overall but what about the mechanic. Cannot be critically hit. Force of Will / Critically hit. How about;

Force of Will – After blocking an attack you cannot be critically hit for 2 seconds and take 50% less condition damage

This might be to strong and need adjusting to the time (1sec) or cond dmg reduction (75%). But this feels like it could achieve the same survivability as 3k extra health but is so much more interesting.

Virtues: Purity of Body – Resolve’s passive effects increase endurance regeneration by 15%

I like but on a whole I’m not feeling it. GM trait maybe, Yes. But it still leaves me feeling something missing. I always loved the Virtue line but even with 30 % Virtue recharge reduction I feel Virtue recharge for Resolve & Courage are a bit too long.

I think I would love this GM if it also reduce Virtue recharge just that little bit more like Thief’s GM in Trickery Sleight of Hand. Say 10% more this would take overall reduction to 40%. VoJ would go to18sec, VoR to 36sec and VoC to 54sec, this adds that something extra I feel all GMs need.

Figured I would chime into one of these threads:

1. Zeal – I really wish that the focus wouldn’t be on the damage that burning delivers. I would have preferred additional bonuses or effects when burning is applied. The damage increase GM trait doesn’t deliver that build defining/gameplay altering feeling it should. It may be useful in my trashfarming build.

2. I really don’t get it. To benefit from this one, I have to use builds and skills that give Retal and also gear that gives condi damage. I see no competitive build where this can be done. This is build defining but to the point where it’s restricting me on gear/weapon choices to make it work in limited situations.

3. This one COULD work but only with a Mace build IMO. The limited range is a mystery to me. I think it will be a significant issue in real gameplay.

4. Not fun or exciting but it fits for those that need it. People have been rattling the pots for a while for this. Gratz on being sunk into Honour 30 to get it.

5. I feel this will never get addressed … add all the ‘balanced’ passive-virtue boosting traits you want Anet but as long as the stat bonus of Virtue favours the active aspect of these, I think it’s a fool’s errand because making builds around a single virtue … fail. A 15% increase in endurance regen on a single Virtue does not make a GM worthy trait.

I’d like Force of Will to be this;

Deal 10% more damage per virtue you have active. Gives you a reason to go down the Honour line in a damage build, giving you 300 vitality because of those 30 points and also allowing you to spec into crit without fear of a massive loss in damage.

I must be the only one who likes Force of Will-trait. This is from WvW perspective. I already have 30 points in Honor and will much likely pick this trait (will have to see first how they change soldier runes). Free 3k health is really a lot and guards already have low health. Beside, that allows us (for someone who already have 30 points in honor) to pick a few pieces with more offensive stats…

Now looking at these traits from a PvE/dps perspective… I wouldn’t pick any of these traits.

Force of will isn’t the worst of all traits, I agree. The first thing that came to mind for me was a full zealot symbol dps build. You could go something like 0/3/0/6/5 and still have 17k health and consecrations and absolute resolution for condi removal. You could make use some of that healing power while also having good power and precision. It obviously won’t have the damage of zerker, but it’ll have much more survivability.

I’m not sure how amplified wrath will turn out, but I’m expecting kindled zeal to compete well enough with the proper amount of sigils and runes in a hybrid build. I don’t actually have a good build idea for AW yet.

Radiant retaliation looks good. Well need to see the scaling, but there’s plenty of room for ideas on this one.

Communal defenses could be iffy. The range dies look a little small, and I see it benefitting a party of 5 guards all stacking “on aegis” effects best.

Purity of body doesn’t feel like enough. It’s probably mechanically fairly good (especially with battle presence), but in the same way AC was numerically easier after the overhaul, and yet people claimed it was much harder. Maybe if there was a secondary effect, it could feel much closer to a GM trait

As I have stated before – the issue of the guardian having traits to increase burning duration and dmg isn’t the concept. It is the execution.

The limit is the guardians burning (fire dmg) is tied to all other professions in the game so it can’t be scaled based on if it is OP or underpower for one profession.
What Anet needs to do is change the guardians burning trait from fire dmg to holy dmg and make it a blue flame. For those of you who didn’t play GW1 – Holy dmg was an actual type of dmg which wasn’t carried over and was inherent to monks and could be added to weapons. This would just basically add another condition (which they have shown they can do, ie…torment) only for the guardian and then make a few tweeks to some of the skills – but i am not going to get into that now. This should only be able to be used by guardians

On a side note they should do the same thing for necro and call if Dhumm’s Fire or dark fire and make it a green flame and then remove the generic fire condition from necros.

The new guardian traits seem mostly useless or not worth taking over other GM traits.

An interesting synergy with Communal Defenses is also taking Pure of Heart so Aegis heals on removal. Couple this with Mace/Shield+Staff and Clerics gear and it might be cool.

I really wish Force of Will was a Master trait, and Purity of Body seems pretty underwhelming, too. I’m not sure it would be worth taking over Absolute Resolution or Indomitable Courage. Instead, they ought to merge Shielded Mind and Indomitable Courage into a new GM trait for virtues.

I’ve been thinking about the Grand Master Traits and gameplay a bit more and I asked myself;

What is a Grand Master Trait?

A trait that defines a choice, a play style. It should be build defining, having just as big impact as weapon choices but a GM should not be required. For me Master & Adept should be the traits that improve the current game play of a profession. Adding to and building on the current profession mechanics.

GMs should be the modifications, the enhancement. These should further specialise, changing aspect of profession mechanics and game play but as to keep the profession favour and not change it beyond recognition.

As such I started to think about game play (DPS, CONTROL, SUPPORT) and trait lines. How can we go about game play? Typically there’s two type of styles offensive & defensive.
(Note control play style can be supportive and support can control the encounter but to simplize when I talk about control I’ll refer to any skill or play style that can interrupt skills. So all GW2 control effects plus fear. Chill, Confusion, Cripple, Immobilise & Torment I’ll include in support.)

So game play styles;

• Offensive DPS – Physical burst builds, Condition burst builds. Play style is all about maximum damage.
• Offensive Control CC builds. Play style is all about controlling the opponent while maximising damage. (Daze, Knockdown, Pull, Stun, Necro fear)
• Offensive Support – Supportive condition builds, Supportive boon builds. Play style is about providing offensive support that helps maximise damage output. (Boons – Fury, Might, Stability, Swiftness. Conditions -Chill, Confusion, Cripple, Immobilise, Torment & Vulnerability)
• Defensive DPS – Sustain builds. Play style is all about longer engagements with decent damage that over time will kill your opponents.
• Defensive Control Tank builds, CC builds. Play style is all about controlling the opponent / enemy while minimising their Offence, defence & movement. (All control effects)
• Defensive Support – Supportive condition builds, Supportive boon builds. Play style is about providing defensive support that helps minimise opponent’s damage and control effects while buffing allies defences and healing. (All boons, All conditions except purely damaging conditions (Bleed & Burn))

With this in mind I thought about trait lines and GMs and what if there was at least one GMs in each line that was related to DPS, CONTROL & SUPPORT. So each trait line gave the option to pursue each of the game types but in that trait line’s favour.

What do others what from GMs?

Bezagron.7352:

[…]

What s/he means is that we need more variety in the trait lines. ;P I agree.

At the core of it Kasei, true more variety in trait lines. Thanks for shorter tldr, this is a bit of a leading post to another which will focus on GMs. What I’m looking for and some examples. I’ll get this up when finished.

All I want for Christmas is Valor: Communal Defenses – Grant 5s of aegis to allies in 360 range when you block an attack- without an internal cooldown :p

A counterplay build- people need to stop attacking you to break aegis. Aegisway.