Guild Wars 2

Can anyone clarify what “Reflect damage” means? Is is takes the damage that you would have taken and reflect it back (which is the most logical definition) or something convoluted? Anet is known for that.

Thanks-

I don’t think the wording is consistent across skills and effects. You have to discuss it on a per skill basis.

Retaliation deals fixed damage based on your power to the opponent every time you get hit. The amount of damage you actually take doesn’t matter. You could take 0 and still trigger retaliation. It won’t trigger on block or evade, though.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

Retaliation deals fixed damage based on your power to the opponent every time you get hit. The amount of damage you actually take doesn’t matter. You could take 0 and still trigger retaliation. It won’t trigger on block or evade, though.

Well that doesn’t really happen then. If I pop the reflect skill, I still take damage. I always take damage and the description of the skill doesn’t describe the trait at ALL. Once again, I am an ANET casualty. Has no one at ANET EVER played any game other than this? A CC is a CC, not a condition. Reflect means take NO damage and the damager takes ALL of that damage. If you need more advice let me know.

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

Retaliation deals fixed damage based on your power to the opponent every time you get hit. The amount of damage you actually take doesn’t matter. You could take 0 and still trigger retaliation. It won’t trigger on block or evade, though.

This just seems rather convoluted. Where is all of this information located by the way?

Picked up from Wiki:

Retaliation does not reduce damage taken by the affected player, but damages anyone who hits them (even if the hit doesn’t actually inflict damage; for example, if it is blocked).

So, where is the truth?
At least, we can assume that the tool tips in the game for retaliation can be considered 100% wrong from our common sense. We need a clarification or fix for the tool tips because it is kittening misleading. If it is supposed to “Reflect a portion of the incoming damage based on your power”, let the tool tips describe it as so. You can’t let a misleading tool tips stay in the game for 4 months and still doing nothing.

Just think of it like thorns aura or something….

It would be kitten if retaliation truly “reflected” damage completely; it would be strictly better than blocking in every way possible.

Retaliation is poorly worded.

Retaliation does not reduce damage taken by the affected player, but damages anyone who hits them (even if the hit doesn’t actually inflict damage; for example, if it is blocked).

Damage dealt depends on the level and power of the retaliation’s source. Retaliation deals 267 damage per hit at level 80 with the base power of 916, and +1 damage for every 13.4 power above that. It is not reduced by the target’s armor.

Read the wiki.. it’s not poorly worded at all. It explains it perfectly. Nowhere does it say reflects damage.

• Retaliation does not reduce damage taken by the affected player
• but damages anyone who hits them (even if the hit doesn’t actually inflict damage; for example, if it is blocked).
• Damage dealt depends on the level and power of the retaliation’s source

Note: For those that don’t know, if you type /wiki in game, it will open the gw2 wiki page for you.

swilkers.5938:

Can anyone clarify what “Reflect damage” means? Is is takes the damage that you would have taken and reflect it back (which is the most logical definition) or something convoluted? Anet is known for that.

Thanks-

What is the exact name of the skill(s) you are talking about?

The tool tip is unclear. Most people assume you take no damage and send it back to your foe. Like wall of reflection or the warrior shield when traited.

Actualy the OP is misleading, he asks about “reflect” skills. Reflect = take no damage but direct it back to your attacker.

Retaliation, to put it in simple terms = someone slaps you in the face, then you (retaliate) and slap them back. So you BOTH get a slap and a nice red face.

TL;DR
retaliate = you both get hit
Reflect = only the guy doing the hitting gets hit

I don’t understand why they think retaliation should be a major part of the Guardian class. We have so few HPs that retaliation is … problematic.

Retaliation is one of the best boons in the game.

Yes we have low hp pools… but we do have healing to make up for that. Add in a good amount of toughness and protection to reduce the incoming damage and you’re pretty tanky.

I have my judgements traited to proc retaliation on activation and I LOVE it. I often will “fake” run away from a glass cannon while doing protection/light heals/blocks/etc. The VAST majority will get into the “must catch the running squirrel” tunnel vision and they’ll burst themselves down and not notice. Then I’ll flip around, cc and down them. It’s funny how often this works.

Reflection, as far as I know, only works on projectiles. That means that only things that physically travel through the air, such as arrows and balls of electricity, will be reflected back. It does not work on melee attacks or any other attacks with no physical projectile component.

Retaliation is a boon and, as said by others, does nothing to mitigate damage done to you but does return a fixed amount based on your level and power.

As for the tooltips, they may be a little bit confusing at times, but the wiki is actually built into the game (/wiki as stated by Elthuzar, which can be refined by /wiki <search term>) so you can quickly get a much more concise and understandable description of them.

RandomHominid.3456:

swilkers.5938:

Can anyone clarify what “Reflect damage” means? Is is takes the damage that you would have taken and reflect it back (which is the most logical definition) or something convoluted? Anet is known for that.

Thanks-

What is the exact name of the skill(s) you are talking about?

There are four skills that have the word “retaliate” in it for the Guardian.

Healer’s Retribution (upon using a healing skill)
Retaliatory Subconscious (upon being dazed, stunned, knocked down, knocked back or feared.)
Virtue of Retribution (upon activating a virtue)
Wrathful Spirit (when aegis ends)

It seems to me that these skills ( as well as MANY other skills in many other classes) are VERY misleading in title. I would love to speak with the dev that chose this wording and correct them. In reality, not going to happen.

swilkers.5938:

It seems to me that these skills ( as well as MANY other skills in many other classes) are VERY misleading in title.

What do you find misleading about them? They all state clearly in the description that they give retaliation under specific conditions.