Guild Wars 2

According to Josh Davis, Shelter won’t be categorized

Not sure how I feel about that, I understand it is a pretty powerful heal, but here’s a suggestion:

Shelter becomes a Meditation – Somewhat fits the theme

Traited, it would grant fury, grant additionnal health and have lower CD. Now that is extremely powerful, so for balancing, the healing value could be lowered to compensate for the traited additionnal heal, and it’s CD could be slightly raised, again to compensate for the lower CD trait. 35s base could somewhat work: traited, that would lower to 28s.

Now, we already have a meditation heal, which is ‘Litany of Wrath’

Litany of Wrath becomes a Consecration
Like most consecration, it’ll become a AoE skill that would affect those standing on it, up to 5 allies. lower the coefficient a bit, 10 to 15% healing from damage dealt, but maybe slightly up the initial self-heal. It’ll bring additionnal utility for teammates

As a consecration, it would be ground targetted, and with traits, would last longer and reload faster.

Of course some tweaks in numbers would be greatly needed, but at least all skills would be categorized

Shelter is fine. I’d rather it stay uncategorized than kill a good skill to create two mediocre niche skills.

Let’s say Shelter is a Meditation and Traited

Heals for (revised) 3900 health
+heal for an additionnal ~1980 health from trait
+4s Fury (allies affected)
+Blocks for 2s

Let’s say Litany of Wrath is a Consecration and Traited

Heals for (a revised) 2800 health
+10% to 15% from outgoing damage (self and team standing on it)
+lasts for 7.2s
> Could also become some combo field

Not too mediocre

By assuming it’s using the trait for that type of skill, you’re making it niche. Your Shelter example is too good with Monk’s Focus (it also gets a CD reduction), but in order to balance it assuming that trait, it becomes too weak for other guardians who do not take Monk’s Focus*.

The skill is good in its current state (it’s used in almost every guardian build) while promoting skillful play with risk/reward. Leave it alone; there’s much better things to address than breaking a good skill.

* This problem of needing the corresponding trait to be viable is a problem with categorizing heals and elite skills and why I think it was a poor decision by ANet to try and do that.

It’s good, just as it is. The block/healing/cool-down is in a very balanced state and has been since launch. Hence the fact it’s received no changes at all.

It has counter-play, it requires some awareness to use when moving without Stability up.

I still say make it a spirit weapon skill… I mean, it makes a shield, after all.

Grouch’s implied that it would need to be reworked to fit a category well, so I think the main reason they didn’t adjust it is that they just couldn’t figure out what to do with it and didn’t want to screw with the current state of things too badly.

I mean, just look at consume conditions for necromancer. The same thing would happen to shelter if it was categorized as something.

you all just want that juicy CD reduction you decieving kittens

Shelter is fine I guess. We can still boost any of our heals with Medis which is more then any other class can. Shelter on a lower CD and alonger duration would have been OP.

Couldn’t Shelter be balanced with a skill category added.

Just looking at Ranger’s GM Protective Ward feels so much stronger (yes GM trait) but would a traited Shelter be so much stronger. This just feels like the same old Guardian’s in a great place, no need for any changes.

One idea was base around Shelter as a meditation (just really does feel a home in this skill category). First;

Skill change
Shelter - no skill changes.

Litany of Wrath (Consecration, 0.5 sec cast, 5 sec channel 30 sec cooldown) – Heals & 1 sec pulse that that applies 1 stack of burning 5 sec that heals for 25% damage dealt (direct & condition) & applies 0.5 sec of resistance for each pulse on successful completion of channel (interrupted lose extra heal plus resistance).
This becomes the heal you want on a condition build & the wrath name component tries nicely into all the other condition wrath associated named traits.

• Shelter + Monk’s Focus - Extra heal (would require balance) & Fury apply after successful channelled block (interrupted no fury, counterplay).
• Litany of Wrath + Master of Consecrations - becomes a 6 sec channel now healing for for 25% dmg dealt in this 6 sec & applying 3 sec of resistance.

I had the same thought. They could simply revamp the medi heal to be a consecration, and categorize shelter as medi instead. If shelter was ever to get too powerful this way, they could tone down the blocking to X amount of hits (3?).

They could also still categorize it as consecration, the trait would affect the blocking duration to 2.4s, but the cooldown could become too low (at 24s traited)
They could tweak the CD a bit to balance it out

I am perfectly good with leaving Shelter as is. Look at the treatment consume conditions has received, poor necros.

They explicitly said it would probably be ‘adjusted’ (read: nerf) if given a category. Do you want the Consume Conditions treatment? Leave well enough alone already.

The Devs were very wise here. Shelter is a well-loved skill by most Guardians AND not complained about by other classes. When you hit that kind of sweet spot – leave it alone! And they did.