Guild Wars 2

Is it just in pvp? They seem really cool but I want them to be useful thank you.

they are not ment to be usefull, for guardian balance reasons.

Traps or gtfo.

On a more serious note.

Spirit Weapons:

• Too little DPS, in most situations simply not worth taking.
• Active effects are often underpowered resulting in other skills being able to do the job better. (Knockdown → Bane Signet, Reflect → Wall of Reflection, Condi cleanse → Purging Flames, Sword → not even worth mentioning.)
• The Spirit Weapons “die” far too easily and then the impact of the long recharge truly shows.

*Current uses for spirit weapons? *

• Condi guardians that require more hits to cause more burning.
• Reflects that may be needed on some occasions.
• Looking cool.

Spirit weapons in their current form would barely work if they were 2ndary effects of a weapon set.

But on their own taking up utility slots we need in order to compensate for our lack of active sustain and low health pool? will NEVER happen unless they’re fundamentally changed.

Anet can Karlbuff their cooldown down to 5 secs and they’ll still never be used competitively.

They were a fun goof years ago when they were basically invulnerable but never anything more then a parlor trick and now totally worthless. A-net doesn’t care about guardians we are in a “good spot”.

I tried a burning spirit weapon build yesterday. Had some funny moments, but they are not really viable. Funny enough the build was best at 1v1ing revs. In fact, it was farily solid 1v1, but more than that and it fell off. Once I placed 24 burn stacks on a rev at a bad time, its gg. I also killed one trying to run, he thought he got away, but they chased him off point, didn’t realize I got him until he showed up on the map. No harm in trying things out. But I don’t think it’s as strong as the current bunker guard.

They also tend to help win downed-fights.

Yeah, they need to be completely rethought. I’m at a loss for why it’s taking 3 years to come up with a useful, more interesting version of SW.

I have suggested for years that they redesign them to be more like the weapon enchantments that dervish had.

In that you would summon an invulnerable spirit weapon that would follow you for X seconds and not attack.
It would provide your next Y attacks however some type of buff or an AOE effect around you.
The buff/effect could be anything from a single target knock down, bleed, AOE heal, AOE condi Cleanse or AOE projectile block.
The cool down would start as soon as the summon is cast and the effect would last a bit less then the cool down

This would in effect keep the desired effect of spirit weapons & the look but allow them to do it in a much more effective way while giving intelligent enemies forewarning.

Sadly nobody at Anet seems to know WTF their are doing in regards to guardian or DH.

I’d like to see them become minions with unlimited uptime as long as they don’t die – which would chain off of Battle Presence brilliantly.

There were some temporary versions of Scrapper gyros (which are fundamentally Spirit Weapons covered in scrapmetal) during the HoT beta that were amazing. If they’d stayed that way and ported those rules/ratios back to Guardian we’d have been set. Instead the Devs decided gyros needed to be less good — but still good — and Spirit Weapons didn’t get a fair review in light of the new playing field. Not unlike how Dragonhunter traps got tons of care and constant reworks while thief and ranger traps were left to rot.

Nike.2631:

Not unlike how Dragonhunter traps got tons of care and constant reworks while thief and ranger traps were left to rot.

If they’re old, don’t expect anything more than cooldown reductions and aftercast tweaks. That’s how Anet balance works.

That hardly describes this latest patch and the Ranger Shortbow.

Yes, tuning is usually done in ways that the Balance Team doesn’t have to lean on the Art Team to make it happen. They adjust numbers and only numbers when they can. That’s the reality of ALL MMOs.

Nike.2631:

That hardly describes this latest patch and the Ranger Shortbow.

Sword you probably mean.

Spirit Weapons just need an identity that can be fulfilled by every skill and relation to appropriate traits. Every Gyro can take advantage of the gyro traits, but only 2 Spirit Weapons regularly attack, one only attacks on command, and the 4th doesn’t attack at all. It also helps that Gyros have two extra skills for that slight bit more variety and opportunity for utility that Spirit Weapons don’t. Spirit Weapons have potential, they’re just a few key changes away from having any appreciable role in the game.

What if they changed some of the spirit weapons and make one of them spirit armor where the armor reflects damage or hurts when you do? Then instead of having them out until they die give them a timer and attack allot faster maybe with a few other attacks thorn in or a special fire explosion when they run out, or the explosion for the spirit weapons can be a trait instead.

Nike.2631:

That hardly describes this latest patch and the Ranger Shortbow.

I enjoyed the ranger changes, but it’s a problem when only a few professions get changes to that extent every 3-4 months.

At that pace, how many years must we wait to get more than a handful of big changes to our core skills? (And how many patches must we wait until Anet can finally, sucessfully fix the elementalist scepter so they can move on to other skills? :P)

The cooldown reduction on shouts was kind of a “here’s some candy so you don’t feel bad because of all the shiny toys the other kids are getting” situation.

Ghotistyx.6942:

Nike.2631:

That hardly describes this latest patch and the Ranger Shortbow.

Sword you probably mean.

Haven’t actually read the patch notes, you mean. I didn’t stutter.

Spirit Weapons just need an identity that can be fulfilled by every skill and relation to appropriate traits. Every Gyro can take advantage of the gyro traits, but only 2 Spirit Weapons regularly attack, one only attacks on command, and the 4th doesn’t attack at all. It also helps that Gyros have two extra skills for that slight bit more variety and opportunity for utility that Spirit Weapons don’t. Spirit Weapons have potential, they’re just a few key changes away from having any appreciable role in the game.

Yup. The Spirit Weapons are weird in that they actually suffer for their diversity, because the traits keyed to them pretend they are all DPS skills and forgets they’re pet skills, some of which DPS.

I’m disappointed they continue to languish since they were eviscerated many years ago, but that’s a old would at this point.

I’m spoiled – playing other games and particularly some very large and successful e-sports, I dream of a patch on this scale being monthly, not quarterly. The GLACIAL pace of tuning in this game is very frustrating, even to people like me who largely appreciate the direction of what little we do get.