Guild Wars 2

When I first heard about the chronomancer I got super excited. I love that archetype, ya know? I love the shield skills, wells are awesome, and continuum split/shift is crazy cool. However, even though I love all of these aspects of the chronomancer, I won’t be switching my Mesmer over to one. Why? Le traits. It might just be me, but I find the chronomancer traits to be kinda lacklustre in comparison to, say, the Reaper. Traits such as Chronophantasma are cool sounding but the majority of them just seem to be straightforward ways to apply slow or quickness. I’m no dev, but I’ve tried to make a trait line that could be a little more fun, to me at least, and I was hoping you guys could provide some feedback!

Minors:

Time Splitter -
You are now able to equip the shield and have unlocked well skills and are now able to use Continuum Split/Shift to return to an earlier point in time.

Flow of Time -
Gain Alacrity when you shatter. (unchanged)

Time Marches On -
Incoming movement-impending conditions have their durations reduced by 20%. Increases to 40% while under the effects of Swiftness or Quickness.

Adepts:

Paradox -
Apply 2s of slow and gain 2s of fury when you cripple an enemy.

Time Slip -
Successfully evading an attack grants Quickness for 1.5s. Grant 2s of Vigor to allies whenever you apply Quickness. (2s cool-down)

Improved Alacrity -
Alacrity applied to you lasts 33% longer. Alacrity effects you apply also reduce incoming damage by 5%.

Masters:

All’s Well that Ends Well -
Wells remove a condition and grant 6s of Swiftness to allies when they expire.

Illusionary Reversion -
Shattering grants your illusions super speed and summons a clone.

Aging Aggression -
Striking an enemy that is Slowed will also apply 10s of Vulnerability. Deal 5% more damage to slowed enemies.

Grandmasters:

Chronophantasma -
Phantasms reappear the first time they are shattered. Gain 2s of Quickness when you begin summoning a Phantasm (15s cool-down)

Anomaly -
Stunning or interrupting an enemy will damage and cripple adjacent enemies for 3 seconds. Using Continuum Shift will also create this effect around you when you return to your time line. (3s cool-down)

Second Chances -
All of your weapon skills are recharged when you rally. Gain 3 of Quickness when you begin channeling Bandage. (20s cool-down)

Ur chances really bad ur not mesmer if you want something like this instead of what original traits were

Sorry, no offense, but I like Anets better.

Windwalker.7421:

Sorry, no offense, but I like Anets better.

Thanks for being honest. What don’t you like about them? Help me improve! Most of the current chronomancer traits are mixed in there with a bit of added something something. Chronophantasma is still there and works the same as before but it also has a way to make phantasms very quick to cast. Danger time is still in there with Paradox. Slow on cripple to add a chrono-vibe to the mh sword, greatsword and staff but also still gives crit chance when you’re attacking slowed enemies. Illusionary reversion and time catches up were just rolled into one.

Getting clone if you shatter clone is awsome also quickness when you shatter also awsome and ya removed it wile all inturubt and phantasms things are nice they are used as nice addon if there is nofthing better to take they not realeble

I was super amped on chrono at first as well, but now I kinda don’t care about it. I don’t see myself taking it in any build, because the revamped core trait lines just offer so much more. Look at Dueling: this is just amazing for any build, power or condi, not to mention imo DE is still totally mandatory. So that leaves two. I think illusions and Dom are both better than chrono, even inspiration is better than chrono imo. Look at the sustain you can get with inspiration now, it’s op.

This is just re. the traits though. I think it is really great they gave us wells with chrono, so people can actually do some zergin in wvw and have decent aoe. That part is really great.

MSFone.3026:

not to mention imo DE is still totally mandatory.

I would have agreed in the past, but I think there’s some merit to replacing DE with Illusionary Reversion. Gaining a clone each time you shatter is huge, and it gives us the ability to gain 4 free clones instead of 2 (albeit on a somewhat longer cooldown depending on the shatter).

Plus, you don’t have to waste your dodges on generating clones, and Time Splitter can give you up to 8 free clones in theory.

It will require playtesting, but I’m not convinced DE is mandatory anymore.

Zumi.6384:

Plus, you don’t have to waste your dodges on generating clones

This is pretty huge, IMO. I mean, most DE builds have to invest in Vigour uptime to make sure they can generate enough clones while also having dodge up when they need it. By taking IR instead, they can spend those Vigour uptime resources on something else. Or else funnel that extra Vigour into actually dodging attacks.

I don’t know why everybody wants to ruin Time Marches On, its the best thing we are getting out of all these changes.

On the contrary, most of the necromancers are a bit disapointed with the Reaper becuse the shouts don’t look that great, and GS cast times are really slow and in general nothing the reaper is getting will help necromancers have better team support in PvE or ability to negate focus fire/disengage in PvP.

On the other hand we found a solution to our lack of a speed signet, wells and an offhand that will be more than an enough to make us valuable in organized WvW groups, as well as other extremely useful boosts to our utility, and ability to create more awesome bursts. That being said, the only trait I don’t really like for chrono is the well trait. I like how they used the quote, but its effect is too limited and weak to really be useful.

tobascodagama.2961:

Zumi.6384:

Plus, you don’t have to waste your dodges on generating clones

This is pretty huge, IMO. I mean, most DE builds have to invest in Vigour uptime to make sure they can generate enough clones while also having dodge up when they need it. By taking IR instead, they can spend those Vigour uptime resources on something else. Or else funnel that extra Vigour into actually dodging attacks.

You get vigor from the first dueling minor trait, which you unlock accordingly to get DE now and in the future. I understand what you’re saying, but with how specilaiztions work, if you spec into dueling to take DE, you will have vigor no matter what. IR looks okay, my only concern is that it looks like it may make it harder to set up your bursts as fast and as on demand. And it also brings up the point that you won’t have vigor at all unless you go into dueling or inspiration. Furthermore the blind on shatter trait in duleing looks ludicrously good, so I’d probably still take DE, and run improved alacrity over IR in a dom/duel/chrono staff/GS shatter build.

Zumi.6384:

MSFone.3026:

not to mention imo DE is still totally mandatory.

I would have agreed in the past, but I think there’s some merit to replacing DE with Illusionary Reversion. Gaining a clone each time you shatter is huge, and it gives us the ability to gain 4 free clones instead of 2 (albeit on a somewhat longer cooldown depending on the shatter).

Plus, you don’t have to waste your dodges on generating clones, and Time Splitter can give you up to 8 free clones in theory.

It will require playtesting, but I’m not convinced DE is mandatory anymore.

I have a feeling that if you’re actually going for a shatter-based build…DE is still going to be mandatory. More than anything else, Illusionary reversion is going to allow shatter builds to reach a much higher cadence of shattering, particularly with the alacrity on shatter trait. What it won’t do is purely enable high output shattering by itself.

Illusionary reversion and chronophantasma combined could potentially allow a more phantasmy build to get some decent shatters out. It still wouldn’t be like a full shatter build by any stretch of the imagination, but it could enable a decent shantasm.

Fay.2357:

I have a feeling that if you’re actually going for a shatter-based build…DE is still going to be mandatory. More than anything else, Illusionary reversion is going to allow shatter builds to reach a much higher cadence of shattering, particularly with the alacrity on shatter trait. What it won’t do is purely enable high output shattering by itself.

This is true for bursty shatter builds, but the increased shatter cadence might prove more useful for sustained damage.

I don’t know enough about condi-shatter in PvP to know which would be a better choice, but a strong sustained power shatter build could be quite nice for PvE.

I think Chrono definitely can be a viable alternative to DE, but only if you’re looking for that alternative because you value something else in Chrono. (Speed, Alacrity, Quickness/Slows, F5, Shield, etc.)

This line synergizes very well with a trait like Mirror Images, that currently is fairly useless to P-shatter builds, but due to the F5 & Alacrity Mechanics would be available much more often then we’re used to now. I could see a setup like Dom/Ill/Chrono, or more tanky variations w/o Ill.

Consider Confounding Suggestions combos with IR; hit target with F3 to stun & gain a Clone in the process, hit MI and F1 to instantly hit the stunned target with a 3-clone shatter. Pull off the F5 thing first, and you can basically do it twice in a row.

This will be harder to pull off in a traditional shatter build with DE, because you can’t get 3 clones up fast enough to get the MW off before the stun wears off. Even with MI in that build you’d have a hard time getting the 3rd clone up fast enough to MW during the stun. (And you’d have to suffer the long CD on MI.)

Also the built-in Chrono speed-boost will allow you to either get a superior armor rune set, or leave you with an extra utility slot…which you’d use for MI. ;-)

I believe that between MI and Chrono, especially if you factor in Chronophants and/or Shield #4 ability (can produce up to 2 Phants???), you definitely can have enough illusions for a viable shatter build; either Power or Condie.

We’ll see soon enough I suppose…

Fay.2357:

shantasm

lol is this a new word or have you used it elsewhere? Sometimes when I down a thief with izerker F1, I feel a little shantasm happen…