Guild Wars 2

Ok I can’t be bothered to put any more effort into thinking about this so I’m just going to post it here anyway. I’ve been looking at ideas posted by various people on here and given our current situation tried to see what a few changes might do.

I know this is totally out of context in a little bubble, but I wanted to keep it simple. It’s not finished and by no means comprehensive, and I’m still not happy with some things so if anything looks kitten or wrong then please say so.

Related changes that would be needed along with the trait changes:

“Elite” spec concept scrapped – now the “elite” trait lines are simply additional normal trait lines that provide a different playstyle – either focusing on damage, support, control, or class utility.
Chronomancer renamed to Chronomancy. Unique trait line Icon removed.
Shield access removed from Chronomancy and added as standard to mesmer.
Wells access removed from Chronomancy and added as standard to mesmer.
F5 available for base mesmer – no longer a shatter skill or Chronomancy exclusive. Continuum Split deleted.
Portal is now F5 for all mesmer builds (removed from Glamour). Cooldown increased to 90 seconds.
=> One new Glamour utility skill needs creating (any ideas?)

F2 – deals 1 stack of torment for 4 seconds baseline. Cooldown reduced to 21 seconds.
F3 – AoE up to 5 targets made baseline. AoE daze only occurs on self in melee range – illusions proc single target daze.

Scepter – 20% attack speed made baseline.
Focus – iWarden pulses aegis (1 second, 1 second ICD) during it’s attack to allies standing within the radius of the bubble.
Into the Void – reduced ICD to 0.5s.
Mirror Blade – restored extra bounce.
Staff 4 Chaos Armour – cooldown reduced to 20 seconds. Also gives up to 5 allies in 240 radius chaos armour.

Mirror Images – cooldown reduced to 30 seconds.
Arcane Thievery – cooldown reduced to 20 seconds.
Veil – changed to 240 radius circle, pulses 2s stealth to allies and 2s reveal on enemies inside the Veil (2s between pulses, 8s duration, 60s coodlown).
Moa – reduced duration to 5s and cooldown to 90s.
Time Warp – Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds. Time Warp also gives alacrity to allies (1 second per pulse).

Reflects – no longer break stealth or cause reveal.
_________________________

Domination
I thought this line should be about debilitating and controlling your enemies, so for me it makes sense to put all the torment, vulnerability, lockdown benefits and damage enhancements in here.

Minors:
Dazzling – Dazing OR interrupting a foe inflicts vulnerability (merged)
Rending Shatter
Compounding Power – increased to 5% power and condition damage per illusion
Adept Major:
Empowered Illusions – phantasms deal more damage (15%) and illusions inflict bleeding on critical hits
The Pledge – Torch skills remove 2 conditions, and cooldown 20% faster.
Confounding Suggestions – Stun is now applied in addition to Daze. Increase Daze and Stun duration by 50%
Master Major:
Maim the Disillusioned – all shatter skills apply torment on hit (duration reduced to 4 seconds).
Harmonious Mantras – all mantras have 1 extra charge. Successfully charging a mantra replenishes 1 charge or halves the remaining cooldown of every other equipped mantra.
Induced Nightmare – gain Fury and summon an Illusionary Rogue when you daze or interrupt a foe (5s Fury, ICD same as iRogue on downed skill)
Grandmaster Major:
Mental Anguish – shatter skills deal 15% more damage and conditions applied by shatters last 15% longer (doubled to 30% if target is not using a skill at the moment of impact).
Imagined Burden – Greatsword skills deal 20% more damage and debilitate opponents (Spatial Surge inflicts 1 stack of torment 0.5 second per hit (includes clones), Mirror Blade 2 seconds of cripple per bounce, Mind Stab 2 stacks of torment for 4 seconds, iZerker 1 stack of torment for 2s per hit, iWave 3 seconds of cripple). Cooldown is reduced by 20%.
Power Block

Duelling
I felt that blinds, confusion and evasion were the main themes of Duelling.

Minors:
Critical Infusion
Blinding Dissipation
Ethereality – illusions gain Blur (1s) when hit (9s ICD per illusion).
Adept Major:
Ineptitude
Duelist’s Discipline
Evasive Mirror
Master Major
Befuddlement – all shatter skills apply 4 seconds of confusion on hit.
Blurred Inscriptions
Phantasmal Fury – phantasms have fury and pulse fury to nearby allies (5s duration, 5s ICD, 240 radius, up to 5 allies)
Grandmaster Major:
Misdirection – interrupting an enemy dazes (1s), blinds (3s), and inflicts AoE confusion (same as current) in the area around them.
Fencer’s Finesse – Sword and Spear damage is increased by 20% and cooldown is reduced by 20%. Sword and Spear attacks from you and illusions inflict 4 seconds of confusion on critical hits (no ICD).
Deceptive Evasion

Chaos
Primarily RNG boon manipulation. (fall damage traits moved to wvw/pve Mastery system)

Minors:
Chaotic Persistence
Shattered Concentration
Illusionary Defence – 5% damage reduction (power and condition) per illusion
Adept Major:
Illusionary Membrane – gain regen if you take a hit while you have at least one boon (5s regen, 9s ICD). Gain protection whenever you gain regen (3s protection, 15s ICD).
Hall of Mirrors – incoming cc effects are transferred to nearby illusions (30s ICD per enemy. The same illusion cannot take any cc twice.). Does not work without any summoned illusions which must be within 900 range. I’m not entirely happy with the passive nature of this trait but I’m struggling to think of alternative ideas – anyone got any ideas?
Chaotic Transmutation – when you apply a boon to yourself, convert one condition into another random boon (9s ICD)
Master Major:
Bountiful Disillusionment – gain might for each illusion shattered (1 stack for 5 seconds). F1 gives 2 additional stacks of might, F2 gives vigour, F3 gives 3 stacks of stability, F4 gives regen. (merged Shattered Strength)
Master of Manipulation
Neutralisation – gain “Neutralisation” (icon) when suffering from 3 or more unique conditions (or upon hitting your target when they have 3 or more unique boons). Your next attack that hits your target will also summon an iDisenchanter (ICD same as iDisenchanter).
Grandmaster Major:
Chaotic Interruption – replaced Cripple with Weakness.
Chaotic Dampening – Staff and Trident damage and condition duration is increased by 20% and recharge faster while you have Chaos Armour (3.5% per pulse). Chaos armour also gives protection (4s) and the boon/condition proc ICD is reduced to 0.5s.
Prismatic Understanding

Inspiration
Healing, support and general sustain.

Minors:
Mender’s Purity
Restorative Illusions – self heal part only (no condition removal).
Healing Prism – changed to a percentage of self healing, no ICD.
Adept Major:
Medic’s Feedback
Warden’s Feedback
… – …thinking
Master Major:
Shattered Conditions – shatter skills remove 1 condition (per shatter, up to 5 allies, 240 radius AoE)
Glamourous Enchanter – (just renamed, still need to create one new Glamour skill to replace Portal)
Mental Defence
Grandmaster Major:
Channeled Restoration all skills with cast times heal you depending on the duration of the cast (health gain = casttime*1000). DOES NOT include auto attacks. Intented to be a generalisation of Restorative Mantras.
Illusionary Inspiration – Use Signet of Inspiration when summoning a phantasm. Phantasms pulse regen and a second random boon to nearby allies (same boon pool as Signet of Inspiration, 240 AoE, up to 5 allies).
Intangible Dreams – All phantasms spawn with Distortion (1s). Both you and your phantasms grant Distortion to nearby allies (1s, phantasms also share Distortion to you) whenever you give yourself Distortion or phantasms are summoned (5 allies, 10s ICD)

Illusions
Quality of life benefits for the class resource and mechanic. Not sure about the grandmaster major traits here – perhaps someone has some better ideas?

Minors:
Compounding Celerity – movement speed increased by 24% and a further 3% for each illusion you have out (3% stacks with Time Marches On)
Illusionary Persona – shatter skills cooldown reduced by 15%
Master of Fragmentation – same as current except Diversion now breaks stun.
Adept Major:
Persistence of Memory – shattering a phantasm reduces all phantasm cooldowns by 2s.
Malicious Sorcery – Scepter skills deal 20% more power and condition damage and have 20% reduced cooldown.
Psychic Siphon – conditions on you are transferred to nearby illusions (1 condition 9s ICD, whichever illusion is closest at the time).
Master Major:
Illusionary Reversion
Illusionary Retribution – The radius of every Shatter skill is increased by 10%.
Persisting Images – all illusions have increased health (100%) and spawn with retaliation.
Grandmaster Major:
Chronophantasma – (needs renaming)
The Illusionist – Illusion summoning skills have 20% reduced cooldown and all illusions attack more often (includes all clones and phantasms).
Duplication – summon an additional clone whenever you use an illusion summoning skill.

Chronomancy
Ideally being another utility line it should give a different style from Illusions so a player can make a choice between the two. Slightly modified the name to reflect it being a “normal” trait line. The focus here is on quickness, slow and alacrity. If they run both Illusions and Chronomancer then something else will suffer – be it damage, support or whatever.

Minors:
Time Catches Up
Flow of Time – Increased to 1s Alacrity per illusion shattered.
Time Marches On
Adept Major
Illusionary Haste – all illusions spawn with quickness (3s)
Memory Jolt – Gain alacrity when you block an attack using a Shield (1 second per block). Tides of Time also gives alacrity to allies (1 second per walk through).
Delayed Reactions – Dazing or Interrupting an enemy inflicts Slow (3s)
Master Major
Seize the Moment – gain quickness when you shatter or interrupt an enemy (1s per illusion, 2s on interrupt).
All’s Well that Ends Well – each tick of a well gives 1s alacrity to allies. The final tick also cures 2 conditions.
Lost Time – gain a charge every time you hit an enemy – at 3 charges your next attack inflicts slow (1s, no ICD).
Grandmaster Major
Fast Forward – Quickness lasts longer (33%) and now increases skills and actions by 100% (previously 50%)
Recall – All Alacrity lasts 100% longer
Danger Time – Gain 20% crit chance and 20% damage (direct and condition) increase against slowed enemies.

tl;dr – I cba to think about this any more but thought it best to share anyway. If I’ve missed the target and it’s kitten, please say so.

Is it wrong that my first thought upon seeing this was ’that’s a lot of work for something that’s never going to be read by a balance dev’?

Fay.2357:

Is it wrong that my first thought upon seeing this was ’that’s a lot of work for something that’s never going to be read by a balance dev’?

lol, yeah that has been in the back of my mind the whole time.

I kind of needed to get it out of my system – and tbh it’s not like I spent hours and hours actively thinking – more like if I happened to think of something I’d amend it. I’ve just had this document kicking around for the last 2 months or so and thought it would be a waste of ideas not to post it at all. Better shared at least, even if nothing will come of it, than not.

Of course I haven’t thought through every combination and permutation of builds, so there may be some brokenly overpowered things in there. Rather it is the overall theme of the trait lines I felt needed clearer definition. The individual traits themselves can still be tweaked/moved/deleted.

Hi

Some raw comments to your raw brainstorm

F3 – AoE up to 5 targets made baseline.

I don’t think gw2 need more AOE CC. I actually think CC and in particular AOE CC should be vastly diminished all over. CC should be less spam and more interrupting key skills. AOE CC should be to interrupt a team effort once (like rezzing) but should be rare and mesmer already have plenty.

iWarden …

In my suggestions (see signature) I added small ally healing, but this is another solution. I agree that focus support should not be only about reflects.

Ability to equip a Shield removed from traits and instead automatically applied when equipping Chronomancer line.

I actually think “elite weapons” should be available even to core class… (I understand this is not necessarily valid thematically, but many weapons are really needed for the class outside of their elite spec).

F5…

While I understand the balance reasoning behind it, I am unsure of this one. It definitely fits thematically and fits the role I see for mesmer and chronomancer. It just feels weird. But maybe.

Hall of Mirrors – incoming cc effects are transferred to your illusions (10s ICD per enemy and 10s ICD per illusion)

too short iCD

Bountiful Disillusionment

I like the change.

Master of Manipulation – Gain 2s Distortion whenever you use a Manipulation skill. Manipulation skills have 20% reduced cooldown.

That is beyond OP

neutralisation (buff)

what does it do?

Channeled Restoration

I find it both strong and too “passive”.

In general, I find a few things slightly overtuned, but it is an interesting mesmer rework.

@Silverkey, thank for the feedback.

iWarden – it would be nice for it to heal within the attack bubble, so I don’t mind either way. At least something needs to be done to buff it and Focus in general.

Master of Manipulation was to address reflect causing reveal on mass invis, but I see your point it is definitely too powerful with the distortion and should be changed.

Neutralisation – by buff I meant an icon on your buff bar (like Lost Time) which when you have it means your next attack that hits your target will summon an iDisenchanter. That’s all it is – just a visual indicatior when it will proc.

Hall of Mirrors – tbh I really don’t like the passive anti cc, however I really wanted to put a trait with this name in there somewhere. I definitely agree to raising the ICD at least.

F3 – perhaps the AoE should only be centred on self shatter – illusions shattering only do single target daze? But if it is too much then it can go back in Master of Fragmentation as it currently is.

Channeled Restoration – I wanted to go for a single trait for each skill category – so things like Mantras having two traits in different trees I wanted to streamline to one. This one was more of an afterthought so I haven’t properly considered other options and am open to suggestion/replacement traits. Maybe it could only apply to 6/7/8/9/0 skills (heal, utilities and elite) so it doesn’t work on weapon skills? This would fit with loading your whole bar (apart from elite) up with Mantras and using Restorative Mantras, except now you would be flexible with other skills?

Shield – the only problem giving it to core mesmer is that the iAvenger gives alacrity, slow and tides of time give quickness. Ideally I wanted to keep all that unique to Chrono so there was a clear identity to the traitline. However it would be nice if all weapons were accessible no matter core or elite build.

As an additional note I also felt it important to promote hybrid builds or have no bias either towards power or condi in some traits and weapons – this is because hybrid pure offesnsive stats (like viper) should gain more reward for the extremely high risk.