Guild Wars 2

Been an axe user for forever and the little power creep changes are starting to take their toll, I am starting to notice a difference in my effectiveness against opponents when using axe.

Whether it’s double sigils, rune stats buffed for literally no reason, little changes like evasion on burning speed, might stacking, heals out the wazoo, etc.

It is much harder to kill nowadays, but this is because of the power creep of other classes or abilities (runes/sigils), not the axe itself. The recent buff to the auto attack basically make it double the speed which is very nice; I actually use it to bait out dodges now.

If life siphon on dagger was the same channel time as ghastly claws then I would most likely change to main-hand dagger. Life siphon is total garbage with that channel time.

Tldr; “Meta builds are all about eliminating counterplay”
Please nerf:
- Celestial elementalist
- Celestial engineer
- Might stacking for everything
- Sigils
- Balance the rune sets

Basically, balance the game and add build diversity for classes like everyone has wanted for forever. If you’re going to balance the game with imbalance like that one video talks about, then please add actual counterplay to the game.

Example: Make unholy martyr and plague signet actual viable options to clear conditions from allies.

I honestly don’t think Axe is all that bad anymore. With just the sigil on hit (I believe) you can stack like 20+ stacks of vuln by autoing. It is a ranged weapon with lower than normal counterplay due to its complete lack of projectiles, it generates good LF (especially if paired with focus/wh), Axe 3 is an incredible skill, and its now much more responsive.

I still think its 1 could use a little more damage, although I’d have to see someone’s DPS reports on that to see (ratios per second and DPS, plus the fact that it self ramps to a ton of extra damage via vuln), and I think 3 should be unblockable by aegis, like all other boon removals. Other than that, I think Axe is actually a really solid weapon now with the clunkiness reductions.

Lopez.7369:

I don’t have any math. But based on some testing on golems, the auto-attack DPS is still really, really bad. What’s worse, it’s actually hard to keep at 20 or more vulnerability stacks because you obviously still have to use the No. 2 attack for DPS, and it doesn’t stack vulnerability for a considerable time.

A single shot on Focus 4 will pump the vulnerability to max for several seconds. Vulnerability stacking on a single target is something necros do actually manage better than any other profession. Sure, others can get to 25 stacks briefly, but necros can actually maintain it.

That said, it’s kind of a not-very-helpful claim to fame, as a group will stack a fair bit of vuln anyway. My point was that you can actually take breaks for DPS without losing much in the way of vulnerability stacking, and easily make up for the lower stacks with higher damage.

Axe 2 is still so easily avoidable by opposing players – once it starts spooling they’ll dodge negating about half the damage – this is the issue i have with Axe, even though i have been using it since beta.

Zefrost.3425:

If life siphon on dagger was the same channel time as ghastly claws then I would most likely change to main-hand dagger. Life siphon is total garbage with that channel time.

It’s not just the channel itself, the precast time is about an hour long as well. Ghastly Claws doesn’t have that at all.
Also, the cooldown is bigger, and to get a reduction you’d have to spend points in Blood Magic (which would just give you cd reductions and no damage buff like Axe Mastery).

Avigrus.2871:

Axe 2 is still so easily avoidable by opposing players – once it starts spooling they’ll dodge negating about half the damage – this is the issue i have with Axe, even though i have been using it since beta.

Of course it can be dodged like any other skill. However, either you use it specifically to bait dodges or you make sure they can’t dodge it when you really want to land the entire channel.

AirWick.1769:

Does anyone even give a dam about the vulnerability on axe aa?

When I “stack” vuln with the auto attack it’s usually too little and too late for anyone to care. Rending Claws is a filler skill, you use it when you don’t have anything better to do, so at best you’ll provide the occasional ~3% damage buff for allies. Sure, you can now get more than 15% if you attack long enough, but it takes forever to get there while doing very low damage youself.
That being said, I’m rather happy with the post patch modifications to the auto attack, but it’s a mere byproduct of using an axe which you only do because of skills 2 and 3.

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

Lopez.7369:

I don’t have any math. But based on some testing on golems, the auto-attack DPS is still really, really bad. What’s worse, it’s actually hard to keep at 20 or more vulnerability stacks because you obviously still have to use the No. 2 attack for DPS, and it doesn’t stack vulnerability for a considerable time.

A single shot on Focus 4 will pump the vulnerability to max for several seconds. Vulnerability stacking on a single target is something necros do actually manage better than any other profession. Sure, others can get to 25 stacks briefly, but necros can actually maintain it.

That said, it’s kind of a not-very-helpful claim to fame, as a group will stack a fair bit of vuln anyway. My point was that you can actually take breaks for DPS without losing much in the way of vulnerability stacking, and easily make up for the lower stacks with higher damage.

Most PvE Bosses have “unshakeable” that means – 50% Vulnerability duration.
So Focus 4 or axe 1 can never maintain 20+ stacks. An Engineer is much better here, and Engis have better useage of + 40% condidurationfood in PvE. Because they add more Bleeds with granades and Frost of course.

2 step process to fixing axe:

1. Axe Auto attack becomes a cone attack, similar to Flamethrower or Wave of Light (Guardian Staff 1)
2. Unholy Feast (Axe 3) Change crippled to Chill

Ive been using axe in lieu of staff and always will. Sucks that the aa is bad but I substitute lifeblast for that point in time when ranged pressure is all thats left to do.

Well axe in a vacuum is fine. It feels good to play with the recent aftercast fix, the cooldowns are nice as well getting a overall “nice to use” feeling.

However, compared to any other dps and burst weapon (ranger longbow, greatsword warrior, greatsword guardian, greatsword mesmer) its just very lackluster. The AA sucks damage wise, the channel damage is VERY low compared to any other burst skill, not even taking in consideration that its only single target. The #3 goes more into the lines of support / utility skill.

The weapon is stuck with a utlility mindset, but should serve the purpose of a burst / damage weapon, thus making it lackluster in both aspects.

Brujeria.7536:

the channel damage is VERY low compared to any other burst skill.

Uh no its actually decently strong if its on a zerk build. ~8-12k every 6 1/2 seconds with mastery at 600 range. If necros had higher burst along with lifeblast pewpew, well, they dont and wont so lets leave it at that.

8-12k over 2 1/2 seconds is not that much. U can´t call it “burst” Dagger aa is nearly the same dps. And is dagger aa burst? Not rly or?

Well really the only thing the axe does well on the necro is stack vulnerability.

Sadly that is not enough to justify using it over dagger which is lmao a far but power weapon.

Ideally I would say buff the damage of the #1 skill on axe by about 30%.

After that take the + damage off of axe mastery & replace it with “increases range of axe attacks by 300”

Then not only would the axe be a decent power weapon, but it would also be a decent ranged power weapon, something the necro needs.

Stand The Wall.6987:

Brujeria.7536:

the channel damage is VERY low compared to any other burst skill.

Uh no its actually decently strong if its on a zerk build. ~8-12k every 6 1/2 seconds with mastery at 600 range. If necros had higher burst along with lifeblast pewpew, well, they dont and wont so lets leave it at that.

Yeah you see a big 12k number. However its channeled over 2,5 secs, and after that youre stuck with the crappy AA, or you switch to lifeblast which is better but this forces you into DS in a situation you maybe dont want to, leaving you with a 10 second cooldown.

Big numbers do not mean great DPS at all.

I think that youre both missing the point, which is since necro has other sources of power based damage, axe auto probably will not get a dps increase.
Like someone said, it might if anet decides to remove the vuln on auto, but thats a big if and probably wont come for a long while considering anet just updated axe.

I think the 3 skill should consume Vuln stacks for additional damage (2%/stack). Done. More damage, AoE burst etc., or make the AA a cone.

Consuming vuln would decrease the weapon’s strength, especially considering 3 doesn’t hit all that hard anyway.

What if Axe 2 destroyed projectiles while channeling?

I personally don’t think damage increasing changes is the sort of buff we should be looking for. Power Necro already demolishes most other squishy builds.

Burst is exactly what power necro needs, and is exactly what Axe 2 should fill.

I don’t disagree, but I also don’t think increasing the damage is the best way of attaining said burst. Power Necro has very consistent mid-high damage output. Buffing the attack speeds and reducing the recharge times would be preferable to just upping damage numbers.

Axe AA should’ve gotten a cleave like dagger. It makes sense (axe—-cleave) and would increase the effectiveness of the weapon.

Ranged weapons don’t cleave. They either splash or do guardian staff-AoE

I wouldn’t mind for Axe AA to have a narrow cone cleave, something like a 15 degrees arc, 2 targets cap, and 600 range.

Sort of think what people have always said. Axe should cleave/frontal cone. (And dagger too)

Life Force gen should be on 1. G Claws is SOO easily avoidable and a ‘double win’ avoiding burst and stopping us geting life force.

I do think adding a cleave to the axe would make it a lot more viable without making it too strong. Keep the damage the same, since it already isn’t great. Just make the #1 and #2 hit targets within a radius of the actual target. something no less than 130 and no more than about 200. Considering the animation effects for the axe the lack of a cleave just seems strange.

Bhawb.7408:

Ranged weapons don’t cleave. They either splash or do guardian staff-AoE

I could see Axe 1 having a “wave” AoE, given the current animation and the fact that most if not all other profession/weapon combinations have a cleaving/splashing/wave effect on the AA.

That being said, I’m leaning more towards a complete rework of Axe 1 & 2. I like the concept of the current skills with a melee weapon serving as a caster focus and the necromancer slashing at the air to have spectral claws slash at the enemy – very voodoo-esque, but as-is those skills leave the axe sorely lacking.

An alternative could be to buff Axe Training, but I think doing so would be pushing the boundaries of what is and isn’t “OP”. Furthermore, much more of a buff to the trait would probably warrant it being moved to GM tier.

My idea/proposal:

Axe 1 is now a 3-strike, 2-skill attack chain. New skill “Spectral Claws” introduced, chains from Rending Claws. Hits adjacent targets, inflicting Vulnerability.
Damage: 178 (it’s Rending Claws damage/strike * 1.5)
Range: 600
Targets: 3
Vulnerability: x1 (7 seconds)

-or-

Axe Training
Reduces recharge on axe skills. Increases damage while wielding axes and your axe skills inflict Vulnerability on each strike.
Recharge reduced: 15%
Damage increase: 10%
Vulnerability: 1x (5 seconds)
Please note that Rending Claws already inflict vulnerability per strike, and as such will not be affected by this portion of this trait. Ghastly Claws would inflict 8 stacks of vulnerability, and Unholy Feast would inflict 5 seconds of vulnerability on each target struck.