Guild Wars 2

ANet just nerfed our Corruption ability by a lot, looking to the Scourge.
The problem is that the Scourge don’t corrupt boons but Convert boons into torment and cripple. That grant us the damage we never had from the corruption mechanic but also reduce our support and strength in sPvP.

One of our main corruption build had been nerfed to the ground: Signet Build.
Signets no more corrupt boons, but also don’t grant Might, that is a huge nerf to our build. Actually there’s not so much reason to chose Signets or that Grandmaster Trait. Signets never granted anything to the necromancer until the corruption effect. Now that the corruption is gone there’s no chance to Signets to be used anymore. Only the Plague Signet is useful, but Not if traited because when traited we’ll carry too much conditions from our allies while in shroud and totally unable to clean/send back that conditions (basicly killing ourselves).

But the Spiteful Spirit now convert 2 boons instead of 1! Wow…
The problem is that also Speed of Shadows got nerfed and by that we’re unable to use this trait as it’s best, because we’re able to use it every 10 seconds and not every 7.

With the Scourge that will be even worst because the Desert Shroud have a 20 sec of cooldnown. Maybe that’s the reason behing the SoS nerf, to make players unable to spam that skill too easly.

Now, talking about the Boon Convertion of the Scourge, in WvW will be good to inflict damage and remove stability, but in sPvP, where boons are more precious, corrupt Protection into Vulnerability, Stability into Fear and Might into Weakness is our main trick since Years and also one of the Few things that keep us alive in a fight.
Now the Scourge isn’t able to Corrupt boons with his skills, only to Convert them.
It’s not really bad, the scourge have a lot of Expertise by himself and a Powered Torment, but it’s also not the best (depending on the scenario).
In sPvP, that make the Scourge main damage mechanin Weaker than the Revenant Mallyx Convert mechanic.

The scourge is basicly weaker than a core class (Revenant Mallyx), lose a lot of his team offensive support becoming worst than the core necro to corrupt boons (we can still use core trait and skills, but I’m talking about the main scourge mechanic as it “should” be played).

The scourge will be a better defensive support but if we want to be also able to Really Corrupt Boons we have to ignore more or less all the scourge Convertion skills and use the scpeter AA and the Corrupt Boon, without even be able to use our Signet Corruption Build, because is no more.

This only applies to punishment utility skills for scourges. Everything else including unending corruption is generic.

There is no main mechanic as it should be played. If you refer to shades then again unending corruption is 1-3 boons corrupted and path of corruption is still the same just more accessible since you don’t need to enter shroud.

Far to much fuss over 4 optional abilities.

We will lose our debuffer role with the Spellbreaker, with short CD evade/block, ok CC, boonstrip on CC, unblockable AoE boonstrip and adrenaline/damage increase on boon stripped. And also unblockable AoE boonstrip around stripped target and damage on boonstrip.

We will likely only follow our spellbreaker spamming barrier on CD.
The only true scourge corruption come from Unending Corruption that sadly have to compete with Desert Empowerment soooo..

We should chill off (or torment off? cripple!?), our debuffer role will be unecessary or slightly less effective with Spellbreaker around.

Silv.9207:

One of our main corruption build had been nerfed to the ground: Signet Build.

Signets for corrupts has become inefficient.

SS: 2×5 aoe corrupts @ 10 sec. CD
Weakening Shroud 1×5 aoe corrupt @ 10 sec. CD
Corrupt Boon: 3 corrupts @ 15 sec. CD
Death’s Charge (traited): 2×5 aoe corrupts @ 6/5 sec. CD
Well of Corruption…
Scepter auto, Axe3, Dagger3, GS4…

No one is wasting 2 utility slots and the healing slot for laughable 9 mights stacks and 3×2 corrupts (2 single target, 1 aoe) every 24/28 seconds in exchange to Spiteful Spirit.

I would guess converting might to torment and cripple is a good trade. Stab is also better converting rather than flipping to fear.

KrHome.1920:

Silv.9207:

One of our main corruption build had been nerfed to the ground: Signet Build.

Signets for corrupts has become inefficient.

SS: 2×5 aoe corrupts @ 10 sec. CD
Weakening Shroud 1×5 aoe corrupt @ 10 sec. CD
Corrupt Boon: 3 corrupts @ 15 sec. CD
Death’s Charge (traited): 2×5 aoe corrupts @ 6/5 sec. CD
Well of Corruption…
Scepter auto, Axe3, Dagger3, GS4…

No one is wasting 2 utility slots and the healing slot for laughable 9 mights stacks and 3×2 corrupts (2 single target, 1 aoe) every 24/28 seconds in exchange to Spiteful Spirit.

I’d argue it had a slightly different use than spiteful spirit since you could target individuals without having to enter shroud so it complimented deaths charge and weakening shroud well. I found niche use for signet corrupts in roaming and was fairly disappointed they took them from me tbh.

I’m even more disappointed if spiteful spirit only procs on sand shroud entry which has a 20s CD. Suddenly signets could’ve been more valuable especially since with scourge traits they would give you DS for each corrupt you made.

New spiteful spirit is 4 boons every 20 seconds, old one is 3 every 21. The issue is?

Nearly ALL of the corrupts are tied to base necromancer, not reaper.
Scourge doesn’t magically make it so you cant corrupt boons.

I also don’t like this convert stuff.

Just give the class the torment or whatever other condition, don’t make it conditional. That seems like gimping the class for kitten flavor reasons.

We’ve had this convert stuff in the reaper shouts already…its not new.

With necro and war specs seems like they are trying actively to decrease boon usage without changing ton of skills and probably changing whole profession lines.
Which honestly is needed, I just hope it doesn’t blow in our faces.

nekretaal.6485:

I also don’t like this convert stuff.

Just give the class the torment or whatever other condition, don’t make it conditional. That seems like gimping the class for kitten flavor reasons.

Why so? The scourge corrupts are always a dps increase and you get 2 condi from 1 boon. Except for maybe corrupt stability, I’d kill for this to be made baseline.

Lahmia.2193:

nekretaal.6485:

I also don’t like this convert stuff.

Just give the class the torment or whatever other condition, don’t make it conditional. That seems like gimping the class for kitten flavor reasons.

Why so? The scourge corrupts are always a dps increase and you get 2 condi from 1 boon. Except for maybe corrupt stability, I’d kill for this to be made baseline.

If the Punishment could corrupt boons normally it could be good. They can maybe add the Torment/Cripple part on Sadistic Searing maybe:

Punishment skills gain reduced recharge and cause your next Manifest Sand Shade to inflict burning on foes near it.
Every time you corrupt boons the affected target is inflicted with Torment and Cripple

Only on punishment if it could be OP or global but with ICD

Just use the trait path of corruption and nefarious favor can corrupt every 4 to 5s up to 40 conditions in the traditional way.