Guild Wars 2

Similar to the last thread of ideas that I made but with some changes.

I know it’s probably pointless to theorycrafting potential ideas because devs rarely read them, but it passes the time waiting half a year for the next balance patch.

Spiteful Marks: sounds good.
I assume this would include healing yourself as well and not just allies?

Weakening Shroud: 3 instead of 2 sec weakness, 3 instead of 6 sec bleeding. Not sure that makes the biggest differenc ein the world.

Withering: out of those two I’d definitely go with condi transfer on LB. With Deathly Perception it would be pretty strong for power builds, but then again its cast time is longer on land than under water, and power builds would have to take 4 points out of Spite for this defensive option. A fair trade imo.

Dark Armor: It seems ok, but I wouldn’t make a blindness proc rng dependent. So I’d rather make it on entering or leaving DS.

Mark of Revival: better idea, move this trait into the trash bin where it really belongs.

Ritual of Protection: I don’t know why this trait isn’t 1sec per pulse already. Seems like such an obvious change to make.

Vampiric/Bloodthirst: yes.

Deathly Invigoration: yes.

Transfusion: meh, I don’t think it’s that strong.
However, I’d maybe consider moving it to grandmaster if they’d finally allow all healing to go through DS, and if at this point Trasfusion would still heal yourself. Seems like a worthy 6 point investment this way.

Quickening Thirst: makes sense, but I’d actually move Dagger Mastery up and combine it with +25% movement speed.

Unholy Martyr: yes.

Speed of Shadows: 3 sec swiftness, still useless.

Spiteful Vigor: make that at least 50% since it’s just in DS.

flow.6043:

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Spiteful Marks: Yes, this would include yourself. The only problem I could see arising is necromancers being “forced” (by others) to take this trait in WvW or TPvP. The solution would be to make the base healing terrible, but make it scale well with healing power so that you can’t be fully offensive and defensive at the same time. Would go very well in a settler stats build.

Quickening Thirst: I agree completely but I couldn’t come up with a replacement trait upon combining the two that did something that the other traits don’t cover already.

Most of these are very reasonable ideas; I definitely agree that condition transfer on LB is the better option for Withering Precision.

If I could add a few suggestions:

Siphoned Power (Spite GM Minor)- replace with 50% chance to apply vuln on hit (6S), or something similar which allows vuln stacking for dungeons.

Furious Demise (Curse Master Minor)- Applies in a small aoe (fury stacking for dungeons).

Fetid Consumption (Blood XI)- Minion active abilities pull 1 condition from nearby allies on use (maximum 3 friendly targets, prioritizing players over other targets)

Necromantic Corruption (Death Magic XII)- Random boon removal is an awful idea. Easy (but boring) replacement- Grant aoe protection on leaving DS.

Speed of Shadows (Soul Reaping V)- move to Master tier; “Your movement speed is not affected by Cripple, Chill, or Immobilize while in Death Shroud” (immobilize might be too strong to negate; maybe just Cripple and Chill and leave it at Adept)

Vampiric Rituals (Blood XII)- Balancing nightmare as is (the best case scenario of hitting 5 targets with every tick from 4 wells means that it can’t be good outside of this situation); replace with “Your next well grants stability while you remain inside of it (ICD 20 sec).” If you want to get really crazy, you could even increase the ICD and make it apply to allies as well. Requires an icon that hangs above “stable” wells for readability.

Spiteful Vigor (Death Magic II)- Also increases the retaliation damage you deal by 20%.

Vampiric traits need changes; perhaps you siphon health when successfully hitting with Weapon Skill 3? (could tune the siphon number to be dependent on the skill; Dagger 3 should siphon more against a single target than Staff 3). Remove Bloodthirst. Biggest issue is coming up with two new adept traits for Blood if you combine dagger mastery and quickening thirst. One trait could be a group ferocity aura (again, utility for dungeons here).

Just some spitballing ideas, numbers are obviously just examples.

I really like all of these, it’s really a shame devs don’t come into this forum at all… Your Spiteful Vigor idea is especially good!

A couple of minor criticisms:
a. I like the Spiteful Marks change, but tbh the first thing that needs to happen is for the FOUR staff traits to be merged into two at most. No other weapon of no other profession has so many traits associated with it, and it’s not like any of them fundamentally change what its skills do, they just improve them in (minor) incremental ways. We all know that this is only a relic from pre-beta development, when all or aoe skills on every weapon were marks, and they just never got round to fixing it.
b. Your suggestion for Unholy Martyr is a great improvement, but still too weak for a grandmaster. It should simultaneously transfer a condition from allies to yourself and copy from yourself to allies with each pulse.
c. Speed of Shadows: yes, please, but 3" too little (I know most other “on DS entry” boons are 3", but boons like protection or retaliation are generally much more powerful than swiftness)

Otherwise love em!