Guild Wars 2

So Gaile Grey posted on the forums about a few incoming changes (mostly nerfs) next patch. One concerned Signet of Inspiration (For Mesmer, we’re looking at making Signet of Inspiration’s boon sharing functionality a bit more controlled, giving each shared boon a fixed duration).
“What does this have to do with Epidemic?” you ask. Well Signet of Inspiration works just like Epidemic but for boons. It currently copies the exact duration with no regard for capping effects. If SoI is getting this nerf, then Epidemic will likely get the same treatment, with duration caps on each condition spread.

So tired of nerfs (_ _)’

Epidemic has survived 4 years without being crippled. I hope it continues to do so. It has no passive effect so maybe it will remain as it is.

Get the lube…

Q.Q

Fine with a nerf to epi if they finally buff necros where necros need them.

gavyne.6847:

Fine with a nerf to epi if they finally buff necros where necros need them.

well that’s not gonna happen.

Anchoku.8142:

So tired of nerfs (_ _)’

Epidemic has survived 4 years without being crippled. I hope it continues to do so. It has no passive effect so maybe it will remain as it is.

except for that one huge nerf back around release where they capped aoe to 5 targets

i still remember that day…

The 5 target limit was pretty big. I had forgotten about it. That was a WvW driven nerf, right?

Dont worry, Epidemic will not be changed. Problem on mesmer is pernament boons like quickness,protection, etc.

Yeah. No mention of epi at all. Only about boons.

Lahmia.2193:

So Gaile Grey posted on the forums about a few incoming changes (mostly nerfs) next patch. One concerned Signet of Inspiration (For Mesmer, we’re looking at making Signet of Inspiration’s boon sharing functionality a bit more controlled, giving each shared boon a fixed duration).
“What does this have to do with Epidemic?” you ask. Well Signet of Inspiration works just like Epidemic but for boons. It currently copies the exact duration with no regard for capping effects. If SoI is getting this nerf, then Epidemic will likely get the same treatment, with duration caps on each condition spread.

I think the deal with Signet of Inspiration is that they want support players to actually dedicate skill budget to supporting. That’s what they do with Druids – force them to pick healing power. There’s stat that increases outcoming boon duration, but when was the last time revs or mesmers bothered with it?

Epidemic doesn’t fall into the same bucket, becouse it’s condi skill and condi necros run appropriate stats for its use already. So unless the decide to kitten it for kitten’s sake – it’s safe.

it would be stupid they nerf epidemic, necros have a spot in raids exclusively because of that skill.
Nerfing epidemic means they have to buff dps of other skills, but that would broke balance in pvp.
Or maybe they nerf epidemic, no buff and kick necro out of raids for ever like and we end with necro hate all over again just like dungeons and fractals used to be.

Evilek.5690:

Dont worry, Epidemic will not be changed. Problem on mesmer is pernament boons like quickness,protection, etc.

Not only am I expecting an epidemic nerf, but I’m also expecting a nerf to jagged horrors. Either a fixed time limit, or a hard cap on the number you can have at a given time (or both).

Anchoku.8142:

The 5 target limit was pretty big. I had forgotten about it. That was a WvW driven nerf, right?

Apart from the fact that it was a buff for everyone. Reducing hit cap helped reduce lag by alot.

Please stop giving them ideas.

Usagi.4835:

Please stop giving them ideas.

They already suggested that they would be looking into Epidemic.

Honestly, I’m not sure why they would. I haven’t raided but is Viper Necro incredibly dominant there? Pretty sure no one touches it in PvP and while some use it in WvW, that’s mostly for running over unorganised groups. Not really something of outstanding effectiveness if your enemy knows what condi clear is.

CCLegion.5936:

Honestly, I’m not sure why they would. I haven’t raided but is Viper Necro incredibly dominant there? Pretty sure no one touches it in PvP and while some use it in WvW, that’s mostly for running over unorganised groups. Not really something of outstanding effectiveness if your enemy knows what condi clear is.

It’s not exactly dominant, no. Epidemic and condi-play (pulling condis, transfering them back and forth) make them solid choices on most fights, but you could live without them at pretty much every encounter.

PvE could take a nerf down to 3 copies from a target and not suffer too much but I would want compensation like life force for the target and each successful copy.

Of course, it is 2 or 4 months too late for tomorrow’s patch

SoI is the most overpowered skill in the game, and Mesmers can cast it multiple times in a row with traits and Continuum. Epidemic comes nowhere close to that.

Looks like the MM vipers build frequently being used got killed.

Yay I was wrong! Epi lives!

Lahmia.2193:

Yay I was wrong! Epi lives!

there was no reason to nerf it anyway

vicious.5683:

Lahmia.2193:

Yay I was wrong! Epi lives!

there was no reason to nerf it anyway

As I said at the start, it worked the same way as SoI, copying without regard for caps.
Anet likes to put things in line, whether they are similarly balanced or not.
Just look at Enchanted Daggers (rev shiro heal). It’s a pretty bad heal but Anet nerfed it so it uses up charges on evade/block/blind, purely because other skills that act in a similar way (venoms) use up charges on evade/block/blind.

At this point it doesn’t matter what they do to Epidemic.

No one will be using a Necro for anything serious anyway after the nerfs.