Guild Wars 2

Ranged single target abilities are easily compromised by stealth and teleporting (both of which are pretty rampant in the game), and in general are just infinitely more unwieldy than using WASD/mouse or a reticle to aim an attack. On top of this, “mid-ranged” abilities are sort of already passively suppressed by how powerful max ranged weapons are in the game right now combined with how easy it is to close gaps or escape from any sort of engagement. It’s melee or max range. Mid-range hardly had any place in this game to begin with by virtue of how movement works, and after years of favoritism to max-range conditions and melee auto-attacks, it has been completely removed from relevance. It’s also the reason why the “big change” to necro axe a while ago was “Look at how we made the 600 into a 900, guys.”

At this rate, given how necro axe is almost entirely neglected in all modes, it might as well be reworked into something that Necromancer players can use comfortably within the scope of the current game: a ranged weapon which provides support, utility, area control and also direct damage befitting a power build option.

If axe loses the 900 range it’s useless. I have had plenty of luck with it in pve/wvw/pvp killing things. Scepter is 900 range and nobody really complains about that.

Axe could use a couple changes, but making it melee range is not one of them. Axe 2 being a whirl at 900 range and/or Axe 3 being a blast would help. Some AoE support may help too.

Dagger or greatsword are already really hard to use in wvw or pvp, making axe into a melee weapon would push the few power necros into other classes or condi builds.

Please don’t make Axe melee, it’s the only decent ranged weapon for power Necro. Staff has too many conditions for my liking. Actually, they should buff Axe! (I also daydream about Axe off-hand with pulsing AoE damage and Might but that’s another story).

No axe is our ranged power weapon. That said it is sadly supbar do the fact that Anet seems to overvalue ranged attacks without any travel time.

I think it is mainly the auto and ghastly claws that need the rework. For being single target skills they dont do enough in my opinion.

Just add an aoe w/ 2 additional targets to #1 and 2.

maybe something like this could be added with the probability of an offhand axe.

OK, so consensus wants it to stay as a ranged weapon it seems, but no one can argue that single-target ranged abilities that forego projectiles are the clumsiest abilities in the game in how they require a target at a reasonable angle that isn’t stealthed or teleporting (they also are cheesy in how they bypass reflects and have instant travel time). Even if the set is to remain a ranged set, it still needs improvements/reworks to how it inflicts its damage so that it’s viable in both large-scale and 1v1 engagements (making it contribute more to large-scale encounters will naturally trickle down a quality-of-life improvement to smaller fights). Adding AoEs to the skills will help with this, but it can’t just be a slap-on effect. It’d be better to see them slightly reworked for the sake of better contribution to fights and also easier, more fluid usage for the player.

As it stands now axe is only good at single-opponent kills. But that’s just it, it’s good at it. I got the 5000 kill achievement for axe purely on necro.

For zerg-on-zerg or blobs of NPCs I end up going staff and using wells before finishing in shroud.

I too agree that axe should remain as a ranged weapon, but, no matter how unlikely, I’d like it to be almost completely reworked. My biggest gripe is that it’s boring to use and I can do similar, if not better, “things” using a dagger at close to mid range (Life Siphon and Dark Pact). I also feel this way about the corresponding trait Unholy Fervor. So if we’re bullkittenting ideas I might as well put my two cents in.

Axe Skills (skills are no longer “hit-scan”):

Trait (switches tiers with Spiteful Spirit):

Dignified Loser.7689:

I too agree that axe should remain as a ranged weapon, but, no matter how unlikely, I’d like it to be almost completely reworked. My biggest gripe is that it’s boring to use and I can do similar, if not better, “things” using a dagger at close to mid range (Life Siphon and Dark Pact). I also feel this way about the corresponding trait Unholy Fervor. So if we’re bullkittenting ideas I might as well put my two cents in.

Axe Skills (skills are no longer “hit-scan”):

Show Spoiler

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1a. Rending Claws: Slash your foe twice with ghostly claws to make them vulnerable.
-Damage (2x): 260 (0.9)?
-2x Vulnerability (7s): 2% Incoming Damage, 2% Incoming Condition Damage
-Range: 900
-Cast Time: 1s
-Projectile Finisher: 20%
1b. Ghastly Claws: Summon spectral claws to slash your foe in a quick flurry of strikes, gaining life force per strike.
-Damage (3x): 375 (0.9)?
-Life Force: 6%
-Range: 900
-Channel Time: 0.75s
-Projectile Finisher: 20%
1c. Ghastly Talon: Slice foes in front of you with a conjured spectral scythe, gaining life force for each foe struck.
-Damage: 214 (1.3)?
-Life Force: 2.5%
-Number of Targets: 3
-Range: 1200
-Cast Time: 0.75s

2. Debilitating Talon: Weaken foes and make them vulnerable with a conjured ghostly scythe (15s cd).
-Damage: 380 (2.1)?
-3x Vulnerability (18s): 3% Incoming Damage, 3% Incoming Condition Damage
-Weakness (4s): -50% Endurance Regeneration, 50% Fumble (Unrestricted)
-Number of Targets: 3
-Range: 1200
-Cast Time: 0.5s

3. Unholy Feast: Cripple nearby foes and convert their boons into conditions. Gain retaliation for each foe you strike (12s cd).
-Damage: 272 (0.8)?
-Retaliation (3s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.
-Crippled (5s): -50% Movement Speed
-Converted to Conditions: 1
-Number of Targets: 5
-Range: 600
-Cast Time: 1s
-Combo Finisher: Blast

Trait (switches tiers with Spiteful Spirit):

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Unholy Fervor: Regenerate health every second and deal more damage while under the effects of retaliation. Rending Claws and Ghastly Claws projectiles can now bounce, granting struck allies retaliation. Axe skills have reduced cooldowns.
-Healing: 75 (0.18)?
-Retaliation (2s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.
-Number of Bounces: 1
-Damage Increase: 10%
-Cooldown reduced: 20%

I can appreciate the work on trying to update the weapon! My only issues are:

• 1) The cooldowns you’ve slapped onto the 2 and 3 skills are horrendous. I mean, I get that most weapons are often skill dumps that lead into 9 seconds of autoattack spam with sometimes 1 skill in reserve for panic twitching, but it’d be nice if we could move away from that for the sake of making a weapon set worth camping outside of it having a powerful auto.
• 2) The single bounce in the trait isn’t going to be worth it because of how cluttered fights will probably end up seeing that effect lost in a cloud of AI units and players of both sides. It’ll be probably OK in a 1v1, but that’s it; that really sort of dooms its potential versatility and pigeon-holes it into a selfish role. I know that that’s probably what you were going for (buff for 1v1s), but balancing around 1v1s really limits the potential of an ability when the rest of the game often involves far more numbers on either side.

I kind of like the Unholy Ferver rewarding the maintenance of a boon (or at least promoting a window of benefit), but keeping boons up in this game is too easy. It’s not an intuitive benefit; it just encourages spamming to maximize the retal upkeep. Sure, there’s some level of optimal usage placed in the hands of the player (waiting for a lot of targets for longer retal) and the fact that you might want to corrupt a specific boon, but ultimately the fact that boons are so widespread and spammy nowadays undermines any sort of intended accuracy for a single-boon corrupt and leaves the player mostly just recasting the ability off cooldown with no real consequence.

Erasmus.1624:

Dignified Loser.7689:

I too agree that axe should remain as a ranged weapon, but, no matter how unlikely, I’d like it to be almost completely reworked. My biggest gripe is that it’s boring to use and I can do similar, if not better, “things” using a dagger at close to mid range (Life Siphon and Dark Pact). I also feel this way about the corresponding trait Unholy Fervor. So if we’re bullkittenting ideas I might as well put my two cents in.

Axe Skills (skills are no longer “hit-scan”):

Show Spoiler

hide spoiler

1a. Rending Claws: Slash your foe twice with ghostly claws to make them vulnerable.
-Damage (2x): 260 (0.9)?
-2x Vulnerability (7s): 2% Incoming Damage, 2% Incoming Condition Damage
-Range: 900
-Cast Time: 1s
-Projectile Finisher: 20%
1b. Ghastly Claws: Summon spectral claws to slash your foe in a quick flurry of strikes, gaining life force per strike.
-Damage (3x): 375 (0.9)?
-Life Force: 6%
-Range: 900
-Channel Time: 0.75s
-Projectile Finisher: 20%
1c. Ghastly Talon: Slice foes in front of you with a conjured spectral scythe, gaining life force for each foe struck.
-Damage: 214 (1.3)?
-Life Force: 2.5%
-Number of Targets: 3
-Range: 1200
-Cast Time: 0.75s

2. Debilitating Talon: Weaken foes and make them vulnerable with a conjured ghostly scythe (15s cd).
-Damage: 380 (2.1)?
-3x Vulnerability (18s): 3% Incoming Damage, 3% Incoming Condition Damage
-Weakness (4s): -50% Endurance Regeneration, 50% Fumble (Unrestricted)
-Number of Targets: 3
-Range: 1200
-Cast Time: 0.5s

3. Unholy Feast: Cripple nearby foes and convert their boons into conditions. Gain retaliation for each foe you strike (12s cd).
-Damage: 272 (0.8)?
-Retaliation (3s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.
-Crippled (5s): -50% Movement Speed
-Converted to Conditions: 1
-Number of Targets: 5
-Range: 600
-Cast Time: 1s
-Combo Finisher: Blast

Trait (switches tiers with Spiteful Spirit):

Show Spoiler

hide spoiler

Unholy Fervor: Regenerate health every second and deal more damage while under the effects of retaliation. Rending Claws and Ghastly Claws projectiles can now bounce, granting struck allies retaliation. Axe skills have reduced cooldowns.
-Healing: 75 (0.18)?
-Retaliation (2s): Reflect incoming damage back to its source.
-Number of Bounces: 1
-Damage Increase: 10%
-Cooldown reduced: 20%

I can appreciate the work on trying to update the weapon! My only issues are:

• 1) The cooldowns you’ve slapped onto the 2 and 3 skills are horrendous. I mean, I get that most weapons are often skill dumps that lead into 9 seconds of autoattack spam with sometimes 1 skill in reserve for panic twitching, but it’d be nice if we could move away from that for the sake of making a weapon set worth camping outside of it having a powerful auto.
• 2) The single bounce in the trait isn’t going to be worth it because of how cluttered fights will probably end up seeing that effect lost in a cloud of AI units and players of both sides. It’ll be probably OK in a 1v1, but that’s it; that really sort of dooms its potential versatility and pigeon-holes it into a selfish role. I know that that’s probably what you were going for (buff for 1v1s), but balancing around 1v1s really limits the potential of an ability when the rest of the game often involves far more numbers on either side.

I kind of like the Unholy Ferver rewarding the maintenance of a boon (or at least promoting a window of benefit), but keeping boons up in this game is too easy. It’s not an intuitive benefit; it just encourages spamming to maximize the retal upkeep. Sure, there’s some level of optimal usage placed in the hands of the player (waiting for a lot of targets for longer retal) and the fact that you might want to corrupt a specific boon, but ultimately the fact that boons are so widespread and spammy nowadays undermines any sort of intended accuracy for a single-boon corrupt and leaves the player mostly just recasting the ability off cooldown with no real consequence.

All fair points, well except for the commentary of skill 3 as I only added a blast finisher aspect a did nothing else; so that’s how it functions in game now. That being said, I’m torn between weapon sets having powerful skills used intermittently or average skills used often. I figured axe skills would be the prior and so I wanted to at least make skill 1 interesting if it were to be used “too” much. I suppose I can take a look into it and reduce the dependency of spamming skill 1 as well as the all too situational design(s) of the trait. Thanks for the suggestions.

What if they made axe 2 like the guardian scepter skill and gave it a 1s immob to guarantee some good hits?

Cecilia.5179:

What if they made axe 2 like the guardian scepter skill and gave it a 1s immob to guarantee some good hits?

I was actually tossing around an idea like that. No immobilize, though. Hang on, I’ll just throw the thing up.

I reworked the idea of necro axe being a melee weapon. It’s fine as a ranged, power option. Necro sort of needs one anyway. It just needed a lot of help. Feel free to critique.

The axe for many professions is a midrange weapon so I think whatever is proposed needs to align to that concept, even if the midrange concept is not that useful in GW2. Personally, I don’t think Necro lack in the melee range arena, so as a justification for change, I don’t see the value.

If anything, I would keep the midrange concepts it already has and examine ways to address multiple targets in the melee range to reduce it’s disadvantage as a primarily midrange weapon.

Obtena.7952:

The axe for many professions is a midrange weapon so I think whatever is proposed needs to align to that concept, even if the midrange concept is not that useful in GW2.

Flavor is not a strong foundation for balance. If it looks pretty, but is functionally worthless, it’s a cosmetic item. Necromancer axe is currently very much a cosmetic item outside of the occasionally gimmicky 1v1 in WvW. That is a waste of assets. It needs to be functional.

Obtena.7952:

Personally, I don’t think Necro lack in the melee range arena, so as a justification for change, I don’t see the value.

Necro doesn’t lack in the melee range because Reaper exists. Reaper Shroud isn’t a weapon. Moreover, the dagger AA is overpowered like most AAs, so it makes up for shroud not being permanent if we’re talking about low number target fights. All that aside, conditions are meta nowadays anyway.

The most important fact, though, is that Necromancer on its own is only sustained in melee only by dagger AA spam. Stock Necromancer melee is pretty pathetic, and Powernecro hasn’t been good (or at least superior to conditions) for many, many months.

Obtena.7952:

If anything, I would keep the midrange concepts it already has and examine ways to address multiple targets in the melee range to reduce it’s disadvantage as a primarily midrange weapon.

So, what, you’re talking about just changing the “9” in “900” back to a “6” again? That’s fine because my suggestion has already blatantly addressed the single-target limitations of the current Necromancer axe. However, you can’t ignore the fact that GW2 is suffocating under the pressure of teleports (instant movement) and perfect damage/effect negation (blocks, evades, stability, resistance) that players have been pigeon-holed into max or melee range over the past several years due to poor design choices. Making the axe a 600 range attack weapon wouldn’t save it even if the attacks were made into (relative) AoEs.

Melee players would simply walk/teleport into the 600-range Necromancer axe while coated in damage immunity or while simultaneously casting stuns. Max range players would simply get all of their favorite combos and CC off before the 600-range Necromancer axe would have a chance to open with anything. 600-range dooms a weapon to line-of-sight tactics for every fight. 900-range at least gives the weapon a bit of a chance to have some buffer between itself and an opponent.

Flavour is not a strong foundation for balance, that’s true, I don’t actually see an argument that Axe isn’t balanced here. Frankly, I think the only thing I find displeasing about Axe, or any other midrange weapon is that they perform THE SAME at any range. If the weapon is a poor performer, it’s poor close or far. The idea of the midrange weapons are to open up you choices and be less ‘black and white’ limited on range. I mean, we can dream up all sorts of different ways to make Axe do the things we all want it to do because lets face it, conceptually, wielding a big axe is pretty bad kitten and we all want to do it and this is our primary motivation to see something ‘cool’ happen with it.

I’m just being wise here … Anet provided Necros with a midrange weapon that is rather average at any range. That ‘averageness’ makes sense to me if you do consider balance; should range size impact weapon capability? I think absolutely and you do see that with other classes (LB on Ranger, GS on Mesmer).

So for me the question is; how do you balance that midrange concept with skills on the weapon … just the same way LB on Ranger or GS on Mesmer are. Axe fails because of mediocre performance, I suspect due to the increased range past melee.

BTW, I am ignoring the fact that GW2 is suffocating under teleports or whathaveyou because never will you see weapon skills changed because of temporary ebbs and flows of metaplay. That’s an impossible target to make any changes around. The best Anet can do, which they do well IMO, is provide a wide range of weapons with different skills to allow players to choose appropriate strategies as the meta does change.

I’d be happy if they added this:

• Auto attack cleaves on targets near your primary target (max 3) – the same as Ranger’s Ricochet auto attack but without the bouncing animation/delays – just immediate hits.

• Unholy Feast – add AOE 0.5 second revealed (so we can break stealth on a fast cooldown but we can’t stop them re-stealthing almost immediately after).

I really think stealth should be a boon so it can be corrupted or stripped.

Obtena.7952:

Flavour is not a strong foundation for balance, that’s true, I don’t actually see an argument that Axe isn’t balanced here. Frankly, I think the only thing I find displeasing about Axe, or any other midrange weapon is that they perform THE SAME at any range. If the weapon is a poor performer, it’s poor close or far. The idea of the midrange weapons are to open up you choices and be less ‘black and white’ limited on range. I mean, we can dream up all sorts of different ways to make Axe do the things we all want it to do because lets face it, conceptually, wielding a big axe is pretty bad kitten and we all want to do it and this is our primary motivation to see something ‘cool’ happen with it.

Again, this isn’t about flavor. This is about making a cosmetic weapon into the weapon it was intended to be.

Obtena.7952:

I’m just being wise here … Anet provided Necros with a midrange weapon that is rather average at any range. That ‘averageness’ makes sense to me if you do consider balance; should range size impact weapon capability? I think absolutely and you do see that with other classes (LB on Ranger, GS on Mesmer).

You’re inclination toward flavor is hardly wise. However, you’re actually not off-base when you speak of how it would be ideal to see damage vary based on its range between user and target.

Obtena.7952:

So for me the question is; how do you balance that midrange concept with skills on the weapon … just the same way LB on Ranger or GS on Mesmer are. Axe fails because of mediocre performance, I suspect due to the increased range past melee.

First off, the only skills on either of those respective sets which actually have damage influences based on range are the autoattacks. Every other attack is basically just as effective at any range (even though Point Black Shot has a range modifier on the push-back, the CC duration remains flat and positioning is easily compromised by invulnerability, teleports or line of sight).

Obtena.7952:

BTW, I am ignoring the fact that GW2 is suffocating under teleports or whathaveyou because never will you see weapon skills changed because of temporary ebbs and flows of metaplay.

You can’t do that. That’s what anet has done for years. It’s entirely possible. The game has gotten out of control and it’s honestly very easy to see paths out of the mess. People just don’t want to imagine a world without their crutches. Most importantly, things like stealth, teleports and instant damage are not just ebbs and flows of metaplay.

Thief basically isn’t a class: it’s a showcase for stealth; it’s worthless without it—it’s barely functional with it in the current meta now. Mesmer is worthless without a selected target and works entirely on instant travel hitscan with AI spam. Warrior is a crippled, shallow class that is only made “viable” by rapid passive regen and extended, instant-activation invulnerability to damage and effects. These and more design issues have all been establishments since launch, but that doesn’t mean that they need to be absolutes forever.

AoEs in this game’s engine do not seem to be capable of scaling damage within themselves. That’s something only for cones and projectiles. If anet finds a way to engineer that (which I don’t see happening ever), we’ll have to stick to what currently works. I’ll fix up a way to engineer some damage scaling into the autoattack, but that’s the only real concession that could exist for this rework. The 3 skill remains functionally the same but with added support; the 2 skill’s function is changed entirely for the sake if promoting area control as an aspect of the weapon set. Overall, together, these changes make a far more functional and versatile power-based weapon set than the current Necromancer axe.

dzeRnumbrd.6129:

I really think stealth should be a boon so it can be corrupted or stripped.

That would mean it would be subject to + Boon Duration. Perma stealth would be easy. Bad idea.

Erasmus.1624:

Again, this isn’t about flavor. This is about making a cosmetic weapon into the weapon it was intended to be.

Well, I think we have to stop right there because Anet decides the intent, not players. If you’re going to presume to know best about what the weapon was intended to be, you’re suggesting that you know more about how the game should be designed than Anet does, which is obviously nonsense, since Anet dictates that.

Erasmus.1624:

You’re inclination toward flavor is hardly wise. However, you’re actually not off-base when you speak of how it would be ideal to see damage vary based on its range between user and target.

If it’s not wise, at least it’s realistic … Anet doesn’t ignore flavour, why should you if you’re going to make suggestions you want taken seriously? Axe will always be a midrange, average damage weapon. Why? Because that’s what Anet feels is needed as part of the general Necro toolset. That has no consideration for PVE, PVP or WvW … it’s up to the player to decide what tools to use for those situations, not for Anet to tell us “here is your PVP weapon”.

What’s the point of talking about this? Anet’s not going to do anything about the crappy axe. They were happy to leave GS in its crappy state for PvP enthusiasts, and they in turn buffed the one weapon (scepter) that didn’t need buffed.

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Sorry but only changes I see them making would be when the next expansion comes out, then they’ll hype something else up. That’s when we’ll finally get some dev<→player interaction again…at least until after the next expansion launch then they’ll nerf things to crap, change fundamental mechanics that sold us the xpansion (chill damage), and disappear so they don’t have to talk to us about balance & changes.

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

I don’t? lol… If you think staff is powerful then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s an OK utility ranged option at best, something we’re still for the most part forced to use because it’s our only ranged option. By no means it’s powerful.

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

“Utility” weapon basically means it might as well have been part of a better weapon set. It’s only something you swap to for a very niche reason or it has a very one-dimensional usage. Just because you can tag mobs with it in zergs or plant a fear circle around you when fighting a thief doesn’t make it a well designed weapon that has good versatility.

Ultimately, this is all borne from anet’s decision to make all skills bound to oppressively high cooldowns. Risk of use and the ability to miss attacks is a more natural way to “balance” a skill rather than “oh, it’s impossible to miss and is super powerful but you can only use it once every 40 seconds.”

gavyne.6847:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

I don’t? lol… If you think staff is powerful then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s an OK utility ranged option at best, something we’re still for the most part forced to use because it’s our only ranged option. By no means it’s powerful.

I never said it was powerful. I’m saying it has its place. Sure you could buff it but that would only bring about inevitable nerfs given anet’s record of “balance”.

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

I don’t? lol… If you think staff is powerful then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s an OK utility ranged option at best, something we’re still for the most part forced to use because it’s our only ranged option. By no means it’s powerful.

I never said it was powerful. I’m saying it has its place. Sure you could buff it but that would only bring about inevitable nerfs given anet’s record of “balance”.

People use “buff” when they either want to (or should) mean “rework.” Staff has a place, but that place is so uninspired and boring that it’s more of an insult to its existence than it is a real home for it. I’ve posted my alternative to “autoattack + 4 circles” plenty already. There are ways to make a fair necro staff with plenty of unique utility and support without sacrificing its ability to tag mobs or deny area.

Erasmus.1624:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

I don’t? lol… If you think staff is powerful then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s an OK utility ranged option at best, something we’re still for the most part forced to use because it’s our only ranged option. By no means it’s powerful.

I never said it was powerful. I’m saying it has its place. Sure you could buff it but that would only bring about inevitable nerfs given anet’s record of “balance”.

People use “buff” when they either want to (or should) mean “rework.” Staff has a place, but that place is so uninspired and boring that it’s more of an insult to its existence than it is a real home for it. I’ve posted my alternative to “autoattack + 4 circles” plenty already. There are ways to make a fair necro staff with plenty of unique utility and support without sacrificing its ability to tag mobs or deny area.

We all know Anet’s record of more unique skills like Grasping Shadow or the old Ranger sword auto attack. Both unique, both utterly terrible.

What did you have in mind for staff though?

I myself made a suggestion about Axe months ago https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/necromancer/Suggestion-Axe-rework, maybe it can give you some additional ideas.

Lahmia.2193:

Erasmus.1624:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

Lahmia.2193:

gavyne.6847:

At the moment I wish they would buff staff more than anything else, because it’s still a go to ranged weapon for us that’s lacking in every way possible when compared to any other class’ ranged weapons.

Clearly you don’t play WvW much. Don’t tread on my staff.

I don’t? lol… If you think staff is powerful then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s an OK utility ranged option at best, something we’re still for the most part forced to use because it’s our only ranged option. By no means it’s powerful.

I never said it was powerful. I’m saying it has its place. Sure you could buff it but that would only bring about inevitable nerfs given anet’s record of “balance”.

People use “buff” when they either want to (or should) mean “rework.” Staff has a place, but that place is so uninspired and boring that it’s more of an insult to its existence than it is a real home for it. I’ve posted my alternative to “autoattack + 4 circles” plenty already. There are ways to make a fair necro staff with plenty of unique utility and support without sacrificing its ability to tag mobs or deny area.

We all know Anet’s record of more unique skills like Grasping Shadow or the old Ranger sword auto attack. Both unique, both utterly terrible.

What did you have in mind for staff though?

Support options with staying power via persisting damage and lower cooldowns which are balanced by the ability to “miss” attacks by mistiming them or positioning them poorly.

Bluewizard.2694:

Rending Claws

It’s damage get’s increased by 5%. But it now will only take 3/4 second instead of 1 in order to faster apply vulnerability.

this could be a first step to make axe more useful for every game mode.

This is basically what anet has been doing to most weapons since release: lower cooldown/faster activation/higher-lower damage. You’re not changing the functionality of the weapon. A buff isn’t going to make USING the axe any less insufferable than it is now. The only thing this change encourages is axe’s extremely niche usage in winning cheesy 1v1s.

Most importantly, you don’t balance skills in the scope of “first steps” or a “progression.” Change the skill into something more sensible! Don’t pretend that players are going to be content with going on a journey along your side as you slowly push and poke a skill into its “ideal” state.

Bluewizard.2694:

Ghastly Claws

It’s damage get’s increased by 5%. It’s channeling time gets reduced to two seconds. But instead of dealing damage to one target, targets in a radius of 150 of the target also receive 25% of the damage received by the main target.

This is a direct downgrade to regular AoE for the sake of trying to be unique. More importantly, your “AoE” is still tied to a target: it’s not manually aimed. If you’re fighting 1v1 against a player with stealth, this skill still remains useless much as the current necro axe 2. If you want to influence enemy player movement with a player-targeted skill, it’s easier to model it after the Thaumanova Anomaly “bomb” skill that deals damage in an AoE around the player after a delay. However, such a mechanic shouldn’t be designed as a weapon set’s primary/secondary means of dealing damage. Those attacks need to be more reliable and natural in the hands of the user. It’s a better concept for a 5 skill with a moderate cooldown and dangerous damage/control effects.

Bluewizard.2694:

Unholy Feast

It’s damage get’s increased by 5%. Cripple nearby foes and turn their boons (1) into conditions (1). Gain retaliation for each foe you strike. Punish foes with boons by dealing 10% more damage for every boon on your foe.

Again, this is just another damage upgrade. Most people, when speaking about doing what you’re doing with this sort of change, instead say “Just slap a blast finisher onto it.” Unholy Feast is probably the only skill on necro axe that is sort of in an OK spot. I personally removed retaliation on it because retaliation is an un-fun mechanic that encourages people to play poorly for a reward and punishes the success of an attacker. I focused on giving the skill a unique support mechanic without denying the skill’s the already expected damage and powerful anti-boon potential. The cripple and retaliation on Unholy Feast were clearly afterthoughts anyway.

Bluewizard.2694:

Unholy Fervor.

Reduces recharge on axe skills. Axe skills deal 1% more damage for every stack of vulnerability on your foe. Ghastly Claws generates an additional 0.2% life force for every stack of vulnerability on your foe.

This is just another damage buff that doesn’t address in any way how USING necro axe is a pain. Moreover, the weapon already has plenty of standalone Life Force generation. Like the majority of these changes, the efforts are all entirely in the wrong place.

I don’t want to be overly negative here; I’m just saying what needs to be said. GW2 doesn’t need more “anet-style” balance changes which only concern themselves with already-in-place numbers going up and down. Most abilities in GW2 suffer from fundamental design flaws or identity crises. Those need to be resolved before we start talking numbers.