Guild Wars 2

Hey all. Just had a stupid little idea about a trait and was wondering what others thought about it. Everyone likes to talk about risk vs reward in respect to balancing. I think wells could be a great example of this – have to get up close to cast but timed right , can bring a group of players down.

The trait ’ focused rituals’ has been bothering me recently. It is a trait that removes the risk and still gives the same reward. What do you think about a trait that instead applies a chill every time the well pulses. This would be done to make the opponent more ‘trapped’ in the well. This way you still risk putting yourself in melee but get a better reward from the trait.

I know this is similar to what well of darkness can do with chilling darkness but putting that aside, would anyone be interested in this type of a change?

The risk in my opinion is skipping all the other great traits in curses for ranged wells. This is really only a glaring issue in WvW, where you can stand on a wall or in a mega-zerg and throw wells out in clumps of people.

The chill would be nice, but not really enough to prevent people from just dodge rolling out of the wells. A pulsing immobilize at master level would be nice, though a bit over the top.

Thanks for the feedback. This idea would probably be a little extreme too but what about:

Enemies lose 50% endurance with each pulse of the well and movement skills are disabled

There is a trait that freezes players when blinded, so you can use the well that blinds (which when traited will also freeze) then pop the other wells on top of them.

This doesn’t help the whole risk vs reward, just that what you’re describing pretty much already exists if you trait right.

youlostthegame.8102:

There is a trait that freezes players when blinded, so you can use the well that blinds (which when traited will also freeze) then pop the other wells on top of them.

Sepreh.5924:

I know this is similar to what well of darkness can do with chilling darkness but putting that aside, would anyone be interested in this type of a change?

Wells already face the issue of traits being spread across 3 trees, and ground targeting in this game is already a bit clunky. I give up my ability to single button drop my well in combat without really interrupting anything and get it where I have to drop it with additional clicks and mouse input and also face the occassional, welp, I’m going to take 2 seconds to cast now for no reason. But I gain the ability to use it on walls (of course with the risk of being pulled off since you have to stand on the wall ledge right over them due to med range) and casting it outside of melee range. This is also picking it over fall damage, bleed duration, chilling blinds, enfeebling blood, etc.

It’s a trait that has a purpose and I consider balanced. Other classes also have similar traits (such as guardian) that bring extra usefulness to their utility.

I would also consider anything that prevents people from getting out of your well built into the well as OP as that would create them kitten second AOE CC at which point 100% of every necro would trait that.

If anything were to change on Well traits, it would be to buff Vampiric Rituals as taking a Grandmaster trait to do 10-15 damage to up to 5 people and siphon less health than what my warrior gains off perma-regens is a joke. Though if they buff siphoning enough, maybe.

The “risk” of wells has little to do with proximity in most builds; you want to be in that range anyway.

It has to do with how easy they are to negate. Unless your aim is perfect, anyone can just dodge roll in the proper direction and have taken at most two ticks of your well. So instead you need to really time your wells properly, otherwise your left with a pretty spot on the ground doing nothing until it comes up again in 40s.

Bhawb.7408:

The “risk” of wells has little to do with proximity in most builds; you want to be in that range anyway.

It has to do with how easy they are to negate. Unless your aim is perfect, anyone can just dodge roll in the proper direction and have taken at most two ticks of your well. So instead you need to really time your wells properly, otherwise your left with a pretty spot on the ground doing nothing until it comes up again in 40s.

Hadn’t thought about the risk vs reward in this way, but makes sense. Do you think the current rewards on wells are worth that risk?

I’m not sure – haven’t thought enough about it in this way

Yes they are. WoC for example is basically a guaranteed kill in a glass build if you land it. Plus the downed pressure is stupid.

Having untargetted wells actually works very well with the dagger immobilize, even followed up with a warhorn daze or fear to keep them from dodging out. Using them at range keeps people from being CC’d in them. It works extremely well for WvW zergs and it’s ok for PVE, but beyond that it isn’t really all that special.

Bhawb.7408:

Yes they are. WoC for example is basically a guaranteed kill in a glass build if you land it. Plus the downed pressure is stupid.

This is very true. In WvW I drop WofD on top of WofS anytime a GC backstap thief stealths around me. Closest thing I’ve gotten to the “you hurt me it’s gonna cost you big” play style I so desperately want for the Necro.

Roe.3679:

Having untargetted wells actually works very well with the dagger immobilize, even followed up with a warhorn daze or fear to keep them from dodging out. Using them at range keeps people from being CC’d in them. It works extremely well for WvW zergs and it’s ok for PVE, but beyond that it isn’t really all that special.

Dagger 3 + Wh 4 is a combo I use in small skirmishes in WvW all the time. Coupled with a ridiculously high up-time on AoE chill, it’s not hard to get Wells to land quite a few hits.