Guild Wars 2

As I have mentioned it, I kind of am in a current love hate relation with the Druid, mainly because it is for my opinion way too much Astral Theme and too less Nature Theme.
Currently the Design feels like being a ratio of 80/20 towards Astral Theme and here I want to show ANet (and you), how the Design would work under my concept better when it would be designed more after a 50/50 ratio version concept.

So lets start:
(Part 1 – Skills)

Staff

1) Solar Beam – Fire a concentrated Beam of Light, damaging foes in line of sight and healing allies in that line of sight too.
2) Astral Wisp – Send a Wisp to attach to your foe, which encircles it, healing allies that it passes through, granting them on touch also Protection for 1,5 seconds
3) Vine Surge – Send forth vines, which immobilize foes, clenase conditions from allies and convert up to 3 Conditions from you over to the targeted foe.
4) Leaf Storm – Create at your Ground Target a Storm of Leafs, which peridically weakens foes inside of it and deals damage over time through razor sharp leafs that cause Bleedings also periodically in exchange with the periodic Weakness (Bleed > Weakness > Bleed > Weakness ect.)
5) Bestial Fury – Call for Beasts to cause a Stampede that knocks foes down in line of sight, while granting yourself and nearby allies Fury, Swiftness and Might for each foe that got knocked down by the Stampede (Max 5)

Class Mechanic

Aspects
A concept, under which the Druid shapeshifts his own form based on various different natural, astral or bestial aspects, using all kinds of environmental sources that the Druids specialized Nature magic can make use of)
Astral Force is renamed now to “Essence of Life”
Essence of Life, that you need to activate the Aspects will be gained, whenever you heal yourself or Allies or remove Conditions from them and when you receive damage, but Essence of Life from receive damage will be minor compared to Essence of Life you gain ,when you heal Allies or remove Conditions.

F1) Aspect of Astrology
F2) Aspect of Nature
F3) Aspect of Beasts

Based on which Aspect Force you activate, whill you change your Weapon Skills regardless of which Weapon you use at the moment to practically “Aspect Skills”

Aspect of Astrology

1) Cosmic Ray – Call down energy onto the target area, that will heal allies and disables for a while there Effects from Enemy Banners, Nature Spirits, or passive Traits)
2) Ancestral Grace – Become a Wisp and traverse to your target location. Remove conditions at the target location from allies and heal them per removed condition. Blind enemies around you while you traverse as Wisp.
3) Meteor Impact – Call down a massive meteor that crushes down dealign damage and knocking foes down in its arena of effect
4) Interstellar Barrier – Create a Barrier Field of Astral Force, that grants Regeneration and Vigor periodically, which can’t be entered and blocks projectiles as long the Druid keeps the barrier up. But the costs for this skill are so immense, that the Druid will receive constantly stacks of Self Bleed, Cripple and Vulnerability for every projectile this skill blocks.
5) Astral Convergence – Channel your celestial powers to create an energy field, which peridically cripples and slows foes inside and which turns projectiles from outside when they enter that field into line of sight healing shooting stars for allies.
—-

Aspect of Nature

1) Toxic Mist – Send out a Toxic Mist of Spores, which will Poison and Torment foes.
2) Seed of Life – Summon a Seed of Life at your Ground Target, which heals and removes conditions when it blossoms. Will revive downed allies if it blossoms near them.
3) Frozen Soil – Summon a Nature Spirit that causes enemies not being able to rally, while its up, as also allies periodicalyl cause Chill and Chill being 50% less effective against you and allies
4) Fertile Season – Summon a Nature Spirit, that increases the efficiency of passive Traits, Banners and Signet Passives for you and nearby allies, while its up.
5) Edge of Extinction – Summon a Nature Spirit, which deals whenever it receives damage (includes also condition damage ticks) also damage to all nearby enemies. Once it dies, it will send out all conditions it had on it at that moment of death to all nearby enemies.

Aspect of Beasts

1) Scavenger Strike > Serpent’s Quickness > Symbiosis
Attack the foes nearby with a Scavenger Strike, which will cause Vulnerability, followed by Serpent’s Quicknes,s letting you evade and deal a poisoning hit that grants you also for 2 seconds Quickness, followed by Symbiosis, which is a Combo Attack with your Attack, which grants you Boons and Effects based on which Pet Class you use.

2) Predatory Season – Summon a Nature Spirit, which raises all Stats of your Pet, while its up and lets your Pet leech health with its attacks, that you gain then. Conditions of your Pets last also longer while this Spirit is up.
3) Predator’s Pounce – Call for a stealthed Predator(Panther), which will pounce out of Stealth with a Lunge attack, knocking foes down and causing Bleeds. Your Pet will gain Fury, Might and Swiftness if this Attack hits successfully.
4) Bee Swarm – Summon Swarms at your Target Area Swarms of Bees which home into nearby enemies and follow them arround as long their duration runs (that Mordrem Bee skill) Enemies in contact with Bee Swarm will constantly receive damage and get weakened and slowed
5) Eagle Sight – Summon a Pair of Eagles which will follow you for the next 20 seconds and attack like homing missiles automatically nearby targets following them until they hit, causing with their attacks Bleedings and Blindness. On activation, causes strealthed enemies to get revealed as you gain also the sight of your eagles (and they oversee nothing!)
—-

Utility Skill – Glyph

Healing
Glyph of Rejuvenation – Heal yourself significantly and nearby Allies gain Regeneration
Under Aspect of Astrology – Heal significantly nearby allies and you gain Resistance
Under Aspect of Nature – Heal yourself significantly and nearby Allies gain Resistance.
Under Aspect of Beasts – Heal yourself, gain Vigor and nearby allies lose up to 3 Conditions and get a minor Heal

Glyph of Nature Nearby Foes receive damage and become immobilized, poisoned and slowed
Under Aspect of Astrology – Convert up to 3 Conditions on you and nearby alliers into Boons.
Under Aspect of Nature – The Conditions of the Glyph will be 50% more effective.
Under Aspect of Beasts – Summons a Wild Beast (also underwater) at your side for 20 seconds, that will help you in combat.

Glyph of Universe Dazes nearby foes with so much knowledge about astrology, TMI
Under Aspect of Astrology – The Effect of the Glyph will be 50% stronger and causes additionally Confusion
Under Aspect of Nature – Burns and Chills on nearby enemies will get extended by 3 seconds.
Under Aspect of Beasts – Poisons and Weaknesses on nearby enemies will get extended by 3 seconds

Glyph of Beasts Increases Damage of outgoing allies (includes Pets, Minions ect.)
Under Aspect of Astrology – Increases outgoing Healings of nearby allies
Under Aspect of Nature – Using Healing Skills lets your allies regain 50% Endurance and gain Vigor and receive Heals on next Weapon/Attunement/Kit Swap
Under Aspect of Beasts – The Effect of the Glyph is 50% stronger.

Glyph of Tides Push nearby enemies away from you.
Under Aspect of Astrology – Pull nearby enemies to you.
Under Aspect of Nature – Grant Stability to yourself and nearby Allies and stun break them.
Under Aspect of Beasts – Your Pet and allied Pets/Minions gain Quickness for 1 second whenever you deal critical damage.

Elite Glyph

Glyph of Unity Tether yourself to nearby foes. Whenever you receive damage, deal damage to all tethered to you foes too.
Under Aspect of Astrology – Tether yourself with nearby allies. Heal them as well, whenever you get healed.
Under Aspect of Nature – Tether yourself with nearby allies. Convert Conditions for them to Boons, whenever you remove a Condition or gain a Boon.
Under Aspect of Beasts – Tether your Pet with nearby allies. Whenever your Pet deals damage, tethered allies will leech health from that attacked enemy.

Whatever they do to the druid as long as it keeps it fearsome potential – beat it.

If they listen to any of these changes and we’ll get the Healing Spring treatment, that will most likely be my last visit to Ranger forums for a long time.

(Part 2: Traits)

(Minor Adept) Aspects of Life – You can equip staves and gain access to glyphs. You can become either an Avatar of Universe, Avatar of Nature or Avatar of Beasts once you gain enough Essence of Life. Generate Essence of Life by healing allies, removing Conditions and receiving Damage from enemies.

(Major Adept) Druidic Clarity – Becoming Avatar of Universe removes 1 condition. Becoming Avatar of Nature grants you Protection. Becoming Avatar of Beasts grants you Fury and your Pet deals increased damage with the next 3 Attacks.
(Major Adept) Natural Mender – Increase outgoing healings whenever you heal your allies
(Major Adept) Primal Echoes – Reduces Staff Recharge Times and dazes nearby foes, whenever you swap to Staff.

(Minor Master) Cultivated Synergy – Increases the Radius of your Healing Skills by 50% and improves the amount of allies they can affect by 100%. Example: Water Spirit will have then a Range of 1500 and will affect instead of 5 then 10 People.

(Major Master) Aura of Aspects – Grants Effects when your Aspects end.
Grants Stealth and Superspeed at the end of Avatar of Universe to nearby allies.
Grants Protection and Stability at the end of Avatar of Nature to nearby allies.
Fears for a second nearby foes and grants Resistance and Regeneration at the end of Avatar of Beasts to nearby allies.
(Major Master)Verdant Etching – Reduces recharge Times of Glyphs and summons a Seed of Life on activation of Glyphs at your location.
(Major Master) Natural Stride – Reduces Effectiveness of Taunt, Fear, Cripple, Chill and Immobilization. Your Movement Speed is permanently increased by 25% while you are not affected by these conditons.

(Minor Grandmaster) Grace of the Land – While you are in any Avatar Form, are the Condition Durations and Condition Damage on your allies reduced by 25%

(Major Grandmaster) Lingering Light – Healing an alliy creates orbiting Astral Wisps
(Major Grandmaster) Ancient Seeds – Striking stunned, dazed, knockdowned or launched enemies, will immobilize them through entangling roots that need to get destroyed to stop the immobilize.
(Major Grandmaster) Primal Wrath – Shapeshifting into an Avatar, lets also your Pet shapeshift into a Primal Beast with its own unique Primal Beast Skills.

Primal Beasts
Based on your Avatar you activate, under Primal Wrath, your pet will turn into 1 of 3 different Primal Beasts

1) Avatar of Universe = Celestial Kirin/Celestial Turtle (Underwater)
2) Avatar of Nature = Fenris Wolf/ Kraken(Underwater)
3) Avatar of Beasts = Rainbow Phoenix/ Leviathan(Underwater)

That Part I’d leave open for Anets creativity for now in regard of Primal Beast Skills

Did you leave a part open for Anet having LESS THAN 30 DAYS?

There’s some interesting things here but None Of It is gonna happen on Druid. Maybe script up a new Espec to give them ideas for Wave 2.

I have to say, I personally love the lunar/astral theme and I hope they don’t change it too much, escpecially the number 2 ability on your celestial “stance” .

Wave 2 is when Guild Wars 5 comes out, bro.

arnitheking.8427:

I have to say, I personally love the lunar/astral theme and I hope they don’t change it too much, escpecially the number 2 ability on your celestial “stance” .

I like it too.

One of the benefits of never expecting beforehand but judging on the spot.

your concept seems like 80% nature and 20% celestial.

Similar thoughts here, the “themes” of skills are sort of messed up for now.

My idea is, making humanoid form purely “natural” and leaving all “astral elements” to Celestial Form, including:
1. Staff skills all plant related (Solar Beam is fine, it “fits”);
2. Glyph skills in humanoid form all animal spirit related (like Glyph of Eagle, Winter Wolf, Black Pantheon and so on);
3. Celestial Form skills remaining the same, plus each Glyph in Celestial Form representing a specific type of celestial body (like Glyph of Sun, Moon, Comet and so on; the elite skill can be Glyph of Blackhole);

The functionality of skills can remain the same, a support role is not a bad idea to me.

One problem of this concept is, the Druid will be 25% Sylvari and 25% Norn (maybe this is the reason they did not do so).

People – balance changes and design reiterations to even complete concept changes don’t happen just only in 1 month. they can happen even several months to even years later.
Anet will also make still balance changes and maybe concept changes here n’ there via balance changes after HoT has been released and what Ive done here is not a 100% complete redesign.

I mostly reused everything, that is already there and provided by Anet in regard of mechanics and names, renamed here n there just a few things and added just only the idea, that the spec should have for each theme its own avatar and primal beasts – yes, that means adding also some new skills, but adding new skills and some animations for them is something that can be done in a month I think or what can still be added later through a balance patch, once its ready and have meanwhile as temporary filler some traits, that don’t require much work, until they can get later replaced with a balance patch ,once the stuff that requires a bit more work is finished to take place in its supposed spot in this E Spec, like for example if pimal beasts and their skilsl would be now too much work, replace that trait with somethign that means no work and replace that trait then later on the next balance patch when the work on primal beasts is finished and its ready to get implemented.

my concept surely is not 80% nature, 20% Astral … I absolutely made sure, that there is from everything something, especially in the traits where I tried to make for each theme its own Trait Line so that there is basically an Astral Traitline, a Nature Traitline and a Beast Traitline.
So that section is pretty much 33% everything.

Staff is under my Concept 40% Astral, 40% Nature, 20% Beast
With my proposed Aspect Change its not anymore 100% Astral, but again instead 33% for everything due to all themes gettign their own aspect Avatar that changes your Weapon Skills, so that there is one, that is Healing Intensive, one which is more Condition Intensive and one, that is more Damage Intensive.

Utilities under my Concept are 40% Astral, 30% Beast and 30% Nature, including 2 neutral ones that count to none of the themes really.

And I tried to bring back alot more GW1 Nostalgia with my Concept, than anet did as I used alot more GW1 terms for KSills that existed already in GW1 and would make for this Elite Specialization under this Design the perfect chance for their comebacks.