Guild Wars 2

I already am confused with the trait changes.

I used to have the Nature Magic line with selections of Nature’s Protection, Evasive Purity, and Nature’s Bounty. Now I can’t add the last one to that combo.

So instead I go and buy the new Grandmaster trait Survival of the Fittest: Remove conditions and gain fury when using a Survival skill.

But why does it say when using a Survival Skill. This is in the Nature Magic traitline and Wilderness Survival is a totally different trait line! Anyway, traits aren’t skills—their effects are applied passively.

I am confused and disappointed. Anyone get this?

I asked in Map chat and they explained that Survival skills are those utility and elite skills that say Survival at the front, such as Sharpening Stone and Entangle. I was confused between that and the Wilderness Survival line.

well i kinda expected it to be in the ws line but oh well, should work out somehow

My guess would be because WS already has Empathic Bond for condition removal. They didn’t want two GM condition removal traits in the same line. I probably would’ve swapped them (moved Empathic Bond to NM, put Survival of the Fittest in WS) for the reason you cite. But meh, it works either way.

The only major difference I see it making (other than affecting which builds can get which trait) is the 20% reduced recharge on survival skills. That’s an adept-level WS trait, so the only way you can combo it with clearing 2 conditions on survival skill use is with GM NM + adept WS.

entangle is broken with this. only removes 1 condi.

Lightning Reflexes is now an amazing skill if traited.

Previously it was pretty worthless since we have other backflips and you could fit in a better stunbreak. Main thing is that it DID NOT get rid of immobilized. Now that it does, and add in the potential for condi removal and fury makes it a great utility skill.

Now in wvw, a ranger could take 30/0/10/30/0 (no need to tie yourself to Empathetic Bond anymore, it’s gonna be trash anyways since dead pets don’t remove conditions), with sword/either bow, and jump around pretty easily. Combine this with Muddy Terrain, and you have a semi-decent, non selfish, high damage build since Muddy Terrain has such a short cooldown. Plus all that fury and stuff. I could also take shortbow, and have like 3 leaps for skirmishing. AOE damage would be limited, but spotter/piercing arrows wouldn’t be too awful. The main thing is that you wouldn’t have to get hung up on signets just to live.

But kitten , Archon, my group always gives me fury! Well, consider you can keep some distance now, and you won’t be in boon range. This makes up for it, so you don’t need to be in people’s faces to get it.

It also allows for 30 Nature /30 Wilderness (take BARK SKIN), for some very funny annoyance.

mistsim.2748:

entangle is broken with this. only removes 1 condi.

It also doesn’t grant fury when you have SotF.

Other than that has anyone tried porting the dungeon meta to WvW havoc? I’m thinking of something along with this:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vMAQNBMhNakRlOWbZxVFiWDErHAa/AoVgTuHl6UA4iVaQC-z0xAYLioxsXR0YLjFRjVXjpcjs+NpaYgAAIAM0bO0bO0bWKAmUGB-w

I’d like to give this a try but I do need a group to run this with.

Solandri.9640:

My guess would be because WS already has Empathic Bond for condition removal. They didn’t want two GM condition removal traits in the same line. I probably would’ve swapped them (moved Empathic Bond to NM, put Survival of the Fittest in WS) for the reason you cite. But meh, it works either way.

The only major difference I see it making (other than affecting which builds can get which trait) is the 20% reduced recharge on survival skills. That’s an adept-level WS trait, so the only way you can combo it with clearing 2 conditions on survival skill use is with GM NM + adept WS.

I came here to post this exact same thing.

**Wilderness Survival

Poison Master: When swapping pets, your pet’s first attack will inflict poison. Poison you apply deals 50% extra damage.

**Nature Magic

Survival of the Fittest: Remove two conditions and gain fury when using a survival skill.

These two skills should be swapped. Survival skills are traited under WS, not NM. Having to put 6 points in NM will break my build, but I can easily go 6 into WS, as I’m already 4 in there for Survival skills and off-hand training.

I also just reported the contradiction in Entangle’s new text with this trait. Entangle says it only removes one condition, contradicting the trait’s text. Also, using Entangle doesn’t seem to trigger Fury as it should, being a Survival skill.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Category:Survival_skills

A case could be made to move any number of traits to other trees for this class. It’s like ANet put all our traits on a board and threw darts to find out the order and tree they belong. But moving it to WS simply doesn’t make any sense because you’re choosing between 2 different condition removal traits at that point.

If it were up to me? I’d sooner move both survival traits into skirmishing (adept and GM).

Actually I’m starting to like SotF in NM because you do get some synergy for power builds.

I’ll say this much aside from all other nice benfits this trait is a fury factory

I’m really liking Survival of the Fittest + Keen edge