Guild Wars 2

Hi everybody

For a start, i know that axe is sort of a hybrid damage weapon, but i still think it is sligthly underperforming compared to other specialized weapons such as short or longbow. Note that i dont mean with underperforming to the damage potential of the weapon, but underperforming on the reliability on landing that damage on the enemy on most part.

So here are the changes i propose to you in order to make axe more reliable and less frustrating in some cases to use.

1. Ricochet:
Proyectile speed increased by 50%

Reason: you´ll note that using this skill on moving targets misses most of time, mainly due to the axe´s low proyectile speed, and taking into acount that its not that sort of high risk – high reward skill (such as necromacer´s staff #1, which now that i remember just got buffed exactly like this), i think the low speed its unnesesary.

2. Splitblade:
Direct damage increased by 200%

Reason: This time, you´ll notice that this is actualy that kind of high risk – high reward skill (point blank and sligtly long cast time) and it deals, not counting the 30 ticks of bleed, the same damage as a single ricochet, so i think this damage increase will make it more rewarding witouth making it overpowered the damage it will now deal is aproximatedly 1.5 long range shot at max distance, or the same damage as 1 hit of path of scars.

3. Winter´s bite:
Increased speed by 50%
Chill diration decreased to 1 second
This skill is no longer teledirected to its target
This skill will now bounce 2 times like ricochet

Reason: This skill was mostly fine, but it was the only skill that couldn´t hit multiple targets, so i made a change to make it hit multiple targets, while decreasing the single target chill uptime and increasing direct damge potential, because having a skill that puts over 1 second of chill its overpowered and there is no class that has any skill that puts over 1 second of chill.

4. Path of scars No change

Reason: This skill is mostly fine, AOE, high damage potential, hard to land, decent cooldownt etc.

5 Whirling defense
Decreased duration to 3 seconds
Decreased cooldown to 15 seconds
Decreased hits to 3/5 of what it was (7.2 theoricaly)
Damage per hit unchanged
Animation changed to the same than warrior´s whirling axe or thieve´s dagger storm, while the outside bubble remains the same
This skill now can be used while moving

Reason: many times that you want to reflect something, you end up spining for a long period after you reflected said thing, and taking into account that you can´t move while casting this skill, you end up wasting the rest of the skill, this change will also increase retaliation uptime making it more meaningfull And because many people (included myself) think than being able to move whith this skill would make it more useful, and because the relative low DPS this skill has, it is fine to let the ranger be able to move while using this skill

SUM

Overall, the only skill that gets increased damage its splitblade while the rest are made more versatili and reliable.

¿Do you think its a good changue or not?, im open to discussion.

I think the biggest change whirling defense needs is to allow you to move while using it.

And that requires programming, which Anet won´t do easly

They did it for engi’s

But that was much easier because its the typical block animation from gear shield / shield stance, that can already move since there is no animation on their feet, but whirling defence would be much harder because your feet move as part of the animation so making you walk while doing that would look weird and thei´ll have to modify the animation which is what would need work.

They could just steal the animation from thieves and warriors. I’ll take functionality over originality any day.

Jim Hunter.6821:

They could just steal the animation from thieves and warriors. I’ll take functionality over originality any day.

As a user of the OH Axe I wholeheartedly agree.

Ok, taking into account your opinions and the low DPS this skill has, i edited the OP to include mobility and animation changes on whirling defense.

uri.6521:

Hi everybody

For a start, i know that axe is sort of a hybrid damage weapon, but i still think it is sligthly underperforming compared to other specialized weapons such as short or longbow. Note that i dont mean with underperforming to the damage potential of the weapon, but underperforming on the reliability on landing that damage on the enemy on most part.

So here are the changes i propose to you in order to make axe more reliable and less frustrating in some cases to use.

1. Ricochet:
Proyectile speed increased by 50%

Reason: you´ll note that using this skill on moving targets misses most of time, mainly due to the axe´s low proyectile speed, and taking into acount that its not that sort of high risk – high reward skill (such as necromacer´s staff #1, which now that i remember just got buffed exactly like this), i think the low speed its unnesesary.

2. Splitblade:
Direct damage increased by 200%

Reason: This time, you´ll notice that this is actualy that kind of high risk – high reward skill (point blank and sligtly long cast time) and it deals, not counting the 30 ticks of bleed, the same damage as a single ricochet, so i think this damage increase will make it more rewarding witouth making it overpowered the damage it will now deal is aproximatedly 1.5 long range shot at max distance, or the same damage as 1 hit of path of scars.

3. Winter´s bite:
Increased speed by 50%
Chill diration decreased to 1 second
This skill is no longer teledirected to its target
This skill will now bounce 2 times like ricochet

Reason: This skill was mostly fine, but it was the only skill that couldn´t hit multiple targets, so i made a change to make it hit multiple targets, while decreasing the single target chill uptime and increasing direct damge potential, because having a skill that puts over 1 second of chill its overpowered and there is no class that has any skill that puts over 1 second of chill.

4. Path of scars No change

Reason: This skill is mostly fine, AOE, high damage potential, hard to land, decent cooldownt etc.

5 Whirling defense
Decreased duration to 3 seconds
Decreased cooldown to 15 seconds
Decreased hits to 3/5 of what it was (7.2 theoricaly)
Damage per hit unchanged
Animation changed to the same than warrior´s whirling axe or thieve´s dagger storm, while the outside bubble remains the same
This skill now can be used while moving

Reason: many times that you want to reflect something, you end up spining for a long period after you reflected said thing, and taking into account that you can´t move while casting this skill, you end up wasting the rest of the skill, this change will also increase retaliation uptime making it more meaningfull And because many people (included myself) think than being able to move whith this skill would make it more useful, and because the relative low DPS this skill has, it is fine to let the ranger be able to move while using this skill

SUM

Overall, the only skill that gets increased damage its splitblade while the rest are made more versatili and reliable.

¿Do you think its a good changue or not?, im open to discussion.

1. Why? It homes to it’s target…
2. PoS spike damage every 6 seconds? Too OP
3. The good thing with current Winter’s Bite is the chill and the full weakness up-time. Nerfing it’s chill to make it bounce will make the weapon more team-oriented, which might be either a bad or a good thing for people.
4. “Mostly fine” ? What is wrong? I’d widen the hitbox of the gliding axe

5. Please stop comparing whirling defense to whirling axe. Whirling defense Reflects, Retaliates, Inflicts vulnerability and deals damage, even that in higher radius. Whirling Axe does nothing besides dealing damage. Nerfing it’s damage and overall effect to enable moving will not make it better. Changing only the cooldown (5 seconds less?) would help tremendously.

I wish:

Whirling Defense
Reflects projectiles for .5s
CD = 6s

Would give us counterplay to warrior f1 and associated aoe bs.

Wouldn’t it look weird doing Whirling Defense while running? lol, it would like chasing someone around spinning nanchakus.

Ryan.9387:

I wish:

Whirling Defense
Reflects projectiles for .5s
CD = 6s

Would give us counterplay to warrior f1 and associated aoe bs.

TBH this can be done easily by the devs, just make it come with the axe training or OH training.

Then it would be like the mesmer focus Traited.

Just let the axe trait give more ferocity PER axe wielded. Maybe lower it to 100. Why in heaven do I want ferocity on a condition based axe mainhand?

solrik.6028:

1. Why? It homes to it’s target…
2. PoS spike damage every 6 seconds? Too OP
3. The good thing with current Winter’s Bite is the chill and the full weakness up-time. Nerfing it’s chill to make it bounce will make the weapon more team-oriented, which might be either a bad or a good thing for people.
4. “Mostly fine” ? What is wrong? I’d widen the hitbox of the gliding axe

5. Please stop comparing whirling defense to whirling axe. Whirling defense Reflects, Retaliates, Inflicts vulnerability and deals damage, even that in higher radius. Whirling Axe does nothing besides dealing damage. Nerfing it’s damage and overall effect to enable moving will not make it better. Changing only the cooldown (5 seconds less?) would help tremendously.

1. Im 900% sure that ricochet doesn´t home its target whith home, i mean that if the targets blincks or teleports when the proyectile is already in the air, and he is still in range, the proyectile will hit him no matter what, you will se the tracer of the proyectile curving or changing direction, even going back depending on where the enemy teleported, some skills that do that are engineer´s hip shot, necromancer´s dagger #4 or mesmer´s staff #1 skill (and the current winter´s bite).

2. Also, Splitblade´s damage isn´t reliable because you have to be very close to land the kittens, and you cant use stuff like sigils of inteligence to make them crit like with path of scars because it will use 3 hits and then the other 2 will not auto crit, and also the casting time of splitblade is longer than path of scars, and with the range it has to deal max damage, its almost a melee attack, and our GS#2 skill maul has higger damage and the same 6 seconds cooldown and the same casting time and can probably hit for max damage from more distance than splitblade, so i dont se where it could be overpowered.

3. I also knew that my change on winter´s bite would make it less powerful vs 1 target and better on team figths or vs enemy rangers or minion necros etc but that was just to make all the axe´s skills to be able to AOE.

4. And on path of scars, i think that the damage it deals, casting time and cooldown is too high to make it bigger, if you use axe/axe, i recomend you using skill #3 before using it, or use it as opener when your enemy less expects it.

5. Also, i just said that the animation is what would change on whirling defence that would match the animation of whirling axe, with the purpose of making it more suitable for moving, it will now have more aviability and more versatliity than the current whirling defense, and the cooldown reduction its not 5 seconds, its 10 seconds because currets whirling defense´s cooldown is 25 seconds which leaves a similar uptime but more separated in more skill uses.

uri.6521:

And that requires programming, which Anet won´t do easly

correction: if it doesn’t help sell gems, they don’t give a kitten.