Guild Wars 2

The biggest problem with astral force gain is that each source of damage/healing grants a flat amount of astral force. This means that skills/weapons that hit/heal in rapid, small amounts generate force much more quickly. (a.k.a Staff auto) Because of this, force gain can never be even remotely balanced for all weapons under the current system. Either things will stay as they are and weapons like the great-sword will be unusable, or the rate will increase and staff will generate force too quickly.

To address this issue, I propose that skills/weapons generate force equal to a percentage of their damage/healing dealt (before reduction) , rather than a flat value.

So zerkers make great druids? :p

Shoe.5821:

So zerkers make great druids? :p

Good point actually. Not sure if the engine allows for it, but maybe they could make it work based on the base damage/healing of the skill?

If you’re wanting to make it even for all weapons take one from the Necromancer’s book maybe (and further the Life Shroud comparison). Attach astral force gain to specific skills, naturally, Solar Beam spam would be the fastest way to gain Astral Force, all healing skills grant astral force, certain weapon skills grant Astral Force, you get the idea. This also means that any weapons that become problematic with CAF can have their personal access reduced and any weapons needing access can have it improved.

Or we could just ditch the entire AF resource thing, which is mostly frustrating and nearly impossible to properly balance anyway, and just give CAF a 20 second duration and a 10 second CD.

Or, alternatively, allow AF generation and CAF use outside of combat, give AF a standard, permanent passive fill-rate (that amounts to 0-Max AF in about 15 seconds), and, instead of a duration for the Form, let AF be used as the cost for Celestial skills (or drain while channeling them), reduce the CAF CD to 5 seconds, allow us to keep our AF when leaving the form, and allow us to enter the form at any level of AF (and kick us out when it hits 0). Then, allow healing and application of boons to slightly contribute to AF generation, as well, and possibly look at adding some AF-generation and/or Celestial skill cost-reduction stuff to some traits.

Random suggsetion: set astral force to 50% out-of-combat, so so can use it early on (so frustrating to get into on ongoing fight and not being able to heal) and to let you use it in short fights. Astral force generation seems fine in long PvE fights (as in, I feel about as powerful as a support guardian or ele), even on non-staff, but in short fights… sad for not having access to the avatar form.