Guild Wars 2

Revenant
Inspiring Reinforcement felt lacking in its stability generation because you still had to wait for the skill to complete before gaining stability. We’ve changed it to immediately grant stability to the caster so you have the opportunity to prevent crowd control before it lands. The Retribution trait line’s identity was centered around Sustain and was somewhat lacking in synergy; a couple trait reworks here are intended to create some interplay with retaliation and stability. The Devastation line and the Legendary Assassin stance have been about Power damage and seizing initiative, and we’ve pushed a few modifications here to help Power builds and offer revenants more control on when their traits come into play.

Weapon Skills:

- Hammer Bolt: Fixed a bug that allowed this skill to hit foes beyond its maximum range.
- Echoing Eruption: This skill now leaps to a target, if there is one. Increased the leap distance traveled by 25%. Fixed a bug causing this skill to display the incorrect range
- Shackling Wave: Increased damage by 66%. This attack now inflicts 8 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds. The range has been increased from 300 to 450.
– Grasping Shadow: Increased damage by 25%. The fury duration has been increased from 6 seconds to 8 seconds.

Utility Skills:

- Protective Solace: Fixed a bug with this skill’s tooltip displaying the incorrect radius.
Inspiring Reinforcement: This skill has been unsplit from PvP, reducing the energy cost of this skill from 35 to 30 in all game types.
– Vengeful Hammers: Added a third hammer and reduced damage by 33% to preserve approximate damage per second. Changed the base function of this skill so you can no longer lose projectiles as a result of passing too close to uneven terrain. This skill has been unsplit from PvP, using the increased healing values in all game types.
- Energy Expulsion: Increased the duration of fragments created by this skill from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
- Enchanted Daggers: Increased damage by 20%.
- Riposting Shadows: This skill now grants 6 seconds of fury when activated.
- Impossible Odds: This skill now grants 10% increased damage for its duration in addition to its existing effects.
- Jade Winds: This skill now inflicts 6 stacks of vulnerability for 6 seconds on each foe struck, in addition to its existing effects.
- Soothing Stone: This skill now grants 5 seconds of retaliation when used, rather than scaling retaliation based on the number of conditions removed.

Traits:

- Abyssal Chill: Fixed a bug that affected how this trait displays its torment skill fact.
– Nefarious Momentum: Increased the might granted when using an assassin-stance skill from 2 to 3 stacks. This trait now grants 2 stacks of might for 10 seconds when using a nonassassin stance skill.
– Mutilate Defenses: This trait now has a chance to inflict vulnerability when you critically strike rather than on any strike. The chance to inflict vulnerability has been increased from 25% to 33%, and the duration of vulnerability has been increased from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.
- Empowering Vengeance: This trait has been reworked and renamed Vicious Reprisal. Vicious Reprisal increases the duration of retaliation applied to you by 50% and causes your attacks to do 10% increased damage, granting 1 stack of might for 8 seconds as long as you have retaliation.
- Improved Aggression: This trait has been split and now increases taunt duration by 100% in PvE and 25% in WvW and PvP. It now also grants 2 seconds of retaliation when taunting a foe.
- Versed in Stone: This trait now also converts 13% of your Toughness into Power.
- Determined Resolution: This trait has been reworked and now reduces the damage you take while you have stability by 15%, and increases the duration of stability you apply by 33%.
- Hardened Foundation: This trait has been reworked and now grants up to 120 Toughness, converting 7% of your Toughness into Healing Power.
- Natural Abundance: Increased the duration of fragments from this trait from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
- Hardening Persistence: Fixed an issue in PvP where this trait was not granting the proper amount of Toughness when using Facet of Light.
- Planar Protection: This trait now casts Dome of the Mists when you use your healing skill in addition to when you take falling damage. Increased Dome of the Mists’s recharge from 5 seconds to 20 seconds.
- Envoy of Sustenance: This trait no longer grants boon duration. It now grants up to 240 Concentration at level 80.
- Venom Enhancement: Increased the poison application of this trait from 1 stack to 2 stacks.
- Focused Siphoning: Increased damage dealt by 20%.
- Malicious Reprisal: This trait now triggers when you block an attack as well as when your attacks are blocked. The unblockable attacks from this trait now deal 25% increased damage. This trait has swapped positions with Jade Echo and moved to the Master tier. Reduced recharge from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
- Assassin’s Annihilation: Increased damage dealt by 20%.
- Enduring Recovery: This trait no longer grants a chance to recover endurance every 10 seconds when struck. Instead, it now grants a constant 25% increased endurance recovery, as long as the trait is equipped.
– Jade Echo: This trait has swapped positions with Malicious Reprisal and moved to the Adept tier. Renamed the skill fired by this trait to Lesser Jade Winds.
– Assassin’s Presence: Increased the Ferocity bonus granted by this trait to 225 at level 80.
– Dwarven Battle Training: The chance to apply weakness has been increased to 100%.
Dismantle Fortifications: This trait now grants 5 stacks of might for 5 seconds when you attempt to disable a foe with stability, in addition to its previous effects.
– Steadfast Rejuvenation: Increased the chance for healing to occur to 100%. Increased healing by 25%.

Thoughts?
Personally, I’m just relieved that its mostly buffs all around.

excellent changes! Helping all traitlines and lowering the reliance of Glint. Personally, I’m loving that extra hammer from Jalis.

Yea I’m glad its mostly buffs not nerfs. Anet is finally hearing us revs out still need a lil fix here and there though

Looking forward to comboing blocks into counter attacks with the new malicious reprisal. Good changes all around. I expect the other classes got some hefty buffs too!

Lol more hammer spike.

- Envoy of Sustenance: This trait no longer grants boon duration. It now grants up to 240 Concentration at level 80.

A nerf in all non-80 areas, but a small buff at level 80. 240 Concentration gives 16% Boon Duration, so slightly better than the 15% the trait gave before.

Yes I agree with you. Would have been even nicer if Ventari tablet got a visible radius but in the absence of ugly nerfs I count myself fortunate at it is.

Honestly outside Impossible Odds change I don’t see how PvE power revenant will be any better….

Power rev still 30-40% behind tempest…sooo, what’s the point?

Vindicus.2130:

Power rev still 30-40% behind tempest…sooo, what’s the point?

Did you factor the damage increase of Assassin’s Presence on your team?

I’m one of the people who wanted to love the rev before HoT launched but ditched it soon after. Would love to hear if this balance patch makes the rev any more playable / less monotonous since I haven’t kept up with the state of the rev enough to judge it very well.

caerulean.4837:

I’m one of the people who wanted to love the rev before HoT launched but ditched it soon after. Would love to hear if this balance patch makes the rev any more playable / less monotonous since I haven’t kept up with the state of the rev enough to judge it very well.

There are no significant damage buff on this patch for revenant for either power or condition build. They just improve the rest of the trait and damage enough for us to no longer become dependant with herald/glint since kalla are coming into play next month.

This patch basically allow power rev to play Shiro/Jalis build decently and buffing survival for rev build by giving Jalis and tanking trait line more utility and more self healing.

lol!!!!!!! why so many buffs now? VERY VERY STRANGE???? did anet stop riding the thief kitten and actually played the rev class?

this just proves as i said before that rev is unplayable without herald specialization. anet is getting worried that the renegade will affect sales so now they are giving rev a buff.

this wont change anything, rev depends too much on herald.

where are all the trolls that say rev is in a good spot, why is it now getting such a heavy buff just before a new expansion??? did anet only just yesterday tried to play rev without herald and realised how bad the class is? lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…and still renegade will be unplayable in PvP/WvW cause no stun break, no stability, no mobility, no condi clear, etc

And the most funny thing, that nothing will be changed. Anet will not change renegade idea (summon “spirits”), especially few months before the launch.
So let’s “have fun”…

Funny enough, this patch made power rev quite strong when paired with Guardians, or maybe Mesmers. Basically any class that can output retaliation reliably.

New 10% buff to impossible odds, plus new 10% when you have retaliation on retribution.
So basically, I can still go about not running herald, yay

Garr.1823:

…and still renegade will be unplayable in PvP/WvW cause no stun break, no stability, no mobility, no condi clear, etc

And the most funny thing, that nothing will be changed. Anet will not change renegade idea (summon “spirits”), especially few months before the launch.
So let’s “have fun”…

Why don’t you wait till you actually know ANY of the traits at all? We haven’t seen a single one past the minor. You have no idea if they can trait into condi cleanse and stability yet, and you always have two legends equipped so you can just run shiro for the stun break.

The damage increase on impossible odds is halved in pvp as well as the invul stacks applied by jade winds. Devastation trait swap is suboptimal. Hopefully the buffs to Focused Symphoning, Assasins Annihilation and Enchanted Daggers stayed 20%.

Overall welcome changes but no fix to UA.

Generally good stuff I think. Increasing the duration of Ventari fragments might make them useful.

And for my tastes it’s nice to see some procs on cooldowns being converted into constant effects. I had previously completely ignored those traits.

Good to see vengeful hammers no longer disappear by uneven terrain or by random invulnerables.

Glint should be core.

Kidel.2057:

Glint should be core.

Ugh

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Kidel.2057:

Glint should be core.

Ugh

Let me try

Kidel.2057:

Glint should be core.

F%&#ing this

Kidel.2057:

Glint should be core.

Not sure if Glint herself should be core, but rev does need another core legend, both to help it without being glued to an elite spec at all times, and because it’s missing the equivalent number of skills a new legend would have.

Necro has minions, corruptions, spectral, Wells, and signet’s. Totalling 5 core categories for skills. All other classes follow this same pattern, but rev only has 4 core categories, legends. Why this is, I don’t know, but it simply needs to change; there’s no reason rev should be short an entire category of skills.

guildabd.6529:

Good to see vengeful hammers no longer disappear by uneven terrain or by random invulnerables.

Very long overdue fix.

One less worry though not having to spam it over and over in combat…

Yay, jalis is actually not useless anymore. Only took em 2 years to fix it.
All I got to say is, Renegade better be offensive as hell if they expect people to actually stop using glint.

MMOStein.3872:

Yay, jalis is actually not useless anymore. Only took em 2 years to fix it.
All I got to say is, Renegade better be offensive as hell if they expect people to actually stop using glint.

They repeatedly mentioned in the interviews that Kalla is offensive af support. So far what I’ve seen is true, but we still don’t know what the traits will bring to the table.

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Funny enough, this patch made power rev quite strong when paired with Guardians, or maybe Mesmers. Basically any class that can output retaliation reliably.

New 10% buff to impossible odds, plus new 10% when you have retaliation on retribution.
So basically, I can still go about not running herald, yay

I’m interested in seeing new PvE non-herald Power builds I dropped Glint and only lost a couple 1000 dps on the 4mil golem. I want to try and figure out a way to build for Retaliation to proc those traits as often as possible.

Not sure on food anymore, with the changes to utilities I am flirting with the idea of Precision/Ferocity food like Butternut Curry but idk. I’m hardly a theorycrafting min-maxer but I am happy with the changes. Just waiting to see updated builds hit the web to see what I am doing right or wrong.

Draven.4397:

Devastation trait swap is suboptimal. Hopefully the buffs to Focused Symphoning, Assasins Annihilation and Enchanted Daggers stayed 20%.

I agree, no longer is possible to combo Malicious Reprisal + Assassin’s Presence, so AP falls in disgrace to me and goes right to the paper bin. On paper seems that Malicious Reprisal got a buff (more damage, cd reduced to 20) but now it triggers also when you block, so you have a lot less control over when goes active and probably you will lose seconds of attacks due the duration of your own blocks. Overall could be even counter productive.

Despite that, the patch could have been worse (way worse); a lot of classes and builds were hit by a truck; Revenant escaped unscathed and with a few buffs (mostly PvE oriented).

The activation on Malicious Reprisal if you block just screems for Sword-Axe/Sword over Sword-Shield. Actually surprised they didnt nerf glint so you have to play Renegade, I guess its just not viable in pvp and they didnt want to ruin Power Rev.

A nice collection of non-changes ANet. Please do something productive with your time. Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used.

Datenshi.2765:

A nice collection of non-changes ANet. Please do something productive with your time. Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used.

There have been quite a few buffs and fixes what are you talking about

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Datenshi.2765:

A nice collection of non-changes ANet. Please do something productive with your time. Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used.

There have been quite a few buffs and fixes what are you talking about

How about you read what i wrote before quoting me? “Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used”..Please explain to me how you interpreted that as me saying there hasn’t been ANY buffs or fixes?

Their changes changed nothing. What’s “meta” is still “meta” because their buffs are inadequate and weak.

Datenshi.2765:

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Datenshi.2765:

A nice collection of non-changes ANet. Please do something productive with your time. Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used.

There have been quite a few buffs and fixes what are you talking about

How about you read what i wrote before quoting me? “Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used”..Please explain to me how you interpreted that as me saying there hasn’t been ANY buffs or fixes?

Their changes changed nothing. What’s “meta” is still “meta” because their buffs are inadequate and weak.

The points of buffs is to take something that isn’t used and put it in line to what is currently in use, contrary to popular belief.

Buffing something that’s already used just becomes powercreep

This is a good start.
Fixing Hammers and buffing Shiro’s output is excellent (though I dont think its anywhere close to condi Revenant damage yet….), and there are some good Jalis/Retribution add ins.

Now, what we really need is to make MH sword function better when multiple targets are around and something to address how we cleanse conditions. I was really hoping that they would make Steadfast Rejuvenation something very similar to the new Nefarious Momentum, where using a Dwarf skill can cleanse conditions, and using any other legendary stance skills could also do it to a lesser extent with a small ICD.

Heck, maybe changing Charged Mists in Invocation’s GM to convert conditions into Boons (or just straight up cleanse…) when swapping legends below the Energy threshold (10 per condition) might have helped a little.

They need to un-nerf MH sword’s autoattack dps and unrelenting assault and power revenant will be back in order.

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Datenshi.2765:

Vennyhedgie.5369:

Datenshi.2765:

A nice collection of non-changes ANet. Please do something productive with your time. Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used.

There have been quite a few buffs and fixes what are you talking about

How about you read what i wrote before quoting me? “Don’t bother buffing meaningless traits that are still less effective then what’s already being used”..Please explain to me how you interpreted that as me saying there hasn’t been ANY buffs or fixes?

Their changes changed nothing. What’s “meta” is still “meta” because their buffs are inadequate and weak.

The points of buffs is to take something that isn’t used and put it in line to what is currently in use, contrary to popular belief.

Buffing something that’s already used just becomes powercreep

Jesus…that’s exactly what I was saying the whole time. Their buffs were too weak and inadequate to put those less used skills in line with what is being used. Hence; “Their changes changed nothing. What’s “meta” is still “meta” because their buffs are inadequate and weak." I’m not sure if you’re trying to pad your post count at this point..either way I’ve said my piece and I’ll leave it at that.

Versed in Stone T→P is only 4% in PvP and WvW , bug (or not) has been reported but A.net has not responded.

TL;DR down below

They need to do something with the actual skills, like change them. They can buff the current skills until they are blue in the face, but it won’t change the fact that the current functions of the skills don’t provide whats needed for a well rounded build unless you include glint in your build. The problem is because how focused each legend is, you have Jalis which is for pure tank builds, you have Ventari for pure healing, shiro for power and mallyx for pure condi. The issue is that this is half of your build, so they have to balance it because of the fact that the rev gets 5 extra skills and so each of the core ones must be toned down to compensate for the extras. The only problem is that the 2nd legend you pick is never going to mesh well with your 1st legend because they are all so hyper focused. In this game its more valuable to dump all your attributes into one type of build, whether that’s power, condi, tanking, or healer. The only other legend that can compliment a focused build is glint because it just has universal value for every legend.

I have a feeling condi rev will be even more mandatory after the expac, regardless of whether its released as overpowered or not only because it’ll be the first time a rev can choose two legends that serve one purpose, condition damage. They also had to give it plenty of support because the core legends lack it completely, besides ventari if you happen to go full healing, and currently without glints support if you use two core legends it’s like your playing with an unfinished build that doesn’t have the tools you need.

Something to fix this could possibly to add something to the core profession mechanic, like f1-f4 skills. Maybe one skill slot that you can choose to take a condi cleanser, a stun breaker, or other utilities. Of course this would not be there for herald or renegade, but it would give us the ability to use core skills without being handicapped or having to buff our auto attacks to make up for the lack of usefulness.

TL:DR Redesign the core legends to be standalone, not just a way to choose which glint build we’re using. Keep the build focus to the weapons, not the legends so much.

ScottBroChill.3254:

TL;DR down below

TL:DR Redesign the core legends to be standalone, not just a way to choose which glint build we’re using. Keep the build focus to the weapons, not the legends so much.

i think if you check jallis it is now more focus on bunkery. more healing proc every 4 sec, stability now reduce 15% dmg, more retaliation, more weakness (just shame Planar Protection is 4 sec duration and not 8 sec as it used to be) and you get a third hammer so bit more healing focus on group fight.

shiro got buffed to focus more on dmg with invocation and devastation line

still the main weakness is conditions which is fine although i would like 1 more condi cleanse in each legend skill or utilities

messiah.1908:

ScottBroChill.3254:

TL;DR down below

TL:DR Redesign the core legends to be standalone, not just a way to choose which glint build we’re using. Keep the build focus to the weapons, not the legends so much.

i think if you check jallis it is now more focus on bunkery. more healing proc every 4 sec, stability now reduce 15% dmg, more retaliation, more weakness (just shame Planar Protection is 4 sec duration and not 8 sec as it used to be) and you get a third hammer so bit more healing focus on group fight.

shiro got buffed to focus more on dmg with invocation and devastation line

still the main weakness is conditions which is fine although i would like 1 more condi cleanse in each legend skill or utilities

I think the buffs are good and make the legends more on par and useful, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that if you don’t currently take glint you are going to miss out on what I might call mandatory tools. Things like a stun breaker that is less prone to be unusable due to lack of energy, the most useful heal skill revs can take, perma swiftness, and might stacking. Most of these are unobtainable otherwise and are so very useful and most classes at least have a couple of these. But, for revs it’s either you get them all or you get none of them and there really is no good alternative.

I love the fact that if i wanted to use staff/hammer and Devistation the first tier traits are complete and utterly USELESSS – gg anet.

Amins.3710:

I love the fact that if i wanted to use staff/hammer and Devistation the first tier traits are complete and utterly USELESSS – gg anet.

As much as I don’t want them to buff Vicious Lacerations, they could give it a flat power boost for taking the trait so it isn’t completely locked in the use of sword. But I agree, there is no use of the first tier of Devastation for staff/hammer.

Well, staff is garbage anyways and needs buffs and significant energy reductions.

Zenith.7301:

Well, staff is garbage anyways and needs buffs and significant energy reductions.

Staff is a must in PvP and roaming, no matter if you use a power or condition build. Even more, taking in consideration that aparently the shortbow has NO DEFENSIVE SKILLS I highly doubt about the Renegade being able to bring to the table a viable PvP/roaming build. And even if you’re talking about PvE, staff is the best defiant bar breaker tool in the game.

Buran.3796:

Zenith.7301:

Well, staff is garbage anyways and needs buffs and significant energy reductions.

Staff is a must in PvP and roaming, no matter if you use a power or condition build. Even more, taking in consideration that aparently the shortbow has NO DEFENSIVE SKILLS I highly doubt about the Renegade being able to bring to the table a viable PvP/roaming build. And even if you’re talking about PvE, staff is the best defiant bar breaker tool in the game.

You don’t need staff in pve when all it takes is a druid quick draw lunar impact and wyrm F2 alongside the passive degen of other classes.

Costs far less DPS.

Zenith.7301:

Buran.3796:

Zenith.7301:

Well, staff is garbage anyways and needs buffs and significant energy reductions.

Staff is a must in PvP and roaming, no matter if you use a power or condition build. Even more, taking in consideration that aparently the shortbow has NO DEFENSIVE SKILLS I highly doubt about the Renegade being able to bring to the table a viable PvP/roaming build. And even if you’re talking about PvE, staff is the best defiant bar breaker tool in the game.

You don’t need staff in pve when all it takes is a druid quick draw lunar impact and wyrm F2 alongside the passive degen of other classes.

Costs far less DPS.

Or you can have one rev do one skill and get the effect of all those classes combined. A single staff 5 on a boss like in the Nightmare fractal can make up for three classes not offering any cc at all. Staff also has our best cleanse and a good block. It’s not a dps weapon, so if that’s all you look at it for, then yes, it will be bad in your eyes.

Staff still deals decent damage considering its kit, don’t dismiss it so quickly

CutesySylveon.8290:

Zenith.7301:

Buran.3796:

Zenith.7301:

Well, staff is garbage anyways and needs buffs and significant energy reductions.

Staff is a must in PvP and roaming, no matter if you use a power or condition build. Even more, taking in consideration that aparently the shortbow has NO DEFENSIVE SKILLS I highly doubt about the Renegade being able to bring to the table a viable PvP/roaming build. And even if you’re talking about PvE, staff is the best defiant bar breaker tool in the game.

You don’t need staff in pve when all it takes is a druid quick draw lunar impact and wyrm F2 alongside the passive degen of other classes.

Costs far less DPS.

Or you can have one rev do one skill and get the effect of all those classes combined. A single staff 5 on a boss like in the Nightmare fractal can make up for three classes not offering any cc at all. Staff also has our best cleanse and a good block. It’s not a dps weapon, so if that’s all you look at it for, then yes, it will be bad in your eyes.

Or you can have the druid do it since the druid is not a revenant stuck on staff for 10 seconds doing absolutely garbage DPS just because he wanted to break a CC bar other groups can break through natural rotations instead of subpar weapons.