Guild Wars 2

I played Revenant mostly in PvP season 5 and ended in top 250 (Could be top 100 if i camped my rating in the last few days) a lot of it soloq. Many people say revenant is dead, useless and so on. First of all this is not true. It is slightly weaker than the other classes now, but it’s still usable. The main issue is that it has very little variety or options to it and it feels a very unfinished class. Don’t get me wrong, I love the class and that’s why i play it. In the things that do work on it it feels amazing to play (except of the way sword works.. see below). But its very limited. So I just decided to go through all the skills and traits of the revenant and come up with some changes that could start to make it better. NOT ALL of these should go through, certainly not without testing, so the balance is not exactly on point but here are some ideas that could help make this class more varied, and enjoyable to play.

General
Essence Sap(Stolen skill). No longer applies slow, instead applys Torment (4 seconds). Damage reduced by 20%.
-Downstate:
1.Essence Sap. No longer applies slow, instead applys Torment (4 seconds).
3.Vengeful Blast. Now launches. 240 radius AoE launch.

Weapons:
—Sword:
Target splitting makes this weapon feel clunky and using its skills make you feel cheated by RNG if the hits don’t go where you want them to. These changes must go through even if it might require damage nerfs (by numbers, not clunky mechanics) down the road. It is better than having a lame weapon like this.

2: The damage of this skill is increased by 33% and its projectiles go after your chosen target.
3: The damage of this skill is reduced by 8% and all the hits go on your initial target. Reduce the energy cost of this skill from 15 to 10. The damage of this skill is increased by 100% in PvE only.

—Mace:
Slight buffs to help maintain pressure.

1. Make the 2nd attack on the chain apply cripple for 1s. Make the ending attack on the chain apply torment aswell as poison, instead of just poison.
2. Reduce the cast time from 3/4 seconds to 1/2 seconds. Fix the terrain bug.

—Axe:
Great skills but very clunky.

4. This skill feels clunky. After the shadowstep you’re locked into the animation of the second hit and cannot do anything, and the hit takes way too long. Make the skill smoother, more simillar to shadowshot (d/p #3 of thief) in terms of the cast time of the hit after the shadowstep.
5. Reduce the duration it takes for the rift to collapse by 1/4 seconds. As it is, it’s too easy to avoid. Fix the terrain bug.

—Sword-OH:
Potentially a great choice if #5 gets the change I suggest below. Currently too clunky and not worthwhile in any situation as a replacement to shield or even axe.

4. This skill currently has a 1/4 duration before it starts blocking where it can be interrupted by regular attacks (not unblockable). WHY? Let the spam headshot thieves reign supreme?
4.1. This skill will only be available if you have successfully blocked an attack. Increase the damage of this skill by 100%.
5. This skill will now shadowstep you to your target from up to 600 range, Grabbing your foe through the mists back to your original position, dealing damage and chilling them granting you fury.

—Shield:
5. Reduce the energy cost of this skill from 20 to 15.

—Hammer:
Hammer is overall very clunky and its only niche is oneshotting with #2. Increasing the utility across the board and normalizing the damage of #2 should make it more playable and also more interactive for both sides.

1. Reduce the cast time of this ability from 1 second to 0.75 seconds. Reduce the aftercast time of this skill.
2. Normalize the damage of the skill to be independent of range (Currently too low on close range, too high on furthest range). Fix the terrain bug.
3. This skill will no longer automatically teleport you back to your original position. You’ll be able to teleport back to your original position with a new skill (Phase Return) for the next 5 seconds.
4. fix bugs reltaed to not blocking attacks from differnt altitude.
5. reduce the cast time of this skill from 1.75 seconds to 1 second.

—Staff:
The only supportive weapon of revenant and it has very little support to offer. Also making staff #2 a worthwhile skill to use in some situations.

1. Increase the damage of the last attack in the chain by 50% (will no longer drop the dps of the chain compared to the first attacks). Increase the scaling with healing power of the last attack in the chain.
2.Remove Punishing Sweep and replace it with Debilitating Slam (currently the 2.1 skill) with a 7 seconds cooldown. Reduce the cost of it from 10 to 5 and reduce its damage by 33%.
5. Increase the damage of this skill by 33%.

Legends:

—Shiro:
This stance is overall fine apart from the daggers having way too much counterplay such as reflects blocks evades etc. allowing the potential to deny all healing from you.

Enchanted Daggers. Reduce the damage and healing of the daggers by 20%. Increase base healing of this skill by 100%.

Phase Traversal. Reduce the energy cost of this skill from 35 to 30.

—Ventari:
I’m not going to pretend I played this enough to know what exact tweaks need to be made. I did play this a little bit though, and the main issues is SELF sustain, since most of your healing modifiers only affect other allies, and the healing you do overall to other allies aswell is very mediocre when compared to other support classes like druid or tempest. Here are a few possible changes though

General. Project Tranquility removed. The tablet is now summoned automatically at your location when Invoking the legendary centaur stance.

Ventari’s Will. Reduce the recharge of this skill from 3 seconds to 2. Increase healing scaling from 0.4 to 0.5.

Purifying Essence. Now AoE stunbreaks in a 240 radius around the tablet.

Protective Solace. Reduce the cooldown from 5 seconds to 2 second. Reduce the upkeep cost from 8 to 7.

Energy Expulsion. Blast finisher replaced by Combo field: Water. Tablet automatically respawns after 2 seconds As long as you are still channeling the Legendary Centaur Stance.

—Mallyx:
Nerf pain absorption, that makes mallyx have little counterplay from other condition builds. #makeETDgreatagain

Pain absorption. Reduce the cost of this skill from 35 to 30. You no longer gain extra self-resistance per condition pulled.

Embrace The Darkness. Increase the upkeep cost of this skill from 7 to 9. This skill now pulses resistance on yourself (1s). This skill now has a 2 seconds cooldown if ended early.

—Jalis:
Too high costs across the board make this stance way too clunky. Stun breaks and stability are unreliable on it.

Soothing Stone. Reduce the cast time of this skill from 1 second to 3/4 seconds.

Inspiring reinforcement. This skill no longer creates a road and instead puts a buff on you that will make you pulse stability (1.5s) to 5 nearby allies and weakness (3s) to 5 nearby foes every second for 4 seconds. Breaks Stun. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Energy: 30.

Forced Engagement. Reduce energy cost from 35 to 30.

Rite of the Great Dwarf. No longer breaks stun. Reduce cast time from 5/4 seconds to 3/4 seconds. Reduce cost from 50 to 40.

—Glint:
This stance is too powerful since its skills are too cheap to use.

Facet of Light. Upkeep cost reduced from 2 to 1. Infuse Light. Now costs 5 energy. initial base healing increased by 66%. Will now prevent all incoming damage and turn 75% of it to incoming healing instead. (previously 100%).

Facet of Elements. Elemental Blast. Instead of applying weakness(4s) then chilled(3s) then burning(3stack, 3s) all 3 pulses will now apply weakness(1s), chilled(1s) and burning(1stack, 3s).

Facet of Strength. Might duration increased from 12s to 14s. Burst of Strength. Now costs 5 energy.

Facet of Chaos. Chaotic Release. Now costs 10 energy. Superspeed now applies to self. Reduce cooldown from 45 seconds to 35 seconds.

Traits
—
—Devastation
Allow options for builds with 2handed focused damage.

-Adept
Mutilate Defenses. Removed and merged with Targeted Destruction (Master minor). Replaced with Fleet-footed, granting 25% increased movement speed when Channeling the Legendary Asssassin Stance.

Ferocious Strikes – Now converts a precentage of power to ferocity (5%). This bonus is doubled when wielding 2 handed weapons.

-Master
Targeted Destruction. Now also gives you a 25% chance to apply vulnerability(4s) on hit.

Jade Echo. Reduce cooldown from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.

-GrandMaster
Dismantle Fortifications. Changed to: Your next crowd control skill will remove up to 3 stacks of stability. If the target had less than 3 stacks of stability, remove all of them and the CC applys normally. This effect has a 15 seconds cooldown. Your crowd control effects against breakbars are improved by 50%.

—Corruption
Make another viable internal synergy between the line and mallyx.

-Adept
Replenishing Despair. Increase healing of this trait by 50%.

Venom Enhancement. Cooldown reduced from 20 seconds to 10 seconds.

-Master
Frigid Precision. Replaced with Weakening Venoms. Applying poison to a target will rip 1 boon from them. Chilling a foe will apply poison (3s) to them. 12s cooldown.

-GrandMaster
Maniacal Persistence. Embrace The Darkness now also pulses Chilled (1s) to nearby foes.

—Retribution
Make unsuable traits viable choices and allow for retaliation focused builds.

-Adept
Improved Aggression. Now reduces the duration of incoming movement impairing conditions by 33%. Gain retaliation(3s) when a movement impairing condition is applied to you. 10s cooldown.

-Master
Eye for an Eye. Reduced taunt duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds.

Retaliatory Evasion. Now also reduces incoming damage by 10% while you have retaliation.

-Grandmaster
Steadfast Rejuvenation. Poison is 33% less effective. Now heals you for 3% of your maximum HP when struck with a 5 seconds cooldown.

Empowering Vengance. Replaced with Resistance of Deldrimor. Breaking out of a stun will grant you stability (3s). Incoming crowd control effects have their duration reduced by 25%.

Versed in stone. No longer breaks stun. (Consequense of the Rite of the Great Dwarf change).

—Salvation
I personally think most of the issues lay in the Centaur Stance and not in the trait line.

-Adept
Disarming riposte replaced with Blinding Truths. Blinds nearby foes when using a healing skill. 5 seconds icd.

Blinding Truths replaced with Selfless Amplification. Increases outgoing healing based on a precentage of healing power: 1% per 100 healing power.

Tranquil balance replaced with Protection of the Defenseless. When healing allies without protection, give them protection(3s) and regeneration (3s). 10 seconds icd.

-Master
Eluding Nullification. Reduce icd from 10 seconds to 5 seconds. Now also heals allies at the end of a dodge roll for 500(0.7 scaling).

Tranquil Benediction. Will no longer grant swiftness. Now grants Vigor(3s) instead

-Grandmaster
Momentary Pacification. Reduce the duration it takes the vine to form from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

Selfless Amplification replaced with Peaceful Staffmaster. Using a Staff skill will generate an energy fragment around you. You gain 300 healing power while wielding a staff. Your outgoing damage is decreased by 33% while wielding a staff.

—Invocation
Has limited options in all 3 slots. Some traits are too powerful or too weak for their slots.
-Adept
Clenasing Channel swapped with Renewing Flow. Heals you whenever using a skill with an energy cost. 80(0.05) healing.

Cruel Repercussion replaced with Vicious Invocation. Gain 10% increased damage for 4 seconds after invoking a legend.

Fierce Infusion replaced with Invigorating Infusion. Grants you Vigor (5s) when you critically hit a foe. 10 seconds icd.

-Master
Invigorating Flow swapped with Cleansing Channel. Invoking a legend removes 2 conditions.

Equilibrium. Will now always deal damage when swapping legends. Reduced damage by 10%.

Incensed Response. Will now also grant 3 stacks of might (10s) when breaking out of a stun.

-Grandmaster
Right now only 1 trait is useful. I decided it would be cool if all 3 would augment fury in different ways.

Rolling Mists. The Critical-hit Chance bonus from fury applied to you is doubled (now 40%).

Charged Mists. Critical-hits you deliver under the effects of fury will have increased benefit from Critical-Hit Damage. Bonus: 15%.

Shrouding Mists. Critical-hits you deliver under the effects of fury will heal you for a precentage of damage done. Healing: 15%.

—Herald
Many traits in this line feel underwhelming. Low synergy with condition oriented builds.

-Adept
Swift Gale. Merged with Harmonize Continuity. Replaced by Draconic Assistance. Burn (4s, 1 stack) nearby (360 radius) foes when you consume a facet.

-Master
Bolster Fortifications. Instead reads: Increases the duration and effectiveness of protection you apply by 20%.

Harmonize Continuity. Now also grants you superspeed when you break a stun.

-Grandmaster

Enhanced Bulwark. Reduce the duration of stability applied by this trait from 5 seconds to 3.

You might not agree with all of these changes and that’s fine. Share yours below or in other threads. We need to let the developers know that what they’ve done to the class so far is not fine and it needs fixing instead of just nerfing!

Some of these changes would be nerfs, such as

BeLZedaR.4790:

—Invocation
snip

-Master
Invigorating Flow swapped with Cleansing Channel. Invoking a legend removes 2 conditions.

Equilibrium. Will now always deal damage when swapping legends. Reduced damage by 10%.
.

Not being able to take both of these would be a loss/nerf over the current traitline.

Some of the weapon changes were ok.

Mace needs to do a lot more damage in general and #2 needs to be a much larger field.

The class needs much easier and stronger condi application if a condi build is going to ever work.

You are EU?

I suggested these small changes a while ago with the hopes that at least the meta build would be more competitive. The nerfs prior to season 5 gave me impression that the Devs figured the class was over performing in season 4 which I thought opposite.

JayAction.9056:

-Increase damage and healing of Equilibrium by 30%
-Change cleansing channel to clear 2 or 3 condis instead of 1.
-Add effect to Swift Termination trait. Sword attacks to targets below 50% hp remove a boon.

JayAction.9056:

Some of these changes would be nerfs, such as

Yeah I do realize that and it’s a part of the point. Equilibrium is still extremely good and it being so good while not sacrificing anything meaningful to take it limits the design space of the class as you’re forced to nerf damage elsewhere. Right now retribution rev is useless.

I actually played a lot of condi rev and i think the chill to stick to targets can be a very nice place to start.

These are all places where potential changes could go to start fixing rev a bit, and I’m not suggesting it’d be smart to implement ALL of them just like that.

Also yes I’m EU.

BeLZedaR.4790:

—Glint:
This stance is too powerful since its skills are too cheap to use.

You’re out of your mind if you think that Glint is too powerful.

Ventari, Jalis and Mallyx being subpar doesn’t make Glint great. As general rule any strong condition class or strong cc class will eat Glint alive except if you superbly outplay them.

Nerfing Glint wouldn’t prevent people from choosing Glint over other legendaries, and if you’re awaiting for ANet a major Revenant overhaul (something crazy like reworking a dozen of skills or traits) you’re in line for a hard awake.