Guild Wars 2

With this, I want to give my feedback on the core specializations and their traits. Specifically, how they can be improved. My priority here is to expand gameplay, open more interesting styles, and create more synergies. And seeing that the Revenant is a beta profession rather than an established one, I won’t hold back.

These are meant to be simultaneous with paired with the upcoming Revenant changes.

Devastation

Minor Traits

Unchanged. All three are solid.

Adept

The adept tier is pretty poor in general. It contains one master-worthy trait and two traits that really belong elsewhere. As such, all three traits are being moved.

The options below allow for an offensive option, an offensive support option, and a defense option.

Ferocious Strike
Moved from Master. Unchanged.

Nefarious Momentum
Moved from Master. Now also grants its Might to allies in a 300 AoE radius.

Reflexive Summon
Chance on hit to summon an Enchanted Dagger. 10-15 second internal cooldown.
*Note that this skill takes the name of a Jalis Grandmaster. This comes with the suggestion to change that Grandmaster into something else.

Master

This tier was basically a choice only because the traits inside were mediocre. The goal here was to make this tier more competitive. Jade Echo is kept for its flavor.

Here, you get an offensive support option, a weapon-based offensive option, and a defense option.

Jade Echo
Unchanged.

Assassin’s Presence
Moved from Adept. Unchanged.

Rapid Lacerations
Moved from Adept. Each stack also reduces Sword cooldowns by 4% (to a maximum of 20%).
*If it doesn’t already work like this, this should grant its bonus while wielding an off-hand sword with a main-hand mace or any future Elite spec mainhand. Doing so should help create more build variety.

Grandmaster

The Grandmaster tier was Shiro’s only strong one, but Woodenpotatoes is right in saying that Dismantle Fortifications is best as a Jalis trait. Moving it will open up a slot for a third trait.

Again, a similar paradigm of offensive, offensive support, and defensive traits is created.

Assassin’s Annihilation
Unchanged.

Swift Termination
Unchanged.

Demolished Defenses
When you apply Vulnerability, apply Demolished Defenses for 1 second. This unique debuff increases the duration of all incoming conditions on the foe by 15%.
*Does not stack in any way, but re-applying it resets its duration.
*The goal here is to provide a powerful offensive support trait that requires constant aggressive upkeep. It also synergizes with Mallyx, as does Shiro’s natural Vulnerability applications.

Retribution

Jalis is versatile but his traits are horribly one-dimensional and boring. Let’s spice them up and make this line worth taking.

Minor Traits
Unchanged. They are solid.

Adept

Planar Protection
As much as I want falling damage traits gone, they are here to stay until Anet decides otherwise. Thus, unchanged.

Close Quarters
Removed. A new, more interesting Master trait will take its role.

Improved Aggression
Reworked. Instead of the old effect, it now causes Taunt to also apply Weakness (3 seconds) and Vulnerability (3 stacks, 5 seconds).

Retaliatory Evasion
Moved from Master. Unchanged.

Master
Two cc-defense traits? Really? Yeah, this tier needs a complete rework.

Eye for an Eye
Unchanged. Of the two, this is the more flavorful and will have more synergy with this trait rework.

Redeeming Protector
Hammer skills that consume energy grant Protection (1.5 seconds) to nearby allies. Hammer skills recharge 20% faster.
*Though it holds the namesake of Redeeming Protection, the former trait was removed. This holds a more supportive role and lends that Hammer more flavor.
*Takes on the role of Close Quarters.

Unwavering Momentum
Gain 100 Power and 10% condition duration when your endurance is not full.
*This should work well with the general taunt-theme of this line while also opening more synergy with Devastation and Corruption.

Grandmaster
The current grandmasters are actually rather boring. These new ones should be much more fun to play with.

Empowering Vengeance
Duration increased to 10 seconds.

Dwarven Charisma
Taunt that you apply breaks three stacks of stability. Taunt foes for one second when you swap legends.
*This takes the role of Devastation’s Dismantle Fortifications.

Stonekin
Rite of the Great Dwarf casts faster and releases healing pulses to allies while channeling.
Cast time reduction – ¾ seconds (from 2 ¾ to 2 seconds)
Healing pulse interval – every ½ second
Radius – 600, matching the skill’s radius

Salvation
This line is mostly solid, though it has limited synergy with other lines. I’d like to expand on that a bit. The main goal here is to be able to emphasize the current heal-based Ventari style while making it possible to create a Revenant that does not rely on Staff or Ventari healing at all, and yet still finds use for this line.

Minor traits
These are pretty poorly done, to be honest, as they don’t work with other legends or weapons.

Disarming Riposte
Unchanged

Serenity
Gain Vigor for 5 seconds when you use a healing skill.
*While this line has an emphasis on Benevolence, minors really need to be more universal, especially on a profession like the Revenant, which has to staple together such wildly different weapons and legends. This replacement for Serene Rejuvenation is meant to work especially well with Retribution while also providing a general survivability increase to the Revenant.

Hardened Foundation
Scrapped old effect. Chance to heal when struck. Cooldown of 5 seconds.
*This takes the role of a current Jalis grandmaster, Steadfast Rejuvenation (which frankly wasn’t that good) and is adjusted accordingly for its new location.
*The goal here is to work with the overall theme of this line while also having a minor trait that is useful to every stat combination and every Revenant.

Adept

Blinding Truths
Unchanged.

Nourishing Roots
Also added Might (3 stacks, 3 seconds) to each of the 3s interval pulses.
*This should make Ventari slightly more useful while also allowing it to have some slight offensive support as a secondary legendary for Shiro or Jalis players.

Tranquil Balance
Unchanged.

Master

Eluding Nullification
Unchanged.

Invoking Harmony
Unchanged.

Tranquil Benediction
Now also takes 1/2 second off of the cooldown of staff skills when you or an ally picks up a healing orb.

Grandmaster

Momentary Pacification
Added a Blast Finisher.

Natural Abundance
Unchanged.

Selfless Amplification
Unchanged.
*While this Grandmaster’s conversion ratio means that it would take 1000 Healing Power to equal the bonus from Serene Rejuvenation (a minor trait), removing Serene Rejuvenation gives this more of a role.

Corruption

I would actually only make one change here… and that is (drumroll)….

Maniacal Persistence (Grandmaster Major)
Reworked. Every non-critical hit now grants a stack of Maniacal Persistence. Stacks up to 10 times.
Maniacal Persistence increases Precision and Ferocity, with a much larger bonus to Ferocity. All stacks are consumed on your next critical hit.
*With this, there is an incentive to use this trait as a general damage buff on both precision-heavy and non-precision builds. There is also a heavy synergy with Devastation and/or Invocation.
*Adding in Ferocity allows this to capitalize on its ramping payoff nature and incentivize low-precision builds that much more.

Invocation
Like Corruption, the changes here are pretty small, as this line is mostly solid.

Empty Vessel (Grandmaster Minor)
Swapping Legends now also gives you 60 energy, up from 50.
*Does not increase maximum energy or resting energy. It’s an in-combat bonus on legend swap only.
*This is to address an issue I brought up with earlier threads. The Revenant is the only profession without a unique line bonus (half of the former unique attributes, rolled for free into already-good traits).

Cruel Repercussion (Adept Major)
Added unblockable to this trait’s bonus.
*This merges in Devastation’s Malicious Reprisal trait and makes this trait more consistent and useful.

Roiling Mists (Grandmaster Major)
Added effect. While under the effects of Fury, your critical hits also inflict Torment (1 stack, 5 seconds).
*As with many trait reworks, this one is done with to further synergy with Mallyx and Corruption. And, well, 10% conditional crit chance on a Grandmaster Trait was just poor by itself.