Guild Wars 2

Hey there,

After recently maxing my warrior and taking him to fight the hippy dragon, I was toying around with the skills and found banners lacking somewhat

In their playstyle, they are even more passive then that of signets – ie. Activating a signet grants 100 precision + whatever buffs came along with and put it onto a reasonable to short CD

Banners on the other hand are placed down for the passive buff and left there – then have a 2 minute CD per banner/a little less when traited…

My thoughts are that they need a more interactive playstyle and to actually have them ‘on display’
There will also be a massive to change to how the trait is now applied – eternal banners; banners no longer need to regenerate on use, also grant 5-15% (balance) boon duration for each in skill bar

The changes I wish to see if they were ever to occurr;

Behave like signets:
Now, considering the above, it may sound odd that I say that they should behave like signets but it would make them far more useful.
Ie. Banners will no longer be held as objects, rather are stuck to your characters back giving minor buffs to you and those around you – activating a banner will now give out additional boons, debuff foes or even cc in an area

With this in mind, lets looks at the banner which should belong to the healing slot – banner of tactics

Currently: place a banner doing boosting healing power + boon duration – lasts 90 seconds for 120 second CD

With tweaks: increases healing power + periodically apply regeneration to you and surrounding allies

On activation: release a blast of energy stored within the banner, consuming it in the process – allies are healed, foes are knocked down for .5-1.5 (balance) seconds

The tweaks of the above would be much the same as that – production of boons/stat buffs with some way of greater interaction with both friend and foe on the field

Do you believe banners needs tweaks/why do you think they do or don’t need them?

Would you use banners more often rather than just for group content if they were changed with the above tweaks?

How do you find current banners and their playstyle in comparison to the above tweaks?

Thank you for reading,

-Phyrak

You can’t trait for banners to have a lower CD. The only thing the banner trait does is add the regeneration boon.

Your idea would definitely be an improvement. My own suggestion would be to simply improve all current aspects of the banners. When you pick up a banner it should be useful for solo play, giving you powerful offensive and defensive active skills.. and when you plant the banner, it needs to give more stats and more boons.

In turn I would reduce the length each banner is active, from 60 seconds to 30 seconds. A strong 30 second boost is better than a really weak 60 second one.

Banners need to act like the pulsing boons from rev to make them viable.

I like how banners are in their current forms. Out of all of the MMO’s that I’ve played, banners in Guild Wars 2 are pretty unique among most heavy physical professions. I could see some adjustments being made to make them easier to use mechanically, like how you’ve suggested carrying them around on our backs, but as for the static buffs I don’t know if I’d change those much.

An activation mechanic would be interesting for smaller combat scenarios, but in Raid scenarios for example the active would probably never be touched until the banner is about to expire. You would want the static buff to be up as long as possible because the length of the fight would prefer that you keep the sustained buff over the active one.

As for the wielded skills I actually quite like those as well. Inspire is beautiful for in-between moments, and the unique slot 2 skill can be a decent compliment to open the next fight with.*

Zsymon.8457:

You can’t trait for banners to have a lower CD. The only thing the banner trait does is add the regeneration boon.

Your idea would definitely be an improvement. My own suggestion would be to simply improve all current aspects of the banners. When you pick up a banner it should be useful for solo play, giving you powerful offensive and defensive active skills.. and when you plant the banner, it needs to give more stats and more boons.

In turn I would reduce the length each banner is active, from 60 seconds to 30 seconds. A strong 30 second boost is better than a really weak 60 second one.

The lack of CD is a key issue imo

To have them like rev signets would be the best way to explain it as the below poster has said which I think is a pretty good way to put it

Caedmon.6798:

Banners need to act like the pulsing boons from rev to make them viable.

Pretty much this
Both the minor buffs gained need some tweaking to get some larger buff gains – then have the actibations do something dramatic

Zagerus.8675:

I like how banners are in their current forms. Out of all of the MMO’s that I’ve played, banners in Guild Wars 2 are pretty unique among most heavy physical professions. I could see some adjustments being made to make them easier to use mechanically, like how you’ve suggested carrying them around on our backs, but as for the static buffs I don’t know if I’d change those much.

An activation mechanic would be interesting for smaller combat scenarios, but in Raid scenarios for example the active would probably never be touched until the banner is about to expire. You would want the static buff to be up as long as possible because the length of the fight would prefer that you keep the sustained buff over the active one.

As for the wielded skills I actually quite like those as well. Inspire is beautiful for in-between moments, and the unique slot 2 skill can be a decent compliment to open the next fight with.*

Mechanically unique yes, useful aside for just placing down….no

Pulsing stat buffs and boons sided with the activation will allow for actual play to be had with banners rather than a use once object

All I ever use when someone drops a banner and I pick it up is the charge ability which can be outshined by plenty of others for travel and entrance to combat
With the changes in mind, not only would stat buffs and boons be kept and shared – there would be a change of playstyle when you equip them too

Actually I think banners and their style are perfect. What needs to be changed is what happens when you pick them up. They should have an f1 attached to them that is extremely powerful but will break the banner. They also need to give each banner something somewhat devastating like icebow 4, it doesn’t have to be dps, but something like an aoe fear or taunt etc. There needs to be reason to want to hold that banner

Give banners a 20s CD (20s duration)

Keep them all blast finishers.

Make them all deal damage on summon (small radius, moderate damage)

Give them each a field (so you can create synergy taking two, but you can only blast the first off the second).

There, plenty more interesting, not a lot needed to change to make it happen.

They could rework the way banners are being carried. Only allow warriors to pick them up and then place them on their backs.
Warriors could then gain a few new abilities (F2, F3, etc) on top of the banner passives.
Would like to see offensive/defensive party buffs or boons depending on which banner you are using.

Henry.5713:

They could rework the way banners are being carried. Only allow warriors to pick them up and then place them on their backs.
Warriors could then gain a few new abilities (F2, F3, etc) on top of the banner passives.
Would like to see offensive/defensive party buffs or boons depending on which banner you are using.

I dig it – just no duration to the banner itself much like engi’s kits

Anything other than what we have now

Ross Biddle.2367:

Give banners a 20s CD (20s duration)

Keep them all blast finishers.

Make them all deal damage on summon (small radius, moderate damage)

Give them each a field (so you can create synergy taking two, but you can only blast the first off the second).

There, plenty more interesting, not a lot needed to change to make it happen.

This could be interesting if mixed with Henry’s idea below your comment

Azure.8670:

Actually I think banners and their style are perfect. What needs to be changed is what happens when you pick them up. They should have an f1 attached to them that is extremely powerful but will break the banner. They also need to give each banner something somewhat devastating like icebow 4, it doesn’t have to be dps, but something like an aoe fear or taunt etc. There needs to be reason to want to hold that banner

Holding the banner itself is restrictive unless they were to make them akin to engi kits without time limit and some decent scaling

Not to mention have some additional internal snd external synergy with traits because atm, they don’t have very much and their playstyle is incredibly passive

(Copied Warrior Redone with a little added clarification in bold)

All banners now have the same skills regardless of the banner. Where as before banners were intractable they are now summoned to your hand. When dropped they cannot be interacted with but will continue to provide their boons for the remainder of their duration. Summoning another banner drops your current banner. The idea is that when wielded banners are no longer useless but are viable weapons.

Trait
Inspiring Battle Standard
Banners deal damage when summoned and grant regeneration to allies. Reduce cool-down on Banners.
Cool-down reduced: 20%
Area: 300-400
Damage: 400(2.0)
Regeneration(3s)
Interval: 3s
Stab
Stab your foe.
Damage: 465 (2.0)
Range: 130
Attack speed: 1/2

Rally
Push back nearby foes and break out of stun.
Damage: 400 (2.0)
Radius 150
Knock Back: 180
Breaks Stun

Inspire
Inspire allies granting allies might, Swiftness and Stability.
2 Might: 5s
Swiftness: 10s
2 Stability: 5s
Range: 800

Into the Fray
Leap towards your target, taunting enemies around you.
Damage: 400 (2.0)
Taunt: 5s
Number of Targets: 5
Combo Finisher: Leap
Range: 600
Radius: 300
Cooldown on target: 30s

Plant Standard
Slam your banner into the ground with great force damaging and dazing enemies nearby.
Damage: 465(2.0)
Combo Finisher: Blast
Daze: 1s
Radius: 300

I wonder if anyone at Anet read this forums, lots of good ideas to make banners more useful and fun to slot.

emkelly.2371:

(Copied Warrior Redone with a little added clarification in bold)

All banners now have the same skills regardless of the banner. Where as before banners were intractable they are now summoned to your hand. When dropped they cannot be interacted with but will continue to provide their boons for the remainder of their duration. Summoning another banner drops your current banner. The idea is that when wielded banners are no longer useless but are viable weapons.

Trait
Inspiring Battle Standard
Banners deal damage when summoned and grant regeneration to allies. Reduce cool-down on Banners.
Cool-down reduced: 20%
Area: 300-400
Damage: 400(2.0)
Regeneration(3s)
Interval: 3s
Stab
Stab your foe.
Damage: 465 (2.0)
Range: 130
Attack speed: 1/2

Rally
Push back nearby foes and break out of stun.
Damage: 400 (2.0)
Radius 150
Knock Back: 180
Breaks Stun

Inspire
Inspire allies granting allies might, Swiftness and Stability.
2 Might: 5s
Swiftness: 10s
2 Stability: 5s
Range: 800

Into the Fray
Leap towards your target, taunting enemies around you.
Damage: 400 (2.0)
Taunt: 5s
Number of Targets: 5
Combo Finisher: Leap
Range: 600
Radius: 300
Cooldown on target: 30s

Plant Standard
Slam your banner into the ground with great force damaging and dazing enemies nearby.
Damage: 465(2.0)
Combo Finisher: Blast
Daze: 1s
Radius: 300

The damage upping and various minor tweaks but they would still probably be left to the side due to the passive and skill based upon banner being bound to keys rather than one being passive whilst being placed on back and the other allowing for combos to take place whilst not messing with current weapon and their given place onna build

I appreciate what you’ve done, but in the way banners work – an item of displaying prestige or strengh are rarely used for actual combat itself

Heimdallr.7021:

I wonder if anyone at Anet read this forums, lots of good ideas to make banners more useful and fun to slot.

Same here
One real hope is for them to become akin to the heralds signets – with the hope of eternal banners as a trait, they may be put into an interesting spot as to become a more useful raid or meta item

A question for you – how would you find it if per banner equipped gain adrenaline every strike with banner # as CD?

Anet does listen to these forums.
They have definitely heard these ideas about banners.
They definitely heard the good idea’s for thieves.

They then rolled all those great idea’s up and gave us Revenant.

Everything people asked for about banners became facets.
Everything people ask for about shadow stepping on certain attacks became mist attacks.

Be careful with what good idea’s you ask for with warrior. This forum is often the sounding board for what they use for rev development.

Personally, I used to quite like banners before the trait change, but then they took away the CD reduction and ability to increase the radius- and that 600 radius feels incredibly restricting when tied to a stationary object. I’d be happy just getting those options back.

That said, a banner rework would be fantastic, and would need to do one of three things, as it seems the multiple posts here can be divided into.
1) Reduce banner CD and duration, give them some notable on-summon effect.
2) Make banners easier to carry, such as just putting them on our backs and/or giving them a signet or facet style passive/active buff.
3) Make wielding a banner worthwhile, like the better engineer kits, so that you get some proper benefit out of carrying the things around.

Banners are excellent for instanced PvE, and a part of the reason- so far as I’m aware- many groups bring a warrior along, but they’re still tremendously dull and clunky for any other mode. It’s a real shame, because the skill type has such potential. Just look at some of those WvW loading screens!

Onlysaneman.9612:

Personally, I used to quite like banners before the trait change, but then they took away the CD reduction and ability to increase the radius- and that 600 radius feels incredibly restricting when tied to a stationary object. I’d be happy just getting those options back.

That said, a banner rework would be fantastic, and would need to do one of three things, as it seems the multiple posts here can be divided into.
1) Reduce banner CD and duration, give them some notable on-summon effect.
2) Make banners easier to carry, such as just putting them on our backs and/or giving them a signet or facet style passive/active buff.
3) Make wielding a banner worthwhile, like the better engineer kits, so that you get some proper benefit out of carrying the things around.

Banners are excellent for instanced PvE, and a part of the reason- so far as I’m aware- many groups bring a warrior along, but they’re still tremendously dull and clunky for any other mode. It’s a real shame, because the skill type has such potential. Just look at some of those WvW loading screens!

Option 1/2 in combination would be the way to go imo