Guild Wars 2

Okay, I VERY SINCERELY hope I am just missing or overlooking something because the way the bugs seem to be piling up as I’ve now begun to be really focused on the finer details of various builds for various purposes and these bugs just keep shutting down potential builds, combos, etc., and it’s REALLY starting to kitten me off! So here’s another ‘questionable’ ability I’ve run across:

Trait Tactics: Numeral VI – Empowered
- Increases damage for every Boon on you

Alright, so it doesn’t specify exactly how much damage is increased per boon but that isn’t new to A-Net’s style of tooltips and descriptions. We can of course assume there is some increase in damage though, on that much at least the description is clear. Here in lies the problem though, after activating this trait skill, no where on the Hero tab that outlines your stats is ANY amount of increase in damage reflected, numerically or otherwise. If your PWR, Attack, Weapon Damage and Conditional Damage are W, X, Y and Z respectively before activating this trait skill, they remain exactly W, X, Y and Z after activating this trait skill. There is no stat or point value anywhere that I could find that changes AT ALL. No observable feedback demonstrating ANY change from this trait’s activation. And of course, due to however attack damage is ultimately figured (the product of which we see on our “scrolling combat text”) from strike to strike, there is then NO POSSIBLE WAY to confirm if this trait skill is or is not indeed active and effecting your damage.

Please, someone tell me I’m wrong. That I’m missing or overlooking something. PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME THIS ONE ISN’T BROKEN TOO. I’m honestly getting pretty fed up with this. It’s enough that they are so ambiguous in our tooltips and descriptions of a majority of our skills but then to have so many of them not only completely broken, but broken in such a way that subtleties of the tooltips and feedback, in the form of hard numerical representation, causes difficulty just realizing they’re broken.

Oh yeah, and if it’s occured to you that maybe you could use the trait skill ‘Empower Allies (Tactics Numeral II)’ as a less effective option until ‘VI’ is fixed like it did me? Uh yeah, same deal, either that doesn’t effect you the caster of said skill (and who knows if it even effects our allies now that I think of it) or there is no feedback reporting that it has increased your damage and so no way to know if that one is working at all either.

Unless someone can point out where I’m mistaken, throw this one on the pile too then I guess.

P.S Above all though, WHAT IS REALLY SO GAWD KITTEN FRUSTRATING ABOUT ALL THIS? They have yet, 3 months into the live release of the game, to make any attempt at fixing even the first of these actually meaningful bugs for us. Let alone even acknowledge them. The “BIG PATCH? They fixed some icons. Icons! EFFIN ICONS!!!!!!!!!!

• I’ve also reported this in our stickied ‘Bugs Thread’ at the top of our Forum but figured that many more of my fellow Warriors are likely to see my post here rather than at the tail end of that thread. I dearly hope one of you can point out where I’m mistaken concerning this traited skill.

Try it with stability weapons in the Mists, I suppose that it should be probably 1% dmg increase per boon (like the Elementalist talent).

Edit: Of course I meant Steady weapons, I´m confusing the words

Wiki says between 1 and 2% per unique boon.

Easiest way to test it would be to go to The Heart of the Mists and get a steady weapon and hit the dummy, and then boon yourself and hit it again. You are guaranteed results because steady weapons always hit for the same amount..

Also in regards to your stats not changing, +% isn’t tracked in your hero menu. And in case you were wondering condition damage is not effected by +% damage.

Okay, thank you both so much for your replies and I will go and test your suggestions A.S.A.P. Just one question though, what do you mean by “stability” or “steady” weapon? Generally, my go to weapons, both in and out of PvP these days, are a Great Sword, Two Hand Hammer, and a Rifle – do any of those qualify?

Also, do either of you use this trait skill for any purpose in any of your build’s? Knowing that 1 – 2% per boon, a flat DMG increase, makes me even more excited for this to work. So far I’ve just been considering a build including this trait skill for solo PvE pretty much. A flat DMG increase between 2 – 10% though is pretty kittened significant though and I may start thinking of other ways to work this in to other builds. Man, I really hope this one isn’t broken!

Thanks again! And please, anyone else with anything relevant to this topic to add, by all means do so. I will report back the results of the suggested experiment as soon as I can attempt it (and as soon as I figure out what a “stable / steady” weapon is). Woohoo! Hope is yet alive still!

Heart of the mists weapon vendor has three tabs, weapons, sigils, and steady weapons.

Steady weapons are weapons with IIRC 100-100 damage range, which means they always hit for the same damage, they are there for testing out mechanics and number crunching. Just go get one from him they are free then go hit a training dummy.

Unfortunately yes, tooltips are vague and often inaccurate in this game. Basically you need to find the article on the wiki for things to see what they really do. :/

This trait works. It doesn’t show up in your stats, but its reflected in actual numbers.

Its also really obvious when your with a guardian and he hits you with like every boon in the game

Ah AWESOME! Thank you all very much. This “steady weapon” mechanic sounds like a really useful testing tool, I wish I had known sooner! I’m glad to hear the wiki is beginning to be filled in now too. It’s been some time since I visited it looking for game related facts and such. It was really early in the games final live product “life” back then though to be fair. I’m overjoyed to see that this trait skill works, the potential for traited flat damage percentage increase seems like a pretty big skill we’re offered with this.

Again thank you all, and to anyone yet unaware of the actual numbers involved in this trait skill, it may definitely be worth another look and evaluation for you and certain builds you may run.

Oh, at this point is pure theory but based on what I’ve learned here from the folks that have so far posted. I’ve begun thinking on the setup loosely outlined below. I’d very much appreciate anyone’s comments, ideas or critques on it.

Throw the Superior Sigil on your wep(s) that gives a 5% flat damage increase too and it starts looking even sexier. An axe / axe combo immediately lept to mind personally. With such a weapon combo we’re talking about lightning fast adrenaline production, far better Adrenal ability, much more flexiblity and mobility over the GS, and now possibly DPS that matches or maybe even slightly exceeds the GS with use of this trait skill coupled with two of those Superior Sigils. It appears to me as a pretty big step up in damage output that doesn’t hinge on one attack which is fairly well dependant on several cooldowns and roots you for it’s duration as well. At least in my estimation that is.

Currently in WvW I use either a GS, when I’m in a group with members properly set up to take advantage of 100 Blades, for example a Thief with Caltrops and a Guardian with a Hammer, or something along those lines (otherwise it seems like a GS Warrior in PvP may as well have a neon sign over their head listing pretty much their exact build, skills on their hotkeys, and generally their exact strategy and lone tactic – Charge / Root you, pop Frenzy and maybe Endure Pain, probably Sigil of Rage, and then of course 100 Blades.

Failing a proper group to set up the super 100 Blades combo proc and support when conditions aren’t right to launch 100 Blades – because really, a fully dedicated GS 100 Blades Warrior doesn’t have much room for Shouts or Banners, or Stances other than Frenzy and possibly Endure Pain to prop them selves up with between 100 Blades set ups (let alone the trait setup to utilize any support form shouts, banners, etc.) I use a 2 hand Hammer for great CC (relatively) and decent damage.

With a Rifle as my alternate. I know many say a Long Bow is more appropriate to WvW but I just can’t get a feel for it and feel far more useful still with a Rifle despite the situation. Although honestly, I’ve hardly given the Long Bow a fair shot. Even knowing full well it has obvious benefits over the Rifle in WvW.

I leveled from 1 to 80 pretty much exclusively with Axe / Axe though and have searched desperately since hitting 80 and gearing out for the right build to bring them back out. One hand Swords and Maces, along with Warhorns and Shields have their obvious niches, benefits and circumstances where they shine but for my money? The speed with which I could front load damage while also running down an opponent just plain “makes my pants feel tighter!” If you know what I’m getting at there.

I felt like and hoped that this skill might be the key that lets me break my favorite weps back out. Was kinda discouraged until I came here and you guys set me straight about the ‘Empowered’ skill trait. We’ll see, I’ll come back and let you all know how the experimenting turns out.