Guild Wars 2

Unfortunately this ^, but I wouldn’t blame anyone for using lesser earth elemental, wave, hammer, or earth/fire signet in its place. Even with it on my bar I find myself using it less because it’s just not what it used to be.

We were right

AngelExtreme.4872:

just got curious on leaderboards, who is the top elementalist player?

I am.

Interrupt me please
Not very realistic (gameplay viability)
Warhorn skins suck
Staff is love
Staff is life
Buff scepter instead

I guess if it really matters to you that much stick it in OH. Most multipliers are % based and the higher the number the more effect you’ll get out of it. It’s only about 5-7.5% difference though so you won’t be really shooting yourself in the foot either way.

Try bringing a regen heavy class and a diamond skin ele to dps him down.

So Soothing Power is live now. 600 radius. Lowest tick is 170 (twice what is normal, not 3 times like we hoped). 1200 healing power (cleric amulet in PvP) ticks are 400. Also confirmed soothing mists lasts 7-9 seconds after leaving water, allowing 100% uptime if you religiously go back into water.

Meh.

Edit: 15% bonus for alies is 460.

I’ve noticed them sneak in things like 30% 20% burning duration in fire, as well as a couple others for condi duration in various classes. I assumed they were put there to help mitigate the loss in duration lines, but yes, I’m very curious to see what happens to boon duration. I suspect that several boons applied by skills and traits will have their baseline times changed/“balanced” as a result. On the other hand I could be completely incorrect and anet won’t change them at all. Tbh I don’t know wtf will happen between those two durations and I’ve been waiting for a big ol’ reddit thread to point out the answer.

Jekkt.6045:

how is apm going up if we still have the same amount of skills and cooldowns and the gameplay is staying the same just with the addition of some more on-hit traits…?

it’s not like ele is getting weaponswap

Cooldowns across the board have been reduced pretty significantly. Ele slightly less so than, say, Guardian, but fact is every profession will get a bit more mashy. Engineer got a lot more mashy.

Actually the button mash factor will increase slightly. In fact I think the APM for all professions will go up slightly with this patch.

Laraley.7695:

Bluefox.9580:

300 is just too short imo. It’s a bit late for hope a week before release, but I really hope it ends up at least 600. It’s already fairly difficult to predict people’s movements for healing with tiny blast AoEs in PvP, this change doesn’t really help anything. I suppose we’ll need to see just how good a traited cleric Soothing Mist is to justify such a nerf.

The problem is that if you do trait for SM, you’ll lose on the condi removal, which is huge. There is no other way to get condi removal (aside from evasive arcana and its radius isn’t that great either) than taking staff, fire traits or cleansing fire. I don’t know, imo eles needed bigger radius on heals since most of them are just ridiculously small, which doesn’t really help. I don’t think this nerf is justified, I mean they are nerfing it because they added some OP trait not all eles will use? Makes no sense to me.

I agree 100%, but there’s still a percentage of eles that like to have a raw healing power build for pretty green numbers I guess. Despite how it’s a second rate idea/build, we have to think about it as something ‘viable’. In that way, it seems like the sacrifice/gain is out of whack. 1200 range on soothing mist with this new trait may have been something to consider, but a 300 range version seems to only shoot itself in the foot.

It’s the change to FGS 4 we were promised some time ago.

300 is just too short imo. It’s a bit late for hope a week before release, but I really hope it ends up at least 600. It’s already fairly difficult to predict people’s movements for healing with tiny blast AoEs in PvP, this change doesn’t really help anything. I suppose we’ll need to see just how good a traited cleric Soothing Mist is to justify such a nerf.

Diovid.9506:

It’s to create a sense of progression while leveling up. While leveling up you will actually not have all minor traits of a specialization.

Oi, not having leveled something in over a year made this never occur to me. I guess we can /thread. I still hate Zephyr’s speed.

Teratus.2859:

Nobody chooses a trait line for the minors though.. least not to my knowledge

they have always seemed like bonus traits to me.. a little something extra to enjoy..

its the major traits people care about

There are instances of people dropping major traits for minor traits. One big example I can think of is Warrior’s Fast Hands trait. I’d say there’s plenty of minor traits to care about.

.

It occurs to me that the “new” specialization system still seems to adopt the old style and thinking of partial lines being a choice. No one will be going partially into a line any more, yet there’s still 3 minor traits and 9 major traits that progress in a lesser to greater power way of thinking. In the old system this makes sense because putting more points into a line meant sacrifice for specialization, now it seems like at best a visual design flaw that can lead to misleading people, and at worst a design bottleneck that’s hampered efforts to maintain this method.

I’d hate to think a trait like Zephyr’s Speed is being kept as horrible as it is because it’s the first minor trait. Personally I keep hoping to myself the trait is replaced, and each time I think about what it might be changed to, I see how it’s the first trait in a line and how it’s seemingly supposed to be the weakest trait in the line. This thinking doesn’t make sense anymore, as there’s no sacrifice for it and no one will ever go partially into a line anymore, it’s not even an option to do so.

Why weren’t all the minor traits compacted into one, then the 9 other traits simply divided around it in minor/major/grand master segments? We will never not have those three minor traits. This really concerns me to the point of actually starting a thread about it, something I haven’t seen even pointed out yet here or on Reddit.

EremiteAngel.9765:

Thanks for the tips! I’ll give your build a try. the burning to blindness looks like a strong combo!

Also is a staff ele suitable for roaming 1v1 in WvW? I always thought staff eles are more support than killers.

Staff is very viable, however it’s the most difficult to learn. The build should work with whatever weapons, just choose which you’re most comfortable with. I recommended staff because it has fields you can blast with your arcane skills, most notably water.

There actually is a viable arcane build I played with some time ago. It’s not one of the stronger builds, but it’s a hell of a curve ball and well played it can be effective. The biggest reason I stopped using it is because it’s not good for small group fights, but it does well in 1v1 like you’re looking for.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fFAQJArdnMISPDWyAuMAfEGQAwIdFCHASAFxyfh2wZA-T1RHABNq+DUKBFTPQRK/o+BAAwJAQm9HIFAYDrA-w

Try this version out. I haven’t used this concept outside of sPvP but the basic build is sound enough. The fun part is all the arcane skills will always crit, so your ferocity isn’t going to waste. Because of this you can trade all the stats that would normally go into precision for other things and still get your big hits. At the same time you’re flooding your opponent with long lasting conditions. There’s no +condition damage, but the damaging conditions aren’t really what you are going for. Denial is key for this build, every arcane skill has a chance to proc burning, which in turn can proc blind from Burning Ashes. Add in your own blinds and you’ve got a very frustrating build to fight against. The flood of other conditions will also make your opponent think you’re a condi build and likely won’t expect the massive hits from your arcane blast and wave.

I noticed you have S/F so I kept the weapons, but I’d recommend staff instead. The blasts on staff are very useful, and playing without blasting staff isn’t so hard when you’re used to it.

Let me know if you try it and how it works out, I’ve always wanted to try it out in a more serious setting but never got around to it.

Edit: TIL “hard” and “once” is turned into kittence.

WvW regulars have always had the problem of extra WvW points and nothing to do with them. The recent changes have only made this percentage of the WvW population grow. I suggest a simple temporary solution (or permanent, for those who like this kind of thing) which is to add a Magic Find(while in WvW) rank. This can be anything from 2% per 50 rank points spent to 10% every 200 points spent. The idea is veterans will have something to put their points into that will at least give them something other than a big number to look at. Additionally, those who have no interest in ever using siege, or those who only visit EotM will also have something appealing to put points into if they choose to do so. In addition it would be a small step towards improving material rewards in WvW.

Magic Find isn’t the most useful stat most would agree, but it’s better than the red ! I always see when I open the WvW window.

I’d like to mention that it’s quite likely ele WILL get something, but not from Tempest. I’d imagine whatever water spec they come out with will have some chill buffs. It’s unfortunate that we have to add it to our ‘still waiting’ list among a great many other things, but one day…

Of course ele will come up short when compared to kings of condis, they’re the kings for a reason. Ele is and always has been a power and hybrid class. In terms of conditions ele will always be hybrid at best. You’ve already shown you know where to go for the condi classes. Condi ele is viable sure, but when you’re talking about the highest level competitive play, a class will always play to its strengths. It seems to me like you want ele to cater to something you’re looking for when other classes already fill the role, instead of simply rolling one of those classes to get your fix.

Blue text means a modifier, but I can’t explain the 800. My initial guess was it was some anomaly with the 5%.. but 800 is still too much. Could be some early test version of an “improved” tooltip trying to show more detail.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Rune_of_Resistance

:O

Actually that’s not entirely the case any more, OP. Signet condi/hybrid ele is very powerful right now and in development. The upcoming changes will likely spur a new meta signet condi build. While damage chill would be interest and nice, I think ele is going to get buffs to condis in other ways.

Sounds like they didn’t finish their line. “Developers expect more Conjure eles to spiral down the drain” is likely more accurate until we have more information and see one hell of a buff to the entire line after the statement of nerfing the only ones used.

I’m afraid condition durations (and boon durations btw) are hard capped at 100%.

(>’-‘)> <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) (>’-‘)> <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ‘)^ <(’-‘<) <(’-‘<) ^(’ – ’)^

Is it cold out there on the fringes?

“Elementalists are multi-faceted spellcasters that channel elemental forces, making fire, air, earth, and water do their bidding. What they lack in physical toughness, they make up in versatility and the ability to inflict massive damage in a single attack.”

Over the past two years, anet’s frequent nerfs to overall DPS have always impacted Ele the hardest. This is because we are meant to be the highest damaging class in the game, thus any general reduction will always impact those who benefit from damage the most. There’s several instances now where anet has almost directly targeted ele build(s) with their nerfing. The most recent before today was the might nerf, which D/D ele heavily relies on. Most agree that this was a lazy decision to avoid tackling the real problem of the Celestial Amulet. The critical damage nerf over a year ago was stated that “A full Berserker warrior will notice about a 10% damage decrease.”. In reality it was near 33%, and once again hit Celestial and Berserker eles the hardest, as they were the ones who most benefited from critical damage.

Today Frost Bow and Lightning Hammer are being “brought down to be in line” with other conjures, which are almost no use whatsoever. Granted, we don’t know the end results yet, but it’s clear they will be reduced. Another example is Bolt to the Heart, which is now a grandmaster trait. The devs have promised us that our ability to go further into another line will make up for the significant changes to our damage reduction. While this is true in a way, it will not make up for the loss in damage. This means eles have taken another step towards a sustain and support class instead of a massive damage class as stated. Not to mention the condition buffs shown.

After 2 years of this kind of continuous knock back, it seems clear now that Anet has decided eles are not to be what many of us originally made them for, lots of damage. This isn’t a post about over reacting to this single change, but the culmination of several changes resulting in a very different class today than it was when I made it two and a half years ago.

Also, I don’t want to be a Monk.

Using a meta build as an example of saying goodbye to diversity. What?

I too would like to know just what stats allow that thing to eat a hit from the puppies in maze without dying. Considering how toughness works, if that’s all it is, it must have something like 10k.

I feel this way as well, not only because it’s mandatory for Meteor Shower, but because it’s in a line that essentially gives you no stats. That entire line’s attunement cool down bonus is a joke since they general buff months ago. I frequently wonder what ele would be like if 90% of non PvE builds didnt require 6 wasted trait points in boon duration.

Frankly right now staff’s other qualities negate this drawback, but I would really enjoy seeing an improvement to that horrid trait line’s passive bonuses.

Noha.3749:

but it only differs 173 power, 4% crit chance, 6% crit dmg on set with full celestial armor vs full berzerk. Meassured with Zerker accessories and weapons in both cases.

however you gain 156 more armor, 1560 more hp, 156 condi and healing in return..

So to break it down, its 173 power vs 156 armor, 1560 hp and slightly better condi and healing..

Sure almost 200 power is vital in PvE, but in PvP/WvW you get more of everything except just that power, (the crit chance and damage differ so little so im not counting em)

Right, but if you’re switching out of zerk it’s only to be more defensive. So for me it’s far more beneficial to gain a substantial boost to vitality with Sentinels. You still maintain most of the power and gain a smidgen more toughness over Celestial. To me that’s worth more than the condi damage and healing power by a great deal. The differences are a bit picky I grant you, but the results are the same. My Celestial set lays dormant and my other armor sets get the attention. I don’t want to discourage you if Celestial is what you really want, I’m merely warning you you may find it collecting dust eventually when you fine tune your builds.

Edit: Even for hybrid builds mixing Sinister or Dire is still likely more worth wile than celestial. There’s simply too many good stat combos to justify celestial any more imo.

It got gutted with the crit damage nerf many months ago, which is likely the biggest reason I’m not using it much any more. Mixing and matching has simply proven to yield better results now.

Celestial outside of SPvP is going out of style for ele, though some here will likely disagree. I have a full ascended Celestial/vitality infused armor set with Strength runes, and I haven’t used it for months now. Even if I updated it to Hoelbrak (which is far better than Strength for everything but PvE dps, which is better off with Scholars anyway), I still find myself going straight for my Sentinel’s armor set if I need additional defense. (Zerk trinkets/weapons almost never come off).

Frankly, Celestial just ain’t what it used to be. I will say that you could toss a light armor Celestial set around on other characters for experiments, as Mes and Necro can both make decent use of the stats as well, where Ranger and Thief.. can’t.

Staff ele has finally emerged as the top DPS weapon/build in meta groups it should have been since the blasting staff buff. As with any “standard” way of doing things, there’s going to be people who absolutely fuss and whine when you’re not meeting their visual expectations. Frankly the best tip for anyone in this thread is to simply run what you’re most proficient at, as ele builds are all highly dependent on the user. A top tier d/f ele will EASILY out perform a merely competent staff ele, despite staff being higher DPS on paper, simply because of their efficiency with the build.

Stay practical rather than theoretical. Just state you can’t do staff as well as D/F and that’s that. A well played ele is a well played ele and the few extra seconds it takes to kill a boss just doesn’t freakin’ matter. If someone else just can’t stand you playing what you’re good at it’s their problem and they need to adjust their own comfort level or you both need to part ways. It’s as simple as that.

I acknowledge Fresh Air builds for what they are, despite loathing them greatly for reasons I won’t get in to. Realizing they are valid despite my personal opinion has made it immensely easier to just get over it. I had to do the same with shatter builds and stealth in general, though I still find myself still cursing stealth on occasion. And lag.

Substance E.4852:

metaldude.4132:

TheRandomGuy.7246:

Running speed directly affected by number of empty inventory slots please.

You referring the the “encumbered” state? (As used in Skyrim and Fallout for example" )

Might be an idea

This is the kind of mechanism that adds 0 enjoyment and only serves to punish players for playing “too much” in the same vein as silly weapon durability meters.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Encumbered

Wups.

I can’t even comprehend this.

As is the custom, only 1 skill is useful per attunement.

True story. It only works on some of the channeled skills. You can run Zephyr’s Focus at the same time to see which skills it’s broken on.

Hazelaar.5720:

As a newer player, I’ve found it very enjoyable and reasonably usable (a couple things could be explained a little better in-game, but it’s nothing insurmountable).

I don’t know what weird games you’re playing that give you all the abilities and access to all areas right from the start.

Guild Wars 1 & 2. (pre NPE)

I haven’t counted, but I’d bet Skyrim has oodles more.

Sounds like you need to transfer some of the wealth you make out of game, in-game. It’s easy to think of the 10-20 bucks you throw at the game as some lunch you can skip one day, and it solves a lot of your in-game money problems.

Sounds like you’re not selling your mats.

“Chop” actually makes me think axe.

Orochimaru.4730:

Well decided to do some of this Living Story and I need build.

At the moment it takes forever to kill a Mordrem husk with my staff, sure I can survive for hours, but the time it takes to kill just one is simply too long.

I’m a solo player do I need something with high damage and good survivability.
So I see people saying dagger/dagger, though that sounds more for WvW.
Any views?

Give this a shot.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fFAQFAWhcM6bW3wsBd0AHAW4AwCYHOeGcC2BlSDA-TxxCABA8AAEa/BnV+NxFAYZ1fQWHAYKBJFAMzBA-e

I threw it together for funzies for Silverwastes. It eats up husks ( and everything really ) and has lots of blind spam. The immobilize is also great for stopping that OHCRAPTERAGRIFCHARGE moment. The armor is cheap to make, as is the weapon, and you can buy the trinkets from the vendor as you go through the story. Otherwise you can substitute the trinkets for whatever.

Some information you see is 100% client side while some information is sent from your client to the server. Sometimes the client and server have different information based on the time it takes for your signal to reach it (ping) and update the server to what you see on your client, or vise versa. A larger ping might result in your client running more smoothly and the server catching up behind the scenes properly, allowing some room for errors and corrections on the part of the server. For example, with 200 ping you might run smoothly for 5 seconds on your screen, but on the server you’re running all sorts of weird directions and bouncing around as it constantly catches up to what your client sees. You can see this with other players when they’re laging badly. With, say, 20 ping, the communication is much more rapid and the server can keep up easier. This can result in glitches not being corrected for by your client before the server reacts and messes with your client, thus a bug is noticed on your end. Some times the server forces your client to back up as well, causing the blink “go back to start” bug thanks to bad ping.

At least that’s my theory. I’m not educated in these matters, but I’ve observed these things for quite a few years now.

You can, I do it all the time to targets that have reflection up, Jade Maw in particular. You can also manually aim fireballs with your camera.

I frequently run into a bug where I don’t move at all when pressing forward. I don’t know how to replicate it, but it won’t go away until you stop and move again. This glitch is also responsible for many leap fails where you don’t go anywhere. It could be a latency related issue, then again it could just be some crappy coding somewhere. AFAIK it’s simply another movement related thing we have to suffer with.