Guild Wars 2

What does everyone think the optimal gear for Firebrand will be (PvE)? A guildie suggested Commanders for a full on support. But since it’s condi focused, does that just mean Vipers—that’s what all the cool condi kids play, right? Or would a set of each be recommended depending on what I’m doing at the moment?

Maybe we need to wait for this weekend to get a better idea. I’m just considering what materials I should start gathering together in advance of the release. This is the first time I’m considering making drastic changes to my gear since Ascended gear was released (my current gear is not what you might call conventional).

Some of you are saying it’s not a big deal. But, in fact, it is. Not everyone is connected online all the time. Some people won’t hear about this until they log on for missions. And less than a week is not much time to plan an alternate activity. And for some people, this may be the only activity they show up for, so an alternate activity may have no appeal to them.

You can’t judge it from your own perspective. You have to look at it from other people’s perspectives. It doesn’t do a very good job of building the GW2 community if one of the major activities in the game gets hamstrung at very short notice.

Sure, it is only one week. But that’s a big deal for some people. Maybe that’s all they do in GW2. And the short notice is, frankly, a bit rude.

I agree with what was said above: do a double reset. Once at the current time, and then again at the newly scheduled time. I doubt very few guilds will be able to coordinate fast enough to get double loot between Sat night and Mon. And if they do, so what? Is that game breaking?

Personally, I’ll deal with it just fine, even though I look forward to my guild’s missions night. But I’m pretty laid back. But I feel this is a significant misstep, and do not blame anyone for getting upset over it.

I posted an idea for this a couple of months ago:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/SUGGESTED-Elite-Specialization-Kit-Guardian

Greymarch.3291:

What they should do next time if and when they bring back tomes is make them a kit for guardians.

Funny that this should come up; because, I recently posted that exact idea of a future Guardian elite specialization returning Tomes as kits:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/SUGGESTED-Elite-Specialization-Kit-Guardian

Elite

Ancient Artifacts: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with powerful artifacts you can summon

• Spirit Strike/Slash/Stab:
  * Strike your foe with a Spiritual Sword
  * Slash your foe with a Spiritual Sword
  * Stab your foe with a Spiritual Sword, burning them
• Scepter of Orr: Wield the Scepter of Orr, reducing the recharge of artifact skills and granting yourself quickness.
• Abaddon’s Mask: Conjure Abbadon’s Mask, inflicting fear on foes
• Mursaat’s Shield: Channel a shield in front of you that reflects projectiles
• Hammer of the Great Dwarf: Slam the ground with an arcane hammer, knocking back and damaging enemies (Blast Finisher)

TRAITS

ADEPT Virtuous Knowledge: The guardian’s knowledge has grown to extract more power from virtues
MASTER Defender’s Reprieve: Blocking an attack reduces the recharge of virtues by 1s
GRANDMASTER Virtuous Armor: Range of virtues is increased, gain toughness for each unused virtue

ADEPT I Quick Returns: Run 10% faster when using a kit
ADEPT II Thirst for Knowledge: Gain regeneration when equipping a kit
ADEPT III Dark Knowledge: Condition damage increased by 5%

MASTER IV Spread the Word: Kit skills have increased radius, critical hits with kits have a chance to grant quickness
MASTER V Speed Reading: Warhorn skills grant you quickness, decrease the cooldown of warhorn skills
MASTER VI Advanced Scholar: Virtue activated effects last longer

GRANDMASTER VII Left-Hand Force: Gain ferocity when wielding a weapon in your off hand
GRANDMASTER VIII Pursuit of Knowledge: Tome of Faith has increased range, Critical hits with Tome of Courage have a chance to grant protection
GRANDMASTER IX Advance Studies: Gain health each second when equipping Tome of Resolve, Critical hits with Tome of Wrath grant Might

This actually began as a joke. I know someone who dislikes the Dragonhunter name, because it sounds more like a title (aren’t we ALL dragonhunters?) than a true specialization (personally, I like the name). In talking about that, and pondering the return of Tomes, I came up with this idea for an elite Guardian specialization that returns Tomes as kits. But even though this started out as a joke, in the hands of someone with a better eye for balance and the metagame, I think there might be a viable specialization here.

It’s a pretty raw draft, and surely needs a lot of work, so look at it in that light. But without further ado, I present the “next” Elite Guardian Specialization:

The Librarian

PROFESSION MECHANIC
Just Knowledge: Nearby allies gain Just Knowledge, attacks inflict weakness
Resolute Knowledge: Nearby allies gain Resolute Knowledge, converting a percentage of incoming damage into healing
Courageous Knowledge: Nearby allies gain resistance

WEAPON SKILLS
Warhorn
Silence: Daze enemies for 3s
Light’s Call: Grant Protection and Might to allies (Blast Finisher)

SLOT SKILLS

Healing

Tome of Resolve: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with support spells

• Focused Resolve: Infuse your target with the light, damaging them and healing nearby allies
• Purifying Ribbon: Release a ribbon of light that bounces to nearby enemies and allies, curing conditions on each ally hit and stripping a boon from each foe hit
• Purified Spring: Create a healing area at the target location (Water Field)
• Protective Spirit: Grant protection and regeneration to allies in a cone
• Light of Deliverance: Greatly heal allies in an area around you

Utility

Tome of Wrath: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with damaging spells

• Conflagrate: Burn your enemies in the target area
• Affliction: Send out a projectile that makes foes crippled and weak
• Smiter’s Boon: Send out a cone that grants might and swiftness to allies.
• Zealot’s Fervor: Grant fury and quickness to all nearby allies.
• Judgement: Knock down and damage nearby foes with a massive blast.

Tome of Courage: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with sustain spells

• Zealot’s Fury: Imbue the ground around you with light, damaging nearby enemies
• Zealot’s Charge: Blink on top of your enemy and gain might
• Judgement of the Weak: Judge your enemies unworthy, damaging them and inflicting weakness and slow
• Pacifism: Pacify foes, dazing them
• Last Stand: Grant yourself Protection and Stability

Tome of Faith: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with condition spells

• Light of Faith: fire a beam of light at your foe
• Sacrifice: Pierce enemies in front of you with the light, causing bleeding
• Repentance: Inflict your target with Cripple and Torment
• Forgiveness: Pull conditions from the target onto yourself and convert them to boons
• Symbol of Penance: Burn a symbol into the ground that pulses damage on enemies. Bonus damage for each condition on the enemy. (Dark Field)

Tome of Justice: Equip a kit that replaces your weapon with area control spells

• Searing Light: Release a flash of light damaging nearby enemies
• Retributive Light: Steal health from your target
• Karmic Light: Transfer a condition to an enemy and steal a boon
• Bound Judgement: Send out beams of light in cone in front of you. Enemies struck are damaged and bound. Activate again to pull bound enemies toward you.
• Zealot’s Verdict: Channel the light into the area around you creating rings of light that pulse in three stages of increasing radius and damage.
  * Stage 1: Enemies are crippled.
  * Stage 2: Enemies are slowed.
  * Stage 3: Enemies are stunned.

Cormac.3871:

I really like this, mainly because while it has a lot of parts it all fits together quite elegantly. I don’t think it will achieve its stated intention of encouraging build experimentation though as it is very much an endgame proposition.

I have to admit I would also be curious as to how much insignias of would trade for if they were not account bound.

That all depends on your end game. If you do a lot of WvW, for example, you might want to try zerg builds, roaming builds, etc…

And even if Ascended Insignias are account bound, they require their exotic variant to craft. And some of those exotic insignias are only obtainable through salvaged gear, and so will likely be bought off the TP by most people.

Ignavia.7420:

Thinking about it again, I would prefer a system where you unlock stat combos one after the other instead of all in one. This can still use ascended insignias, but get more functionality in a shorter timeframe. You also have the option to stop at any point and just unlock, say, Berserker, Knights and Soldiers.

It would certainly require more of a programming effort to store what stats combos have been unlocked on EACH piece of gear; but if workable, not a bad idea either.

Ramiel.4931:

Maybe just introduce Legendary Armor sets unique to each profession. Same stats as ascended, costs a hell lot more and has unique particles and maybe changes some class specific animations.

I think Legendary armor is in their eventual plans, but I expect those would require much more effort and cost than what I have laid out here. Even though I’ve only mentioned armor, my idea would extend to weapons as well. And I doubt making a bunch of Legendary weapons is viable for swappable stat functionality at present.

I’ve farmed the Ettins in the center of Timberline Falls. Not only do they drop bags that can drop linen, they also drop salvagable cloth that breaks down into linen and cotton, favoring linen.

Esmee.1067:

I love the effort you put into this OP! I’m too tired to calculate the actual costs, it seems like a lot, but would be worth-while in the long-run.

Thanks! It evolved quite a bit as I was putting this post together and was going over the different insignias available. It did turn out a bit more expensive that I had originally envisioned, but I think there is room to scale it back. Preferably—as I stated above—starting with the thread and vision crystal.

I find it a bit interesting that the insignias fit so well under the 6 gods. I had not intended to use them for names until I realized I had 6 groups of 3 insignias each.

I also think the time it would take to do offers more end game tasks for those that want to undertake the process. Even more tantalizing with the coming account bound Ascended gear. But if you have that zerker set or knight’s and that’s good enough for you, then you don’t have to put any more time in.

I think using exotic level makes it too cheap an easy to do. I had intended it to have a bit of a Legendary feel (and Legendaries are still way more involved and expensive), because it is a powerful outcome. If you can get an Ascended piece, and then upgrade it to Omni a few days later (if that), it completely trivializes Ascended crafting. It should take some time to craft so your decision of what Ascended to craft initially (what stats) has meaning. And if someone doesn’t want to go through this, they don’t have to and can still have a valuable, albeit static, Ascended gear piece.

If the cost really needs to go down, I would start at the thread and vision crystal requirements.

With the coming patch, we get free and easy trait swapping, which ANet says will encourage experimentation. That’s great, but the problem is that gear still holds a lion’s share of a build’s stats, and thus inhibits some of that potential experimentation.

What I propose is a path to stat swapping gear, the way Legendaries now work. I’m not proposing changing the current Ascended crafting setup. Simply adding a path to stat swappable Ascended gear.

While there are a multitude of ways it could be done, I have a working idea of one means of doing it.

Each crafting profession would have new recipes added. For example, take Armorsmithing/Leatherworking/Tailoring:

Insignia of the Balthazar:
1 x Gobrech’s Valkyrie Insignia
1 x Zojja’s Berserker Insignia
1 x Saphir’s Assassin Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of the Melandru:
1 x Ahamid’s Soldier Insignia
1 x Beigarth’s Knight Insignia
1 x Wei Qi’s Sentinel Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of Dwayna:
1 x Hronk’s Magi Insignia
1 x Tateos’s Cleric Insignia
1 x Veldrunner Apothecary Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of Grenth:
1 x Ferratus’s Rabid Insignia
1 x Occam’s Carrion Insignia
1 x Morbach’s Dire Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of Kormir:
1 x Angchu Cavalier Insignia
1 x Forgemaster’s Rampager Insignia
1 x Leftpaw’s Settler Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of Lyssa:
1 x Keeper’s Zealot Insignia
1 x Wupwup Celestial Insignia
1 x Zintl Shaman Insignia
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

There would be corresponding recipes for inscriptions as well. Then these 6 need to be combined:

Insignia of Might:
1 x Insignia of Balthazar
1 x Insignia of Melandru
1 x Insignia of Kormir
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Insignia of Magic:
1 x Insignia of Dwayna
1 x Insignia of Grenth
1 x Insignia of Lyssa
25 x Spool of Gossamer Thread

Finally, there would be new Mystic Forge recipes added with the following formula:

Omni Ascended Armor piece:
1 x Ascended Armor piece
1 x Insignia of Might
1 x Insignia of Magic
1 Vision Crystal

It would not be easy. It would not be quick. It would not be cheap. But it would solve the gear issue. Provide horizontal-ish progression. And give people something to work toward without destroying their previous work (unless you’ve already crafted multiple stat sets of Ascended gear). Of course the exact numbers could be debated, but the intention is to make one of every Ascended Insignia/Inscription and then combined them with an Ascended Armor piece/Weapon to make the stat swappable variant.

I think it would make a lot of people happier, while not totally trivializing the Ascended crafting system in place. Thoughts?

It may seem odd that Guardian Sword doesn’t simply block, like a shield would. But look at Mesmer Greatsword. Occasionally ANet likes to get clever and uses weapons for something other than their intended purpose.

I think the crafting UI could use some enhancements. First of all, whenever I open the crafting station, it seems like my recipes are sometimes sorted in random order. Regardless, the list is so long at 400-500 it’s still hard to find anything. Yes there is the search field, and the filters, but if you’re looking up several different items, it can be tedious to continually change the filters or redo your search to find what you need.

Plus when I bring up a recipe and see I need to craft one of the ingredients, all I can do from that page is right click and buy more from the TP. But why do that if I can make it? But I still have to find it in my list.

It would be nice if I could right click on an ingredient and jump to it on my list. But I think I have an even better idea.

When you click on a recipe, it would be great if they had an ingredient tree, so ingredients had their ingredients listed as well. That way you can see EVERYTHING you need, if you want to craft something beginning to end. And it would be great if you could craft all the ingredients and sub ingredients (if you have the mats) from that tree interface, instead of having to navigate to each and every one.

This would be especially helpful in cooking, as those high level recipes can be quite elaborate (not just two piece and an inscription/insignia). But even the complex recipes for Ascended gear would benefit too. I do like the crafting system, but the UI needs a bit of work.

Also, it would be nice that once you max a crafting profession, the interface would use something other than light grey for your recipes. It’s fine for leveling, but when they’re all grey it is just blah. Maybe color based on their rarity, or tier.

fadeshiro.8513:

You’re in luck! You can buy the frames for [250 Ugly X] from the holiday vendors.

now to figure out what to do with these last 200 mystical cogs we all got…

Exactly. I’ve made two minis. Now I have 200 cogs with no apparent use (yet?). I’m already a pack rat as it is…..do I really need to make room for more junk that may sit there for a year? lol

You can buy more frames?!?!??! I must have missed that. I may have to make some tonics…………. >:D

That doesn’t resolve the issue that high level people will be split between playing with their free trial friends, and wanting to see the new content.

If you ever decide to do another invite a friend weekend, it might be a good idea not to tie it to an event release like Lost Shores. I understand the intention, wow new players with new content, but in practice there are, IMO, some issues with it.

Existing players are going to want to do the new event content. Obviously. But new players are just going to be trying to get the hang of the game. Even with level up scaling, you’re just putting new players into high skill situations (using characters with few skills/traits unlocked). Especially the final event, where even experienced and high level players were getting killed repeatedly in large numbers. Something which would likely frustrate new players, who would probably be better off in the entry zones.

Also any bugs in the new, untested content, could turn off new players as well. Even delayed content (as I saw with Lost Shores Phase 2 opening event) can be a problem, as new players want to be doing something, not waiting in Lions Arch for something to happen.

Any future events tied to an invite a friend trial should be tailored to those players. For example, instanced content (in low level zones)—very similar to person storyline quests—that existing players and their friends can participate in together. It would offer the opportunity to create new, interesting content that could still be tailored to low level, inexperienced characters.

Just my personal thoughts. Keep up the good work.

Quise.5628:

What is Guardians Garden Club?? Want more infos!!

They meet once a month in Caledon Forest. And every 3rd meeting is bring your Sylvari to work day!

You obviously haven’t heard about the Guardians Garden Club. We take Arbor Day very seriously.

Loic.4367:

“Fall Back!” – Extremely similar to Retreat, but without the whole “we can’t win so let’s leave” vibe.

I almost added “Fall Back!” to my OP. And I agree. Similar meaning but different vibe.

DoctorOverlord.8620:

I agree! I think “Take Cover!” is much more ‘guardian-esque’ rather than yelling to run away

Plus “Take Cover” applies to the skill whether you’re using for an actual retreat, charging into combat or using it to give out aegis to people (I do the last much more frequently than using it for a withdrawl).

And I just had to post this quote from Bearded T over on this same discussion at GW2Guru.

I would name it: “Run, Forrest, Run!”

My norn guardian yelling that would be awesome!

lol

I wonder who could have ever started THAT discussion?
>.>
<.<

This is only a cosmetic suggestion, not a big deal. But it seems silly for Guardian to be yelling “Retreat” all the time, especially mid battle. It might be nice to have a new name and audio cue. I had originally thought “Charge!” (same mechanic but different connotation) but was informed that warriors already have such a skill.

Other suggestions I’ve heard from people:
“Incoming!”
“Take Cover!”

Not a big deal. But as a shouts Guardian, I hear it all the time. lol