Guild Wars 2

There is no other class I would rather play than an elementalist. I love the class concept and functionality. Switching attunements is a very neat mechanic. I am competent with the class and by the mere push of 10 buttons, well timed, in specific sequence, I can destroy a target.

Then I walk in my roommates room and watch him playing his ranger. He keeps showing me all this destruction he rains upon things with either his greatsword or longbow. He accomplishes what I do in 10 buttons with 3. Meanwhile, he’s taken either -0- damage or maybe 20% whereas I’m often sitting at about 10% life remaining. Not to mention his pet(s).

This doesn’t make me want to switch to a ranger. Just leaves me wondering why I have to work so hard to accomplish the same thing, and in more danger. This is just one example. I’ve seen the same sort of thing with his thief and my friend’s guardian.

Commonly, a character class concept is not designed solely for the upper-end of skilled players. Of course skilled elementalists are destroying people. Just like skilled any-class destroys people. The differentiation begins to come when the average other-class can still compete whereas an average elementalist is told “well the class is good, you just need to be better”. Is the class broken? Clearly not. Is the class underpowered compared to its peers? Evidence would seem to imply yes.