Guild Wars 2

I was completely disappointed with this episode and the new map…. I really enjoyed the first half of the season leading on from HOT…. hatching the egg…. taking care of Aurene…. preparing to fight the next elder dragon….. Then Head of the snake came along and all of a sudden this story line gets abandoned… in favour of Caudacus and White Mantle…. totally out of left field….. I was still optimistic and really was enjoying the new maps…. I thought the two story lines would come back together…. never did…. instead they try to wow us by bringing Balthazar into it at the last minute… lame move…. totally ruined the lore and the story imo…. Before the gods were… well… gods…. all powerful and distant…. now Balthazar is just some kitten making a power move in Tyria… dont like it. Yet with the final episode looming… I was still hopeful… they would tie it all together with a triumphant finale…. and um… we got One Journey ends… completely anti climatic end to the season.

Instead of pushing to a powerful climax… we get introduced to a new character… I found the banter incredibly cheesy and irritating…. Then we spend the rest of the episode relating to her…. Where is Dragon’s Watch? Where are our friends? Where is anyone or anything I could possibly care about? Locked away as throw away comments in the endless sea of irritating dialogue. The elder dragons we are supposed to be dealing with? Dismissed with hardly a word.

I thought the masonic style ritual that made up the second part was ridiculous… Terribly scripted and performed…. One of the worst pieces of storytelling Ive seen in a game… The lack of cutscenes or cinematics made the whole thing feel boring and mundane… as opposed to the second half of Season 2… which I felt was riveting…. by the end I was shouting for more.

I found the new map completely uninspiring… definitely the worst of the lot… full of gimmicks and no apparent reward…. the new mastery is lame…. I just really dont understand what they were thinking? As I said at the beginning… I am completely disappointed with this instalment…. They took a perfectly good series and dropped it on its head.

As far as it goes… I am still looking forward to the expansion… will definitely be buying it…. but this episode did nothing to encourage me… In fact it kinda worries me about the direction the story will be moving in from now on… If I weren’t such a die hard fan and avid player…. I would be totally put off by this and probably wouldn’t buy the expansion… but I am… so I will.

I just hope this episode was just a glitch in the matrix and not a sign of the story telling that is to come…. Sorry for being so negative… but after finishing the story last night… I needed to get this off my chest…. Thanks for listening

I was completely disappointed with this episode and the new map…. I really enjoyed the first half of the season leading on from HOT…. hatching the egg…. taking care of Aurene…. preparing to fight the next elder dragon….. Then Head of the snake came along and all of a sudden this story line gets abandoned… in favour of Caudacus and White Mantle…. totally out of left field….. I was still optimistic and really was enjoying the new maps…. I thought the two story lines would come back together…. never did…. instead they try to wow us by bringing Balthazar into it at the last minute… lame move…. totally ruined the lore and the story imo…. Before the gods were… well… gods…. all powerful and distant…. now Balthazar is just some kitten making a power move in Tyria… dont like it. Yet with the final episode looming… I was still hopeful… they would tie it all together with a triumphant finale…. and um… we got One Journey ends… completely anti climatic end to the season.

Instead of pushing to a powerful climax… we get introduced to a new character… I found the banter incredibly cheesy and irritating…. Then we spend the rest of the episode relating to her…. Where is Dragon’s Watch? Where are our friends? Where is anyone or anything I could possibly care about? Locked away as throw away comments in the endless sea of irritating dialogue. The elder dragons we are supposed to be dealing with? Dismissed with hardly a word.

I thought the masonic style ritual that made up the second part was ridiculous… Terribly scripted and performed…. One of the worst pieces of storytelling Ive seen in a game… The lack of cutscenes or cinematics made the whole thing feel boring and mundane… as opposed to the second half of Season 2… which I felt was riveting…. by the end I was shouting for more.

I found the new map completely uninspiring… definitely the worst of the lot… full of gimmicks and no apparent reward…. the new mastery is lame…. I just really dont understand what they were thinking? As I said at the beginning… I am completely disappointed with this instalment…. They took a perfectly good series and dropped it on its head.

As far as it goes… I still looking forward to the expansion… will definitely be buying it…. but this episode did nothing to encourage me… In fact it kinda worries me about the direction the story will be moving in from now on… If I weren’t such a die hard fan and avid player…. I would be totally put off by this and probably wouldn’t buy the expansion… but I am… so I will.

I just hope this episode was just a glitch in the matrix and not a sign of the story telling that is to come…. Sorry for being so negative… but after finishing the story last night… I needed to get this off my chest…. Thanks for listening

Cantrips have provided both offensive and defensive buffs since the beginning… when you look at them as skills…. 2 are pure defense (Armor of Earth and Mist Form)… 3 are a mix of offense and defense… so its wrong to say that offensive buffs dont suit…

I cant speak for the other utilities… ive been using cantrips for a long time now… but they represented a great streamlined system… that was efficient and fun to play…. I am a staff ele player so am speaking entirely from this point.

I thought the idea of adding back might to c antrips when weilding a staff was a brilliant idea… since we seem to be feeling the hit most….

Yes it is possible to still generate good might while playing staff… but then you must stay in fire all the time… turning the staff… which used to be the most wonderful versatile weapon in the game… into a one dimensional spam tool… otherwise sacrificing offensive power….

trouble is… eles have the lowest stat potential in the game… so hits like this to performance will be felt more acutely… since it is already a real stretch to create a truly balanced (dps/survivability) build… for me.. this hit was devestating… more emotionally than in the numbers… to me… cantrips feel flat and dead… uninspiring… and im having to change and limit my playstyle if i want to keep the might up.

I used to play way from fire quite a lot.. using buffs to provide group support… now i am having to hang in fire much more… its just not as much fun for me.

In my original post I suggested adding fury instead of mught… since eles have scant access to fury esp if the trait for Pyromancers puissance… it would fill a gap imo… this would also feel good

It would also work to reduce the duration to 5s (it was quite long before) this would just give flares of might rather than stacking up too much… this would provide a great feel imo… while reducing the overall capacity or might gain.

for the good part… more classes are now able to buff the party with might… so often it is possible to achieve 25 stacks with group help… so this does help the matter a bit.

I agree with improving the other ele traits… but I rly rly hope they do something about this…. i was so excited waiting for HOT…. they slipped this in the back door… at the last moment… all my excitement has been knocked out of me feels like ive been mugged on my way to the jungle… feels like kitten

The recent removal of might from cantrips has ripped a huge hole in the heart of my build and play style I specced low in condition damage so i could allocate the points to survivability… I relied heavily on might generation to get the stats back… and the power boost was nice too oc.

I play staff… and the joy of my playstyle was to begin meteor shower… then hit armor of earth… for stability and a mighty boost to the attack… and watch the devastation ensue… it made me feel like a god now the joy has been ripped away… and my meteor shower has turned into a miserable dribble I have been avoiding playing my ele due to feelings of dissapointment

I dont understand why might was removed completely… why not reduce the duration or number of stacks? By the sounds of it… this was an issue in PVP.. why not split the trait? What harm was being done in PVE?

Cantrips used to represent an incredibly efficient and satisfying way to buff both offensively and defensively… this was their purpose since the start. Now that they are purely defensive… they feel lifeless and flat… inefficient… I used the might gain from cantrips and signet of strength… to stabilize my might levels when I was playing away from fire… and also to create occasional massive spikes (this was not op)… now the only way to generate significant might is spamming fire = 1 dimensional = BORING

People who know how to use staff… cycle through the attunements… delivering damage… CC… healing at need… Cantrips balanced this by filling the gaps… now we are penalized for straying away from fire too long… otherwise our offence will dwindle… this move has deeply damaged the class…. esp for experienced players.

Here are some suggestions to rectify the situation:

1. Return everything back to how it was – RECOMMENDED
2. Split trait between PVE/PVP – restore might to PVE
3. Reduce the number of stacks and/or duration of might given
4. Give fury instead of might

As it stands we now have a useless trait in adept fire… no ele needs an automatic cleansing flame = useless…. we have so many options for condition removal… it was added on to the trait as a bonus… now the important thing is gone… and the useless addon remains :/ now that might has been taken away… the trait is a waste of space in a crucial attunement for eles… please sort this out… please give offense back to cantrips

I have played staff with my elementalist since lvl 70… I love it… I chose staff because the skills emulate and expand upon the build I used in GW1… I think the ele staff is the best designed weapon in the game… It’s a swiss army knife… giving all capabilities one could hope for.

The trouble with ele in this game is that we begin with the lowest stat potential…. being light class we have the lowest armor… and we also have the lowest starting HP… a glass canon ele is a truly vulnerable creature lol…. Most people then sacrifice damage potential to bolster survivability…. giving staff ele the reputation of a support class….

I set about to create a damage/support hybrid build for staff ele… to prove its destructive yet loving power… and came up with a truly elegant solution… The secret of the build was to spec offensively in gear… then pick up support and survivability from traits. Heres what i came up with:

Fire – 6: Spell Singer – Internal Fire – Pyromancers Puissance
Water – 4: Cantrip Mastery – Soothing Disruption
Arcana – 4: Renewing Stamina – Elemental Attunement

Armor: Berserker – Divinity Runes
Staff: Berserker – Sigil of Accuracy – Sigil of Strength
Back: Berserker
Amulet: Soldier
Ring: Berserker
Accessory: Rampager

This build was desiged to be executed at full asceneded level to reach max stats (These are approximate):

Power: 2300
Crit Chance: 48%
Crit Dmg: 200%
Cond Dmg: 200

Armor: 2000
Health:15,500
Healing Power: 250

These stats represent the starting point… and were all magically amplified through use of my skill rotation… Glyph of Elemental Harmony- Armor of Earth – Cleansing Fire – Essential (other slots filled to choice)…. The offense was amplified by generating might… the defense and support coming largely from cantrips and elemental attunement… here is the rotation.

(Armor of Earth – Cleansing Fire) – Eruption – Lava Font (same location) – Flame Burst – Metor Shower(alternate)- Frozen Ground (alternate) – Ice Spike – Static Field (alternate) – Lightning Surge – Shockwave (alternate) – Eruption……. and on……

This rotation cycles through the attunements allowing Ele to unload the most powerful skills one after another without waiting… interspersed with judicial CC and healing…. With this rotation… The Ele can generate 20-25 stack might and maintain it…. during combat… the Ele benefits from permanent speed… vigor…. regen… protection… and fury on all major hits….. The Ele also passes about 60% of this to the group passively.. simply by continuing the skill rotation…. and unloading Cantrips when available… well this is how it was before the patch…..

By removing protection from Sooting Distruption…. A Net has stripped away the defensive capabilities of this build… which were essential to survivability… Armor was kept low… to keep the agro down… allowing a wonderful tactical gameplay… but oc you can never fully avoid physical combat… and though discouraged… stacking is a real part of the game we all play… Having near permanent protection was not overpowered on this build… it kept the damage managable… esp in high level content and WvW… since the protection has been taken away… Too much time is now spent negating damage… and ultimately has spoiled the gameplay that this build offered…

Please understand… I’m not just making a case for my own build or idea… I think this problem is universal for Ele… I shared the specifics so you can see how this effected me… and to know that this request is made thoughtfully… by someone who is trying to think outside the box and create new builds…

Basically… Ele… esp staff Ele… needs more protection…. not less… we r a vulnerable class and already seem to have a miserly access to boons compared to other classes… Staff Ele has no skills that grant Protection… permanent Vigor is already available with only 2 points investment in Arcana… adding it to Soothing Disruption is redundant… Soothing disruption requires a 4 point investment in Water… a heavy price – and all u gain is regen from cantrips… most ele builds ive seen have points in Arcana…

If A Net didn’t want protection… how about something like retaliation? The replacement of protection with Vigor is useless…. considering how easy it is to get otherwise… I think if we dont have more magical ways to defend ourselves then staff ele will always remain a second class

Please find new ways to give Protection to Staff Ele… Magnetic Aura(?)… and It really would not be too much to add protection back to Soothing Disruption… and leave Vigor there as well… if its important…. for now I’m stepping back from my ele main ;’( and will focus on other classes for a while… I really hope that this request is heard… and that an upcoming update – brings protection back <3

I have played staff with my elementalist since lvl 70… I love it… I chose staff because the skills emulate and expand upon the build I used in GW1… I think the ele staff is the best designed weapon in the game… It’s a swiss army knife… giving all capabilities one could hope for.

The trouble with ele in this game is that we begin with the lowest stat potential…. being light class we have the lowest armor… and we also have the lowest starting HP… a glass canon ele is a truly vulnerable creature lol…. Most people then sacrifice damage potential to bolster survivability…. giving staff ele the reputation of a support class….

I set about to create a damage/support hybrid build for staff ele… to prove its destructive yet loving power… and came up with a truly elegant solution… The secret of the build was to spec offensively in gear… then pick up support and survivability from traits. Heres what i came up with:

Fire – 6: Spell Singer – Internal Fire – Pyromancers Puissance
Water – 4: Cantrip Mastery – Soothing Disruption
Arcana – 4: Renewing Stamina – Elemental Attunement

Armor: Berserker – Divinity Runes
Staff: Berserker – Sigil of Accuracy – Sigil of Strength
Back: Berserker
Amulet: Soldier
Ring: Berserker
Accessory: Rampager

This build was desiged to be executed at full asceneded level to reach max stats (These are approximate):

Power: 2300
Crit Chance: 48%
Crit Dmg: 200%
Cond Dmg: 200

Armor: 2000
Health:15,500
Healing Power: 250

These stats represent the starting point… and were all magically amplified through use of my skill rotation… Glyph of Elemental Harmony- Armor of Earth – Cleansing Fire – Essential (other slots filled to choice)…. The offense was amplified by generating might… the defense and support coming largely from cantrips and elemental attunement… here is the rotation.

(Armor of Earth – Cleansing Fire) – Eruption – Lava Font (same location) – Flame Burst – Metor Shower(alternate)- Frozen Ground (alternate) – Ice Spike – Static Field (alternate) – Lightning Surge – Shockwave (alternate) – Eruption……. and on……

This rotation cycles through the attunements allowing Ele to unload the most powerful skills one after another without waiting… interspersed with judicial CC and healing…. With this rotation… The Ele can generate 20-25 stack might and maintain it…. during combat… the Ele benefits from permanent speed… vigor…. regen… protection… and fury on all major hits….. The Ele also passes about 60% of this to the group passively.. simply by continuing the skill rotation…. and unloading Cantrips when available… well this is how it was before the patch…..

By removing protection from Sooting Distruption…. A Net has stripped away the defensive capabilities of this build… which were essential to survivability… Armor was kept low… to keep the agro down… allowing a wonderful tactical gameplay… but oc you can never fully avoid physical combat… and though discouraged… stacking is a real part of the game we all play… Having near permanent protection was not overpowered on this build… it kept the damage managable… esp in high level content and WvW… since the protection has been taken away… Too much time is now spent negating damage… and ultimately has spoiled the gameplay that this build offered…

Please understand… I’m not just making a case for my own build or idea… I think this problem is universal for Ele… I shared the specifics so you can see how this effected me… and to know that this request is made thoughtfully… by someone who is trying to think outside the box and create new builds…

Basically… Ele… esp staff Ele… needs more protection…. not less… we r a vulnerable class and already seem to have a miserly access to boons compared to other classes… Staff Ele has no skills that grant Protection… permanent Vigor is already available with only 2 points investment in Arcana… adding it to Soothing Disruption is redundant… Soothing disruption requires a 4 point investment in Water… a heavy price – and all u gain is regen from cantrips… most ele builds ive seen have points in Arcana…

If A Net didn’t want protection… how about something like retaliation? The replacement of protection with Vigor is useless…. considering how easy it is to get otherwise… I think if we dont have more magical ways to defend ourselves then staff ele will always remain a second class

Please find new ways to give Protection to Staff Ele… Magnetic Aura(?)… and It really would not be too much to add protection back to Soothing Disruption… and leave Vigor there as well… if its important…. for now I’m stepping back from my ele main ;’( and will focus on other classes for a while… I really hope that this request is heard… and that an upcoming update – brings protection back <3

I think the crit dmg multiplier should be 12 instead of 15… this would have actually created ballance across the items while reducing the overall dmg potential slightly… I think 15 is too much…. for classes like ele who already struggle with stat potential… it was a hard blow…. Eles already have to choose between damage and survivability like no other class… this really forces us to choose… glass cannon or mediocre damage support class… but of course this move will simply change the expectations of what high damage is in the game… since it is a universal nerf…. it will effect us all equally… I guess well just have to learn to let go of all those pretty numbers… and wait for future updates :P