Guild Wars 2

Hey Team

I’ve been given the chance to play through a few games on the new maps and i’d like to just share some input i’ve got, based on my last few playthroughs.

Spirit Watch

The new timers for the orbs are excellent! I feel the maps flow has been improved greatly. The players show no more obligation to crowd in the middle of the map and the pace at which the rewards come is appropriate for point balance and syncs well with the other pvp maps side objectives.

The removal of weapon skills has removed a few exploits in the movement balance between classes but not all of them. I’m unsure if its intentional that thieves using the daredevils “unhindered combat” trait can still sprint large gaps. But its been a nice advantage! Thanks for that! (y)

I have not had a chance to utilize the orb skills much, mainly due to the upper stated exploit. But they feature no movement adjusting actions so i happy for that.

Skyhammer

Skyhammer was once one of my favorite maps, and still has its charm, but i feel the lack of detail and enjoyment in the new map is almost just there to prove a point to the whiners!
However, I do like the new skyhammer platform. The positions of the blockers add an odd angle to watch for while in combat, but also challenges the person trying to exicute the knock offs with tighter shots.
The lower half of the map is very bland feeling however. There are many useless large under corridors newer players like to get corralled in. The new B area is nicer to look at and smoother to move and fight in. I feel less trapped in a snipers nest then before. But the large open spaces in the middle of the map need some kind of movement mechanic to add some intrigue to there multi-leveled design. I suggest putting the dispersing platforms back in to a few places not centralized around nodes. Just in the dead zones so its punishing to be caught of guard out there.

Side not to fix small sky hammer issue: SCORPION WIRE.

This utility skill has never been useful, ever. I have played thief since day 1 of beta and i cant say i have ever found use for it. Other then yanking frustrated people down holes. This skill needs to be one that is either buffed or removed cause it is a waste of hero points and a trick. (aka cant even combo weak “trickster” trait and “pressure striking”).

A longer knockdown would make the skill more useful. The ability to combo with “merciful ambush” by yanking downed allies to you (if successful hit) would make the skill more viable and open up build potential, would combo with “trickster” better. Or perhaps some kind of new condition effects tagged to it to catch it up and be kind of a reversal to “impairing daggers”.

Long message but i’ve been a very silent gw2 fanatic for a while and i thought id just share some input on the new updates cheerio!

I have never played much ranger before today, and i must say i as very entertained and disgusted. I gave he standard build just a few slight tweaks to the traits and sigils and immediately i am top of the team in every game for the first 3 games, my muscle memory isnt queued, i have no idea what im doing other then waiting for rapid fire to cool down, and im still top of the team. Please give ranger just a tiny nerf, how about 18k auto attacks opposed to the average 2k/2.1k im getting with no thought at all.

People whine to much, good thieves are always improvising with their environment and have great versatility in their builds. Keep kicking kitten we wont be forced out, unless the minion master population keeps increasing. Gang kitten isnt all that fun

The passive “Last Refuge” Kills me way more then it ever saves me. I want it removed or at least made an optional trait. Almost everytime im about to die in combat i pop my heal or attempt a stealth but even if im casting my heal the auto stealth still activates and assists in my death.

Torment is an awesome new condition, and with the new ways of seeing condition damage, i can see how much it impacts alot of players. im finding being a heavy user of torment (and the occasional victim), i can say their are not enough traits or skills to remove torment to make it quite fair to people at the tip of the blade.or atleast to the classes that do not have alot of condition removals in the first place like engi.

When i played guild wars 1, builds felt kinda personal to me. Builds weren’t just the commonly known repetitively seen and heard about builds that now consume sPvp especially.

I know the structure and balance of gw2 requires less variety amongst builds, and im not suggesting we tamper with this balance at all.

What I am suggesting is that build templates be added back into guild wars. Where you can save the trait distribution, the rune use (all 7 shown individually to there respective equip binds) the sigils/weapons, the utilities used, and the jewel attached to the in game choice of your amulet. (cant make these build changes too instant)

Add small features like the ability to rename and organize your builds to your liking in a new menu/build inventory, this will assist with regaining the personal touch to build making.

The reasons this would benefit guild wars 2? For sPvP players, it would allow fast switching between arenas and matches a whole lot easier and quicker, instead of rushing through the loading screens at pop scrambling to get into the tourney build you want.

This could also be beneficial to WvW and PvE players through a ticket item. A bulk number of items could pay for a template pass, allowing a free (of cash) way to change traits at the time of the players choice. In WvW this would work well between garrisoning a fortress and the defence of it. If the expected attack comes earlier then planned, you could potentially not get stuck in your swiftness build.

Use and Restrictions: In sPvP, the templates feed from your pvp locker, so stock up on all the rune and sigil types for free use of them.

Player cannot access this menu in a match (sPvP) or change without a fast swap ticket (PvE, WvW).

Player can save a build at any time with a button in the traits tab.

In PvE and WvW, the template only takes out from your inventory, so you must have the runes/sigils in inventory if you want them to be applied to the armour, (traits and utilities can still be changes without the runes/sigils).

And thats it, my idea for build templates, i hope its considered for the game id love to use it.

If Ritualist’s ever do have an appearance in Gw2 i had an idea for the mechanics of the spirits.

Spirits can be risen in target regions and are locked to that position. A few are offensive and others a defensive providing their benefits to a medium sized radius around them.(Increasable radius through traits). The player once having the spirits on the field can chant and sacrifice a selected spirit and teleport to its former position, causing an AoE burst around the destination point.

Now there are two ways spirits (or all utilities) could be used.

Method 1: Spirits could be used as the class skill, like the mesmers illusions; except, all spirits are the same for every player. as the spirits provide there benefits directly to player(’s), a meter grows, and when sections of the meter are filled a chant is ready to use for the already mentioned effects to happen upon sacrifice.
Optional: spirits can be sacrificed prematurely for weaker effect and a longer cool down for next chant.

Method 2: utilities could be connected to the class skills, and the spirits could just be a utility placed at your location (unless influenced by trait) and sacrificed in the class skill bar.

Method 2 would provide a ritualist with another unique twist to their class like with all classes. Only have the utility skills be on this class skill bar, no heal, no elite. This will shrink their versatility a bit. Also, so you can provide the ritualist with 2 weapon sets, make a similar casting meter for the class skills as the one mentioned in method one. Like a spirit purge or something where energy builds through the use of those utilities and other skills aswell, or possibly a distance from target style generation, the closer you are the more in contact you are with them and can use the utilities or efficiently.

Im gonna stop with saying that the ritualist has a place in gw2, the ashes, the spirits, the chants all fit in to the combat of gw2, or could if made right. Please consider using even a fraction of this suggestion if the design of a ritualist ever goes underway.