Guild Wars 2

Bounce logic did not originally target white or yellow targets on bounce for staff #1. This was a bug introduced several patches ago, and while bugged it used to target white neutrals (poor bunnies) as well. Winds of Chaos is not an AoE ability. It is a single target ability that will bounce from the target to another viable target or an ally. Viable bounce targets did not include neutral targets until a few patches ago. Lately I’ve been feeling a bit bad about the random wildlife I’ve been killing off when struggling against the forces of darkness (once had to fight three mountain goats in a row from bounce aggro when my initial target was a spider).

The #1 skill on staff for Mesmers (Winds of Chaos) will target and damage yellow neutral creatures within its range on bounce. This is causing additional aggro during PvE matches. Please adjust bounce logic to not include neutrals on bounce.

Winds of Chaos (staff #1) still targets yellow neutrals within its range. The trait Vengeful Images still has no effect. Enemy health bars do not drop nor do retaliation damage numbers show when Phantasms are attacked during its five second duration (tested with iWarlock).

The bounce mechanic on Winds of Chaos (Staff#1) is still targeting yellow neutrals within range of your target. Thought this was fixed when GS#2 was but apparently not.

I’m having trouble getting vengeful images to apply retaliation damage from phantasm’s even during its limited five second duration. It does not appear to be proc at all. Can anyone else confirm?

Vengeful Images is not applying it’s retaliation during it’s five second run. No damage, no retaliation indicator either.

I’m still having bounces from WoC aggro yellow neutrals, or occasionally just firing off in some random direction (white critter perhaps). I’ve logged a bug report as well as mentioning it here. The bounce logic is better, but I don’t think yellow neutrals are supposed to be valid targets…

Vengeful images at five seconds is pretty much useless as most of the illusions I summon can’t get aggro in that amount of time (and I don’t PvP or WvW so no, AOE is not an issue). ANet, if you think it’s too powerful in it’s old form, please yank this garbage trait and replace it with something interesting and thematic to the trait line. Right now it’s a five point trait tax and bugger all else.

I don’t know about you, but my phantasms typically don’t draw aggro in under five seconds. Often, the aggro never leaves me unless I stop attacking or go into stealth. Changing the duration from infinite to five seconds changed the utility of the trait from great to useless. If the trait is going to be too powerful due to increased phantasm hitpoints, then replace it with something else entirely that’s interesting and contextual to the trait line. Instead they just nerfed the trait itself to where it just feels like a trait point tax with little to no utility.

My question would be now that vengeful images is essentially useless, what exactly would you invest in that trait line for? Vengeful images along with regeneration were the only worthwhile traits in that tree for me, and I’m not too keen about dumping that many points just for the regeneration.

Kudos to a concise summary of how bad this patch is for Mesmers and build diversity. The nerf to vengeful images was a complete surprise to me and definitely hit my phantasm build hard. It still bothers me that if you want to keep phantasms spawning you have to invest so heavily in a trait line that primarily benefits shatter builds. Now I have to invest in more useless traits while the core traits of my build are nerfed. Why are you forcing me to play shatter builds Anet?

I’m seriously considering dropping the line altogether, vengeful images was a critical part of the build. Five seconds is nowhere near useful, it will often take longer than that just for an illusion to draw aggro. Build diversity my @55.

Jeremiah Lee.2764:

We are aware of this issue and have a team looking into it.

Thank you to all that have posted!

Thank you! It’s been so frustrating trying to play with bounces and boons being wasted on my clones or illusions I’d just stopped altogether. I’m so glad you are finally having a look at the issue.

One of the best combinations in staff is Chaos Storm/Phase retreat wherein you can stack boons from the storm, bail when it’s about to end, then stack more boons from the Chaos Armour. The problem is once you phase out you Winds of Chaos bounces are most likely going to be wasted on the clone you left behind. Not phasing out however seems like a serious waste of one of the better weapons combos in the set. Further, I see no justification for this new bounce logic, it’s not like people were tearing up the forum complaining about condition mesmers.

While WOC was using the old bounce mechanic it was passable. Currently it’s not worth using as it’s very difficult to retain the boon stacks on yourself if you make any use of the #2 skill (and why wouldn’t you) and the new bounce logic may often mean extra bounces won’t even find their way to an enemy.

Thank you for your recent attention to the iZerker bug (you can see the dev input here: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Did-phantasmal-zerker-get-fixed-this-patch/page/10 ). Please have a look at the recent changes to bounce mechanics introduced in the late May patch. It affects all classes, but Mesmer disproportionately due to the high number of bounce attacks in their two-handed weapons proficiencies.

Good thread. It’s the new bounce logic that’s pretty much stopped me from playing at all, I just occasionally check these forums or log on checking for a patch.

I like much of your content ANet, but if your core mechanics make it very frustrating to play (yes) I’m not going to stick around to see any of it.

Please give this the attention it deserves.

Your choice of music made me smile I’m slow-clapping you right now.

Confirmed the bounce bug has not been addressed. I sure would like to peruse the new content Arenanet, except the bounce bug has made my condition mesmer INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING TO PLAY. How bout less bells and whistles and more fixing your core mechanics.

Vashoom.8512:

However, about this point, just think about what you are asking,
1.) if attack’s don’t bounce from clones, people will complain it’s too easy to spot the non clones (players)
or
2.) if they do bounce the attackers will complain it’s not hitting players.

it’s a no-win situation however you look at it, however, there is only one solution I can see which is fair to everybody.

Add additional bounce targets if it hits a mesmers clone (which it should, for equality).

This is a fatuous argument at best. There is little difficulty spotting the real mesmer currently, and under no circumstances would a condition mesmer want to trade off the DPS/condition/boon application of the old bounce mechanic in order to slightly confuse the issue of who the real mesmer is in PvP. Consider the mesmer who is PvE only, for them this new bounce mechanic is an absolute disaster with no upside. This needs to be fixed ASAP.

Bas.7406:

Just so you guy are aware, this has been the case with every other class weapon skill that works like your bounce for quite sometime. The Mesmer’s were an exception to the rule, and speaking from the rest of the community welcome to our world. It’s not a big deal, as every other class has been working under the assumption that this was normal.

Actually, if you look in this thread: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/bugs/Major-bug-with-Bouncing-skills-mechanic you’ll see a number of Engineers and others who explicitly state the bounce mechanic is not working for them as it used to. Some report their turrets are getting speed buffs from bounces post patch.

Whelp, logged on to check the status of things. Attacked a Lynx with GS #2 and had the bounces from the fight aggro a nearby Vetran Pinesoul and a Moose. Quite the brawl, and naturally the GS was putting might stacks on my clone. Logged out to desktop, see you in a week

Now is not a great time to be looking at a staff condi build, given recent changes in how bounces from staff (and greatsword) function:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/bugs/Major-bug-with-Bouncing-skills-mechanic/

It makes it difficult to reliably build stacks on yourself or your opponent and in some instances bounces can aggro other enemy mobs or neutrals.

I would just like to read a statement that indicates if this was in error or if the bouncing mechanic is ‘working as intended’. For now it’s pretty much put my Mesmer on the shelf and given that I don’t have and/or want to start another character it’s pretty much got me twiddling my thumbs until it’s addressed.

C’mon ArenaNet, am I waiting this one out or should I be doing something actually productive (unlikely) with my time?

First time posting. First time enraged. How do you screw up a class this late in the game? If I’m close enough to my illusions to gain regeneration I’m close enough to give them stacks of might! Yippee! If they attacked more than once a month it might be worth it. Fix please!