Showing Posts For Wonky.3759:
I recently rolled a new SD build I call the surfing sniper.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fcAQFAUlIqicnpy3F1LJxIFkuzgekX/iXRFy/nCsF-TgAg0E1oqxVjpGZN2aGUA
By using the healing turret, you gain a water field that you can blast for area healing. SD builds like this already seem to carry quite a few blast finisher and they can be used to make up for the lack of survivability when used with a water field. This takes advantage of rifle turret as the turret itself can be used for another area heal as well.
As for the rocket boots, they take the place of a more reliable stun breaker for the added utility. Although similar to the ram in that you have to be in melee range for the kick, you can then use the boots to blast your water field and retreat. Melee range shouldn’t be a problem for you if you are bringing the toolkit. I mean you might as well be using the magnet + prybar since you have them.
So here are my thoughts on the new SW. First, the good:
—The fear, like the vulnerability, relies on your enemy choosing to pass through it.
Because you don’t have anything to force people to walk through it…. like another fear.
This actually brings up an issue of having yet another means of stacking fear. Though the duration of the wall is short, when you consider you can now get 3 fears in a row off (reaper’s mark, spectral wall, doom or whatever else). If traited properly, this will result in them taking silly amounts of damage while being feared for upwards of 6 seconds barring any stun breaker. Six seconds is long enough to throw a picnic while the other guy is uncontrollably limping themselves through your marks.
I do get why they reduced the duration, but I no longer consider this a buff to the utility.
This skill is more powerful after the changes. The “utility” you describe is a single use case to cover a choke point defensively. Since a fear has been added, you need to consider using it offensively now too. Think of zergs pushing in on enemies and dropping this behind them to keep them from falling back. I see this as an increase in utility for the skill as it means there are more situations in which it is useful.
Let’s consider all the preconditions that must be fulfilled to get access to torment.
As a necro you have access to torment inherently through death shroud and can apply torment when it’s off CD.
What would a mesmer have to do to use this skill though?
They must first have a scepter equipped, which hasn’t been as useful/popular as other weapons. Then they must use a 2 second block during which they can do nothing else until you attack them. If and only if you attack them during this will torment be applied.
When there are this many changes, it’s worth it to sit on your hands long enough to see how these things will play out. Only once the meta has settled can we tell if it’s balanced or not. Let’s see how many mesmers start using scepter and to what effect first.
I hope they plan on adding a reasonable stun break. No way I am equipping a turret just for the tool belt skill.
Honestly, that’s the one turret I’ve been experimenting with even lacking a stun breaker. No other utility skill gives you three blast finishers! As if that wasn’t enough, you can use them in rapid succession (place turret, overcharge, explode, toolbelt).
I’ve been using this in conjunction with the bomb kit to great effect. Sure it requires being able to play a piano in order to pull off, but giving 12-15 stacks of might out to whole party for 20-30 seconds is worth it. When I can stealth a party for 12 sec every 50 sec just using blast finishers, this sure beats out a mesmer’s group stealth elite skill. Oh and if your party is taking too much dmg, drop your heal turret overcharge and blast out four to five area heals.
I think a lot of our versatility as engineers comes from combo fields and blast finishers. I was a bit excited to see this turret pick up a stun breaker as my build needs it and I’ve already been using that turret. I’ll really miss elixir r stun breaker though.