Guild Wars 2

Just why is it called Year of the Ascension then?

First it was said that you can still get the backpack when the year is over, it will just increase in price… okay.

Then titles of season 3 get messed up, so dia players get it. Doesn’t get fixed.

New titles for top 250 (okayish), but none for Legendary in S5, while year of the ascension stays past 1 year.
(Old top 100 titles are gone, as also s1/2/3, they hold their prestige… if it’s any for the sole grind it was able to get.)

Now it stays forever. I’d guess there will be no new backpack either in this case?

Was the goldsink already enough for the PvPbase, so it’s not needed anymore?
Ascended item rewards make that much sense for this gamemode.

Ranting, but it just feels so gimmickry when everything get’s watered down, or just plainly removed as amulets, the old orbs, runes, modes.
There is just so little love for it…

What comes to mind in short:

Ele
Balance changes understandable, but Scepter damage is still a joke, especially AA
Ele traits are designed to work with celestial amulet best (rework please or bring back celestial and make it not work on other classes that much)
Needs: More Autoattack Damage on Scepter, Rebalance on traits to synergize NOT only well with all stats in PvP and bad with single stats (zerk is too squishy in contrast to any other class, clerics (the only tanky amulet left) doesn’t scale well)

Mesmer:
Changes make sense for PVE
in PvP Chronomancer lost it’s place. Mesmer as a whole is now on pair with warrior.
Needs: Condi burst in PvP, Alacrity rework (66% was fine… seriously) – eitherway at least a buff so mesmer get’s 50% alacrity only for himself, or add same damage traitlines that make sense into the chronomancer spec.

Warrior:
Where are the much needed buffs for PvP and even PvE whise?
Rev, Thief and even Guards can laugh at a Warriors Damage. The only use is phalanx.

Guard:
Feels great, but I’d like to see changes to give him a useful heal spec like druid/ele.
It’s been to to-go cleric spec choice in the past, but you missed on working on it in the expansion so far. And even shout condi cleanse cannot keep up at all anymore very much.

Thief:
Lazy rebalance, too much dodge/evade and burst for PvP.
Should be more about engaging -> killing the opponent or not, and disengaging if failing. Exploiting more vs less opponent situations for fast stomps. But not being a evade miracle that dies after one second if this traits are gone (although wait… it actually makes sense for thieves… but it’s honestly pure boring power creep no need for skill gameplay)
Regarding PvE, it’s a shame that Engis need to have a exact rotation to be at the same spot as Thieves are with spamming one button (or none with Autoattack enabled).
I don’t say nerf… but then buff Ingi condition damage a tiny bit since it’s a hard rotation.

Really really really bad:
Loss of Soldier/Settler, Celestial and by now way too many runes in PvP instead of making a good balance.
Instead of considering perhaps to split PvP and PvE Skills by Base Damage, CD, Duration, Scaling.

More choices, more diversity means far more rich and interesting gameplay
Cutting down on on anything just streamlines things into a huge pile of the same… just with a different name.

Nova Stiker.8396:

There is NO reason to have any 3-stat amulets, you should just make every amulet hold 4 stats.

https://youtu.be/zzPLYGWyeE0

That is why.

I guess it’s too hard to understand that more stats equals more anything… but oh well.

Nevertheless, this is no balance patch, it’s just “we can’t fix it, so we’re going to remove it” slap in the face. Instead of being able to choose between a wide variety of stats. But then again, this would imply to fix builds and different overall values on amulets.

And why the heck are so much runes and sigils getting removed. The only one that has been OP was vamp.

Interpret Interrupt.3824:

Amulets define builds just as much as the traits and weapons. Each is 33% responsible for the strength. So instead of balancing builds, Anet is trying to balance amulets this go around.

Kinda this, but it doesn’t make any sense at all for christs sake!

What will come next? Ele and mesmer bunkers with clerics. Purely unkillable, try it, it’s impossible.
Season 3 they’ll remove than anything with healing power/vita/toughness I guess?

Eitherway, removing Soldiers was just… plain… stupid. Thanks anet! Something I liked and it’s gone (as also the Pirate rune… I miss that little birdy).
Ofc on some builds it wasn’t viable at all. But even if so, on some it is. Especially on team comps where it’s too hard to sustain as marauder partially and you go on with a “hey I’m a glass cannon look”… "but actually I’m full Power (still spiky) with T/V.

But… streamlining for the win.
So mark my words: If not already in Season 3, finally in Season 4 you can choose between a Power/Condition with no third stat Amulet and an Condition/Power Amulet.
So nothing is too tanky, nor too bursty (as anet doesn’t like zerker either very much)

But seriously… I’m at a loss for words. This is one of the worst changes ever.