Guild Wars 2

draxynnic.3719:

I think they ALL do. Warriors have been said in an interview to tap into magic, they just do so in a kind of instinctive fashion that means they don’t consciously realise they’re tapping into magic – which is how they perform superhuman feats.

This is why I believe that all shouts are spells, even if not…necessarily conscious.

Two examples from opposite ends of the spectrum:

Shake If Off!
While it’s easy to say that “the warrior is basically yelling at everyone to keep going in spite of everything,” also bear in mind that, by doing so, the warrior is immediately curing: a heavily-sprained/broken leg (crippled), noxious disease (poisoned), severe bodily trauma (several stacks of bleeding), the fact that you are on FIRE (burned). Not “ignoring until it’s better,” his allies are no longer affected by this. This hints that there is restoration magic being used, even if the warrior himself is not aware of it. Think of it as, along with inspiring allies, the warrior is casting a restoration spell via sheer willpower.

Feel the Burn!
This one’s a lot closer to a spell. The tempest releases elemental energy in the form of a heat wave. Easy, right?

So what do these have in common? In both cases, it’s not actually the words themselves that trigger the spell. Think of it as a battle cry, like screaming bloody murder while swinging a huge sword. There’s a rush of adrenaline, a release of energy (intentionally in the case of tempest, possibly involuntarily in the case of the warrior), and then a shout. The shout itself isn’t the spell; the shout is a result of the spell being cast.

Apologies for the ramble; I hope that was clear…

Also, point of clarity, since I think I’m misreading. If, say, you channel the fire storm and it gets interrupted. Are you locked out of fire attunement for 20 seconds? Or is that CD only if you swap to a different element?

In addition, do we know if switching attunements interrupts the channel (triggering the CD)?

Mist Form would interrupt the channel as well, which means you’d still lose the attunement, correct? Lightning Flash would be a better option, but that’s more for “getting out of red circles” than preventing interruptions (current usage case: Meteor Shower).

Unless self-interrupts don’t apply the penalty, Mist Form wouldn’t work. But yeah the only overcharge that doesn’t REQUIRE Armor of Earth/stability support would be Earth. Or, well, running dungeons, you just have to be smart about it.

My primary concern about Tempest is that it seems to be made for PBAOE…but eles are still squishy as hell. The only storm to really support that is Earth.

nearlight.3064:

kalevinrajo.8360:

No warhorn. I can see it working thematically, but almost all warhorn skins are abhorrent. Meanwhile, there’s several swords already in-game that work perfectly fine with elemenalism.

There are plenty of good warhorn skins. In fact just like most other weaponsets, most weapons are plain and boring if they aren’t an ascended weapon skin, a black lion skin, a dungeon skin, a legendary, or a mystic forge skin. The only downside about warhorn skins is that there are no mystic forge skins, although for sword theres really only infinite light and whisperblade, which don’t have too much of an elementalist feel to them.
.

I didn’t mean just Mystic Forge skins.

First off, I’m not going to talk about dungeon skins or elemental-themed sets (CoF, Corrupted, Tempest, Fused, etc) as those apply equally for the most part. I will argue that the various sword skins are far more noticeable with effects/appearances than warhorns (because most warhorn bells are fairly plain and small comparatively).

Off the top of my head, the four elements have corresponding sword skins as of right now. Firey Dragon Sword and Firebringer (I believe is the name), Jormag’s Breath, the legendary Bolt (weeps), and the Crystalline Blade/Zap for earth. Due to the number of unique skins for sword in general, that alone provides more options for magical-themed weaponry (as you noted, Mystic Sword and Whisperblade, Lord Taeres’ Shadow) or mundane (Bonetti’s Rapier, Chain Whip Sword).

My argument against warhorn skins is based on, quite simply, the lack of variety. Almost all warhorns are the same size and basic shape, and few care enough to try out more varied skins that they’re almost unmentioned or ignored. The only decent standout warhorn skin I can think of is Howler, so if you have others please feel free to correct me.

No warhorn. I can see it working thematically, but almost all warhorn skins are abhorrent. Meanwhile, there’s several swords already in-game that work perfectly fine with elemenalism.
Wards would be nice to have.
An elite skill that doesn’t suck.

I feel like we’re lacking a real defensive option, especially in melee. We have some panic button skills, but almost all of our damage mitigation comes from positioning or dodge rolls, the same as all other classes that have access to far more blocks, evasion, or stealth. There’s really no point to running dagger over staff/scepter in SW against the likes of teragriffs or wolves because all we can do is dodge a couple times and hope for the best. Which is why I’m hoping for sword because I see that filling the gap better than warhorn.

Okay so this is kind of a weird idea, but, hear me out.

What is a “tempest?” It’s a storm, a violent swirl. What do Eles have that matches that description already? Tornado Form, obvious. An AOE knockback/CC. Glyph of Storms, also obvious, AOE damage/conditions. Swirling Winds match the description of a tempest, a wide AOE denial. So, we can infer Tempest involves some form of AOE…something.

Look at the Tempest artwork again (which I don’t have the link off the top of my head, sorry). The Ele doesn’t have anything in his hand. It looks like there’s a sword planted in the ground, though, on the left side of the screen in the middle of the fire storm. (Which is my strongest thread of hope I’m clinging to for not-warhorn, but that’s neither here nor there.)

So, we have AOEs, and something planted in the ground to trigger it.

My idea is, Tempest can get turrets. Or wards. Or spirits. Something along those lines.

Concept: you plant a weapon into the ground to trigger an area effect. We don’t have a tool bar like engies do, so say it goes away after a while. Or whenever you pick up the item. While the AOE is active, press the skill again to trigger an additional effect. If they go with the weapon planting route as hinted in the artwork, then your weapon skills become weaker while the AOE is active. Or lose the attributes of that element, because that attunement is being channeled by something else; magical attacks become non elemental, dagger/sword becomes stabs or slashes, etc.

In essence, you tradeoff a strong long-lasting AOE (for damage or soft denial a la Meteor Storm/Glyph of Storms) for usage of one or more of your elements, while you run around and do more stuff elsewhere. This gives us a bit more area denial; the storms can be used to generate conditions; and provides a bit more risk/reward to playing up close and personal.

If we end up with warhorn instead, then…the idea loses a lot of oomph, but could still be pulled off. The AOEs would end up being more like ranger spirits than anything else.

I dunno. Does that overlap too much with wells/traps?

bobomb.5209:

Loved this. Very nice writing style. hit what you were aiming for right on the head.

Aha, thank you! I have more, but not sure if it belongs in a new thread or this one…idk, but thank you for the compliment.

[[I don’t RP very much, but I decided to write out parts of my Sylvari’s story out a while ago. Might as well start with her Dream.]]

Silence.

Void.

Nothing.

They say humans remember nothing of the womb. They say a soul pulled from the Mists is a clean slate. A blank tablet.

How sad it must be, my child.

Silence.

Void.

Nothing

A face.

Pure white cheeks, gentle eyes , masking a deep, dwelling sadness.

A loving gaze, a mother’s smile.

Lights flickered in the dark. Red, blue, violet, yellow. Red, yellow, violet, blue. Violet, red, yellow, blue. Over and over, dancing forever. A brilliant flame warms the body. Flash. A soothing mist eases the soul. Rock and soil are your hands and feet. Blink. Cool breath fills you with light. Lights swirl in the dark. Reach out, touch them, feel them. The warmth of the sun, the healing rain, the spark of life, and the dust of the earth.

Touch them.

Feel them.

Move them.

Be them.

Green fills your mind. Sylvari. That is what they call us. Souls of the earth, memories of the world. Sylvari.

You have much to learn, my daughter, let me show you.

The world appears. Green fields. Harsh deserts. Lush forest.

Our forest.

The Grove.

Our home.

Faces.

Souls.

Twelve.

They turn to me.

Listen, my child.

The world fades into a rush. Names, faces, memories, distant pasts. The twelve become more, and more, and more and more and more. Each a face, each a name, each a memory. A knight in armor, the wise moon glowing above. Listen, my child.

They build, they grow, they expand. They travel to the distant shores, to the highest heights and the lowest depths. The smallest blade of grass blows to the tallest mountains. Listen, my child.

They tend to the gifts they are given. From life comes life. From nothing comes life. The smallest is honored with the largest, and no one is greater than the other. The blossom is brother to the weed. Listen, my child.

A shimmer, a blade, a cut. The rotting branch is pruned before the sickness spreads to the heartwood. Act with wisdom, but act. Listen, my child.

The rot spreads. Reaching. Thickening rot. Clawing into every nook, every crevice. Darkness. Vile, putrid, cruelty with no bounds. My child, where have you gone? Brother betrays brother, lovers wound the soul. A twisted visage grins at your suffering, parting its jaws to consume all that is and will be. My child, please! Darkness engulfs. Terror overwhelms the senses. Tortuous fear paralyzes the soul. Come back, my child. I beg of you return. Please!

A face appears in the darkness. Take her hand. One of the Twelve. She guides you from the nightmare. The terrors are silenced, but feel them prickling your neck.

Ground. You see it. You can…feel it. Your feet stretch out and you stand. Stand firm, my child. Steel your mind. The brilliant flame will burn the corpse. The freezing mist will snuff out life. Rock and stone will shatter your foe. The blast of wind will fill your soul. Ready yourself, my child. The rot in this world calls to you, but you will not heed it. The darkness threatens to swallow you whole, but fear not this night.

Silence it.

Act with wisdom, my child.

Act.

A crash, a sound that rattles your bones. The world shudders. The beast emerges in a shroud of darkness. It rears its head and screams, poised to tear at your heart. The rot spreads, choking the land. The beast lunges.

Suddenly, a pillar of light. A beacon in the wretched darkness for all of Tyria. The moon shines high above, basking the land in her glory and wisdom.

Fear not this night, my child. In the bleakest of darkness, the light of hope shall always beckon you.

The world rushes into a blur again. The light grows, brighter, brigher still, piercing the darkness and shattering the world. The ground fades beneath your feet and you start to fall. Fall. Fall for eternity, fall into the light.

It’s time to wake up, my child.

Fall. Fall.

Wake up, Delina.

I managed to get it using Staff, running 0/0/10/30/30. Signet of Earth for toughness boost, CF for emergency condition removal, and Arcane Shield for a stun break. Elite is Elementals.

The name of the game is CC. Target Chomper, but always keep an eye on Strugar. The throw animation is tough to see, but it’s a bit slower than his axe throw. And he’ll (usually) face away from you. That’s what you’re looking for.

Start in Water. Frozen Ground is probably your best skill for this fight. As soon as you see Strugar chuck the meat, run for it if you can easily get it, FG if you can’t. One FG should last long enough for the second meat. Of course, while you’re not meat running, drop Ice Spikes whenever you get the chance.

When FG expires, swap to Air. Static Field works very well on both, though remember that there’s a short delay before it goes up. (Also, remember whether or not you took Blasting Staff, you’ll feel silly if you trap Chomper with the meat accidentally!) Gust works in an emergency to knock Chomper away at the last second, but remember that it’s a projectile, so it can easily miss. Also, Windborne Speed removes cripple. Lotta folks forget that.

Next up is Earth. Shockwave is useless, but Unsteady Ground is very handy for a crippling effect. You can also reflect Strugar’s axes/pulls, but don’t rely on it.

After four meats, you’ll get stunned. SAVE YOUR STUN BREAK FOR THIS. The stun lasts long enough for them to kill you easily, and plenty of time for Chomper to ruin your achievement.

After about 5 or 6 meats, DPS the kitten out of Chomper. The might stacks will make quick work of him, but be ready to swap to a CC if you need to. You could also go to Fire after the second meat before quickly swapping to Air for a bit of extra damage. I played fairly defensively, though.

Other options would be GoEP (for perma cripple while in Earth) or Signet of Water (for an emergency chill). Condition removal is very handy in a pinch, but could be swapped out. SoE I’d prefer to keep, but again, I play defensively. GoEP can also replace Arcane Shield.

Also, a friendly tip: if you’re in a party, you can call target on Chomper with Ctrl+T. If you don’t have a party, invite someone you know is offline.

TL;DR: save your CC for when you can’t reach the meat in time, play defense until you get enough meat stacks to mop the floor with the pooch.