Guild Wars 2

Here’s Keriaz, my Asura. I decided to go with fall colors

I believe it’s a bug. Something that I missed in my explanation. I’m not sure if it is for every case of knockback or just the Mes pull. I’m somewhat certain in the past I’ve been knocked off the mortar by other CC skills. I might try running a test sometime soon just to see.

“Jaggernaut skill should have +300 maybe and stability but -50% to move "

This was actually what the devs had at first for the Juggernaut trait(minus the armor I believe). It was then replaced with what we have now. Honestly, IMO, the FT is fine where it is. There maybe needs some tweaks in burning duration and perhaps a tiny bit more range, but overall I’m satisfied. If built right, this thing can do a good amount of damage. I like Malhavoc Adhamar’ suggestions as those are pretty solid without having to do a lot of reworking.

It does have the same oversized hitbox. I’ve ran into the issue several times in WvW when trying to use the mortar as a defensive weapon, but AOEs that shouldn’t be hitting the mortar end up doing so which makes the mortar nearly void.

@ Sungak- I had thought about an elite kit that would be like a cannon, but wasn’t exactly sure how the skills would line up. As you pointed it out, it would be difficult to balance. It would be neat to see what comes around if the mortar ever gets replaced instead of being fixed. Good ideas though.

Thanks for sharing ,Imagi, but this is one small (and very rare) instance. We engis hope that the mortar can be better, but there are so many issues surrounding it, the mortar just isn’t that viable. The best it can be is just a small annoyance and nothing more, and for an elite skill, this is fairly disappointing.

Now, to expand this discussion a bit, I watched the Engi stream today. When the elite skills came around all the guy could say about the mortar was “It has some interesting tricks, but the fact that you are immobile in use, it isn’t that viable for me.” First, I would like to know what “interesting tricks” he was talking about, and second, if they know the immobile on use is an issue and somewhat opposite to the style of gameplay for GW2, why not fix it? When the next stream came around, I was half-hoping that they would have mentioned something about the mortar, but they didn’t. Of course, what they talked about on the Round Up stream wasn’t the entire list, but I have little hopes of any changes.

@Aveneo- your propositions could be a good route to take. With the increase in range, it would make up for the fact that we would be immobile.

Let’s keep up the good discussion folks as I would hope some good would come out of it to be reflected in the game

@ Roy- Interesting suggestions. I still don’t like that you are immobile during it’s use. I know skills like 100b on the greatsword requires you to stay in one place during it’s use, but you are still able to dodge if you need to get away. Also 100b does a ton of damage in a wide cone to make up for this fact. I just don’t see that one particular part of your suggestion working out.

@Sarrs- I would rather not put a decrease in range for the nades. It’s a fairly pivotal skill and at that range which helps being on par with staff Eles. On that note, that is why I suggested that the mortar skill be replaced due to that the mortar just doesn’t fit in the game. However, if Anet did go with your decision, I would rather have the nades traited up to 1200 to be on par with other AOE’s.

@Carrigan- That’s one of the issues though. Anet has consistently wanted flexibility for builds, but the mortar is so particular that it really doesn’t have a place at all. Even in WvW for defense and offense, the way they handle range really hurts the mortar’s capability. When traited, we get 1500 range. The problem when using it let’s say from a wall is that the range takes in not only horizontal distance, but vertical distance as well(Why couldn’t we use the GW1 range mechanic? I don’t know…) . Plus, the shells have a much lower arc when firing from a higher position which leads to shells hitting your own walls/structures. Then, as stated before, the thing dies quickly. I do agree with your suggestions on how to buff it. I believe the caltrops could still stay as that is a nice long cripple AOE, but it needs to be buffed in some way as well.

@ Markus- I agree. The mortar has had consistent issues since launch. As I stated in my post, I just don’t see it fitting in the game unless it is buffed in some way to balance out the fact we have to stay in one place to use it. Really, the mortar already has the potential to do more damage. As I said in my post, if I have 3249 attack power not using the mortar, then I use the mortar, my attack power drops down to 2573. That’s a 700 loss in attack power. On top of that, the thing doesn’t crit. I believe from simply looking at it from a damage stand point, if they removed that ridiculous drop in attack power and allowed the mortar to crit, it may be actually viable in some circumstances. But as we have all discussed here, there’s a lot more that really needs to be done to make this skill a worth while elite.

Will the Engi elite skill “Mortar” ever be allowed to crit?

(ran out of room, continuation of previous post)

What should be done about this? I propose two things-

1. Change the mortar into a Kit like the Charrzooka- I know in the past folks had wanted sniper kits or a kit that resembles the Charrzooka, and personally, I’m on board with that. The Charrzooka is a really solid elite skill, but instead of following it verbatim, I say we tweak it just a bit. Since Engis switch between their kits alot, it would be best to instead activate the elite skill and let have a duration like Elixir X does. During that time, engis can switch to their main weapon or other kits and may return to the elite kit while it is still in an active state. Even if the “charges” route was followed, we would be given mobility, a better damage output, and an overall contribution to the party. I’m not sure all the details in my head what weapon this elite kit would use, but as long as it replaced the mortar, I would be happy.
2. Change the mortar to a more powerful turret- I know turrets overall are still a bit buggy, but it would allow those wanting to spec into turrets more to have a turret that was more focused on damage unlike supply drop which is more supportive in nature. It would provide a bit more variety at least.

In conclusion, the mortar is an elite skill that just doesn’t work with this game. Trying to rework it would be a futile attempt and Engis will be stuck to using mostly Supply Drop and when Elixir X can be viable in a build just like the OP said. I would really like to know the reasoning behind the design decisions for this “elite” skill, because frankly, I just don’t see how it can be.

I am in full agreement that this skill must be changed.. Or perhaps even replaced. Here’s my breakdown- pros and cons…

Pros

• Gives stability

• The cooldown timer is the same length as the use timer- This allows you to use it again immediately. Granted of course this is assuming that neither you nor the mortar are destroyed/slain.

• The no.5 skill is a good AOE knockback that can break up cluster of mobs/players if need be.

Cons

• Can’t Crit- To my knowledge this is the ONLY profession skill in the game that cannot crit. If this was just on a simple utility skill, I may feel to let this pass, but this is an elite skill. So… why can’t it crit?
• Projectiles are inaccurate- It seems like they are very inconsistent where they land. And because of the ridiculous arc that they travel, they are slow and easy to dodge. In a lot of dungeons that I’ve tried to use this thing, they end up hitting walls or ceilings instead of their targets.
• All other skills are pretty weak- The heal skill is hardly worth having and it doesn’t even count as a water field. In fact, the heal skill shows that there is a combo field in play, but nothing ever happens.
• Weak power- Speaking of weak, if I have 3249 attack power before I use the mortar, I drop down to 2573 attack power when I’m using it (That’s a 700 DROP). The mortar has the highest decrease in attack power compared to the other kits (which are not that bad… and even the Charrzooka doesn’t drop that low).
• The hit box is large- causing it to be damaged at a higher rate than normal and AOE’s being able to hit it even though it is outside the circle.
• Has a minimal range- This is crippling as enemies come closer. You could release for a moment to CC some, but that isn’t going to last long and this is a huge hindrance to the player.
• Global cooldown- When one skill is used, all other skills are on a global cool down timer, something that I do not see in any other profession. (This was actually part of a patch to keep players from queuing too many skills for the mortar. It couldn’t keep up with it unlike all other skills in the game and would constantly glitch it’s firing cycle.)
• You are immobile- In a game that’s all about mobility with dodge mechanics, this is pretty crushing. It doesn’t take long for the mortar to be destroyed in any area of the game (PvP, WvW, PvE, ect.). And even if the mortar was invincible, you would take plenty of damage very quickly.
• For a mortar, the range is short- Even with the trait to increase it’s range, an engi running around with nades can do so much better. Even if they aren’t traited, that 100 range difference isn’t going to make much of a difference, granted they have slightly less dps due to one less grenade.
• Overall contribution to a party is low- As stated in the previous point, a engi going with nades can do so much more than an engi trying to use a mortar. Nades allows mobility, a fair amount of damage, a lower arc hence not hitting walls, way better accuracy, and a fair amount of conditions. And since it is a kit, we can get all the perks of kits and synthesize it well with plenty of major and minor traits. I know this elite skill was probably intended for an engi to use at a distance to support the rest of the party, but… It just can’t. I tried using it in fractals once and it just can’t be used.

With all these cons ( and probably a few more I missed) this “elite” skill can’t be trusted or used effectively in this game. If GW2 was a more traditional MMO where you just stand around and pop off skills, it would have been fine, but the mortar simply doesn’t fit. Even in WvW where it could be useful just doesn’t work out. Since range distance takes into account both the horizontal and vertical axis, using it from the walls can be null, and as other posters said, can be destroyed by a simple fire storm from an Ele. Trying to use it as a means to clear the walls is pointless as well. The walls that are targetable just makes the shells disappear with no effect (this goes for nades as well).

Very good responses folks. I agree to both of your answers. This is the stuff I would hope the rest of the community realizes.

And yet again she says the following lines-

Scarlet Briar: I told the Inquest chaos energy was a misnomer. Mind you, dragon energy is tricky, so I can see how they flubbed it.
Scarlet Briar: At least they helped identify the network of magical channels that crisscross the globe. That was a breakthrough.
Scarlet Briar: Now we know how NOT to do this kind of research right on an intersection of those channels. Live and learn, right?

Then Kiel says:

Captain Ellen Kiel: Chaos energy or dragon energy—either way, Scarlet and the Inquest took this facility too far too fast.

Key words are- Scarlet and the Inquest. So, yes. I still hold to the fact that they were working on this together. She only got “kicked out” by the Council of Rata Sum because she was caught working with the Inquest. Here is a quote from the story:

“Ceara’s time with the Inquest was brief but extremely productive: they taught her things the other colleges wouldn’t even discuss, and allowed field tests without those irritating and unnecessary safety precautions.

Things ended suddenly and badly, however, when Ceara and her krewmate Teyo broke into the city’s archives and tampered with several of the designs they found there. It was presented to her as a means to give the Inquest a competitive edge in the upcoming Snaff Prize competitions, but Ceara also left her stamp on a few unrelated projects she found.

When caught, Teyo teleported herself to safety and left Ceara to face the consequences. The Council stripped Ceara of her academic credentials and the Peacemakers ejected her from Rata Sum. She laughed and left the city without any of her research notes or belongings, whistling as she went."

There is nothing here that points toward the fact she can’t be trusted by the Inquest. In fact, it would be the opposite. She shouldn’t trust them because they bailed on her; however, we know that if Scarlet wants to know something, she’ll do anything to attain it. It was the Council of Rata Sum that kicked her out not the Inquest. Again, she has worked with them a number of times, and that includes after the time of the reactor when she had the Aetherblades team up with the Inquest. Remember, the Inquest will do anything to get to the top which I believe includes letting Scarlet work on the project. And with the particular attitude that the Inquest have, as shown in the first paragraph on the quote, Scarlet really likes how they think, which again, I believe that’s why the Inquest like her.

Yes, the Inquest experiments did become unstable, that is what I explained in my post. That is an interesting proposition that the player is a non-inquest Asura; however, I will still stick to my view that it was simply an Inquest team trying to salvage the operation.

@DarcShriek, as AKGeo mentioned, since she was on board with the project, she knew this sort of thing would happen as the Inquest refused to listen to her according to the dialogue she gave.

@ DarcShriek
Yeah, I do realize that small part in the story. I don’t think that is enough to direct that she sabotaged the reactor as it was an Inquest project. Again, she was working with them not against them

@AKGeo
That’s exactly what I was thinking.

Finding Scarlet Briar taking sample
Scarlet Briar: Reactor approaching critical, panicked evacuation, general mayhem and hysteria…Yep, I’d say my work here is done.
Scarlet Briar: Sorry about all the death, and for the portal pandemonium.
Scarlet Briar: I told the Inquest chaos energy was a misnomer. Mind you, dragon energy is tricky, so I can see how they flubbed it.
Scarlet Briar: At least they helped identify the network of magical channels that crisscross the globe. That was a breakthrough.
Scarlet Briar: Now we know how NOT to do this kind of research right on an intersection of those channels. Live and learn, right?
Scarlet Briar: That’s progress. Hooray for progress! Ooh, but it’s getting a bit too deady in here for me. ’Bye now!

So right off the bat, the first two lines seem to make it sound like she was the one responsible to what is happening to the reactor… But then immediately the following lines make it seem the opposite.

Scarlet Briar: I told the Inquest chaos energy was a misnomer. Mind you, dragon energy is tricky, so I can see how they flubbed it.
Scarlet Briar: At least they helped identify the network of magical channels that crisscross the globe. That was a breakthrough.
Scarlet Briar: Now we know how NOT to do this kind of research right on an intersection of those channels. Live and learn, right?

So, this actually explains what the Inquest were really doing with the reactor. They were messing with the magical channels of Tryia… And they seemed to have done it in the worst location possible : an intersection of the channels. But back to my inquiry. She says the Inquest didn’t listen to her and they “flubbed” it. She also says that “Now we know how NOT to do this kind of research right on an intersection of those channels.” If we removed the first two lines of her dialogue, it would 100% point that this was an experimental accident, and the Inquest didn’t know what they were dealing with (as they often do). From these three lines, we also know that Scarlet was involved in making the reactor as she complains that they didn’t listen to her. So really… it sounds 50/50. Initially it sounds like she was responsible, but after that it sounds like an accident. Further more, Ellen Kiel says the following after completing the fractal-

Captain Ellen Kiel: Chaos energy or dragon energy—either way, Scarlet and the Inquest took this facility too far too fast.

So, according to Keil, it sounds like Scarlet and the Inquest were working on this facility. While the Inquest didn’t fully listen to Scarlet, it seemed that both were responsible for pushing the reactor too far. It is interesting to note this in the other LS content that Scarlet is responsible for. Every Alliance and plan she has made thus far has a strong potential, but then fails… never reaching to a full completion.

So, did Scarlet really blow the reactor? Let’s look at the two lines again one at a time.

“Reactor approaching critical, panicked evacuation, general mayhem and hysteria…Yep, I’d say my work here is done. "

Now, if Scarlet was working on the reactor with the Inquest, perhaps what her implication of " Yep, I’d say my work here is done." is more like “Well, this experiment failed. Time to take what I can and leave.” As in, that sentence seems more like she is just taking what she can and leaving the Inquest to deal with the failure. Again, this reflects back to what other LS has been with Scarlet. She’s made something, tried to make it work, but it fails; however, before she leaves, she picks up the pieces to move onto bigger and better things. On the other hand, it could mean simply that she is reveling in the chaos she created if we go with that she did blow the reactor. Then we have the second line

Sorry about all the death, and for the portal pandemonium.

This line is the hardest one to shift through to say that she didn’t blow the reactor. Was she just “apologizing” for the madness that was being created of the failed experiment, or was it a snide remark? It could go either way.

So, that is where my perplexity lies. We have some dialogue suggesting it was just a failed experiment tampering with the magical channels and that Scarlet and the Inquest were working together to make this experiment work out. Yet, we have a select few dialogue from simply Scarlet herself implying that she may have destroyed the reactor. I’m kinda on the fence about it leaning slightly toward that she did not destroy the reactor. I wish that the dialogue was a bit more clear about what exactly was going on with the reactor. Really, as many times as she has worked with the Inquest, it wouldn’t make sense why she would blow up their reactor. It just seems too important as she seems to imply about the magical channels. So, what do you folks think? Did she blow up the reactor or not?

Ever since the reactor fractal was released, a good portion of folks cried out saying that Scarlet was the one responsible for the reactor blowing up. Other accusations also included that Scarlet shouldn’t even be here. While the latter can simply explained with a time line, the former actually perplexes me due to the dialogue for the story mission itself. But first, I want to lay down a foundation of what we knew of the Reactor before this reveal happened.

What we knew at the time was that there was an area in Metrica Province known as the “Thaumanova Reactor”. There are rescue teams on the outskirts of the reactor with multiple wounded. Portals were popping in and out and creatures from around Tryia were appearing seemingly from no where. Talking to some Asura, all they knew was that the reactor blew up suddenly and without much warning. It was, however, destroyed by some Inquest experiment that didn’t work out, and of course, the results were catastrophic.

There are actually two other areas that at least point to the reactor. One is a jumping puzzle in the Iron Matches called “Chaos Crystal Cavern”. There we find an Injured Inquest Researcher who explains that the crystals in this cavern were used for the reactor, and now since the reactor blew, there is a “twinning effect” happening. Which she explains as the following-

“These crystals are creating a sympathetic metamorphic reaction, attracting the chaos rifts from Metrica Province here. Nasty bit of business, that twinning effect. "

Also to note in the cavern are portals that open up with creatures have that same delirious effect. Another small but interesting connection is in Brisband Wildlands way down in the south west porption of the map. There is a small inquest base there known as the Thaumacore Inquiry Center. There isn’t much here except for the name itself must be linked to the reactor. It’s almost like this was the first site for such experiments but on a much smaller scale.

As far as I know, that’s all we knew on the reactor itself and the event before the fractal was released. Of course… I could have missed something.

But now let’s shift gears and look at the fractal itself. You begin by being transformed into Asura standing away from a wall about to be breached. I’m going to assume that you are replaying the role of a small Inquest emergency response team sent in to try to keep the reactor from going critical and just blowing everything up. After all, the reactor was a high investment to the Inquest and was part of their research on the magic of Tryia of all types. As expected, we see dead or wounded inquest everywhere. The reactor is falling apart and stuff is just going… nuts. Desa walks us through what we need to do and we shut off the two colliders. One is in a room like maze with turrets firing a special type of magical bolt. No doubt this was some experiment using the energies being generated by the reactor. Then the other one is shut off by fighting Subject 6. Subject 6 is an interesting nod to how the Inquest continue to experiment on organics using Tyria’s magic. In COE, we see this through Subject Alpha who is enhanced by dragon magic. Who was Subject Alpha before? We are not sure, but before Subject 6 breaks his container, there is a Asura inside. Of course, something goes wrong and we fight him to shutoff the next collider.

Now we go back to the main chamber and see Scarlet Briar. It makes sense that she is here since she did work with the Inquest for some time. She says a few lines of dialogue and then vanishes… I’ll return to her in a moment. To complete the Fractal we are then tasked to take out an entity above the reactor. Once that is done, the reactor blows leaving a thick essence of mists behind.

So, back to Miss Scarlet. We know that the reactor blew recently enough that she would be working with them. In fact, she deals with them again later down the line with the Aetherblades as they wreck havoc in Lion’s Arch. And as detailed in the short story released by Anet, she went to work with them for a brief while. So, Scarlet and the Inquest have a good history of working together. In fact, some dialogue from the story points to the fact that she helped work on the reactor… and yet in some lines it seems it may be the opposite. This is where I have been somewhat confused about in the past few days. In order to represent this the best, I shall present to you her dialogue within the Fractal itself (taken from the wiki)-

Treeline.3865:

With all the hate going on, it seems the rage train only want to hate Scarlet, and keep her in the Living Story only, at any cost. What I find annoying is that people keep claiming she does not belong in the Reactor.

Soooo…. Lore time. The game actually does have lore you know.

Back to basics. Scarlet used to have another name. From Wiki the first thing we learn is:

Ceara emerged from the Dream of Dreams with an innate fascination with the interlocking systems of nature, and a determination to forge her own path independent from the Mother Tree.

In my translation she is looking for the answers to “everything”. She wants to understand how things are connected and put together. In a world infused by magic, there is sure something to get to know. Magic is a part of the world, and everyone has access to magic. With Scarlet being so thirsty for knowledge, this is the ultimate mystery to be solved, the ultimate tome of knowledge. (This seems like guessing, but read on)

From an interview with Angel McCoy:

Magic is the lifeblood of Tyria. The entire world is infused with it, and it flows through everything via ley lines that criss-cross the planet.
The natural role of the dragons is to keep this magic balanced. From time to time, in the long history of the world, the dragons have awoken and begun to draw the world’s magic into themselves, reducing the level of magic flowing through the ley lines.

When the dragons have consumed enough and thus reduced the world to a low level of magic, they go back to sleep. From then on, the magic leaks from them, back into the world at a reasonable rate. Eventually, it builds up in the world again, and the dragons awaken again to tip the teeter-totter back in the other direction.

Now why is this relevant? Well. First of all, the dragons are very much active in the game, meaning we have reached a peak in the magic flowing around the world, so a loooot of magic must be flowing through those ley lines. Furthermore, Zhaitan is dead (surprise spoiler!). That must have released a lot of magic. I dare say there have never been more magic flowing across those ley lines.

Ok, so far we got Scarlet wanting to know how things connect, a lot of magic and dragons. What then? Back to Scarlet!:

Ceara’s ideas were understandably unpopular with the colleges of the Arcane Council, but very much in line with the ideology of the Inquest. She spent a brief time with them, but was ejected from Rata Sum after she and Teyo were found meddling with designs in the city’s archives

Scarlet DOES have history with the Inquest. With the lore describing her being in Rata Sum, being with Inquest, and also running around with Hyleks after again being an outcast, I think it’s safe to say she was in Metrica Province where all these can be found. Now for the sake of Inquest:

Thank you for posting this nice well thought out post about what’s going on with the Reactor Fractal and Scarlet. I’ve seen so much hate and quick-to-judge attitude both in-game and on the forums that it’s becoming annoying. I’ve been wanting to post something about Scarlet and how this is all a more deeper story and character than most people give credit for, but I just don’t have the time right now to commit to that. Back to this, it’s nice to see a positive look on the LS lore and story for once. Makes me feel that I’m not alone >_> haha. Perhaps, I’ll find some time soon to add to the discussion; however, I’ll keep an eye on this thread as it continues.

I really like your ideas as a whole… especially the sniper kit. If it replaced the mortar, I would be very happy as that elite skill is really, imo, not that great and somewhat buggy. Moving back to the topic, while I prefer all the Charr engi stuff, it would be nice to the Asuran engi players to have some love as well. Keep up the good work

Good Evening, folks.

I’m looking for a medium sized guild on TC that is active and has interest in the game. I mostly focus on PvE, though, I am open to both sPvP and WvW. I also am opened to light RP if you have it, but this isn’t exactly necessary. Most importantly, I would, at all possible, find a guild without drama( I know. It’s the internet and this will be difficult to find). This particular issue has been the bane of the previous guilds I’ve been a part of, and I would rather avoid it as much as possible. If possible, I am also looking for a guild that doesn’t require 100% rep. This is simply because of possible RP avenues I’m looking into.

Now, a bit about myself-

Rp/Lore-
I’ve played GW2 since launch and played GW1 a good bit back in the day. I’m heavily invested into the lore of the game and I hope to see more as it unfolds through the living story. I have a few characters I rp with and enjoy writing in general. I have a journal for one of my characters, and when I have time, I like to write shorts for them. While I am not looking for an officers position, I do have experience as a RP officer and was head of writing a guild story.

PvE-
I enjoy all the aspects of PvE and look for whatever new challenges Anet present through their content. I enjoy dungeons, FOTM, jumping puzzles, and world events. I have always enjoyed the mechanics in this game and the challenge that it presents. I’m pretty confident to fill any roll that is needed. My main is a Engi and enjoy the playstyle that they comes with playing them; however, I do have a Mesmer, Elementalist, and Warrior that are level 80 if they are needed. I don’t mind doing speed runs nor listening to new ideas in approaching this content. I just want to enjoy it with a group of people who wish to enjoy it as well.

WvW/sPvP
This is probably the weakest part of my experience with the game. I have touched both WvW and sPvP in the past and have enjoyed both. I suppose I am more geared in playing on the PvE front due to my curiosity in the lore of the game. Currently, my time to play the game is cut due to my college work load, so more than likely, I’ll be sticking to my guns with PvE; however, I wouldn’t mind exploring a bit more on this side of the game in the future.

General-
As I stated in the previous section, I have a somewhat heavy college workload. Because of this, I know some guilds really push the -“You must log in at least once a week” thing. Which, I will respect, if you have that to the best of my ability. Just know that I may get hit with some heavy assignments and may have to disappear for a few days. I consider myself to be fairly sociable and will do my best to be a part of the guild when I can. I want to be as active and involved as time allows me to be with folks who are friendly and mature.

Alright, so, if you need additional info from me, don’t hesitate to PM me as I am fairly open to any question you may present. I look forward in meeting you all

Good evening, folks! Today(8/21/13), we will be having our weekly Tavern Night RP event. The event is simple: we go to a tavern and RP. It’s relaxed, fun, and down right enjoyable. Usually, I wait to the last moment to put up our location (we do a different tavern each week! ), but if you wish to join us tonight at 9PM EST at the Serrated Blade Tavern, you are more than welcome. Come and say “Hi”, have a few drinks, and have a good time!

I have this issue as well. It makes it more difficult to do this mini-game as it seems Adnul isn’t effected by this error.

Amadeus.5687:

DragoTheWise.7256:

This is pretty disappointing. I always thought this was one of the Engis must have skills

And this is the reason it got nerfed, I’m not saying they nerfed it the correct way, but anything that i a “Must have skill”, needs to be toned down!

You truncated my quote there. As the rest of it reads: “wanting support or a way for survivability”

I wasn’t saying that every build out there used it. Elixir R was just a really good way to round out the versatility of the Engi in certain builds. I recently ran the new dungeon with my same build and the amount of stuns that were thrown around were pretty crippling without that stun breaker. It is just annoying that I now have to either run about without a stun breaker, or switch out Elixir R or another elixir for something that has a stun breaker. I will miss that small key component to my build that made it complete. I suppose I’ll just try to do my best and make do with what is given.

In general I like these changes… except for one thing-

Elixir R no longer has a stun breaker

This is pretty disappointing. I always thought this was one of the Engis must have skills when wanting support or a way for survivability. Personally, it allowed me to get out of sticky situations and to save my tail while supporting my allies. I don’t know how many times this skill has been incredibly useful for situations when an escape and support is needed. I’ll still use the elixir because the support aspect is needed for my build; however, I doubt my effectiveness will be as great considering I do not have a stun breaker at my disposal.

Thank you so much! Keriaz looks great

@godSIDES

I’ll probably send you a pm later today with some details.

As an update, Most of my requested commissions are taken up; however, I would probably like another one of Sharak and I still need to find someone to do a picture of Sharak and Keriaz together. Thanks folks

Eveningstar.7834:

Jade Arkadian.9280:

I Like it ! I like your style and you are quite quick!
Regarding my char, well, i like it a bunch! but there is a tiny little detail that you should have in mind for silvari draws.

Since she is a silvari and you draw her in the dark, you should know that some parts of her body (face, eyes..) have a natural glow, but that’s my fault too since i didnt provide any pic of her face in the dark.
Take this as an advice for silvari comissions and keep going

Ah, you’re right! I was so wrapped up with the whole “assasing theme” I tottaly forgot… And I main a sylvari!
If you don’t mind sending a pic of her glow, I’d be willing to add it in.

On the side note:
DragoTheWise.7256: http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/157/a/6/dragothewise_by_moondropstar-d6827f8.png

(I tried making the expressions you asked for. No idea if it’s accuarate. ^^;)

Thank you so much for doing this! He looks great

Very impressive work! l would love to throw my character here. This is Sharak Iskar, Charr engineer. The only particular detail I would like to request( if possible) is that you make him look somewhat sincere or in deep thought. He is a thoughtful older Charr that has grown very wise over the years. Besides that, anything else is up to your awesome artist abilities.

Thank you in advance!

@Curae
Thank you very much for alerting me to this. I do realize now I left out quite a bit; a pitfall on my part. So… to take the questions provided:

On the technical side:
-What kind of size of artworks are you looking for? Would this be artworks the size of an a4 paper or bigger/smaller?- Size? Big enough to show an entire character or two with some basic background work.

-Digital or traditional artworks? - I’m looking for more on the digital side, but open to traditional.

-What would be the deadline? - I really don’t have a deadline as I’m in no particular rush. I would want the artist to be flexible and take their time with the project.

On the more artistic side:
-What kind of style are you looking for? Manga/anime, comics, marvel, realistic, something else entirely? I am looking for a more realistic art, but I am fine with it being a bit impressionist kinda like how the art GW2 uses. It has a very realistic appeal, yet is blurred and impressionistic in some ways. I am open to also manga as that style appeals to me.

-What level of detail do you want? Full color? Lineart? With or without background? Full character or Portrait? 2 of them would be more Portrait like with very little background. The other two I would like full character with some minor background details( or perhaps none at all). Full color would be the target.

-What races are we talking about? Humans and norns do not differ a lot, sylvari is already slightly different, but Asura and Charr have a completely different anatomy:
With this one. 3 of the artworks have Charr in them. One of those three would include an Asura and then the fourth would simply be an Asura. This of course, I know means some of you are out. I did look at some of Spudfuzz’s work, so the one of just the Asura would work.

So, here are some extra details about these 4 commissions:

First one: I have an Asura named Keriaz that I sometimes roleplay with. She is mischievous, intelligent, sometimes rude, but lovable. She has a curious mind and just loves fire. I would like a full body portrait on this one and it can be either sketched or colored. Background can be just plain.

Second one: Sharak Iskar is the main character I write with and I use him to lead an in-game guild of Roleplayers. He’s an older Charr with a long hard past. He has a calm and leadership like air about him. His actions usually are to save others even if it endangers him. This one I would like just like the first one. Full body, colored or sketched, plain background.

Third one: Sharak and Keriaz fought against Zhaitan together. I’m still writing the journals that Sharak writes during this time. Of course, the two don’t always see eye to eye, but they make a good team… sometimes. This piece would also be full body, colored, and minimal background. As far as how they should look in the picture, I haven’t fully decided yet… I was going to request that either with the two back to back looking like they were fighting something, or just in a pose together with Keriaz being a bit mischievous.

Fourth one: Sharak has a mate named Zeki (also a Charr). This relationship is cowrited by another writer friend. Zeki is a bit wild, but she his highly intelligent and loves tinkering with various inventions. This piece would be a more portrait like size with a bit more detailed background, fully colored. The couple would be leaning on each other with, smiling looking out at the sunset or something like that.

I can supply plenty of screenshots as reference, and if you need additional character details, I would be more than happy to explain/give writing for you to know more about them. I also want to say that I want the artist(s) to know that I’m not going to be hammering on a super exact pose. I believe that an artist’s work, like writing, turns out so much better if given flexibility and one’s own imagination. I know that was a huge block of info, but I hope that fills most of the necessary details

Hello Folks

I’m looking for someone currently doing commissions work. The price range I would like is $50-100, but I can be a bit more flexible outside that range. I was hoping to just find the artist(s) myself through various sites, but it has been proven very difficult to filter these artists to what I’m looking for. I thought a post here would help narrow down the list. I hope to have about 4 commissions done. These commissions are my characters that I write and roleplay with, and if you are interested in some of the writing, I will be happy to share it with you. You can either PM me or just reply to this thread with details so we can talk about these commissions. Thanks!

Fsnowzombie! I would still love for you to do one of Sharak if you could Keep up the great artwork! I do want to add one more particular detail to the drawing if possible and that is to make his teeth smaller. I have since fixed this in-game and it looks a lot better than the huge jutting teeth as shown in the pics on the forums. Thanks again!

DragoTheWise.7256:

Very impressive work! I would like to make a request as well. Here is Sharak Iskar, Charr engineer. The only particular detail I would like to request( if possible) is that you make him look somewhat sincere or in deep thought. He is a Charr with a long and troubled past that event currently still haunts him to this day. Besides that, anything else is up to your awesome artist abilities

Thank you in advance! And keep up the good work! You have some great artistic skills

Edit: Page 4 btw

<_< Free time? I heard it is a mythical power beyond the reaches of our solar system that very few have tried to acquire. Some have been successful… while others have not. For me, I am an engineer, and we do not believe in “free time”… there is only Engineering…

Same exact thing happened to me. My guild was in the middle of a bounty mission and we had just slain Diplomat Tarban. I opened the chest and got my 2 rares and the comms.We were going to head off to the next bounty in Timberline Falls, but we all ended up getting stuck in the loading screen. Soon after, the client crashes for everyone and no one could log back in for a little while. The downtime wasn’t long, but when I logged back in my 2 rares and comms were gone. So, I have the same question: Can I still get my guild mission chest?

Wow! I really like your artwork If you have room for another request, could you do one of my Charr? His name is Sharak Iskar. A Charr Engineer with a long and strung out past, but humble and wise from his life’s journey Thanks in advance!

EDIT: If you do get to Sharak, I just have one small request that you make the teeth a bit smaller than what is shown in the pic. I made them way too big upon character creation. Everything else is up to you

My Warrior in Malchor’s Lea kitten tuck, but my Engi in Frost-Gorge Sound is able to load up just fine. Haven’t checked the other characters yet..

EDIT: My Warrior was able to load up after sitting at the loading screen for a quite some time. I guess there is a loading issue atm.

Aerin Dark Water.6283:

Kallas Lupus.8370:

Hey more free art talent… So I’ll plonk this here to give Fsnowzombie one less on that rather [scary to me] large list.

*character name: Kallas Lupus
*request of how you want your character to be: Holding both his pistols, character seems grim and business like (seriously this guy barely smiled in the ending >.>), pose is up to you. The reference pics is his usual expression.
*references
Included a front shot and a close up of the weaponry. Need anymore just ask.

Edit: I got spell check for xmas it seems… :P

Here’s another upload.

Very seriously face. lol.

I really like this pose! nicely done

Awesome! Welcome back!

When you complete the achievement that is listed in the game, you will get a letter from someone with an item. That’s all I am going to say at to not spoil the contents of both the letter and the item… It’s kinda touching. I look forward to see how this event unfolds.

TC was able to get him down to half health before the server reset a few hours back. We’ve haven’t had the same luck sense… We keep trying though, haha.

athuria.2751:

Also under world polish: “Weapons now continue to grant bonus stats while bundles are equipped.
Bundles from player skills (engineer kits, elementalist conjured weapons, warrior banners) now have base damage that is consistent with the highest rarity weapons available at the level of the player.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfiAsWR4qU

O_O FINALLY! YES!

Hello folks!

I’m looking for a casual RP guild to join on Tarnished Coast. The character I will be roleplaying with is a Charr by the name of Sharak Iskar. I’ve roleplayed with him for a while now, but the guild that I am in currently has pretty much dissolved. Right now, it is just used to connect with folks I know to play with since the RP direction went under. I hope to hear from some of you very soon

(and if you need more details, just let me know in the posts. Also, if you are curious about Sharak, I have written journal entries for him up to the time where we stopped RPing within the guild. You can look at them here:
http://dragothewise.deviantart.com/gallery/41209614
)
Thanks again!

~DragoTheWise

Hey! Good luck with that! By all means, don’t worry about us. Get that job secured!

“5. Will the transfer cost be gem or gold or what?
You said a fee but didn’t say what the fee would be.”

It will cost gems as stated in the post:

“With the current restriction of one transfer every 7 days in place, make sure that you will be on the world you intend to play on before January 28th, because after that date, you’ll have to pay a gem fee to transfer worlds.”

How much exactly? Not sure, but the more populated the server it is, the more expensive it will be. You will also not be able to transfer servers that are “Full”

I shall reference the post again:
"
* Transferring to a new home world will now cost a gem fee.
* The gem fee for world transfers is based on the population of the world you want to transfer to. Transferring to a high population world will be more expensive.
* Each account is still limited to one world transfer every 7 days.
*Players will still not be able to transfer to worlds that are “Full.” "

Hope this helps

Good! I’m glad you folks are going to get this into the game soon Keep up the good work!

Haha, I loved how you did the Charr engineer with that smirk. Fantastic !

Wow! I really like what you have done thus far Awesome work

*character name: Sharak Iskar
*request of how you want your character to be (please be brief, these are sketches without backgrounds): The only particular detail I would like to request is that you make him look somewhat sincere or in deep thought. He is a Charr with a long and troubled past that currently still haunts him to this day. Oh and make his teeth a bit smaller. I made them a bit too big during character creation, hah. Besides that, you may have freedom over the rest
*references: In the attachments below

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!

YojimboJones.6243:

lol nice work. I reconize some of those terms, MUX= multiplexer. But the diagram on the right looks like straight up electrical, with the ground terminations.

You are correct. The diagram on the right where the MUX is located, is a very very basic design for a pipelined RISC processor. I could have put in the name for all the signals and shown every aspect of the processor, but I decided just to keep it simple. The more electrical diagram on the left is a common emitter BJT. These are just a few small things I absorbed this semester.

Hah! That’s great! A merry Christmas to you as well!

I really like the duelist set (the PvE set not the PvP set) on a Charr. The only drawback are the shoulders which float in the air :P . I use my heritage shoulders skin to replace the duelist shoulders.
Also, the armor set from CoF (Citadel of Flame) looks really nice on Charr as well. Since the medium chest piece removes shoulders, your Charr will look just fine. Also since you are a ranger, I would also suggest spending some time into getting a quiver back piece. It just makes any ranger armor set more complete.

Fsnowzombie.4352:

Akilroth.4836:

Wow! I’m really impressed by these. It’s such a great way to brush up on your artistic abilities while getting the pleasure of people’s reactions.

It would be amazing if you could attempt at my magnificent Guardian, Velite!

here you go
yours was one of my favs so far O:

This one is my favorite so far! I loved the added lightsaber haha