Guild Wars 2

Yes, Elementalist Staff skills are horribly out of sync with the other professions.

Buff suggestions:

All Staff Auto Attacks have their rate of fire increased 33%, or increase projectile speed by the same amount.

Make Ele Staff Aoe’s activate damage and other abilities as soon as they are down, similar to Necromancer Marks, with the obvious exception of Meteor Storm.

Gust becomes like Illusionary Wave

Ice Spike (Water 2) has an increased animation speed.

Unsteady Ground (earth 4) Needs to apply bleeding

Shockwave (earth 5) needs the wave to move faster.

whats he point of this thread? WoW at least has/had a much more active competitive scene. GW2 isnt even close yet.

Not to sound antagonistic, but the point is that saatarcoeny posts under the assumption his opinion is “top tier.” These types of threads happen often.

I am 100% sure this is not intended, and it will be changed after the trial is over, when this game mode becomes permanent.

You shouldn’t toss the word exploit(er) around lightly. This isn’t a game mechanic that was unintended and being abused, this is simply a game mechanic that was applied to the buff incorrectly. Communing shouldn’t be the same as channeling a spell.

I doubt this will be possible. The more people play without downstate, the more demand there will be for servers completely devoid of the mechanic. Unfortunately, it is here to stay.

But I sincerely hope I am wrong in my assumption.

this could just be my opinion

Yep.

Even Anet knows that Raid is terrible.

Tried the new build with the updates, solid. Its a challenging toolbox to use, but it captures that “Wizard” essence. Its extremely versatile. Thanks for the help guys.

Does no one remember GW1 at launch? Mesmers absolutely dominated in pvp.

My only real complaint is that they never have to reacquire their target (except in the case of fighting another mesmer or a stealthed thief), and can continue to toss clones at their leisure, while the rest of the professions have to re target before engaging again. Drop target abilities in this game are exceptional.

Darnis.4056:

Hoping Guild Set is just a place holder for an item set that’s coming..
otherwise setting Guild as the sliver combine is a cruel joke.

Worse yet, its a proc. Is this intended? Given the materials required, it is easily the worst set in the game, and this has been out since tournaments were introduced.

you could still even have monthly tourenies even, for the top 8 ranked teams on the ranked ladder!

Are there even more than 8 teams?

Please don’t remove hotjoin, its the best way to farm glory currently.

Why PVP and Guild items are even on the table is beyond me. How hard is it for Anet to remove them? No one wants guild, and PVP is available from the armor/weapons vendors.

TimeBomb.3427:

Pretty nice build, gj. I made some adjustments that I feel may further improve it: http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-k3c;2B2-U0v4-N-Z0;9;5T-JJ;1508;104-45-5o0;3sV2DsV2D6kJ

- Changed the glyph heal to the signet heal. D/F has roughly the fastest (in terms of ability / second) rotation out of any weapon set that elementalists have. The signet has per-ability heal, and will work very well with D/F.

- Changed air training to Zephyr’s Boon. Instead of the 10% extra air damage, you now gain swiftness and fury on each aura. You have a fire aura, shocking aura, and if you use magnetic leap inside a fire field, another fire aura.

- I changed berserker’s jewel to valkyrie’s jewel. The extra toughness is nice and the extra healing power is nice as well, especially considering we’re using the signet of restoration now. The loss in precision means 4% less base crit rate, but this is more than made up by the fact that we have zephyr’s boon.

Nice! I will have to try this out. Thanks for the help.

how do u plan on exiting combat? outside of LF which when on the run you cant take advantage of the range on it.

Its all situational, if I need a hasty exit, depending on who i’m engaged with, Earth 4 or Air 4 to cover my retreat from a ranged enemy, Earth 5 for melee. This build isn’t the best for leaving a fight.

Pick up Zephyr’s Focus and drop air training

I have Vigor up upwards of 30-40s during a good fight thanks to Renewing Stamina, does Zephyr’s Focus stack?

Lightning Flash is such a staple skill, with a wide range of uses, I couldn’t help but include it.

Your feedback is appreciated!

As if playing Elementalist wasn’t fun enough, give this Dagger/Focus build a whirl. It is for hotjoins only, and I have found it to be incredibly fun to use. The dagger skills inherently bring you into melee combat with your enemies, and the focus skills have a very anti-range feel to them.

Air Focus: (4) Swirling Winds to keep pesky ranged attackers from interfering with your face smashing, great for rendering Ranged attackers useless for 6 seconds inside and outside the swirly bit. (5) Gale to knock a fool down.

Water Focus: (4) Freezing Gust is Range 900 near instant Chill? Yes please. (5) Comet is a nice interrupt on the same CD as Freezing Gust, and as with Dragon’s Tooth, you can target someone even if they break LOS.

Fire Focus: (4) Flamewall is pretty bad. But it is a fire field and you can combo off of it. (5) Fire Shield is also psshaw, but use it anyways.

Earth Focus: (4) Magnetic Wave is fantastic against…anything ranged! Use after swirling winds to mitigate ranged damage. (5) Obsidian Flesh is a 4 Second Invulnerable, a solid skill.

Here is the build (copy and paste into browser) BUILD UPDATED

http://www.intothemists.com/calc/index.php?build=-k3c;2B2-U0v4-N-Z0;9;5T-JJ;1508;104-45-5o0;3sV2DsV2D6kJ

Is this tournament viable? Of course not, this is purely a hotjoin build. My intention was to create something fun and a bit challenging to utilize properly. Watch people scratch their heads in confusion.

Purchase a Salvage Kit, use said kit to salvage ingredients used to create the gear you want at the Mystic Forge.

Here is a useful guide : http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/55030-pvp-mystic-forge-recipes/

The reason Downstate hate threads have ceased to be is because the community accepted that it is here to stay, and resolved to simply put it out of their minds.

That doesn’t mean it works, and it certainly doesn’t mean it was a good idea to begin with.

When BWE’s were going on, I was in the camp of, “Jesus what is this feature?” And over time it has gotten to the point of contempt acceptance. But the questions for Anet remain unanswered.
Why?
Why this feature?
With the level of difficulty creating a successful MMO, much less a successful esport game, why did you make it harder on yourselves by creating such a feature, something that no one in any game has ever asked for?

People often say it adds a new level of strategy, when all it really does is add an arbitrary, nail biting aspect to what should have been a kill. How many mesmers, elementalists, thieves, necros, have you downed, only to have your kill nullified by the silly delay mechanics that come with the downstate, so enemy backup can arrive to save them? Both parties know who really won the fight.

Its ok to say, “We messed up.” The playerbase would probably applaud you for your honesty.

Seeing as how ridiculous it is that Necromancers, arguably one of the lowest damage dealing classes in the game, has the only set of skills that actually hurt to use, I am for this.

But fix our bugs first.

Played an Elementalist in GW1. Loved how we performed through betas, so I stuck it out.

I agree, so long as it is on a toggle.

Well, if you truly want to do this…

Bind the attunements to Left Trigger + Face Buttons
Face Buttons + Right Stick Press for Weapon Skills
Right Trigger + Face Buttons for Utilities/Healing
Right Bumper for Elite
Left Bumper for Dodge maybe?
Dpad Up for Call Target

This is just my best guess, I don’t have one in front of me.

Hope it helps.

Tyler Bearce.3427:

It is not intended to be able to switch characters mid-match, in tournaments. This is on our list of things to fix.

Can we get a yay or nay on whether or not it is intended for them to swap characters once you are able to see the other team’s composition? The way I read this, It is not intended once the two and a half minute timer ends and the match starts. How about prior to that?

There are no hard “class” counters and you also have the option to swap characters so your point (and OPs) is moot.

No hard counters? What game are you playing?

Just because I have the option doesn’t mean I exploit it.
Be the change you want to see in the world

I prefer to win with strategy and skill. I could watch someone’s stream during a match, and counter what they’re doing because I can hear them. But I don’t, and my team doesn’t, because we have standards. It’s not war, it’s a game.

By all means, continue to support the problems with the game, just don’t complain when it fails to become anything more than it is so you can cheese your way to a hollow victory.

I agree with OP.

Change professions between maps, thats great. It allows a team to create a strategy for each map. As soon as you hit “Go” and are able to see the enemy team composition, you should be locked into whatever profession you entered with. Hard countering another team’s composition is just low.

If someone accidentally joins with the wrong profession, oh well. Should have paid more attention to what you are doing.

If I were you I would spend more time practicing with my team and less time worrying about people who are trolling with class swaps mid match.

OP is talking about the 2 minutes before the match starts, when teams can see each others composition and swap to counter accordingly.

Drop the radius, make the spells aoe’s, and keep the stability and durability increase the way it is. I think this would buff the Elite without making it op.

Remove charges.

Replace the silly trait in the fire line for a conjured weapon damage increase.

I’ll say it again, Rifles.

If nothing else, it would be the first time a Wizard Archetype got to use firearms in an MMO.

I don’t even care if its cosmetic, i want a rifle on my Elementalist. Or Dual Pistols, ala Arcane Tempest Gun Mages from Warmachines.

A lot of necros use plague form because it is one of our only ways to get Stability. Once Stability gets ripped/converted, the elite becomes worthless.

Pfft, as if Rifle Elementalist wouldn’t be the coolest weapon selection.

Icey Shot?
Molten Buttstock Slam?
Shocking Trigger Discipline?
Earthen Aim Down Sight?

The possibilities are awesome.

There are some classes that are on the top Tier when it comes to competitiveness.

Necros simply are not on that tier.

Spell.6082:

Make it a boon that counter condi is Chill.
A lot of professions got boon removals, so there would be a possible to counterplay it.

This.

When a specific buff is present amongst more than half the current classes, it should just be a boon. Basilisk Venom is unique to Thieves, Warriors and Engineers have their blocks, Elementalists have their unique auras, it just makes sense that something like Quickness be a boon.

candlecan.9827:

Was to lazy to read all the responses but IMO i think you should ABSOLUTELY keep quickness in PvP. The only thing that might need to be questioned is the ability to quick stomp downed players. Quick stomp inhibits some skill cap and team unity aspects because what it brings to the table. I’m in favor of removing that aspect, but only that. Keep quick revives and all class mechanics and so forth but quick down is a legitimate talking point.

How is quick up any better than quick down? Quick up negates the vulnerability inherent in reviving someone in the down state. If you’re going to get rid of one, get rid of both.

Quickness;
Takes Warriors from crippled to crazy in 0.2 seconds
Keeps Rangers and Engineers burst viable
Makes thieves and mesmers over the top

Take quickness away from Warriors, Thieves, and Mesmers, and the complaints will stop. Except it doesn’t work that way. Only Rangers and Engineers utilize Quickness in such a way that it doesn’t make them appear overdone.

The best staff ele in the world is still going to be below par in raw potential. Unless this is a bid to secure a good strat in the event that staff eles get a buff.

Keep ahead of the curve I suppose.

Kinda hard not to be a star with an Elementalist. More often than not, an Ele with a good team is kitten near unstoppable.

casuals dont care much about that stuff though, they want progression which is why they bought an MMO. If you give them this ridiculous exponential reward arc where you can get everything the moment you had that X0 level, people burnout faster than if it were a steady linear progression.

This.

I’m only Rank 37, but I had everything for Wolf Rank, for all of my characters, as soon as I hit 30. With the previews available in the PvP locker, I already know which pieces I am going to get when I hit 40, though with all the extra glory I will have I might just try to create a complete collection for my locker.

But even that doesn’t sound very fun.

I beleive I saw Saatarwhatever his name is post a screenshot of his PvP Screen, and he had somewhere in the neighborhood of 800k Glory. What in the heck is he even supposed to do with that?

Sprawl.3891:

how is there a real meta with like 10 regular tournament teams?

I agree. Help me fill in the gaps

Apple Banana Cherry Dragonfruit [ABCD]
Hunting High and Low [HHaL]
Delirium [DLRM]
Ex Talionis [LAW]
Champion Slayer [tPVP]
[PRO]

Not to mention that some members of these guilds are in other guilds on the list as well. Its always fun to see a team rocking different guild tags in some strange attempt at looking like a pug (but we all know better)

nerva.7940:

didnt think it was possible but it’s happening: meta is getting worse due to OP low skillcap builds dominating everything else.

Seems like current Meta is:
Cheddar
Muenster
Gouda
Swiss
Havarti

Take you pick.

I love the idea of swapping professions between matches, I think it adds a new depth of strategy, and forces players to diversify what professions they are competitive with.

I do not love the idea of joining a match, only to watch the other team cherry pick their professions before the match begins, in an effort to counter my team.

I think once you hit “Go” you should be locked into whatever your profession you enter with.

I would like to hear other people’s opinions on this, from a competitive standpoint.

Honestly, I can assure you that no necro in the game was able to kill me 1v1 even:
1. Me trying to eat the wells
2. He carrying full boon removal build.
The only necro who can kill (and close 1v1) a bunker guardian is a 1v1 no condition build with the Golem Elite (which no one uses).
I tried it with my guildmate Posi (which is well-known as being one of the best necromancers in the world) and it was impossible for him. Also I have had a bunch of duels in tournaments and I have never ever had a problem vs a necro.
If you play guardian smart enough (don’t eat wells, remove specific condition stacks), necro has not damage to kill you (even not using your elite).

A condition necromancer should not be finding himself in a 1v1 situation in a tournament setting. The game is not based around 1v1.

Properly played, Condition Necromancers will neutralize Bunker Guardians.

Never try to kill a guardian with conditions, because most bunker guardians have HUGE condition removal (F2 removes 3 condition + every shout removes a condition or meditations remove your conditions)

I’m going to have to disagree with you, unless you are talking about every other class besides Necromancers.

Necromancers eat Guardian’s condition removal for breakfast.

It has a place in a tournament setting, but just the one.

Hotjoins are nice because, depending on your skill level, you can experiment and enjoy different builds. It helps if you have buddies on your team.

Necromancers, with their plethora of Boon strip and boon conversion, is the perfect counter to a bunker guardian. A good Condition Necro can apply conditions and strip boons faster than a guardian can remove them.

A common tactic is for them to use “Save Yourselves!” To draw all conditions from his teammates, as well as gaining a bunch of boons. They can then use “Contemplation of Purity” to convert all those conditions into boons. Corrupt Boon will then negate two utilities they just used, either forcing them to use Virtue of Resolve (if they traited for condition removal on use), or just eat it.

Stability will convert into Fear if timed right, just watch for the Aegis icon, since it will block Corrupt Boon.

Myself and my guildmates in Waste Management and Disposal [WMD] will be participating this week as well.

Let the blood spill!

While I wholeheartedly agree that the stolen Fear is ridiculous, I think the fact that we can chain fears together makes up for it.

Depending on the target, a well timed corrupt boon or spinal shivers can turn stability into a fear, at which point you can use Staff 5 to keep it going, followed by Deathshroud 3.

Yes, this is situational, but a lot of other professions have extremely effective combinations that are only achievable from a situational standpoint.

But for the love of kitten I can’t figure out why Thieves have the longest fear in the game, and its an AoE. :/

However, i agree with Hammerheart. Stealth is the key.

If the stealth time got reduced to 1 second, then i honestly think it would be more interesting. Having the possibility of being untargetable for 3 or more seconds is too much.

With 1 second stealth, it would give the thiefs the same amount of time, to pull off their backstab combo, as it takes for a player to react to counter it.
Maybe ½ a sec

Damage wise, thiefs are fine – even the 7k backstabs are fine. Problem is rendering and the stealth. Just too many abilities that grant you stealth.

2 cents delivered

In WoW, WAR, Rift, etc all stealth based classes have had the following mechanic:

1) One out of combat stealth, on toggle, with a respectable cooldown.
2) One emergency, in combat stealth, with a long cooldown.

In all of these games, stealth broke immediately upon causing or receiving any damage. Your character became visible almost instantly, at which point you relied on skill to either escape or win.

What makes stealth in this game annoying is that Thieves have access to multiple stealths, group stealths, and all of them usable in combat. Granted, they do not have an out of combat that leaves them in stealth indefinitely, but I think we all know why. Damage does not bring them out of combat, which I am personally fine with. But the time it takes to make them visible is unacceptable.

Watching thieves dance in and out of stealth during a fight is just plain annoying. Watching mesmers escape everything via clones/stealth and then dump on you is equally annoying. Getting hit multiple times from stealth before seeing your opponent is annoying.

Common factor? Stealth. Stealth is annoying. There isn’t a single MMO that incorporates stealth where stealth hasn’t been annoying.

Thieves and Mesmers are fine, fix stealth.

Big shock. Sprawl flew in on his high horse and decided to throw down life lessons to all us positive thinking peasants.

You’re getting quite the reputation man.

I agree with you OP. We all know that trash talk is happening behind voip, there is no reason to bring it to chat either in game our out. Win or lose, a simple “gg” will suffice.

Do we really want spectators watching players while they trash talk each other?

ensoriki.5789:

Talk with your teammates.
100% srs.

This times a million.

When you get into a pug and no one says a word, expect a loss.

At the very least, tell others what you are doing. Be the communication that you want to see in a pug.

This is my Necromancer Condition Support build

(copy/paste link) http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fQAQNAW7YjMah7xbqb07JAJFPDd0jgNOZKFlnOA;TsAgyCuoay0koJbTumkNtWYAyeBA

The point of this build is support support support by bogging down foes with conditions (particularly bleeds/poison/weakness) and timing that oh so critical Corrupt Boon to really ruin someone’s day.

This build also makes great use of our 3 fears(Staff 5, Deathshroud 3, and the traited on-disable) that do good damage, and don’t suffer from diminishing returns. Stacking conditions, then preventing people from removing them is paramount, as conditions have a ramp-up time before really hitting hard.

A well timed golem knockdown is also critical in keeping enemies from removing our beloved conditions, use it wisely. It travels in a straight line, so if you can pull off a multiple knockdown, go for it.

Remember, Stability will become a fear converted with Corrupt Boon, adding a potential 4th fear to our arsenal.

Enjoy!

EDIT: Although the build editor does not reflect it in the stats, your condition damage will be close to 1500 (it does not take the 6/6 Rune bonus into account)

With full stacks of Corruption Sigil, and Blood is Power (10 stacks of might), your condition damage will be in the neighborhood of 2100, more with added might.

Thieves are not OP.

They are, simply put, the most frustrating profession to get killed by in hotjoins.

In a tournament setting they die just like everything else.