Curse

konohamaru heaven · May 30, 2006, 05:29 PM // 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

Nerf list:

1: Order of Apostasy. Right now, it might as well say "you win". Your opponents losing all their enchantments in a matter of seconds is a little too strong. Compare to Dark Apostasy, where it works for only 1 player, and runs out if it removes too many enchantments. Also compare to old Natures Renewal, which removed enchantments from everyone including your team. Apostasy only removes from enemies. Don't flame me about just killing the apostasy necro, because they can hide 2.5 aggro circles away from you and still annihilate your team with it.

Also removing all those monk enchantments will make that necro die in a matter of seconds as well.

Cymboric Treewalker · May 30, 2006, 05:30 PM // 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTru

Ritualist

Assassin

Deadly Arts line - The hexes are "hidden" from the victim. You can still see that you have a Deadly Arts hex on you, just not which. Give Deadly Arts a self heal.

Assassins in General - Give them more than 2-3 viable comboes.

If they do that they should do that for all curses/hexes.

konohamaru heaven · May 30, 2006, 05:57 PM // 17:57

And I say let there be skill changes

. please enjoy

Quote:

Originally Posted by http://eu.guildwars.com/home/article/skill_updates_planned/

Skill Update Notes for Week of May 29th

The following skill updates will be incorporated into the game within the next 10 days. At that time, they will be added to the Game Updates page.

All

* Shadow stepping no longer moves you farther than the radius of the radar.

Assassin

* Way of the Empty Palm: reduced cast time to .25 seconds; reduced recharge time to 25 seconds.

* Locust’s Fury: reduced cast time to 1 second.

* Siphon Strength: increased the damage reduction your target deals to 5..50.

* Palm Strike: reduced recharge time to 10 seconds; increased damage to 10..85.

* Enduring Toxin: reduced cast time to .25 seconds.

* Crippling Dagger: reduced recharge time to 5 seconds.

* Heart of Shadow: increased healing amount to 10..115 Health.

* Mirrored Stance: reduce recharge time to 15 seconds.

* Unseen Fury: increased duration to 15..60 seconds.

* Golden Phoenix Strike: increased Energy cost to 10.

* Aura of Displacement: increased recharge time to 20 seconds.

Mesmer

* Stolen Speed: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced recharge time to 3 seconds; corrected the wording on this skill.

* Arcane Languor: increased duration to 1..8 seconds.

Elementalist

* Glyph of Sacrifice: reduced the amount of time it recharges your next spell to 30 seconds.

* Ward against Harm: changed skill type to Ward Spell.

Monk

* Vigorous Spirit: increased heal per skill or attack to 5..20.

* Dwayna’s Kiss: increased conditional heal to 10..35 Health.

Warrior

* Furious Axe: increased adrenaline gained when blocked to 3.

* Auspicious Parry: increased recharge time to 2 seconds; decreased adrenaline gained to 1..4.

Ritualist

* Doom: reduced recharge time to 8 seconds.

* Channeled Strike: reduced recharge time to 8 seconds.

* Essence Strike: increased the amount of Energy gained when in range of a Spirit to 1..8.

* Lamentation: reduced Energy cost to 5.

* Gaze from Beyond: fixed a bug that caused this skill to ignore armor.

* Ancestors’ Rage: reduced casting time to .75 seconds.

* Splinter Weapon: reduced Energy cost to 5.

* Resilient Weapon: reduced casting time to 1 second.

* Vengeful Weapon: increased the amount of Health stolen when this skill is triggered to 15..60 Health.

inscribed · May 30, 2006, 06:14 PM // 18:14

Are the devs actually happy with where elementalists are at this point? Can we get an actual official response about it? I really can't see how elementalists can in anyway be considered on par with other classes.

BigTru · May 30, 2006, 06:17 PM // 18:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by konohamaru heaven

And I say let there be skill changes

. please enjoy

Wow. Talk about a dissapointment. Hopefully this is only a very, very tiny sneak-peak, because those changes don't adress the skills that really need changing and the update is so tiny, just like everything else in factions. If this is their only update for this entire season, I may as well jump on the Air of Enchantment Smite bandwagon, or the future FoC spike banwagon.

The only changes I really saw from that page is "Wow, AoE and Golden Phoenix got nerfed, every change to Ritualist (except one) was a buff, they nerfed Auspicious Parry(why the f...?), Siphon Stregnth is actually usable now (atleast on a secondary)."

Aside from that, most of those changes are irrelevant.

Themis · May 30, 2006, 06:48 PM // 18:48

Mesmers :

Recurring Insecurity : For 10 seconds, target foe suffers from 1-5 (instead of 1-3) health degeneration. If that foe is hexed again, Recurring Insecurity is renewed for 10 seconds.

Conjure Nightmare : Should cost 15 energy (instead of 25).

Ritualists :

Tranquil was Tanasen : Should have 1 second casting (instead of 3).

Ghostly haste : Enchantment Spell. For 5-17 seconds, spells you cast while in the area of a Spirit recharge 10%-41% (instead of 5%-17%) faster.

Siddious · May 30, 2006, 06:58 PM // 18:58

I'm liking what they shall do in the next update, looks much better

Still a few skills need buffs, but at least they are taking all this into account.
Also I agree with Themis that Conjure Nightmare should be 15 energy.
Arcane Languor actually looks useful now thank god.
I think in general that elementists in factions need the biggest buff. There skills seem to really suck... and you thought the new mesmer skills sucked.
Anet seem to have fixed the elementlist skills which DON'T really need fixing.

TeeGee · May 30, 2006, 07:03 PM // 19:03

The thing about Ritual Lord is not that its overpowered itself but that spirits are underpowered without it. Really its only viable option now for communing rit. If spirits recharge times were shortened and rt lord was nerfed it would be much better.

Zinger314 · May 30, 2006, 08:21 PM // 20:21

Quote:

Shadow stepping no longer moves you farther than the radius of the radar.

Aura of Displacement: increased recharge time to 20 seconds.

Now Assassins are even MORE vulnerable...is that even possible?

J snukka · May 30, 2006, 08:43 PM // 20:43

ok this sucks now, everyone hates assassins bc players playing them weren't using them correctly. Now they do this to the shadow stepping. Assassins actually are goin to suck now. Thanks alot Anet. Its hard enough for a PvE assassin to get a group, oh wait you guys dont care about us Pvers. I forgot, I give up.

Omega X · May 30, 2006, 08:47 PM // 20:47

How about a buff in the direction of Hundred Blades?

*Runs and Hide*

Bahumhat · May 30, 2006, 08:48 PM // 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siddious

The mesmer skill 'Arcane Languor'

10 Energy/2sec Cast Time/15sec Recharge
Elite Spell - For 2..4 seconds, all spells cast by taget foe suffer from Exhaustion

Most useless elite I have ever seen.
Needs a serious buff.

good againts AoE smiters, population has been rising.

Even tho AoE makes Guardian, RoF cast nothing. That skill makes them cause exhaustion.

If its the recharge you're worried about.. Try 2 mesmers, one brings Mantra of Recovery, other Arcane Languor. Both Arcane mimicry
eatch other.

EDIT: nvm about recharge, saw list.

Symbol · May 30, 2006, 09:00 PM // 21:00

Quote:

Recurring Insecurity : For 10 seconds, target foe suffers from 1-5 (instead of 1-3) health degeneration. If that foe is hexed again, Recurring Insecurity is renewed for 10 seconds.

The problem with recurring insecurity is that it has a long recharge and is always bumped to the top of the hex list when refreshed. IMO it would work better as a sort of "super cover hex".

Recurring Insecurity: 5E/1s/5s
For 10 seconds, target foe suffers from 1-4 health degeneration. If that foe is hexed again, Recurring Insecurity is renewed for 10 seconds.

Snowman · May 30, 2006, 10:49 PM // 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman

lol! - I bet you do..

"OMG they nerfed...."

or

"Open letter to ANET Concerning recent Skill change"...

oh yes, its a wonderfull time xD and I looked forward to your very well worded replies Gaile

okay, I posted this BEFORE the recent skill change...

you may now fill in the missing blanks with..

1 = Assasin
2 = Aura of Discplacment.

frojack · May 30, 2006, 11:38 PM // 23:38

What a waste of time. They might as well have not bothered and just got on with chapter 3.

konohamaru heaven · May 30, 2006, 11:50 PM // 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by frojack

What a waste of time. They might as well have not bothered and just got on with chapter 3.

They are going on with chapter 2 they have a skill blance team that takes care of the skills. Got to remember the term dev team doesnt mean on one team

Wacky · May 31, 2006, 02:53 AM // 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega X

How about a buff in the direction of Hundred Blades?

*Runs and Hide*

What about Illusionary Weaponry?

*maps out*

Shantel Span · May 31, 2006, 03:06 AM // 03:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigTru

they nerfed Auspicious Parry(why the f...?), "

Auspicious Parry + Riposte. I farm about 12 bosses that drop greens with those two skills.

Ensign · May 31, 2006, 06:44 AM // 06:44

I really don't want to comment on the skills that suck are unplayably bad, because there are hundreds of them, and no one wants to read a list that long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mysterial

The one skill I'd definitely call overpowered is Gaze From Beyond. 126 armor ignoring damage for 5/1/15? It's pretty much Obsidian Flame without the drawbacks.

I remember a conversation I had in the past about Vampiric Gaze. There was a bit of concern over the skill as a spike option, in part because the skill was unstoppable, but moreso because of the one second cast time. Dangerous spike skills have two second cast times so that they are not difficult to interrupt.

So of course they make the marquee spike skill of the ritualist hit for 126 on a one second cast time, making it the single best caster spike skill in the game.

I think the other stats on it are fine, and even the armor ignoring part would be ok. But the thing really needs a two second cast time. It's honestly downright insulting to all of the offensive casters to say, 'hey, we've made this great defensive class that can perform a similar job as a monk, oh and he spikes better than you do too.'

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercury Angel

Arcane Languor is a poor skill, plain and simple.

Arcane Languor is a Diversion that you don't care if you cast through. Exhaustion doesn't matter until you have a lot of it, and you're not going to get a lot of it from this hex.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falrow

For the love of god Restoration needs more then just Soothing memories as a viable heal! Wielders Boons is so amasingly bad I want to cry!

They're basically equivilent of monk healing spells, except you don't get a Divine Favor bonus with them. Given that 5 energy monk heals are steaming piles of yak dung without Divine Favor, the results should be predictable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falrow

Soul twisting should reduce the cost of the next spirit by 5 also. It's a bit energy demanding, more so then Lord.

I don't understand the logic of this. Sure Soul Twisting is a bit more spendy than Ritual Lord, but it's also a much stronger skill. Ritual Lord is simple, but the effect is simple and is just a straight power boost - Soul Twisting is less straightforward in its use, but allows you to force the most dangerous spirits down your opponent's throat.

I'll just say this - whenever a Ritual Lord guy is giving my team fits, I'm thankful that he's not a good Soul Twisting guy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retribution X

All the new mesmer elites DO suck balls.

Expel Hexes is the best hex removal skill in the game and has seen play in numerous high-end PvP builds. Shatter Storm might not be what you want a lot of the time but it removes an awful lot of enchantments (roughly 8 per minute) if that's what's needed. Psychic Distraction is downright evil against Ritualists and Ghostly Heroes - some people are crying for a nerf because of how good it is for owning that deranged NPC. And while you might not think much of it, the Recurring Insecurity / Soul Barbs hex spike that SNA ran at the end of last season was truly a sight to behold.

Sure, mesmers got some terrible elites too, most notably Arcane Languor. But even if more skills are bad than good, you shouldn't overlook the few gems you have been given to play with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

2: Air of Enchantment. Which reads "For as long as you are alive, boon prots have infinite energy, and smite monks deal 37 damage every half second."

Air of Enchantment is patently awful on a boonprot. People switch targets, you have to lead with Air of Enchantment on any switch for it to be worthwhile, and generally your energy turns to crap very, very quickly. It is a good spell on a smiter, but they most certainly do not deal 37 every half a second. Realistically they use a pulse of Zealot's Fire four times every 5½ seconds. In a few situations that smiting can be rather effective, but a lot of the time it honestly isn't any better than Flare spam.

Smiters require a pretty significant infrastructure to make work, and many of their casts, while free, don't accomplish anything other than triggering Zealot's Fire. The best skills a smiter can be using, Smite Hex and Draw Conditions, both cost energy and don't benefit from Air of Enchantment. Top that off with just how fragile the character is - a mesmer can shut down a smiter with one skill and a minimal amount of attention - and you have a template that is rather pedestrian.

It's not a bad character by any means, and it shines in certain situations - on Jade Isle, when smiting off the Ghostly Hero in the Hall, or when pushing the flag or a relic on appropriate maps. But it certainly isn't breaking the game open by any stretch of the imagination. Air of Enchantment is a dangerously good skill, no doubt - but for now, it doesn't seem to be able to power anything more dangerous than existing templates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

7: Flesh golem. Make it so you can have only one and it will be a finely tuned skill.

Have you noticed the attack speed on that thing? It actually deals less damage than a Bone Fiend. If it weren't so valuable as a startup tool for a minion master I don't think it would be remotely playable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shardfenix

9: Auspicious Parry. The only skill that makes my PvE hatelist. AP makes it way too easy to solo farm, and makes you unkillable against enemy warriors in RA/TA.

You like it for solo farming? I thought it underperformed next to Gladiator's Defense in that role, since one block every second doesn't amount to much against the packs you normally try and farm. The skill is the ultimate dueling skill though. It's all over GvG because there isn't another template that can beat it 1v1, and it only costs you one skill - the warrior is a normal sword guy otherwise.

I agree that it needs a small nerf, but understandably for different reasons. =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by inscribed

Are the devs actually happy with where elementalists are at this point?

They're one of the more played classes in GvG, with Blinding Flash, Heal Party, and Ether Prodigy. When the class is seeing a lot of play it doesn't exactly set off alarm bells for buffs.

A similar hypothetical situation would be if every build contained a ranger, but that ranger did nothing but lay traps and the occasional spirit - he even carried a staff, not a bow, for the extra energy. Is the class ok because everyone runs one? Or is something messed up because no one ever fires a bow? You can certainly argue either side but you have to admit the situation is rather weird.

I am personally happy with either direction, though if they do decide they are happy with the blind-turret as a PvP ele I would hope they would flesh out that role instead of giving us more Lightning Hammers and Shock Arrows.

Peace,
-CxE

pork soldier · May 31, 2006, 07:48 AM // 07:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Dei

Caltrops should be a Skill, not a Spell. Throwing out a bunch of pointy metal thingies is not magical at all.

/signed - this is a very good idea

edit: Overall I'm very happy with the skill changes, I think they're coming together nicely. Anet: thanks for balancing, please ignore the chorus of whining from the forums.