Curse

Skye Marin · Jul 19, 2008, 01:42 AM // 01:42

Many Elite Skills aren't used because they aren't useful.

Ideally, a good Elite will set the tone for a build and strongly compliment it without dominating it. If your elite is disabled, and your build is now useless, your build has failed, and the opposite is true. The best Elite skills are versatile, and are good by themselves, but great when complimented by skill and other skills. Elite skills shouldn't be the focus of a team-based same-skill spike. They must be definitively better than their closest non-elite equivalent, otherwise, it's just a waste.

With that in mind, I've compiled a list of Elites that should be buffed or changed to make them more useful, and fill in some thematic blank spaces in certain classes. These buffs have been introduced with PvP in mind. If you have any real issues with these buffs, I'll give some commentary on why they would help the class, or why they aren't especially overpowered, or I'll just change the buff completely.

Assassin:

Seeping Wound - Added unconditional -1..4 degen.
Mark of Insecurity - Changed duration reduction to 45..75%.
Shroud of Silence - Removes your stance. Lowered recharge to 15 seconds.
Wastrel's Collapse - Increased cost to 10. Increase recharge to 12. Changed to half-ranged spell. Change functionality: "If foe is not casting a spell or attacking, you knock down target foe and shadow step to their location."

Compare SoS to any 3-second knockdown. While spells can't be cast, they target could still kite or use non-spell skills. The new Wastrel's Collapse is easily triggered when the foe is moving, making it a strong snare, and the low recharge makes it a good opening move for a Falling off-hand.

Elementalist:

Invoke Lightning - Lower recharge to 8.
Thunderclap - Change functionality. "For 5..20 seconds, the next time target foe is hit by lightning damage, that foe and adjacent foes are knocked down, and Thunderclap ends." Lower recharge to 10 seconds.
Sandstorm - lower recharge to 25.
Energy Boon - Increased energy gain to 10..30
Master of Magic - Increased duration to 25.
Double Dragon - Lowered recharge to 15.
Mirror of Ice - Lower recharge to 5. Castable on allies. Lower Duration to 1..16.
Second Wind - Lower casting time to 1 second.

Dervish:

Avatar of Grenth - Attacks also do +5..15 damage to hexed foes.
Reaper's Sweep - Deep wound triggers when foe is below 75% health.
Onslaught - Cost and recharge reduction changed to 20..50%
Zealous Vow - Added: You move and attack 25% faster when your energy is above 50%.

A Dervish doesn't need much in the way of energy management due to Attacker's Insight and Lyssa's Assault, or Zealous Vow was changed to something more interesting.

Mesmer:

Power Flux - Lower cost to 5 and recharge to 8.
Visions of Regret - Triggers on Attack skills and non-attack adrenal Skills.
Enchanter's Conundrum - Changed functionality to: "Target foe takes 300% longer to cast enchantments (maximum 2 seconds), and takes 30..120 damage when casting non-enchantment spells". Lower recharge to 15.
Mantra of Recovery - Increase duration to 10..25.
Symbols of Inspiration - Increased duration to 5..35, reduce energy gain to 2..6.
Air of Disenchantment - Lower recharge to 10, New functionality: "For 5..25 seconds, whenever target foe uses a skill, that foe loses one enchantment."
Recurring Insecurity - Lower recharge to 10, increase degeneration to -1..6.
Tease - Remove touch range, change to half-ranged hex spell.
Shatter Storm - reduced recharge disable to +4 for each enchantment removed (maximum 15 seconds)

Monk:

Aura of Faith - Reduce Cost to 5, reduce casting time to 1/4, reduce recharge to 12, add healing of 30..140 heath.
Blessed Light - Reduce Cost to 5 energy. If a Hex is removed, you lose 5 energy.
Withdraw Hexes - Reduce cost to 10, removes 1..2 hexes from each party member. Change additional recharge to +3.
Healing Light - Change functionality: "Heal target ally for 40..100 health. If ally is under the effects of an enchantment, you heal for 20..50 more and you gain 5 energy."
Ray of Judgment - Lower cost and recharge to 10. Causes burning for 3 seconds. This skill does half damage to foes that are already burning.
Word of Censure - Lower cost to 5.

Aura of Faith has been changed to a cheaper, elite infuse. The smiting skills have been changed to make them useful and strong skills, but not useful in a team spike build.

Necromancer:

Cultist's Fervor - Lower sacrifice to -15..5%
Life Transfer - Lower recharge to 15
Ravenous Gaze - Change Functionality: "If you have less health than target foe, you steal 10..25% of target foe's remaining health (maximum 120)."
Feast of Corruption - Lower cost and recharge to 10. Change functionality: "Deal 10..80 shadow damage to target foe and all nearby foes that are over 50% health. For each foe that is hexed, steal 10..80 health instead.".
Lingering Curse - Lower cost to 15.
Order of Apostasy - Change health loss to 15..5%.
Pain of Disenchantment - Increase damage to 10..85.
Signet of Suffering - Lower recharge to 5, Lower casting time to 1, lower maximum damage to 75.
Soul Bind - Also triggers on Enchantments.

Skills like Signet of Suffering and Feast of Corruption have been changed to make them useful as strong pressure and complementary damage skills, but less effective as team-spike skills, which is why they were so limited in the first place.

Paragon:

"The Power is Yours!" - Energy degeneration removed. Increased cost to 15. Change Skill Functionality: "For 15 seconds, all other allies in earshot have +0..2 energy regeneration. This skill ends after you use 1..3 skills."
Cautery Signet - Lower Recharge to 8. All nearby foes are also set on fire.

The Power is Yours has been changed to be more useful, but still self-limiting, like Song of Power.

Ranger:

Strike as One - Increase damage to +5..15.
Archer's Signet - Moved to Marksmanship. Reduce recharge to 30.
Expert's Dexterity - Lower additional cost to +50%.
Poison Arrow - Unblockable, does +5..15 damage.
Scavenger's Focus - Increased damage to +5..25.
Quick Shot - Deals double damage to moving foes.

Ritualist:

Clamor of Souls - For up to 3 spirits in the area, all foes nearby to ally spirits take 10..115 damage each.
Signet of Ghostly Might - Increase duration to 20 seconds.
Weapon of Quickening - Lower casting time to 1.
Xinrae's Weapon - Lower cost to 10 energy and 10% sacrifice. Lower recharge to 10.
Spirit Channeling - Lower recharge to 20.

Warrior:

Cleave - Increase damage to +10..40
Whirling Axe - Also causes critical hit.
Enraged Smash - Increase damage to +5..20.
Magehunter Strike - Increase damage to +10..40.
Primal Rage - Only non-attack skills are disabled. Add 25% IAS. Skill scales from 5..11 seconds. Lower recharge to 10.
Soldier's Stance - Add unconditional 10..25% speed boost
Hundred Blades - Add 1 adrenal gain per foe hit.
Skull Crack - Lower cost to 6 strikes.

I added a scaling unconditional speed boost to Soldier's Stance, but for this not to be overpowered, Symbiotic Bond and "Can't Touch This!" would have to have their durations reduced. Also note that Solder's Fury (Paragon 33% IAS) has a 10 second duration at 0 Leadership.

Keep the comments coming.

Gift3d · Jul 19, 2008, 01:52 AM // 01:52

Wow. Most of your ideas on the skill modifications are very nice, and would open up a lot of possibilities for new builds. I can tell that you put quite a bit of thought into this, so well done. I hope something similar to these changes happens soon (:

Crom The Pale · Jul 19, 2008, 01:55 AM // 01:55

Nice idea...though about 30 other people had that same idea and started threads before this...

Still maybe yet one more thread about buffing under used skills will get some attention...

**Marty Silverblade** · Jul 19, 2008, 02:00 AM // 02:00

Nice ideas, though from the other crapload of people that had this idea, I'm guessing it's going to be completely ignored.

Alex the Great · Jul 19, 2008, 02:21 AM // 02:21

these ideas all seem sensible, no big overpowered stuff in there imo

Dark Paladin X · Jul 19, 2008, 02:26 AM // 02:26

well, thunderclap ele bow build is mostly used by the kurz in the competitive mission fort aspenwood. I'm planning to use this build against the kurz in AB.

Nessar · Jul 19, 2008, 02:27 AM // 02:27

Nice, not too overpowered either..maybe anet will notice this

mrmango · Jul 19, 2008, 02:29 AM // 02:29

Yawn. So nice this would be. ><
/signed and /wishitgotattentionfromanet

glacialphoenix · Jul 19, 2008, 02:39 AM // 02:39

Just wondering:

Quote:

Healing Light - increase Heal to 30..140, increase energy gained to 1..5.

I agree with the increase in energy gain - but why such a drastic increase in healing power? (I'm assuming you're stopping at 12 here) - and also, heals for Healing Light start at 40, not 30, unless you intend on increasing the gap between ranks in Healing Prayers. Just wondering, really.

Other than that? /signed, /signed, and /SIGNED.

Marverick · Jul 19, 2008, 03:04 AM // 03:04

/signed all the way

Something needs to be done about all these useless elites.

Also,

Double Dragon: make it target other ally, otherwise it's still useless
Flashing Blades: while attacking, all adjacent enemies are blinded for 1...3 seconds every time they attack
Word of Censure: energy cost lowered to 5, damage increased to 30...110 (not sure about the damage), add effect: If this spell kills target foe, it is disabled for 60 seconds
Ray of Judgement: recharge lowered to 20, energy cost lowered to 5, burning is unconditional

the smiting elites are really useless outside of Shards of Orr...

Lycan Nibbler · Jul 19, 2008, 03:05 AM // 03:05

Hey ANET, God forbid that there were so many different alternatives to use eh??

Oops sorry, dont want to unbreak (yes, I know its fix, but fix just didnt sound right) things now do we ^.^

/signed

Mr Joshua Strange · Jul 19, 2008, 03:22 AM // 03:22

Also /SIGNED!!!

Avatar of Grenth is one of the most useless skills in the game, let alone elites.

Konig Des Todes · Jul 19, 2008, 03:45 AM // 03:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gift3d

Wow. Most of your ideas on the skill modifications are very nice, and would open up a lot of possibilities for new builds. I can tell that you put quite a bit of thought into this, so well done. I hope something similar to these changes happens soon (:

I'd have to say the exact same thing. And like others, I hope ANet sees this and makes the changes like this.

Kanyatta · Jul 19, 2008, 03:45 AM // 03:45

A lot of these I agree with, although I think Archer's Signet would need a bigger buff than that to lose it's position of worst elite in the game.

/signed, as far as I can tell

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marverick

Flashing Blades: while attacking, all adjacent enemies are blinded for 1...3 seconds every time they attack

The last thing Flashing Blades needs is a buff. It's basically a perma 75% block as is. We don't need to increase it to perma 90% block.

Ghostcell · Jul 19, 2008, 04:14 AM // 04:14

normally i would try and find something wrong and flame on that, but i like this idea.
nothing majorly overpowered, and would open up a lot more build possibilities.

Winterclaw · Jul 19, 2008, 04:38 AM // 04:38

Hmm, most of these ideas I actually liked. Some I'd question though.

Skye Marin · Jul 19, 2008, 05:12 AM // 05:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by glacialphoenix

Just wondering:

I agree with the increase in energy gain - but why such a drastic increase in healing power? (I'm assuming you're stopping at 12 here) - and also, heals for Healing Light start at 40, not 30, unless you intend on increasing the gap between ranks in Healing Prayers. Just wondering, really.

Other than that? /signed, /signed, and /SIGNED.

Well, 30..140 just happens to be the same healing as Blessed Light, and a healing buff is all I was looking for. If it's kept as 40..100, there's no real reason it'll be favored over something like Word of Healing (in terms of healing clout) or even Signet of Rejuvenation (in terms of a free heal), and in that case, there isn't much of a point. The numbers could be whatever, in reason, as long as they are higher where it counts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marverick

/signed all the way

Something needs to be done about all these useless elites.

Also,

Double Dragon: make it target other ally, otherwise it's still useless
Flashing Blades: while attacking, all adjacent enemies are blinded for 1...3 seconds every time they attack
Word of Censure: energy cost lowered to 5, damage increased to 30...110 (not sure about the damage), add effect: If this spell kills target foe, it is disabled for 60 seconds
Ray of Judgement: recharge lowered to 20, energy cost lowered to 5, burning is unconditional

the smiting elites are really useless outside of Shards of Orr...

These types of changes are examples of what I'd like to avoid. Double Dragon would become Ancestor's Rage all over again, except without the packet damage. Flashing Blades is fine as it is. Ray of Judgment is currently 15/1/30 because of it's team spike power under Smiting, and just lowering those stats doesn't solve that problem why they are there in the first place. By preventing stackable damage, degenerative same-build spike teams become less viable, which is one of the goals here.

RavagerOfDreams · Jul 19, 2008, 05:32 AM // 05:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kanyatta

The last thing Flashing Blades needs is a buff. It's basically a perma 75% block as is. We don't need to increase it to perma 90% block.

Flashing Blades in RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOing terrible

Its basically a bad elite version of [critical defenses] that takes up a stance. It only works while attacking making it bad except for 1v1 or PvE tanking (moebius easily outplays it). It does need a Buff tbh but i would like it to be more like you attack 25% faster and have a 75% chance to block all incoming attacks while attacking. That would be nice.

Kanyatta · Jul 19, 2008, 05:55 AM // 05:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavagerOfDreams

Its basically a bad elite version of [critical defenses] that takes up a stance.

Ah, my bad. I got Flashing Blades and Critical Defenses mixed up. I don't play sin, like, ever.

RavagerOfDreams · Jul 19, 2008, 06:25 AM // 06:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kanyatta

I don't play sin, like, ever.

lol

tbh though i don't blame you