Curse

Engel the Fallen · Jun 20, 2007, 01:03 PM // 13:03

Awesome, almost all nerfs and no buffs to like you know, COUNTER the over powered stuff.

This game rules. Instead of a power creep, we have a constant power drain.

prism2525 · Jun 20, 2007, 03:44 PM // 15:44

Quote:

Update - Tuesday June 19
Skill Updates

Assassin
Critical Agility: fixed a bug that shortened this skill's duration when it reapplied itself.

Elementalist
Frozen Burst: decreased duration to 3..8 seconds.

Mark of Rodgort: increased recharge time to 15 seconds.

Searing Flames: decreased damage to 10..100.

Mesmer
Conjure Nightmare: decreased duration to 2..16 seconds.

Conjure Phantasm: decreased duration to 2..16 seconds.

Hex Eater Signet: decreased casting time to 1 second, decreased recharge time to 25 seconds, decreased Energy gained per Hex to 1..4.

Monk
Convert Hexes: decreased recharge time to 12 seconds.

Necromancer
Faintheartedness: decreased duration to 3..28 seconds.

Reaper’s Mark: increased recharge time to 12 seconds.

Ranger
Nature's Renewal: increased Spirit level to 1..13.

Warrior
Crippling Slash: increased adrenaline cost to 6 strikes.

Enraging Charge: decreased adrenaline gained to 0..4 strikes.

Update - Monday June 18
Skill Updates

As a part of this playbalance test week, we’ve made the following skill changes:

Assassin
Critical Agility: decreased duration to 4 seconds, the duration now increases by 1 second for each rank of Critical Strikes.

Elementalist
Elemental Lord: decreased the bonus to Elemental attributes to 1.

Intensity: decreased duration to 10 seconds, increased recharge time to 45 seconds.

Mesmer
Cry of Pain: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.

Ether Nightmare: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.

Paragon
"There is Nothing to Fear": decreased duration to 4 seconds, the duration now increases by 1 second for every 2 ranks of Leadership.

Ritualist
Vampirism: increased duration to 30..150 seconds.

Faction Reward NPCs

Characters must now be level 20 to learn Kurzick or Luxon skills.
Using the "Raise Alliance reputation" option with the Kurzick/Luxon faction reward NPCs now gives 10,000 points toward the corresponding title track. The cost is still 5,000 faction points, and the reputation gained by the alliance is still 5,000.

Miscellaneous

Moved the footmen away from the middle teleporters of the Jade Isle to prevent players from targeting them from below.
Faction gain messages are no longer displayed in the Chat panel when you gain less than 25 faction points.
Updated the Korean game ratings icons.

To start, I (like almost everyone I know) don't like this. I'm not 100% sure these are still testing changes (ie. they will revert back to normal next week) but something must be done because this, IMO, is going in a very wrong direction.

General Skills

Frozen Burst, Searing Flames, Mark of Rodgort: Nerfed due to PvP reasons.
Conjure Phantasm/Nightmare: PvP too.
Faintheartedness, Reaper's Mark : as above.
Crippling Slash, Enraging Charge: PvP yet again.

This part need no commenting, as by now we know the drill: Anet loves PvP.

About the PvE Only skills, though, there has been some major nerfing especially the Ele skills.

[skill]Elemental Lord[/skill] may be better at +1, but at least increase it's duration to compensate.

[skill]Intensity[/skill] now at 10 duration and 45 recharge is just a joke. max 12 seconds (with ench. mod) every 46 (count cast time) seconds isn't good. If it was too much then only reduce the duration but not increase the recharge as people (like me) will just sit out those extra 15 seconds. In HM bouts between groups rarely last more than 30 seconds because either you pwn or get pwned.

Mesmers got a decrease in recharge times and thus should make them more decent. I won't comment further on these as i'm not a mesmer expert.

Ritualists: Increase in duration. Again, battles in HM last very little (see ele part above).

All the others which have been tweaked have had their skills tied to the primary attribute, thus making them useless (or almost) for secondaries.

IMO Anet is trying to revive PUGs by tying these skills to the primary of the respective class since heroes can't use them. I only pray they learn to separate PvP from PvE in GW2.

EDIT: fixed some grammatical mistakes.

Kakumei · Jun 20, 2007, 03:52 PM // 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by prism2525

To start, I (like almost everyone I know) doesn't like this. I'm not 100% sure these are still testing changes (ie. they will revert back to normal next week) but something must be done because this, IMO, is going in a very wrong direction.

Nothing's reverting at all. Where did you get that idea?

prism2525 · Jun 20, 2007, 04:03 PM // 16:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kakumei

Nothing's reverting at all. Where did you get that idea?

The site (and Gaile too) said that some of the changes are temporary. They just wanna see how the game works out with them, then if they're pleased they'll make them permanent.

garethporlest18 · Jun 20, 2007, 04:07 PM // 16:07

I'm glad they nerfed Searing Flames. That skill is so meta to the point that I will not use it out of sheer distaste. I'm talking about PvE wise too, because everyone seems to expect that you use that skill or you suck. So if they nerf it, some other skill can become like that and I'll get annoyed at that after a while..but I'm just tired of Searing Flames. I think it shoulda got nerfed more.. but then I suppose it wouldnt' be an elite anymore. I don't find it too awesome that if I want to play ele it has to be SF ele or you can't get a group. Yah I'm over exaggerating there a bit as I've gotten groups without SF, but still.

Crippling Slash isn't a big deal as it does two things. 6 Adren isn't that bad, 2 more can come in one attack with a furious weapon.

Faintheartedness..well it's about time it makes it good for PvE too and the monsters who use it.

I don't like the PvE skill nerfs but I'll live with it.

assassin_of_ni · Jun 20, 2007, 04:13 PM // 16:13

i personally really...really....reeaaally didnt like this round of nerfs and im not even talking about the pve only skills lol. a "majority" of the nerfs are quite obviously pvp based and theres not too much doubting that but by doing so theyre made less and less and less feasible in pve and ruining what builds they were once at least decent in. frozen burst is very seldomly used in pve unless used in a tanking sence namely due to its recharge, and e-cost...so an obvious pvp nerf. mark of rodgort had too little of an effect in pve with too high an energy cost to really be a staple or too much of a popular choice unless you built your team or heroes/henchies around lots and lots of cripsy critters. Searing flames was an all around nerf but still namely pvp due to its spike capability when used 6-7 times in less than a second.
as for the mesmer....didnt they just buff those skills a few days ago to increase duration or was i smokin pot again? with the exception of hex eater sig (which i never used and actually never saw too many people use ever) but less recharge and less casting time maybe it'll become the new staple for hex removal as an elite when paired with mantra (i have high hopes).
convert hexes is a rather underused hex removal in both pve and pvp and can actually be somewhat useful depending on the situation but people with probably still use divert hexes.
faintheartedness and reapers mark....both very very obvious pvp nerfs since faintheartedness is only useful in some occasions for pve (high energy and kinda contradicts the typical curse build when using SS to let them whack themselves to death) and reapers mark was pretty annoying there for a while in halls.
natures renewal.....obvious pvp but im not sure if you could call that a buff or what...increased lvl weeee so it gets like...20 more hp?
war is very very obvious pvp nerfs since the crip slash shock tank thingy is (or was) as a staple for a lil while too but i rather liked them for pve =(
just my $.02 *whistles*

prism2525 · Jun 20, 2007, 04:20 PM // 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by assassin_of_ni

as for the mesmer....didnt they just buff those skills a few days ago to increase duration or was i smokin pot again?

No you were perfectly sane (as you can be anyways

).

They did the same thing with the elemental conjures a while back.

Francis Crawford · Jun 20, 2007, 04:43 PM // 16:43

SF already wasn't working in hard mode, at least for me. 10% reduction means I probably won't even try to make it work.

That said, I started a thread in the elemental forum to see if I could get argued out of that viewpoint.

assassin_of_ni · Jun 20, 2007, 04:49 PM // 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by prism2525

No you were perfectly sane (as you can be anyways

).

They did the same thing with the elemental conjures a while back.

phew thats for clarifying that =D i get worried sometimes.
doesnt make too much sense....i thiiink they were buffed to 2...18 seconds now theyre 2...16. ok 1 if you have that hex on for that long then the monk isnt doing their job or the hexor is doing a pretty good job of covering. but i insist...nay...i demand they lower energy cost or something of conjure nightmare, or introduce lower e-cost skills to the mesmer skill list. *nods* my poor mesmer is just collecting dust on his 15k enchanter armor.

Chicken Ftw · Jun 20, 2007, 05:29 PM // 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by assassin_of_ni

i personally really...really....reeaaally didnt like this round of nerfs and im not even talking about the pve only skills lol. a "majority" of the nerfs are quite obviously pvp based and theres not too much doubting that but by doing so theyre made less and less and less feasible in pve and ruining what builds they were once at least decent in.

Example of a ruined build please. I don't see any.

Quote:

frozen burst is very seldomly used in pve unless used in a tanking sence namely due to its recharge, and e-cost...so an obvious pvp nerf. mark of rodgort had too little of an effect in pve with too high an energy cost to really be a staple or too much of a popular choice unless you built your team or heroes/henchies around lots and lots of cripsy critters. Searing flames was an all around nerf but still namely pvp due to its spike capability when used 6-7 times in less than a second.

What's the problem here, if you understand that these skills were nerfed for PvP, and they didn't take enough of a hit for it to matter in PvE?

Quote:

as for the mesmer....didnt they just buff those skills a few days ago to increase duration or was i smokin pot again? with the exception of hex eater sig (which i never used and actually never saw too many people use ever) but less recharge and less casting time maybe it'll become the new staple for hex removal as an elite when paired with mantra (i have high hopes).
convert hexes is a rather underused hex removal in both pve and pvp and can actually be somewhat useful depending on the situation but people with probably still use divert hexes.
faintheartedness and reapers mark....both very very obvious pvp nerfs since faintheartedness is only useful in some occasions for pve (high energy and kinda contradicts the typical curse build when using SS to let them whack themselves to death) and reapers mark was pretty annoying there for a while in halls.
natures renewal.....obvious pvp but im not sure if you could call that a buff or what...increased lvl weeee so it gets like...20 more hp?
war is very very obvious pvp nerfs since the crip slash shock tank thingy is (or was) as a staple for a lil while too but i rather liked them for pve =(
just my $.02 *whistles*

You're rambling here. So the nerfs are obviously because of PvP.... so what? Welcome to GW. It's not like Cripslash was ruined by adding 1 adren to its cost. Nor did the Enraging nerf kill the build. I don't see where you have any reason to be complaining, since you can see why they were nerfed.

Engel the Fallen · Jun 20, 2007, 05:54 PM // 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by garethporlest18

Make Searing Flames unusable then I'll be happy, I'm tired of people expecting you to use it wherever you go it's time for a new meta ele skill. (that means PvE wise too).

Other skill changes don't bother me.

That is no reason to nerf a skill. If your build you feel is better than SF than use it and say screw cookie cutters. SF does work well, but most people fail to see it only works well in packs of two or three. Even in packs of two I do not like it though.

My monk I get crapped on all the time for running a build I been running for almost two years now, with really only two skills changed. I just tell the team to deal with it. Most of the time I keep them alive over the cookie cutter monks.

All games have cookie cutter kids. With Intensity there was a REAL start to having new builds emerge but now it is nerfed, that ended fast. I was so excited as the thought of my mesmer getting it too, to do real damage and testing it on a smite monk.

prism2525 · Jun 20, 2007, 06:10 PM // 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by garethporlest18

Make Searing Flames unusable then I'll be happy, I'm tired of people expecting you to use it wherever you go it's time for a new meta ele skill. (that means PvE wise too).

Other skill changes don't bother me.

That is not the kind of constructive reply I was thinking about. SF is good, no doubt, but it's the players who only want that and don't accept any other fire builds. The problem is on the players' part, not the skill's.

It's the most effective and gets overused. then the smell of the approaching nerf bat can be sensed.

beanerman_99 · Jun 20, 2007, 06:14 PM // 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by TyrianFury

I was refering to hardmode by the way, I agree about the pvp side but I think Guild Wars as come to the point where PvP and PvE are no longer the same game and skills for each should be separated. So there should be a PvE version of searing flames and a PvP version, not to mention many other skills.

This will please both communities, I don't see why PvE players should suffer PvP balance changes.

I am in total agreement with you. It is past time for PvE to be seperated from PvP nerfs. Its getting to the point where it is just ridiculous. I really hope that Guild Wars 2 keeps them seperate or I probably won't buy it at this point. I don't usually like to be so negative but as a PvE'er I as tired of getting used to using skills and then they are changed cause someone whines in PvP.

And why nerf Frozen Burst? I always have wondered why and ele can only slow down an enemy with water spells for just a few seconds but a Ranger, Warrior, Assasin can cripple their enemies for 30 seconds and longer and they even get mods to increase cripple up to 33% O_O I just don't understand this at all. How is that balanced?

Apok Omen · Jun 20, 2007, 06:26 PM // 18:26

As an ele myself, I still like the SF nerf. It isn't overpowered as a spike anymore and is still very viable as a nuker skill in PvE.

In PvE, SF gets tons of buffs: LB, Intensity, Ele Lord, 16 fire without bad consequences, endless spammability.

In PvP, it was a spike. That's... about.... it...

Anyway, I and many others know that this update is a step towards the light for Anet. It's a shred of hope...

Anti Oath · Jun 20, 2007, 06:27 PM // 18:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by yesitsrob

Impressive update, step in the right direction for sure!

I'm glad anet's finally relising things. 3 skill balances in a row seriosuly ftw. GJ Anet/ Izzy.

Names Schmames · Jun 20, 2007, 06:39 PM // 18:39

Oh noes i do like 12 damage less with SF now. Seems to be a good enough placebo to silence the "Nerf Pl0x" cries tho >=p

havok019 · Jun 20, 2007, 07:11 PM // 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by qazwersder

Before searing flames? Surely there was no such time?

LOL. Unfortunately there was and it was called Meteor Shower and Ele's usually spent much of the time on the ground.

ChyldeOfTheLotus · Jun 20, 2007, 07:28 PM // 19:28

The only PVE characters I have is a ss/mm necro and an sf ele. Thanks to the SR changes and the sf nerf, neither of those characters are that fun to play anymore. I could start another character, but I'm sure it's just going to end up nerfed to death too, so why bother.

Does-it-Matter · Jun 20, 2007, 07:45 PM // 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChyldeOfTheLotus

The only PVE characters I have is a ss/mm necro and an sf ele. Thanks to the SR changes and the sf nerf, neither of those characters are that fun to play anymore. I could start another character, but I'm sure it's just going to end up nerfed to death too, so why bother.

12/19 damage less is "no fun anymore" ?!?

12/19 damage less is "nearfed to death" ?!?

...?

That right there is what is the problem with the community these days. Anything less than perfection/overpowerment is "unusable, dead, useless, unfun, etc."

Seriously people, it's still a VERY powerful Ele elite, and with the PvE skills, it's extremely strong.

When one skill defines a build, so much so that it + anything else = strong character, then you KNOW that skill is powerful in PvP or PvE. (And yes, for the record, I have a SF Ele and a SS Necro.)

Evilsod · Jun 20, 2007, 08:01 PM // 20:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChyldeOfTheLotus

The only PVE characters I have is a ss/mm necro and an sf ele. Thanks to the SR changes and the sf nerf, neither of those characters are that fun to play anymore. I could start another character, but I'm sure it's just going to end up nerfed to death too, so why bother.

This post has just won the 'most overexaggerated post' award. That whole 13 less damage really made a difference earlier... i mean i just couldn't kill anything.... i then of course noticed i accidently brought 4 monks instead of my SF heros, then i went back to not noticing the difference.