Curse

Eddie Frenzy Spam · Jan 22, 2009, 11:21 PM // 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuclfus

Much as I don't use it much, I consider IW an excellent skill and one of my favorite Mesmer elites. I'll explain my thinking.

I'm sure you realize Illusionary Weaponry is a very energy-efficient way to deal fixed-amount, armor-ignoring damage to your target at a constant rate. Its residence in the Illusion attribute means you'll never have trouble adding degen and/or snares on your bar for increased pressure. Or if you're worried about being on the front lines, bring Distortion (the energy loss from blocking attacks will be alleviated by the energy you aren't using while swinging your blade sans attack skills). The key to IW's worthiness of an elite slot is not its damage quantity, but its damage reliability: your enemy's AL could be 300, he could have a 95% block chance, or he could keep you blinded indefinitely--but as long as you're swinging your fists with IW applied you'll do XX dmg per sec. Consider that not even a skill like shadow form will keep you safe from damage dealt by IW--can you imagine what would happen to perma-sins if mobs started packing this in UW?

For the sake of balance, power like that must come at a price. IW's is this: you need to be highly dependent on using it or it won't be worthwhile, yet being dependent will also make its being countered (enchant stripping) more detrimental to your effectiveness. I think given the perks I've mentioned that's a perfectly fair weakness--players truly skilled enough to benefit from IW will either use cover enchantments or plan the rest of their bar accordingly for situations where it is stripped.

Uhh, no? Illusionary Weaponary has always been, and until it is changed, always will be a terrible choice of elite.

The reason being is it's only purpose is to do frontline damage and that IS NOT what a mesmer is designed to do. You can argue well then, why did they give them this skill and the answer is probably because they were running out of ideas. If we actually look at a mesmer as a frontliner we can see why this is such a terrible skill. Mesmers are soft targets, they only have 60AL, they have very very little defensive capabilities, with the exclusion of Distortion. A mesmer in the frontline will simply get slaughtered. As for covering the IW with another enchantment, deep enchantment strips are common place now with Rend still being so imbalanced and with the introduction of Pain of Disenchantment, a long with most other "proper" mesmers carrying a shatter as well. So yeah, any half competent team is never gonna let you keep it up.

Then we can go into the general concept of a mesmer actually playing frontline. It just basically boils down to a wannabe Warrior and guess what. Warriors do a lot more damage, have higher armour, have more mobility and have more utility, as well as not being vulnerable to enchantment removal. So guess what, no one is ever going to choose to play an IW Mesmer instead of a Warrior.

Also please don't comment back saying something a long the lines of "Yeah but warriors can't hit through targets blocking 75% etc etc" only retarded Warriors will sit and train a target who is blocking 75% of the time.

X3R0 · Jan 22, 2009, 11:23 PM // 23:23

Wow calm down internet tough guy(Empress Amarox) just making a statement. This is also a thread for IW so make a new tread for sin skills. Now back to topic IW is already well balanced so it should not be messed with.

Eddie Frenzy Spam · Jan 22, 2009, 11:40 PM // 23:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by X3R0

Wow calm down internet tough guy(Empress Amarox) just making a statement. This is also a thread for IW so make a new tread for sin skills. Now back to topic IW is already well balanced so it should not be messed with.

lol?

He was making a suggestion for a re-invented IW.

X3R0 · Jan 22, 2009, 11:45 PM // 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddie the reaper

lol?

He was making a suggestion for a re-invented IW.

Elite Skill. For 3..7..10 seconds while not wielding daggers.. oh my bad

using Daggers in sentence messed me up but my statement stands about being rude with cursing and IW being balanced.

ajc2123 · Jan 23, 2009, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by MStarfire

After reading OP's NEW suggestion, I want to hit him.

Stop making dumb suggestions. IW's fine as it is, useful or not.

Right, because Anet totally listens to anyones suggestions and its a crime to have fun with thinking of new ways skills can work even though they will never be like that... awesome.

Marverick · Jan 23, 2009, 03:25 AM // 03:25

Hmm... just a crazy idea.

Hex spell. For 1...4 seconds, target foe's next attack misses and causes 10...50 damage to all adjacent foes. Each foe struck in this way now suffers from Illusionary Weaponry, and you lose 1 energy for each foe hexed in this way.

15e, 10s recharge, 3s cast

draxynnic · Jan 23, 2009, 04:07 AM // 04:07

Marverick: That idea looks VERY powerful in PvE - all you need is two enemies that aren't smart enough to scatter and the hex will just keep bouncing between them, and additional schmucks will just make it worse. An area-of-effect Wandering Eye would probably work better without the damage potentially going exponential.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajc2123

Hex spell
10 energy 2 casting 20 recharge

For 1...13...15 seconds, target foe attacks 33% faster but has 25% chance to miss. End effect: Target foe suffers from Deep wound for X...X seconds and takes 7 damage for each second this hex was on target.

Looks like a modified form of Reckless Haste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empress Amarox

Blinding Surge
Throw Dirt

Signet of Midnight
Blinding Flash

Golden Skull Strike
Skull Crack
Broad Head Arrow
Temple Strike

gtfo please.

None of which have any impact whatsoever on the bonus damage of the new Hundred Blades. It's like an elite version of Sand Shards that doesn't actually have to miss to do its damage, but is still quite effective at bypassing Blind.

Marverick · Jan 23, 2009, 05:45 AM // 05:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by draxynnic

Marverick: That idea looks VERY powerful in PvE - all you need is two enemies that aren't smart enough to scatter and the hex will just keep bouncing between them, and additional schmucks will just make it worse. An area-of-effect Wandering Eye would probably work better without the damage potentially going exponential.

Actually by adjacent foes I meant including the target foe.

Hmmm... the energy loss could be changed to 10...3, and when you reach 0 energy you take 80...40 damage and this hex ends on all foes.

MithranArkanere · Jan 23, 2009, 05:21 PM // 17:21

That's not illusionary. The point of the skill is "Hitting always". But it works only with melee weapons. So the best use with this is daggers, which have the highest attack speed.

Elite Enchantment Spell. For 30 seconds, you deal no damage with your weapon attacks, but whenever you attack with a weapon, target foe takes 8...34...40 chaos damage in melee. With ranged weapons, target foe takes 10% less damage in nearby range, 25% less damage if target foe in the area and 50% less damage if target foe is farther.

That way ranged weapons could 'hit always' too.

Empress Amarox · Jan 23, 2009, 09:13 PM // 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by draxynnic

None of which have any impact whatsoever on the bonus damage of the new Hundred Blades. It's like an elite version of Sand Shards that doesn't actually have to miss to do its damage, but is still quite effective at bypassing Blind.

Way to fail.

It was a list of skills that are similar to each other; seeing as to how that was his complaint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by XER0

Wow calm down internet tough guy(Empress Amarox) just making a statement. This is also a thread for IW so make a new tread for sin skills. Now back to topic IW is already well balanced so it should not be messed with.

rtft