Curse

Pok · May 08, 2007, 06:06 AM // 06:06

As it stands now each class uses a small subset of all of the available skills in high level GvG (For example the common elementalist elites are either: mind blast, icy shackles, blinding surge, elemental attunement, water trident, or shatterstone).

While some skills never see play (Again for the elementalist elites you'll never see: double dragon, ether renewal, glimmering mark, gust, mind burn, mind freeze, mirror of ice, mist form, obsidian flesh, shockwave, starburst, stone sheath, unsteady ground, or ward against harm).

As with the elites of each class there are certain non-elite skills that range from dominant to non-existant in play (Eg. Diversion on a mesmers compared to physical resistance).

So, why aren't some of the useless skills buffed (this may require that the skill is changed - eg obsidian flesh loses it's move slower by 50%) while the dominant skills get nerfed (higher recharge times / increased cost)? While this would throw the first tournaments into a potentially unbalanced scenario (conjures from the previous update for example), eventually the changes would make it so most (ideally all) of the skills are viable instead of just a subset of skills.

Think about when was the last time you saw (in a high level GvG) arc lightning, armor of frost, ash blast, aura of restoration, bed of coals, breath of fire, burning speed, chilling winds, churning earth, crystal wave, ebon hawk, elemental flame, eruption, firestorm, flare, frigid armor, glowstone, glyph of concentration, glyph of elemental power, glyph of restoration, icy prism, inferno, iron mist, kinetic armor, lava font, lightning javelin, lightning touch, magnetic aura, phoenix, searing heat, silver armor, smoldering embers, steam, stone daggers, stone striker, stoneflesh aura, swirling aura, tenai's crystals, tenai's heat, tenai's wind, ward against elements, or whirlwind.

This could disrupt HB (ugh), PvE, RA, AB, TA, HA. The only solution I have for this is to seperate the skills numbers between PvE and PvP (eg searing flames burns 18 seconds in PvE but only 4 in PvP at 16 fire) and between the different types of PvP if nessecary.

OhCrapLions · May 08, 2007, 06:30 AM // 06:30

Since they are adding 50 PVE only skills im assuming that balancing skill wise will be in favor of PvP. but otherwise you have a very valid point. you will almost never see those skills in a high end PVP battle simply because they suck all around.