Curse

Flopjack · Jan 17, 2007, 08:12 AM // 08:12

I cannot understand why people (even before Nightfall) think Elementalists are such a weak class. I don't get it. After Nightfall, Eles are left and right, but some people STILL think they are a weak class and constantly try to think of buffs for them. (granted there are some general tweaks for them I could see, but that goes for just about any class)

Give energy storage up to +3 regen at certain percentages of energy? Make amount of spells recharge faster? Add more damage to Fire Magic? (This one gets me the most, we DO realize that most fire spells slam at well over 100 damage each, right?) Add damage to Water. (it's not meant for tons of damage, it's hexes and snares people. Read the skills, not the damage numbers) give Air Magic area of effect spells, blah blah... the list goes on!

Why is there this thought that the triple digit numbers aren't enough?

Why are people whining about Eles not having enough energy management. That is the biggest load of schlank! You have to SUCK really HARD to have bad energy as an ele, 90% of the time. Is there a Protection Prayers Attunement? Or a Blood Magic Attunement? Negative. You know why? Because an Elementalist's ways of gaining/saving energy is the best there is. No question.

Then they boost each Attunment with an auto +1 back regardless of spell cost, which essentially, on a 5 mana spell such as flare, means you gain 2 from the attunment and during that 1 second of casting time, another energy, making flare cost a little LESS then 2 energy. So for 5 energy, you can deal around 150 fire damage over the course of around 3 seconds. "Bah, I run out of energy as an ele! I need 14 energy regeneration!!!" That's because you suck as an Ele. Yeah, it almost makes sense why people are crying because they are not powerful enough.

Keep in mind, I am all for boosting one of my favorite classes. If you want to make Fireball recharge in 3 seconds and deal 225 damage, go for it. But what is with people assuming Eles suck, when they never have. Ever.

I want to say this too: Elementalist's primary is NOT a solution for secondary classes energy problems. Elementalist's do NOT make better Assassins, Mesmers, Monks, Necros or Ritulists. There are very few smart reasons to pick an Ele based solely on their higher mana pool.

Skuld · Jan 17, 2007, 08:13 AM // 08:13

Some people water cats and paint trees. I wouldn't get too bothered about it :P

Dr Strangelove · Jan 17, 2007, 08:28 AM // 08:28

Eles have lots of great skills and always have.

That being said, there are a few gimped skills that could use a buff, just as there are with any other class (Firestorm, mirror of ice, stone sheath, lightning touch, to name a few).

Also, since when is ele primary not a solution to secondary energy problems? Last time I checked heal party and aegis were on almost every GvG ele's bar. Zhed rocks faces as a PD mesmer too

.

As for the morons asking for eles to have permanent ether prodigy, well, they're idiots. Ignore them.

bungusmaximus · Jan 17, 2007, 08:35 AM // 08:35

Wow so I actually see people on a forum ranting that their class is too good? rofl!
In PvE i always found them to be very useful, even without searing flames,i think most people are referring to PvP.
Eles definitely have a few weak spots, they mostly come out if you're facing a good team. Their energy management is really good, agreed. The recharge of the attunements however is so long that all you have to do is strip them and the casting time is long so theyre interrupt fodder. Much fire spells have pretty long recharges or are area nukes, which make them a liability in PvP.
The only spammable spells do very measly damage, mesmers and necros do armor ignoring damage, which isn't the case with eles. Who needs an ele if you can nuke people to kingdom come with Sprirtual Pain?
Their self heal is very bad in most cases, primary eles only have aura of restoration, and that doesnt cut it agains a little pressure.
The dervish secondary adds a few very good self heal options for eles, too bad people are already screaming for nerfs, so I really wonder how long that will take.
But the most important reason imo is that their skillset is so imbalanced, for serious PvP the only options seem to be either blinding surge or searing flames. Look at what you can do with a mesmer for example, theyre so versatile and many skills are worthy of usage. Eles only seem to have two options. Bottom line: what most people mean is buff the rest of their skillset a little and nerf blinding surge/searing flames a little. When they do that eles wouldn't have a skillset that sucks in 75% of the cases, correct me if i'm wrong but eles seem to have the biggest choice of skills in the game, why is so much so utterly useless then?

Paperfly · Jan 17, 2007, 08:55 AM // 08:55

Well, considering the only place Water Magic sees play at the moment is on GvG Ritualists, I'd say the line needs some work.

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I cannot understand why people (even before Nightfall) think Elementalists are such a weak class.

Well, in all fairness Elementalsts got a pretty big boost with Nightfall. Searing Flames and Blinding Surge alone were enough to give them a much-needed shot in the arm.

Also, the Nightfall-release AI changes mean that (a) monsters no longer attack as freely into Spiteful Spirit and (b) they don't run quite as immediately from AOE spells. The two together did a fair amount to make elementalists less sucky when compared to Necromancers when it comes to PvE crowd control. Enough to tip the balance? I'm not sure.

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Why is there this thought that the triple digit numbers aren't enough?

In PvE, it's because elementalists' armour-respecting damage scales so horribly. Good luck doing the full triple figures against level 28 opponents!

*lemming* · Jan 17, 2007, 09:05 AM // 09:05

Numbers explain everything.

pingu666 · Jan 17, 2007, 09:19 AM // 09:19

In PvE, it's because elementalists' armour-respecting damage scales so horribly. Good luck doing the full triple figures against level 28 opponents! < that is true

searing flames is only so effective because it causes burning, spamable and doesnt cause exhastion.

the energy management looks good on paper, but when u use it its not so great, the energy is returned at the end of the cast (IF its successful). if target dies midcast, then the cast fails, and you loose X energy, plus if your attunment gets stripped/interupted its VERY painful.

btw warriors,rangers will typicaly have 100al against elemental, maybe even reaching 120+ o wammos easily. typicaly you can expect todo less than the 119 damage, against some foes you wont even get above 60damage...

Li Tian · Jan 17, 2007, 09:27 AM // 09:27

I love my ele. forget the idea of 'damage dealer', though in the right build, that can happen too, it is the versatility of the class, tied to various secondaries and the large amounts of energy available. Knowing the low hp and cast time limits, build accordingly and this for me is a great class, always has been.

I just hope the PvP 'buff' this weekend doesn't strip some of the 'improvements' ele's have recently got in updates. I do feel that they should be the battlefield damage dealer and like many of the classes, the constant addition of skills is blurring the lines making the class differences less than they might have been, ie an ele being a hp spammer etc.

Ele's ftw!!

Cebe · Jan 17, 2007, 09:57 AM // 09:57

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