Curse

urania · Aug 07, 2009, 10:44 AM // 10:44

Skill Balance

For more information on these changes, please see the Developer Updates page.

PvE & PvP Changes

Assassin

* Black Lotus Strike: decreased recharge to 6 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 5..13.
* Black Mantis Thrust: decreased activation time to 1/2 second.
* Fox Fangs: decreased recharge to 3 seconds; increased damage to 10..35.
* Golden Lotus Strike: decreased recharge to 5 seconds; decreased Energy gain to 5..8.
* Golden Phoenix Strike: functionality changed to: "If you are not under the effects of an Enchantment, this skill misses. If it hits, Golden Phoenix Strike deals +10..30 damage and all adjacent foes take 10..30 damage."
* Jagged Strike: decreased activation time to 1/2 second.
* Jungle Strike: functionality changed to: "Must follow a lead attack. If it hits, Jungle Strike strikes target foe for +10..25 damage. If it hits a foe that was Crippled, that foe and all adjacent foes take +1..31 damage."
* Sharpen Daggers: functionality changed to: "For 5..30 seconds, your dagger attacks cause Bleeding for 5..15 seconds."

Dervish

* Armor of Sanctity: functionality changed to: "All adjacent foes suffer from Weakness for 5..15 seconds. For 10 seconds, you take 5..20 less damage from foes suffering from a condition."
* Aura Slicer: functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, you deal +10..25 damage. If you are enchanted or this attack hits an enchanted foe, that foe begins Bleeding for 5..15 seconds."
* Dwayna's Touch: increased recharge to 5 seconds.
* Meditation: increased recharge to 12 seconds. Functionality changed to: "You gain 20..125 Health. If you are not enchanted, you also gain 3..8 Energy."
* Natural Healing: functionality changed to: "You are healed for 40..100 Health and an additional 40..80 Health if you are not enchanted."
* Pious Restoration: increased recharge to 8 seconds; increased casting time to 1 second. Functionality changed to: "You gain 80..150 Health and lose 1 enchantment. If an enchantment was removed in this way, you also lose 1..3 hexes."
* Sand Shards: functionality changed to: "For 30 seconds, Sand Shards ends early if you use an attack skill. When Sand Shards ends, it creates a sand storm at your location that deals 10..20 damage each second for 10 seconds to nearby foes."
* Vow of Piety: increased Energy cost to 15; reduced casting time to 0; increased recharge to 45 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Stance. For 20 seconds, you have +24 armor and +1..4 Health regeneration. Vow of Piety renews whenever an enchantment on you ends."
* Winds of Disenchantment: moved to the Wind Prayers attribute. Functionality changed to: "Lose 1 enchantment. If an enchantment was removed in this way, all nearby foes lose 1 enchantment and take 20..80 cold damage."

Elementalist

* Chain Lightning: reduced casting time to 2 seconds; now only causes Exhaustion if you are not enchanted.
* Earthen Shackles: reduced casting time to 1 second; decreased slow effect to 66%; now effects target and all adjacent foes.
* Ebon Hawk: reduced casting time to 1 second; reduced damage to 10..85. Functionality changed to: "Send a projectile that strikes for 10..85 earth damage and causes Weakness for 5..15 seconds if it hits."
* Elemental Flame: functionality changed to: "For 5..20 seconds, whenever an Elemental hex is applied to target foe, that foe is set on fire for 3..5 seconds."
* Invoke Lightning: reduced recharge to 10 seconds.
* Lava Arrows: No longer half-range.
* Slippery Ground: increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "If target foe is Blind or moving, that foe is knocked down. (50%% failure chance with Water Magic 4 or less.)"
* Windborne Speed: reduced casting time to 3/4 seconds.
* Winter's Embrace: functionality changed to: "For 2..6 seconds, target foe moves 66% slower and takes 5..15 damage while moving."

Mesmer

* Confusing Images: increased Energy cost to 10; increased casting time to 2 seconds; increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 6 seconds, target foe takes twice as long to activate non-attack skills."
* Illusion of Pain: increased recharge to 8 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 10 seconds, target foe has -3..10 Health degeneration and takes 3..10 damage each second. After 10 seconds, that foe is healed for 45..150."
* Wastrel's Demise: decreased casting time to 1/4 second. Functionality changed to: "Hex Spell: Target foe takes 5..40 damage. If that foe was not using a skill, that foe suffers -1..3 Health degeneration for 10 seconds."

Monk

* Divine Boon: decreased Energy loss to 1; now only provides healing when you cast Protection Prayers or Divine Prayers spells.
* Shielding Hands: functionality changed to: "For 8 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 3..18. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..50 Health."

Necromancer

* Poisoned Heart: functionality changed to: "You and all adjacent foes are Poisoned for 5..15 seconds."

Paragon

* Finale of Restoration: increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 10..35 seconds, the next 5 times that a chant or shout ends on target non-spirit ally, that ally is healed for 15..75 Health."

Ranger

* Melandru's Shot: increased recharge to 12 seconds.

PvP Only Changes

Monk

* Aegis: functionality changed to: "For 1..3 seconds, hostile spells and attacks against target other party member fail."

Yay, more low cast time covers for EDA!
Noes, no more aegis chains on Ghostly! But yay, shove spike is still as good as ever!
Yay, more fun for all the narutards! Till ppl come up with proper abuse build again.
But hey, thumbs up for changing_anything_at_all.
Next: make EDA affect scythe attacks only.

Shooshu · Aug 07, 2009, 11:31 AM // 11:31

Wouldn't Armor of Sanctity be a nice arena defense skill?
like: "oh no a warrior is coming" BOUF AOS and he deals like 10 dmg.

Stranger The Ranger · Aug 07, 2009, 11:32 AM // 11:32

The lack of a Mind Blast nerf makes my face hit my palm.

M @ T · Aug 07, 2009, 12:37 PM // 12:37

I love the Aegis "nerf", Shielding hands looks good and it's nice to see that they try to buff dervishes. It's also good to see that Earth magic etc is more offensive, but we'll see.

I'm clueless on assassins since I don't play them at all, not even in PvE. All I know is that PvE wise, SF is still the reason PvE is dead.

Divine Boon is O_o.

BUT, they nerfed Melandru's shot(ye, overused indeed) but left Mind blast and/or distortion alone? The E/D is hurt but the I-dps-and-spike-a-mile-away-and-can't-be-killed-AND-heal-my-self-while-I-have-unlimited-energy E/Me Distortion ele is fine..

lewis91 · Aug 07, 2009, 01:04 PM // 13:04

Chain Lightning: reduced casting time to 2 seconds; now only causes Exhaustion if you are not enchanted.

About damn time. That skill made no sence at 3 sec casting time. And now it doesnt have exaustion, even better!

some guy · Aug 07, 2009, 01:29 PM // 13:29

2 words

MIND

BLAST

Bobby2 · Aug 07, 2009, 02:12 PM // 14:12

Fail.

/12chars

Krill · Aug 07, 2009, 02:34 PM // 14:34

I'd be disappointed if a new sin or derv gimmick doesn't crop up with all those skill buffs.

Assassin buffs - Buffering unused bow attacks to fast attack failed horribly, don't see how similar buffs to unused dagger attacks is going to improve the class.

Dervs - Winds of disenchantment looks a little gimmicky for HA, along with sand shards. Vow of piety, armor of sanctity and pious restoration all look they could be really strong on derv secondaries.

There's a couple ok buffs in here but aura of restoration should have been nerfed at least on the mind blast bar.

English Warrior · Aug 07, 2009, 02:55 PM // 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by M @ T

I'm clueless on assassins since I don't play them at all, not even in PvE. All I know is that PvE wise, SF is still the reason PvE is dead.

SF is the reason there is a small amount of pve that isnt dead, nice logic the one skill ppl use to clear places makes things dead? lol

DarkNecrid · Aug 07, 2009, 03:20 PM // 15:20

Meh, I wonder if Confused Images works on Claim Resource.

GuLLinda · Aug 07, 2009, 03:26 PM // 15:26

Correction, PVE died for ages ago, game is hanging in thin thread.

Tzalaran · Aug 07, 2009, 03:28 PM // 15:28

if this was the talked about PvP love update... well, in a word, Horrible.

more PvE buffs and absolutely nothing addressing the problems in PvP.

Snoes · Aug 07, 2009, 03:29 PM // 15:29

moar whine
I'm sure they know better how to balance a game then some mediocre player.

Osiris_sam · Aug 07, 2009, 03:48 PM // 15:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snoes

moar whine
I'm sure they know better how to balance a game then some mediocre player.

depends who said mediocre player is, and how they look at what op stuff is... clearly anet arnt looking at op stuff *cough* mind blast *cough*...

mixed feelings about the melshot nerf, yes it was very powerful, superb bar compression with fast activation, a great split skill, but i still feel it overshadows some other ranger elites.

Ugh · Aug 07, 2009, 04:06 PM // 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osiris_sam

mixed feelings about the melshot nerf, yes it was very powerful, superb bar compression with fast activation, a great split skill, but i still feel it overshadows some other ranger elites.

Yea, all those other great elites like Punishing Shot, Quick Shot, Poison Arrow, etc. never got their chance to shine. I was worried that they would receive a buff instead of Mshot receiving a nerf. Luckily, Anet knew that with several elite skills that were actually good, rangers would instantly become OP and dominate every aspect of PvP. But, there are still some scraps of good skills lying in the ranger's bar. Hopefully Dshot, Savage Shot, BA, Magebane, Apply Poison, Natural Stride, and Lightning Reflexes will get a nerf next update.

Sauron The Greatest · Aug 07, 2009, 04:58 PM // 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ugh

Yea, all those other great elites like Punishing Shot, Quick Shot, Poison Arrow, etc. never got their chance to shine. I was worried that they would receive a buff instead of Mshot receiving a nerf. Luckily, Anet knew that with several elite skills that were actually good, rangers would instantly become OP and dominate every aspect of PvP. But, there are still some scraps of good skills lying in the ranger's bar. Hopefully Dshot, Savage Shot, BA, Magebane, Apply Poison, Natural Stride, and Lightning Reflexes will get a nerf next update.

Yea nerf every skill that actually made rangers any good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by English Warrior

SF is the reason there is a small amount of pve that isnt dead, nice logic the one skill ppl use to clear places makes things dead? lol

Yes it does. Easy mode anyone?

Stoella · Aug 07, 2009, 05:03 PM // 17:03

Mind blast ...

Now hexway in arena, with sanctity, will become unbearable ... mesmer, necro and monk with sanctity ...

Sad for mel shot, but it isnt really bothering me, rangers have other elites (not saying the nerf is good).

What is bothering me now is sins ... they're becoming really strong ..

citizensmith1001 · Aug 07, 2009, 05:29 PM // 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tzalaran

if this was the talked about PvP love update... well, in a word, Horrible.

more PvE buffs and absolutely nothing addressing the problems in PvP.

This wasn't the so called 'PvP love update' (bet A-Net are regretting ever saying that),this was the normal monthly skill balance and Z-tonic update,you are thinking about the quarterly content update and people seem to think that will be due towards the end of this month (although A-Net have not confirmed this).

As far as this update goes , i like some of the Dervish changes such as Conviction and Armor of Sanctity but the fact i can no longer use my Dervish to farm Raptors is annoying.

FoxBat · Aug 07, 2009, 07:56 PM // 19:56

I don't mind random pointless buffs so much as the lack of addressing mind blast, the mindless bar near every kind of team includes one of. There's no need to beat around the bush killing aura resto, distortion, immolate, and all the rest. It's really simple, an elite that gives you near infinite energy like that shouldn't exist. Just cut back the recharge and/or energy gain already.

Actually like the melshot change, they have plenty of solid elites still and it's not as if rangers were in danger of becoming too weak anytime soon.

icedwhitemocha · Aug 07, 2009, 08:11 PM // 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snoes

I'm sure they know better how to balance a game then some mediocre player.

They didn't touch mind blast; your point is invalid.