Noodle Ant.1605

you can also see the 2s quick added in tooltip too, as if it is functioning as intended whether or not this change is/was intentional i cannot say

[link to previous comment because im too lazy to rewrite it](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/1405873#Comment_1405873) what you could do is look for any burn application > 1 stack and ~~axe it~~ give it the low stack long dura treatment (tho certain cases like f1 #2 >> 24s burn is questionable) to be fair, burning does not need a dmg increase trait (amplified wrath) but you will need to compensate it in some way that addresses duration rather than intensity so total dmg doesnt change also imbued haste is weird because its counted as ‘base stats’ which means cfb gets a random free +38 condi dmg with frac pot conversion (and extra outgoing healing with force of will). afaik no other trait does this, its not much but its still some unintended interaction, could fix this too otherwise i dont think cfb needs any straight up dmg nerfs, it just needs changes to make it more condi-like, but the very nature of f1 passive already breaks it to some degree regardless of what you do

ele in pve isnt exactly a player-friendly experience unless you play one of those ubertank condi builds (like the one listed above) since it provides massive qol in the form of not dying meanwhile power ele in pve is 100% masochist gameplay, dont play it unless you got some meta comp going that can validate your existence unless you really like the aesthetic or pain of playing one

ideally you want access to both and you end up choosing the one you enjoy playing more i only recommend trying chrono first because it is cheaper/more accessible to gear up compared to mirage. otherwise get both the choice really doesnt matter, both will work everywhere, except when youre playing with hardcore people

i dont think theres any special crit chance number, you just have whatever you feel is acceptable because youre either not going to cap crit or you have wasted stats, theres no magic setup that will be optimal everywhere similarly, no ones going to randomly explode if your <10% from or over crit cap, it shouldnt totally destroy your dps either i personally run 60.00% simply because i like the number :bleep_bloop:

mantras do not need recharging if and only if they occupy the same utility slot/position on your aquatic skillbar as to your terrestrial skillbar. if another skill occupies this slot when your skillbar changes, the game will treat this as if you slotted in another skill and the charged mantra will be removed since the mantra skill has technically been overwritten e.g. your terrestrial skillbar has mantra of pain at skill #7. the only way you are able to keep charges if you enter the water is if you also have mantra of pain at skill #7 of your aquatic skillbar

need to cancel aftercast somehow, mind stab has 1/4s cast time but like a 1 1/4 full cast time when accounting for aftercast you can see the CD only starts when you pull the sword out of the ground, you need to ‘cancel’ that animation by moving/weapon stow/press esc/pressing another skill or something (i cant remember specifically)

yes some mobs may have a higher chance to crit than others. i wouldnt expect core mobs to crit as much vs expac mobs its obvious when a 4k attack becomes 7k, feelsbad when playing glass 11k hp pool edit: mobs in higher lvl fracs crit all the time

id be more understanding if another build was played other than power ele (w/e variant, and maybe power thief for the inexperienced/facetankers); theres nothing remotely good about it playing solo and it makes other classes feel as tho they have the game on easy mode do yourself a favor and use a condi build instead, or use another class for solo content. power ele is for the masochists who want to put in extra effort for basically no reward

imo its kinda a waste building for any additional boon dura, if you read sc page properly you can see that it attempts to get permaquick with just shatters only (time warp is purely optional) i would instead advise taking the usual full dps gear but incorporate both time warp and well of action (over well of calamity) into your rotation, since additional cc (i.e. grav well) is mostly unnecessary in strikes and both skills help with slow uptime. i would also advise taking delayed reactions over time catches up as well (pretty much always, not just a strikes/raids thing) that way you dont need to worry about the random conc sigil/10% boon dura unless optimising, and tbh i feel you end up using delayed reactions + time warp + well of action everywhere (even as dps) because slow uptime always seems to be subpar edit: i believe you can drop mantra for mirror images (and gs trait) for non gs setups and still get permaquick when using time warp + well of action with 0 boon dura as long as you shatter properly

> @"Cromx.3941" said: > > @"Noodle Ant.1605" said: > > > in fractal public groups might is in abundance... > > i feel like this is a dodgy statement, common pugs do not have might in abundance because usually one person takes care of most it (e.g. the healer). i dont think pretending to be a hb but actually being a hybrid one helps either > > > > > This is not a raid group and things tend to be messy, likely needing to pick people off the ground. > > youd be playing full/proper hb at this point tbh > > Oh good God this stuff really gets silly. People arguing for at best 15% more DPS (I am being generous here) under ideal circumstances is somehow the pivotal moment in GW2 gameplay need to get their heads examined. I see larping theory crafters with no practical application in mind. For all that vitality I get synergy with more healing from a talent and the 10% health boost from balth runes. It's a no brainer. But the weak brained among us will argue that +40 crit % on a condi build is with 1000 power or just above it and next to no ferocity is the thing to have. > > I understand what people are saying here, and I reject it outright. I just played a slew of fractals and everyone has personal sources of might or they are sharing might. I can keep up 15 stacks on everyone myself if need be. Keep in mind people are actually fretting over 15% "theoretical" extra DPS on a character that could very well spend half his time healing or supporting. By the way hard to do much if you are dead from next to no HP. I pick up glass cannon builds off the ground all day long in fractals. > > But please continue. This is quite amusing. this doesnt make much sense hb is played to facilitate the run and remove the chance of wiping (and by extension people on the floor in the first place). if people are on the floor in t4s it probably means you arent doing your job as a hb or should look for another group because theyre just bad and will force you to keep picking them up if people are downing, you have a group which ollbirtan specifically mentioned that facetanks and where they said you should play the harrier/minstrel hb setup with monk runes etc instead. you are showing us a hybrid build that sacrifices hb carry factor for some dps and youre complaining about downs (and other builds that do basically the same thing)? i personally dont like ollbirtans hybrid build either, but i simply wouldnt recommend playing a hybrid build at all unless youre playing with a group that is ok with it

> in fractal public groups might is in abundance... i feel like this is a dodgy statement, common pugs do not have might in abundance because usually one person takes care of most it (e.g. the healer). i dont think pretending to be a hb but actually being a hybrid one helps either > This is not a raid group and things tend to be messy, likely needing to pick people off the ground. youd be playing full/proper hb at this point tbh

i think how drm cms function needs to be changed. some problems i see with them: - no noticeable difference between reward tiers - ‘leechers’ who join groups because atm they need **5** *full cm* clears to get the meta achievement reward (the /stretch emote, not something all that prestigious) - awkward split of ‘casual’ no cm runs and ‘elite’ full cm runs with nothing in between (what are 1 or 2 cm runs, why would you even do them) what i propose: - 3 tier reward system rather than this weird current 4 tier one with significant difference of rewards (preferably in tradeable/liquid gold format) in between each - tier 1 (1/3) is base rewards and is automatically given for completing the drm - tier 2 is awarded to either 1) completing within timer or 2) with cm activated. tier 3 is awarded for both - timer automatically on. it doesnt stop you if you fail, might as well always have it on. this exists purely for extra rewards to acknowledge those who bring coherent gameplay/party comps instead of making it flat-out compulsory for cm completion - mob and boss cm merged into the one ‘cm’. for a long instance that isnt so linear like forging steel I can understand having different types of cms, but for drms i really dont see the purpose of having harder mobs but weaker boss etc. drm cm completion eligibility only needs this to be activated (no timer required) this makes the difference between groups who only need cm and those who intend to get 3/3 rewards clearer so that people dont need to intentionally ‘leech’, and those being blocked by timer can still get their cm clear (because they dont need full rewards)

> @"zethra.8491" said: > > @"Noodle Ant.1605" said: > > ill just repost this interesting finding that i posted elsewhere (and will probably spam whenever theres a new thread on frac cfb/burn guard, sry) > > > > > Mist Offensive Potion applies 2 different bonuses to condi dmg (see notes section). One is the obvious +3% outgoing dmg per stack; the other is a +3% increase per stack to the condi dmg stat... > > > > > > This means that condi builds have a naturally higher virtual (fractal) bench, including burn guard... > > > > > > ...what makes burn guard special is... it is the least condi-like of condi specs... which, along with this additional bonus, makes it potentially the best (#1) dps unless ab/using full power setups with competent players (so #1 at least with pugs). > > > > though burning is a factor, other condi specs (eg burn ele or zerker) are either more reliant on (1s) ticking aoe fields to apply their condis, or long duration condis applied through an entire list of skills, effectively making them DoToT or D(oT)^2 builds vs burn guard. condi mirage is an example of another quickstacking condi build, but is held back because what it stacks quickly is confusion, rather than something that would probably break it like burning > > > > cfb supposedly falls apart at cc (i guess when talking about something like artsariiv clone phase) but is otherwise only outperformed if your group uses a full power burst boss-phases-in-seconds strat (usually complimented with precasting, PI, OWP stanceshare, etc, stuff cfb cant use effectively because its not power) > > while it’s noted Viper/ Sinister mix is ideal,…. > **for survivability in T 4 pugs**, as Roul said in his video,… > > Is using Plaguedoctor/ Trailblazer gear a good idea ? > if not, What gear mix is advised for Survivability ? > > Thanks ! cfb isnt really my thing but if i were to guess, youd want to ensure you still have 100% burn duration and always have condi dmg as the main stat, you can ditch some power stats for some (relatively) minor loss. *arbitrary note that you shouldnt bring high toughness gear into raids if you do decide to invest in it* many ppl would advise that you should stick to the suggested viper/sinister/etc mix not only because it maximises dmg output and that you should eventually get used to being glassy (and not facetank) anyway, but also because through balthazar runes and the trait imbued haste you get a good chunk of extra hp either way

im not 100% sure how they all function now but all the *npcs* that come as ‘allies’ from the first set of drms (golemancers, sylvari rangers, norn shamans, crystal bloom) besides the watchknights seem to have paper armor and fall over after few hits even with mobs scaled to solo. i am under the impression this hasnt changed the only new ones ive seen for now are the kitties who litter bazookas everywhere and the flags (/s). maybe i wasnt paying attention but the ebon vanguard seem to have real armour this time, at least they dont die as easily as for the actual bonuses the allies bring: - charzookas are similar to ele fgs, #2 deals nice dmg if used correctly and the kit is kinda op in general when used when scaled solo (30k missiles flatten mobs). im sad the kitties dont litter them very close to boss, im sure I would use it more there - flags are basically warrs banner of defense but worse its static and there isnt one placed at boss. i guess npcs that dont instantly die make up for this - golem only has one useful skill, its the channel that shoots stuff (#2?). sadly even if it does high dmg, its single target and overkill on trash, and somehow its worse than rotating normal skills on boss - doggo is situational but i guess serves as an extra source of cc if not already provided/slotted, kinda useless otherwise - spirit buffs so far imo are mostly useless, compounded by the fact that you have to be within range of the npc who tends to die somewhere else - im not sure how the crystal works, but the block and regen effect can be useful at specific times. the crystal kind of follows you to boss too (provided you keep the npcs alive? idk) - watchknights feel like another braham/caithe/kasmeer, they dont die and they do random stuff (like pull enemies away from you) idk how others feel about them some tlc would be nice but i frankly dont remember when allies have been overly useful

ill just repost this interesting finding that i posted elsewhere (and will probably spam whenever theres a new thread on frac cfb/burn guard, sry) > Mist Offensive Potion applies 2 different bonuses to condi dmg (see notes section). One is the obvious +3% outgoing dmg per stack; the other is a +3% increase per stack to the condi dmg stat... > > This means that condi builds have a naturally higher virtual (fractal) bench, including burn guard... > > ...what makes burn guard special is... it is the least condi-like of condi specs... which, along with this additional bonus, makes it potentially the best (#1) dps unless ab/using full power setups with competent players (so #1 at least with pugs). though burning is a factor, other condi specs (eg burn ele or zerker) are either more reliant on (1s) ticking aoe fields to apply their condis, or long duration condis applied through an entire list of skills, effectively making them DoToT or D(oT)^2 builds vs burn guard. condi mirage is an example of another quickstacking condi build, but is held back because what it stacks quickly is confusion, rather than something that would probably break it like burning cfb supposedly falls apart at cc (i guess when talking about something like artsariiv clone phase) but is otherwise only outperformed if your group uses a full power burst boss-phases-in-seconds strat (usually complimented with precasting, PI, OWP stanceshare, etc, stuff cfb cant use effectively because its not power)

this thread keeps popping up, the ultimate answer is basically what works best for you eventually you want to have both options available, but everyone would agree that you should gear for power (i.e. chrono) first since condi requires some more investment to get. idk if you are money deprived but you would ideally use this time to get a feel for power (chrono) while getting condi gear, and then play condi mirage for a bit to see how that feels. you will come to prefer one over the other for whatever reason, it differs from person to person tbh imo you dont even really need chrono to get a feel for how it plays, its basically a power core mes (what i tend to play) with respawning phants, reskinned f keys and a fancy f4 key that you rarely need to actually press. others may also argue that you can try out budget mirage with dire/rabid/etc. gear too, because playstyle can determine what you play rather than just effectiveness the builds you linked from metabattle kind of implode on themselves in wvw, i wouldnt recommend taking them there yeah xD

amusingly drms technically fits into this topic, you can solo them and put whatever cms on to your hearts content, counts as ‘campaign’/story too lol if youre bored you can also try teaching ppl how to ‘play’ properly too

FOR BURN GUARD IN FRACTALS: [Mist Offensive Potion](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mist_Offensive_Potion) applies 2 different bonuses to condi dmg (see notes section). One is the obvious +3% outgoing dmg per stack; the other is a +3% increase per stack to the condi dmg stat (applied to all sources besides might stacks and stat% conversions) which I have tested and still exists. This means that condi builds have a naturally higher virtual (fractal) bench, including burn guard. With condi dmg being naturally bad in fractals, this possibly unintentional bonus served more to level the playing field between power and condi (especially in absurdly long fights where decent condi dps would ‘eventually’ win). Given the higher virtual benchmarks, it technically means burn guard and higher condi specs sit up there with rifle DE and pchrono (both of which are impractical for fracs anyway). But what makes burn guard special is what I pointed out in my other comment - it is the least condi-like of condi specs (with enough duration to excel on 100cm) being completely unfazed by phases/initial burst which, along with this additional bonus, makes it potentially the best (#1) dps in *unless* ab/using full power setups with competent players (so #1 at least with pugs).

depends cast on allies = projectile-free zone (defensive, no blockable projectiles will get into the field, especially if projectiles are coming from multiple directions) cast on enemies = projectile-denial zone (offensive, you will reflect all blockable projectiles fired in the field right back at the enemy) anywhere between = acts as a wall

i dont think extra stats mean much, the enemies in fracs do not follow a strict aggro system. ive played my f2p mes in fracs and wondered if the ai was being smart cuz they kept targeting me for some reason, i have the lowest toughness guaranteed since im talking about t4 with ppl with extra stat mastery (+225 toughness just by having 150 ar and pots, f2p has no access) its random, theres not much you can do when this happens except try to survive, at least everyone else can freecast cuz they have 0 pressure on them

condi firebrand has a very short avg condi duration (~6s) and both a high *and* fast condi reapplication rate (to balance out), allowing it to reap all the advantages of being condi while avoiding a good chunk of the disadvantages of supposedly dealing dmg ‘over time’ compare this to other condi specs which hover around 8-20s durations, ofc they wont compare, especially since situations that allow condis to tick never really last longer than 5s, and then they have to reapply and re-ramp (which condi firebrand excels in, yay?) burning is a factor but its not the same when one is 5 stacks for 3s (6s with 100% dura) applied in 1s vs 3 stacks for 5s (10s) (and applied over 3s in some instances) special mention to f1 tome skill #5, basically 15 stacks of burning for the same shortish duration (~7s) at a press of a button, meanwhile other specs have skills that do 10k dmg in 27s lol

> Deceptive Evasion should be the grandmaster minor in duelist trait line and add a new grandmaster. deceptive evasion is still very useful vs many other traits, and i prefer it stays an option so i dont involuntarily spawn brainless ai each time i get snagged in combat ~~in pve~~ anywhere really

> @"Dadnir.5038" said: > while the mesmer's scepter would be at 90%-95% of the axe efficiency) yes, in a similar way as how ive apparently ‘labelled’ ALL of thief/necro/ele core weapons as ‘depressing’, mesmer scepter vs axe is not too much dimensions different from thief dagger vs staff, ele staff/dagger vs sword... maybe something slightly more comparable would be necro scepter vs another condi weapon that does 7k condi in 12s rather than 10k in 30s and is also far less clunky/slow like in my first comment, try making a (normal, not blatantly OP) wep that surpasses ‘x’... in this case, its like they took mesmer scepter and got rid of all the bad/situational aspects (clone aa, < 3 clone aa output, aa speed, skill #2 block requirement/consistency, skill #3 cast time) and made axe (+ its trait) out of it, completely taking over scepter in the condi department in almost all situations apart from range and clone gen mesmer condi options - has >1 main dmg skill thats not aa (staff), not/less situational (scepter) thief power - something that has better/less situational use for initiative (MH dagger), has decent aa (p/p) thief condi - an actual condi dedicated weapon thats not just d/d #3 necro power - an actual power dps wep that has >1 main dmg skills necro condi - something that doesnt take an eternity to deal full dmg (scepter) ele power - has good non aa skills (daggers), usable aa and less clunky (scepter) not savagely nerfed and potentially suicidal to use (staff) ele condi - an actual condi dedicated wep

> @"Dadnir.5038" said: ppl say condi is ‘bad’ in fracs (exclu 100cm) all the time. does it mean condi does trash can dmg? not all the time. im not saying that scepter is garbage-garbage. my assessment is that scepter (& staff) is fairly replaceable for another similarly focused weapon (like mirage axe), in a similar way to how daredevil staff, reaper gs, scg torch, temp wh and weaver sword easily replaced pre existing weapon options, which leads to suggest that they are what im calling ‘garbage’, or what you would better understand as ‘somewhat underpowered’