Orpheal.8263

@ Cobra:

What exactly do you mean by that? Do you mean, how these proposed changed attributes should work together with Skills/Traits which boost a specific Attribute?.

These Skills and Traits which do that, as like also Upgrades like Attribute boosts from Sigils and Runes would get reworked and rebalanced as well.

With the Removal of Gear Stats would Upgrades give no Attribute Boosts anymore, they ffects would get changed to direct effects, which actually affect your build, your gameplay and your skills. So Sigils, Runes, Gemstones and all this stuff gets reworked and every Upgrade type from that on would be specialized in specific Mechanics.

Sigils = Offensive Effects only (into Weapons)

Runes = Defensive Effects only (into Armor Gear)

Gemstones = Supportive Effects only that are based on Combat Mechanics, like Dodges, Healing Skill Usage, Utility Usage, Blocks, Reflects (into Accessoires)

Talismans = Hybrid Effects (into Amulet )

Crests = Hybrid Effects (into Back Item)

Every Character should simply start at Level 1 with a Base Amount of Attribute points, which the player can then freely distribute.

Each Class should have also out of Class balance Reasons different Base Values from begin on, so that strengths and weaknesses among the classes are also part of the class balancing process. It was the absolut wrong decision by Anet to give all Classes the same base values among the attributes and makign this way all classes the same, when they effectively shouldn't be all the same in regard of base attribute values.

Lets say all classes begin at Level 1 with a Base Attribute Point Value of 200 Points which you can then distribute among the 10 Attributers as you like.

And Every Class starts at Level 1 with Base Values among the 10 Attributes, which are from Class to Class different, but in the total amount of points for all Classes the same.

Thats what GW2 needs to balance the classes better and to give them strengths and weaknesses more which are presentive to see also among your attributes.

Example:

All Characters start with a maximum Base Amount of 2000 Attribute Points, which are after character creation already pregiven differently by your chosen Class

Warrior Level 1 would start with

400 Power

300 Toughness

250 Vitality

250 Precision

150 Concentration

100 Expertise

150 Agility

100 Dexterity

100 Wisdom

200 Resistance

From that Point on the player would receive then with every Level up more Attribute Points, which you can distribute as you like and which you can reset if you like to redistribute them anew, if you think you did a mistake or simply want to change your build, without that you have to grind first ages for any gear for that ,so that you can have your Attribute Build quickly that you want and this without alot less stress and artificial slow downs, practicalyl just same as comfortable as like in PvP, where you can change anytime you want quickly in the lobby your attriburtes and builds, because you get free access to the stats you want there - and this comfortable building of your settign must become finalyl part of this game in all game modes, which can work only, if gear stats finally get the boot and the system gets changed to an automatically character progression that gives you Attribut points as you level your Character Up, whikle having when beign in Pvp from begin on Maximum Attribute Points due to beign boosted to Max Level there., which is good, because then you can test out in PvP early your practical "dream build" out how you think you want to put points into your Attributes, before you actually spent them on the way as you progress with your Pve Character, so that you don't have to waste too much money for correctign made mistakes from puttign eventually points into the wrogn Atttribute and havign to reset it too much, if you basically already know exactly what you want, due to havign tested your build first in PvP when you get free acceess there to Max Attribute points directly from begin on to test out whatever you want instantly without any limitations...

Take this example of a warrior now and think about it, how a Necromancer compared to this woudl start then at Level 1.

Defenetiely with alot lesser Power, but therefore more Expertise, and more Wisdom, but lesser Toughness, thus due to this strength and weakness, resultign the Necronmancer automatically beign more squishy, but they have eventually from begin on more vitality than say a Warrior, but woulld lack therefore in Resistance, cause they are simply less sturdy and battle experienced than Warriors, due to being more the kind of scholar class that they are and no soldiers.

However, the player has the chance then by putting points then into attributes manually as you like to either put points into your strengths of your class and specialize them more - or you put also points into your weaknesses, so that you can lower them for your character if you want and thus individualize your character much more, than it is right now possible with an outdated and limitating gear stat system, which forces you to have only very small build diversity among the attribute sets that Anet allows us to have in the game with their preset tripple or quadro settings , while it puts also Anet into the situation to have to continously add more and more sets, just to please the people, which want to have very very specific combinations of stat sets... which feels frustrating for a player, if you can#t just build the character how you want, only because there doesn#t exist yet the Attribute Stat Combo for your equipment to craft/earn so that you can play truly your characte like you want.

This total build diversity freedom does allow only my proposed change to a dual effect attribute system, where gaining attribute points **is an important part of your complete character progression from the beginning to its end!!** just like how it was so in GW1 !!

Theres a much simpler solition, which requires of Anet just to adapt and reallocate the economy better for the items that eventually have lost their prior usage, to receive a new usage for replacement, so that they won't lose in value to muhc (or in best case, gain in value eventually even)

The final removal of Gear Stats!!! Remove this stupid outdated system and there will instantly not exist anymore ever the isssue of overflooding the game with too many useless stat sets, which feel unreliable, like junk, and not like a reward...

character Progression of Stats should be 100% solely come from only leveling up your character. All Stats you gain over the course of letting your character grow, should come only frm the level up process from getting to Level 80.

Every Level Up a Character should simply gain a certain amount of **Stat Points** in a simply, but classic way, which the player can then freely distribute among all the 10 Dual Effect Stats that are part of your Character Progression/ Character Build then.

And if you think, you did some kind of mistake - **then the player should be able just like in GW1** to reset your Stat Settign for a small Gold Fee of say 50 Silver (in GW1 it was 500 Gold, but back then was 500 Gold like here 500 Copper, cause it was in GW1 was Gold cheaper valued as like now in GW2 with its 3part currency system of Copper, Silver and Gold, where GW1 differentiated only in Gold and Platin, where 1 Platin felt like 1 Gold here) (despite id love to see out of nostalgia resons plation returning, like 100 Gold being in GW2 1 Platin :D that woudl be nice ^^)

So back to topic, if you think you did a mistake, then you reset your Stat Points for that small fee, and simply redistribute your points anew to change this way your build.

Woudl be somewhat of a much better quality of life with this a s gameplay mechanic, than this gear stat garbage, which creates only gear grind to have an artificial economy, which massively limitates at the same time your freedom of build diversity, because to get build divesity you are forced first to grind for your gear, until you have the stats you want on your equipment in the quality/power level of that you want to be competitive in WvW/stay longer alive in Fractals ..or in case of AR, even have a chance to survive xD

The game has currently 9 Attributes with only single effects, wqhich are all in itself not very impactful alone as part of Class balance.

Change this out now with 10 Attributes, which have all two Effects and each of those Attributes instantly becomes alot more meaningful and impactful for Class Balance, Class Builds and the euqality of gameplay styles for this game.

Especially if this change helps in reducing on the other side the Effect Clutter, by removing obsolete Boons, which work better as integrated Attribute Effects, like Vigor and Fury to become a direct part of your Character Build, instead of beign passive ones, which you need to receiver over the course of a combat by usiing eirht actively skills or waiting for passive traits to trigger.

Maybe others will se this proposal rather only perhapsas simplifying the game - I see it more like cutting off finally year long rampant weeds, that have been ignored by our gardener Anet for too long to be cut down, so that our gameplay can look nice again, like it used to be 2012 ...

The Attribute System needs changes, but not in form of just adding only single effect new attributes...

Making our Attributes have finally 2 Effects would significantly help in reducing the Effect Spam by removing obsolete Boon Effects, which would work in a more balanced way for this game, if their Effects would be reworked into Attribute Effects, so that they become part of your individual Character Build and Class Balance.

**Power now =** Increases Direct Damage. In Regard of Class Balance must Anet also get away finally with giving all classes at Level 80 a Base Power of 1000. This value should be from class to class different individually as part of the overall Class Balance!! A Warrior for example should have more Base Power, than a Necromancer for example.

**How it should be instead =** Increases Direct Damage and the maximum Duration in Percentage of your Boons (merge with old Concentration)

**Vitality now =** Increases Maximum Health by ridiculous 10 Health Points per Point

**How it should be instead=** Increases your Maximum Health in Percentage per Point and improves the Efficiency of your Endurance Regenration/or Increases your Maximum Endurance and rework the way how Dodges cost Endurance, but I guess option 1 is much better and simpler to balance (remove/rework Vigor)

**Toughness now =** Decreases your received Direct Damage

**How it shouls be instead =** Decreases your received Direct Damage and reduces the Condition Durations you will receive by Percentage (basically halfway merging Resistance into Toughness in a weakenered form ,and remove then the obsolete Op Resitance Boon which 100 >0s all Conditions and is nothign but just Anets cheap quick fix for the condi spam they aded to GW2 with HoT and briefly before that from the desastrous patch from june 23rd of 2015

**Precision now =** Increases your Critical Hit Chance by Percentage

**How it should be instead =** Increases your Cricital Hit Chance by percentage (slightly lower than now) and Increases your Critical Damage Bonus per Points (merge with Ferocity, remove/rework Fury)

**Concentration now =** Increases your Boon Durations by Percentage.

**How it should be instead =** Increases your Healing Efficiency from Self as like Outgoing Heals by Percentage (differently when outgoing, self is always higher boosted, than outgoing) and improves your Boon Efficiency by Percentage now instead of Boon Durations, which is now the secondary Effect of Power.

**Expertise now =** Increases your Condition Durations by Percentage

**How it should be instead =** Increases your Condition Damage you deal and Decreases your Skill Cooldowns slightly per Percentage (max 20%, so a 50s recharge could get reduced with high Expertise to 40s maximum)

New Added

**Agility:** Increases per Percentage your Auto Attack Speed and decreases per percentage the Chance to be critically hit for you.

**Dexterity:** Decreases Weapon Swap Cooldowns slightly per Percentage and in case of Classes with no Swap the F-Skill Cooldowns and reduces per point the Bonus Critical Damage you can receive

**Wisdom:** Increases Condition Durations per Percentage and raises your Chance by Percentage, that you become more resistant to Boon Steal/Corruption, so that skills with such Effetcs don#t have anymore a 100% guaranteed success rate. its also part of class balance, that skilsl which such effects should not have always 100% success rate in what they can do to you.

**Resistance:** Now reworked into an own Attribute: Decreases the Effectiveness from Hard CCs used agaisnt you by percentage, makign you more resistant against knockdowns, stuns, dazes and the like, while grantign you a more powerul Breakbar, making it harder for CC's to break you so that theres a chance to CC you first, before you become then for a short moment immune against any follow up spammed CC effects. The secondary Effect of Resistance with be Agony Resist, making finally agony a 100% fulyl implemented gameplay effect that is not only part of Fractals, but of the whole game, just only that "agony" per se would be only for Fractals something else additionally, while it would be in general for all modes

General Game Effect = Speed of your Health Degen in Downed State being reduced by Agony Resist, making a very resistant enemy harder to defeat in a downed fight as they could fight longer back if nobody stomps them and rallying up as a resistant charactr woudl become easier as youd not have to fight agaisnt that too annoying health degen so much anymore

while in Fractals also additionally = Damage Reductiond from receiving the Agony Condition there

Thats actually what needs to happen, the Attribute Systems needs to get updated and modernized to a Dual Effect System, because only then will become thr trijity of offense, defense and support more balanced, instead of ANets current outdated 2012er attribute single effect system, that strongly favors only offensive gameplay due to it being designed originally from a game, with no holy trinity in mind and all classes beign balanced aroudn the fact, that you play them most efficiently, if you play them offensively only, because there was left by design no place for any defensive playstyle out of most likely ANets fear, players could think the game allows the possibility of having "tanks" , if the defensive playstyle would become ever equally balanced and effective as like the offensive side.

But by now with Elite Specs and Class Builds being there, like Heal Druids, Scourges, Mirages ect. there needs to be the Attribute System finally updated and reworked, so that the various Attributes take over finaly a more important and impactful role of Class Balance

Thread can be closed, Ive got it, so my theore is in fact incorrect...

After the last battle i must have gotten it somehow, without realizign it, that the icon poped up ..

Sometimes Ive the feeling, that these icons dont always show up under lag, and due to the icon not popping up, I was always under my believe, that I haven't gotten the achievement achievement yet.. when I most likely did have earned it at that time already xD

Kind if feel silly for this, should simply havre looked upon the achievement list more carefully/more oftenly, instead of relying myself too much on wantign to see the achievement icon to pop up as notification that I received the achievement xD

Can it be that this achievement is currently somehow bugged to trigger??

Seriosly,. i did the Amala Fight now like 10 times and everytime I didn't got the achievement at the end, despite of me beign 100% dead sure, that I absolutely didn't step in the first phase of lyssa in none of those purple portals that let you fall down from above like that silly mechanic from the grent temple boss that does the same (very creative, really)...

Could someone please explain to me, because its eventually just a mistake of mine side of misunderstandign how the battle correctly functions to unlock this achievement, what one has exactly to do to unlock the achievement and not basically fail it instantly?

Because thats kind of my theory now, that the achievement is either bugger, or you have to be pretty much instantly in the room the moment the battle starts just to have a chance at the achievement at all, cause if you miss the very first portals due to not beign already in the room ,the achievement auto fails for you eventualy???

If my theorey on this is right, because i could understand that for preventing peopel froom cheesign the achivement and joinign the battle first once the first phase is ove, I think it would be neccessary to make here more visually clear, when exactly a player has failed the conditions to trigger this achievement.

If its a timed thing, then please for gods sake, add one of those yellow orb achievement symbols which show us exactly, how much time we have to enter the room quickly enough so that the achievement will triiger and as a general means of showing the player, so that he7she can realize the moment , if you failed the achievement instantly and not having to wait on the battle to end, just to get to se, if you can earn the achievement or not, cause people tend to draw this battle for their selfish farming needs artificially into the length just so they can kil many champs for loot, instead of focusing on Amala , which makes seeign if you can just get that one achievement at the end an annoying chore.

if however my impression is right and this achievement is currently really bugged, then please fix it naturally and do it by addign said mentioned achievenment orbs that are shown to you as long you fulfill every requirement to earn an achievement.. this is basically something, that anet should pretty much finalyl add to akll achievments in PvE, to give the player a way to recognize better the moment, when they failed to earn an achievement ..

You do this for instances, so why not for achievements in PvE in general? Would help so much to understand better, when exactly you did dsomethign wrong in the game to not be able to earn an achievement in any situation of PvE..especially those, where the screen gets spammed fully with aoe effects and lots of enemy models makign it difficult to always see all telegraphed things on the ground, which may be eventualyl important for you to recognize...

Heres how i would nerf the most overpowered crap in this whole game:

## Base Mechanics

* Manifest Sand Shade: This Skill has now an internal Cooldown of 3 Seconds, Sand Shades can attack now only every 3 Seconds with you foes if you used a Shade Ability. Torment has been removed. and Maximum Count is now only 2 in regard of Ammo

* Nefasrious Favor: Converts now instead of 2 only 1 Condition of nearby Allies into boons and recharge Time gets increased from 5 to 8 seconds

* Sand Cascade: recharge Time increaded from 8 to 15 seconds, Barrier increased by 20% to around 2500 points

* Garish Pillar: Recharge Time increased to 20s, Fear Duration increased to 2s, Causes now 2s of Torment

* Desert Shroud: Torment removed, Duration reduced to 5 seconds, Pulses reduced to 5, 1 per second. Number of Hits reduced to 5 with the Damage being reduced by 20%

## Weapon Skills

* Harrowing Wave: Torment removed and replaced with Weakness. The Skill is with its Burning already strong enough under a Condi Scourge!

* Oppressive Collapse: Knockdown Removed, replaced with Daze for 1s

## Healing Skill

* Sand Flare: Torment Duration nefed down to 5 seondss, but increased to 2 Stacks. Can now be useed also underwater, named there as Mud Flare.

## Utility Skills

* Trail of Anguish: Remove Boon Corrupt and Torment. Replace Cripple with Vulnerability. Burn Duration reduced from 4 to 2 seconds. recharge Time reduced from 25 to 15s. Swiftness and Stability Durations reduced from 6 to 4s. Duration reduced to 4s. Can now be used underwater too with leavign a trail of mud instead of sand.

* Dessicate: Reduce Might from 5 Stacks to 3 Stacks and increase Duration from 8 to 10s. Can now be used underwater as well

* Sand Swell: Replace Torment and Cripple here with Bleeding and Blindness. Barrier reduced to 1000 points, recharge Tiem decreased to 30s Can now be used underwater named there as Mud Swell. Duration increased to 10s. Range increased to 1200

* Serpent Siphon: Recharge Reduced to 25. Now useable underwater as Mud Serpents. Torment and Cripple Remoded. Poison duration reduced to 8s. Instead of the Boon Corruption you steal with this Skill now 2 Boons only and for each stolen Boon iwll suffe the foe on a Stack of Poison. Range increased to 1200.

## Elite Skill

* Ghastly Breach: Recharge Time increased from 75 seconds to 90 Seconds!! Slow removed. Damage decreased by 20% Torment Duration decreased to 8s

# Traits:

* Abrasive Grit: internal Cooldown of 5 seconds now added and an Ally Target Limit of 3 added, so that you get get now only every 5 seconds maximum 6 Stacks of Might from giving Allies Barrier. Might Duration decreased from 6 to 4 seconds.

* Fell Beacon: Percentage reduced from 7 to 5% and the Trigger is not anymore Condition Damage, but now Precision. Reduces for you now the Duration of Burn and Blindess you suffer on by 20%

* Norishing Rot: internal Cooldown increased from 3 to 5s

* Sand Soul: The Stat Boosts decreased per Sand Shade from +75 to +50.

* Sadistic Searing: Duration of the Burning decreased to 2s. Burning foes grant you therefore per second now 1% Life Force per Second

* Unending Corruption: This Trait has been Removed and replaced

* Sand Armor: Ending Barriers grant your Allies now for 2 seconds Protection and Resistance. Replaces Unending Corruption

* Demonic Lore: This Trait has been removed and replaced

* Habringer of Plagues: Replaces Demonic Lore: Torment you deal, spreads now out like a Disease to nearby foes and deals 25% more Damage. When Torment spreads over to nearby foes, those foes will suffer then also onto Cripple and Bleedings.

* Feed from Corruption: This Trait has been removred

* Wailing Laments: Replaces Feed from Corruption. Whenever somebody uses in your near a Shout or Stance Skill, the user of this Shout or Stance Skill will get its Boons corrupted and you gain the Boons.

These Changes would cut down the masive powercreep of this Spec back to a normal and sane level, while still beign very strong, if played out well by the person in control, while the insane amount of condis and boon corrupts gets reduced to not so massively overwhelm enemies within the first 3 seconds of combat instantly, due to added and increased cooldown times, lowered damage for getting the bursts down to a more sane level and overwhelmign the enemy not instantly with way too much Torment and Cripple which Anet literally placed everywhere into this spec..ridiculous while removing Conditions that the Scourge should absolutely not have, like Slow and too strong Burns

This is basically my idea that I have posted earlier in my Thread about Fundamental Gameplay Changs I'd do with the Thief, but I tried to focus myself only onto Shadow Steps. However, I haven't fully thought it out in regard of the moment, where the Ammo switches over to Initiative. Still have to overwork that concept to make it fit better in that case.

Anyways - Ammo is basically nothign else but practicalyl the concept of Initiative, but just only with a limitation of usage. But this limitation of usage is it, which basically would help in balancing Thief Skills. it could be used to make in a limited way certain Thief Skilsl significantly more useful, stronger or in general helpful in combat, while promoting with the Ammo System a very limitated quick usage of Skills for either Bursts, or situational reactions that require quick reflexisve responses in a short duration of time, while not punishing the spammy gameplay of going over that limit via Initiative, for the cost of diminishing returns in regard of the efficiency of the used skill, if you use the skill over it limits, making it weaker over tiem, so more you.

I see the ammo System basically as an Upgrade of the Initiative System for Thieves, especialyl for all ranged Weapons, so Pistols, Rifle, Shortbow - it just makes sense that these Weapons use Ammo.. even if we have it out of quality of life reasons in unlimited amounts, it should be kind of integrated at least in the skill mechanics somehow.

My example how how for example the SHortbow could get reworked under this mechanic:

1) Trick Shot/Surprise Shot: Stays normal, AAs would be only exception of having not Ammo attached to it as like also Stealth Skills.

2) Cluster Bomb: 3 Ammo: Changes into Arrow Shower iff Cluster Bomb Ammo has been used up, which costs from that moment on then Initiative.

Cluster Bomb has now increased Damage +20% and Detonation causes now Burning instead of Bleedings for the limited usage of 3 times.

Arrow Shower is then basicalyl how Cluster Bomb works now, but just with lesser visual clutter from explosions, and deals Bleedings.

3) Disabling Shot: 3 Ammo: Skill renamed to Evasive Arrows. Within the 3 limitated Shots the now buffed version for the cost ofd the limitation of 3 uses has now an Evasion Time Frame of 1 full second, it removes now 1 Condition and stun breaks and deals 20% more damage. If the 3 uses have been made, does Evasive Arrows become Confusing Shot, which costs from that moment on Initiative and is a weaker version of vasive Arrows. Both versions would confuse now for a few seconds, therefore that the weaker version doesn't let you evade attacks anymore, but just only leap back

4) Choking Gas: 3 Ammo: The Skill has now within its 3 Ammo Shots a more potent poison with more Stacks per pulse and more condi damage per poison stack, so that within the 3 ammo shots it deals quicker daze. After the 3 Ammo Shots becomes Choking Gas then Paralizing Arrows, which is basically then a weakened version of Choking Gas, that costs Initiative then

5) Infiltrator's Arrows: 3 Ammo: Improved Version with increased range to 1200 and integrated stealth at the end of the shadow step. The weaker version that uses then initiative is the current form of IA thats called then Assault Shot with its reduced range and just its blindness on impact instead of stealth The skill icon in this case will blink a few seconds before the recharge of the Ammo is ready, so that players will recognize here, when they are about to have for 3 shots again logner range and stealth instead of shorter range and blindness.

Ideas what to do with luck if you have 300%

1) Implement a Luck to Karma Converter!! Basically for every 2 Luck Points you get 1 Karma ...

2) Implement Luck to Map Currency Converters for the Costs of some Map Currency and Gold

3) Implement more Crafting Recipes, qhich require Luck to craft the goods

4) Add the Option to activate the use of Luck additionally to whenever you gather Materials from Nodes for a little Chance of increased Material Gain per gather

5) Add the option to activate the use of Luck additionaölly to whenver you salvage Items for a little chance of increased Material Gain

6) Let us throw Luck Stacks of all 4 sorts from common to exotic (10,50,100,250) into the Mystic Forge to get back a random amount of various T6 Materials, or Mystic Clovers

7) Implement Infusions that are craftable with the help of alot of Luck, which boost your Magic Find Percentage by like 10% per Infusion

8) Implement earnable Finishing Moves, which you can earn and unlock from spending alot of Luck to a new NPC

9) Implement earnable unique Outfits, which you can get only from spendign alot of Luck to a new NPC (same one as above)

10) Implement a unique Lucky Clover Weapon Set that you can earn only via spendign alot of Luck to a new NPC (Collection)

11) Implement a unique Lucky Clover Armor Set that you can earn only via spending alot of Luck to a new NPC (Collection)

12) Implement a wide array of unique Lucky Minipets that you can earn only via spendign alot of Luck (Collection)

13) Implement a unique Lucky Clover Glider Skin that you can earn only via spendign alot of Luck to a new NPC ...

14) Implement some new Mount Skins earnable only via spending alot of Luck to a new NPC, starting of with a Knightly Skin Set, making our mounts look more armored and knightly, basically similar to what you did with Aurene as mini pet.. nothign to spectacular therefore that its basicalyl free earable skins, but gives the player stil lthe feel of some little progression, making your mounts look a bit more epic than usign the default skin that everybody has...

15) Let us Trade Luck for some small Black Lion Items, like Bank, Trade NPC, BL Salvage Tool

16) Let us use Luck within the Crafting process to increase the amount of Crafting Exp by significantly boostign the Chances for bigger Exp Boosts

17) Let us consume Luck together with using Buff Items to increase/renew the Durations, while the Effects are still up

18) Implement an Account Bonus, which consumes Luck, with that so you can increase the Percentage Boost for increasing Buff Item Durations and which works itself like magic Find, becoming proportionally harder to increase your max buff Duration Times so higher you increase this Accoutn Bonus, costing with every increase more and more Luck each time. Say you have boosted this Bonus up to like +25%, then woudl have from now on all Buff Items you use +25% increased Durations for you.

19) Implement an Account Bonus, which consumes Luck with that you can increase your Haggling Bonus Percentage, which enables you to sell items from NPCs for more Gold and to buy from them cheaper. Works like the one above, so more you progress on this, so more difficult it will become to progress further, justz liek with Magic Find.

20) Let us use Luck to convert it into WvW Exp /Reward Track Progression Items

There are more than enough options, to improve the usage of Luck in this Game, if anet just only truly would want to improve this ... needs no rocket science to come up onto these 20 ways of how to improve the usage of Luck in this game ...

Rev should not have Stealth, rev should better not exist at all in its current state and be better completely redesigned from scratch!!..

The Revenant with some of its gap closing skills already feels like a real cheap rip off from merging warrior with thief together that are superior due to beign able to attack multiple foes either at once or a target multiple times after another with just 1 skill, while the counterpart skill of the thief does not do that.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Unrelenting_Assault

This is basically what a Sword Thief Skill should have been instead with the Thief performing several quick short Shadow Steps between nearby targets..

The skill description even says its a "shadow step" ..seriously ???

Classes should be UNIQUE and not copy each others skill types and mechanics!! This includes Stealth

Build Diversity in this Game is a pipe dream, yes, as long you give Classes no clearly defined roles, that are then spread out on a multitude of traitlines and skills that give the player enough variety for these roles to be played out and that also effectively in all game modes, and not only basically one, or two maybe, while the role is most likely in mode 3 completely useless and as such, leads to the result of reduced build diversity indirectly, if builds practically play in a game mode no role.

Role Playing Games aren't called Role Playing Games just only for the acting of a character role in a story, but also because of the characters with their classes and professions having gameplay relevant roles which define, how there are played, for which reason(s) they are played diversely in the game and how they complement the combat system of a game together in a system, full of synergies of classes between each other. At least that should be the goal of class design, that they should synergize with each other in the end to reach a good balance.

If a class design doesn't give you the feeling, that the gameplay elements and mechanics synergize well together with other roles and mechanics from other classes of the game, then this should be a warning to the designer in responsibility, that something in the class design doesn't fit into the game and should be changed, so that the classes with their roles can run and work together smoothly like being oiled.

Thats for example a reason for it, why it is long overdue, that Stealth for example should have been reworked a long time ago bettre from being a Buff into a Boon and why Classes, like the Thief obviously are underperforming right now, when it comes to the question of it, if this class by its design actually really is able to fulfill truly it's role - my answer to this would be currently a clear and straight forward strong NO.

Why you may ask?

Because Anet doesn't give the Thief Class currently in their game the tools, that a Thief Class needs to actually being able at all to fulfill the classic roles of a Thief Class.

Just having only Stealth and being able to use once in a blue moon every half aminute a Pseudo Steal, without that the enemy has lost anything at all, isn't for me a Thief, which has a clear defined role in this game.

A clear defined role for the Thief Class would be for me:

* Significant more Boon Stealing and Boon Sharing of stolen Boons as a matter of Group Support Role that comes automatically with stealing Boons

The Thief Class by design has the Role of being the Counter Role to any heavy Boon reliant Build of any other Classs, that has massive access to Boons, like Guardian, Mesmer and Engineer

* Build in Trap Control Effects within Skills and Traits, so that the Thief can play out its Support Role of nullifying Traps, in which Thieves are specioalized in. no other Class knowes better as them, how to safely remove traps, due to them beign permanently in their life beign contronted with locations being full of traps, into which they want to infiltrate to steal things from someones manor maybe, like some valuable jewels and other treasuries, which need to be protected by - you gues it - TRAPS! Thieves are the born Treasure Hunter Role, but Anet doesn't give them the key tool for playing this role out in the game, so that we could have some counter balance against annoying Trap Builds.... with a Class, that can fight fire with fire as being a Class, which uses Traps also self and knows the basics of trappery best aside of maybe Rangers, which need to have this expertise as part of their wildernis survival skills. Basically speaking - any Class that can lay traps, should also know how to safely neutralize enemy traps as well!! Makes just sense!

* Disarming of Enemies: so that stealing from foes actually finally feels right like having stolen actually something from an enemy as part of the Rogue Role that Thieves should have, so that they practically can steal from you everything that's not nailed down. This should include Equipment as well - Weapons, to temporarely make foes unable to attack, workign basically like a thief unique form of Daze with longer durations which can't get removed by a stunbreaker and when used on Gear, that it reduces temporarely the Defense Value of your Targets and their Attributes that were attached to the stolen Gear Item (not really stolen, so don't worry! Just temporarely disabled for combat ;))

This are the 3 of 4 key roles that define a Thief Class, and all 3 don't they exist more or less.

Yes, the Thief has a few ways to steal Boons, but absolutely not enough in my opinion to fulfill its role as a superior heavy boon counter class that is able to clearly suppress a heavy boon class like the Guardian, Mesmer or Engineer from getting too much advantages of their massive amounts of Boons to force them to retreat from you, if you are playing a heavy Boon Steal Build...

It is kinda the other way around, you sadly must retreat from them, because their builds just ram you into the ground, if you don't fight those classes in a +1, especially their E-Specs, which naturally also profitate alot from it that their Core Classes have so much constant access to Boons, while the Thief Class has not due to the massive lack of Boon Stealing in this Class Design to be able to fight these classes down as a Boon Parasite which should profitate the most from if, the more their enemies use boons, which they can steal then and use against them ... as that is the last of the 4 big key roles, which define a Thief - that they are that kind of sneaky cunning combatants, which always try to turn the situation to their own favor, by using the powers of their foes against them.

Anet tried it with the Steal Skills, but those also need more variety, which is why I think they should have more Steal Skill Varity from stealing of other Classes, to clearly fulfill that role of being the sneaky cunning marauder/copy cat, which grinds their foes to death and despair by giving you the feeling, that they always kind of counter you with your own weapons and that with some kind of variety and not always only the same stolen skills - which is simply said - boring and monotonous, if you steal from your enemies always only the same things.

Thats my view as a year long Main Thief Player since the beginning of GW2. Thieves are (should be) more, than just only a mobile class, which is only there to help others ending battles quickly from turning 1v1 into +1 battles . And they could be more, if Anet just gives this class those mentioned tools, which would alow the Thief Class to make usage of their full potential..

The class feels like being a bird, that has been locked away in a bird cage , so that it can't fly freely - but only it its very limited space that it has in its cage, because if it could fly freely, then it could show all of its flight skills without restrictions. I hope this little metaphor was understandable, what I wanted to express out with this.

> @"Ayumi Spender.1082" said:

> Mesmer needs a buff in power.

> Engineer needs to be scrapped and redone from the ground up.

>

> I don't know what other balancing it needs. Everything else is fine.

If there is anything at all, that needs to be completely redone from scratch only, then it's the Revenant, not the Engineer.

The Engineer has at least a great fundamental base concept design, that works and functionates with all other skill and gameplay elements of this game, which is something that you can't say at all on a fundamental level has ever been the case for the Revenant and its Specs from Day 1 on of their lousy existance as being the only class from all, which can't use racial skills, which can't freely decide which skills you want to use on a utility, healing and elite skill level, because everything is given to you with the silly stances which you have absolutely no build freedom with - as result of that is this class even the only one, with basically non existant build diversity, where the only build diversity this class has, comes from its few traits and how you combinate them with the few stances..wow, just wow...,!!!

Meanwhile have all other classes alot more options on how to combinate all of their skills with each other and the traits in an alot more depthful and individual level of build diversity, that the Revenant Class can just dream about to have ever ...

Absolute support for this ..

Music insturments totally make sadly yet no usage of their real potential of making the miost fun to use for everybody.. skills peopoel as liek also totalyl unskilled peopel with no sense for rhythm and melodies, but which still want to have fun with instruments in the game as like skilled people, but just need more help with the instruments, for which its useful to have an ABC system and such stuff, which just autoplays for peopel their songs they want to hear with their instruments.

They can make simpyl the animations different between a person who plays by him/her self, with different music note animations, compared to a person who uses an autoplay mechanism to play the instrument basically on playback without having to play manually self and press any buttons with differently animated and colored music notes swirlign around then.

Something that I basically suggested years ago from begin on on the original forum, when I was basially one of the very first persons to suggest the implenmentation of music instruments - but sadly they never have improved anything on the mechanics of these items, because I think that they saw sadly in them only cashcow items for the gemstore, beign not worth it to be improved in mechanics, because that woudl - you guess it - cost effort and ressources/money, which anet never has been willing to put into the improval of this gameplay element sadly - which becomes quite obvious from the moment on, where Naet completely stopped addign new instruments into the game with this horrible bass guitar, which even doesn#t sound th slightest bit liek a real bass guitar and was a total fail due to this fact, that they stopped it with instruments, because from that moment on they didn#t work so well anymore as the cashcow items for the gemstore - and anet having found quickly with gliders and outfits a replacement, which sold itself much better, thasn most likely music instruments ever did :( Sad, but most likely the truth, despite me would loving to see for the games future to see some new instruments being added, like violins, rattles, triangles, tambourines and panflutes/ocarinas which sound simply different, than the normal flute that we have so far only..

These videos of peopel playing songs of othr games, animes, movies and so on ingame in games like LoTRo was the original inspiration for me, why I suggested like 4 to 5 years ago music instruments as one of the first peopel in the official forums posting about them as a feature - but it was naturally clear that ANet woudl term them just into gemstore items, instead of actualyl makign of of them an implemented feature of the game and something that you can earn somehow ingame or eventualy even craft ingame and make look different that way also too, so that not every guitar ect. looks the same..

To end my postign, I want to make everybody hear, what a real bass guitar sounds like !!

This is a real Bass Guitar

This is what we got instead ..sadly

So monotonous sounding ,like a broken car motor , no real variations in its sound, unlike above, where you hear a real bass guitar with sound variation

from my last 5 years of Balance Patch Experience with Anet, i sadly so far must answer with this vote option.

But only, because Anet keeps on ignoring to update all other important combat system mechanics..

They have been way too much focused on changing permanently only skills and traits, that they have lost out of sight everything else, that belongs to class and game balance as well too >.> mainly Condition/Boon Spam, Health System, Attribute System and Upgrade System and they missed with HoT the chance to implement a player Breakbar System, to get finally the CC Spam of this game fixed and balanced...

To add this system only for Hp sponge bosses for PvE was totally absurd and ridiculous!!

@"Lina vom Eisgletscher.8397"

You forget, that Tempests as Elite Specializations will immediately profit also as well from all changes done to the Core Class, because they can use the same weapons and utility skill as like the Core Elementalist. So I see absolutely no problem with if, if a few Tempest Skills get some lower Damage, if now reduced by 20% or 15% or 10% can be argued over ;), numbers ared too fixated here. Theyare only a guiding line to express like you say, into which direction I try to aim with my changes.

Tempest (as like Weaver, and in regard of this all other Specs too) need to get their DPS slightly reduced, whiel the DPS of the Core Classes needs to get closer again to the DPS of the E-Specs. The gaps of efficiency between Core Classes and their Specs have become extremly big ove the last 2 expansions, because of anet using way too much power creep to sell this way better their expansions...I guess you can agree with me on this, or??

In a nutshell I would describe my changes here with this:

I suggest, that the Core Elementalist gets their Skilsl in such a way reowrked, that as a result of the changes the class will have in return for too selfish skills more either direct or indirect group support, with skills that have too long cooldowns for an action orientated combat system being reduced to a more logical number that is between max 25 to 50 seconds for the Elementalist, they shouldnt have any Skilsl, except Elite Skill maybe, which should have longer Recharge Times than 25-50s max.

Elementalists shouldnt be able to instant switch between attunements..having to change between an attunement and having actively more skills in combat, should be tied to having to strategetically use the Attunements and be for slightly longer times in one attunement, before you are able to swap already again.

In my opinion Eles can swap too fast between attunements, withotu that their is some kind of regulation..

Even Thieves get their Stealths regulated with Reveal and their Endurance Gain reguated now on Dash with Exhaustion, so i thought it woudl be only right and balanced, if as liek Eles were already designed this way in GW1 to have Exhasution, that was back then part of their class design, that if the class does something tiring, as like changign attunements, that this should lead to exhaustion.

Bakcin GW1 it was so, that the most powerful Elementalist Skisl cause the Elementalist all to suffer on Exhaustion, which reduces their maximum energy ressource slowly more and more, until you became not able to cast the more powerful skills, until you let some time pass, so that your Exhasution could slowly expire. This was kind of my inspiration for bringing back Exhaustion for the Ele as a regulator on Attunement Swapping, so that Eles don't switch too fastly between Attunements in combat, if they don't want to suffer on a too long Endurance Regen Reduction.

I removed also like I did with my Thief Counterpart Thread to remove stupid limitations like skills beign not able to use underwater, bringign more build diversity to the class and making underwater combat again more fun, due to having there then more skill options, than before to use, as thats one of the longest silly skill missdesigns that this Game still has sicne release, that are overdue to be finally removed for all classes .

But in short, yes, I also tried naturally to change the Skilsl, to make them essentially more interestign and fun to use also too, I guess, thats somethign that we all want to do , if we make suggestions liek this ^^ This is our basic goal and intention always in our mind ;)

This includes naturally also improving "roles" for the classes, somethign that I have personalyl the impression, has anet forgotten to do in the last years in their everlasting crusade of skill and trait changes they did, while basically ignorign all the rest of this games great combat system to get adapted to all the skil land trait changes of the last years. Which is why I want for example Eles Meteor Shower to affect rather WvW Walls, instead of being the overpowered "make tower wall defending impossible-skill", that it has been since 2012 ... to change their role to what an Elementalist should be in WvW - an offensive supporter, which can help in destroying walls, when you'r about to run out of supply or have to run for more - Mobile Siege so to say, but just weaker than actual real siege catapults, so that those don't lose their reason of existance and still will be used, for situations, where thigns must goal real quick and you have way than enough supply to builds a whole row of catas to burst down a wall in no matter of time xD

@"TwilightSoul.9048"

Thx, I'll appreciate this answer as well, even if you didn't commented on my ideas. You said something, whre I've to agree, as far as much as I like postign concept threads, and doing brainstorming so ver stuff liek this, it can sometimes quite feel even overwhelming to myself, once I''m done with writing and just let the whole thing impact upon myself, like trying to read it like a "normal" reader and not like the person, who actually has written it and has as th writer a different view on it, while being at writing the thread :D

And you are very right with it, that you can write down as much as you like, you wil never be able to consider absolutely every single detail into one single thread, that is basicalyl anyways only focused on 1 class, when in fact you need in the end still to consider all classes.. but in fact i just wanted anyways only the opinion from Ele Mains here, if something good is under this list of changes, of if they end up saying all, scrap all of this and get back to the drawingboard basically and begin with it from scratch ^^

But if there is even one thing, that many people among Main Eles like, then I think I have reached my goal, if I could find somethign, with that many peopel agree with, then i think this is also worth something, if not even worth more, than the whole concept of ideas together, even if 99% of it won't ever find into the game.

If I instead then was able to find that 1 idea, that moved alot of players to like it , then I'll be happy as well ^^

uhm, I see, I have to improve some things here n there, or at least explain better ^^

Theres some good points that i have to overthink, but I also don't agree with all of your points Aplier

@Lina:

my ideas sems to be a "Downgrade" of DPS? Sorry, but this I don#t understand now, plesase explain. I know, its a really big change list, but have you yet read all of the poroposed changes? Even a fast overlooking of this list only shoudl make clear to you, that I'Äm surely not wanting to massively reduce the DPS of this Class and change it from a hifh DPS class to a low DPS one with only focus on support. Now.

Yes, there are a very few skilsl where i reduced the damge output, but maijnly only on a very fw tempest SKills to remove a bit of the E Spec Power Creep from the Tempest, while I greatly imprved mainly only the core Elementalist Skills and increased maybe here and there some core skills in damage, but I ratgher tried to concentrate myself also more into reducing inappropriate high Recharge Times, instead of raisign everywhere only the damage numbers, because then I absolutely wouldnt be better, than Anet and woudl do basicalyl only the same change,s that Anet did for the last 3 years of always raising the damage nunmbers only higher and higher ands higher, which is the reason why we have now this dilemma of these power creep E Specs like Scourge, Mirage and Firebrand ruining the game, due to way too much DPS being everywhere in the game lately

From all of the mentioned changes in that list, a total of 70 , i have made within this total of 70 skill changes (more if you add general ones also too) only just 5 changes, in which I increased the damage, all other changes either changed general effects, recharge times, range, added boons/conditions or removed them, but I increased direct damage from skills only 5 times. All 4 Skills from Core Ele, 1 from Tempest. This should show, that I really tried my best here to make Core Ele and tempest more equal.

Personally I cant say much yet about Weaver.. haven#t played it yet to make it part of my thoughts for improval ^^ which is why I excluded it out of the list and focused myself first only on Core and Tempest.

___

Can you give me soem exampels, where you think my changes woudl make the Class more complex?? ^^ Thx

Yeah, its quitwe some text heeh ^^, but better quite some text in 1 big post, than quite soem text spread over multiple posts that can get distorted by answers in between from other people I do say always :D

@Tibitia

First off, I'd want to change the other Classes that can currently reach with specific Skilsl the top of tower and kep walls to become also not able anymore to do this. No Class should be able, except maybe classes that can get up to 1500 range with builds to shoot from below with DOT AoE skills as big as the WHOLE WALL and basicalyl completelxy make it with these skilsl impossible to defend from a wall, because the very moment you try, you get bursted to death from all this AoE/DoT spam.. and the Ele has the most powerful DoT aoEs of all Classes with Meteor Shower ..

Defenders of Towers and Keeps need to have on their Walls a HOME ADVANTAGE... Conquesting locations in WvW must become more difficult again, so that defendign places isn#t just only a matter of ,who brings the larger zerg.... also smaller groups shoudl be able to effectfulyl defend their places with the help of their home advantag on walls against larger groups, if they make good strategetical usage of their siege weapons and defensive options. but that is not possible, as long just only a bunch of eles and necros and engineers and mesmers can spam the defenders on the walls within 2 seconds with so much aoe crap full, that it becomes instantly impossible to dso anythign on them at all ,if you dont want to die instantly.. this ois way too long overdue to get fixed.. but who am I kidding, we speak of Wvw at the moment, the most ignored and abandonded game mode of all of them ...that has not seen any real support anymore since 2014, because since that year Anet was basically on their crusade for E-Sports, which we all knew from begin on, that it will be a crusage by Anet, that they can only lose - and they lost it , like we always have said it to them, the very moment the ESL ditched them out... - however, different topic ^^

The Elementalists's main Job in WvW should it be to support their side in destroying walls, gates, enemy siege.. that should be the strenths of an ele, not killing helpless defenders from the top of the walls that are way too small to give them any advantage over the attackers and the silly cannons, mortars ect. making the playrs which use them in that time not immune to damage, until the siege gets destroyed, what would make more sense, so that the player can fully concentrate himself onto defending, and not having too worry about beign Aoed to death within seconds, before the cannons didn't get destroyed first, thats why I changed Meteor Shower for WvW, and gave it there the special ability, that this skill is then able to damage also walls, because if now a catapult hits a walls, or a massive summoned METEOR!! surely, should make now absolutely no difference to the wall.. both should deal significant damage to the wall. surely not as miuch as like a superior catapult, but at least enough to consider a staff ele a viable support to speed up the destruction of a wall, especially when you are about to expect that your siege gets eventually destroyed or disabled, so that you can at least slowly continue damaging the walls with your eles, if you can protect them good enough to give them the tiem to do so..until people have runned for supply to build new siege if neccessary.

About your trident concerns in regard of my proposals..

I want to merge Trident and Staff.. yes, but that doesn#t mean that you will lose then your Trident Skins, or that you would lose your Trident Skilsl with Staff under water.

No, the SKills would stay exactly the same and you would naturally also keep all of your Trident Skins.

The only two differences that would exist then after my proposed changrs would be:

1) You could wield then on land Staffs with all of your collected Trident Skins.. ion fact its even already so that there exist alot of Skins which are the same between Staff and Trident!! (this goes for Rifle and Harpoon Gun as well, which is another sign for it, that these two weapon types belong to be merged as well and how obsolete Tridents and Harpoon Guns in this game are)

2) The UI would get changed, that you see not anymore under your underwaterweapons Trident in that Weapon Slot, but instead there woudl stand now Staff and basically.

So in the end you would have with your Ele a Staff, with that you use like now underwater the Trident Skills that you know, due to Staff becomign then basicalyl a Hybrid Weapon with 2 Skills Sets - for Land Combat 1 (for those classes that can wield them on land) and for Underwater Combat an own different 1

So your Kraitkin Skin would be after the Cancen ot be anymore officially a Trident Skin , but instead it woudl count after the Change further as a Staff Skin. So no reason to worry about losign anythign her,e you won't lose nothing..its just only a matter of puttign both thigns together and making 1 thing out of it.

The Skill Slot Swaps do I suggest only, because it looks mostly always this way, as if anet would align the skilsl on the Weapon Skil lbar from left to right after the duration of Recharge Times, with the skilsl with the longest Recharge Times lways beign on Slot 5. Due to my balance changes switchign out the Recharge Times of Ride the Lightning and and that other Skill with each other, i did though it would make sense then also by Anets schem of from left to right with the Recharge Numbers to turn their Skil lSlots as well, so that both skilsl fit again to that scheme that they are then again aligned from skil lwith lowest CD to the right with the highest CD.

However, in the end I think it should be made possible, on the options menu anyway that players shoudl be able to freely decide, which weapon skills they want to have on which slot, so that if you think, you can play better with these two skills staying on their original slot places, that you should have then the option to switch the slots positions for the skilsl out as you like. You know, maybe there do exist people, which woudl love to have maybe the auto attack on Slot 5instead of 1, basically reversing the complete order.. who knows.. but having more options is always go. The UI of GW2 has have been from begin on always way too static, unlike GW1 where you were able to decide alot more over the UI.

Lighning Flash is like Gale in my opinion a very borign fire and forget skill, one that maybe is good as a gap closer, or to flee.. but its a very selfish skill and with my changes I wanted to make sure, that too selfish skilsl get removed if possible and replaced with better ones that help increasign the Group Support, because in the end the Elementalist has always been a very supportive class and should stay at that also as one of its design focuses. There have imo too selfish designed skilsl no place and teleportation in any kind of way that looks too similar to a shadow step of a Thief also doesn't fit in my opinion to an Elementalist. As a compensation for the removal of Lightnign Flash it would fit to improve Ride the Lightning if neccessary, woudl fit better to the Elementalist instead of instant teleportations ...

uhm, the only things in this whole thread I have made baselike are only the Weapons from Daredevil and Deadye, because I think these absolutely should be baseline Thief Weapons... due to Rifle basically being already baseline when you look at the Harpoon Gun, if Anet would finally merge Rifles with obsolete Harpoon Guns which are basically already in essence rifles with a different looking skin only.

A few imo absolutely obsolete Steal Traits, which should get made baseline, so that their spots can be used for better in general more useful Traits that help the Thief gettign better Group Support. The Thief class as of now has been way too much focused in regard of Traits in these Traits, thefore that it is just only one skill skill mechanic you can use around every half a minute or lesser, if traited for it, by using the stuff, that i haven't baselined into Steal, which shows how much Traits are beign wasted here just only for the Steal Mechanic, when there is so much more the Thief could be useful for, than only Steal!! Boon Stealing, Trap Control, Disarmament of Foes, Stat Debuffs - just saying.. the Thief Class has been held over the last years way to one dimensionally, when it could be so much more. Even the Steal wer have now is without Disarmanent/Boon Steel beign part of it just a stupid Pseudo Steal, as we actually steal nothing at all from our enemies in cobmat.. we gain just effects, but we haven't taken away anything at all from our foes..its laiughable how ANet can call somethign stupid like this even "Steal" right now ...

Aside from the two Weapons from which basically 1 could be already baseline for Thieve - the Rifle - if ANet would have done a better job with the Underwater Content from begin on, I baselined only the Daredevil Healing and Utility Skills and 1 Deadeye Skill into the existing Healing and Utility Skill of the Core Thief, to help this way rebalancing out the Core Thief Skills getting nearer to the level of the removed E-Specs.

That the Thief Class makes alot of usage of the Ammo System just fits perfectly fine to the whole design of the Thief Class and its Initiative System, because essentially both system works the same way, just only that still to Ammo are Recharge Times attached to them at the end of it.

I thought it would be a perfect combination to put both systems together here in regard of Shadow Steps, which is why all skills which make you Shadow Step have been changed by me here into Ammo Skills.

No other Skills have I changed into Ammo Skills at all, except for Rifle Skills, because there it works perfictly fine as solution for the current bad Kneel Mechanic that is integrated as Rifle Skill 5

It will help balancing the whole Mobility Gameplay of the Thief alot, while solving at the same time the problem with ending up as initiative dry fish, if you try to catch a fleeing foe, that you have to burn all your Initiative up for this, just to be able to follow your quick foes, when in fact it should be Ammo first that you need to use for that, while you can keep your initiative back for the Combat then, if you have catched up the fleeing foe.

When your Ammo is on Recharge and the Skills flipped over to the Skills that require then Initiative, so that you aren't at the moment when your fleeing foe suddenly decides to fight back not already empty of initiative after a few Shadow Steps from Infiltrator's Arrow..

You clearly in my opinion overexxagerate here with your "Ammo/Cooldowns **everywhere**" statement.

This is mostly made in mind with PvE/WvW, if this helps ;)

To answer your two points:

* Gale: I think Shock Arrow as replacement for Gale will outweight with its effect that is useful as offensive group support the boring effect of Gale, which is just only a 900 ranged unblockable overpowered knockdown (4s!!) With my proposed Shock Arrow would you gain instead a ranged Boon Removal Skill (-2 Boons), which is like Gale also unblockable too, but grants you therefore instead of the overpowred knockdown instead also self 2 offensive Boons with Fury and Retaliation.

Except of Knowndown does Gale nothing at all, it doesn't even deal damage. Shock Arrow would deal Damage and that on 15 seconds faster Recharge Time than you can use Gale. Gale is just such a typical boring fire and forget skill for its too powerful knockdown effect in my opinion, this I why I think its best to remove this skill and replace it better with a more offensively group support orientated skill with smaller Recharge Time, that is useable due to this more oftenly.

This is important for an action orientated combat system, that skills have not way too long recharge times...

* Magnetic Aura: The Effect itself hasn't been removed... it has been given only to a new Aura type, which I think is missing with a "**Wind Aura**" that takes over reflecting back projectiles from the old Magntic Aura with some additional Bleedign Effect for staying too close to you, because to me it makes more sense with an Magnetic Aura to repel melee attacks and thus turn with it your enemies into projectiles.

Something very interesting and fun as gameplay aspect, if you ask me. ANet should make more usage of that, instead of letting this have only Berserkers.

It would be sad, if only 1 Spec of a Class in the whole game could make usage of this fun gameplay mechanic of turning foes into projectiles themself, when it would make so much more sense to do the same as an Elementalist too with an Magnetic Aura, that repels the incoming melee attacks and launches this way attacking foes away from you which weren't cautious enough to attack you not at the wrong moment. ;)

Edited for better understanding, removal of typos and spelling reasons ;)

Here I want to go now a bit more into details in regard of what I've written already in lonamis Thread about how I'd redesign the Thief, in regard of Skills and Gameplay Elements of the Thief after theoretically removing Daredevil and Deadeye first and replacing them with Rogue and Saboteur.

**General Changes**

* Steal has now following traits baseline: Mug, Hidden Thief, Kleptomaniac and Bewildering Ambush, these now integrated traits wil lget replaced with new Traits that give the Thief Class more build divresity and define better various roles of the Thief in combat. Additionally does stealing now boon steal 1 Boon from your foes always if they have one.

* Steal Skills have been increased, you have now the chance to steal 1 of 3 possible Skills from each Class, not anymore always the same Steal Skills, like always getting only this All Boon Skill from Mesmers, now you can receive eventually two other Steal Skills from a Mesmer. Same for all other Classes, thus making Steals from Thieves a bit lesser predictable for their enemies.

* Stealth has been changed from a Buff into a Boon, but therefore is the Reveal Mechanic now removed and Stealth Durations can now be possitively affected by everything Boon Duration related, like Buff Food, Concentration ect. If you want to reveal a Thief now, the Class needs to have a AoE Boon Removal Skill and needs to use it skillfully at the right moment, what is somethign that lesser Classes will have then, than how many Classes now have Reveal Skills

* Shadow Steps of the Thief are now an Ability of the Thief and not a Skill anymore, so if Skills make usage of this Ability, then the Shadow Step wil lcost the Thief no Initiative anymore. But As an Ability, do have Shadow Steps now for each Skill individual Cooldown Times that add together in a shared Cooldown Pool basically like the Ammo System.

So if you use like Infiltrators Arrow, which has now an Ammo of 3 for Shadow Steps, you can Shadow Step with it then 3 times, without that they cost Initiative, but after these 3 usages, Shadow Steps will have a Cooldown and you can't Shadow Step with the Skill then anymore, until that internal Shadow Step Cooldown is over and if, while the Skill will have under the Cooldown a different effect. So the Shadow Step Cooldown will split up Shadow Step Skills now into two differente Effects based on if you have Cooldown, or not. If you have Cooldown, the Skills turn into Shadow Spells, which will cost you as usual then Initiative. This will help in making Shadow Steps for Thieves again unique over those from other Classes and it will help in making Thieves mobile, without beign at the end a dry fish, due to running out of Initiative, only because you tried to catch a foe that wanted to flee...

* Staff, Rifle and Offhand Sword are now baselined Weapons of the Core Thief Class as part of the merging of the old Elite Specs into the Thief and merging of Rifles with Harpoon Guns, as Thieves practically had then this way already Rifles baseline and don't need for this extra the Deadeye Spec anymore.

* Dodge Styles from the removed Daredevil are now baseline for the Core Thief together with the increased Endurance Bar for 3 Dodge Rolls instead of 2. Dodge Styles are now integrated within F3 to F5, so we have now F1 = Stealing, F2 = Stolen Skill (Pocket), F3 = Dash Style, F4 = Bounce Style and lastly F5 = Lotus Style to swap between the Dodge Styles in Combat with Cooldown Times. This making this the fundamental gameplay in the future for all Thief Specs that the Class has F-Skills from F1 to 5, with F1 and 2 always beign the same, while F3-5 can change from Spec to Spec, while Dodge Styles will always be part of the Core Thief. Other Specs can have then different new Dodge Styles eventually that fit more to their gameplay design

* Malice has been removed as Gameplay Mechanic, but the Deadeye Rifle Skills are taken over for the baselined Rifle in a slightly rebalanced and redesigned way, that they work now with an automatic Kneeling Mechanic that is integrated in theSkill, and doesn't require for it anymore an extra own skill just to switch between kneelign or not kneling, which feells like a wasted skill slot that could be used rather for something more useful, like actually a WEAPON SKILL.

* A new Healing Trap Skill has been added: **Signet Trap** = Heals yourself and deactivates for some time all the Signet Effects for the foe which runs into it and nearby foes.

* A new Elite Trap Skill has been added: **Mirror of Shadows** = Deals Damage, and causes Bleeding and Confusion. Copycats the Elite Skill of the Enemy trapped inside and you gain Stealth. Your Stealth Attack causes additionally under the Effect of this Skill Fear for 2s.

* A new Elite Signet Skill has been added: **Signet of Thievery** = Passive: Gain Endurance when you steal or use Stolen Skills back. Active: Disarms your target foe and steals up to 3 Boons from your Target which get shared with your next nearby 10 Allies. The disarmed foe cannot use under this debuff for the duration of it any Skills that would deal Damage. On PvE Enemies, it are 3 randomized boons you will receive and share.

**Skill Changes**

**Shortbow**

* Surprise Shot: This Skill has been removed

* Night Raid: New Skill, which replaces Surprise Shot. Deals Damage and steals 2 Boons which are shared with up to 5 nearby Allies. Causes Weakness and Confusion.

* Clusterbomb: The Velocity of this Shot has been increased by 50%. The Range has been increased to 1050. The Angle has been raised by 15%, so that you don't shoot theis SKill anymore in WvW into the Wall Curbs due to a too low shooting angle that the arrow collides with the own tower wall >.< /facepalm. This Skill deals now Burning on Detonation, 1s per Hit that deals damage and 5 Stacks Vulnerability, if you don't detonate it

* Disabling Shot: This Skill has been renamed to **Evasive Shot**, the Evasion Frame is now 1 full second. Cripple has been replaced by a long lasting Weakness (5s). The Leap is now 300

* Choking Gas has now Ammo and can be shot 3 Times and costs with those 3 Shots no initiative, after that is Choking Gas on Cooldown and gets replaced with **Crippling Daggers**, letting you throw several Daggers, which Cripple per Hit foes for 3 seconds, which work also as guaranteed Combo Finishers for Combo Fields like Choking Gas to cause additional Stacks of Poison, which cost then 3 Initiative per thrown Dagger. Choking Gas Ammo Cooldown is is 5 Seconds per Ammo, so you have a 15 Second Time Frame for Daggers, until you can shoot Gas again.

* Infiltrators Arrow hasn ow Ammo and can be shot 3 Times with the same Cooldowns like Choking Gas. After your Ammo has been shot, changes Infiltrator's Arrow into **Bandit's Staccatto**, which is shooting a volley of 5 arrows in like a cone shape, that costs you then 5 Initiative per Shot, with each arrow having the chance to hit a target and steal a Boon.

**Daggers**

* Double Stike > Wild Strike > Lotus Stike: Damage of this Chain reduced by 33% on all 3 Attacks, therefore have all 3 Hits now baseline a 10% increased Chance on being Critical Hits and cause a Stack of Bleeding, if they deal Critical Hits. Endurance Gain in Wild Strike increased by 20%

* Backstab: This Attack is now Unblockable and 100% critical and can now instantly kill downed enemies

* Heartseeker: The Leap has been increased to 600. This Skill uses now the Ammo System and has an Ammo of 3 and Heartseekers cost no Initiative anymore, but instead their Ammo. If Heartseeker is on Cooldown, then the Skill is replaced with the new Skill **Flashing Blades**, which is a 4 Initiative costing 300 range unblockable Leap Attack, which causes Vulnerability and Blindness and a new Thief Skill unique Debuff called "Deep Wound", which significantly reduces an Enemies Healing Power temporarely by -67%, which stacks with Poison, so that you can temporarely stop Enemies from having Health Degeneration's being boosted by Healing Power, if you poisoned them and hit them with Flashing Blades.

* Twisting Fangs: Initiative Cost reduced to 3, and grants a Stack of Might

* Shadow Shot: This Skill uses now the Ammo System and has 3 Ammo. If all Ammo has been used, Shadow Shot gets replaced with the new **Mark of Instability** Shadow Spell, which is costing you then 5 Initiative for using it, which is a Trap that causes Weakness and foes to lose Stability and Protection if foes run into it and grants you therefore Stability and Protection for 3 seconds.

* Death Blossom: The Evasion Frame is now 1 full second. Bleeding has been exchanged with Torment that lasts not 10, but 6 seconds. The Number of Targets is now 5 and the Attack reflects now Projectiles.

* Dancing Dagger: Cripple has been replaced by Vulnerability

* Cloak and Dagger: This skill costs now 5 initiative and causes long lasting Weakness and Cripple, instead of Vulnerability. If this Skill hits critically, then you will regain now also 1 Initiative back

**Pistols**

* Vital Shot: Grants now for 2 seconds Regeneration if you cause Critical Hits with this Skill.

* Body Shot: Vulnerability is replaced now with the Debuff Deep Wound.

* Repeater: This Skill deals now more Damage, so lower the Health is of the Target and costs now only 4 Initiative and you regain 1 Initiative back, if all 5 Shots hit.

* Shadow Strike: This Skill uses now the ammo System and has ammo of 3. After the Skill is on Cooldown, the Skill is replaced with **Unsuspecting Strike** which costs you then Initiative, which is an Attack, which deals extra increased Damage and costs 1 Initiative lesser on foes, that have still over 90% Health. Unsuspecting Strike steals also a Boon, if it hit Targets with over 90% Health.

* Headshot: Daze has been removed and replaced with 5 Stacks of Vulnerability and 2 Stacks of Confusion.

* Blackpowder: Renamed to **Black Powder Shot**. The Initiative Cost has been reduced to 5 and its Radius has been increased to 180. Black Powder Shots daze and burn now also for 2 seconds, if being hit by them from direct near in frotn of you.

**Swords**

* Slice > Slash> Crippling Strike: This Skill has been removed

* **Golden Lotus Strike > Golden Fox Strike > Golden Phoenix Strike**: This New Attack Chain replaces the Slice > Slash > Crippling Strike AA.

The first Attack deals damage and causes Poison, followed by the second strike which has a short Evade Frame integrated of a half second, and finished by the last strike, which causes for a 2 seconds Burning and heals you for the 50% of the amount of condition damage per hit foe that burns now, as long it isn't removed by the foe(s).

* Tactical Strike: Blindness has been replaced by Deep Wound. The Skill has been renamed to **Malicious Strike**.

* Infiltrator's Strike/Return: This Skill has been changed to the Ammo System, havign 3 Ammo. If Infiltrator's Strike/Return has ben used 3 times, the Skill will get replaced then with **Disrupting Stab** which is an attack, that deals Damage, dazes, interrupting foes that were about to attack or use skills and causes Deep Wound and Bleedings, which costs then 4 Initiative.

* Stab: This Skill has been removed

* Expose Defenses: This Skill replaces now Stab, dealing damage and giving the foe a temooral debuff, which makes it for the foe impossible to block your attacks with Shield Skills or Stances/Signets that make you otherwise immune to Damage, this Skill will make Thieves ignore those defensive Effects.

* Flanking Strike/ Larcenous Strike: the Effects have ben merged together now under Flanking Strike as Flanking Strike deals now 2 Hits in 1 Animation. The first on evade and the second and the end of the evade which Steals a Boon and deals more Damage, if the foe had none. Initiative Cost is now 5

* Pistol Whip: This Skill has been renamed and redesigned into a Split Skill with first **Mantis Touch** followed by **Black Mantis Thrust**. Mantis Touch is a Daze Attack, like previously, but then follows with BMT a second Skill, that you can now decide by yourtself when you use it, while not being rooted anymore, when you want to perform a Thrust Attack, in whose Animation you evade incoming attacks and deal up to 4 Hits to all foes in line of sight of your Thrust Attack, turning the second part of the Attack now into a little Gap Closer.

* New Combo Skill #1 is **Dance of Blades**: Which is a whirling attack with both swords, similar to the Warriors Whirlwind Attack with such an arrow mechanic so that you can decide with it into which direction you want to dance forwards, dealiong damage to all targets in that line of sight. Costs 4 Initiative. (Sword/Sword)

* New Combo Skill #2 is **Desperate Strike**: Attack a foe and deals two attacks with extra damage on second strike with the Offhand Sword, so lower your Health is (Dagger/Sword)

* New Combo Skill #3 is **Unseen Fury**: Shoots a Target and Shadow Steps on impact of the Bullet to the back of a foe to strike it with the sword surpringly from behind, granting you Fury. Ammo of 3. If the Skill is on recharge, it is replaced with **Vampiric Assault**, an evasive backhand sword strike performed after blocking an incomign attack, which leeches some health from the dealt damage, which costs 4 Initiative (Pistol/Sword)

* New Combo Skill #4 is **Way of Perfection**: A Self Buff Condi Removal Skill that removes two Conditions from you and grants you Fury, Swiftness and Might (Empty/Sword) for 5 Initiative. Works as Stun Breaker.

* New Offhand Sword Skill #1 is **Precicision Strike**: Deals Damage. Causes Vulnerability. Can cause Deep Wound against foes with less than 50% Health that suffered from Vulnerability. Costs 4 Initiative

* New Offhand Sword Skill #2 is **Phantom Blades**: Collect your Shadow Energy in your Blades to shoot out two massive Phantom Blades towards your Target Enermy. These Blades cut through anything. They will hit you even if you try to hide yourself behind a big rock. These Blades are unblockable and have a range of 900. Costs 6 Initiative. This Skill will destroy any Traps also between you and your Target, if there were any Enemy Traps between you and your Target.

**Staff**

* Weakening Charge: The Range has been increased to 600

* Debilitatign Arc: The Evade Frame is now 1 full second and the Skill removes now also Cripple and Chill and is placed now on Skill Slot 4

* Dust Strike: Initiative Cost reduced to 3 and now on Slot 3

* Vault: The Evade Frame is now 1 full second and using it against a Target with over 90% Health will grant you now also Stability and Resistance for 2 seconds

**Rifle**

* Kneel is now an Ammo based Ability on all Rifle Skills that allows to to use upgraded forms of the primary Ammo based Rifle Skills when you Kneel.

If Kneel on your ammo Skill is on Recharge, then the Rifle KSill will get replaced with one that costs you Initiative and is weaker than the kneeling version.

* So basically saying, with this change on the mechanic, get all Rifle Skills turned around with each other.

* Only Exception is the Auto Attack, it will always be now Brutal Aim and won't have anymore a Kneel Version

Example:

Spotter's Shot is now the Ammo Version of the Skill, which lets your Charactr automatically kneel before performing the Attack as part of the animation. if you used up the ammo and Spotters Shot is on recharge, the Skil lis replaced now with Skirmishers Shot, the weaker version, which costs now Initiative and isn't used while kneeling. Therefore that oyu are with the weaker version more mobile and you can spam the weaker version more oftenly . The more powerful versions will get automatically through the Ammo System also rebalanced better, so that using the Rifle won't feel anymore like power creep, due to the more powerful rifle skill versions being each now limited to 3 usages.

This will make the whole Hit 6 Run Gameplay Design of this Weapon then also better balanced, because you surely don't want anyways to shoot more oftenly than 3 times inm kneel, before it is better for you to change your positioning with this gameplay from the Rifle ... while waiting on your Utilities to recharge for Stealth ect. so that you have again a time frame in which you can safely use the ammo Versions, before you get spotted by the enemy...

___

**Healing & Utility Skills**

* Mostly all Deadeye related Healing and Utility Skills have been removed

* Channeled Vigor: The Effectof this Skill gets partially merged with Signet of Malice now, where on activation of the Signet, you regain now Endurance and the Heal is now stronger, based on how much Endurance you regained with Signet of Mallice's Activation. But the Endurance Regain is weaker than earlier with CV

* Blinding Powder: This Skill has now a Recharge Time of 30 seconds and its Stealth lasts now for for 5 seconds. This Skill works now underwater as **Flashlight Mine**, which blinds foes and causes such a bright light for a short moment, that you can disappear underwater into Stealth.

* Shadow Refuge: This Skill has now a Recharge Time of 50 seconds and you won't lose anymore your Stealth if you leave it, before the skill expired. The Animation will create also now not anymore a red circle which tells enemies practicalyl where you are. The Skill has been merged with Smoke Screen, so that projectiles will be blocked, as long the SKill Animation hasn't expired. This Skill works now also underwater as **Shadow Sphere**, which will be essentially the same, just that a sphere like aoe effect area is created now, like a huge bubble that makes you disappear

* Shadowstep/Shadow Return: This Skill has been removed

* Shadow Clones: This Skill replaces now Shadowstep and lets you create 2 Doppelgangers of you which attack with lesser health, but the same skills like you your nearby foes for the next 30 seconds. if the Doppelgangers get defeated, then they will steal on their death up to 2 Boons which you will receive and share with your allies. Shadow Clones will feel also, if Traps are around you and will act as Decoys for you to savely remove them., without that you can get affected by them, thus are basically Trap Shields for you.

* Bandit's Defense: This Skill has been changed now into a Deception to replace the free slot, that is there now due to Smoke Screen beign merged with Shadow Refuge/Sphere

* Assassin's Signet: This Skill has been renamed into **Signet of Assassination** and merged partially with Distracting Daggers, as Distractive Daggers becomes now part of the Active Effect from Signet of Assasination. Therefore does get the Damage Boost lowered to +400 Power, but the Duration increased to 8 seconds. Passive Power is now 200. On Activation you receive Ammo of 3 Distracting Daggers to throw, before the Skill begins to recharge.

* Infiltrator's Signet: This Skill has been renamed to **Signet of Infiltration** and merged partially with Impairing Daggers, therefore has the Shadowstep Effect been removed

* Ambush: This Skill has been removed

* Binding Shadow: This Skill replaces now Ambush as a Trap Skill and gets renamed into **Shadowbind Mine**, which deals damage, immobilizes foes and knocks them down, if the foe had less than 50% health. Underwater becoems this skill then Shadowbind Mine and sinks foes instead of Knockdown and deals more damage, than the trap version, therefore that mines are visible traps.

* Shadow Trap: This Skill has been removed

* Dust Trap: This new Trap replaces Shadow Trap, it deals damage, blinds foes and grants you and nearby Allies Barrier. Underwater this Skill turns into **Mud Mine**, dealing there the same effect, but deals due to its visibility more damage.

* Tripwire: This Skill has been removed

* Flame Trap: This Skill replaces now Tripwire with a Trap, that deals damage and causes Burning and Deep Wound. Underwater this Skil is called then with same effect "Explosive Mine"

* Caltrops: This Skill works now also Underwater and is called there then **Venom Mine** with the difference, that is causes Poison instead of Bleedings and deals more damage, than the on land trap version.

* Haste: Recharge Time has been reduced to 20s. Fury and Swiftness have been removed. Cures now Slow and Confusion

* Roll For Initiative: This Skill has been renamed to Evasive Roll and its recharge Time has been reduced to 30s

* Scorpion Wire: Causes now Poison and Deep Wound, if the Skill dealt Critical Damage. Recharge Time has been increased to 25s. Range decreased to 900

* Devourer Venom: This Skill has been removed

* Firefish Venom: This Skil lreplaces now Devourer Venom and adds to your Attacks 3s Burning per Charge when used as the wounds you deal with this will burn like hell cause of pain. Dazes periodically foes, if the burning by this venom doesn't get removed within 3 seconds.

**Elite Skills**

* Daggerstorm: This Skill will work now also underwater as **Dagger Stream** with the same animation as like an Eles Maelstrom whre you spin around your own axis horizontally, instead of vertically like on land.

* Basilisk Venom: This Skill has been removed

* Deadly Venom: This Skill works now essentially as like Impact Strike and Fist Flurry merged as an improved Basilisk Venom: If you hit a non downed Target, then you will stun the foe, and ifthe target doesnt use a Stun Breaker, he wil lreceive Damage from an Pulmonary Impact seconds later that is the Deadly Venoms direct Side Effect. If you attack Downed Targets with Deadly Venom on, then will your Attacks instantly defeat them...

* Thieves Guild: This Skill has been removed.

* Shadow Doppelgangers: This Skill replaces now Thieves Guild as a stronger more portent version of Shadow Clones whre the Doppelgangers of you have stronger stats and more Health to live longer, while they copy your Skill Builds based on the two Weapon Sets you have equipped, while the third Doppelganger has its own unique build. Recharge Time is now 150.

___

This would be basically my current dream version of the Core Thief into which the old Specs get kind of merged into in regard of looking only at the Skills and Gasmeplay Mechanics so far and without listign up Trait Changes and my wishful other two E-Specs Rogue and Saboteur, how these two would complement the thing lastly ^^

Hmm, none of the Ele Mains wanting to say something here about the ideas, if some are good or bad? *sadface* :(

yeah, gueass your right, but i thought so too from begin on... one would need to be insane to waste like 2400 gold just for a guaranteed permanent instance node, if you can just buy them from TP from an other player for like less then 25% of that costs, without all the hassle of opening chests and using statuettes ect.

So you made basically 6k gold of worth in form of skins unlocked. What did the 250 keys cost in Gold - sorry, dont now the trade taxes to calculate that now for my self ^^

10 Keys = 1000 gems or so due from that discount thing in the shop, so roughly for the example 25000 Gems that are worth exactly how much gold if you would trade that in for Gold right now???

Basically wanna just see, if the amount of your spent gold kind of equals with the amount of gold worth of skins you got from the chests, or if you pretty much payed with alot more gold, than you received back in worth, which could have been made a better trade, if you would have farmed for more than just only 50 keys, which in return woudl have costed you therefore alot more grind time ^^

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> I loved Tybalt, as a companion, but to use an anime trope like that is beyond.. how do you say that nicely? Illadviced.

>

> Asura as a species have little relation to the hinduistic entity “asura”.

>

Correct they share just with it the same name term, thats all.. buzt eventually the OP thought, that the Asura race in this game is called like one of the hinduistic realms of rebirth might not be perhaps a coincedence, and that the anime and the game are somehow related to each other lol (JK).. or like I think ,this is just a cheap troll poll (no pun intended) for collecting some kind of Forum Badge for postign polls, regardless if they make sense, or not ..just my feeling ;)

was this all farmed keys, or only bought keys, or a mixture of farming and buying keys?

Would you say, all this was worth it at the end now??