Guardian Skills Requiring Improvements

[otto.5684]

Beside FB possible tome changes next patch, there are several guardian skills that require work.

 

**Spirit weapons:**

 

I know again.. functionality and CD wise they are okay. The problem is in the ammo recharge rate. Take SoJ, 25 sec recharge rate. This pushes out of viability in all game modes. Once you use it a couple of times, it is out for a while. A base ammo recharge rate of 15 sec makes more sense. Same treatment for other spirit weapons as well.

 

**Shouts:**

 

With the exception of stand your ground, they are all outdated in design and functionality. Hold the line serves no purpose. Reg and protection are common buffs that would not warrant a utility slot in any game mode. Retreat never served a purpose except providing swiftness in open world PvE. With the introduction of mounts, it disappeared. Though not every one has PoF, the skill is still very underwhelming. Save your selves try to do too much and yet accomplishes too little. What is its purpose? AOE anti-condi tool? CC break? Mobility? It does not excel at any of the above and its CD makes it not worth a utility slot in any game mode. Feel my wrath is decent, but it has a pretty long CD. Is it possible to implement the 8 sec quickness from sPvP to PvE, where this skill is actually used?

 

**Concentrations:**

 

Hallowed ground is a decent skill, though it is not used currently, probably due to the long CD. Another possibility is to make it deal damage, kind like purging flames. Sanctuary is a solid skill with great effect, held down by a ridiculously long CD. It is not used in any build currently. I think reducing the pulses from 6 to 4, duration from 6 to 3 sec and CD from 75 to 45 sec can give this skill much potential.

 

**Core virtues:**

 

Functionally they are okay. CD wise they are not. I think a base CD of 16 sec on VoJ, 25 sec on VoR and 35 sec for VoC is more line of the functionality. And VoJ damage in PvE should be updated to the sPvP version.

 

**Judges intervention:**

 

Okay, this is more of wish rather than being needed. With the recent nerf, any burst this skill had was killed. Can this skill now be used as a teleport without requiring a target? It can be used as a mobility tool, something core guardian in particular disparately needs. It has 36 CD traited, so it is not exactly earth shattering.

 

**Signet of courage:**

 

No one uses this skill in any game mode, even support builds. The active part of the skill, does not work and honestly, does not make much sense. If I need to do a burst heal on ally, 2.5 sec root cast is not the way to go. And if pre-used outside of focus fire on a ally it is a waste. The passive part of the skill is extremely weak. For personal sustainability, renewed focus is light years ahead.

 

**DH LB:**

 

Outdated big time. It lacks mobility and sustainability, and it is not great on damage either. Its biggest trick, Hunters Ward, is extremely telegraphed, with back loaded damage, and a clear indicator to anyone with little experience telling them dodge now. It is not good against ranged enemies. Not good against bruisers and not good against mobile targets.The only use for it is to fight scourge infestation at range, though that is an sPvP balance issue, more than LB being a good option. Something needs to change.

 

 

One trait, **Stoic Demeanor**, no one would use this in any game mode. It is ridiculous that it is a major grand master trait.

 

[RabbitUp.8294]

> @"otto.5684" said:

> **Spirit weapons:**

> I know again.. functionality and CD wise they are okay.

 

They are not ok. The whole rework was a complete disaster; if we are to be stuck with useless skills, at least the old spirit weapons had flavour.

 

All of them are worse versions of skills we already have: hammer is worse Bane Signet, sword is a worse Procession of Blades and shield is a worse Wall of Reflection. Bow is the one exception, but that too takes ages to animate, and it's a healing skill when healer guardian is a joke.

 

The cast time was reduced to 1/2 sec, but the weapons themselves have their own cast time. You spend 1/2 sec to cast the sword, then it appears next to you and it takes another 1/2 sec to teleport to the target and start spinning. Even a pve enemy would have moved away at that time.

 

The hammer is a blast finisher, yet it's enemy targeted. What's the point then? If it was ground targeted, then at least it would have a use, since the class has a huge lack of blast finishers.

 

As for the shield, at least before, it had a niche use as a huge duration projectile denial. In uncategorised fractal, for example, you could summon it on the last boss to negate all its attacks while you were dealing with the golems and with a good group, the fight would be over before the shield expired.

 

Now, it's pointless. Nobody is going to use both shield and WoR unless they specifically design an encounter that needs permanent projectile mitigation.

 

 

[otto.5684]

I agree regarding spirit weapons. Though SoJ with the right CD should outdps ToF. It could be meta for power builds. The shield and hammer need more. Ammunition CD reduction could be a start. I think reducing cast time to 0.25 secs would be good, since it takes them additional time to go into action.

[CptAurellian.9537]

SoJ would do better if it had no cast time. Unless it outdamages ToF by quite a large margin, the cast time and its consequences for your rotation will probably always make it inferior.

[Falseprophet.1502]

Core Virtues should be given ammunition. Leave the current effects scaling as is, just add an extra charge. Charges recharge at the rate of their current cool down.

Spirit Weapons need to be instant. Get rid of the cast time. Entirely too predictable in any PvP/WvW situation and entirely too slow in any PvE situation.

[Aeolus.3615]

Shouts are way to weak IMO, the condi clease on trited and shout runes is nice but it is more like a sacrifice than anything else.

They need an improvement.

reduce CD a bit, remove the CD effect from trait and and mantain the condi cleanse??

Meanwhile shouts should be more like paragon'ish ones...direct effects while under circunstances, that cant be stacked.

Shouts need to give armor to allies like paragon did :P and heals on movement or atacking

Small heals while atacking could be added to the elite Feel_My_Wrath.

Stand your ground could add more 150-200 armor to alies, or based on toughness and vit.

Retreat could give small heals while alies are moving

Hold the line could, remove protection and give a 10-15% damage reducing, regen would trigger only after HtL shout effect end on ally or caster.

 

Manybe this way Anet could improve mantras radios?

 

 

Spirit weapons, SoA is not working, dont cast's when in combat and sometimes the skill has the old skill effect.. wonder if Anet knows how to fix bugs lol???

Bow of Truth could have its targets cap increased and heals a bit more, or have better duration on the heal barrage.

Hammer and sword look nice but sword is just a trap being casted at range, and hammer is to slow can be kited by just step asside.

 

 

Signets... they are way to weak IMO for a suatainable build, most are useless.

As much i dont like it they need stronger passives, or other type os passives, and active effects.

 

 

Otto Dh longbow is outdated cause Anet wanted Dh to be a trap spammer and hope afor apower creep momentum,DH traps were a mistake ;)

 

Deflecting Shot cast needs to be fixed, funny cause FFonline had to be remade and one of the reasons was skill were performing like Deflecting Shot is.

while player is walking foward, player can shoot targets behind w/o turn the camera or toon, **this is poor programming care.**