Upcoming Balance Changes, 4/23/19

[Justine.6351]

**Revenant**

In the case of revenant elite specializations, we felt that the herald and renegade didn't necessarily need trade-offs. Instead, we felt that the core revenant was missing something. To address this, we've added a new F2 skill that is only available when players aren't running an elite specialization that grants a boost to energy and a legend-specific effect. Heralds and renegades won't have access to this skill as they have their own unique specialization F2 skills.

 

This update also sees a large overhaul of revenant healing builds through changes to the staff weapon and the Salvation trait line. Revenant healing is heavily focused in Legendary Centaur stance and suffers greatly when the need to swap legends presents itself. We're leaning into the unique healing-orb mechanic of the staff's weapon-slot 1 sequence and spreading it around to other skills and traits. This should allow revenants to have better healing to fill the gaps when they're not channeling Ventari. Salvation traits have been reworked to focus around more cohesive themes in order to better allow revenant players to tailor their experience to the style of healer they want to play.

 

**Ventari's Tablet**: The tablet will now display a red, glowing visual effect to enemies.

**Energy Expulsion**: Updated the description of this skill to refer to the created objects as "healing fragments" rather than the misleading term "energy fragments."

**True Nature**: Fixed an issue that prevented this set of skills from being considered Legendary Dragon consume skills for the purposes of traits.

**Drop the Hammer**: This skill now displays a red ring visual effect to enemies. Fixed a bug in which this skill would rarely display its effects a second time.

**Ancient Echo**: This new baseline revenant skill grants the revenant 25 energy and a benefit based on the current legend. When not using herald or renegade elite specializations, this skill will be available in the second slot of the profession mechanic bar.

 

**Legendary Assassin Stance**: Gain 2 stacks of the Unblockable effect for 5 seconds.

**Legendary Centaur Stance**: Gain 3 seconds of the Alacrity effect.

**Legendary Dwarf Stance**: Gain 3 seconds of the Rite of the Great Dwarf effect.

**Legendary Demon Stance**: Gain 3 seconds of the Resistance effect.

**Healing Orbs**: These objects were previously dropped only by the staff's weapon skill 1 attack, but they have been reworked and are now created by other skills and traits.

 

Increased the size of the healing orbs' visual effects for better visibility.

Healing orbs now heal up to 5 allies in a 120 radius when picked up.

Healing orbs now activate even if the character that triggered them is at full health.

Healing orbs now activate if they appear on a character.

Increased the healing of the orbs.

 

**Punishing Sweep**: This skill is no longer a sequence skill and has been renamed Mender's Rebuke. This skill's functionality has changed.

**Mender's Rebuke**: This skill strikes foes in melee range, and then heals allies in the area after a short delay. The healing is increased by 50% if a foe was struck during the attack.

**Warding Rift**: Clarified the description to specify that this skill blocks incoming attacks. Instead of shooting projectiles, this skill now blinds foes in front of the revenant when it ends. Increased the number of targets from 3 to 5. Increased damage by 100%.

**Renewing Wave**: When this skill removes a condition, it now creates a healing orb near the target.

 

**Ventari's Will**: Reduced base healing by approximately 25%. Reduced healing-power scaling by 18%.

 

Salvation traits have been reworked and repositioned within the specialization. The new structure is as follows:

**Minor traits**:

_Healer's Gift_: This new trait causes a healing orb to be created near your location when you finish a dodge roll.

_Life Attunement_: This new trait grants 120 healing power and converts 7% of healing power to concentration.

_Serene Rejuvenation_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

**Adept traits**:

_Vital Blessing_: This new trait allows healing orbs to grant 2 seconds of vigor to affected allies.

_Blinding Truths_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

_Tranquil Balance_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

**Master traits**:

_Words of Censure_: This new trait creates a healing orb near foes when blinding, immobilizing, or affecting them with a control effect. This trait has a 0.25-second cooldown but can create multiple orbs if a single skill hits multiple foes with a single strike.

_Resilient Spirit_: This new trait causes the revenant to gain barrier every 3 seconds while in combat, based on the number of boons they have (to a maximum of 5 boons).

_Invoking Harmony_: Icon updated. This trait's functionality is unchanged.

**Grandmaster traits**:

_Generous Abundance_: With this new trait, Legendary Centaur skills create 3 healing orbs by the tablet. All other legend skills create 1 healing orb by the revenant.

_Unyielding Devotion_: With this new trait, revenants gain 15% damage reduction for 2 seconds when they heal themselves and 5 seconds when they heal an ally.

_Selfless Amplification_: Moved to bottom row. Icon updated. This trait's functionality is unchanged.

[Justine.6351]

Double nerf to staff with punishing sweep losing its hard hitting cc and warding rift losing its stealth tracking blinding projectiles. Rip "sneaky" drop the hammers. Seriously, people need to learn to dodge things besides red circles. And lol at healing orbs mechanic, of all things to do to renewing wave, put orbs on it lol...

[LucianDK.8615]

As long surge of the mists is untouched, staff is still a superb weapon.

Ancient Echo have me intrigued, finally Core Revenant begins to get distinguished from the Especs, which is way overdue. And only shows how far behind in iteration the newest class is compared to the original 8. Though i cant imagine Ancient Echo will be useful for more than leveling.

[Justine.6351]

> @"LucianDK.8615" said:

> As long surge of the mists is untouched, staff is still a superb weapon.

> Ancient Echo have me intrigued, finally Core Revenant begins to get distinguished from the Especs, which is way overdue. And only shows how far behind in iteration the newest class is compared to the original 8. Though i cant imagine Ancient Echo will be useful for more than leveling.

 

Think ancient echo will be played maybe by core ventari healers? Idk but if someone forced me to play a healing revenant I would probably use renegade with kalla on swap for Breakrazor's Bastion?

[LucianDK.8615]

Considering how strong a group healing on damage effect that Soulcleave is, it would be hard to pass up imho.

[Set.7461]

A few take-aways. I'm glad they are giving core rev an F2. No word that it has a passive so I'm assuming it's a 1-and-done skill. Staff didn't need a revamp. It's like the Devs are completely disconnected to its userbase. We've been asking for Shield/shortbow changes for a while but staff gets changes that affect key things like res interrupts by removing Debilitating Slam. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Platforming elements have no place in this game. If I wanted to collect orbs or other random crap, I'll play Super Mario Sunshine or whatever. Initial impressions, adding orb management to Salvation is lazy and only exacerbates the resource management of the class.

[LucianDK.8615]

> @"Set.7461" said:

> A few take-aways. I'm glad they are giving core rev an F2. No word that it has a passive so I'm assuming it's a 1-and-done skill. Staff didn't need a revamp. It's like the Devs are completely disconnected to its userbase. We've been asking for Shield/shortbow changes for a while but staff gets changes that affect key things like res interrupts by removing Debilitating Slam. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Platforming elements have no place in this game. If I wanted to collect orbs or other random kitten, I'll play Super Mario Sunshine or whatever. Initial impressions, adding orb management to Salvation is lazy and only exacerbates the resource management of the class.

 

Makes me think that the Salvation designer is a fan of monks in WoW, they have a healing orbs mechanic.

[WraithOfStealth.1624]

The staff changes are w/e. Change to Warding Rift seems like a step backwards.

 

The healing orbs... egh. I like them on the Ventari elite skill (Can't tell if those are now "orbs" as well or their own separate thing), but i don't want the (new?) staff orbs to become a main attraction for Salvation. Will look at numbers when they release. That ally heal within 120 radius looks completely useless for now.

 

The new core rev F2 seems interesting, the Ventari one seems pretty useless compared to the other three. Personal 3s of Alacrity to speed up your weapon CD's? A heal/cleanse might've been better at attracting people to use Ventari outside of full on healer.

 

Salvation traits in general look pretty meh. The ones of interest are;

* Resilient Spirit: This new trait causes the revenant to gain barrier every 3 seconds while in combat, based on the number of boons they have (to a maximum of 5 boons).

* Generous Abundance: With this new trait, Legendary Centaur skills create 3 healing orbs by the tablet. All other legend skills create 1 healing orb by the revenant.

* Unyielding Devotion: With this new trait, revenants gain 15% damage reduction for 2 seconds when they heal themselves and 5 seconds when they heal an ally.

 

Will have to see some stats on those three before i can make a good judgement. [RS] barrier size, [GA] orb heal size, general sustain increase etc. [uD] Does it work with any source of healing or not. (Abuse regen food etc.) And how does it stack with other -%dmg taken modifiers, food/RET trait for enemies within X range.

 

Don't think much will change, healers will still take Salvation. For roaming with Ventari i'd still take RET over SAL unless any of those three mentioned traits turn out to be beyond broken.

[Kain Francois.4328]

Ancient Echo Assassin is gonna be hilarious in WvW

 

[i already have this on my playlist](

)

[LucianDK.8615]

Think of what you give up tho for having that minor button. No perma swiftness, no superstacking of might and perma fury and infuse light. I wouldnt get too attached to it.

[Ertrak.9506]

The Orb mechanic looks like a PvE directed change to me.

 

The Biggest thing Fb-Ren comps lacked in PvE was a source of vigour. Now, considering PvE is mainly stacking together, With the healing orb affecting all players around the person who picks them up, vigour should be permanent in this comp.

 

It also looks like they made Salvation finally useful when not running Centaur as a defensive-focus traitline. Blinding enemies (was already there but eh), barrier gain while u have boons (remember what Herald does..?), and damage reduction. Without seeing the cooldowns and number specifics, I dont know if it'll compete with retribution or really, invocation, but we'll see.

[Xaylin.1860]

Me...

 

>

> This update also sees a large overhaul of revenant healing builds through changes to the staff weapon and the Salvation trait line. Revenant healing is heavily focused in Legendary Centaur stance and suffers greatly when the need to swap legends presents itself.

 

WHEEEE!

 

>We're leaning into the unique healing-orb mechanic of the staff's weapon-slot 1 sequence and spreading it around to other skills and traits.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

 

> **Ancient Echo**: This new baseline revenant skill grants the revenant 25 energy and a benefit based on the current legend. When not using herald or renegade elite specializations, this skill will be available in the second slot of the profession mechanic bar.

 

Interesting but I don't really care.

 

 

> **Healing Orbs**: These objects were previously dropped only by the staff's weapon skill 1 attack, but they have been reworked and are now created by other skills and traits.

>

> Increased the size of the healing orbs' visual effects for better visibility.

> Healing orbs now heal up to 5 allies in a 120 radius when picked up.

> Healing orbs now activate even if the character that triggered them is at full health.

> Healing orbs now activate if they appear on a character.

> Increased the healing of the orbs.

 

Thank god they are area effects now. Still hate 'pick up' stuff in GW2.

 

 

 

> Salvation traits have been reworked and repositioned within the specialization. The new structure is as follows:

> **Minor traits**:

> _Healer's Gift_: This new trait causes a healing orb to be created near your location when you finish a dodge roll.

> _Life Attunement_: This new trait grants 120 healing power and converts 7% of healing power to concentration.

> _Serene Rejuvenation_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

 

I really don't care for Healers Gift. But Life Attunement is great. Hardened Foundation is aweful.

 

> **Adept traits**:

> _Vital Blessing_: This new trait allows healing orbs to grant 2 seconds of vigor to affected allies.

> _Blinding Truths_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

> _Tranquil Balance_: This trait's functionality is unchanged.

 

Love the Vigor and have been advocating for some Vigor on Ventari for quite a while. <3

Just wished it wasn't on those pesky orbs...

 

> **Master traits**:

> _Words of Censure_: This new trait creates a healing orb near foes when blinding, immobilizing, or affecting them with a control effect. This trait has a 0.25-second cooldown but can create multiple orbs if a single skill hits multiple foes with a single strike.

> _Resilient Spirit_: This new trait causes the revenant to gain barrier every 3 seconds while in combat, based on the number of boons they have (to a maximum of 5 boons).

> _Invoking Harmony_: Icon updated. This trait's functionality is unchanged.

 

Invoking Harmony is still useless for 50% of your switches. Pitty. The two new traits look interesting, though.

 

> **Grandmaster traits**:

> _Generous Abundance_: With this new trait, Legendary Centaur skills create 3 healing orbs by the tablet. All other legend skills create 1 healing orb by the revenant.

> _Unyielding Devotion_: With this new trait, revenants gain 15% damage reduction for 2 seconds when they heal themselves and 5 seconds when they heal an ally.

> _Selfless Amplification_: Moved to bottom row. Icon updated. This trait's functionality is unchanged.

 

Still two heal-focussed traits which I don't like. However, I find both new traits to look interesting.

[Master Ketsu.4569]

Change to punishing sweep is just annoying and bad. Feels the same as when they removed block from sword 4.

[HyperLooser.2698]

herald already is quite a tank in pve/solo, but adding the new salvation into it might just make you able to facetank much more stuff in openworld pve/dungeons/fractals.

[LucianDK.8615]

people have to be using other stats than berserker with all those tank claims

[narcx.3570]

> @"Justine.6351" said:

> Double nerf to staff with punishing sweep losing its hard hitting cc and warding rift losing its stealth tracking blinding projectiles. Rip "sneaky" drop the hammers. Seriously, people need to learn to dodge things besides red circles. And lol at healing orbs mechanic, of all things to do to renewing wave, put orbs on it lol...

 

Losing stealth tracking sucks, sure, but 5 target blind means that at least you can actually reliably use it against mirages now. Also, the blind won't get countered by projectile destruction or track down walls/doors/medkits now (although that's not something that happens a lot, so meh.) I think I'd personally get more consistent use out of a reliable blind than I do out of the stealth tracking aspect of it, which is already pretty insanely situational and hard to capitalize on--as oppose to say, just Gaze locking their stealth and blowing them up with swords.

 

I think core rev might be seriously hilarious for zerg/hammer players though. Unblockable Hammer combos crashing through all the aegis spam has got to be at least a little appealing I'd think.

[Clownmug.8357]

Ugh, support buffs. :/ At least the Ancient Echo thing sounds interesting.

[Za Shaloc.3908]

These changes are interesting and I am very grateful to see Salvation get some much-needed attention. However, I can't help but feel disappointed that the devs are wanting to push the whole orb mechanic. It feels so antiquated and unrefined, and having healing pushed towards managing this has little appeal to me unless they make the orbs travel to nearby injured allies. Regardless, some of the new traits seem interesting. I was testing the waters with a bunker build after the Retribution changes, and this actually gives it more potential.

 

Wonderful to see they are implementing an F2 for Core Rev. They all seem great..._except for Ventari_. **Please devs, consider changing this to something more useful unless you intend on giving Alacrity some sort of special interaction with energy generation. Otherwise, it has significantly lower value than the other core legends' F2s. There are plenty of other options that could be so much more useful.**

Regardless, an F2 skill will make my Bouncy Bubonic Flea core condi roaming build even bouncier. Maximum Riposting Shadows! Between The F2 and Charged Mists, I will be swimming in energy. I may consider swapping Retribution for Salvation depending on how it feels. I wonder if Tormenting Runes will proc Unyielding Devotion? And Steadfast Rejuvenation? Would be pretty sweet.

 

A couple things come to mind:

-Where is Revenant's rez trait?!

-Removing Nourishing Roots without reimplementing group regeneration access to Ventari (aside from Spirit Boon) is a shame. This had a nice interaction with Shared Empowerment, Monk Runes, and Elevated Compassion. Ventari should allow for strong regeneration access, but after the changes, Spirit Boon will be its only means of granting it. Regeneration is particularly potent due to Salvation's healing modifiers and to take away reliable and reapplicable access to it is unfortunate.

 

On a side note, it would be nice to see Revs be able to take advantage of dark auras. Maybe they could make Unyielding Anguish a leap finisher as well as a dark field? That way, spamming it could reward in the aura. Currently is it just reapers who have self-access to this? Well, besides thieves leaping inside Shadow Refuge, lol.

 

**_Regardless, thank you devs for giving Salvation some much needed attention!_**

[meri.9187]

Not so sure about the staff changes, it seems like it will reduce our offensive output significantly especially with staff 2 no longer being able to daze rezzes. As for staff 3, I'll miss the projectiles as the blind helped when kiting. Might have to do an about face juke now to make sure you land it.

 

So it seems that staff's buff in exchange is to produce more healing orbs, and for staff 2 to heal. This depends heavily on the numbers, but if they are halfway decent, we would see a tradeoff of rev staff pressure for increased sustain, which is what most people seem to want- less damage, a little more self-sustain. We'll have to see the numbers.

[otto.5684]

I am curious about Ancient Echo CD. If it is a low CD, core power rev using Shiro/Dwarf could be big. Will see.

[Justine.6351]

> @"narcx.3570" said:

> > @"Justine.6351" said:

> > Double nerf to staff with punishing sweep losing its hard hitting cc and warding rift losing its stealth tracking blinding projectiles. Rip "sneaky" drop the hammers. Seriously, people need to learn to dodge things besides red circles. And lol at healing orbs mechanic, of all things to do to renewing wave, put orbs on it lol...

>

> Losing stealth tracking sucks, sure, but 5 target blind means that at least you can actually reliably use it against mirages now. Also, the blind won't get countered by projectile destruction or track down walls/doors/medkits now (although that's not something that happens a lot, so meh.) I think I'd personally get more consistent use out of a reliable blind than I do out of the stealth tracking aspect of it, which is already pretty insanely situational and hard to capitalize on--as oppose to say, just Gaze locking their stealth and blowing them up with swords.

>

> I think core rev might be seriously hilarious for zerg/hammer players though. Unblockable Hammer combos crashing through all the aegis spam has got to be at least a little appealing I'd think.

 

Think you missed the part about the facing requirement on staff 3.

And I think the unblockable buff will only last for 2 strikes instead of 2 attacks. So 2 people might get hit with a drop the hammer that now has both a huge animation and a red ring.

[LucianDK.8615]

if its only 2 strikes, then its worthless

[narcx.3570]

> @"Justine.6351" said:

> > @"narcx.3570" said:

> > > @"Justine.6351" said:

> > > Double nerf to staff with punishing sweep losing its hard hitting cc and warding rift losing its stealth tracking blinding projectiles. Rip "sneaky" drop the hammers. Seriously, people need to learn to dodge things besides red circles. And lol at healing orbs mechanic, of all things to do to renewing wave, put orbs on it lol...

> >

> > Losing stealth tracking sucks, sure, but 5 target blind means that at least you can actually reliably use it against mirages now. Also, the blind won't get countered by projectile destruction or track down walls/doors/medkits now (although that's not something that happens a lot, so meh.) I think I'd personally get more consistent use out of a reliable blind than I do out of the stealth tracking aspect of it, which is already pretty insanely situational and hard to capitalize on--as oppose to say, just Gaze locking their stealth and blowing them up with swords.

> >

> > I think core rev might be seriously hilarious for zerg/hammer players though. Unblockable Hammer combos crashing through all the aegis spam has got to be at least a little appealing I'd think.

>

> Think you missed the part about the facing requirement on staff 3.

> And I think the unblockable buff will only last for 2 strikes instead of 2 attacks. So 2 people might get hit with a drop the hammer that now has both a huge animation and a red ring.

 

Facing > 3 uncontrollable projectiles.

[Justine.6351]

> @"narcx.3570" said:

> > @"Justine.6351" said:

> > > @"narcx.3570" said:

> > > > @"Justine.6351" said:

> > > > Double nerf to staff with punishing sweep losing its hard hitting cc and warding rift losing its stealth tracking blinding projectiles. Rip "sneaky" drop the hammers. Seriously, people need to learn to dodge things besides red circles. And lol at healing orbs mechanic, of all things to do to renewing wave, put orbs on it lol...

> > >

> > > Losing stealth tracking sucks, sure, but 5 target blind means that at least you can actually reliably use it against mirages now. Also, the blind won't get countered by projectile destruction or track down walls/doors/medkits now (although that's not something that happens a lot, so meh.) I think I'd personally get more consistent use out of a reliable blind than I do out of the stealth tracking aspect of it, which is already pretty insanely situational and hard to capitalize on--as oppose to say, just Gaze locking their stealth and blowing them up with swords.

> > >

> > > I think core rev might be seriously hilarious for zerg/hammer players though. Unblockable Hammer combos crashing through all the aegis spam has got to be at least a little appealing I'd think.

> >

> > Think you missed the part about the facing requirement on staff 3.

> > And I think the unblockable buff will only last for 2 strikes instead of 2 attacks. So 2 people might get hit with a drop the hammer that now has both a huge animation and a red ring.

>

> Facing > 3 uncontrollable projectiles.

 

Yeah ok,

Well I guess we can see on tuesday how wonderful the cone will be. Would be surprised if the skill got something for nothing.

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

I always hated the orb mechanic. For two big reasons. First, among the visual clutter the orbs both get lost and make things worse. Second, they were terrible. The onus was on other members of my team to run up and pick up the orbs when they were hurt, which they never did. Way too much micro managing. These new updates are not going to change these issues. It will only make things worse: a whole lot of clutter and a whole lot of players not bothering to deal with it.

 

The main thing I lament is the loss of Nourishing Roots. Now that I no longer give out regen, there's a lot of passive, sustained healing that I no longer have. I relied on this trait a lot, because it was a way of sustaining the group without having to use energy. Also, I would camp sword, so I could inflict vulnerability and heal at the same time. That was 450 health per second that's gone now. Instead, I now have to camp staff and blow all my energy to spam healing orbs that my teammates will just ignore.

 

A lot of these traits are just redundant now. We're not taking Generous Abundance over Selfless Amplification. We're not taking Words of Censure over Invoking Harmony. We're not taking Vital Blessing over Tranquil Balance. I don't even know why these new traits exist.