New Scrapper Suggestions

[Ghos.1326]

I've been thinking about this while being busy with life (when I had the time), and I have come up with some solutions that would put Scrapper in a good place again in its intended role as tank. These suggested changes will be in the usual format I like to use: patch notes style. I'll try and cover what the skill/trait currently is, what I think it should be changed to, and why it should be changed to it.

 

Impact Savant - Currently: Direct (Strike) damage you deal grants you barrier. Your vitality is reduced.

Damage to barrier = 15%

Vitality reduced = -300

NEW: Impact Savant has now switched places with Adaptive Armor, and the way Adaptive Armor used to work is returned, with some minor tweaks.

Adaptive Armor (New Grandmaster Minor) - When you receive damage, gain barrier. Your Vitality is reduced, but your Toughness is increased.

Barrier when damaged = 624

Vitality Reduced = -300

Toughness Gained = +300

ICD: 3 seconds

This would allow the Scrapper to focus more on being defensive again and can pair well with amulets that give toughness as a main stat, or a secondary stat (Cavaliers and Knight's, Demolishers and Paladins). The -300 vitality but more tankiness overall seen with the added toughness helps offset the Scrapper so that it's not TOO tanky (thanks to less health), but still can survive as it should. The nerfed barrier gained from Adaptive Armor will also see that the Scrapper isn't surviving too well, as the old Adaptive Armor barrier gain was a bit much.

 

Adaptive Armor - Currently: Gain more barrier, and reduce incoming condition damage while you have barrier.

Extra barrier gained = 15%

Condition Damage reduced = 20%

NEW: This trait has traded places with Impact Savant, and Impact Savant is now the Grandmaster Major trait that competes with the others.

Impact Savant - Gain barrier when dealing damage to foes, and reduce incoming condition damage while you have barrier.

Barrier gained on damage = 5%

Reduced incoming condition damage = 20%

This becoming the selectable trait with some major nerfs to its damage to barrier overall could see some use in bruiser or duelist style gameplays, allowing the small bits of extra barrier to proc while dealing damage, encouraging Scrappers to stay in the fight if they want the extra benefit of a little more barrier from combat. This could also compete with the other options as well, the other options focused more on utility and crowd control and more raw damage (Kinetic Stabilizers and Applied Force respectively). Also yes, this would affect condition damage as well (condi scrapper anyone?).

 

Hammer 3 skill: Rocket Charge - Currently: Dash forward with a rocket charged hammer to damage enemies.

Damage (3x) = 1212 (3.0 power mod)

Number of impacts = 3

Number of leap finishers = 2

Number of targets = 5

Radius = 240

Combo Finisher = Leap

Evade frames (total throughout attack) = 1s

Range = 1000

Attack animation duration = 1+3/4 seconds

Cooldown = 12 seconds

Can be hit between leap animations

NEW: Dash forward with a rocket charged hammer to damage enemies

Charges = 3

Evade frames per charge = .25 seconds

Damage (per charge) = 404 (3.0 power mod)

Number of leap finishers = 2 (first and final charge)

Number of targets struck (per charge) = 5

Radius = 240

Combo Finisher = Leap

Range (per charge) = 400

Recharge rate = 15 seconds

This would, in my opinion, put Rocket Charge in a great place, and balance out the vulnerability of being struck between leaps lumped into one attack with giving you control of how many times you want to use the leaps for the evade frames. More control over what you do results in a higher skill ceiling for players.

 

For Hammer 2: Electro Whirl, I would like to see the reflect on this skill happen immediately. So because of this, I'd like to see the skill procc immediately, but then that would also result in the skill ending a bit earlier, which I am fine with as long as the results of the projectile reflection can be seen immediately when using the skill. This would smooth out the hammer's gameplay significantly instead of having to wait a small amount of time before the skill even has a chance to proc.

 

For Hammer 4: Shock Shield, I'd like to see this skill not be affected by quickness, making this skill a much better option for defensive purposes and not ending quicker due to quickness proccs.

 

For Hammer 5: Thunderclap, I'd like to see the animation change a bit to alert enemies better and give them time a cue to either counter attack, or evade/block the skill. Maybe something like small bolts of lightning coming up from the ground where it's targeted, or coming down onto the area targeted, with a large bolt of lightning crashing down on the area when the attack actually proccs. Would make for some cool quality of life updates.

 

EDIT: I totally forgot about the Function Gyro.

For Function Gyro, I'd like to see its health increased to numbers that it used to be. Currently, a single downed skill from an enemy player (unless they're completely condition focused) will wipe out the Function Gyro before it even has a chance to do what it's supposed to do.

 

These are my suggested changes, let me know what you all think.

[Baltzenger.2467]

Impact savant only works with high power builds, making it compete with quickness and extra power seems like a recipe for making either of the traits never used.

At this point we might as well make impact savant give a flat amount if barrier when performing a blast finisher or something like that, so it can interact with non power builds.

If adaptive armor is going to give toughness Inthink it should give it only when you have barrier, and add the extra condi damage reduction.

Rocket charge imo should be improved in how the skill moves you on the map, because it does not interact well with some lag, sometimes you just jump in place and dont advance at all. If anet fixes thst I dont even care for more evade frames, all I want is tha the skill does something consistent and to know exactly where I'll end up after using it.

Missing from your ideas is what to do with function gyro, as it is right now it is a glorified lightning field with the potential extra effect. I muvh rather have the ape reveal, given how rampant stealth currently is on wvw.