Fix choking gas

Other than being incredibly broken (which is not the problem with it)...

Choking gas goes through walls and block/evade. It should only spread choking gas if the target is hit.

Seems like it kinda makes sense to me, execpt the part about going through walls. It's a gas. It spreads. You can't block or evade that. Try it next time your dog farts.

That is it's strenght - comming threw the guardian, stances and the other stuff.

I'm inclined to agree with the OP. Either fix it or change the wording.

Uhh guys, Impact doesn't mean hit player, it means hit something. Blocked items impact a player (and do no damage), evaded items impact with the ground.

Another problem is that the extra damage doesn't always work. If you hit a high level enemy with it, it will do less damage than the skill says. Does this mean that CG adds elemental damage or physical? Because by the skill description, it looks like unconditional damage.

Arrow= physical damage(so any shield or abs rune will reduce the damage), and the gas will spread from point of impact, may it be target or shild or even from groundimpact

When a skill adds damage, it doesn't take the damage of it's weapon unless it coincidentally adds the same damage, like wielding a fire weapon and using kindle etc. When the skill just adds damage it adds usually armor ignoring damage, like distracting shot. When I was a low level ranger trying to get to Grotto, I had to fight Mursaat, when I used attack skills, i would do lower damage than a 14 Damage distracting shot.

Best. Reasoning. Ever.

Because now I've got this visual of my brother trying to Matrix Dodge after the family dog lets one rip.

And /unsigned, by the way

Choking Gas is by far one of the most costly preps for a Ranger... I think ignoring block/evade is balanced. Plus its gas. /unsigned /unsigned /unsigned some more.

please read what i said again. I didnt say it was against the flavor of it being a "gas" to go through walls and block/evade. I said it needs to be fixed. It says it spreads choking gas ON IMPACT, blocking and evading is not impact, neither is hitting a wall. Impact = hitting a player.

Yes lets nerf another skill that hardly gets used already :s

Actually, it's getting quite common in Heroes' Ascent to disable the Monks, and the Choking Gas Rangers usually take Seeking Arrows as well to interupt the Ghostly Hero from capping the altar.

I see choking gas used all the time in halls...

I understand how a block/evade would still logically trigger choking gas, but if you were standing behind a wall, your arrow hits the wall, the choking gas on the arrow still stays with the arrow, which is stuck to the wall, why should your target, who could be a good distance away, get interrupted?

You have to understand that this is the only skill that uses the word impact, because of this, it is impossible to make the assumption that impact is relative to striking or hitting a player successfully. It's not as though the arrow is smart enough to determine when to spread gas if it suddenly hits a shield, or misses and hits the ground. As long as it hits something, then whatever was concealed in the arrow will be broken, and the gas contained inside will break out.

If there are any changes that would be made to the skill, it should be its actual use in battle. If it hits the wall (and your target was on the other side) then the gas would spread to areas adjacent to that wall, and anyone standing right next to the wall would get interrupted. Your target however, would be shielded from both the gas and the arrow.

Do you really understand the purpose of rangers in guild wars, Shardfenix? Interruption is a primary function of a bow character and this preparation is an expensive way to avoid cheap dodges and enchants. Like any AoE it is easily mitigated by good spacing, movement and quick casting heals.

Shard, since you've added this to your "Must nerf" list, I'm sure ANET will get around to it at the same time they nerf OOA, and Knockdown, because according to you those are also way overpowered... Perhaps Otyugh's Cry should be added to your list as well, as we all know that's WAY overpowered, especialy in PvE!

Rangers are for many things, one of which is heavy interrupting. Unconditional shutdown belongs on mesmers, not rangers.
Knockdown isn't broken. Just hammer damage.

I'm sorry that you don't have much experience in games that are actually balanced. Before criticizing my opinions, please ask around for people who have played MtG, or D&D. Anyone who is a veteran of either of those would look at Guild Wars and laugh.

I come from a gaming background where all players can increase their chances of winning based on skill, not based on a popular deck or build. I am used to games that encourage players to make new ways of winning, or invent different tactics to make their resources more useful, rather than making a cookie cutter build that wins even if your whole team is retarted. I want to see the broken skills changed because of 2 reasons.
1: So players are forced to try different things.
2: So I dont lose to morons who have no clue what they're doing. Yes I admit I can't stand losing to noobs, and I also admit at times I have played those mindless cookie cutter builds. I don't know how any of you find those builds fun. I'm not a fan of pressing 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 and winning because of it. I PvP in order to be challenged by other good players, not by idiots who have cheap, overpowered "do this, gg" builds.

I got into PvP to have fun trying things I've never done before. I know there are always gonna be people who want to win 100% of the time and only be good at one thing, but please make work for it. I can't stand getting beaten by groups with no strategy or coordination or any kind of thought process other than "oooh look, a squishy! point, click, spacebar!!!!!".

The only time I ever thought Guild Wars is fun was after the spirit spamming nerf, when the only builds were spike and balance. After iway, and more importantly Factions, Guild Wars is a joke to the term "Games of Skill." I had to rage pvp because I got thrashed by noobs running CC builds when I was trying to have a challenge (although soloing wanna be gangsta in front of his brainless monks on tv lightened my spirits a little).

Back to the topic. Try not to think about the game in terms of "its fine because arenanet made it that way." Try to think of the game as "is this too good, or too weak?"

In all the "balanced" games I play, I think about pros, cons, and counters.

Choking gas
Pros

• Unconditional Shutdown of spells (longer than ½ a second) until user dies.
• With practiced stance, there is 2 seconds of downtime.

Cons

• uhhh...2 seconds of downtime.

Counters

• Interrupt it once every 24 seconds (requires 2 standard interrupts)
• Kill the ranger (requires your casters to not be shutdown by choking gas)

In a real game, there would be one pro more than the number of cons there are, with reasonable counters. Choking gas needs to be stoppable by block/evade, or walls, or both.

To whoever said that we cannot assume what "impact" means, buy a dictionary. Even if it means "impact player or wall," blocking and evading should still stop it.

This made me laugh, as an old time player of TCGs...

MtG is Balanced because it has to Ban Half of its decent cards lol. Then every format still has the one deck type that WTFPWNS everything else.

Same with Yugioh, the other big TCG.

True about the bannings in magic. Let me clarify.

For those who have ever played extended or type 2 tournaments, there are about 4-5 deck styles that wtfpwn everything else, but they also wtfpwn each other. Even the strongest cards in mtg have a hundred counters. I haven't played mtg in awhile but I think there are only 2 cards out of around 2000 on the extended ban list, and 6 on the restricted list. Not even .2% of their cards are touched. About 10% of the skills in guild wars are rediculously overpowered, and half of them are uselessly unplayable.

/signed

I'm tired of this too, choking gas should not be able to completely shutdown a caster like it can now. i.e. by going through walls & being able to go through aegis/guardian.

/N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-ontsigned.

Sent a RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOing warrior after the damn ranger or shut them down.

Simple solution, MOVE AWAY FROM THE GAS

Moving away from gas = you still not casting = you still getting 'shut down'.

Even if you move, the Ranger just keeps attack you. If the Ranger runs out of Choking Gas? They use Savage Shot and Distracting Shot. Something needs to be changed about CG, I don't know what, but it's being used so often in HA, and makes it real hard to be a caster.

Basically, people used Migraine before CG, and that was alright because a team-mate could remove it. CG cannot be removed, and the Ranger just runs after you if you try and kite behind stuff. It's funny, a rank 12 team start using 2 Choking Gas Rangers, and suddenly it's FOTM.

I actually pinked a tear away laughing when reading this post. It's been a long time that a GWG post made me laugh this hard. Keep 'm coming Undivine!

~ Makk.

That's what interrupters do. Tell another party member to deal with the problem. The thing about rangers is that they are great at pinning down a single target with interrupts, but it's a little more difficult to keep multiple targets from crushing you. Interrupt one, the other drops a big rock on you head, etc etc.

pressure the ranger and build up adren, interupt his choking gas, adren spike other targets in the downtime.

there's a counter to everything, stop crying for nerfs every time you encounter something that has a chance of beating you

Pros
"With practiced stance, there is 2 seconds of downtime."

Cons
Absolutely requires use of aforementioned elite skill

Heres a crazy suggestion, instead of nerfing Choking Gas, how about casters learn not to stand next to other casters being hit with choking gas?

D&D is balanced?

At max WS you get like 12-13 sec to use CC that means 4-5 arrows with CC before you have to wait for recharge and the gas don't linger very long, 2-3 sec on target unless ranger keeps same target pinned, witch leaves him open for attacks from others, ( I asume casters are smart enough to stay spread out), I can agrea with the going through wall's need to be fixed, the arrow should explode and spread the gas on impact with the wall, but if it impacts on any kind block or evashion adjecent to target the gas should spread like it does.

The choking gas chamber build has been around for a LONG LONG time, its never needed a nerf, and it certainly doesnt need a fix.

Ive used it myself and i dont feel that its too effective, especially when 1 on 1 with a target. Only when the target is in a nicely condensed group will it really have a really decent effect.

You know whats a more annoying preparation? Incediary arrows.

1) Theres no 2 seconds of downtime - Practiced stance makes choking gas more than cyclable.

2) Interrupt it. Knock it down. They dont do any damage anyways with their flurry/ frenzy (oh cmon, just kill the bugger if he's gonna use frenzy).

3) Does seeking arrows need a nerf too? I mean, zOMGWTF that can't be evaded or blocked either! NOES!

4) What about psychic distraction? That obviously needs a nerf too because it only has practically no recharge!

Choking gas is balanced, it has many downfalls, used well it is formidable, but that is no need for a nerf.

I'm going to say this for the first time on these forums: "Live with it"

Whirling Defences anyone?

I get the Blocked making it still affect you. But i really don't get how evading the arrow makes you still get hit by the choking gas.
No bullshit about how it hits the floor, unless your standing 30metres above the target with a Flatbow you'll never be hitting your target feet if he evades it. The last time i checked the arrow goes directly at the target, with a recurve it has the potential to go at least another 5metres behind them. Unless of course choking gas is now spread while the arrow is in flight, meaning everyone along to way should get interrupted too.

Yeah, dammit, there's always something that makes it real hard, why can't they just surrender?

Drag the ranger to your warriors or something. If there's something I hate being close to, then it's those big, nasty, sweaty guys with their huge axes and hammers. That's why I became a ranger in the first place, so that I could stay away from all those frenzying maniacs, brr.

Choking gas isn't just a matter of balance, there's absolutely no logic in gas traveling through walls when the arrow hit the wall. Yet people still get interrupted on the other side of the wall, OBSTRUCTIONS are obviously going to be different than block/evade. But the game doesn't treat it as such, and that's what I think should be fixed. Don't really care about its recharge/dmg/whatnot...

When was the last time you couldBlock a fart? in theory thats the same as choking gas:|

It's fine the way it is. As previously stated, kill the ranger, or interupt CG. Most rangers are noob anyway, you start swinging on them, they hit Whirling, then 1 second later they hit Flurry....then you kill them. Casters, move.

Jeeezus - so Choking Gas is being used in the Halls which makes it difficult to play as a caster.......?!
Ummm - isn't that the whole point of this game? To play your character well enough that you make it difficult for the other person/team to win?

My suggestion: Find an effective counter or start playing as a Ranger. Definitely stop complaining because you can't win everytime you play in the Halls. You're not supposed to win every time.

Oh and by the way: Impact = to make contact forcefully. The description is fine the way it is.

Grats.... your arrogance has amazed me.