Useless skills?

This is not a thread discussing buffing skills.
As the fervor of posting over Wintersday seems to have died down a bit, I figured I'd post this little question/comment/ whatever. There are skills in this game that most people consider useless. There are some skills in this game that are currently unused by the majority of the population. So what possible use could these skills have?
Instead of simply saying "buff/nerf or delete", why not actually figure out a use for these skills? Though the few uses I can think of aren't that great, its better than nothing(and I'm sure some of you out there can do better than I at figuring uses out).
So I'll start with one that the "most useless skill in the game" thread a while back showed to be unpopular.

[card]Otyugh's Cry[/card]

Wiki adds to this information with this:

* Unlike most shouts, this skill's area of effect is centered around your target.
* Contrary to the skill's description, this seems to simply turn animals hostile to everything, meaning they can attack you as well.
* This will not cause charmed pets to start attacking.
* This skill is best used for its often overlooked AoE +20 armor for pets, which becomes very powerful in larger groups with many pets.

I know that a popular beast master skill could use the skills recharge to apply for extra damage, but lets also look for independent uses of the actual skill.
1) A team with beastmasters or pets on it could have one person carry it if they could spare the room,as it benefits all allies.
2)The skill description states animals, so it won't do any good for minions, but a minion master could use this skill in animal heavy areas for easy gaining of that first corpse.
3)As its a shout, any paragon skills that activate at the end of a shout could be assisted by a ranger with this skill, or as a bonus to a b/p paragon or similar build.

That's all I could come up with at the moment without stretching it too far for practical uses. But whatever the case, don't give up on a skill(even one as disused as this) until we see how skill balances and the next game affect everything. If the next game has a profession which utilizes creatures classified as animals in any way(or the description is changed to non-spirit creatures, etc.) than a skill like this could easily become more powerful by simply waiting.

But that's just my two cents

Now I'd like to hear yours

dude this a joke skill - always has been, always will be. 100% useless.

I have a few that I just have NOT found any sort of good use for...

[skill]Protective Was Kaolai[/skill]

Generous Was Tsungrai outperforms this skill in every possible way, other than the "automatic" nature of Protective versus having to "drop" Generous. I don't know any ritualist that has incorporated this skill into one of their builds.

[skill]Wary Stance[/skill]

This is very similar to Bonetti's Defense, except that (1) it uses energy versus adrenaline and (2) it ONLY works on attack SKILLS (and not just normal attacks). I haven't seen any primary or secondary warrior build that has incorporated this skill over another stance.


I may think of more...

I find death nova to be quite useless...

Definitely not. I found the case to use this skill and it worked really well.

All skills have "some uses" - you just need to be creative and find them

Let's not start this argument. Instead, I'll contribute some skills.
Assassin
Critical Strikes

Skill name-
[skill]Locust's Fury[/skill]

"For 10...30 seconds, you have an additional 33% chance to double strike while using daggers."

Most people don't use this because of how low the damage is with daggers(7-17) and yes, even with critical hits up high, this skill isn't too great. People find other elites to use.

Skill name-
[skill]Seeping Wound[/skill]

"For 5...17 seconds, if target foe is suffering from Bleeding or Poison, that foe suffers -1...3 Health degeneration."

This skill has been ridiculed and disregarded. Most likely because all builds focused around it either don't cause enough damage, have no self heal, or use too much energy. This skill just can't find it's rightful place.

Ritualist
Spawning Power

Skill name-
[skill]Sight Beyond Sight[/skill]

"Enchantment Spell. For 8...18 seconds, you cannot be Blinded."

There's no reason for this skill in terms of a long range profession. It would have been better as a non primary attribute skill.

Skill name-
[skill]Empowerment[/skill]

"Binding Ritual. Create a level 1...8 Spirit. All allies within its range holding an item gain 15...39 maximum Health and 10 maximum Energy. This Spirit dies after 15...51 seconds."

unless it gives a bigger health boost, it isn't that great. And ritualists have a better way of managing energy.

These are just 4 of many, I may list more in the future.

Small edit: Jetdoc, wary stance finally found its purpose against shadow prison assassins.

Hmmm... good thing I waited to respond. I think some of you guys are missing the point. This isn't another thread to post useless skills in. The point is to FIND a use for a 'joke skill' a 100% useless skill. The points I made may not be the greatest in the world(after all, there is a very limited amount of time you would find it easier to use Otyugh's cry than to simply kill the lvl 5 beastie).

So instead of just complaining, lets work around it, shall we? I mean, people would have considered -hp items a joke until somebody got the last laugh and created the 55. I don't expect these skills to have quite the same effect, but they do have potential. So go out and find that potential.

But that's just my two cents

I can think a combo for Locust's Fury
Just put [skill]Mark Of Pain[/skill] in the a group of enemy then start hacking when Locust fury on and you got some what a good seminuke for assasin.
Or Give your self an Icy weapon Then apply [skill]Conjure Frost[/skill] and you got happy damage for assasin.
And for Seeping wound I think its serv for a requirement for [skill]Black Lotus Strike[/skill]

[skill]Protective Was Kaolai[/skill]

Becoming almost immune to spikes isn't really that crappy. Given vitae runes you could easily need a spike coming in at over 800HP.

[skill]Wary Stance[/skill]

Not a great skill for certain, but have seen monks using it in GvG. You get enough warning vs shadow prison spike that you can gain 10 energy from 2 warriors using dismember > crit chop.

[skill]Sight Beyond Sight[/skill]

This would have been VERY overpowered if it wasnt linked to spawning power. Go look at obs mode, unblindable grenth dervishes are already nasty enough.

Umm, yeah. Because nobody uses a minion bomber build ever. Nobody ever dies so Death Nova is useless.

We need to come up with a list of useless skills, no?

I like the use of Wary Stance against Shadow Prison spikes - hadn't seen that before. Anyone know how this defense specifically works, or am I just that out of touch with the metagame?

Brother - Protective only works against ONE attack, so it doesn't make you immune to spikes - it just protects against one of the spikers. If you're getting spiked and recognize it, dropping Tsungrai is instantaneous as well, unless you've been knocked down.

Death Nova useless? OMG!

Look, just go or observe Hall of Heroes, you will find the use for death nova nowadays.

owe my fingers

No skills in the game are "Useless". Some may be underpowered, but they all have their uses.

E.g Locusts Fury: Double striking can increase the Healing abilities of Vampiric weapons, and also increases the chances of a critical if I'm correct (as you are hitting the target more often, more chance of a critical)

Sure, Sight beyond Sight isn't in the best attribute line, but anywhere else and it could be abused. But it is very effective in a [skill]Spirit's Strength[/skill] build.

Another rarely used skill that I've heard called "worthless" before is [skill]Rigor Mortis[/skill].

I have actually found, at least in PvP, that this is a very good skill to have in setting up a spike against a class that normally carries stances (i.e. either a primary or secondary warrior/ranger/mesmer). Because it is so rarely used, it isn't the normal "tell tale" sign of an upcoming spike that some other "prep" spells are.

Or, is this not innovative and has been used by a ton of people already in the past? :dunno:

First of all Death Nova is not useless. I love the skill.

2nd of all...Otyugh's Cry IS USELESS. If you bring the skills ANYWHERE it is just a waste of a skill slot. 100% useless.

My vote if for Strength of Honor, because you can only get it up to 8, and its a maintained enchantmentv so you lose 1 energy pip if you use it on yourself. I was disapointed with this skill, because I planed to use it on my Dervish when I first made him thinking I could max out his damage, but only 8 more in melee doesn't do much for me.

Maybe not 100% useless. Works ok for buffing the armor of all pets in a B/P team; but in general PvE, it might have some use if the great majority of animals weren't level 5.

Trouble is, most B/P teams are designed around the pets dying to provide exploitable corpses, so keeping them alive is not really the point. Findng a use for it would be cool, but I don't really see it happening. Of course, if anyone can give us one, go ahead.

And don't just say "I found the case to use this skill and it worked really well.
All skills have "some uses" - you just need to be creative and find them." or similar; that just makes you look like either a) you're too arrogant to help others or b) you don't have a use for it, but you want to look like you're too arrogant to help others.

You should read PwK a little closer; it doesn't trigger on a specific attack, it works in much the same way as Illusion of Weakness: when your health gets to 25% by whatever means, you're healed for this much. So yes, it is decent spike protection, though I still don't think I'd ever use it.

I find this thread to be intresting. Make skills your allways though of being useless or just nevertake emm, eh, To think a way to use them and in sameway make an idea how to make the skill more balanced( if theres really isnt a way to use the specific skill).
My take is Iron mist: Hex Spell. For 5...15 seconds, target foe moves 90% slower. That foe gains immunity to damage from all sources except lightning.
10e 2ct 30rt

Well I usually think about skills in use against the good Pvp team. I look at the skill and think, well make a team build that makes only lighting dmg to target they are killing, might work as the good snare to make target not moving, for the projectiles like Orb to hit. But you can alternativily knock target down, and the thing that kills this skill imo is the recharge.

90% moving reduce is a thing anet is taking very serious to make it none spammable and make serious cost for the skill user to have ,to make that 90% movement snare. Uses for this skill i have is if you dont use lighting dmg degen works still.
Bah! i dont know. lower the recharge, because hexes are easile removed and make this skill to have it uses for:
a) making melee useless for period of time or
b) make target of your spike to not able to kite your damage

Thats not what the skill description says. It says it won't be triggered until you reach 25% health, at which point you will recieve a large heal. That large heal effectively gives you massive starting HP, which is why you can't very easily be spiked. And why the hell would you drop it??? The whole point is you are protected while holding it. And yes it slows you kiting, but you cant kite shadow prison or spiritual pain anyway.

Don't forget holding an item will reduce your health/energy/abilities dramatically, having this skill in HA is useless, and in RA Generous is much easier to use

Who said anything about HA?

And it will reduce your health by max of 60(from staff). The 60 health loss isnt so bad in comparison to a potential 200+HP heal.

And i'm not saying the skill is great or ever likely to see widespread use, but the fact is, there IS a use for it, and its far from bad.

i have used it in some of my solo builds, very effective when running past them annoying assassins that use leaping mantis and such

Those magehunter and magebane skills I am not a big fan of. Also I'm not a big fan of healing breeze, too much energy for too little healing output

Thats also a bit of a misconception. Sure its not energy efficient on a monk primary where you get a divine boost which makes 2 small heals much better. But on a secondary monk it is actually fine as far as energy is concerned. Its problems lay more in the fact that it is A) a heal over time which is often undesirable, and B) an enchanment and therefore strippable before its full heal is delivered.

...and therefore awful.

I'm glad we had this talk.

They're not useless
They're simply unpopular

QFT.
Couldn't say it better.

not really

its a enchanment so it can cover skill like prot spirit.

look at a gvg runner. it will cast healing breeze then run in becouse ... while you running you stopping to cast a heal will give extra time to the enemy team to kill you.

Unpopular because they aren't useful more likey

actually if they are running it correctly it is to cancel out degen, but meh still not a fan either way

[skill]Primal Rage[/skill]

It needs to be "disables all ATTACK skills" before it can ever have a real use.

Tease and Balthazar's Pendulum. One is an elite touch range hex that ends when you get hit by the person hexed by it the other is an elite smiting skill that prevents one knockdown.

tell that to a minion bomber

[skill]Tease[/skill] make good replace ment for blackout. After Tease ,put [skill]Distortion[/skill] on then you got a mute casters.
For death Nova is good but I think we need a keys shortcut to select your minoins/pet/spirits.I've been running minon bomber its need a lot of concentration to focus to click on running minons.

I'm glad your glass is always half-full, but otyugh's cry is useless.

The skill in the OP is absolutely useless in PvP, because it can't you used.

I think the OP was more interested in people giving uses for skills that some considered useless rather than simply saying a skill was useless or arguing that it isn't.
Here is an example of a skill that some people said is not very good.
[skill]Spirit Rift[/skill]
I have seen that the 3 second delay on this skill makes it useful for setting up a spike. With my Rt/Me or Me/Rt I can cast this and time a spread of deep wound for a nice AOE spike. There are also other rit spells that can be done with timing to go off right when Spirit Rift does producing a decent spike.

So what if we're running a whole ranger/pet team? +20 armor for all our pets for half a minute for 5 energy doesn't seem to bad.

I'd say its pretty useful in that situation.

Shadow of Haste + Tease + Deash = a monks best friend.