3/6/08 Skill Update

So I was browsing through some subforums and saw a lot of threads about individual skills that were being balanced. Having all opinions in one place would make it easier to see as opposed to scattering them around everywhere, and if Anet really cares, they will have one centralized area for each section as opposed to browsing through 30 subforums and 70 threads (Riverside--general, Campfire--PvE effects, Gladiator's--PvP effects). Feel free to discuss any newly created combos/builds in new threads, but keep your thoughts about the update process here, since it'll more likely be seen than a little thread hidden away in some subforum.

Please note that this thread deals mainly with the effects of these skill changes with regards to PvE. Any comments on how these changes affect PvP should go in the right thread. Keep any pure QQing out of here, because it'll be moderated a lot more heavily than Riverside

PvP thread: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10263588
General, random comments/QQ thread: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10263595


Skill Updates

Guild vs. Guild
• Victory or Death: reduced damage increased to 10%; this skill now reduces healing by 10%.
• Victory is Ours: both teams now get this bonus at Victory or Death, regardless of how many NPCs either team has; increased damage to 20%.

Assassin
• Shroud of Silence: decreased duration to 1..3 seconds.
• Shadow Prison: decreased duration to 1..7 seconds.
• Dark Prison: decreased duration to 1..6 seconds.
• Siphon Speed: increased recharge to 30 seconds; decreased duration to 5..15 seconds; this skill now recharges 50% faster if cast on a moving foe.
• Augury of Death: increased recharge to 20 seconds.

Mesmer
• Imagined Burden: decreased duration to 8..20 seconds.
• Enchanter's Conundrum: functionality changed to: "For 10 seconds, target foe casts enchantments 100% slower. When this hex is applied, that foe takes 30..120 damage if not under the effects of an enchantment spell."
• Psychic Instability: this skill has been moved to the Fast Casting attribute; decreased casting time to .25 seconds; functionality changed to: "Interrupt target foe's action. If that action was a spell that foe is knocked down. (50% failure chance with Fast Casting 4 or less.)"
• Power Lock: decreased recharge to 12 seconds.
• Cry of Frustration: decreased Energy cost to 10.
• Simple Thievery: decreased casting time to .25 seconds; increased recharge to 10 seconds; decreased duration to 5..20 seconds; changed functionality to: "Interrupt target foe's action. If that action was a skill, that skill is disabled for 5..20 seconds, and Simple Thievery is replaced by that skill."
• Power Leak: decreased Energy lost to 3..17.

Necromancer
• Foul Feast: decreased casting time to .25 seconds; this skill has been moved to the Soul Reaping attribute; changed functionality to: "All conditions are transferred from target other ally to yourself. For each condition acquired in this way, you gain 0..45 Health and 0..3 Energy."
• Enfeebling Blood: decreased Energy cost to 1, decreased casting time to 1 second; increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Enfeeble: decreased casting time to .25 seconds; increased duration to 10..30 seconds.
• Plague Signet: changed functionality to: "Transfer all negative conditions with their remaining durations lengthened by 100..200% from yourself to target foe."
• Strip Enchantment: functionality changed to: "Remove 1..2 enchantments from target foe. If an enchantment is removed, you steal 5..65 Health."
• Weaken Armor: decreased casting time to 1 second; this skill now affects all adjacent foes.
• Plague Sending: decreased Energy cost to 1.
• Wail of Doom: decreased Energy cost to 1; decreased recharge to 10 seconds; decreased duration to 1..4 seconds; changed skill type to hex; changed functionality to: "For 0..4 second[s], all of target foe's attributes are set to 0."
• Rip Enchantment: functionality changed to: "Remove 1 enchantment from target foe and that foe suffers from Bleeding for 5..25 seconds."
• Vampiric Swarm: decreased casting time to 2 seconds; decreased recharge time to 8 seconds.
• Deathly Swarm: decreased casting time to 2 seconds; increased recharge time to 6 seconds.

Elementalist
• Glyph of Lesser Energy: canceled spells now count as a use of the Glyph's effect.
• Glyph of Energy: decreased Energy reduction to 10..35; canceled spells now count as a use of the Glyph's effect.
• Ward Against Melee: increased recharge to 30 seconds.
• Blinding Flash: decreased duration to 3..8 seconds.
• Mind Blast: decreased Energy gain to 1..8; increased recharge to 3 seconds.
• Flame Djinn's Haste: decreased duration to 8..14 seconds; increased recharge to 20 seconds; the skill now recharges 50% faster if you damage a foe with it.
• Rodgort's Invocation: increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Lightning Orb: functionality changed to: "Send out a lightning Orb that strikes target foe for 10..100 lightning damage and that foe has Cracked Armor for 5..20 seconds if it hits. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
• Shock Arrow: increased recharge to 8 seconds; functionality changed to: "Send out a Shock Arrow that strikes for 5..50 lightning damage if it hits. If Shock Arrow strikes an attacking foe, you gain 1..9 Energy. This spell has 25% armor penetration."
• Aftershock: removed the long aftercast.
• Ward Against Melee: removed the long aftercast.
• Ward Against Foes: removed the long aftercast.
• Inferno: removed the long aftercast.
• Flame Burst: removed the long aftercast.
• Frozen Burst: removed the long aftercast; increased recharge to 8 seconds.
• Crystal Wave/Teinai's Crystals: removed the long aftercast.
• Shockwave: removed the long aftercast.
• Double Dragon: removed the long aftercast.

Monk
• Heal Party: increased casting time to 2 seconds.
• Guardian: increased recharge time to 4 seconds.
• Reversal of Damage: decreased recharge time to 3 seconds.
• Symbol of Wrath/Kirin's Wrath: removed the long aftercast.

Warrior
• Magehunter's Smash: increased adrenaline cost to 7 strikes; functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, target foe is knocked down. If your target is under the effects of an enchantment, this attack cannot be blocked."
• Axe Rake: decreased adrenaline cost to 5 strikes.
• Axe Twist: decreased adrenaline cost to 5 strikes.
• Gash: decreased adrenaline cost to 6 strikes.
• "Shields Up!": increased armor gain to 60; functionality changed to: "For 5..11 seconds, you and all party members within earshot gain 60 armor against incoming projectile attacks."
• "Watch Yourself!": functionality changed to: "Party members within earshot gain +5..25 armor for 10 seconds. This shout ends after 1..3 incoming attack[s]."
• Lion's Comfort: decreased adrenaline cost to 4 strikes; functionality changed to: "All of your signets are disabled for 12 seconds. You are healed for 50..110 Health, and gain 0..3 strike[s] of adrenaline."
• Sprint: decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
• Mokele Smash: decreased recharge time to 12 seconds; increased adrenaline gain to 1..3

Ranger
• Pin Down: decreased recharge time to 8 seconds.
• Crippling Shot: increased recharge time to 2 seconds.
• Hunter's Shot: decreased activation time to 1 second.

Dervish
• Pious Assault: increased activation time to normal weapon attack activation time.
• Mystic Regeneration: decreased duration to 5..20 seconds; increased recharge time to 12 seconds.
• Wounding Strike: functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, target foe suffers from Bleeding for 5..20 seconds. If you are under the effects of an enchantment, target foe also suffers from a Deep Wound for 5..20 seconds."
• Grenth's Aura: decreased duration to 10 seconds; increased recharge time to 25 seconds; increased Energy cost to 15; increased casting time to 2 seconds.

Paragon
• Mending Refrain: increased Energy cost to 10; decreased duration to 15 seconds.
• Song of Restoration: increased Energy cost to 10; increased recharge to 20 seconds; increased healing to 45..110 Health.
• Barbed Spear: decreased adrenaline cost to 2 strikes.
• Blazing Spear: decreased adrenaline cost to 6 strikes.

Ritualist
• Ancestors' Rage: decreased damage dealt to 5..110.
• Soothing Memories: decreased casting time to .75 seconds; decreased recharge to 4 seconds.
• Death Pact Signet: now resurrects party member with 15..100% Energy, instead of the caster's current Energy; The energy returned now scales based on your Restoration Magic.

First!

Doesn't feel right.

Buff Dwarven Battle Stance pl0x.

They buffed the strongest skill a curses necro uses.
Weaken Armor looks mighty interesting on Hard Mode.
Foul Feast + Plague Signet for lulz.
I may have to stop using DPS now.

That's all I care about, the only caster I ever use in PvE is the occasional curses necro for enchantment removal, and look, enchantment removal got buffed slightly.

Yeah, when I saw this list yesterday, I immediately noticed the enfeebling blood change, and to some extent the rip ench change. My SS hero is happy now

Watch yourself got slightly nerfed in terms of usage, but shields up got a nice buff when facing level 28+ ranged guys. Paragons in general improved slightly. The rest don't really affect my builds much, outside of my Mind Blast ele :S

hehehehe siphon got nerfed it was fun while it lasted

I like the changes, I've been vanquishing in Kourna and been slightly miffed at the Derv bosses there, mostly due to the fact that Dervs are bad enough, but surrounded by half the kournan army in a fortress with artillery support is a bit much.

Some places with lots of Necro baddies and bosses may have just gotten way more difficult tho.

And I feel the Ranger tweaks were pretty much for the "why bother" file for many reasons, spanning from "why change rangers at all?" to "do these changes really change anything?".

And ouch on "Watch Yourself!", that hurts. (thats my one true QQ)

all in all I'm excited tho, especially for the contest weapons.

It's amazing the buffs necros get to already powerful skills....

i dont understand y barbed spear was buffed >_> it was strong as it is.

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oh ffs!!
they made flame djinn haste completely useless now the first nerf was bad enough!!!!!!!!

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Hello OP necros.

One thing I do like about this update is the second half of the change to siphon speed. IMO it shouldn't have had its time nerfed, but the 50% while moving forces the sin class to take a bit more skill to play when running it.

And wail of doom is now beyond broken. This increases the power of spike teams to the point where no other build can stand a chance. Revert immediately please.


3...2...1...wailing infuser....Spike !

3...2...1...wailing infuser....Spike !

3...2...1...wailing infuser....Spike !

3...2...1...wailing infuser....Spike !

I find it funny that no one knew about Grenth's Aura until the buff to pious assault.. now they nerfed both skills pious is still usable but grenth's is so garbage now it's not funny. Why make a new skill for Eye of the North and then kill it into the ground so that it's completely useless? I'm not mad or anything just wondering why they have so many useless skills in this game that will obviously never get used. Obviously the spike needed a nerf but I think the nerf to pious took care of that without having to trash grenth's aura so badly.

Then we have mystic regeneration...hit by the nerf bat twice now and wow... what a garbage skill it is now... you might as well invest 8 points into healing prayers and run healing breeze for how bad this skill is now wowsers. Went from being an ok skill to craptacular.

I do like the buff to Wounding Strike causing both bleeding and deep wound if enchanted is nice. Before this buff I was wondering why this skill was even elite.

Not sure why people think this is a buff to Lions comfort, they cut the healing in half!

The 1 sec recharge means the adren gained wont affect it either.

Lion's Comfort isn't a heal skill now. What it is, is a pretty amazing adrenaline engine.

I really like the Cry of Frustration change, it's affordable enough to sit on my bar now.

WY! could survive a hit, but that was really overdone. The skill does have a recharge...

Is Wail of Doom any useful in PvE?

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N/RT

SoLS,wail of doom, mbos,spirit light,weapon of warding, protective was kaolai, life, death pact signet

SR 12+1+1
Resto 12

Ok there's your new epic build <3

Wail will make dropping monks like 10x easier

Ran Wail of Doom tonight it FoW and it gives huge opening to score kills when suddenly the monk goes from 20 Healing Prayers to 0. I would say it does a much better job of cracking a mob compared to Spiteful Spirit as the effects are put to use right away.

Weaken Armour will probably works it's way onto my heroes bar's. And Wail of Doom looks like a nice elite to default to where I would usually run with no elite. It's quick cast time and instant effect is brilliant for shutting down dangerous casters or warriors, allowing time for the other counter-measures to settle in. It also doubles as a quick shut-down to monks, or provides an effective way to lock down a caster until the daze hits. (New BHA AI.. must investigate)

Overall, I was pretty happy with the skill changes.

It's not as pivotal in PvE as it is in PvP, but it's definitely a step in the right direction in general.

Makes me regret deleting my necro

but not too bad because I deleted him for my Mesmer

<3<3<3<3[skill]Psychic Instability[/skill]

The sin nerfs won't really change PvE cuz everyone uses Moebius Blossom spam or crap builds.

I noticed there were quite a few random-but-nice buffs. I'm sure i'm not the only one who thought "wth? yey!"

Ancestors' got nerfed , but not as bad as sins

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