User:Ruricu/Suggested Buffs

With the pool of skills available in Guild Wars now locked in place, a definite line has been drawn between skills marked as "good" and ones marked as "bad." With this in mind, I propose these changes to those "bad" skills in hopes that they might blur the line separating the two categories. Any feedback is appreciated.

Skills under reconsideration are marked with an asterisk (*). If you have any comments or advice for these skills, please post.

Work in progress.

Warrior

 * Axe Mastery: The standard Shock/Axe bar has not changed since the days of Prophecies. With this in mind, I proposed that Furious axe act kind-of like a mix between how it works now and Mokele Smash, such that it is a useful adrenaline-gaining tool as well as an interesting way to attempt to punish block webs. Similarly, Swift chop's additional damage is pathetic, especially stacked on top of the fact that it is an energy-based warrior skill. Causing the if-blocked clause to trigger a deep wound and around 40 armor-ignoring damage couldn't hurt. The change to axe rake I think is necessary just to keep it on track with other weak axe skills, and Keen Chop just needs a little bit of sheen to be more effective.
 * Increased damage to 5...17
 * Functionality changed to: "If Furious Axe hits, you strike for 5...17 damage and gain 1 strike of adrenaline. If it is blocked you gain 3 strikes of adrenaline." *
 * This attack cannot be blocked. *
 * Increased conditional damage to 10...34.


 * Hammer Mastery: My main focus here was to increase the power of several hammer skills revolving around the use of weakness, as Devastating Hammer's play has been waning as of late. After the increase in power of Mighty Blow, Fierce blow has easily been on the backburner. I don't know if additional adrenaline is the way to go to increase its use, but it doesn't seem too harmful, especially because it is only effective when the warrior does not bring Hammer Bash or Heavy Blow. Increasing Overbearing Smash's adrenaline cost to 7 and with it increasing its damage to the levels of Fierce Blow and Mighty Blow could make it slightly more effective, although not having your initial knockdown blocked would still be an issue. As for Pulverizing smash; seeing as it almost requires that the character use frenzy instead of flail, it needs a serious revamp. Making it act similar to an adrenaline-charged crushing blow may be effective. As for the other changes, I view them as harmless buffs to extremely underused skills.
 * Decreased adrenaline cost to 5.
 * Decreased skill recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Functionality changed to: "If Fierce Blow strikes a foe suffering from Weakness, you deal +10...34 damage and gain 1...2 adrenaline. Otherwise, you deal +5...17 damage if it hits. *
 * Increased adrenaline cost to 7. Damage increased to 10...34.
 * Functionality changed to: "If this attack hits, you strike for +5...17 damage. If you hit a knocked-down foe, that foe suffers from Weakness and Deep Wound for 5...17 seconds.1 *
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.


 * Strength: Most of the skills listed here are on the more extreme end of underused. "You Will Die!" could use a small nudge to the other end. I think making Battle Rage more like an echo and providing a way to never lose all of your adrenaline could make it slightly more useful. Berserker Stance, while perpetually a PvE-only skill, has no reason to be as bad as it is. DBS is and will always be a warrior trying to interrupt you with a hammer. There is no reason for it to be so costly. Griffon's Sweep and Leviathan's Sweep have extremely piddly conditional damage for an energy-based skill that has to be blocked. Primal Rage; no need to explain. I wanted Signet of Strength to be plausible in place of conjures, (but hopefully not stacked with them) however it needs to be unmaintainable to prevent it from being overpowered. I understand Warrior's Cunning cannot be a preferable short duration and short recharge as that would be too strong, but, as it stands, it's pathetic.
 * Decreased skill recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Functionality changed to: For 1...10 seconds, you move 33% faster and gain double adrenaline from attacks. When Battle Rage ends, you lose all adrenaline. Battle Rage refreshes every you use an adrenal skill."
 * Decreased skill recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Increased conditional damage to 20...56.
 * Increased conditional damage to 20...56.
 * Functionality Changed to: "For 10 seconds, you attack 33% faster, all of your attacks have an additional 10...46% chance of being critical hits, and have 20% armor penetration. Primal Rage disables all skills for 10 seconds."
 * Decreased recharge to 30 seconds. Increased additional damage to +10. *
 * Increased duration to 5...20 seconds.


 * Swordsmanship: These skills are currently bad. This would be marginally less bad.
 * This attack cannot be blocked by target foe.2
 * Functionality changed to: "If Quivering Blade hits, you strike for +10...34 damage. If it is blocked, Quivering Blade is disabled for 4 seconds, and your target is Dazed for 1...6 seconds."


 * Tactics: The most drastic change here would obviously be "To the Limit!", but I seriously think it needs to be slightly better than Enraging Charge because it requires a large investment into Tactics. Giving "Retreat!" a similar function to "Never Give Up!" and "Never Surrender!" might be a little strong on a paragon, but, again, it requires a large investment into Tactics. The other changes are simple and easy to comprehend.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Decreased skill recharge to 20 seconds.
 * Functionality changed to: "For 5...10 seconds, all allies within earshot move 25% faster while under 50% health."
 * Functionality changed to: For each foe within earshot (maximum 1...3) you gain two strikes of adrenaline.
 * Functionality changed to: "For 1...7 seconds, you have a 75% chance to block projectiles."
 * Increased radius to nearby range.

1 Allow Pulverizing smash to hit the target even if they are not knocked down, similar to Crushing Blow. 2 Foes adjacent to target can still block this attack.

Ranger

 * Beast Mastery: Rampage as One trumps Tiger's Fury and its lookalike skill. Without an added run speed boost, they have little to no reason to be used, lest RaO get smacked upside the head with the nerfbat once again. It promotes the annoying R/X melee ranger, so it would be understandable to overlook. The rest of the changes were small buffs to pet attacks that no one uses. They'd still be bad, but that's the whole point.
 * Increased attack speed to 33% *
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Decreased recharge to 20 seconds.
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second. Increased range to Earshot.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Increased attack speed to 33% *


 * Expertise: Archer's Signet and Expert's Dexterity will always, by their current functions, be sub-par. With this in mind, they could have more favorable numbers at little cost to balance. Expert Focus needs a larger energy benefit in one way or another to encourage its use (after all, people already have to spec high Expertise for it). Splinter Shot buff to discourage heavy block meta.
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second. Decreased recharge to 30 seconds.
 * Reduced energy cost applies after expertise. (Minimum 1 energy) 1
 * Reduced increase in attack skill cost to 100%.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Conditional damage also applies to target.


 * Wilderness Survival: Dryder's Defenses should be similar to a Wilderness Survival line Disciplined Stance. It seems to have been left behind when most other defensive stances got their durations and recharges drastically cut. The next three changes were influenced by the prevalence of Apply Poison in all forms of PvP. The other preparations are simply ignored, and need increased effectiveness to attempt to compete with Apply or Barrage. Scavenger's Focus, especially, is currently horrible. This idea is most likely a bit strong, but it does take your elite spot.
 * Decreased duration to 1...5. Decreased recharge time to 15 seconds.
 * Increased range to nearby.
 * Increased energy cost to 10. Functionality changed to: "For 24 seconds, your arrows deal fire damage and hit for an additional 3...20 fire damage. Whenever you score a critical, your target is set on fire for 1...3 seconds."
 * Functionality changed to "For 24 seconds, your attacks deal +5...13 damage against foes suffering from a condition. While affected by Scavenger's Focus, whenever you hit with a bow attack skill your target suffers from one of the following conditions: Bleeding (for 15 seconds), Poison (for 10 seconds), Weakness (for 15 seconds), Crippled (for 5 seconds). *


 * No Attribute: Why not?
 * This attack cannot be blocked.

1 I don't know if applying this affect after expertise would be possible, but it would make this skill slightly more viable. Increasing the reduced energy cost could also suffice.

Monk

 * Divine Favor: Seriously. These skills are horrible and have never seen play anywhere (except for the occasional Contagion spike using Aura of Faith). Currently, even Spotless Mind and Divert Hexes aren't strong enough to keep up with the Hex meta in HA. It's Withdraw's time to shine.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Reduced casting time to 1/4 second.
 * Decreased recharge time to 20 seconds seconds.
 * Reduced energy cost to 5. Increased range to nearby. Decreased conditional recharge to 10...3.


 * Healing Prayers: I think these are mostly self-explanatory. Supportive Spirit is currently too conditional to be 10 energy and should probably function as a Healing Hands that only works on knocked down allies.
 * Removed conditional energy loss.
 * Increased heal to 40...114.
 * Reduced recharge to 5 seconds.
 * Reduced energy cost to 5. Reduced casting time to 1/4 second.


 * Protection Prayers: Because of their elite status or long casting time, respectively, Amity and Pacifism are too ineffective to have such a knee-jerk ending clause. 75% might be a better number, but I digress. When faced with a choice between Life Sheath or RoF, most players would choose RoF and not take any elite. This should be remedied. Similarly, Mark of Protection would still be utterly ineffective with a fast casting time, but its inability to be easily interrupted is understandable with the ease of removing enchantments unknown to the prophecies era. For a maintained enchantment, Purifying veil only removing one condition upon ending is rather puny. It should be at least 1...2. Lastly, Shield Guardian. I'm torn about this skill. I understand it needs to remain slightly ineffective to prevent it from being too powerful, but it should get play time somewhere, somehow.
 * Functionality changed to: "For 8...18 seconds, adjacent foes cannot attack. For each foe, Amity ends if that foe takes damage while under 50% health."
 * Decreased casting time to 1/4 second.
 * Decreased casting time to 1/4 second.
 * Functionality changed to: "For 8...18 seconds, target foe cannot attack. This effect ends if the target takes damage while under 50% health."
 * Increased conditions lost on ending to 1...3
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Decreased duration to 3 seconds. Increased recharge to 3 seconds. *


 * No Attribute: Why not?
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 10 seconds.

Necromancer

 * Blood Magic
 * Decreased energy cost to 10.


 * Curses
 * Reduced recharge to 10 seconds.
 * Reduced casting time to 1 second.
 * Increased unconditional damage to 10...59. Skill damage maxed at 120.
 * Increased unconditional damage to 10...59. Skill damage maxed at 120.
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 10 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Target foe loses one enchantment and is poisoned for 3...9 seconds and 3...9 seconds for each remaining enchantment" 1
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second. Decreased energy cost to 5. *
 * Increased energy cost to 25. Increased casting time to 3/4 second. Functionality changed to: "Adjacent foes are struck for 10...29 cold damage and lose 1...2 enchantments. You become poisoned for 15...5 seconds." 2 *

1 Envenom Enchantments needs to be kept on par with Rip Enchantments. 2 As Poisoned Heart gets no play in any format, it would be better suited as a mirror to Chilblains before the October 12, 2007 update.

Mesmer

 * Domination Magic
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 15 seconds.
 * Decreased energy cost to 10.
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 15 seconds.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.


 * Illusion Magic
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 15 seconds.


 * Inspiration Magic
 * Increased range to nearby.


 * No Attribute
 * Increased range to nearby.

Elementalist

 * Air Magic
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Increased recharge to 6 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Send out a fast-moving Lightning Javelin that strikes for 15...43 lightning damage if it hits. If Lightning Javelin strikes an attacking foe, that foe is interrupted. This spell has 25% armor penetration. "


 * Earth Magic
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second.
 * Decreased duration to 3...10 seconds. Decreased skill recharge time to 30 seconds.
 * Functionality changed to: "You create a Ward of Weakness at your current location. For 5...17 seconds, foes in the area become Weakened for 5...17 seconds whenever they take physical or elemental damage."


 * Fire Magic
 * Removed conditional energy loss.


 * Water Magic
 * Decreased recharge time to 30 seconds.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Increased energy cost to 10. Increased casting time to 1 second. Increased recharge to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 5...17 seconds, all party members within earshot are enchanted with Mirror of Ice. The next time an enemy spell would deal damage to the enchanted party member, that damage is negated and Mirror of Ice ends." *
 * Decreased recharge to 30 seconds.

Assassin

 * Critical Strikes
 * Reduced casting time to 1 second.


 * Deadly Arts
 * Reduced energy cost to 5. Reduced casting time to 1 second.


 * Shadow Arts
 * Decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.
 * Decreased recharge time to 10 seconds.

Ritualist

 * Channeling Magic
 * Decreased skill recharge time to 10 seconds.
 * Increased duration to 10...20 seconds.


 * Communing
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.
 * Increased time delay to 20 seconds.'
 * Decreased energy cost to 15. Decreased skill recharge time to 25 seconds.
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Decreased skill recharge time to 15 seconds.


 * Spawning Power
 * Decreased casting time to 1 second.

Dervish

 * Earth Prayers
 * Decreased energy cost to 5.


 * Wind Prayers
 * Increased modifier to 33%


 * No Atttribute
 * Decreased recharge to 15 seconds.
 * Decreased recharge to 15 seconds.

Paragon

 * Leadership
 * Decreased energy cost to 5. Increased movement speed to 33%
 * Increased duration to 5...17