Guild Wars 2 addresses the balancing issues in PvP and plans extensive changes to the classes. We have the details for you.
Untangling the Chaos
Only in the weeks following the release of “Heart of Thorns” did it become apparent in Guild Wars 2 that the balance between the various classes was not functioning. While some characters dealt significantly more damage than intended by the developers, other classes were simply overwhelmed and saw no light in PvP. The first of many balance patches, which are now to occur quarterly, addresses this issue.
“Downed” and Swiftness
A universal change for all characters applies to the state “downed”. The two conditions “Swiftness” and “Slow” will have no effect during executing or reviving. At the same time, the effect of “Slow” will be slightly weakened to now be equivalent to its counterpart “Swiftness”.
The Class Changes
We take a brief look at the various changes planned for the different classes with the upcoming patch.
- Elementalist will receive some buffs, as they have been at the low end of the PvP food chain since the expansion. “Diamond Skin” can now be used to remove conditions (instead of just avoiding them as before). The abilities of the Air Grandmaster traits will have a shorter cooldown and deal more damage than before.
- For the Engineer, or rather the Scrapper, they want to improve numerous traits that have rarely been used, as a consistent distribution of traits has proven optimal. The defensive capabilities of this class will continue to be monitored, and a reduction in its survivability may be on the table.
- For the Guardian, similar goals are being pursued; here too, rarely used traits are to be polished up to offer more variety. At the same time, the Dragonhunter has proven to be too strong, which is why its burst skills and interrupts will be toned down.
- For the Mesmer, the “Momentum” is particularly in focus, which has massively increased the support performance. While there are no concrete plans for adjustments, they want to make “some changes” to throttle the impact. The Scepter weapon must also suffer some nerfs in skills, functions, and traits.
- The Necromancer can look forward to small improvements. Those who play skillfully can now heal themselves with life-draining blasts (a combo skill) as long as they are in death shroud form.
- Also, the Rangers will soon be presented with a greater choice, as many traits will receive upgrades of both offensive and defensive nature. The Druid is currently under observation regarding its “usefulness in groups”, and changes may be made, but concrete plans are still pending.
- The Revenant has proven to be too powerful. Sword damage will be reduced in many areas, and significant power will also be taken from automatic attacks. They hope this will encourage players to focus more on specific enemies. The goal remains to allow the Revenant a targeted specialization by combining different traits and legends. The defensive abilities are being monitored, but there are no plans yet to change anything.
- For the Thieves, there is dissatisfaction that “Initiative” often has to be used for defensive purposes. For the developers, this is a reason to increase the damage of automatic attacks for this class so that this “sustained damage” becomes a deadly weapon. The three core aspects they want to consider are “Damage, Mobility, and Evasion” – all three areas will receive minor improvements.
- Finally, the Warriors are being tweaked so that they can assert themselves much better on the battlefield. The choices within a weapon set are to be improved so that players can experiment more with the various abilities. The “Rifle” weapon will take on a slightly more defensive character, and the general survivability of the warrior will increase.
What do you think of the changes in the first major balance patch after Heart of Thorns? Do the changes sound good, or does this only make the situation worse?
For more information about the game, visit our Guild Wars 2 topic page.
