ArenaNet talk:Skill feedback/Ranger/Throw Dirt

Explanation to my suggestions -- Stomatium 16:03, 27 January 2009 (UTC)
Throw dirt is an interesting defensive skill but :  It is currently too slow to adapt to dynamic situations encountered in PvP and PvE.

Compares unfavorably to Ash Blast, Lightning Touch, Steam and Blinding Powder.
 * blinding efficiency upon total time (cast+recharge) is : Ash Blast= 1.44 ; Steam= 1 ; Lightning Touch= 0.65 ; Blinding Powder= 0.64 but Throw dirt= 0.42.
 * Ash Blast, Steam and Lightning Touch have requirements but are also offensive in counterpart.

The area of effect in the description of Throw dirt is unclear, making many players to think that it actually has an adjacent area of effect. In reality, the other foes arround your target that can be blinded must be at touch range too, i.e. coast-to-coast, directly next to it.  My suggestions would rebalance this skill with an efficiency of 0.50 or 0.62.
 * this is substantially different from adjacent and really less powerful.
 * Blinding Powder and Lightning Touch have a real adjacent effect contrary to Throw dirt. (check & compare those skills on the practice target, Isle of Nameless).

The problem is that this is too passive.
Right now, this is a very efficient skill. 3 years ago, this would be overpowered. These days, it just plain sucks because condition removals are everywhere. No, I'm not saying nerf condition removal. The big problem is the 30 second recharge and the long duration. If you don't have condition removal or a monk, you are useless for 14 seconds, or 28 seconds if someone was using archer's signet. Otherwise, condition removal says O HAI, and the ranger is left with 30 seconds of downtime. Just make the skill more spammable and cut down on the duration.