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Elementalist : Arcane greatsword and traits
User	Leonim
Categories	Mechanics Mechanics

A problem of perception

The current elite conjure skill of the elementalist profession : Fiery Greatsword is the second one from the Fire element, the other being the Lava Axe.

Two negative impacts : First, Arcane magic is not represented, despite being the fifth trait line, having utility skills as well and being background-wise the backbone of other magic. Second, it may conveys the wrong idea that fire might be double more important among elements (attunements), one of those conjurations being an elite after all. When it only means that fire is a trait line of choice when it comes to conjurations :

• Conjurer : Conjured weapons have 10 more charges.
• Enchanted Evocations : Conjured weapons deal 10% more damage.

Suggestion

Transform the fiery greatsword in an arcane version which would provide weapon skills of the arcane domain (pure energy, critical chance), in synergy with some traits in the Arcane Power line of the elementalists (their elite skill after all), but still potent for other users.

Elite skill replacement

Conjure Arcane : Manifest an arcane greatsword in your hands and at the target location. When it lands, it damages and dazes (2s) foes in the area. Charges : 15 (25 traited). Combo Finisher : Blast. Recharge : 180s. Area of Effect : 600.

1. Arcane Swing : Send a short wave of energy in front of you. Area of Effect : Cone, radius 300.
2. Arcane Flame : Engulf yourself in energy, grants Fury (5s) and a boost to Intelligence (+200). Recharge : 5s.
   • Arcane Eruption : Slam your charged sword into the ground and send energy burn (3s) nearby foes. Range : 600.
3. Arcane Rush : Charge at target foe, creating explosive energy at both ends. Combo Finisher : Blast. Recharge : 8s. Range : 900.
4. Arcane Whirl : Advance forwards, lashing foes in your way with energy. Combo Finisher : Whirl. Recharge : 10s. Duration : Channeled up to 3s. Range : up to 900. Area of Effect : Circle, radius 150.
5. Arcane Storm : Channel a storm of pure energy in the targeted area. Combo Field : Arcane (Ethereal). Recharge : 15s. Activation : Channeled up to 3s. Duration : up to 6s. Range : 1200. Area of Effect : Circle, same as Glyph of Storms.

Some tweaking considerations

Recharge times may be tweaked for balancing purposes, while ranges and area of effects should be in line with similar skills. Except for the swing, which should provide a longer reach than traditionnal (physical) greatswords to vector the elementalist's scholar background (light armor), but not to the extent of the mesmer's particular use.

Not sure if charge should be considered Leap or Blast material in terms of Combo. Notice that the current form of Arcane Rush would create two explosions, one at the start, the other at the destination. A bit like the new doublecast system in GW1, exclusive to elementalists.

The name is now in-line with other conjuration skills. Only remains an open question with any conjured weapon : upon what elmeents the attack power (damage rating) should be defined, as it greatly impacts scaling effects and damage output.

Usability and synergy

You may normally manage to stay in Fury (+20% critical chance) the entire time if you burn your charges (skill uses) that way, thus being able to power the other skills (and some harmful utility as well).

But moreover as a wielder elementalist, the Arcane Flame also helps recharging your attunements faster (normal recharge of 15s) by enhancing your exclusive attribute : Intelligence. You'll be able to swap them more often to benefit from their blasts (inherent), auras (adept ability) and other traited benefits (master ability noticeably).

Hence you may also want to dabble in Arcane Power and take some major traits improving arcane skills and attunements, lets discuss them below after a brief example.

A typical showdown

Engulfed in arcane flames (similar to a torch-wielding guardian, with a purplish taint), you may want to start by channelling an energy storm (lasts twice the time you pass channeling it) then either rush to your target with blasting effects or whirl devastation closing the gap.

Arrived at destination, you may want to trigger your eruption, then re-enable your inner flame and start swinging around. Timing depends on your Concentration (an attribute conveniently enhanced by your Arcane Power) and traits (see below), but if your opponent(s) have (and should have) evaded the first blows out of range, then you can still use your other movement skill while waiting for the other powers to recharge.

Meanwhile as an elementalist wielder, your attunement bar should not be left idle, depending on your traits, maybe earth (seimic blast, extra armor) during the storm, air (lightning shock, faster movement) during the whirl, fire (fiery blast, burn melee attackers) or water (healing splash, regeneration) when needed.

Impact from major traits

Quite the choice, and a lot of synergy, though some descriptions need to be updated to take arcane weapon skills into account.

Arcane Lightning (Air Magic)

Description : You have 3% more critical damage for each arcane utility equipped.

Actually it could be extended to weapon skills (for a 15% bonus to critical damage) for two reasons. To begin with, the greatsword is not an item and thus doesn't provide attribute enhancements. Secondly this bonus will only be available while wielding an arcane greatsword : meaning being unavailable to any other weapon skills, elite slot or under any form... only leave up to three damaging utility and this greatsword skills.

Shard of Ice (Water Magic)

Description : Arcane and Signet skills cause vulnerability when activated.

Quite dangerous, since arcane is all about critical damage already but logical. Since Vulnerability stacks in intensity, something along one stack of vulnerability for weapon skills should be fine, while a total of three would be applied by slot skills to the current target (Signet of Restoration is a healing skill for instance, but still provide the benefits).

Arcane Energy versus Renewing Stamina (Arcane Power)

Description : Your arcane skills and signets restore 25% endurance when used.

Arcane Mystery is more tricky since it would allow dodge to stay constantly available, which is not desirable in terms of game balance... though it is barely noticeable with four signets equipped (recharge from 20s to 40s at best). This maxed case would merely provide two additional dodges over roughly half a minute; at the cost of forfeiting passive effects and eventuallly well-timed uses. It looks like a reworked trait from when energy potions were still in the game, but it does its job.

On the other hand, Renewing Stamina allow potential gains of Vigor (1s) with each critical hit (33% choance though a similar trait exists for mesmers and guardians in a more potent version), arcane weapon skills doesn't need more in this domain, and arcane mystery should be kept to signets and arcane utilities only.

Arcane Mystery (Arcane Power)

Description : Arcane skills recharge 20% faster.

That major trait is quite straightforward : no more problematic than any other recharge enhancement. 20% is fine when applied to a feature available every three minutes with only a limited number of uses (charges).

Another good point is that it hints at the danger of making any skills of the greatsword too chainable or too spammable. Gimmick builds always lurk around the corner if not careful.

Elemental Surge (Arcane Power)

Description : Arcane spells cause a condition depending on current attunement (burning, chilled, blind or immobilized).

Similarly, Elemental Surge could have an interesting synergy with an arcane weapon but currently too overpowered even for a skill only available every three minutes... though some may have noticed it can be used for at least a minute or so even if you actively use the 50 combined charges from both conjured weapons (as a conjurer).

As a side note, it would be wise that conjured weapons could only stay in this existence plane for only a full minute, even when equipped. Not much impact on other conjurations, since their recharges are shorter than that, and it seems to be their current life expectancy while on the ground.

By the way, you may have notice the "typo" in the current description as there are no more "spells" in GW2 : maybe it meant utility skills in opposition to weapon skills. And changing the conditions applied would water down the arcane utilities.

So, in the current state, I would prefer that interpretation : excluding weapon skills from the elemental surge's benefits (unlike the aforementionned Arcane Lightning).

Synergy with Arcane Power

The trait line obviously associated with the Arcane Greatsword, the one and only arcane weapon. The synergy mainly lies in attunement recharge and faster swapping gained from the Intelligence elementalist-only attribute : up to 30% faster in the line and an additional 20% with the Arcane Flame skill.

At maximum, both would allow attunements to recharge every 10s while wielding the greatsword (instead of the original 15s, or 12s with only the investment in Arcane Power). While at lower levels (30 and above since you need to have unlocked the elite slot), the boost in Intelligence is rather significative from the skill only.

The bonus in Concentration mainly benefit your Fury duration from this weapon perspective, which may well linger for quite some time after you decide to drop the conjuration and handle things with your equipped weapon skills.

Lingering Elements (Adept)

Description : Attunement bonuses linger for 5 seconds.

Shorter recharge, longer duration, a good synergy. As a reminder, separate from their on-swap blast effect, attunements may provide such bonuses through the gain of the gw2:Adept's minor trait (5 points invested) in their respective line :

• Fire Magic : Flame Barrier (chance to burn melee attackers).
• Air Magic : Zephyr's Speed (10% faster movement).
• Water Magic : Soothing Mist (extra regeneration).
• Earth Magic : Stone Flesh (extra armor).

Arcane Fury (Master)

Description : Grants yourself Fury on attunement swap.

The more, the merrier... it may saves you a charge on Arcane Flame, or on the opposite allow you to stack it up for a longer time by speeding up your swaps.

Arcane Precision (Grandmaster)

Description : Skills have chance to apply a condition on critical hit.

As seen previously, allowing attunement swap to still affect the use of a conjured weapon is a good thing, and obtain different condition effects on each swing of your greatsword very much appreciated.

Where Elemental Surge was failing by allowing insane chains of potent conditions. Arcane Precision is giving that extra bit of flavor necessary for arcane-oriented elementalists to be complete and synergizes well with the enhanced critical chance inherent to the greatsword.

Overall

Numerous major traits synergizing with the critical-oriented arcane greatsword : two in Arcane, one in Air, one in Water and two in Fire. Plus the whole Arcane Power trait line backing it up : improved concentration, attunement recharge and bonuses, critical chance and hits.

Thanks for reading, --  Leonim _{[talk·contribs]} 14:33, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

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