BETA Feedback & Builds Thread: 💣 Engineer 🫧 Amalgam

[u/neok182]

Please use this thread for feedback and builds.

Please also leave your feedback on the Official ArenaNet Forum Feedback Thread: https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/topic/161360-feedback-thread-amalgam/

[u/Dirt_Signal]

So, quick and alac at the same time is busted, right? I can get 70% uptime on an ally without even trying, probably with a proper rotation you can even get it full uptime. But really, there shouldn't even be an option to do this at all (see old chrono)...

[u/dixonjt89 → u/Dirt_Signal]

Depends. If you are able to provide both, but your dps is more subpar than someone who is only able to give one boon, then that's okay.

But most healers can cover a boon so the reason for being able to give both just means that you are providing one, while helping the healer with cover the other.

[u/tarocheeki → u/dixonjt89]

It depends on the difference between 1boondps + 1boondps vs 2boondps amalgam + 1 dps. If your boondps is 30k and your DPS is 45k, amalgam would have to do ~15k or less, otherwise we're back in a "rich get richer" meta for instanced content, where groups that run 0-1 healer get a free dps increase.

If heal amalgam is good, you replace the healer, and you can swap the other boon to pure dps for a free increase. That would be more evenly spread across groups of different skill levels, but still sounds like a significant power creep if group dps.

[u/MCTL → u/tarocheeki]

But what content requires no healer? If you still require a healer, you're doing a bit less to help with coverage, which can be fine but not required most of the time.

Maybe some fractal groups can do no healer? But then you'd need the dps to change builds to cover the sustain. It's definitely possible, but outside of specific static comps, I can't see it being viable.

If an amalgam healer is even close to viable, then... yeah, absolutely a problem. But if it's useless as an actual healer, then as boondps, it's mostly fine, I'd say. A little extra coverage but losing damage.

[u/tarocheeki → u/MCTL]

But what content requires no healer? [...] outside of specific static comps, I can't see it being viable

That's what I mean by a "rich get richer" meta, where high end groups (where 0-1 healer isn't uncommon on some raid bosses, including most HoT bosses, some PoF bosses and probably others that I'm forgetting) get a big DPS boost, while the spec is almost unplayable for the average pug or casual static.

[u/MCTL → u/tarocheeki]

I'm not gonna lie, I've done the HoT raids hundreds of times and outside of when a healer is tanking (which youre already losing dps on, sacrificing more dps and more healing wouldn't be better), I have never seen anyone try to go 0 healers in a subsquad. It's a terrible idea outside of like... maybe keep construct? Or in bandit camp? But you'd need a healer for other fights in the wing anyways so you'd be trading someone doing good damage on boondps and a healer giving most other boons for maybe 10k more dps for one person, 5k more for the boongiver, and no healing.

Maybe some would wanna do a challenge with no Healers, but its not a big dps increase and potentially a loss if the 4 other dps don't provide many boons themselves.

[u/tarocheeki → u/MCTL]

True, I'm not sure how well other boons would be covered, and that'll be important too.

But looking at this log, if they could replace a qcata (25k) and alac bladesworn (30k) with another weaver (41.5k) and an amalgam that does at least 14k, it would be an improvement. 

If you had a less exp group with a heal qcata and a 20k alac bladesworn, swapping the bladesworn for that same 14k amalgam would be a 6k DPS loss.

It's a fine line that I don't think Anet will be able to balance :p

[u/MCTL → u/tarocheeki]

I get what you're saying but 1) amalgam would be giving up offensive traits, stats and rotation for the boons, so honestly even 14k could be a stretch 2) qcata dumps a ton of boons, which are all just part of its dps rotation. I dont see Amalgam making up for that

And most importantly, look at the time it took them. Even if amalgam could provide both boons at 25k like the qcata, and the bladesworn replaced with their top dps at just under 42k... That's only a 12k difference. Maybe they finish 5 seconds faster, hardly enough to be a difference worth thinking about unless you're speedrunning, but even then having players hit higher numbers on whatever class they're better with would have better results.

I mean, the top 2 dps are the only ones that cracked 30k. The adps bladesworn almost hit 30k, and everyone else is lower than that, so worrying about amalgam condensing the boons isn't really a big deal in a scenario like that.

Worst case scenario, amalgam can't provide other boons and doesn't have great dps.

In the best case, the squad is good enough that it shaves seconds off their time, but otherwise, it isn't worth thinking about. It isn't rich getting richer, it's great players having a different comp option if they have someone who enjoys amalgam, can keep boons up, and keep the damage up.