So as we all know, up until recently the hatchet had been providing a significant damage bonus over its usual numbers. As someone whose main focus has been solo pve questing and chest runs, I started out my character speccing into a hatchet / lifestaff build, since that was recommended to me as a pve quester due to the self heals both provided.
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that the hatchet was over-performing for the brief time that it was. Not because I was mowing down people in pvp, but because it merely allowed me to do the thing I had already been doing. Let me explain:
As stated, I’m a hatchet / lifestaff build, and I’m specced focus. Obviously this helps my lifestaff heals, but frankly does nothing for my damage output, even with an amber gem slotted in my hatchet. As a result, while areas like Weavers / Brightwood / Restless served for good chest running, even with my heals, at level 60 I can barely handle more than two mobs at once in Ebon or Eden or Reek.
This seems odd, because I would think that all things being equal, a level 60 player should automatically be stronger than a few level 60 mobs, and especially with gear and all the attribute points, should DEFINITELY be stronger than a few level 60 mobs. But I find that if questing in Eden / Ebon / Reek non-elite areas, despite my heals, if I’m not with at least one other person to help with damage output I go down like a sack of potatoes because as a solo pve quester I simply can’t keep up.
Now, for a brief shining moment, my hatchet damage output was such that I could actually hold my own in Eden / Ebon / Reek. Did I still die? Yes, if I tried to take on boss mobs by myself or something like that. But just regular mobs? No, at least unless I aggroed like 6 on me at once. PvE solo questing in those areas was finally viable in a “I don’t have to tiptoe around trying to aggro only one mob at a time and hope it doesn’t respawn before I kill the next one” sort of way.
I guess what I’m saying is that while CERTAINLY the hatchet damage was ridiculous for anyone running PvP - and even moreso for the people exploiting macros to animation cancel - it seemed just right for solo pve questing in higher-but-not-Shattered-higher areas. Death was still a threat, just not a CONSTANT threat. Now as the hatchet damage is back to normal, even at level 60 with focus gear, focus specs, and amber gems, solo questing around non-elite areas in Ebon / Eden / Reek has gone from “this is fun with a chance of death” back to “this is death with a chance of fun.”
Just my two cents. If any other solo PvE questers want to put in theirs, feel free. I guess PvPers can too, but just realize that this post isn’t about you.