Tornado

This article is about the elementalist skill. For other uses, see Tornado (disambiguation).

Cantrip. Gain stability and shape-shift into a tornado that damages and launches foes. — In-game description

Tornado

 

Profession

Elementalist (skill list)

Slot

Elite

Type

Cantrip

Training cost

9 Hero points

Game link

API

5534

Gallery
Click to enlarge

This skill has an underwater replacement: Whirlpool

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1  

60

60

120

 

Tornado

Cantrip. Gain stability and shape-shift into a tornado that damages and launches foes.

 Damage: 292 (1.1)^?

 Damage: 3 (0.01)^?

₂ Stability (3s): Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, pulled, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, feared, or taunted.

 Launch: 600

 Number of Targets: 5

 Boon Application Interval: 3 seconds

 Duration: 15 seconds

 Duration: 10 seconds

 Stability and Damage Pulse: 3 seconds

 Radius: 240

 Unblockable

 Combo Field: Lightning

 Combo Finisher: Whirl

 Defiance Break: 232

— In-game description

Skills

• Tornado transforms the user into a tornado, giving the player the Tornado effect.

#	Skill			Description
1	Electrified Tornado		1	Electrify your tornado form and make it shoot lightning.
2	Dust Tornado		1	Gather up dust into your tornado form, making it shoot out dust devils that blind foes.
3	Debris Tornado		1	Gather up debris into your tornado form and send it flying.
4	Elemental Requiem		5	Unleash the elements from your core, firing a random elemental in all directions. Elements have differing effects based on your current tornado type.
5	Dust Charge	10.25¼	10	Move swiftly in a direction, knocking back enemies you collide with.

Related traits

Air

• Stormsoul — Deal increased strike damage to disabled or defiant foes. Outgoing stun duration increased. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.
• Lightning Rod — Cast Lightning Rod when you disable a foe. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.

Water

• Soothing Disruption — Cantrips grant boons.

Arcane

• Elemental Lockdown — When you disable a foe, gain a boon based upon your current attunement.
• Final Shielding — Cast Lesser Arcane Shield when you use an elite skill.
• Bountiful Power — Deal increased strike damage for each boon on you.

Weaver

• Bolstered Elements — Gain protection when activating a Stance. Activate Lesser Stone Resonance when using an elite skill.

Catalyst

• Vicious Empowerment — Gain Elemental Empowerment and might when you disable or immobilize a foe.

Notes

• Increases your stats while transformed:

 Vitality: +1,000

 Precision: +1,000

• Tornado pulses roughly every 3 seconds, starting at 3 seconds after transforming, for a total of 5 pulses. Each pulse inflicts damage and knockback.
  • Each pulse and   Elemental Requiem are modified depending on these effects.
    •   Electrified Tornado applies  Electrified Tornado
    •   Dust Tornado applies  Dust Tornado
    •   Debris Tornado applies  Debris Tornado.

Bug:

The 5th pulse sometimes doesn't hit nor apply the additional effects of  Electrified Tornado,  Dust Tornado and  Debris Tornado.

Version history

For a detailed skill history, see here.

Patch	Changes
November 28, 2023	Reduced the cooldown from 150 seconds to 60 seconds in PvE only.
February 28, 2022	End of Dragons release: (Undocumented) Added tooltip fact Defiance Break.
October 13, 2020	Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 120 seconds in PvP only.
April 28, 2020	Increased cooldown from 60 seconds to 90 seconds in PvP only.
February 25, 2020	Competitive content update: (Competitive split) Reduced power coefficient of the base launch attack from 1.1 to 0.01. Reduced cooldown from 90 seconds to 60 seconds.
March 27, 2018	Reduced the cooldown from 150 seconds to 100 [sic] seconds in PvP and WvW. Reduced the transform duration from 15 seconds to 10 seconds in PvP and WvW.
July 26, 2016	The stability stacks per pulse have been increased from 1 to 2. This transform now has new abilities on skills 4 and 5. Elemental Requiem: Launch missiles in multiple directions, based on the current tornado type (air, dust, debris). Dust Charge: Move at a rapid rate, knocking back foes.
June 23, 2015	Specialization update: This ability is now a cantrip.
March 16, 2015	This skill now grants 1 stack of stability every 3 seconds, with a 3-second duration.
September 09, 2014	This transform no longer increases power levels exponentially. The damage of skills in this transform has been adjusted to compensate. Tornado now counts as a lightning field.
July 01, 2014	Removed the range indicator.
June 03, 2014	Added an unblockable skill fact.
April 15, 2014	Fixed a bug that caused the area effect ring to persist if the player exited the skill early.
August 06, 2013	Added a duration skill fact. This skill can now be used while moving.
June 25, 2013	Reduced the cooldown to 150 seconds.
April 30, 2013	Tornado move speed is now correctly reduced while carrying the orb (in the context of Spirit Watch).
January 28, 2013	Fixed a bug that caused several spells, including Tornado, Arcane Shield, and most frequently Whirlpool, to sometimes fail to display any graphics.
November 15, 2012	Leaving this elite skill now removes the stability it grants in order to make it consistent with other elite transformation abilities.
August 28, 2012	Game release: Tornado has been added to the game.

See also

•   Elixir X has a chance to grant this transformation.