Racial skills as masteries

[Kharrus.6015]

Concept 1: In addition to heal skills (slot a), utility skills (slots b, c, d) and elite skills (slot e) add 3 new racial skill slots placed above utility slots, (slots f, g, h).

Different races currently have a varied mix of 6 different racial skills with some having heals (human, sylvari), and others having legitimately powerful and useful abilities (Norn elites, Asura poison field & golems). This allows for maximizing the usage of the actual skills without buffing them to the same level of class skills, and regrouping them into a separate category means each race can have moderately useful backup abilities that supplement, rather than compete with, their chosen class. Having that backup heal in wvw as a human, powerful transform abilities as to use with stat buffs as norn, or free golem minions and a protective suit as an asura can be both fun and interesting, as it adds a different dynamic for how the meta balances things, without pigeonholing specific races into one or two classes.

Pros: Ensures choice and balance with class and race abilities without fundamentally changing either, retains racial abilities' low power curve relative to class skills.

Cons: Difficult to implement, unforseen balance issues, interracial power disparities leading to literal racist "meta".

 

Concept 2: Instead of rebalancing specific racial skills or introducing new UI mechanics to support them, have them be one of a few (let's assume three to five) abilities that you "Attune" to in each of the race's home cities, akin to how you can attune to different standing stones in ESO (or Skyrim) one at a time. This would look like

-Norn going to different lodges for Spirits of the Wild, and gaining transform abilities with some passive buffs based on the spirit they commune with.

-Humans praying at shrines for the five (remaining) divines to receive a blessing related in some way to each of the Gods (extra healing power from Dwayna, convert a condition or two into Alacrity from Lyssa, etc).

-Sylvari talk to the Mother Tree to care for several different trees that she grows and infuses with her power, with you gaining an aspect of that tree from sharing its sap (Toughness of Oak, minor fire resistance from Redwood, etc)

-Asura can talk to the different Colleges in Rata Sum to field-test different "Prototypes" from them, giving a passive ability akin to what rune elites do, and a different kind of golem or suit that can be actively summoned from each one.

-Charr can be outfitted with different sidearm kits that can act as secondary weapon abilities unique to each of the legions (Ash legion dagger, Iron legion pistol, Blood legion shortblade, Flame legion grimoire).

Pros: Lore-friendly, flexible, and open-ended, leaving room for ideas like more race-specific quests and personalizing player home instances further.

Cons: Difficult to justify specific abilities over others, nightmare to balance with class abilities, untested new content.

[Makuragee.3058]

> @"Taril.8619" said:

> > @"Eekasqueak.7850" said:

> > > @"Teratus.2859" said:

> > > Wouldn't be lore friendly for a Human to be able to transform into a bear.. nor a Sylvari to have a Charr Warband XD

> > >

> > > Honestly though i've made many posts about Racial skills needing a rework.

> > > My personal preference would be to have them reworked into PvE only F-6, 7, 8 & 9 skills with the 9th skill being defined by your racial choice in the character creation.

> > > Norn: Animal Form.

> > > Asura: College.

> > > Charr: Legion.

> > > Human; Divine.

> > > Sylvari: Cycle.

> > >

> > > So 3 shared racial skills and 1 defined by choice.

> > > There's no way to do this without reworking the skills, some would have to be replaced entirely and some new ones added and some races would have more choices than others.. Asura and Charr only have 3 Colleges/Legions giving them only 3 skills to choose from where as Humans have 6 Divines giving them 6 skills.. Sylvari and Norn also get 4 since they have 4 cycles and 4 main spirits of the wild.

> > >

> > > They'd still be weak skills though, balanced as such to avoid contributing too much into any class builds.

> > > But now they wouldn't require sacrificing a utility to use them so everyone can enjoy a little feeling of racial diversity without having to screw their build over.

> >

> > Humans could turn into bears in the first game though! It was part of the Norn skills you could get. Just like how Asura had a similar line of skills. The shapeshifting isn't a racial thing it's a blessing from a spirit, I suppose warband support would have to be renamed to be more generic but other than that I could see it working.

>

> Lorewise, it makes no sense for;

>

> - Races other than charr to have Warbands (With exception of norn due to the personal story option where you end up being an honourary Warband member...)

> - Races other than human to receive gifts from the human gods.

> - Races other than asura to have access to personal golems (While, yes, all races can pilot a golem mech suit, not all races will have ready access to one, unlike the asura who build their own as part of their culture and schooling)

> - Races other than sylvari to be able to produce plantlife and mordrem minions (Fern Hounds) at will and summon druid spirits or growing roots into the ground...

> - Arguably, races other than norn having access to transformations (Yes, it was a thing for humans in GW1 and there are some hearts in GW2 where a Havroun can allow someone to become an animal but it's often mentioned in game that its a uniquely norn thing to be able to transform, especially given that their lives revolve heavily around praying and paying respects to the spirits and even going into the mists to help defend them) - Especially for charr whom are atheistic to the fullest as well as asura who'd sooner run experiments on the spirits than respect them (There may also be something to be said about sylvari potentially being immune to transformation by the nature of being dragon minions, just like how they can't be turned by other dragons - I.e. They can't become Risen/Destroyers/Frostborn/Branded)

>

> And then, even if we ignore all this and somehow write in the ability for all these things to be feasible across all races...

>

> All it surmounts to, is a generic mastery line with fancy race themed effects. Since if it's not specifically designed around a race and locked to them, it's not really a "Racial" mastery.

>

> Not to mention the adverse effects it could have on balancing too, such as trying to balance PvP/WvW around everyone having access to Snow Leopard form and thus stealth (Y'all wanna deal with Reapers/Rev's popping out of stealth and murdering your face?)

 

I care about lore at a certain exctend, but tgis is a game and I care way more about fun and gameplay. Lore should never prevent fun new mechanic. But that said yes please yes I want to pilot my golem as a main engineer asura :(

[Kulvar.1239]

> @"Kharrus.6015" said:

> Concept 1: In addition to heal skills (slot a), utility skills (slots b, c, d) and elite skills (slot e) add 3 new racial skill slots placed above utility slots, (slots f, g, h).

 

No, it would only clutter the interface more with more shortcuts.

[Laila Lightness.8742]

Yes we need bear warrior meta back

[Wolfb.7025]

> @"GummyBearSummoner.7941" said:

> > @"Randulf.7614" said:

> > I'm not sure a Sylvari or an Asura moprhing into a giant killer bear is a good....

> >

> > What am I saying...? Go for it!

>

> Sylvari can turn into a moss tree or plant monster while an asura can become a golem ? Idk it could probably work . Guild wars 1 we had norn racial skills. It could prob work for guild wars 2 if done right.

>

 

Excuse me, Asura doesn't turn into a golem, they **ride** a golem.

[Taril.8619]

> @"Wolfb.7025" said:

> > @"GummyBearSummoner.7941" said:

> > > @"Randulf.7614" said:

> > > I'm not sure a Sylvari or an Asura moprhing into a giant killer bear is a good....

> > >

> > > What am I saying...? Go for it!

> >

> > Sylvari can turn into a moss tree or plant monster while an asura can become a golem ? Idk it could probably work . Guild wars 1 we had norn racial skills. It could prob work for guild wars 2 if done right.

> >

>

> Excuse me, Asura doesn't turn into a golem, they **ride** a golem.

 

Tell that to Blish.

[Thornwolf.9721]

1. Remove them entirly since you dont want to fix them, and the community is against race meaning anything (One of the reasons this game should be a human exclusive title. Since they have the most customization and seem to be the primary focus most of the time.)

2. Make the norn transformations passive so that whenever they go into combat they transform (just like guild wars 1)

3. Leave it as is because any change will be scrutinized and its not worth the effort of making the game have more fun. Fun bad, grind good the community seems to be hell bent on preventing anything from adding to other peoples fun. (If it doesn't effect them they dont care, which just goes to show that A-net shouldn't listen to us once so ever. Do what they want screw what we think, the community will never be satiated or happy and its like trying to make someone happy despite them refusing to be happy.)

[Apokriphos.7042]

> @"Taril.8619" said:

> Not to mention the adverse effects it could have on balancing too, such as trying to balance PvP/WvW around everyone having access to Snow Leopard form and thus stealth (Y'all wanna deal with Reapers/Rev's popping out of stealth and murdering your face?)

 

They can already do this. They dont because its a subpar elite choice.