I like the direction of the new total trait line overhauls

[EremiteAngel.9765]

I mean while we wait for the new elite specs, I'll be fine with total trait reworks.

Its like a partially/totally new trait line.

A mini-elite spec!

 

Thieves got shiny new toys like the totally awesome traps.

Necros are going to get a total revamp to the Death Magic traitline.

Warriors are getting a reveamped Tactics traitline.

 

This gives us some room to theorycraft new builds.

I would like too see this continue as we wait for the new elite specs.

[Dawdler.8521]

Yeah they did rework the elite scrapper traitline to a mini-elite traitline.

 

Sort of like how a bug-eyed pug is a reworked wolf.

[Lottie.5370]

I like that they're reworking/changing the less used trait lines, always fun to see new things become viable.

[Voltekka.2375]

Rework doesnt necessarily mean improvement.

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

> @"EremiteAngel.9765" said:

> while we wait for the new elite specs

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... they arent coming. People need to move on from this fantasy.

 

[Psycoprophet.8107]

Honestly in a game as stale as gw2 has been any reworks to trait lines are great whether the changes are buffs or nerfs in the end just for the sake of shaking things up. And yes I say that even if the classes I play get more on the nerf sides lol

[derd.6413]

> @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > @"EremiteAngel.9765" said:

> > while we wait for the new elite specs

>

> I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... they arent coming. People need to move on from this fantasy.

>

 

please do tell us why or is this just the usual "dead game" pessimism.

[ugrakarma.9416]

is better make traitlines more meangniful than new elite specs.

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

> @"derd.6413" said:

> > @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > > @"EremiteAngel.9765" said:

> > > while we wait for the new elite specs

> >

> > I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... they arent coming. People need to move on from this fantasy.

> >

>

> please do tell us why or is this just the usual "dead game" pessimism.

 

Look at the state of the game. The current elite specs are a mess both in balance and functionality. They have no idea how to fix the specs the have created, and as a result we get "reworks" of 4 year old elite specs which mostly just redesign traits and switch utility skill types. In the odd case like chrono they completely destroy its viability in 1 or more gamemodes. They can barely keep up with content releases every 4 months, which just add a new map with reused assets, some achievements and other fluff that requires minimal effort to develop. New elite specs would require an insane amount of work for a company that is barely holding what they have together. They would need to design new weapon skills, animations, brand new traitlines that need to be compatible with existing ones, and on top of all that the unique skills/abilities of the elite spec themselves. Then they would have to do extensive bug testing and constant rebalancing just so the elite specs can actually work in the mess of the game engine they have. There is no way they are capable of putting that much effort into the game right now, or in the futute. Look at the history of NCsoft mmos. They all go down the same path of minimal content/updates with a cash shop focus. I know anet says things like "there is still a possibility of new xpac" and they would be stupid not to because admitting that they have minimal plans for the game would make people quit faster.

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

There is sadly not so much positive feedback at the moment, at least not regarding balancing. I am not happy with a couple of changes myself, I also commented this. But most of the changes lead to more build-variety. Stuff that worked before, does no longer work. So you have to figure out a new way to reach your goal. Some skills and traits got reworked, offering you an opportunity to try out a different path. Sadly, a growing part of the community is already completely focused on meta-builds. Build variety yes, but only if it offers perfect performance and someone made a build of it, a guide, a video and ran a few benchmarks telling you what key to press at what 1/10 s.

 

Not a huge fan of this status, but this is where we are at the moment. However even those pages, with the pre-crafted builds, adapt to changes. There are always people motivated and willing to try out new features, traits and skills to find a better way. The successful attempts, make it on the high-ranked build list. The others are played by people who care less about efficiency and high performance. Playability is a keyword often underestimated and ignored. Am I able to execute the suggested rotation, due to my physical and mental abilities? If not, another build might be a better option. Not everyone has reptile-reflexes, so more sturdy builds might be a viable option. And some people just do not want to play piano on their keyboards.

 

Our community is huge. We are just not one group of players with one focus, one playstyle and one preference of playing the game. We are a mix of people from different countries and cultures. Everyone has an own opinion, and own idea of playing the game. Build-variety is an important aspect. It is demanded, accepted and used. So we need the changes, improvements, buffs and even the nerfs. To open and walk new paths.

 

Once again I want to thank the balance team for the open communication of the past months. Compared to the years of silence, this is quite refreshing and motivating. You have seen it in the recent discussions, the players are willing to contribute their experiences and knowledge to improve the game. Keep up the good work and sustain the heat.

[Diak Atoli.2085]

> @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > @"derd.6413" said:

> > > @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > > > @"EremiteAngel.9765" said:

> > > > while we wait for the new elite specs

> > >

> > > I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... they arent coming. People need to move on from this fantasy.

> > >

> >

> > please do tell us why or is this just the usual "dead game" pessimism.

>

> Look at the state of the game. The current elite specs are a mess both in balance and functionality. They have no idea how to fix the specs the have created, and as a result we get "reworks" of 4 year old elite specs which mostly just redesign traits and switch utility skill types. In the odd case like chrono they completely destroy its viability in 1 or more gamemodes. They can barely keep up with content releases every 4 months, which just add a new map with reused assets, some achievements and other fluff that requires minimal effort to develop. New elite specs would require an insane amount of work for a company that is barely holding what they have together. They would need to design new weapon skills, animations, brand new traitlines that need to be compatible with existing ones, and on top of all that the unique skills/abilities of the elite spec themselves. Then they would have to do extensive bug testing and constant rebalancing just so the elite specs can actually work in the mess of the game engine they have. There is no way they are capable of putting that much effort into the game right now, or in the futute. Look at the history of NCsoft mmos. They all go down the same path of minimal content/updates with a cash shop focus. I know anet says things like "there is still a possibility of new xpac" and they would be stupid not to because admitting that they have minimal plans for the game would make people quit faster.

 

So the usual 'dead game' pessimism, then.

[derd.6413]

> @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > @"derd.6413" said:

> > > @"Paradoxoglanis.1904" said:

> > > > @"EremiteAngel.9765" said:

> > > > while we wait for the new elite specs

> > >

> > > I hate to be the bearer of bad news but... they arent coming. People need to move on from this fantasy.

> > >

> >

> > please do tell us why or is this just the usual "dead game" pessimism.

>

> Look at the state of the game. The current elite specs are a mess both in balance and functionality. They have no idea how to fix the specs the have created, and as a result we get "reworks" of 4 year old elite specs which mostly just redesign traits and switch utility skill types. In the odd case like chrono they completely destroy its viability in 1 or more gamemodes. They can barely keep up with content releases every 4 months, which just add a new map with reused assets, some achievements and other fluff that requires minimal effort to develop. New elite specs would require an insane amount of work for a company that is barely holding what they have together. They would need to design new weapon skills, animations, brand new traitlines that need to be compatible with existing ones, and on top of all that the unique skills/abilities of the elite spec themselves. Then they would have to do extensive bug testing and constant rebalancing just so the elite specs can actually work in the mess of the game engine they have. There is no way they are capable of putting that much effort into the game right now, or in the futute. Look at the history of NCsoft mmos. They all go down the same path of minimal content/updates with a cash shop focus. I know anet says things like "there is still a possibility of new xpac" and they would be stupid not to because admitting that they have minimal plans for the game would make people quit faster.

 

pessimistic paranoia and nothing substantial

[Acheron.4731]

For those that just think it is pessimism...look around. People are leaving (have left). The game is stagnant. Even the most 'optimistic' have to admit that.

If you think the game is going to 'thrive' under current management you are dreaming. Without the pessimistic posts from above ANET will just think things are fine and dandy and never feel the need to improve the game. It helps both camps, the half-full and half-empty

[Dashingsteel.3410]

> @"Acheron.4731" said:

> For those that just think it is pessimism...look around. People are leaving (have left). The game is stagnant. Even the most 'optimistic' have to admit that.

> If you think the game is going to 'thrive' under current management you are dreaming. Without the pessimistic posts from above ANET will just think things are fine and dandy and never feel the need to improve the game. It helps both camps, the half-full and half-empty

 

I think Anet knows things aren't fine and dandy but just doesn't give a shit

[Gop.8713]

So to recap we have the blindly optimistic dismissing the pessimistic paranoiacs and really nothing more to see here . . ?

[Arkantos.7460]

would love to see some overhauls of renegade with super new skills

[Ashen.2907]

> @"Voltekka.2375" said:

> Rework doesnt necessarily mean improvement.

 

True, but a lack of rework guarantees no improvement.

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

Sure i might be pessimistic, even though I really want this game to improve. Its the best mmo ive ever played, yet nothing that has happened since pof has given me confidence that anet has significant plans for its future. There are so many issues that exist, and all point to bad news. No player testing of infrequent balance patches, inability to fix game breaking performance issues in wvw that have existed for years, inability to fix broken pvp automated tournaments for months, minimal content outside of story/achievements, poor balance leading to stale gameplay, and the list goes on. These issues are very real, and have nothing to do with me being paranoid or pessimistic. The big new content announcement for season 5 was strike missions, which are basically one new npc in an instance, and people still expect anet to essentially design 9 new classes as a surprise? Im sorry but that is being blindly optimistic and ignoring facts and logic.

 

 

[miraude.2107]

I like the trait overhauls as well. There were some that confused me on their purpose or it was like what should I pick because they are running gs/longbow but I'd like to do axe/torch/longbow. So really enjoy that they are taking the time to refigure things instead of the BS of Warcraft that went scrap all that and completely made cookie cutter builds the only builds.

 

I also wonder how this will work out for some professions as there are some weapons I just stay away from (sword) so would be interesting to try a few different builds out. I also wonder how most of the revamps will work out as from my experience of playing a Shaman on WoW, something that was a nerf on paper that 'omg killed the spec' wound up being an absolute boon when paired with something unconventional in a build. I still remember and loved the crazy of warlocks tanking with the demonology revamp in MoP.

And maybe the tune-ups will help me actually enjoy playing Revenant instead of hate playing it to get the shield and shortbow.

[Ashen.2907]

...Agreed...

[Shena Fu.5792]

Redesigning old skills and traits are waste of time. Chasing that "perfect balance" is impossible, especially with this game's history and direction. But does nothing for most existing or potential players.

 

No expansion and no new classes imply the game is merely treading water, retiring in maintenance mode. The worst thing about this is schedule and vagueness. The glacial pace of mini-patches is tiresome and tedious. Expecting players to be patient for indefinite years while their favorite classes are neutered or renovated to something unfamiliar. The players have no idea when all this rebalance will be done, nor the final state or expectation of the changes. Leaving players in eternal state of anxiety and confusion for years.

 

Instead the time and effort used for shuffling old skills and traits should be used to make new classes, new skills, new traits, even new weapon types. Players want NEW stuff. This will bring new life and hype to the game. Former players who have left could be convinced to try the new classes; then the media will hype the new classes to entice new and old players alike. Also gives the impression this game will continue to expand in many directions.