Switching Builds During Match While Out Of Combat

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

I feel like being able to switch build/gear templates during a match while out of combat, would do this for the game:

 

1. Encourage higher skill cap play that better rewarded players who knew how to play multiple build structures, who knew their class as a whole rather than a single build, who had strong identification of what countered what and what gets countered by what.

2. Open up much much more diversity in the viable use of all selections. Right now with builds being locked when match starts, this promotes the idea that "a particular selection of available options = the meta build that is best situated to deal with everything" and then other selections become useless, pointless, and viewed as trash. But with build/gear swapping while out of combat, strange builds could be used while approaching said given engagement, when the player knows it would be advantageous to do so.

3. Offer much more dynamic. So a player could have loaded up a DPS +, a Team Fighter, a Support. All variants on the same class. So with a quick OOC, a player can swap to what his team needs that his team lacks, or swap simply to confuse the tactics of the other team. Conquest would become a much deeper game mode in terms of strategy, if this were enabled.

4. Promote gear/build template gem shop sales.

 

I think this would be a lot of fun boys. Vote **YES** if you'd like to see something like this happen, something new, something more.

[otto.5684]

Not sure how it works. You mean after you die or anytime during the match at any location? That would not be a good idea. IMO amulets should never be possible to change once the game starts.

[Stand The Wall.6987]

you might as well be able to switch professions. being able to have a counter build for anything you might encounter is the same dumb hot potato as pre match class switching. what if i'm rotating and I've got some long bleed on me and I can't switch builds? so i'm at a disadvantage for something that's out of my control. besides everyone would switch to bunker when going mid and no one would die lol. wouldn't work.

 

make a build, use the build, live with it.

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

> @"otto.5684" said:

> Not sure how it works. You mean after you die or anytime during the match at any location? That would not be a good idea. IMO amulets should never be possible to change once the game starts.

 

I was imagining any time in any place that you could OOC.

 

But having it only while standing in spawn is a viable scenario as well.

[otto.5684]

If it is in spawn, then possibly. My only issue with that, is people who would invest in gems to unlock templates would be at an advantage. Unless Anet locks you to two templates during the match. It would allow for changing builds to counter enemies.

 

I have other reservations as well. This does increase the knowledge gap. People who heavily invest in preparing templates and counters based on the meta, will outperform. Not necessarily a bad thing, but adds layers of inaccessibility.

[Ovark.2514]

Would be interesting for sure. Not opposed to trying it. I think it would need to be implemented like a loadout for a FPS game where you can only switch while waiting to respawn. That way players without build/gear hotkeys aren't standing around in a match messing with their traits and skills. Also it would keep people from getting in combat with only half a build equipped. It's hard to imagine this being implemented though, since it will further alienate new players. On the plus side this would, as you pointed out, kind of destroy the concept of meta. It would be one of those self-balancing (largely) mechanisms that some tabletop games have.

Edit: typo

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

> @"otto.5684" said:

> If it is in spawn, then possibly. My only issue with that, is people who would invest in gems to unlock templates would be at an advantage. Unless Anet locks you to two templates during the match. It would allow for changing builds to counter enemies.

>

> I have other reservations as well. This does increase the knowledge gap. People who heavily invest in preparing templates and counters based on the meta, will outperform. Not necessarily a bad thing, but adds layers of inaccessibility.

 

Yeah, I just want more.

 

If we aren't going to get a new game, I'd like to see Conquest be provided more dynamic play. It would certainly feel like a new game mode if this were implemented.

 

But unfortunately, only about 15 minutes into this post, it looks like the majority of the community is going to vote "NO" which is too bad. Most of those people probably aren't even stopping to think about this at all, but are rather immediately responded out of complete bias.

 

~ Whatever, cheers. I thought it sounded fun.

[bravan.3876]

A match has a learning curve when i adapt the builds the other team is playing, what i can't do anymore when you switch build during each respawn. This build knowledge/ knowledge about the opposing team has impact on all my rotation decisions. I want to be rewarded for having big brain, awareness and build knowledge. Knowledge is power!

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

> @"Stand The Wall.6987" said:

> you might as well be able to switch professions. being able to have a counter build for anything you might encounter is the same dumb hot potato as pre match class switching. what if i'm rotating and I've got some long bleed on me and I can't switch builds? so i'm at a disadvantage for something that's out of my control. besides everyone would switch to bunker when going mid and no one would die lol. wouldn't work.

>

> make a build, use the build, live with it.

 

Full log out log back in class swap is entirely different. In that case people are exploiting top 3 high metas which greatly influences the outcome of a match.

 

What I'm talking about would be more like a Thief being able to toggle between: D/P - S/P - Staff Acro - Deadeye Rifle, as example. That's not really changing the team comp much, but rather allowing the Thief to optimize his approach for different 1v1s, which would be balanced if other classes could do the same.

 

It's w/e. Looks like people don't like the idea.

[Shao.7236]

Having to already discover what someone uses has it's element of surprise that can easily turn a game around, I wouldn't be up to find out over 5 times in one game. Let alone people switching traits have high ICD once they are used.

 

What we need is VOIP so that we can actually coordinate ourselves without being vulnerable to be ganked in the process of texting so that everyone's build can actually synergize better.

 

Revenant has a lot of flashy give aways for both their teammates and the enemies, the rest of professions barely have anything that says "Hey, I did this you can go do that while it lasts!" which is why meta's are often straight forward rather than creative to some extend, we already have combo fields that are already barely used other than Stealth, rare are the days where I see might ever gathered or dazing strikes performed.

[Bazsi.2734]

Interesting idea for a weekend event, but as a permanent change to conquest... hell no. Almost all builds have soft/hardcounter builds that go rock

[OddFinrir.6801]

This wouldn't really work. You'd just be switching between builds the entire match and a majority of it would be for boon spamming zergs at the start and then hard countering specific people later on. You'd also have no idea if the enemy switched and you'd be going in to almost every fight completely ignorant of what to do instead of maybe just at the start.

[Tycura.1982]

Naw I don't like the sound of that. Imagine rerolling condi mirage when your oneshot isn't cutting it against the enemy side noder. Or thief vs thief it's about who switches to the other's counter. He's on sword you go dagger he goes DE. Sounds terrible

[Stand The Wall.6987]

it would be fine for a different mode like stronghold or team deathmatch. in fact it would make stronghold a lot better imo.

[Avatar.3568]

Maybe as a arcade mode or in unranked, could be okay/fun but in ranked? Hell no, you have the 1 minute time before it begins, that's enaugh.

 

 

[James.1065]

I am on the boarder with this one.

 

Firstly I am against switching professions pre match, what you que should be what you play and this kinda falls into that category for me.

 

That being said, I think changing entire builds (trait lines and gear) would be too much, but I would be in favour of being able to switch utility skills mid game.

[Multicolorhipster.9751]

I'd rather have neither, but if it were between switching builds mid-game, and the current pre-match class swapping metagame we have now; i'd rather it be changing builds mid-game.

 

Preferably it should be you're locked into whatever character you queue as, and you have until the match starts to tweak your build for that character; at which point you can't anymore. Otherwise this would just turn into Overwatch, IE i'm going to swap to counter whatever just killed me. Difference there is, Overwatch will at least punish you by losing your ultimate charge when you swap. There's no mechanic like that here, so it would just be an endless cycle of rock, paper, scissoring like people are saying.

 

There's also a slight pay2win element here; in that if you can just swap while out of combat, it would benefit to buy as many extra template slots as possible to switch quickly before different fights.

 

 

[toxic.3648]

imagine meeting condi mirage as power holo,u lose , switch to conversion prot holo and laugh. mirage switches to power. u still laugh cuz protection is a thing

[Zenix.6198]

Counter spec into counter-couter spec into counter-counter-counter spec into counter-counter-counter-counter spec into ....

[Quadox.7834]

Could be tried for a week in unranked buy otherwise no

[Leonidrex.5649]

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

there is so many ways to abuse this to the end of eternity and back.

taking portal and switching

taking mobility and switching.

using poisons and switching.

taking long CD passives ( 5min ones ) and switching after they go on CD

and general clown fiesta of CONSTANTLY changing build, you take condi mes becouse he is spb, but he switches to mass condi cleanse, so you switch to power so he switches to endure pain so you switch to condi, so he switches to mass cleanse ..... you see what im saying here?

+ it would make templates p2w

[Avatar.3568]

I think it could be a sweet idea for a game mod, where everyone has access to max 2-3 templates and it would be only allowed to switch while you are in base/respawn.

 

The restrictions would be, only to use the templates and not just switching the traits utilitys whatever...

Also the templates needed patch to include weapons, amulets etc...

 

Than it could MAYBE work like in Overwatch, but still for a new game mod and hell no not for ranked lmao

[Ajaxx.3157]

Trevor. You ONLY play sic em soulbeast glass monkey ranger. You wouldn't use this feature anyway.

 

 

lol

 

[Trevor Boyer.6524]

> @"Ajaxx.3157" said:

> Trevor. You ONLY play sic em soulbeast glass monkey ranger. You wouldn't use this feature anyway.

>

>

> lol

>

 

Nah, I'd Druid with it.

 

Swap between Soulbeast DPS/Druid, depending on what's on side node or what team fight needs more, DPS or node presence.

[Halikus.1406]

We already voted not to allow class swapping mid game... what makes you think that this would be any different?

If you make poor decisions on your build or class before beginning of the match you will be punished for it like anyone else.

 

NOPE