Guild Wars 2

Balancing traits is not an easy task. I think a balanced base for traits should be defined before balancing more complex traits.
This base should allow an equality between class during the build decision making (eq. making the “Do I want to reduce the recharge of this skill type?” a N points question).

Traits are not balanced between classes and this doesn’t seem to be always intended.
Even if these differences seem to be minor they could advantage a classe more than an other during the build making process.

In order to defined a balanced base, “nominal cases” must be defined for each kind of traits. I guess something like that was made at the beginning but today there isn’t such a base.

To illustrate that, I will approach 4 kinds of traits :

• I. Traits that reduce recharges of skill types
• II. Traits that reduce recharges of weapon skills
• III. Traits that increase Damage
• IV. Traits that convert a stat into another

More themes can be approached.

I. Traits that reduce recharges of skill types

Nominal cases :

• Adept/Major traits with 20% Recharge reduced without an extra bonus
• Master/Major traits with 20% Recharge reduced with an extra bonus

Not nominal cases :
[Warrior]

• Inspiring Banners Adept/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  Range increase: 50%
  => Moved to Master/Major or Move the “Range increase” to Inspiring Battle Standard

[Necromancer]

• Signet Mastery Adept/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  3 Might : 10s
  => Moved to Master/Major or Remove the “3 Might”

• Ritual Mastery Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus

• Master of Corruption Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus

[Guardian]

• Master of Consecrations Adept/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  Duration increase: 20%
  => Moved to Master/Major or the “Duration increase” to Consecrated Ground (Consecrated Ground is moved to Master/Major)

[Thief]

• Quick Venoms Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. can be merged with Venomous Strength)

• Trickster Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus

[Ranger]

• Trap Potency Grandmaster/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  Duration increase: 100%
  => Moved to Master/Major

II. Traits that reduce recharges of weapon skills

Nominal cases :

• Adept/Major traits with 20% Recharge reduced without an extra bonus
• Master/Major traits with 20% Recharge reduced with an extra bonus

Not nominal cases :
[Elementalist]

• Aeromancer’s Alacrity Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. Precision: +50)

• Aquamancer’s Alacrity Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. Vitality: +50)

• Geomancer’s Alacrity Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. Toughness: +50)

• Pyromancer’s Alacrity Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. Power: +50)

[Ranger]

• Martial Mastery Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. Damage increased to crippled foes)

• Quick Draw Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. pierce/25% movement speed while wieding a bow)

[Necromancer]

• Spiteful Talisman Adept/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  Range increase: 300
  => Moved to Master/Major

[Guardian]

• Focused Mastery Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus (eg. regen duration increase by 20%)

• Two-Handed Mastery Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus

[Engineer]

• Short Fuse Master/Major
  Recharge reduced: 20%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Add an extra bonus

[Mesmer]

• Blade Training Adept/Major
  Recharge Reduced: 20%
  Precision: +50
  => Moved to Master/Major or Remove the extra bonus (ie. Precision: +50)

III. Traits that increase Damage

Nominal cases :

• Adept/Major : +5%
• Master/Major : +10%
• Master/Major : +5% with an extra bonus

Not nominal cases :
[Thief]

• Pistol Mastery Adept/Major
  Damage increase: 10%
  => Moved to Master/Major or Change to 5%

• Dagger Training Master/Major
  Damage increase: 5%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Change to 10%

• Power Shots Master/Major
  Damage increase: 5%
  => Moved to Adept/Major or Change to 10%

[Warrior]

• Axe Mastery Master/Major
  Critical Damage increase: 10%
  => Change to Damage increase: 10%

[Ranger]

• Honed Axes Master/Major
  Critical Damage increase: 10%
  => Change to Damage increase: 10%

IV. Traits that convert a stat into another

Nominal cases :

• Adept/Major traits : 7% with 916 based stats
• Master/Minor traits : 7% with 916 based stats
• Grandmaster/Minor traits: 10% 916 based stats
• Grandmaster/Major traits : 13% with 916 based stats

Not nominal cases :
[Ranger]

• Nature’s Wrath Grandmaster/Minor
  Healing Power Converted to Power : 10%
  => Add Power: +90

[Engineer]

• Performance Enhancement Grandmaster/Minor
  Healing Power Converted to Power : 10%
  => Add Power: +90

I’d bend the other way for normalizing the traits. Have all weapon reduction traits have a secondary effect, and put them in master tier. Have all utility reduction traits in adept, and move their secondary effect to the master level trait.

IE: ranger traps would have

-adept tier; traps recharge 20% faster.
-master tier; conditions from traps last twice as long and traps cause 100% more direct damage (the second part being a personal wish for traps)
-grandmaster tier; traps now use ground targeting.

The problem with some of your suggestions is that they are comparing things apples to apples when it’s not the case. Should a trait to improve an offhand weapon cooldowns be the same as a guardian’s cooldowns of all two handed weapons? I don’t think so.

Additionally you have suggestions to increase thief dagger damage but decrease pistol damage? Those suggestions would make daggers even better and pistols even worse, when pistols need to be made much better than they currently are, and daggers are fine as is.

Roe.3679:

The problem with some of your suggestions is that they are comparing things apples to apples when it’s not the case. Should a trait to improve an offhand weapon cooldowns be the same as a guardian’s cooldowns of all two handed weapons? I don’t think so.

I agree, we should be able to evaluate a weapon or a couple of weapons to adjust the traits. But maybe we could adjust them with the nature of the bonus.
I still believe that a good base is a importante step to profession balance.

Roe.3679:

Additionally you have suggestions to increase thief dagger damage but decrease pistol damage? Those suggestions would make daggers even better and pistols even worse, when pistols need to be made much better than they currently are, and daggers are fine as is.

Imo, the source of this problem is not the traits but the weapons skills (damage coef).
And and I suggested two solutions each time.

+1

Read the thread about skill readjustment threads like this put up hope !