Guild Wars 2

Greetings Anet,

I wanted to give you a simple advice to tackle players complaining about underpowered classes when the real issue is class complexity.

It’s rather simple actually and was utilized in LoTRO.

Simpler (but by no means weaker) classes to play simply had the “normal” difficulty tag in character creation. And up the rank it went with “advanced” and then “complex” if I remember correctly (long time since I played it).

This will direct people with a longing for easier playstyles to equally strong classes that play more easily. They will also come to realize that even those classes have quite the depth when they become experienced in that class.

Players longing for a more complex and challenging playstyle will go for the more advanced classes, which are by no means stronger, and everyone will be happy. When LoTRO did this, I basically saw the complaints on the forums go from medium to an all time low.

Just my 2 cents. Hope they help.

perception is key

I don’t think you do remember entirely correctly, Helnar. I last logged in the day before GW2 came out , and have been in LotRO since Day One of Open Beta. I don’t recall any class being described as “complex”. Yes, I vaguely remember a distinction being drawn between Guardian (tank), Minstrel (healer), Champion (AoE dps), Hunter (single-shot dps), and Captain – Burglar – Loremaster (Hvy / Med / Lgt multi-role classes). Then Turbine introduced the grossly over-powered Runekeeper & Warden. They weren’t “complex”; they were PREMIUM. You have to buy access to them. Turbine were determined to give you something extra, no matter what it did to game balance.

The reason your suggestion doesn’t make sense is because Anet have dispensed with class-based roles. Within limits, every class can spec for dps, support, crowd control (and a limited amount of healing others). In other words, there aren’t any normal or advanced classes. Only normal players, who don’t or can’t take full advantage of the range of abilities of a class, and better players who can & do.

The thing to do with compaints about underpowered classes is to ignore them! Complaints about broken skills, such as the Engineer’s kits not properly scaling with level, or the Warrior’s greatsword attacks being, probably, a little powerful, are specific skills that can be investigated. Overall, I think class balance is excellent, notwithstanding which, I am completely unsurprised to see virtually every class being claimed by someone playing it to be “UP”. The cynical part of me translates that to “I thought this class would be well cool but I can’t get the hang of it. It can’t be me! It must be the class! Gief EZ mode naow!!”