Guild Wars 2

The Rune System could definetely be improved and that in a way, that the other Upgrade Type, the Jewels become also in the same move more important.
How to reach this?
Its simple – remove from Runes ALL STAT BONIS. Runes should be all about side effects only, not stats. Jewels should be all about simply stats only, but have no Side Effects.

Jewels on the other hand need to receive something different, to make them in overall more interesting in an other way over the Runes with unique sub effects you receive only through them, which increase so more Jewels you use of the same type within your equipment, same like Runes become better, so more Runes of the same type you are using.

Example:

Ruby:

Effect of Ruby = + Power
Effect of 2x Rubies = + Power, + Precision
Effect of 3x Rubies = + Power, + Precision, + Toughness
Effect of 4x Rubies = ++ Power, + Precision, + Toughness
Effect of 5x Rubies = ++ Power, + Precision, + Toughness
Effect of 6x Rubies = Effect of 5x + Gold Find + 10%, +10% Chance for Rarer Materials when gathering

Every Jewel Set could have then different Stat Point Settings in gergard of Stat Efficiency and its sixth Bonus Effect, when using a full set of the same Jewels.

This way would become the Jewel Upgrades surely more valuable.

Every + means a modificating + factor of 10% times the Base Amount of how much the used jewelstone gives in regard of its rarity/quality and if that jewelstone has been refined and modified by the jeweler trough the crafting process.

But for now I just want to say, I know, rubies don#’ have toughness in the game, this is just only an example

So lets take an exotic jewel ruby for example.
If you just put only one into the equipment and that ruby got “refined”, then you get a 10% Bonus on its Power Stat.
If you put now instead 6 refined rubies into your equipment, then you’ll get 30% Bonnus on its Power and Precision Stats and 10% bonus on its Toughnes Stat as also the Side Bonis of 10% more Gold Find and 10% better Chance for Rare Finds when doing some Gathering.

So a player gets rewarded, if he combines more jewels of the same type together, especially if the player refined the used jewelstones as a Jeweler (or by a Jeweler, if he/she lets an other player do the job for him/her)
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I am convinced that Jewel Upgrades need this improvement to become more of an interesting alternative for usage over the Rune Sets with their individual uniqe Effects

Part2

Now to the Runes… they all need a complete overwork to become alot more interesting.
Anet needs also to remove the Rune Tiers.
There shouldn’t be Minor, Major and Superior Runes… there should be just the difference of Runes & Rune Stones.

By removing the 3 tiers and changing them into a 2 tier system, all Runes in general will become alot more valuable, especially when they become with the same move alot more interesting due to their overworked effects.

Runes are basically the “Signs” that you use, to make out of them a Rune Stone, which is in the end the Upgrade Item for the equipment.
Every Runestone consists of up to maximum 4 Runes. Runestones aren’t from now on anymore craftable, they can be only created through the Mystic Forge.

In regard of how many and which Runes you put together, you create the different Rune Stones with their different effects, so just the amount of used Runes as no influnece on the power of the Rune Stone itself. This removes power creep from having several tiers of runes, where basically only the superior runes are very valuable, while all other forms of runes are totally worthless compared to the superior runes.

Example:

Put together the Runes “Forest”, “Nature” and “Element” and you would end up with a Runestone of Earth.

Add to these 3 for example the Rune for “Profession” and you’d end up with a Runestone of the Ranger.

Remove instead for example the Rune “Element” and you’d receive a Runestone of the Grove.

Minimum Runes for a Runestone would always have to be 2.
With such a Rune Combination System we could have countless of different Runestones for alot of unique Runestone Sets.

Every single Rune would be valuable in itself also, because you could use them for a multitude of combinations for different Runestones.
The current rune System with its minor and major runes just seems like a huge unthought out system, because minor and major runes are always completely obsolete in this game and in no way anyhow useful. You can get so easily superior runes in this game, that it seems just to be a total waste of time/money to even think about gettign any minor/majpor runes. The first thing you do with that crap is just selling it instantly or deleteting itso that it doesn’t fill up your inventory space simply any longer, so useless are those lower upgrades.

By removing the tiers from Upgrade Components and making that way thegeneral Upgrade System easier, there is then also no needc in future to come up with any ascendant or even legendary upgrade items.

In fact Upgrade Items should just automatically become better, so more you refine them over the course of improving your Crafting Job.. so everytime yxou raise within your Crafting Job in its Crafting Rank, a player should be able to refine their Upgrade Items to the next stronger version.
In regard of Runes, every maximum Rune, that you can use for equipment should be defined by the Level of the Character, starting at Level 20 by unlocking the ability to use maximum 1 Rune Stone and adding every 10 Levels another Runestone that can be used maximum in the Equipment, so that you can use a full set of 6 Runestones just with reaching level 80.

From the next posting on, I’ll post my ideas for changing the Rune Set Effects how I think those Sets would be alot more interesting.

I’ll begin with the elemental Runestones.

Runestone of Fire (Runes = Element + Destruction)

(1) Increases Might Duration + 20%
(2) Increases Burning Condition Damage + 10%
(3) 5% Chance to gain Might when Hit for 20s on 5s Cooldown
(4) Gain a Fire Aura if your Health falls below 50% for 5 Seconds on 60 seconds Cooldown
(5) Removes 1 Condition from you every 3 Burning Ticks, when you suffer on Burning
(6) If you use Sigils of Fire, their Chances for triggering their Effects get increased by 10% per Sigil
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Runestone of Water (Runes = Element + Adaption)

(1) Increase Regeneration Duration + 20%
(2) Increases Chill Duration by 2 seconds
(3) 5% Chance to remove a Condition when hit on 15 seconds of Cooldown
(4) Create a Water Field at your Targets Place on Critical Hit on 20 seconds of Cooldown
(5)Chill won’t slow your movement down anymore by 66% but instead only 25%
(6) Gain a Water Aura, if you use a Sigil of Water, when you use a Healing Skill that heals surrounding allies for a small amount and removes 1 condition on 10 seconds of cooldown. The next one projectile attack will also get absorbed, as long the Water Aura is active.
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Runestone of Air (Runes = Element + Rage)

(1) Increase Fury Duration + 20%
(2) Increases Stun Durations by 2 seconds
(3) Gain Swiftness for 20 seconds when using a Healing Skill on 30 seconds of Cooldown
(4) Gain the Chance of 5% for Daze on Critical Hits for 3 Seconds on a 15 seconds of Cooldown
(5) Create a Swirling Wind that gives you and surrounding allies for 5 seconds Protection if reflecting also projectiles, if your Health falls below 33% on 75 seconds of Cooldown
(6) Increases the Chances for gaining Lightning Strikes if using Sigils of Air by 10% per Sigil).
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Runestone of Earth (Runes = Element + Resistance)

(1) Increase Protection Duration + 20%
(2) Increase Weakness Duration by 2 seconds
(3) Gain Retaliation for 5 Seconds when hit on 20 seconds Cooldown
(4) Petrify your next Enemy on Hit for 3 seconds if your Health goes below 50% on 20 seconds Cooldown
(5) Create every 10 seconds a Quicksand Field when being in Combat, that drains Endurance to 0 and cripples enemies, which run into them.
(6) Gain an Earth Aura if you hit critical, when using a Sigil of Earth for 5 seconds on 10 seconds of Cooldown, which creates a Sandstorm when hit around you, that blinds enemies and weakens them.

Just some examples to show you into which direction i want to see gettign runes improved and the whole system behind “Runes” and how they define the result of their “Runestone Sets”

For Example..

Take the Runes for the Runestone of Water.

Element + Adaption. Add to this the Rune of “Solidity” and the Result of that would be the Runestone of Ice, exchange Solidity with the Rune “Consistence” and you#d receive a Runestone of Steam instead.

So Runes are just brief descripting words with that you can define something.

Change the Element of Destruction to Adaption and add the Rune “Sun” and we could come up with this:

Element + Adaption + Sun = Runestone of Light, while Element + Destruction and Sun again on the other hand could come up with the Runestone of Explosions.

You see this flexibility in this system? And this just from only a few Runes.
I think this would be a huge improvement for the Rune System with alot of space for additions over time by adding new Rune Combinations for new possible Runestone Sets.

And Runes in General would also be more interestign, if they would provide just 6 effects, 1 per runestone of the same type that you equip in your items.

Bump

More Redesign Suggestions for other current Runes – Set 2

Runestone of the Baelfire (Runes = Charr + Element + Destruction)

1) +15% Burning Duration
2) 20% lesser Damage received from Flame Legion Charrs
3) 5% Chance to gain Vigor for 10 Seconds on Hit on 20 Seconds of Cooldown
4) Create a Fire Nova when performing a Dodge Roll at the End of the Roll.
5) Gain a Stack of Might whenever being hit through Fire Attacks for 20 Seconds
6) 5% Chance to summon a Fire Elemental for 20 seconds on Critical Hit on 60 Seconds of Cooldown

Runestone of Balthazar (Runes = Human + Divinity + War)

1) Reduces Burning Durations on you by 15%
2) Gain Haste for 5 Seconds when your Health falls below 50% on 60 Seconds of Cooldown
3) When you use your Healing Skill, all nearby Foes will get burned for 3 Seconds on10 Seconds of Cooldown regardless if the Healing Effect is active or passive.
4) Increase of Maximum Health by + 1500 HP
5) Gain for 5 Seconds Regeneration, if you kill a foe with more than 50% Health left.
6) Your last used Weapon Skill will recharge additionally 20% faster on a 10% Chance on 30 Seconds of Cooldown.

Runestone of the Centaur (Runes = Evolution + Nature )

1) +15% Bleeding Duration
2) 20% lesser damage from Centaurs
3) When using a Healing Skill, you and your Alllies receive Swiftness for 10 Seconds
4) Gain Stability and perform automatically a Stun Break for 5 seconds when being launched on 20 Seconds of Cooldown.
5) +20% Swiftness Duration
6) Increase of Maximum Health by + 1000, Endurance regenerates 10% faster.

Runestone of the Citadel (Runes = Shelter + Building)

1) +15% Fury Duration
2) Gain Fury on 5% Chance through Critical Hits for 30 Seconds on 60 Seconds of Cooldown
3) +15% Retaliation Duration
4) Gain for 5 Seconds Protection after a Dodge Roll on 20 Seconds of Cooldown
5) Bleedings deal 20% lesser Condition Damage to you
6) Gain Regeneration and Retaliation for 10 seconds when suffering on a Condition on 30 seconds of Cooldown.

Runestone of the Elementalist (Runes = Profession + Element + Nature + Balance)

1) Attunement Changes remove 1 Condition
2) Using Glyphs will Heal summoned Elementals now
3) Arcane Skills in your Slots will increase your maximum Range of Skills by 100 per Skill (Max +300 possible also), with none they’ll recharge then 10% faster.
4) Conjured Elemental Weapons have now 2 Charges more
5) +20% longer Chill & Burning Duration
6) Summoning Durations of Elementals are now 20% increased and Summons have now 20% more Health.

More Examples to come later