Right now we are limited in our weapon skills. Each profession has preordained skills that they can use when they pick up a weapon.
What if for each of the 5 weapon skill slots, we had our choice of 2 skills? As a dumb example, you can choose between “Slash Foe” and “Stab Foe” for Warrior sword skill #1. You can select either “Parry” or “Knockback” for skill #2, etc. TWO skills to choose from for each weapon skill 1-5.
You could not change weapon slot skills while in combat mode. The ability to SAVE and LOAD weapon skill bars would be very handy (to the point where I’d say it was almost a requirement).
The Guild Wars team would still determine what two skills are available to go in each individual slot. But after GW1 they have the background to balance skills, and I believe they (mostly) know what they are doing in this area.
And just think of the VARIETY! We could actually develop unique BUILDS again if our weapon skills weren’t entirely set in stone. People could take on all sorts of fresh roles.
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Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm all day.
Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm the rest of his life.
– Unknown Fire Elementalist
Of course diversity can be a great thing. But unfortunately I don’t think this is viable. Guild Wars 1 was releasing huge balancing updates 6 years after release, the more skills you have the more complex balancing becomes. I think more weapons is a better solution to the variety problem. When you allow people to select skills you just make it overly complex for new players and elitists become even more adamant that there is a meta and everyone should follow it.
Of course diversity can be a great thing. But unfortunately I don’t think this is viable. Guild Wars 1 was releasing huge balancing updates 6 years after release, the more skills you have the more complex balancing becomes. I think more weapons is a better solution to the variety problem. When you allow people to select skills you just make it overly complex for new players and elitists become even more adamant that there is a meta and everyone should follow it.
The thing is though, adding new weapons causes the same issues: more skills to balance, and the elitists adamant that one weapon is better over another.
Selecting weapon skills wouldn’t be any more complex (how difficult it is to learn) than selecting skills 6 – 10, or selecting traits, but it would add depth (the number of viable choices out of the skills given); do I want to take Riposte on my sword for extra defense, or shall I exchange it for Disciplined Strike, which has the additional effect of extra damage and Adrenaline when in a Stance? Or maybe instead of Hundred Blades, I could take Finishing Blow, which deals massive damage if the foe is KD and has x stacks of Vulnerability?
Not to mention if Anet bound the skills to each slot, this could help towards easier balancing, as opposed to GW, where you could pick any skills, as well as have a secondary profession (meaning each character potentially had access to every skill in the game. Not at the same time, but of 2 professions at any given time), which was one of the factors that led to balance issues.
Life is a journey.
Time is a river.
The door is ajar.
