Guild Wars 2

Originally posted this in the Ele sub-forum, but copy/pasted it here as it might be better suited. Anet feel free to delete the Ele forum post if need be.

Hey, just a thought here, perhaps kick around some ideas on this.

I tried making an Elementalist once before. But due to the extremely lengthy process of unlocking ALL the weapon skills for ALL the elements, and then having to repeat that process again for underwater… I just gave up on it.

Indeed, Ele’s only use a few weapons, those being the staff, daggers and scepter/focus which is about 1/2 of what other classes get in weapon availability.

Buuuuuttttttttt…….. they have to unlock each of them 4 times, which adds up to being DOUBLE what all the other classes have to do.

Before all the flaming rants start, I am NOT asking for instant weapon skill usage. Got it? That’s not what I want AT ALL. So go pound sand you numpty troll flamers.

What would interest me is only slightly faster progression for unlocking all these skills.

At the current rate, you start with Skill 1 and four empty slots (2,3,4,5).

Skill 2 unlocks at 50% per kill. So 2 kills and its unlocked. That’s GREAT. Leave that 1 alone.

Skill 3 unlocks at 25% or there about. So 4 kills and it’s unlocked. I would recommend bumping this up slightly to about 33-34%. 3 kills and unlocked.

Skill 4 unlocks at around 13-15% it looks like. So it takes around 7-8 kills to unlock. I’d think around 17-18% would be better. Would take maybe 6 kills to unlock.

Skill 5 unlocks at around 7-8%, taking an ungodly amount of time at about 13+ kills to unlock. 10 kills at 10% is more than enough I would say.

This would mean they still end up doing more “unlocking” work than every one else, but not as much as they currently have to do.

BTW, I DID sweat through all this current rate of unlocking. So it’s too late for me to be aided by something like this. But it might help others to NOT be disheartened by the daunting task of just unlocking.

Your GENUINE thoughts on this?

In GW it’s profession, not class.

Elementalists may have 60 skills to unlock, but that’s far from the double of all other professions, since they also have only 5 weapons.
Warriors, for example, have 49.
Engineers are the ones that have it easier, since they only have to unlock 17 weapon skills.
But that also means they have less skills to choose from. But well, they also have toolbelt skills they don’t have to unlock, so it’s even easier for them.

Still, I’d rather have more skills to unlock and more choices than only 17 weapon skills unless I use kits.

MithranArkanere.8957:

In GW it’s profession, not class.

Elementalists may have 60 skills to unlock, but that’s far from the double of all other professions, since they also have only 5 weapons.
Warriors, for example, have 49.
Engineers are the ones that have it easier, since they only have to unlock 17 weapon skills.
But that also means they have less skills to choose from. But well, they also have toolbelt skills they don’t have to unlock, so it’s even easier for them.

Still, I’d rather have more skills to unlock and more choices than only 17 weapon skills unless I use kits.

Even if you had 100 skills, let’s be real here, you’d only choose 1 combination, maybe 2 if you can weapon swap. I understand & agree to this point where as an elementalist will change over to other attunements hence making them more versatile in situations. Slightly faster unlocks would be nice. I already have mine at 80 so wouldn’t help me but I can see it aiding a new user. Regardless, the skills will be learned in full completion at a low enough level that you’ll have plenty of time to decide how you like to play it before you hit 80 =)

yeah, the ele is a really fun class, but i was put off from it more than once during the betas because of the incredibly lengthy skill unlock system. considering that eles are no fun until you have all skills on all attunements, it makes for a really “grindy” experience to unlock everything.

I think if you try unlockign weapon skills later (via using a new weapon at a higher level area), the skills unlock much faster. I noticed my underwater skill 5 for my speargun on my thief filled up from 0 to 100% instantly when I killed a lvl30 fish.

I believe the weapon skill locks are intended to prevent you from being swamped at the start of the game, nothing more.

Personally I think the skill unlocks are rather quick already. Granted Eles have to unlock them 4 times, I gained all 5 skills from any combo on my thief within just a few minutes. Getting every single skill unlocked would take me probably 30 minutes (Not trying to brag, its just its literlly that easy.)

unlocking them at higher levels makes it go faster. In fact after a certain level a single kill will unlock each skill.

Leinahtan.7160:

I think if you try unlockign weapon skills later (via using a new weapon at a higher level area), the skills unlock much faster. I noticed my underwater skill 5 for my speargun on my thief filled up from 0 to 100% instantly when I killed a lvl30 fish.

I believe the weapon skill locks are intended to prevent you from being swamped at the start of the game, nothing more.

but it takes far too long with the ele, and the ele is incredibly boring when you can’t change attunements because you need to unlock skills to a specific attunement. whereas most people need to unlock 5 skills in a weapon combo, and by the time they get a second weapon combo they’re high level enough to make it go faster, the ele has to unlock 20 skills per weapon combo. it takes eles 4 times as long to get the skills he needs to make the game actually fun.

Catisa.6507:

unlocking them at higher levels makes it go faster. In fact after a certain level a single kill will unlock each skill.

yeah, but before you get to that level, you have to grind for weapon skills, or be severely kittened.

Killing like 5 mobs to unlock the next skill is not really grinding, You would have hated playing GW1 unlocking skills on there was harder, took lots of time even endgame areas to finish a build, and! it cost a lot of money after so many skills. They made it so kitten easy on GW2. Thinking about it… They made it to easy.

BrunoBRS.5178:

Catisa.6507:

unlocking them at higher levels makes it go faster. In fact after a certain level a single kill will unlock each skill.

yeah, but before you get to that level, you have to grind for weapon skills, or be severely kittened.

really?
i played my elementalist with only fire attunement until i was like level 25 >.< and didn’t feel crippled or whatever. so its possible! to wait til later to unlock the other attunement skills.

DinoDoll.3682:

BrunoBRS.5178:

Catisa.6507:

unlocking them at higher levels makes it go faster. In fact after a certain level a single kill will unlock each skill.

yeah, but before you get to that level, you have to grind for weapon skills, or be severely kittened.

really?
i played my elementalist with only fire attunement until i was like level 25 >.< and didn’t feel crippled or whatever. so its possible! to wait til later to unlock the other attunement skills.

if you want to play with daggers, you’ll be switching attunements every other second.

not to mention, the ele is designed around the ability to switch attunements, you’re far more effective when doing so.

Akasuki Murakami.1634:

Killing like 5 mobs to unlock the next skill is not really grinding, You would have hated playing GW1 unlocking skills on there was harder, took lots of time even endgame areas to finish a build, and! it cost a lot of money after so many skills. They made it so kitten easy on GW2. Thinking about it… They made it to easy.

GW1 didn’t even need skill points. by the time you cared enough to spend them, you’d have 100+. the real issue was the money, but 8plat for 7 skills + signet of capture, then 20 minutes to get to the boss, kill, and steal, is pretty easy.

that’s assuming you weren’t going to use PvE skills, which were pretty much free.