Not a thread of great import, but I started a new character when the patch hit, and I thought I’d share my experiences of levelling her to date (Asuran Ranger, currently level 41; no great reason on the choice of race/profession other than that I didn’t have that combination yet).
Within the confines of the new system, they’re (cautiously) positive. In fact, in one way, I think it’s possibly even a little too easy.
I’ve levelled my character this far via PvE and sPvP: map completions, PvE events,Tomes of Knowledge from doing my dailies in sPvP. I’ve been running her PS as episodes became available.
My biggest concern, before I started, was that I’d be struggling to decide where to spend precious Hero Points in order to get the Skills and Traits that I wanted (the more so because the Utility and Elite Skills I planned to spec were all in different Skill lines).
I made a point of picking up every map HP in Metrica Province, completed the map, then moved on to a couple more of the starting zones and got the HP from those as well. I don’t think it was actually essential.
One thing I hadn’t appreciated was that I would start with a few “racial” skills available, at no cost. They weren’t exactly mind-bending, but they weren’t to be sniffed at either, and they at least gave me something to work with. So I sat on my hard-earned HPs for a while as my utility skill slots started unlocking. I finally splashed out when I had 28HP or so, buying Signet of the Wild (2nd skill on the Signet line), which brought me Signet of the Hunt as well. Equipped both (SoH as useful to have).
Now we get to the bit which I think is almost too easy/good. Because by the time I unlocked my first Specialization at level 21, I still had 50HP+ in hand – enough to buy my full chosen Specialization, bar the last two GM traits. And the new system takes what I’d term a “horizontal” approach to traits compared to the “vertical” one of the old system. There’s no restriction on Traits according to character level. Within the Specializations you can have active, you can spec any Trait that you’ve already bought, up to and including GM. So – Bam! Level 20, no Traits. Level 21, a full Specialization. That is one BIG change. In lower-level zones, at least, suddenly I’m one-shotting half the stuff (hmm; that’s fun in its own way – but maybe not ideal). OK – as it happened, the Grandmaster trait I actually wanted was the first I couldn’t immediately afford, so the supply of HP did briefly constrain me a little; but it didn’t take much running around before I had the points to buy it And character progression is jerky now – nothing much for ages, then huge jumps forward at each of levels 21, 45 and 71. (Would I take the same approach again in future? Almost certainly. It seems to me that having a full Specialization will outweigh having precisely the right bar skills, in PvE at least, 99 times out of 100.)
And that was pretty much the end of any real HP bottle-neck – if there ever was one. Initially I carried on eking out my HPs with a view to buying my full next Specialization when it unlocks at level 45, but I had the points for that levels ago, and have already bought all the Traits I plan on using then. I’ve also bought and equipped my chosen Elite Skill, an alternate Healing Skill, and one of my two remaining, planned Utility Skills. I’m currently 8HP short of buying that last one – but that’s only because it’s deep in yet another Skill line; a penalty of my chosen build. When my second Specialization unlocks at level 45, I’ll be as fully specced on my planned Traits and Skills as the game permits. And when the third one unlocks at level 71, unless I radically change my plans it’s absolutely certain that I’ll be able to fill out that part of my build there and then.
I’d have to say that, if I hadn’t had a build in mind from the start, it would have been quite easy to spread HP far and wide with nothing greatly coherent to show for it initially; I had a build I was aiming at, and that most definitely helped.
But I can’t help feeling that there’s a diminishing returns effect on random spend anyway. With enough points to buy everything with points over by 80, it’s hard to imagine I wouldn’t be able to find something fairly usable at mid-to-higher levels, whatever I’d done.
Edit: I was indeed fully specced on my skills and first two Specializations when the second Specialization became available at 45. I actually completed all purchases for my full intended spec by level 51. So from that point onwards it’s all about such flexibility and choice as I feel the need for.
(edited by Doghouse.1562)