Guild Wars 2

Do you foresee the addition of more skills for each already existing weapon, or at the moment are you content with keeping it the way it is with only one set of skills per weapon?

Jonathan: The big thing right now is that we’re trying to keep it focused on content. You guys will see that a lot of the patches coming out in the future will be really focused on a lot of new content that we’re trying to do. One thing we want to do right now, though, is that we want to keep the number of skills on weapons the same. What we’re really trying to do, as far as balance goes, is really focus on trait revisions. We feel that traits open up a lot of the weapons for a lot of the classes. And the reason for this is that some of the classes don’t have as many viable options, maybe in PvE, or specifically in dungeons, or PvP or WvW. What we’re basically seeing is that some of the classes have one or two viable builds. And a lot of the times it’s the traits that help open up viable builds for people. So right now we’re focusing more on traits and less on the weapons themselves, but in the future that could be something we do – add more stuff to them.
from reading the answers to this question and the other one about adding new weapons here what I think is on A-net table after adding the new story content.

1-Fix traits to make each class has more than 2 viable builds.
2-Add existing weapons to the class that don’t have them.
3-Add new weapons (expansion).
4-Add new skills to weapons(if players cry for more skills).

What do you think, because adding more skills(not now in the future as long they will do it) is what is going to keep me playing and invest my time in GW2.

>1-Fix traits to make each class has more than 2 viable builds.

This one’s going to take some years.

If this is indeed their approach to build diversity (no link to a source was provided), then it’s a bit disheartening.

First, traits (as they’re currently implemented) pigeonhole us down specific trait lines (i.e. greatsword warrior is almost always going to put points into the Arms trait line).

Second, the diversity they offer is marginal (a greatsword warrior is going to play pretty much exactly like every other greatsword warrior).

Third, the fact that there are still bugged traits – traits that don’t work as intended or don’t work at all – almost eight months after release tells me the process of actually adjusting traits (changing them to make more builds viable) is going to take a very long time.

darkace.8925:

If this is indeed their approach to build diversity (no link to a source was provided), then it’s a bit disheartening.

First, traits (as they’re currently implemented) pigeonhole us down specific trait lines (i.e. greatsword warrior is almost always going to put points into the Arms trait line).

Second, the diversity they offer is marginal (a greatsword warrior is going to play pretty much exactly like every other greatsword warrior).

Third, the fact that there are still bugged traits – traits that don’t work as intended or don’t work at all – almost eight months after release tells me the process of actually adjusting traits (changing them to make more builds viable) is going to take a very long time.

The quote is real, it was from a reddit AMA and I remember it clearly.

Source before another Quote war starts is here

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/news/1109-qa-with-jonathan-sharp-and-jon-peters/

I don’t know why people are so ready to crucify Arenanet.

The biggest issue in this game right now is build diversity and it’s threatening the game’s future because, surprise, not everyone wants to play a Berzerker Warrior or a Mesmer. They’re right in identifying this as a #1 priority.

Also, no. It won’t take years. It’s a simple matter of numbers adjustment, which just takes balance. Take the Thief trait that gives you 2s of Quickness on critical. It has a 10% proc chance and a 60-second cooldown. That’s ridiculous. 2s of the newly-nerfed Quickness is a joke, and the 60-second cooldown is the punch-line. Do we need months of work to fix this trait? No. We need the Quickness to last 3s, and the cooldown to be 30 seconds. Now we have a new, awesome trait. That would take me literally 10 minutes to edit the code, if that.

Now, if we can just get them to admit that utility skills and elite skills are broken, we’re set!

actually zerker mesmer is good only for cof1

Guardian and warriors are all you need.

Nice they noticed……

Just a thing…
If you look the interview you see them discussing how some classes are strong somewhere and bleeds in other game modes…

I m not english native speaker so i can t get what does “bleed” means in that sentence…could anybody help?

If we had hundreds of working trait lines then I’d agree, no skills really need to be added, but unfortunately -

Imagine a Guardian Trait that makes GS skills ranged, Elementalist Trait that makes all water skills burn, etc…

I wouldn’t add new weapon skills to already existing weapons in the game.

But you could add entire new weapons with there own skills.

Probably a lot of work though…

You could have:-

Morningstar
Broadsword
Crossbow
Longsword
Shortsword
Net

You could add loads really but all those extra skills, plus all the different types, plus making the different skins would be a big undertaking…

Anets probably right in getting whats in now 100% and bringing out new content…

I think each weapon should have multiple skill choices in a slot. Would be good to make a greatsword condition damage or power damage or crit damage, if the skill applies bleed, or vul, or multihit.

If each weapon had 3 choices for slot 1 skill, and 3 different choices for slot 2 etc.

I am sure a thief would change pistol 1 from bleed damage in an unload build to a multi hit skill as an example.

Also on a note about weapon skills, cross class utilities would be an idea, instead of taking an elite you can take a utility skill of a secondary profession (as long as you paid your skill points to unlock the profession and the skill you want).

It would be another way of implementing multiple skills without adding more skills to the game. A warrior with shadow refuge, or a thief with mist form. But it costs an elite slot to take so would still be weaker than a pure class with utilities and its elite.

I’m bothered by this, not because I insist on getting new skills for existing weapons, but because some of the balance problems are coming directly from skills and not from traits.

In particular, the refire speed issue on some of the #1 skills is causing a lot of problems this implies they aren’t even looking at that.

Disappointing, to be sure.

Assyrian.4827:

1-Fix traits to make each class has more than 2 viable builds.

Professions do have more than 2 viable builds, and I guarantee you there are players who are running with any possible trait combination you can imagine and are having a great time. Not sure what you mean by “viable,” but to me it means “can get the job done, clear content, be competitive to some extent, and not die every 2 seconds.” Maybe that requires filling a niche role that they excel at, or being a jack of all trades who might depend on others for support, I don’t know.
“Viable” does not mean being the best at everything, or doing the most DPS in a CoF Path 1 ten-minute run. That’s for tools, who would probably find better opportunities to express their toolhood in other games.

I think they’re doing real work on traits and skills currently, specifically in terms of how they function in different environments like PvE, PvP, and WvW. They have hinted at “skill separation” already — basically, I guess this means a skill’s damage or utility might be slightly altered depending on what game mode you’re currently in. Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of that idea, but if they do it in a way that is clear and easy to recognize/understand, it could work.

Assyrian.4827:

2-Add existing weapons to the class that don’t have them.

I think this is a likelihood, though not in the immediate future. Perhaps the first expansion will introduce this, though I’d bet we’re at least a few months away from so much as an announcement of one.

Assyrian.4827:

3-Add new weapons (expansion).

I think they will maximize the potential of what weapon types we have, and delay adding new weapons as much as humanly possible. Not saying it will never happen, but it will be later as opposed to sooner. Maybe in the second or third expansion, but of course that’s just my guess.

Assyrian.4827:

4-Add new skills to weapons(if players cry for more skills).

Not sure this will ever happen, frankly. Weapons and skills are designed to function a certain way. We can already play a drastically different character, simply by changing weapons, utilities, gear and traits. Adding swappable skills within weapons complicates the customization process and doesn’t really add any functionality that wouldn’t be available elsewhere.
Weapon skills are the one constant ArenaNet has in a huge salad of variables, for each profession. I think giving players the opportunity to mess around with even these would bog the devs down with more headaches and balance issues. If you think balancing and viability are an issue now, I don’t see how changing weapons’ skills would improve that.

LordByron.8369:

actually zerker mesmer is good only for cof1

Guardian and warriors are all you need.

Nice they noticed……

Just a thing…
If you look the interview you see them discussing how some classes are strong somewhere and bleeds in other game modes…

I m not english native speaker so i can t get what does “bleed” means in that sentence…could anybody help?

I AM an English native speaker and I didn’t understand what he meant, either, so don’t feel bad.

Bleed means to cross over (to have an effect) to a degree that is noticeable. Warriors are good in pve and some wvw =The warriors effectiveness in pve bleeds over to some extent in wvw. An example of non game usage is when you put red colors in with whites in the wash and the red “bleeds” onto your whites.

killcannon.2576:

Bleed means to cross over (to have an effect) to a degree that is noticeable. Warriors are good in pve and some wvw =The warriors effectiveness in pve bleeds over to some extent in wvw. An example of non game usage is when you put red colors in with whites in the wash and the red “bleeds” onto your whites.

Well, then that’s a horrible use of the term if that’s what he’s saying. Read this excerpt from the interview:

“The ele is the PvP extremely powerful at evasion right now. But even then, he bleeds into WvW, he is adamantly not useful in PvE as a damage mitigator.”

That makes no sense at all to me, even ignoring the typos/grammar.

Essentially the mechanics in pve versus mobs (as opposed to the mechanics of fighting other players) are not as favorable to an elementalist. Currently ele’s are on the hate list of spvp because they can cleanse and heal so well, and also do some damage at the same time. Makes them hard to deal with in that environment. In wvw, they still have some of what makes them so great in spvp, but not as much. In dungeons, they are a decidedly weaker class than in either spvp or wvw.

So if we say that an ele is 100% effective in spvp, some of that 100% “bleeds” over to wvw because the mechanics are still pretty close, and much less of that effectiveness “bleeds” over to pve, because the mechanics are pretty different.

The warrior has the opposite problem. They are very effective in pve, sorta effective in wvw, and decidedly weaker in spvp. Some classes are good all around, and others follow either the ele or warrior example.

killcannon.2576:

Essentially the mechanics in pve versus mobs (as opposed to the mechanics of fighting other players) are not as favorable to an elementalist. Currently ele’s are on the hate list of spvp because they can cleanse and heal so well, and also do some damage at the same time. Makes them hard to deal with in that environment. In wvw, they still have some of what makes them so great in spvp, but not as much. In dungeons, they are a decidedly weaker class than in either spvp or wvw.

So if we say that an ele is 100% effective in spvp, some of that 100% “bleeds” over to wvw because the mechanics are still pretty close, and much less of that effectiveness “bleeds” over to pve, because the mechanics are pretty different.

The warrior has the opposite problem. They are very effective in pve, sorta effective in wvw, and decidedly weaker in spvp. Some classes are good all around, and others follow either the ele or warrior example.

I understand what you’re saying.

Still think it’s a poor choice of words. Even if he’s trying to say "Yeah, we really hosed that one…warriors rock in PvE but they blow chunks in WvW.

Personally, I’d like to see more skills attributed to our weapons. However, if they won’t do that, then many traits need to be reworked to provide the variety they so want from them. There are some great traits like Juggernaut and Kit Refinement that change the way you use skills and the way they act (I’m an Eng, sry for the Eng examples). They add variety and dynamics. Other traits like “weapon x deals y% more damage” or “increase range of weapon z” are boring and, while useful, don’t exactly add that variety of gameplay style traits are supposed to bring.

I really wished for more skill choices on weapons. I must have created hundreds of forum threads, replies, reddit posts.
I cannot comprehend why Anet limits us players like this. If the game is supposed to be newb-friendly and easy, no harm is done to newbs if they had the possibility to change their skills.

To this day I have not received a response from officials.

i think locking the weapon skill is the thing that limiting this game to many endless possibility. people will get excited over obtaining new skills, and be somewhat content to play to get that skill… i doubt a job advancement or cross job will ever be allowed.. but they have to add more skill for us to use for the long run.. so people wont leave because of boredom over repeating same cycle of skills .