Guild Wars 2

Which will increase the rate of your attack and decrease casting time, like how quickness work. This will create many interesting builds which will help diversify the game’s meta. I’d like to see this as an option, but I’d also like to hear what others think of it. Thanks for reading.

I’m wary about adding another stat, particularly one that overlaps so heavily with others.

See, I’m not sure it would change the meta in a meaningful way. It’s basically another DPS stat, like Power or Precision. The highest DPS builds will still be the highest with Agility, so people will just figure out what gives them more bang for their buck between power/agility/precision/ferocity and that will be the new Zerker. Condition builds, tank builds, and support builds will either ignore the new stat, or fall behind if they can’t use it effectively, but it’s hard to picture the other stats benefiting from it more than a pure power build would.

Improving how support stats scale, like Healing Power, might improve their usefulness, but actually getting people to diversify can depend on how mechanics are actually used. High-toughness enemies (Husks for example,) make Condition Damage more useful, while sustained, difficult-to-dodge AoE damage (see: fire wyverns,) makes it more difficult for glass cannons.

What does “the game’s meta” actually mean?

No, seriously, the word ‘meta’ is so over-used these days I have no idea what this suggestion is about.

Here, the OP is meaning the general variety of what people play. That could be what people play competitively, optimally, or in general, but I don’t think the suggestion really changes meaning regardless of what scope you’re looking at.

There’s plenty of debate about what the meta is, whether it matters, or whether it’s actually out of balance, and I don’t really have an opinion on that, since I don’t min/max or play competitively. (I agree that “meta” gets thrown around an awful lot, especially in ways that are either confused or confusing. It’s an easy concept to grasp in theory, but a harder concept to actually work with.)

sounds like you want a Chronomancer . Just put down time warp back to back and use a shatter build so Alacrity is always up making your skills recharge faster

My two cents, Agility sounds potentally game breaking.

I don’t see how this would create fun builds.

It would just break the design of like half of the game’s skills and great an even more spammy and less counterplay focused combat model.

You do realize quickness was nerfed to half of its previous bonus for this exact reason right? It used to go twice as fast. It quickly turned in to a game where it was a mandatory buff for doing pretty much anything.

Not all boons need to be attributes. Sure, we have things like fury and might that directly tie into attributes/stats. These are quite easily accessible for most professions.

Things like quickness are far less accessible, and when they are, the buff only lasts a few seconds and are on long cool-downs. Having access to constant fast-casting and reduced cool-downs would make a lot of things redundant regardins skills and builds.

Quickness can be absolutely deadly to fight against, but, considering it’s a boon from a skill, it can be interrupted. This allows counter-play and ultimately makes things interesting.

What benefit does “agility” add to the game, and at what cost? A whole rebalance would be needed if such a thing was to be added- is it really worth it?

I think being able to scale damage through attack speed instead of the crit+crit damage combo is a useful alternative. It shouldn’t be able achieve the same damage since you aren’t investing in as many stats but overall it seems okay to me. On the other hand making a new stat combo that is power, precision, ferocity, agility would be very stupid.

Dual.8953:

My two cents, Agility sounds potentally game breaking.

I agree with this – I think this is why it’s been included as a temporary boon instead of a full-time stat. There’s most likely a reason why Alacrity is only 3/4 seconds per illusion with the shatter trait for example.