Guild Wars 2

So I was talking with some players in another thread about trying to make the game a bit more helpful to new players when an interesting side rail popped up that I thought could use a bit more light.

phys.7689:

DiazKincade.2891:

~As to the “heal spec being no good” that is because healing power is broken. It scales so horribly with most skills its crazy, but again balancing that is a very slippery slope.

solution is to change the healing stat to a support stat, and have it somehow make them better with boons as well. This would actually make high end players possibly want support statted players.
for increased stats, and utility.

I might make it a lingering effect on certain types of support effects. For example new rule, any time, you give boons, heal or remove conditions, you get this effect which enhances boon effects that scales based on your support stat for a limited time (differs with whether its a heal/boon/or condition removed)

just as an example
aegis: a certain % of the next dmg is ignored this seemed odd to me but not sure what could be an alternative here
might: increased power from might ~Edit~Increased condi damage as well
fury: increased crit dmg
protection: increased condition mitigation
regeneration: reduces condition duration
Stability: scaling quickness
swiftness: chance of glancing blows
vigor: reduces evasion costs

see the key here is that the healing stat isn’t helping people support that well because healing is not meant to be a heavy means of support. Healing is generally not what most support builds are about. By having a support stat, and system which, when timed well, and managed improves every one in the parties ability to make use of their boons, you then make the support role/stat more interesting, and more desired, though not totally OP. After all while he is boosting your boons, they have to have boons, and its for limited time after they actively do some support action, not to mention they are generally having to give up some stats that are also extremely useful.

The concepts that this person brought up could potentially allow healing power to actually be more useful. The points they brought up are also fairly accurate as well. The question is, as I stated, balancing this is a very slippery slope. I was wondering though what the opinion of other players are on this possible idea? What tweaks would you see necessary to make this work with more balance in mind?

Talonblaze brought up an interesting alternative to the above mentioned.

An interesting idea, but it suffers greatly from the power creep. instead the Support Power should make existing stats for boons, like regeneration based on such effectiveness.
Swiftness Speed % is based on it.
How much power and condition from each Might stack is dependent.
Protection’s damage reduction % is also touched.
Fury has its % changed accordingly.
Regeneration can stay as it is, given how its already affected by this.
Stabilty, given its scarcity I don’t think should be touched by this change.
Vigor’s endurance regeneration increase would also be scaled.

Not only would this make spamming boons a bit less powerful, but it would give Support classes even more reason to play their style as it means alot more benefit from boons, much like the opposite of condition users.

An interesting idea, but it suffers greatly from the power creep. instead the Support Power should make existing stats for boons, like regeneration based on such effectiveness.
Swiftness Speed % is based on it.
How much power and condition from each Might stack is dependent.
Protection’s damage reduction % is also touched.
Fury has its % changed accordingly.
Regeneration can stay as it is, given how its already affected by this.
Stabilty, given its scarcity I don’t think should be touched by this change.
Vigor’s endurance regeneration increase would also be scaled.

Not only would this make spamming boons a bit less powerful, but it would give Support classes even more reason to play their style as it means alot more benefit from boons, much like the opposite of condition users.

Talonblaze.3175:

An interesting idea, but it suffers greatly from the power creep. instead the Support Power should make existing stats for boons, like regeneration based on such effectiveness.
Swiftness Speed % is based on it.
How much power and condition from each Might stack is dependent.
Protection’s damage reduction % is also touched.
Fury has its % changed accordingly.
Regeneration can stay as it is, given how its already affected by this.
Stabilty, given its scarcity I don’t think should be touched by this change.
Vigor’s endurance regeneration increase would also be scaled.

Not only would this make spamming boons a bit less powerful, but it would give Support classes even more reason to play their style as it means alot more benefit from boons, much like the opposite of condition users.

Yeah exactly. I was just posting what the other guy had mentioned because I thought it could spark some great ideas. I realize balance is a key issue here and I agree that since regen is already effected by healing power that there is no need to effect it further. I thought the concept they gave for protection would be useful to help counter conditions as aside from cleansing them there is no way to mitigate the damage done, which in a pvp/wvw standpoint becomes difficult to balance but given some of the over the top pve condi that a few mobs are capable of it could help there. That said it might not be needed that much do the cleanses being fairly easy to come by.

Thank you for your ideas and input. In my opinion ideas like these would be very beneficial to opening up new build concepts and play styles that actually have an impact in high tier content.