Guild Wars 2

Carrying and creating multiple sets of weapons and armour to change builds really isn’t feasible in game at the moment and I would like to suggest the following:

Once created, Exotic and Ascended Weapons/Armour can gain selectable stat choices by adding appropriate Insignia.

So for example, once an Ascended Berserker chest piece has been created, if a celestial insignia is added, thereafter the piece can be changed to either berserker or Celestial.
As further insignia are added, their stat choice become available up to (insert appropriate number here) selections and the wearer can (when out of combat)change at will.

Wouldn’t this idea somewhat invalidate the idea of legendary weapons (and armour)? The idea for legendaries (aside from the aesthetic side of things) is the added bonus and convenience of stat-swapping.

Allowing ascended to do the same would seem like a kick-in-the-teeth for people who bought or crafted legendaries for this purpose.

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Wouldn’t this idea somewhat invalidate the idea of legendary weapons (and armour)? The idea for legendaries (aside from the aesthetic side of things) is the added bonus and convenience of stat-swapping.

Allowing ascended to do the same would seem like a kick-in-the-teeth for people who bought or crafted legendaries for this purpose.

To a certain extent, yes it would however as I indicated the number of stats available could be limited to say 4 or 5 and for a full set of armour for example, you would still need to craft or purchase 6 Insignia (which are not cheap) for each additional stat combination you wanted to add – so legendaries would still be far superior.

With more content requiring build diversity, the current situation of having to carry around several full sets of armour just isn’t workable, so something needs to be done.

Perhaps stat-changeable gear is expensive for a reason, as it circumvents the need to have multiple copies of the same weapon with different stats… meaning more inventory space is required, meaning more gem-store sales of bag-slot expanders?

EDIT: My point being, sure I totally agree that your suggestion is directly beneficial to the playing community. It’s a nice suggestion, for us. But almost everything has a knock-on effect regarding A-net’s profits, and largely game decisions have to be viewed in this way. Is it beneficial enough to the community to compromise A-net’s expenses, and to possibly upset the “legendary” community?

Daroon.1736:

Carrying and creating multiple sets of weapons and armour to change builds really isn’t feasible in game at the moment and I would like to suggest the following:

Once created, Exotic and Ascended Weapons/Armour can gain selectable stat choices by adding appropriate Insignia.

So for example, once an Ascended Berserker chest piece has been created, if a celestial insignia is added, thereafter the piece can be changed to either berserker or Celestial.
As further insignia are added, their stat choice become available up to (insert appropriate number here) selections and the wearer can (when out of combat)change at will.

I agree with your problem statement. I don’t necessarily agree with your solution. If I might restate the issue:

Fixed-stat equipment discourages experimentation and locks people into builds, exactly when the community/anet would prefer that people change them. It would be better for the game if it were simpler and easier to change stats (and maintain the runes/sigils/etc).

So I would prefer to see a vendor that showed your gear and allowed you to check your armor pieces, weapons, etc and allowed you to pick a new prefix. The vendor would then tell you how much it would cost, in gold, mats (or insignia/inscript), spirit shards, and ecto. You’d be asked to confirm the costs and then voila, done.

That way, you wouldn’t have to remove all armor, figure out how to replace runes/sigils, and have to go through the process of locating the various vendors/crafting stations and then head to the forge.

tl;dr it would be good for the game if it were easier (although not cheaper) to change ascended stats.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Daroon.1736:

Carrying and creating multiple sets of weapons and armour to change builds really isn’t feasible in game at the moment and I would like to suggest the following:

Once created, Exotic and Ascended Weapons/Armour can gain selectable stat choices by adding appropriate Insignia.

So for example, once an Ascended Berserker chest piece has been created, if a celestial insignia is added, thereafter the piece can be changed to either berserker or Celestial.
As further insignia are added, their stat choice become available up to (insert appropriate number here) selections and the wearer can (when out of combat)change at will.

I agree with your problem statement. I don’t necessarily agree with your solution. If I might restate the issue:

Fixed-stat equipment discourages experimentation and locks people into builds, exactly when the community/anet would prefer that people change them. It would be better for the game if it were simpler and easier to change stats (and maintain the runes/sigils/etc).

So I would prefer to see a vendor that showed your gear and allowed you to check your armor pieces, weapons, etc and allowed you to pick a new prefix. The vendor would then tell you how much it would cost, in gold, mats (or insignia/inscript), spirit shards, and ecto. You’d be asked to confirm the costs and then voila, done.

That way, you wouldn’t have to remove all armor, figure out how to replace runes/sigils, and have to go through the process of locating the various vendors/crafting stations and then head to the forge.

tl;dr it would be good for the game if it were easier (although not cheaper) to change ascended stats.

We seem to be in agreement but you misunderstand my suggestion – think of it this way…

When you create a Piece of Armour instead of using one (lets say celestial) insignia, you use five – Berserker, celestial, assassins etc – thereafter any insignia you have used (or added at a later date) allows that stat combination to be selected.

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Perhaps stat-changeable gear is expensive for a reason, as it circumvents the need to have multiple copies of the same weapon with different stats… meaning more inventory space is required, meaning more gem-store sales of bag-slot expanders?

EDIT: My point being, sure I totally agree that your suggestion is directly beneficial to the playing community. It’s a nice suggestion, for us. But almost everything has a knock-on effect regarding A-net’s profits, and largely game decisions have to be viewed in this way. Is it beneficial enough to the community to compromise A-net’s expenses, and to possibly upset the “legendary” community?

Whilst your points are certainly valid, I would suggest that in reality the number of players that have actually purchased bag slots specifically to currently carry around multiple sets of armour is negligible.

With regard to legendaries (and armour in particular) at the current rate, (assuming 1 piece per raid wing) it’s likely to be a couple of years before anyone even has access to a full suit.

ANet is actively moving away from quality of life/non-hardcore gameplay.

Don’t expect them to EVER consider implementing something like this. They want the game to be as frustrating and difficult to play as possible for the average player.

How about an interim solution so that the free stat swap for legendary weapons won’t feel too watered down? Something like making the stat change like a return ticket. Change to the stat of the insignia + a free change to its original stats. After that the insignia would have to be forged in the piece once again.

This would let the legendary weapons keep its additional bonus next to the skin and let ANet have a bone to keep the grind (if this was indeed their future envisioned gameplay mode).

Today I saw people discussing their builds in map chat. Everyone described their character as {gear prefix} {class}

Compare that to GW1. I played a monk. When someone asked what I ran, I said “a monk”. When someone wanted a healing monk, that’s what I usually played. When someone wanted a protection monk, I switched my my weapon and headgear to prot magic, then I ran a prot build. When someone wanted a smite monk I looked at them funny as smite builds were questionable, then switched my weapon and headgear to a smite build. The rest of my equipment worked well with any build.

I can’t do that in GW2. Berserker gear is good for running a glass-cannon power DPS build. But it’s not useful for glass-cannon condition DPS, healer or tanky builds.

I want to have that full build freedom back. I want GW2 to be at the stage where if someone says they run a class in PvE, then they can run all of the builds that class can run. I want to be able to tweak my entire build after a failed run, not be forced to stick with most of the build I’m running because it’s going to take me a month to replace all that gear. Yes, I know about the recipe to change ascended stats. But that recipe isn’t much help when my current gear is the best choice for other content I regularly run.

I want ANET to have the freedom to be able to design content where players are expected to change builds part way through. Eg, start with low toughness enemies which are best killed with power DPS. Later on, high DPS enemies that are best killed through condition DPS or a section where players just need to focus on surviving incoming damage.
I don’t want ANET to be limited to having to design content around players keeping the same builds that they use in all the other raids, because that’s the only gear they have.

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Wouldn’t this idea somewhat invalidate the idea of legendary weapons (and armour)? The idea for legendaries (aside from the aesthetic side of things) is the added bonus and convenience of stat-swapping.

Allowing ascended to do the same would seem like a kick-in-the-teeth for people who bought or crafted legendaries for this purpose.

As compensation give Legendaries, and only Legendaries, stat combinations with +magic find. That way legendary users get the option of making the game harder by reducing the stats that help in combat, in exchange for increased rewards. To prevent the toxicity that existed when we had MF gear, make it apply to players fighting alongside the guy using the MF gear. Everyone in the instance for instanced content, everyone doing the same event for open world content.

Let players decide how much harder they want to make a game for themselves.

I joined GW2 at launch. Back when Legendary weapons were equal in stats to exotics (but often with a different stat prefix). I agreed with ANET then. I liked the idea that Legendary weapons were only a cosmetic change over exotics.

When ascended weapons came along, I supported bringing legendaries up to Ascended stats. I never had any problem with Legendaries being the top of the pile stat-wise.

Then I left GW2 for a while and came back to Legendaries having stat changing. Why did they get a mechanical advantage over ascended gear ?

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Perhaps stat-changeable gear is expensive for a reason, as it circumvents the need to have multiple copies of the same weapon with different stats… meaning more inventory space is required, meaning more gem-store sales of bag-slot expanders?

I expect ANET to be honest about the full price of GW2. If a microtransaction isn’t optional, then that is a problem because anyone buying GW2 would be right to expect the box price to be the full price. But a mandatory microtransaction means that the true cost is the box price plus the total microtransaction cost.

That means that ANET should provide all HoT owners with enough inventory space to carry as much gear as they might want to carry and still have enough room to pick up all loot drops. More bag slots should only be an option for players who have poor discipline around keeping the inventory clean.

Suggestion:

Move stats away from weapons and armor (keep just the weapon damage, and armor ratings). Move *all* the stat bonuses into the trinkets.

Weapons = damage + sigils + skin
Armor = Armor + runes + skin
Trinkets = Stats

If you want to change stats, you can change trinkets, if you want to change runes you can change armor set etc.

Makes it easier to adapt stats to a situation, as each trinket will have a larger impact on the stat total, and you need fewer pieces of trinkets to adapt with.

Main disadvantage is that you get slightly less fine tuning over stats, but I can’t really see that will be much problem (You’ll still have 6 pieces of trinkets, each with a tri stat combination, to mix as you wish).

This would completly invalidate the legendary armors. There is no way ANet would impliment this ever. Even if they were only limited to 4 – 5 stat combinations like you said.

Selectable stats from a limited pool would be very nice. We have now craft-able precursors. Arenanet could lift them to ascended items, where you can select 3-4 combination in between you want to switch. This would make the journey to a precursor more alluring.

Great suggestion.

I want to toggle my stats back and forth without having to create a zillion armour pieces :/

Nephziel.6053:

This would completly invalidate the legendary armors. There is no way ANet would impliment this ever. Even if they were only limited to 4 – 5 stat combinations like you said.

Legendary weapons did not have selectable stats for quite some time and people still crafted them. I would suggest that most players craft them for their ‘prestige’ and looks and see selectable stats are seen as a nice bonus.

As for armour; as I indicated in a previous reply, it’s likely to be some considerable time before any player has a full set, so now is the perfect time to make the changes needed to introduce an armour system that provides the tools for players to change builds ‘on the fly’

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Wouldn’t this idea somewhat invalidate the idea of legendary weapons (and armour)? The idea for legendaries (aside from the aesthetic side of things) is the added bonus and convenience of stat-swapping.

Allowing ascended to do the same would seem like a kick-in-the-teeth for people who bought or crafted legendaries for this purpose.

Ugh, I guess it would in a way, but it is a pain in the behind.

Honestly, I think they should at least make ascended weaps and armour stats changeable in the same way as legendary weap’s currently are.

I would hope most people made/bought their legendary weaps primarily for the unique (and extra fancy) skins and effects; not, primarily, for the changeable stats?

So, wouldn’t mind, too much.

Some of them may well also be using ascended armour and/or weaps, so it would benefit them too.

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Perhaps stat-changeable gear is expensive for a reason, as it circumvents the need to have multiple copies of the same weapon with different stats… meaning more inventory space is required, meaning more gem-store sales of bag-slot expanders?

EDIT: My point being, sure I totally agree that your suggestion is directly beneficial to the playing community. It’s a nice suggestion, for us. But almost everything has a knock-on effect regarding A-net’s profits, and largely game decisions have to be viewed in this way. Is it beneficial enough to the community to compromise A-net’s expenses, and to possibly upset the “legendary” community?

The thing is, much as I am sure they would like to, Anet can’t have it every which way…

When exotic armour stats were the highest available and legendaries had the same stats as exotics, of course they could then expect people to buy lots of extra bag slots, to lug all their alternative (easily found/cheaply bought/made) exotic gear around with them.

However, as soon as they chose to add ascended armour and weaps (and made legendary weaps equally powerful), this “Just buy more bag slots!” position of theirs started to fall apart…

As, who on earth wants to swap out of their (rarely found/expensive to make) ascended weaps/armour into exotics, again?

Even if the exotics do have the more appropriate stat combination, of the five billion stat combos available (don’t get me started!).

Once you introduce a better option, no one wants to go back to the less good option.

…and then, this “alternative” they have offered us, of changing the stats at the forge, while just about OK as a one-time-only thing, before we have added sigils and other expensive upgrades to them, is not OK as a regular thing.

It’s incredibly cumbersome, because it requires you to make and/or buy 4 different items (which you have to remember, or look up again, each time), be next to a mystic forge and not mind losing and having to replace both your sigils and two other upgrades (in the case of a two handed weapon).

No one is going to want to do that, if they can possibly avoid it.

So, almost no one is going to do WvW, say, with one set of stats on an ascended weapon and then happily change their stats for raiding and then back again, in the same day (or even in the same week).

Most people probably aren’t going to change their stats regularly at all, others will try to avoid doing activities where they feel they have to change them and the few who do change them with any regularity are, almost certainly, going to be increasingly annoyed about having to.

Also, where on earth are our saved gear sets?

No one should have to change every single piece of gear manually, in this day and age.

“Even if the exotics do have the more appropriate stat combination, of the five billion stat combos available (don’t get me started!).”

Agreed, the whole system is currently far too complex for its own good.
The argument here would be for total freedom in stat selection – here’s 300 points, assign them as you please – job done, but that’s a whole other discussion.