Anet, I love this game, but there is absolutely no question that a lot of time has been wasted on poorly thought out, communicated, and/or executed updates. Note that I am not railing against everything – there has been some pretty good stuff bundled in too, especially the overhaul to the LW this season and most aspects of the Wardrobe system.
With that out of the way, here:
Revert the trait changes and the skill gating and fix down-scaling once and for all. Unless you have plans to release new weapon skills, unlocking through use is both much more interesting and much more helpful since you always know when you get something new and were usually working toward that goal specifically. Slow down the speed a bit if you feel the need. Traits were something nobody complained about. The old system was both more compelling and more functional.
Release the old outfit pieces as they existed before the wardrobe update, even if they have to be completely recreated. The way this was handled for the wardrobe system was inexcusable, period. It’s obvious that outfits should just be integrated into the individual slots just as armor skins are.
Pay more attention to PvE balance issues (like downscaling, generic mob design, and weak autoattacks causing bad sustained DPS) and iterate on balance faster in all game modes. This does not need to be bundled with other “feature” patches. Taking months to release any major balance updates, and having those patches always be myopically focused on PvP gets very, very frustrating.
Release meaningful, permanent content much faster, whether it’s piecemeal or in an expansion. I don’t know what’s going on exactly, but most MMOs that are less successful than GW2 release significantly more new content in a given period of time. In two years, we’ve had 1.5 new maps, 1 new macro-dungeon, 0 weapon types, very few skills, 0 classes, 0 races, some quick story instances, and some halfway decent content that doesn’t matter anymore because it was temporary. That’s…… not good. At all. And it’s no wonder people are annoyed.
Focus on substantially expanding available skills. The changes made to traits should not have happened. Instead, the system should obviously have been used to expand on the selection of available skills. Using it for traits instead felt like a lazy bait-and-switch tactic. Balance is a concern, but it is a secondary concern to content. Balance will never be perfect and will always be iterated, anyway, so avoiding making new skills for the sake of balance concerns is not worthwhile. Having few skill options leads to stale, repetitive combat and a lack of investment in your toon.
Add more variety in armor models and more weapon types. That’s about all I have to say on that one. The graphics and models in this game are very good, just need more variety. New weapon types and expanded available weapons are badly needed at this point. Greataxe? Lance? Whip? Tome?
Guild Halls. Duh.
Realign the PS, keep the chapter organization, introduce a way to reset or replay PS episodes. I like that the PS and the LW align well now, that was one of best changes to happen in this year. But, I don’t know that it’s necessary to have all episodes in a given chapter unlock at the same time. They can still be organized into chapters but unlock as they did before. Being able to replay PS episodes would add a lot of value to the game, and see below. Also, add LWS1 to the story lineup. I’m sure this will be challenging, but please find a way to make it happen.
Introduce a companion sub-system that would be used only for instanced story content. You could even use existing characters for this (i.e. customize Marjory or Braham!). This would add a huge layer of depth and customization to the game and would substantially increase the replay value of story missions. You could have upgrades or cosmetic enhancements meant for NPCs be rewards for completing certain missions with them, etc. It would also be a good use of the home area.
Communicate more consistently and more clearly. I see various attempts to address this (Hi Gaile!, and thanks Chris!), but in the past it’s been too focused on one specific thing, too hand-wavy, or too buzz-wordy to take seriously. We just need more and better general communication that occurs on a daily basis. Hopefully this is getting better now.
(edited by Einlanzer.1627)