But there is more work to be done. I posted this next paragraph in another thread, but would like to elaborate on it here with an idea.
“Personally, if I had to gripe about something, it would be about trait tiers. We used to unlock tiers as we leveled, spreading our points vertically through multiple lines until we unlocked the next tier. Now we unlock line slots instead, spreading horizontally through all the tiers until we unlock the next line slot. It’s the complete opposite direction. New players aren’t going to have any idea why the minors aren’t all together, or why the right column is called grandmaster even though you get access to it at low levels. The whole internal structure of a line needs some serious rejiggering before it makes sense again, and I don’t just mean the way it’s presented to the player.”
The columns are pretty interchangeable in their current state. It’s hard to nail down the differences between the major tiers, except the vague question of “How build-defining is it?” It’s a small question, though, because adepts are only slightly less important than grandmasters. The differences between the tier columns is vague enough to make exact trait placement feel arbitrary. You can’t mix X with Y, not because they overlap in functionality, but just…because.
I would like to see the whole minor/adept/master/gm setup replaced.
The current system is based mostly on synergy – skills that work well together are (usually) placed in different columns, so you can select them together. But if you’re focusing on giving players the most desirable combinations, why lock them into columns at all? If the different traits within a column are unlikely to be selected together in the first place, having a strict lock against such selection seems less like balancing and more like handholding.
Players generally build by choosing how much to focus on each mechanic that a line supports. This is exactly what I would like to see them trait selection rebuilt around.
A spec line would be broken up into multiple synergy chains, or sublines, and you spend points from a pool to choose how far to invest in each one. (Each spec would have its own point pool.)
Take Shadow Arts as an example. It focuses on stealth, healing, and venoms. And those three mechanics somewhat interact with each other. Healing is primary – it’s directly related to an attribute, and it doesn’t rely on specific skills. Stealth is secondary, since it’s connected to a profession mechanic. Venoms are tertiary, as they’re an optional skill type. Perfect. There’s no need to make them equal length. The primary mechanic can have the longest line, and the tertiary can stand to be the shortest.
If you choose Shadow Arts, you have a pool of points to split between Healing, Stealth, and Venoms. Spending points in a subline would (probably) unlock traits in a set order. The first traits you unlock from each are the most strongly tied to the spec line’s central theme, and are more likely to interact with the other mechanics, (specifically with those above them – any trait that interacts with both a universal mechanic and an optional one should be located within the optional mechanic’s line). The last traits in each line would tend to spin off into the more unique and powerful functions.
A lot of the current traits that feature multiple functions merged together could be split back up, which the different functions each having their own spot on the line.
For a heavy-handed remodel, it shouldn’t break as many builds as you might think, since it’s built around presenting trait functions in the way that players already tend to select them. I hope.