Guild Wars 2

I’d like to see what people have for thoughts about improved Character Progression Mechanics, and the ones, that we have now.
Are you pleased with Elite-Specs, how they work currently, or would you change something on that System and if yes, what exactly would you change on it??

Before I want to to write about Character Progression in itself, I want to stay first on what HoT did in regard of this for the Game so far and what I think about Elite-Specializations, Masteries and existing Stuff, how they got implemented.

Masteries

A nice System, but also currently a very lacking one in my opinion. It as great potential for expansion. So many areas, especially also significantly for older Maps in regard of Living World Changes that could be used to bring people back to revisit also the older maps through the addition of new Masteries also for older maps.
A problem do I have with them personally only, if they are linked to something like Advantures and you have to make them for Gold just to get Mastery Points, when Silver should be enough for the MP.
Gold is for people which like challenges and competitions, but character progression shouldn’t be standing in direct correlation to irrelevant Minigames!!

I can understand that HoT was just first the beginning, that it was used first to build up basically a foundation for the system, but I hope that Anet focuses now not only so much on making permanently only new Masteries, which are bonded always only to new Maps and their designs. They should look with that system also too, how they can make usage of it to give the game through it at the same time more character progression, but also quality of life improvements, because there exists simply said no better character Progession, then those ones, which are at the same time for the player also an improvement of comfort, QoL, time savings ect. or unlocks of new content, that wasn#t maybe in older maps there before to give people reasons to return to those maps also every now and then for some time. This counts for adding new achievements as well, when i think about it, that all maps, just like Silver Wastes and Dry Top should receive their very own Map Exploration Aachievements – but thats now an other topic

Elite Specializations

I think they could have been added by design in a better way – despite my dislikings of some of their silly sounding unfitting names – DH!, Daredevil, Tempest!, Scrapper that all sound liek thought out by a 10 year old and not like a profession/job.
What do I mean by this?

First of all I think its great that E-Specs bring new Weapons to the Core Professions, but I think it shouldn’t be so, that these new Weapons should be only useable, while you play the Specialization, due to the Weapon being bonded to the Trait System and in general the E-Specs gotting bonded to the Trait System, which I think was no good decision, because that way it limitates too much the Build Diversity of a Core Class by always having to abandon a Trait Line, just so that you become able to use a different Weapon, when what defines en Elite Specialization should be just only its Healing-, Utility- and Elite Skills as well as its Traits and unique Gameplay Mechanics which it changes if you use said Specialization.
The Weapon should get just seperately unlocked for the Core Class, once you master the Elite Specialization.

With that being said, I think it would be good, if Anet optimizes and reworks in the future with either a Feature Pack or an Expansion that adds more Specs also the general Elite Specialization System, to make some adjustments to it that make them feel more smoothly integrated into the game, with all of them providing from this point on then also some LORE about it, how your character learned the lite-Specialization.
I find it very sad, that Anet implemented them so roughly with just a boring Point System similar to how you unlock all other Skills and Traits.

Elite Specializations should be rather part of “class based Talents”, which you unlock by learning them from “Masters/Grandmasters” in the game, that you have to find, which teach you various lessons (adding lore this way, adding more the impression of actually character progression, than a boring point system does) with Elite Specializations being split up into 2 grades – Learned & Mastered.

You have learned an Elite Specialization, if you succssfulyl fulfilled all Teaching Lessons & Trials of a Master from the Specialization that you want to learn.
You have mastered an Elite Specialization, if you successfully fulfilled all Teaching Lessons & Trials of a Grandmaster from the Specialization you want to learn.

Learning and mastering Elite Specializarions in the game should feel like you beign on a journey to obtain the knowledge and the wisdom about them, as like you are on the journey of obtaining through crafting and adventures in all of Tyria things to receive at the end a Legendary Weapon, just with the difference, that you need to look out for specific NPCs here that will take you in as their pupils and for some of them you have eventually to do first soem taskas for them, until they become willing to teach you, others maybe not, others eventually can be bribed somehow and so on and so forth.
That would give the game and its Elite Specializations actually more DEPTH which I’m terribly missing.

- If you just learned a Specialization, it would unlock for you the new Weapon, Healing, Utilities, Elite Skill and Traits, but you could use the Weapon only if you use also the Specialization at the moment.
- If you mastered a Specialization, then the player should be also able to use the Weapon, Healing & Utility Skills while actually not using the Specialization.
Only the Elite Skills and the Traits should be always linked to being able to use them only, if you actually use a certain Elite Specialization also right at the moment actively.

Think about this working like Skills in certain offline RPGs like FF9, or lately Tales of Berseria for example, where you learn Skills basically through using Equipment, but once you have “mastered” the Skill from the Equipment, you can use the learned Skill also, while using some completely different Equipment.

What do you guys think about this?

Other Forms of Character Progression I’d like to see for GW2

Talents

What are they?
Talents should be basically class based Masteries that should help in individualizing Characters.
They should be divided upon the Game Modes PvE, WvW and PvP as each Class woudl have for each game Mode gameplay based different Talents.
Each Class should have for each Mode like 10 or 12 different Talents, but the Player should be always able to use at the moment maximum 3 of them to define through them better your Playstyle and your Character’s Role in the Game

A Thief for PvE could have for example these 12 Talents open for choice.

• Rogue’s Tongue
  You can haggle better, making it possible for you to sell and buy better prices from NPCs and certain NPCs will offer you now also special items from the secret “Black Market” to which only Thieves with this Talent have access to.

• Escape Techniques
  Allows Thieves in PvE to use improved Downed Skills unique to them that make it easier to escape and get into safety. (Downed Skills 5-7 unlocked)

• Master of Venoms
  Makes the Thief in PvE completely immune to Poison, Weakness & Blindness while Venoms change from simple Charges to duration based unlimited charges.

• Stealthed Hunter
  Increases Stealth Durations of your Skills in PvE by 50% and makes your Traps double as effective, when used and triggered from out of Stealth.

• Greedy Criminal
  Increases in PvE the chances for you, that killed foes leave also Money for you as loot by 10%, if you have used Steal on them at least once, before the foe died.
  Every Steal after the neccessary first one will increase the Chances by 5%.

• Fast like a Centaur
  You have now in PvE whenever you gain Swiftness now instead Super Speed and gain periodically Regeneration while you have Super Speed.

• Espionage
  Foes in your near in PvE get no weakened and vulnerable periodically every few seconds.

• Doppelgangers
  When using Skill that summon Thieves usually, they summon in PvE now for you instead Shadow Clone Doppelgangers of yourself which use exactly your Build and have increased Health and Attributes.

• Master of Martial Arts
  You gain now in PvE a chance of 5% to auto evade and counterattack incoming Melee Attacks with martial artistic skills like a launching Somersault Kick, or a cleaving Roundhouse Kick or a powerful stunning Iron Palm Punch

• Cat’s Elegance
  You gain in PvE a Bonus of Base +15% Critical Hit Rate and a chance of 5% that all your Hits cause Bleedings and your Falling Damage is reduced by 25%, while also being able to see better in very dark places, where others can see nothing (Stacks with Falling Damage Trait for 50% Damage Reduction)

• Big Pockets
  Increases the Maximum Inventory Space a Thief has compared to any other Classes by all Bags by +30% (So a 20 Slot Bag will give a Thief with this Talent instead 26 Slots) and allows Thieves in PvE to steal 20% quicker with increased ranges for the Shadow Steps. (This special Talent will warn you from deselecting it, if you would lose Items by ites removal, due to your inventory being too full after the deselection)

• Lord of Shadows
  You can use Stealth Skills in PvE now twice before they reveal you and you can remove “Reveal” now in PvE like a Condition, so if you are revealed and you use for example Signet of agility, then it will remove Revealed for you.

God I’d so love to play Thief alot more in PvE with unique PvE Talents like these for them to choose.

Skill Profiency

That form of Character Progression is very simple and quickly explained.
I’d love to see it, if we could progress with our Characters our Skills also as well.
So more we progress with our Skills, so more optional “Adds” do we unlock for the Skilsl to become more able to customzie the Effects of our Weapon Skills to our likings.

Each Weapon Skill should have multiple Grades of “Skill Profiency” ranging from 0 to 5
0 = Basic Form of the Skill like it is now
1-5 unlock different Skill Adds
So more we use specific Skills, so more will we earn through the usage of the Skill for that Skill “Ability Points” (AP) which the player can use to increase the Skill Level.
Once you mastered a Skill by learnign all Adds of it with reaching Skill Level 5, the number wil lbe replaced by a Star Symbol with the words “Master” beside of it.
Simpel Example with the Elementalists “Fireball”

1) Range Add: Increases the Range from Fireball by 300 Units and lets it damage now 5 instead of 3 Targets
2) Efficiency Add: The are now more powerful, dealing increased Damage through causing also 1 Second of Burning.
3) Target Add: Instead of shooting only 1 bigger Fireball, you shoot now two smaller lesser damaging Fireballs that can’t deal critical hits at different nearby Targets, turning Fireball basically into Fire Bolts that deal damage each to two adjacent Targets on hit of the two Main Targets.
4) Aura Add: Gain a Fire Aura for some seconds after casting a Fireball.
5) Shield Add: Fire related Skills and Burning deal lesser damage to you for some seconds, aftr using Fireball

Every Skill in GW2 could have its own unique 5 Adds to customize them more for you and your own Playstyle.
Gaining Ability Points could be done by various ways:

• Use the Skill that you want to practice and train to perfection to master it. (Incentivices peopel to use all kinds of Skills, not just only those they like the most)
• Find everywhere on Tyria “Skill Books” that educate your character about ways how to use their Skills lettign you gain this way ability Points towards them. Letting this way GW1’s Skill Tomes return practically, which could become also maybe sellable through TP.
• Find NPCs in Tyria, which might offer you knowledge for Skills, if you do something for them, or through simple speaking with them and getting into conversation with them
• Get a few AP via Level Ups of your Character which you can spend as you like towards Skills you want to improve
• Receive AP as Rewards from finding Skill Points", or by trading in Skill Points for AP, so that Skill Points receive a new useful SP Sink with that you can convert tons of SP into lots of AP.

A player would be able to use maximum 2 of 5 Skill Adds in the end.

Epic Gear

Implementation of a new Gear Type that is basically a Hybrid between Ascended and Legendary Equipment.
Same as powerful as like Ascended/Legendary with same functionality of Legendaries, but not with all the massive bling bling that comes with Legendary Stuff making Epic Gear the Character Progression Step for people, which want QoL, but don’t want all this bling bling with it together.

You need Ascended Equipment and 3 Items to be able to upgrade your ascended Equipment via the Mystic Forge into new “Epic Gear”.

Epic Gear will have the Equipment Color of Turquoise
The 3 Items that a player needs to be able to turn an Ascended Item into an Epic Item will be:

• Adamantium Ingots (Time Gated like Tier 7 Stuff) (Farmed from new Tier 8 Gathering Spots that require you to have learned the new Gathering Mastery Line that unlocks this as part of its masteries it provides)
• Concentrated Dragon Napalm (obtainable as rare Loot from a new Primordus’ Dragon Champion World Boss)
• Essence of Destiny (Created from a long Crafting Chain that requires alot of Essence of Luck, Karma, Skill Points, some Gold, collected Magic from Bloodstones (that new currency thats used now basically everywhere since LS3 and maybe some materials, whose value Anet wants to rise perhaps in that process chain)

Well, this is a lot to unpack, but I’ll do my best.

1. Masteries
Well, this is the first idea for progress, and it’s an interesting idea. The most interesting thing is that it’s account-bound not character-bound, meaning my new level 2 characters can run around gliding without ever setting foot in the Maguuma Depths. A lot of the mastery lines as they exist are only useful in very specific situations, but I feel the way the Ancient Magics line goes is a better format to take, where they are useful in lots of places.

2. Elite Specializations
I’m really waiting for a second one before I pass judgement on it. As it is right now, people claim that it’s strictly an upgrade, and I’d have to agree with that assessment. Seeing what a second elite specialization is like, and what the tradeoffs are that might make someone pick the one over the other interests me. Because the test is what other specialization would make someone pick it over the current one without making one or the other unquestionably more powerful. Rangers seem a more obvious case, as Druids specifically focus on healing, so a more damage-focused class would be why you choose another specialization; other classes, though, I’m not sure.

3. Talents
This sounds like how the old trait lines work, but the talents you’ve listed all sound pretty powerful. The key thing about something like this would need to be reaching a balance that doesn’t give that type of character an advantage over another on the same level. For instance, anything that gives a discount with merchants means that everyone will want to have a character like that solely to buy stuff from shops and then throw it into their bank. And if the items aren’t somehow account-bound, that’ll wreck the economy on the trading post. The talents should also be either comparable for each class, or something that specifically enhancing that class’s play style. Like maybe an extra second of stealth for thieves, but only in PvE as that would break the balance of PvP or WvW.

4. Skill Proficiency
This also sounds like some of the old systems, kind of a mix between certain talents and how the old skill unlock worked. I do miss how I unlocked more skills by killing enemies, and the higher the level of the foes I killed, the faster I learned new skills. I’m not sure this method is the way to reintegrate this idea, but I like the spirit of it.

5. Epic Gear
I… don’t understand the point of this except to give people a new carrot to chase. It should either offer better stats than ascended (raising legendary gear to match) along with some other benefit that ascended cannot currently offer, or it’s just a new skin for ascended gear. No need to complicate stuff when it’s already a minor achievement to get equivalent gear.

Talents
Thats why I want them to be different for all 3 Game Modes.
Do you remember on GW1s PvE only Skills? This was also some kind of Character progression for the game in the past.
I want with Talents something that is equivalent in a class based way for all three Modes as well, where all talents based on the Game Mode are focused around the specifics, that make each mode different.
For WvW and PvP as example would improve Talents significantly the “Roles” that each Class in there. In PvE instead do these Talents feel more like class based unique improvements that are just their to improve the flavour of your class there, by being able to become abl to do somethign there, what only Class X can do in PvE, due to the mechanic beign a unique Talent of Class X.
Anet is naturally free to make adjustments to th made suggestions as they see fit to ensure, that the economy stays healthy ect. pp.
I doubt that everyone will start to make instant a thief, just for rogues Tongue, as NPCs buy your stuff anyways all only for a few copper coins to a silver coin maybe and a few coppers. Such a talent wouldn’t suddenly turn those gains into Gold ^^ The aspect of this suggested example lies more on the unique access to a flavourful “Black Market” where Thief Players eventually could do in GW1 style direct player trades on their own risk xD with the doorguard telling you also as you enter, that your businesses you do there are at your own risk lol Would feel so cool to have as Thief some kind of hidden Black Market to go there gg

Skill Proficiency
ANet basically had from begin on kind of the plans originally to let the trait system work similar liek this with Traits having more influence on how actually Skills perform. Basically this idea is simply inspired from Diablo 3 as I heard by now multiple times, that you are able to customize in that game your skills in a similar/eventually same way. No clue, why Anet decided themself against that concept, however, due to traits workign now completely different and having not so much influence directly on the functions of specific single skills, I wound this would be a great way to improve Character Progression and Customization/Build Diversity at the same time.

Epic Gear
No, if epic/legendary gear would provide better stats with their introduction, than ascended, then people would be above all especially mad at Anet and that would be totally the worst thign anet could do, if you just remember bakc, how players reacted, when Naet added just ascended equipment and tons of players quitted GW2 over this, it was until today this games most biggest player exodus that GW2 has seen and I doubtit that the game has even recovered itself from this until today.

Im sure there are many peoel out there, which would like to have the qol of the Stat Change anytime out of combat, as its a great oL function, but which don’t want to spent the massive time and costs ect for just that Qol and aren’t interested in the bling bling from legendaries. So why not give peopel which fall exactly in this target group give a fittign golden middle of both with Epic Gear to craft as some kind of simple Upgrade from Ascended Gear?

I’d rather see ANet continue making the existing progressions competitive with each other, rather than inventing new systems. Regardless of our preferences, at this point, the 2nd expac is already planned out, so I’d also like to wait to see how well it implements a new tree of masteries and 9 new elites, before trying to even consider anything new.

I can understand that people want to wait on the second set of E-Specs and the expansion based Masteries first.

However, it also doesn’t hurt to discuss other forms of Character Progression in the meanwhile And who knows of us anyhow at all, what kind of Features the next expansion will bring to us even.
So far we still know nothing at all about it, except some well made guesses to where the expansion might eventually bring us, that is either Crystal Desert (see Amnoon Oasis Pic), or maybe somewhere into the Northern Shiver Peaks to finish off Jormag most likely with some indirect help of Primordus perhaps
But aside of all these speculations we still know nothing that is of any value for us about the second Expac.

But I agree completely with you that focusing on making Elite Specs more competitively balanced should be currently on high priority and if anet ever wants to do that, they have to rework first Boons/Conditions in my opinion as first step and split the Weapons, Utilities and the Healing Skill from being forever Specialization Exlusive, so that once you have mastered an Elite Specialization of your Clas,s the Core Class becomes able to use those mastered Skilsl and the Weapon also as well, except having access to its Elite Skill and its traits, which should be then the only things about an “Elite”-Specialization, that should stay exclusive to that.

This would tremendously help in balancing the Core Classes to the Elite Specs to make them again more equal instead of having E-Specs, that feel and play like Core Class 2.0, but just better, as like the Daredevil is such a case, which is why i think its a candidate for completely replacing it with a new designed true E-Spec, that actually also feels like being a Specialization that also changes significantly the Thief Gameplay, instead of just only reusing the same mechanics and improving them for the sake of destroying Acrobatics therefore, so that the E-Spec has a reason for its mere existance!

Orpheal.8263:

And who knows of us anyhow at all, what kind of Features the next expansion will bring to us even.

My point exactly.

Hmm, no one here having own ideas on how to improve Character Progression besides of what Anet has done so far?

Or opinions about the implementation so far of Masteries/Elite-Specializations if those systems got in their opinion implemented well ,or not so well?