[Suggestion] Elite Specs for Old Weapons
I see issues with swappable weapon skills. It’s more to balance than simply just giving a new weapon to an existing profession through an elite skill. The right half of our skillbar doesn’t even have that many variations when you compare it to everything they did in Guild Wars.
At least now, your weapon choice matters for the first 5 skills, you by default have a heal and a utility skill, and you have a choice from about 20 utility skills. Adding futher customisation in the form of swappable weapon skills adds to the overkill that must be design. If I were to allow weapon skill swapping, it would be everything that that weapon has to offer, not just individual skills. In an ideal world, yes, individual swappable skills would be awesome (and trust me, i’d be down with individual swappable weapon skills for EVERY weapon in the game, on top of giving every class every weapon somehow through elites), but it’s simply to much to balance, and it’s easier if it’s just the entire weapon that can be swapped, instead of individual skills.
Also, it’s hard to say what skills will remain unique. Necromancers had wells originally, but mesmers got them. Physical skills were unique to warriors, but they were passed on to thieves. Elementalists held on to glyphs but they were needed with the ranger. Necromancer and elementalists both got shouts, and guardians were handed traps. the only three professions that got unique utility skills were the engineer (gyros) and warriors (rage skills). Revenants don’t count, because each legend IS it’s own unique skill set.
The utility skill sets that are available for players to choose from are a HUGE advantage for ArenaNet to design with, because it makes future development both easier and cheaper. If money weren’t a factor, I’d maybe even go so far as to demand unique skills for each class (although still totally knowing that ArenaNet really doesn’t owe me anything), but realistically I know that they’ve got a bunch on their hands.
There’s also another thing. If developers would spend so much time enhancing the current professions, why shouldn’t they spend that time promoting the professions to new heights? Unfortunately we have to deal with opportunity costs and, as you put it, “New Toys” elites are the better of the two opportunity costs wise, because of the new toys and the shiny factor. What they can do is vastly different than what they should do (those who feel the burn of balance patches would greatly understand).
It’s not a bad idea, I’d be for it, but I don’t think it’s something ArenaNet can cost effectively do.