Guild Wars 2

Here’s some ideas to fix the Mastery system.
1. Leave it 80+ and account based. That’s good.
2. Take away the geography restriction. Just let us earn experience for masteries anywhere. Geography can just show where it’s maybe used? Like the Hot masteries.
3. Go back to something like the old skill system. You earn mastery points by filling experience bar. After a few points filled, unlock mastery.
4. Existing mastery points can be a reward for earning and a way to bypass the experience grind. Good job on earning this achievement – here’s a few million less experience to worry about in the mastery system.
5. Now that the need to add points all over the world is gone. Start adding more masteries. For example a mastery that grants 2% experience boost to account. One that adds 2% gold find. Maybe one that grants 5% passive run speed in PvE. Add some pvp and wvw masteries as well – would also be nice to allow those players to advance masteries.

Now you can focus on the mastery system itself without having to worry about adding new mastery points around the world. Leave the existing points, add new ones from time to time. Just separate earning points from advancing masteries. Might go a long way to easing some of the complaints. I know it becomes just another leveling system. But as many people have pointed out over and over again. Most of the mastery rewards aren’t that big of a deal. If that’s the case then why are there so many obstacles? Just let us use the existing points we earn. Or grind them out by playing. As for the mastery number next to our name/level? Make that apply just to the actual earned points from achievements so people can still have something to show off and not just a number that endlessly gets larger.

Edit: fixed a phrase that resulted in a kitten showing up. Even though it shouldn’t have.

Masteries were designed to simulate traditional leveling. They want you to “level” through HoT for example, hence the location restriction. Mastery points are to ensure that you’re actually playing through the content while experience is to simply make it take longer while also giving you that leveling feeling.

The problem with leveling in GW2 is that people will grind Queensdale for example, then whine about it. There needs to be something to push you forward, which is the requirement of mastery points. In the future, there needs to be a reason for players to play through each expansion in the same way players need to level through each expansion in other MMOs. They may lower the experience requirements, but the basics are going to stay the same.

I like the feel of development for my character.
“Oh I haven’t earned Itzel Poison mastery so I can’t access that? Let me grow up by playing elsewhere and look, I got stronger!”

A couple of months ago I felt very differently about masteries and would have agreed with most of your points, but the system has grown on me. I’ve come to understand it, accepted its limitations and invested in it. Here are my thoughts:

cakemonkey.6347:

2. Take away the geography restriction. Just let us earn experience for masteries anywhere.

I think a partial relaxation on the geographical restrictions is warranted. Gliding is available everywhere – it makes sense for this to be trainable everywhere. But poison lore, bouncing mushrooms and wallows are specific to the jungle; it makes sense to train them there. Ultimately, the geographical restriction was instituted to draw people into the new zones and perhaps in time, as they become old-hat and new content arrives, the geographical restriction might become superfluous to some degree.

cakemonkey.6347:

3. Go back to something like the old skill system. You earn mastery points by filling experience bar. After a few points filled, unlock mastery.

While collecting some mps has been ..challenging there’s a satisfaction to seeing that mastery point pop up in the bottom-right corner of your screen. It feels earned. Not sure how I feel about your proposal exactly. I suspect I’m too biased to like it, given that I’ve already put so much effort into completing all the tasks to get the points.

cakemonkey.6347:

Start adding more masteries.

Oh, yes. Can’t wait for more masteries. People have suggested some fun ideas for masteries in these forums. The possibilities…

cakemonkey.6347:

For example a mastery that grants 2% experience boost to account. One that adds 2% gold find. Maybe one that grants 5% passive run speed in PvE.

The trick to masteries will be finding a balance between providing QoL features and adding game changing mechanics. The 2% gold find upgrade is probably on the QoL side, but the speed one might have gameplay consequences. If speed is available via a mastery, players could dispense with runes or traits for speed and use those for something else.

cakemonkey.6347:

Add some pvp and wvw masteries as well – would also be nice to allow those players to advance masteries.

It’s time for WvW to get the autoloot functionality. You get used to it in PvE and it’s a real disconnect when you go into WvW and miss out on loot because you’re not used to pressing the pick-up-loot key anymore.

cakemonkey.6347:

Most of the mastery rewards aren’t that big of a deal. If that’s the case then why are there so many obstacles?

They kind of are a big deal. They’re account wide, which means all your toons get the benefit of something that only one of them technically has to work at. Gliding is certainly a massive deal. It’s revolutionised exploration and jumping puzzles. Though some of the things you have to do to get mastery points can be frustrating, it really pales into insignificance when you realise you only have to do it once.. for all your characters.

cakemonkey.6347:

As for the mastery number next to our name/level? Make that apply just to the actual earned points from achievements so people can still have something to show off and not just a number that endlessly gets larger.

I’m not sure what you mean there. As you collect points from achievements, doesn’t that number also get endlessly larger?

I’m actually okay with how the Maguuma masteries are set up. I’m not okay with how the Tyria masteries are set up. Actually it looks like no thought at all was put into how the masteries were done in Tyria. Some of them are ridiculous grinds. Collect whole weapons sets for 1 point? Really? The achievement choices are completely random. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Tyria mastery grind makes the Maguuma grind look easy.

I understand how leveling works, but I think Anet needs some kind of intervention here. They have a serious problem with not being able to tell the difference between challenge and a soul-sucking hate-fest against its’ players. Don’t even get me started on their events. I can’t imagine what their Christmas office party would be like. Probably have to belly crawl across a parking lot covered in broken glass to get their free half of a beer.

cakemonkey.6347:

5. Now that the need to add points all over the world is gone. Start adding more masteries. For example a mastery that grants 2% experience boost to account. One that adds 2% gold find. Maybe one that grants 5% passive run speed in PvE. Add some pvp and wvw masteries as well – would also be nice to allow those players to advance masteries.

On this specifically

I think that an option that increases Karma gains or Map Reward Bonus rate would be really cool. Have it scale like the Magic Find does.

Isn’t that what the Pact Commander line kinda already does?
If you get the Mapping Materials you get a map bonus.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pact_Scout's_Mapping_Materials

There’s already enough good stuff easily available as map bonus items (t6 blood, unidentified dye) without increasing the drop rates.

As for karma gains / gold / etc – use guild boosts for that on top of banners, food, BL boosts and login rewards. Doesn’t need to be associated with masteries.