I know, I know, it’s a trait thread. But I had some thoughts that I felt might be able to target a few issues players have had since launch, at the same time as some newer ones brought on by the trait system changes. And just posting into the nearly 3,000-reply traits thread would be like trying to show off to an empty room this neat cactus I grew in the middle of the desert.
Now, as I see it there are three main components to a character build: skills, traits, and equipment. A player generally has most, if not all, of the skills they need for their build at around level 31. Equipment tends to be replaced so frequently as you level up that there’s not much point trying to maintain a specific attribute spread until 80, as many players (especially newer ones) are going to be willing or able to deal with the mid-range material costs of frequently crafting new armor sets.
As I’m sure I don’t need to go into detail on, the current trait unlock system demands a lot of tasks that are well beyond the level that you would unlock that trait. For a new player who doesn’t know what these events and tasks are, it would be particularly overwhelming. The result is that you’re often unable to really even -start- getting your traits until level 80, when you have the freedom to run all over the world, as buying them is again not a very appealing option for new players.
This means that from roughly level 30-80 there is almost no progression or substantial change for a character. It can create a rather boring sense of limbo, one that new players may not even be sure if/how it will end. However, I can understand that even if the system were universally disliked (I’m not going to pretend I have any way of knowing what percentage of players like or dislike the system compared to the old) there are always going to be corporate bigwigs who will refuse to admit error on new designs. I do think there’s a way this unlock system can be changed for the better, though.
One of the recurring complaints I’ve seen in other areas is having little reason to ever return to your home instance. It particularly struck me while playing a new Charr alt, finishing up my order-choosing quests and hearing the NPC’s talk about my warbound doing citadel business “until I get back”. Which I never, ever do. Every race ends up with all these friends and allies they’ve built up and never really see again.
My suggestion is small, instanced quests to unlock traits. As a simple example, a Charr taking their warband to a castrum to take out some Flame Legion. The quests available could vary with race, profession, and trait tree; an engineer doing less combative tasks for an Inventions trait like the tank repair that gets you the Tailpipe Bandana, or a human guardian working with priests of one of the 6 gods. They might have limitations such as once per day or a skill point fee to engage in, and they reward you with an unlock point that lets you get a trait from the relevant tree and tier.
This would allow for a more intuitive method of unlocking traits, which characters of any level can participate in and always have access to, and give them a reason to return “home” and a way to spend more time with the characters they met in the personal story.
I understand that a double function of the current system is to encourage the player base to spread out into events and areas they might otherwise ignore, but instead of traits, I feel the perfect ability to tie to wandering is epic skills. Very few builds could be considered as revolving around an epic skill, and so their absence is not going to be as severely felt. It’s also a great way to implement new such skills, which I’m sure many players want as well. There would be a much more “relevant” feel, such as a necromancer skill tied to the Bria event, or an engineer skill to the Inquest Golem Mark 2.
Anyhow, I always tend to ramble, so hopefully this wasn’t too ridiculously long…