Guild Wars 2

So I have returned to GW2 after being totally burned out with it. After creating 12 level 80’s all maxed out in exotics and very little new content, I felt I had done all there was to do. So with the expansion imminent, I decided to return and see what had changed.

The answer is, very little. However, one of the more obvious changes is the way a player creates their build. First off, I find the tiny icons and inteface much less clearer to read and understand the the previous system. But, am I right in thinking you can now ONLY pick from 3 lines and you have to max them all out? So in effect, you basically have to have 3 grandmaster triats selected? Is this correct? So you now can no longer pick from all lines and have more lower traits selected if you want to and ignore some of the more useless GM’s?

If this is indeed the way, then how does this increase build diversity? Surely it is much more limited?

You’re correct; three lines, three choice points in each line, get the minor traits automatically. In an absolute sense, build diversity was reduced. The pros and cons as I see them are:

+ We now get the equivalent of 18 points under the old systems rather than 14. That’s what allows for 3 GM traits, which was impossible in the prior iteration. This has opened up some build possibilities.
+ Some traits were combined. It may now be possible to take one trait for a play-preference (like flamethrower) whereas in the old system at least two (in different lines) were needed. This also opens up some build possibilities.
+/- Some traits were removed and nothing put in their place. This was bound to hit some people, though others applaud the removal of deadwood from the trait system.
+/- Builds that were 331 or 322 have more choice, being 333 now. Builds that dipped into 4 or 5 lines are no longer possible.
+/- Opportunity costs have been shifted around. Now, the opportunity cost for any one “must-have” trait is the same — you take the line it’s in. Under the old system, opportunity costs for master and GM traits were higher than for adepts, thus the complaints from those who were cherry-picking adept traits before.
- As before, some choice points contain sub-optimal or downright useless options for a particular build. In some cases, there are no options at a choice point that are in any way appealing to a particular build, but there is a trait elsewhere in the line that is essential. At least one of my builds has 2 of the 3 choice points with no options I care for, but the 3rd has a keystone trait. The silver lining is that across all 8 professions, I am seeing fewer “bad” choice points, though ommv depending on their choice of builds.

As with many system changes, this one is a mixed bag — some good stuff and some bad.

One other change to traits you may or may not have noticed, stats have been removed from trait lines. Base character stats were buffed and gear stats were buffed by ~30% to partially compensate, though some players have lost a little in terms of absolute stat numbers.

Thanks for the reply. Odd that it doesn;t explain this IN GAME though. Unless I missed something?

The UI is horrendous for such a game but the trait and ability changes were not made to increase build diversity but to make balancing easier and to enable them to introduce elite specs. I guess its also meant to be less confusing but the poor UI competely overrides that.

Mitch.4781:

Thanks for the reply. Odd that it doesn;t explain this IN GAME though. Unless I missed something?

If you missed something, then I missed it also. The in-game explanation of the old system was either anemic or absent, I can’t recall which, so maybe there’s a trend. :O

Mitch.4781:

Thanks for the reply. Odd that it doesn;t explain this IN GAME though. Unless I missed something?

Without wanting to sound mean, the system is quite self-explanatory. :<

Carighan.6758:

Mitch.4781:

Thanks for the reply. Odd that it doesn;t explain this IN GAME though. Unless I missed something?

Without wanting to sound mean, the system is quite self-explanatory. :<

Well if you had been used to the old system where you could pick from any of the 5 trait lines, there isn’t anything in the new system to tell you that this is now obselete.

All I got when logging in was a short prompt saying your points have been refunded and we’ve configured a similar build to what u had before etc. A short little tutorial would have been a very nice touch instead of leaving you to sort it out yourself. Also the “similar” builds were SOO off it was not funny.

And it’s STILL bewildering that you cannot save off builds with respective armour and weapon choices. WOW has had this feature for years.

Mitch.4781:

And it’s STILL bewildering that you cannot save off builds with respective armour and weapon choices. WOW has had this feature for years.

What’s worse, GW1 let you save builds, and it was one of the most beloved changes they ever made to that game. Even that system, wich required you to manage gear manually, would be better than the nothing we currently have.

a couple things some players like, if you level to 80 you will have enough hero points to max everything, if you choose, you wont have to do a hero challenge. Some traits that were lost are put into a passive place not on the characters.

Mitch.4781:

Also the “similar” builds were SOO off it was not funny.

From what I’ve heard, the opposite is true. I had 2 level 80s prior to the trait switch, and from what I’ve heard others say as well as my own experience, the builds were almost identical. Obviously it can’t be perfect, especially if you had trait points so widely spread among the specialization, but whatever.

I vastly prefer this system over the old one. It’s a lot less work to get the traits I want. Having to spend money or do some random activity was just a pain. And with this system, you can unlock traits a lot earlier.

IndigoSundown.5419:

+ Some traits were combined. It may now be possible to take one trait for a play-preference (like flamethrower) whereas in the old system at least two (in different lines) were needed. This also opens up some build possibilities.

You also forgot about builds who had their keystone traits moved into the same spot.

I miss spirit shield/shattered aegis guardian

IndigoSundown.5419:

+/- Some traits were removed and nothing put in their place. This was bound to hit some people, though others applaud the removal of deadwood from the trait system.

RIP fire aura when using a signet.

One serious, though temporary plus to the new system is that you can run your choice grandmaster trait as early as level 21 if you gather some hero points.

Leveling a new elementalist with Pyromancer’s Puissance at level 21 was a very enjoyable experience.