The current implementation of Trait acquisition is something I’m actually all for, however I think that while the idea was solid, the actual practice was done with a little too much haste and too little consideration. I leveled a new character from 1-80, doing a wide range of PvE, crafting, EotM-running and PvP as I made my way through the levels. When I then hit 80, I had a staggering 2 traits unlocked from the casual PvE-ing. And none of those were useful to the build I was using while leveling, nor the one I’m now using at Lvl 80. At that point, it was with an exasperated sigh that I just went off to buy the Traits I wanted.
Here is a Checklist of what I think trait Acquisition should look like:
- Adept Traits should all be tied to challenges that you can Complete On your own.
- Master Traits should all be tied to challenges that are Split between Teamwork and Exploration of non-standard places, such as WvW or sPvP.
- Grandmaster Traits should be tied to bigger events or challenges that often require teamplay.
- Traits Should not be tied to Challenges that are already Very rewarding, such as Dungeon Paths. You already get a fat stack of Loot, Xp and Gameplay experience from it, it is better you place the Trait somewhere where the reward is usually less.
- In line with the previous, Traits should not be gatelocked behind challenges that are overly Long, such as 100% completion of a Zone, as that discourages its acquisition by working towards it in favor of a quick pay-up.
I personally think that the mantra for Trait Acquisition should be More work than a Skill Point, less work than a Dungeon Path. Traits are fundamental to your build once you hit 40+, and when you then find an interesting trait that you’d like to try out it shouldn’t strike you in the face that it’ll take at least an hour to get it, because just that trait is gated behind “100% completion of Harathi Hinterlands”. While certainly not an impossible task, it’s a long and time-consuming undertaking, compared to just finding 2 Skill points and 10 Silver to buy the Trait book from the vendor. That’s another point I’d like to adress:
- Acquisition through exploration should not be more Inconveniencing than collecting the Skill points and Coin necessery to buy the Trait Point.
But onto the actual suggestions, shall we?
- Easier Access – Adept Traits should be tied to Events, Jumping Puzzles and other undertakings one could do on their own. Master traits should be tied to more difficult Events and Jumping Puzzles. Grandmaster Traits should do fine as they are.
- Karma Sink – Many players, especially those leveling Alts, have an overabundance of Karma that they have nothing to sink it into. Why not add Trait books to some of the Karma vendors you unlock throughout zone completion in higher-level areas, or in the case of Orr to the Temple Vendors (Especially the Grandmaster traits that requires players to beat the temple event, only to find it already taken and safe.)
- PvP-only Reward: Trait Token – sPvPers obtain skill points and levels at a much slower rate than PvE’rs and WvWers. What if, in a specific Reward Track (Let’s call it the Leveling Track for now) unlocked at lvl 30, there was a reward that’d let them pick a Trait for PvE and unlock it as they wish? This could also serve as another incentive for players to try out sPvP. It could come in a variety of flavors, such as “Power Trait Token” or “Vitality Trait Token” to denote that it only works on a specific line, or it could be a catch-all for all kinds of traits.