Guild Wars 2

Lots of posts about build diversity and lack there of, or shallow combat.

Would having your utilities swap with weapon swapping create more build diversity?

This would happen the same way as if you were to go into the water, and your utilities change. You could pick the same exact utilities for each weapon set, or you could have a set of utilities that emphasize that weapons abilities.

The only problem I see is that longer cool down abilities currently override the cool down of others on the skill bar when coming out of the water. So they would have to set it so that abilities are put on separate cool downs, so that you could swap between weapon sets and not have all your abilities on cool down.

I think this idea has been brought up before, but throwing it back into the mix a few months down the line to see if it sparks new interest.

Interesting idea, it can create some really interesting builds and synergies, combat would feel less repetitive and all. But i don’t think AN will go for it. It will be pain the kitten to balance and re-balance existing utility skills an traits related to them. They already have their hands full, struggling with balancing game between sPvP, PvE and WvW.

It seems like a reasonable idea honestly. I generally choose 2 weapons that offer differet uses, usually a close range/melee weapon and a range weapon, why not let me set my skills to reflect that? It sucks when you have the wrong skill set up for your situation, and you cannot change them until you leave combat, why not give us atleast one other set choice?

For those professions with two weapons, it sounds like it could be a good idea. However, if it were implemented, either elementalists and engineers would get the shaft, or it would be brokenly OP for elementalists and engineers.

Would they not have access to it, since they only have 1 weapon set, or would they be able to use it with their attunements (elementalist) and kits (engineer)? If elementalists could swap utilities with their attunements, they could equip 12 out of their 20 utilities. If engineers could, they could equip every utility in their toolbox if I’m not mistaken (and engineer viability comes directly from utilities taken, not weapon chosen). It sounds like a good idea, but I doubt it could be implemented fairly.

Very good point on the ele and engineers. I do think it could be too powerful to have access to that many utilities with the amount of “weapon swaps” they have. Although, I don’t think sigils that provide effects on weapon swap count for either of those professions, so they already “get the shaft” in that sense.

Give and take I guess, with the access to tons of “weapons”, they don’t have as many utilities?

CMF.5461:

Very good point on the ele and engineers. I do think it could be too powerful to have access to that many utilities with the amount of “weapon swaps” they have. Although, I don’t think sigils that provide effects on weapon swap count for either of those professions, so they already “get the shaft” in that sense.

Give and take I guess, with the access to tons of “weapons”, they don’t have as many utilities?

Sigils actually do proc, which is why most kit-based engineers run P/S or P/P to use dual sigils instead of a single one for the rifle.

Engineers might have access to lots of weapons, but that doesn’t make them viable. Making a build with grenades requires 30 points in explosives. Flamethrower builds require 20 in firearms and 20 in alchemy. Might-stacking requires 30 in alchemy, as well as at least 1 utility slot. An engineer could technically equip all kits, but I’m skeptical that the build would be terribly effective.

And I can’t speak for the elementalist, but the engineers already “get the shaft” in a lot of ways. Our turrets, one of the most iconic parts of our class, are heavily bugged. If you doubletap Net Turret to deploy and overcharge it, it never fires. Our best DPS tool at any range for any damage type, grenade kit, has no autoattack. We had a trait that didn’t work from launch until the devs scrapped and remade it in the massive balance patch not too long ago. Didn’t work as in had no effect whatsoever. Flamethrower’s autoattack dealt 10% extra damage to burning targets, but you wouldn’t have known that ingame until June 25. Oh, and our 3 elites? A properly traited grenade kit outranges and outdamages our elite mortar, even if the mortar fires correctly (It doesn’t actually). So, even if the elite skill weren’t horrendously bugged, and fired all shots rather than ~1/2 of them, it would still be inferior to a utility skill.

Most other professions, post-patches, have to check that their skills and traits are still viable. Engineers have to check that their skills and traits are still functional. If you want proof, go read our subforums.

I love my profession. It’s fun, it’s viable, it’s got a great community. But they already have a lot of issues. They already “get the shaft” quite a bit.

Sorry, just realized I was a bit ranty there. The point is: engineers would be very unhappy if this happened.

I like to keep tabs on all the professions to help my understanding of the game and my opponents, so I am somewhat familiar with the broken things with engineers such as that scope trait and the lack of meaningful reason to obtain a legendary because of that hobo pack, to name two of the higher vis ones I had seen in the past.

I just tested the weapon swap sigils on my engineer because I was almost certain I read somewhere that they didn’t work, but as you said, it does activate. Maybe the ICD confused the older post that I had read about it, or they got fixed.

I didn’t test the elementalists though, but that defeats the point of my counter argument that “it would be ok”.

This is something I would like to see, but unsure of how to address it due to the points you brought up.

For engineers it would never work because your utility items are often the kits (i.e. the weapon swaps themselves), so you already have variety. Now if that is utilized is another issue like you said, as you will often stay in that one kit save for a few moments here and there.

Elementalists on the other hand swap attunements and utilities stay the same, yet if they were given a utility swap for each attunement they would have access to far too many abilities.

I think my best answer would be provide the “weapon swap” button to initiate a “utility swap” regardless of profession, so that engineers and elementlists could swap utilities every 9-10 seconds as the same as other professions could swap weapons/utilities.

Attunements are changed by default with the f1-4 keys, and engineer kits are on the utility bars (default 7-9). Initiating a utility swap for engineers would clear out any turrets or kits they may have equipped though, and put them in the new setup.

Now the question is, if that is an acceptable solution, would heals and elites be allowed for utility swaps as well? I want to say yes, unless there is a good counter argument for that.

(and np on rant, that just means you are passionate about your profession )

Healing being on the utility swap seems like too much outgoing healing, and elites may or may not work. However, the designated “swap button” does seem like an interesting idea. It makes it fair and accessible to all professions, and could add more gameplay depth.

I personally think its fine as is, but I do like the thought you’re putting into this.

Good point on the heal being too readily swapped/used. Elites I am still unsure of.

The way it works now with water/land utility swapping is it puts everything that was used on the same cooldown, so if I go in the water and my heal is used, my water heal is also on cool down.

I do like the idea of swapping heals for different utilities (condition removal, adrenalin building, attunement bonuses, and various mechanics like that) but it would have to be limited to not be ready so frequently.

Yet if you were to put the other utilities on cooldown like that, then they become unusable and pointless to swap to anyway.

Heals could be locked out or put on cool down after weapon swapping for a few seconds if that would help alleviate that problem.

Going back and thinking about elites, I think it may be too powerful to have two elites ready and accessible, so I think it would be best to have that locked out as well.

In the long run, I don’t think too much will change, but it doesn’t hurt to voice ideas and maybe it will spark dev thinking as well.