Guild Wars 2

Specialisations just means restrictions, so now you have to go fully into any tree and not partially vastly restricting the amount of builds you can experiment with, not to mention the interface is horrible.

Thats all , rant over.

To the ArenaNet Developers:

The new “Specialization” system that was introduced a couple of days ago is flawed in its concept. The new system drastically simplifies selection of “builds”, but in doing so, it destroys what was one of the most enjoyable elements of GW2 for many players — experimenting with not-so-obvious combinations of traits.

The trait system has undergone several positive changes since GW2 was introduced. Eliminating the fee for changes, and making it possible to change/adjust builds quickly from any location removed barriers to experimentation, and made the process very enjoyable. Unfortunately, the current Specialization system violates the rule that you should not “fix” something that is not broken.

The new system gives players fewer trait choices at each “tier” in a given specialization, it prevents players from choosing multiple traits from lower tiers in a given specialization (trait line), and it forces players to limit their selection of traits to three trait lines. THESE ARE SERIOUS LIMITATIONS, which together result in a HUGE reduction in available build combinations.

Do the math. If you look at the effect of these changes on a single specialization (trait line), the total possible trait combinations are now just 27 (3 × 3 × 3). Previously, if you chose to concentrate your points in a single trait line, you could select from 594 possible combinations (6 × 9 × 11).

This dramatic reduction in available build combinations is offset slightly by the ability to maximize a third trait line, but that change could just as easily have been incorporated into the old system.

Obviously, not all build choices are created equal, and it may be wiser to choose a trait from a higher tier, instead of a second (or third) trait from lower tiers in the same trait line, or lower-tier traits from a fourth or fifth trait line. On the other hand, by experimenting with lower tier combinations, many players have found that the synergies of certain combinations make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. (For example, “Fire’s Embrace” — which was eliminated a couple of days ago — made Signets far more useful for Elementalists, and the double dagger “signet build,” which is no longer very effective, was one of my favorites).

Even if that were not the case, there is no downside to giving players more choices — it makes the game far more interesting, mentally challenging, and enjoyable. Quite frankly, I’m very disappointed in the direction the game is taking with the new Specialization system. I hope that the developers at ArenaNet will reconsider their decision to “dumb down” the trait selection process, but I won’t wait forever for that to happen.