Guild Wars 2

While I support Specializations as is, and am very much looking forward to these changes, I also feel like there are some clear weak spots in the trait lines, where a given tier is effectively a no-choice situation.

What is the cause?

In almost every single case, the weak trait tier is the result of a fall damage trait being located in that line. These have never been viable choices for regular gameplay, and they are dragging down the new system by wasting a valuable slot in a system that will have fewer slot choices per tier to begin with.

Of course, there are also other problems here, and these will be discussed as well, though I won’t even come close to discussing all of them.

But that still leaves two choices, right?

Two choices is still poor, but this is rarely even the case where fall damage traits are located. Of the two remaining traits in these problem tiers, one of them is almost always associated with one particular weapon or utility type, automatically reducing the choice to “are you using this weapon/utility?”

What guideline am I going to be using when giving feedback?

I’m using what I would call the “Rule of Two.” If a tier doesn’t have at least two universally useful (as in not specific to one weapon or utility type), something is wrong with it.

Which tiers am I talking about?

Elementalist

Arcane – Adept – Renewing Stamina is a clear winner unless you are using Arcane skills. Problem tier created by fall damage trait.

Guardian

Honor – Adept – This is quite possibly the worst trait tier in the entirety of the new system for any profession. Your choice comes down to a falling damage trait, a mace-specific trait, and a revive trait.

Engineer

Explosives – Master – One of these is a fall trait and one of these is bomb-specific. The choice becomes a no-brainer – either you’re a bomb engi or you’re not.

Mesmer

Chaos – Adept – Once again, a fall damage trait and a utility-specific trait.

Ranger

Wilderness Survival – Adept – Competes with the Guardian for the worst trait tier in the game. You either get a fall damage trait, a weapon-specific trait, or a trait best used by condi pets.

Warrior

Strength – Adept – A fall damage trait, a physical utility trait, and a universal trait. No choice involved here.

Why were Thief and Necromancer not mentioned?

Because their falling damage traits at least have viable buffs attached to them. Thieves get an extra blinding powder and Necromancers get corruption recharge reduction.

Are these good traits? Nope. The falling damage portion would still be better replaced by a second mechanic of some sort.

I would merge Descent of Shadows into Concealed Defeat (as neither of these are particularly amazing effects), rename the new trait Descent of Shadows, and use the empty slot for another trait – preferably a second universal trait.

I would also replace the fall damage in the Necromancer trait with an additional buff to Corruptions. Personally, I’d choose an AoE boon, as Necromancers are lacking in the support category.

Other issues

Guardian

Honor – Redundancy

Vigorous Precision and Purity of Body are both minors but, assuming the current endurance regeneration system is still used, the former renders the latter useless half the time. This can be fixed by revamping the system to allow stacking endurance regeneration buffs – or at least allow them for this trait.

Personally, I would also remove the Purity of Body trait and roll it into Battle Presence (Virtues Grandmaster). That would open up a new Minor trait for the Honor line. Hell, why not use the current one?

Radiance

Condi guardians have always been pretty bad, simply because they lack sources of condition damage. Unfortunately, this rework leaves them with one less source, as they must choose between extra burning damage and a condition damage retaliation.

Suggested rework – merge Radiant Retaliation into Kindled Zeal. Change the resulting trait to use either Power or Condition damage depending on which reaches a higher threshold. If the thresholds are done properly, this should buff both Condi and Hybrid Guardians.

Zeal

Scepters are located in a symbol-based tree, despite having no symbol – And it really should be a symbol.

Suggestion – Rework Zealous Scepter. Replace the current effect with one that turns Smite into a Symbol that grants brief pulsing Might (3-5 seconds) to allies inside.

Necromancer

Reaper’s Precision
This trait is still awful, and this sheer fact renders the Curses Master Tier a non-choice – either you buff Warhorns or you take Path of Corruption.

Suggestion – Move Terror here, as it currently is. Use the open Grandmaster tier for a new universal trait.

Warrior

Axe Mastery –
This trait is being put alongside the much better Berserker’s Power and is limiting the potential of Axe Warriors, as mentioned in another thread. Simply put, I don’t think this trait is Grandmaster-worthy (though it should perhaps get a reduction from 2 Adrenaline to 1 extra adrenaline per hit to justify a move down to Adept tier). It should be swapped with Physical Training, as in the current system. Physical Training is a powerful trait that is only going to get better with the buffs to Physical Skills, the buffs to this trait, and having Rampage as a Physical skill.

Overall

While I’ve only scratched the surface, I do think that these changes would go a long way in making a good trait rework into a great one. Simply put, some of these trait placements are just bad, and falling damage traits are completely unwelcome in both the current system and the new one. Falling damage reduction should be baseline or not present at all.

Duke Blackrose.4981:

Guardian

Honor – Adept – This is quite possibly the worst trait tier in the entirety of the new system for any profession. Your choice comes down to a falling damage trait, a mace-specific trait, and a revive trait.

I would like to say that I agree with you 100% on this. I was showing a friend some of the livestream notes after it finished and the Honor line is where he got hung up. He currently runs a Hammer/Staff Shout build and went crazy over the new Pure of Voice and Honorable Staff but felt shafted by the lack of reasonable adept trait. At this point, the only reason I could see them doing this is because that particular build is most common in WvW where traits like Protective Reviver and Protector’s Impact would be useful. That said, there are still no interesting maceless choices for him to take into PvE.

The reason why we still get a choice for these traits is the new area in hot will prob have a lot of falling just sayin

Frightlight.3796:

The reason why we still get a choice for these traits is the new area in hot will prob have a lot of falling just sayin

So make it baseline. There is zero reason to waste an entire trait slot for something so useless and trivial just because of verticality in a single area – which is SUPPOSED to be addressed by gliders.

I can see it now wvw guilds running off cliffs to ambush an enemy zerg using their baseline falling damage traits and killing off a chunk of players in a single jump

Frightlight.3796:

I can see it now wvw guilds running off cliffs to ambush an enemy zerg using their baseline falling damage traits and killing off a chunk of players in a single jump

No one said to make the skill activations baseline – just the falling damage reduction. And even if the full effect was baseline, that wouldn’t exactly be a game breaker. Cliff ambushes are few and far between – and would be even with said mechanics. It takes considerable coordinator for an effect that is often just as easily achieved by a zerg rush or a couple arrow carts.