Guild Wars 2

As of right now, it takes exactly 400 Hero Points for a character to fully unlock an Elite Specialization. Within the four, new Heart of Thorns maps, there are exactly 40 Hero Challenges, each worth 10 Points each.

By this math, in order to unlock an Elite Spec, you either A ) have to complete all Hero Challenges in Heart of Thorns maps, most of which are Group Events that cannot be completed alone, and many of which are impossible to complete without higher-tier Masteries such as Itzel Poison Lore, Nuhoch Proving, and Leyline Gliding, B ) Complete all or at least a large portion of Hero Challenges in Central Tyria, then returning to Heart of Thorns to complete the rest, for a total of 20 Hero Challenges in Heart of Thorns maps, if you farm all Hero Challenges in Central Tyria, or of course, C ) WvW.

The problem is, all three of these methods require enormous time investments and farming in order to achieve an Elite Specialization. I do understand that an Expansion is not meant to be played in one day, Elite Specializations are not long-term progression: that’s what the Masteries are for. Elite Specializations are meant to be a new way to play an old profession in new and old content, however, as it is now, you are either forced to grind old content to get far enough along for the Elite Specialization to be worth using in the new content, or you are forced to use an incomplete Elite Specialization in the new content.

My suggestion is simple: increase the Hero Points gained from the new Hero Challenges, ESPECIALLY the Group Event ones, perhaps by five or even ten Hero Points. This will prioritize the Group Event Hero Challenges, ensuring there are always people doing the events, and it will also allow players to reach their Elite Specialization faster, so that they can use it to its full potential in the new content.