Guild Wars 2

A thought occured, when reading one of the threads about removing stat points from trait lines:

Do you think, the celestial meta has been facilitated by the overhauled pvp system, which only allows players to change their stat spread with a single slot?
An example: Condition builds: Currently, the only option is either running high toughness, or running high vit. There is no way to get any ground in between, unless you want to go celestial.

The current system doesn’t allow players to fine-tune their attributes. If they want to run raw physical dps, there is no way to get more vitality than what the berserker’s amulet provides. If they want to go full bunker, there’s no way to squeeze in some more damage.
In such an environment, it’s clear, that celestial stats will look really strong simply because all the extreme choices have gaping weaknesses, which can already be exploited by the minimal stats provided by the celestial amulet: The condi damage may not be enough to burst down a full-vit turreteer, but it certainly is enough to burst down any rabid build, or any other high toughness, low vit build for that matter.
The physical damage with that low selection of stats won’t be able to punch through high toughness targets, but it’s more than enough to force vit-based builds with no toughness boosts at all to their knees.
The low allround package of the celestial amulet is tailored to slip into the cracks of any extreme stat composition and destroy it. Low damage bunkers? Celestial offers more than enough toughness, vit and healing to survive. Berserkers? Celestial offers enough combined pressure to drive them off.

The question at hand is: Would the ability to re-allocate ~25% or 33% of the stat spread to another stat spread, similar to what we could do with the old jewel system, be enough for certain builds to stand up to the meta?
Could rabid condi builds just slap on a carrion jewel and make it work?
Could shatter mesmers slap on a barbarian jewel and survive in the celestial meta?
Could necromancers… No wait, nevermind. Their problems run deeper.

Anyway, what’s your opinion on the topic?
I feel like with the upcoming changes to trait lines, we will definitely need more stat customization. The question at hand is, whether the current meta already is in desperate need for more stat customization.

In my opinion, celestial is not the issue.

Engineers without Tool Kit dies fast, best Block in the game, best ranged CC, a powerful melee attack that’kittens hard with damage and conditions. Take out Toolkit and Engineers lose their meta status over night.

Elementalists can apply a bunch of protection as well as powerful condition denial. Take out Elemental Shielding or Cleansing water and we’d become significantly squishier.

Warriors Cleansing Ire, get rid of that and Warriors will be even more absent than the first meta.

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Celestial isn’t the entire problem, I can pop Soldiers and still spank on my Elementalist. Not to mention Sigil of Doom turns bunkers into super bunkers, why that sigil is still around is beyond me.

There is tons of condition spamming, condition spam removal and CC. That having stability is not nearly has important skills that block or apply invincibility. Hell, my Elementalist doesn’t have any stability. With so much CC spamming and stability being on a high cooldown it’s just not worth it. Dodge or die.

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I’ve stated this before, the meta is at it’s apex. The battle of conditions vs. removal, CC vs. stability cannot and will not get any better or healthier for “Esports”.

OP, you can fine tune just fine in pvp- it’s called wvw:-)

Why they made it totally restricted in spvp will forever remain one of those questions- although looking at how they are restricting trait lines next, it looks like GW was the apex of flexibility (and save templates) and GW2 is working on being the ultimate cookie cutter build choice game.