Guild Wars 2

Why not give everyone a 25% movement speed buff in PvP?

• Matches would go faster
• It would level the playing field, since some classes give up very little to get speed, while others basically can’t take it without disrupting their meta build
• It would let you pick a rune that corresponds with the build you want to play, rather than picking it basically just because it gives you speed

If we have to keep doing this with runes though, I propose two new ones:

• Cheetah: power, vitality, 25%
• Roach: condition damage, vitality, 25%

Mushin.3928:

Why not give everyone a 25% movement speed buff in PvP?

Because Swiftness becomes practically pointless

Warriors, Scrappers and mesmers basically always use the +25% trait, druid has easy 100% swiftness uptime with shouts, and we don’t talk about thieves.
So all that is left are Tempest, Herald, DH and Necros.
Tempest gets 8sec upon overloading an attunement which gives him quite some swiftness should he need it and Herald can use Facet of Elements for perma swiftness if he wishes so.

So really the only two classes left are Necro and DH of which necro at least has Loctus swarm but it isn’t very powerful in terms of mobility.
Also one of the things many people kept complaining with necro is that he is simply too slow out of all the classes, which I second.
So basically all it would be is a well needed buff for necros, a perhaps unnecessary buff for DH and not much of a change for any other profession besides Rev and to a very small degree ele, but instead we wouldn’t need to waste a rune just for mobility sake and since Zephyr’s Speed on ele really is the only trait that doesn’t have a second effect to it we could just delete the +25% and leave them as they are without any problem.

I play druid and it does not have easy 100% swiftness uptime, unless you think wasting an elite skill or heal just to get swiftness is a good idea.

@Sarrs swiftness is not pointless even if all classes have 25%, its a noticeable speed boost still (about ~6% more). And anyway, why should PvP movement be designed around swiftness, if there are more balanced/fun ways to approach it. In every game context where there is a need for continual swiftness, its a big drag on the gameplay (WvW is even worse).

Lynx runes were a smart decision because now people have to choose between movement speed and other possible buffs. Giving everyone free movement speed is one of the single worst suggestions ever put into this forum. By doing this you make it easier for people to achieve their “God mode” type build and further limit diversity, counter rotation, etc.

Summary: No

It seems to me that people still don’t understand that choice is actually something good.

Having limitations and to choose what you get out of it actually makes builds stronger in the long run because you have to account for weaknesses.
Yes, this also goes for the current trait system, in the long run it is better than what we started out with because we have limitations but also choices that matter.

The issue with the current specialization system is there are too many mandatory lines/traits for there to be any diversity or sacrifice possibility. The old trait system imo was better for the whole choice thing cause you had to choose to go for bigger, more influential traits (Grandmaster tier) and have fewer or take more less impactful traits.

But those are balance issues.
Sure, you have mandatory lines, but it’s not like that is new, you had those before.

Warriors we’re expected to use Traits X/Y/Z just as much as they are now.

The ideal solution would be to spread some stuff out (like condi counter traits on some classes) or balance alternatives to each other better.
Also to make it so that you can’t spec a core mechanic line (Soul Reaping, Illusions, whatnot) with an elite-spec line because those keep messing up the balance too as it is, essentially, a duo class-system.

All in all i still like the current system more, sure it needs more balance and expansion but it is a solid foundation.

The only flaw i find in the system is it may not even be a line that’s mandatory, maybe just one or two selections (See discipline for warriors) that force them to take the whole line just to get two traits that make their entire build able to function at all (Every class has these kinds of traits) when they could, with the older system, get what they needed and then sacrifice a gm in discipline for perhaps an adept they thought could prove more pertinent to the style they want to achieve.

I don’t think the problem is the core mechanic lines being taken with the elites as much as it is the elites are straight upgrades to the core mechanics and class. Like what does taking druid sacrifice? Answer: nothing. You get a healing form, a bunch of new supercharged pets, and a weapon that isn’t countered by reflect that also gives you healing and heavy mobility. As long as elites act as upgrades to already existing stuff without sacrificing certain mechanics or skill types then they will reign supreme. My solution to that: When someone specs an elite they lose access to a skill type (I.E. scrappers can no longer use kits, DH loses meditations) and a weapon type (I.E Druids lose access to longbow, daredevils lose daggers, etc.) so then they have to decide which aspects of the class are more important to them and sacrifice accordingly. After all, the elites are supposed to change the way your class plays, not buff it’s current role.

Also doesn’t help when class mechanics are as volatile as they are. Take thief steal for example: You can get all the traits for it and have it be a super strong skill that can be used for a ton of reasons, or you can ignore the traits and have your class mechanic be utterly useless. Making mechanics less influenced overall by traits through making some things baseline to improve functionality of mechanics and reducing volatility will help a great deal with balance imo.