I’m glad that we finally can remove the pseudo choices in the current traits system.
no more specing to a line just to get the stats out. I can finally move points out of water because I don’t need the extra +300 but from it to survive anymore
everyone can select 3 from 6 trees. It’s much easier to balance. Everyone can select 3 grand master traits now! So much more variety
use amulets/gears as the main way to spec for trait. You can trait defensively, and wear a Berserker amulet! Or trait offensively, and wear Cleric/Solder
useless traits are being reworked! Less traps and pseudo choices
The bigger question, how brokenly OP can we make a new spec. I’m thinking thief has some nice traits that line up (executioner + panic strike + trickery traits). However, ele might be able to get stone heart or diamond skin with all the water/arcana healing and just tank all day.
I REALLY hope they don’t just release HoT and not touch balance for another year afterward. Monthly tweaks after the patch would be the BEST thing they could do to help the meta stabilize and not get out of control.
From gears/amulets. Everyone’s base stats are also increased to 1000. Which means we can all be less traits dependent. If you want vit, you can freely get a Soldier amulet now, while keeping all your new 3 grand master traits!
I REALLY hope they don’t just release HoT and not touch balance for another year afterward. Monthly tweaks after the patch would be the BEST thing they could do to help the meta stabilize and not get out of control.
Yes! Balance patch should be monthly for at least the first 6 months of the game!
The bigger question, how brokenly OP can we make a new spec. I’m thinking thief has some nice traits that line up (executioner + panic strike + trickery traits). However, ele might be able to get stone heart or diamond skin with all the water/arcana healing and just tank all day.
I REALLY hope they don’t just release HoT and not touch balance for another year afterward. Monthly tweaks after the patch would be the BEST thing they could do to help the meta stabilize and not get out of control.
But that will be all you can do..Tank, actually as they’re removing base stats it’s to be seen if you can tank at all without using a cleric amulet and even then the healing/vitality won’t be enough to tank even a single thief who meanwhile can fully use panic strike/executioner and trickery + zerker amulet
I’m afraid this will break the game. As someone said above I’m terrified of the day I’ll see Evasive Arcana, Cleansing Water and Diamond Skin/Stone Heart ele. Thief with Executioner and panic stike sounds a bit too strong, too. On the other hand, other specs still sound weak even with this change. Mesmer still has to go 4 in Domination and Dueling for a proper shatter and those GM traits are meh. I really don’t know how to feel about this, they gave us a piece of information, but it’s difficult to make an opinion since it’s only 10% of what we need to know.
Many of these grandmaster traits may change. Also with stats changing and everyone having the same 3-GM benefit, it’s impossible to tell how this will turn out, simply because we don’t know what will even make it through or what else will change as they revisit the old traits. A bigger concern in general may be the possibility of a powercreep, but in willing to take a breath and hope for the best.
High Warlord Sikari (80 Reaper) / Lord Siekron (80 DH)
Warlord Sikari (80 Scrapper)
As long as they actually balance all the traits this will be a great change. It will allow every build to be like the meta builds now where their is a nice balance between damage, support, and survivability.
Necros don’t have reflects, invulns, vigor, blocks,
extra dodges, real stability, mobility skills,
burst skills, sustain, or good support. GG ANET.
From gears/amulets. Everyone’s base stats are also increased to 1000. Which means we can all be less traits dependent. If you want vit, you can freely get a Soldier amulet now, while keeping all your new 3 grand master traits!
Sometimes I like the option of not using all three grandmasters. That’s the problem. With HoT I will have to. Sometimes it’s better to use an adept or major trait instead of a grandmaster from a 4th/5th line.
From gears/amulets. Everyone’s base stats are also increased to 1000. Which means we can all be less traits dependent. If you want vit, you can freely get a Soldier amulet now, while keeping all your new 3 grand master traits!
Sometimes I like the option of not using all three grandmasters. That’s the problem. With HoT I will have to. Sometimes it’s better to use an adept or major trait instead of a grandmaster from a 4th/5th line.
I agree. On the other hand, it’s also good to acknowledge that overall we won’t lose much variety, since a lot of what would be lost are pseudo choice anyway. Yes, we may lose some build, but we also gain a lot more.
As long as ANet can commit to a monthly balance patch, this HoT expansion is gonna be a big hit!
And remember, this system makes balancing about a billion times easier as each trait becomes a little knob and specialization trees can be balanced in synergy without risk of hyper-hybrids or unexpectedly strong mixtures of traits of the same tier (multiple adept etc).
There theoretically will be less pseudo choice her and more actual preference based decisions. We just have to wait and see though.
My biggest fear currently is stat/power inflation and Elite specializations being mandatory.
High Warlord Sikari (80 Reaper) / Lord Siekron (80 DH)
Warlord Sikari (80 Scrapper)
As far as I can see, the new system will have a lot less room to variety:
1) There’s only 3 choices in each step, whereas in the older we have 6, 4 and 3.
2) You can’t chose to get two neither three traits in the same step. In example: currently for a Warrior you can spent four points in Discipline and get Destruction of the Empowered (VIII), and Mobile Strikes (X) both of which are in the second tier. With the new system you will never be able to take 3 traits from the first tier, neither 2 from the second tier.
3) If a tier has three bad traits you will be force to take one of them. You no longer can skip garbage level traits. This part is specially cringe worthy taking in consideration how much tier 1 traits are filled with crap.
From gears/amulets. Everyone’s base stats are also increased to 1000. Which means we can all be less traits dependent. If you want vit, you can freely get a Soldier amulet now, while keeping all your new 3 grand master traits!
Sometimes I like the option of not using all three grandmasters. That’s the problem. With HoT I will have to. Sometimes it’s better to use an adept or major trait instead of a grandmaster from a 4th/5th line.
You cannot use three grandmaster traits at the moment. If anything, you still can use the two selected ones and have a third as a bonus.
As far as I can see, the new system will have a lot less room to variety:
1) There’s only 3 choices in each step, whereas in the older we have 6, 4 and 3.
2) You can’t chose to get two neither three traits in the same step. In example: currently for a Warrior you can spent four points in Discipline and get Destruction of the Empowered (VIII), and Mobile Strikes (X) both of which are in the second tier. With the new system you will never be able to take 3 traits from the first tier, neither 2 from the second tier.
3) If a tier has three bad traits you will be force to take one of them. You no longer can skip garbage level traits. This part is specially cringe worthy taking in consideration how much tier 1 traits are filled with crap.
Flexibility will be hurt.
Yeah, I think the fact we won’t be able to take two adept/master traits from the same tree is the worst. However, if you look at the ele traits, they might rework them, so you don’t need to anyway. But I agree it brings less variety. Also, some trees have horrible GM traits while great master and adept. I really feel bad for classes who will be stuck with bad GM traits like this.
From gears/amulets. Everyone’s base stats are also increased to 1000. Which means we can all be less traits dependent. If you want vit, you can freely get a Soldier amulet now, while keeping all your new 3 grand master traits!
Sometimes I like the option of not using all three grandmasters. That’s the problem. With HoT I will have to. Sometimes it’s better to use an adept or major trait instead of a grandmaster from a 4th/5th line.
You cannot use three grandmaster traits at the moment. If anything, you still can use the two selected ones and have a third as a bonus.
He didn’t formulate his post very well, but what he meant is, selecting adept/master trait INSTEAD of grandmaster in the current system. Some of the current adept/master traits are better than grandmasters. In Hot, we won’t be able “mix and match” traits like this anymore.
I’m glad that we finally can remove the pseudo choices in the current traits system.
no more specing to a line just to get the stats out. I can finally move points out of water because I don’t need the extra +300 but from it to survive anymore
everyone can select 3 from 6 trees. It’s much easier to balance. Everyone can select 3 grand master traits now! So much more variety
use amulets/gears as the main way to spec for trait. You can trait defensively, and wear a Berserker amulet! Or trait offensively, and wear Cleric/Solder
useless traits are being reworked! Less traps and pseudo choices
Thank you ANet. The news made my day!
Quating myself in another thread:
As far as I can see, the new system will have a lot less room to variety:
1) There’s only 3 choices in each step, whereas in the older we have 6, 4 and 3.
2) You can’t chose to get two neither three traits in the same step. In example: currently for a Warrior you can spent four points in Discipline and get Destruction of the Empowered (VIII), and Mobile Strikes (X) both of which are in the second tier. With the new system you will never be able to take 3 traits from the first tier, neither 2 from the second tier.
3) If a tier has three bad traits you will be force to take one of them. You no longer can skip garbage level traits. This part is specially cringe worthy taking in consideration how much tier 1 traits are filled with crap.
Considering that it just have been released, and we will get a stream today, I don’t think you should make such assumption yet. Let’s wait til their 4 hour stream ends and then voice our concern. Also they will probably tweak the traits anyway.
People who say we only have 3 choice in each steps are missing the point. With 6 lines, you have 20 combinations of the 3 lines. Each can be tweaked. I said you can freely choose the combinations because the stats are not part of the traits anymore! No longer I have to spec into Fire and Lighting for my glass staff ele. I can do Tempest/Arcana glass staff with a zerkers amulet!
I can see at least 8 viable builds for ele already, assuming no major traits changes.
The old system gives you the illusion of choices, not real choices.
. The news made my day!