Guild Wars 2

did some talking with a buddy last night and we feel like it would defiantly help some classes if they didn’t have to take the trait line just to use the weapon and skills for what ever build they are using.

Also what happens when anet releases a new xpac with new elite specs linked to new weapons and skills realistically its just going to be a repeat of the current situation, anyway you guys be the judge go here http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/ and make builds that could be viable if they had the new weapons/skills and didnt need to take the trait line.

But take away the weapons and skills and whats a elite spec there for……..maybe to change the way you play a class

No, this system ensures that the next elite specs wont just be “the next op thing” because the previous elite spec actually offers something unique.
If you dont bind the skills/weapon to the elite spec then when the next wave comes out, people will just create MASSIVELY op builds
Things like scrappers hammer combined with ANOTHER elite specs trait line/abilities would be extremely and exponentially harder and harder to balance.
Imagine in the future when each class has like 3-4 elite specs, there would be REAL build diversity because each elite spec will have their own unique OP weapons/abilities. If you made it so the weapons/abilities arnt tied to the spec, people would gravitate to ONE “best” build that just combines the OP things from each spec

Kayberz.5346:

No, this system ensures that the next elite specs wont just be “the next op thing” because the previous elite spec actually offers something unique.
If you dont bind the skills/weapon to the elite spec then when the next wave comes out, people will just create MASSIVELY op builds
Things like scrappers hammer combined with ANOTHER elite specs trait line/abilities would be extremely and exponentially harder and harder to balance.
Imagine in the future when each class has like 3-4 elite specs, there would be REAL build diversity because each elite spec will have their own unique OP weapons/abilities. If you made it so the weapons/abilities arnt tied to the spec, people would gravitate to ONE “best” build that just combines the OP things from each spec

^This. Nail on the head.nothing more really needs to be said. We know how hard the game is to balance now. Unlocking the skill and weapons from the line would cause chaos

BrotherBelial.3094:

Kayberz.5346:

No, this system ensures that the next elite specs wont just be “the next op thing” because the previous elite spec actually offers something unique.
If you dont bind the skills/weapon to the elite spec then when the next wave comes out, people will just create MASSIVELY op builds
Things like scrappers hammer combined with ANOTHER elite specs trait line/abilities would be extremely and exponentially harder and harder to balance.
Imagine in the future when each class has like 3-4 elite specs, there would be REAL build diversity because each elite spec will have their own unique OP weapons/abilities. If you made it so the weapons/abilities arnt tied to the spec, people would gravitate to ONE “best” build that just combines the OP things from each spec

^This. Nail on the head.nothing more really needs to be said. We know how hard the game is to balance now. Unlocking the skill and weapons from the line would cause chaos

dosent everyone already just gravitate to the one best build allready?

and in the future wouldnt everyone still gravitate to the next one best build reguardless?

ukuni.8745:

BrotherBelial.3094:

Kayberz.5346:

No, this system ensures that the next elite specs wont just be “the next op thing” because the previous elite spec actually offers something unique.
If you dont bind the skills/weapon to the elite spec then when the next wave comes out, people will just create MASSIVELY op builds
Things like scrappers hammer combined with ANOTHER elite specs trait line/abilities would be extremely and exponentially harder and harder to balance.
Imagine in the future when each class has like 3-4 elite specs, there would be REAL build diversity because each elite spec will have their own unique OP weapons/abilities. If you made it so the weapons/abilities arnt tied to the spec, people would gravitate to ONE “best” build that just combines the OP things from each spec

^This. Nail on the head.nothing more really needs to be said. We know how hard the game is to balance now. Unlocking the skill and weapons from the line would cause chaos

dosent everyone already just gravitate to the one best build allready?

and in the future wouldnt everyone still gravitate to the next one best build reguardless?

Yes, but anyone who has played GW1 will know how hard it was to balance all the skills in that game, to the point where some skills where just rendered useless. Like Ursan form. This Eye of the North elite skill allowed anyone to do UW, FoW, DoA. As long as you had a high enough Norn rep rank, the skill was amazing. Then ANet put it in the ground. Or the bonding skills that had been unchanged from prophecies release, destroyed to stop people being able to farm dungeons.

If skills and weapons where “unlocked” expect one that where too difficult to balance to be rendered useless. ANet have done it in the past, they’ll do it again.

The whole idea of the elite specs was to make a different play style to the base class and not make them overpowered. Now realistically this already failed as very few versions of the base classes perform as well as the elite specs BUT if you make so the elite specs don’t have to give up anything (a third trait line) to get the bonuses it makes any elite spec a direct upgrade from the base class if they use the same build.

Best example I can think of is the old condi p/p engi build that is still used here and there. The scrapper version would be the exact same thing but would also get the function gyro (and stealth gyro if they really wanted) which is a direct upgrade. Pretty much any useable engi build would be better off being a scrapper build as they get the added utility of the gyro.