Guild Wars 2

The problem I’m trying to address is that the super-awesome way GW2 allows you to change your build is offset by the super-grindy way you have to obtain new armor sets (arguably still part of your build). My idea is to make gear stats switchable on ascended and exotic gear, like how they are on legendaries. Unlike legendaries, there would be a cost to switching stats – either 1) a fee per switch (similar to resetting traits) or 2) an upgrade cost to unlock an affix.

1) A fee. The fee could be fixed or variable, but the point of it would be to create a gold sink that would be more stable in the long term than the current gold sink associated with obtaining multiple armor sets (storage costs and possible TP fees). So if I wanted to change my helm from Soldier’s to Carrion for a new build, I would have to pay.
2) Upgrading to unlock an affix. For exotics, this could be as simple as having to pay the equivalent dungeon-token cost for the piece with the stats you want. For example, if I wanted my Soldier greatsword to be switchable to Berserker, I could give it to the CoF vendor and pay a certain number of CoF tokens – then my greatsword would be switchable between Soldier/Berserker. For ascended items, it would be almost the same except the cost wouldn’t be CoF tokens – it would be some ascended items.

The actual fee/upgrade cost is up to the designers, but I believe that using either of the proposed methods (or both) would allow the game to maintain a gold sink and incentive to run dungeons equivalent to what exists now.

P.S. Maybe if you unlocked all the affixes on your ascended item then the item could be upgraded to legendary for a subset of current legendary costs!

While I like the idea of being bale to switch stats I don`t understand the need to always have to pay for something. this a game, we should have fun with it, not worry about economies or charges in a fantasy world.

Maybe an alternative solution would be to have the ability to unlock stat sets kind of like how you unlock beserkers or knights insignias for crafting. That way you own the stat set and apply it whenever you want to, to whatever you want. Crafters could sell insignias on the tp and non crafters could consume the insignia to unlock the stat set.
So you really are paying for the stats but it`s a one time buy for each set.

Banewrath.5107:

While I like the idea of being bale to switch stats I don`t understand the need to always have to pay for something. this a game, we should have fun with it, not worry about economies or charges in a fantasy world.

Maybe an alternative solution would be to have the ability to unlock stat sets kind of like how you unlock beserkers or knights insignias for crafting. That way you own the stat set and apply it whenever you want to, to whatever you want. Crafters could sell insignias on the tp and non crafters could consume the insignia to unlock the stat set.
So you really are paying for the stats but it`s a one time buy for each set.

That is what I was trying to communicate with the second method – one-time upgrades that would unlock an affix and permanently allow you to switch to that unlocked affix.

With regard to fees – I don’t like fees either, but I recognize the need for gold sinks in this game to maintain a more stable economy.

Geniekid.2645:

Banewrath.5107:

While I like the idea of being bale to switch stats I don`t understand the need to always have to pay for something. this a game, we should have fun with it, not worry about economies or charges in a fantasy world.

Maybe an alternative solution would be to have the ability to unlock stat sets kind of like how you unlock beserkers or knights insignias for crafting. That way you own the stat set and apply it whenever you want to, to whatever you want. Crafters could sell insignias on the tp and non crafters could consume the insignia to unlock the stat set.
So you really are paying for the stats but it`s a one time buy for each set.

That is what I was trying to communicate with the second method – one-time upgrades that would unlock an affix and permanently allow you to switch to that unlocked affix.

With regard to fees – I don’t like fees either, but I recognize the need for gold sinks in this game to maintain a more stable economy.

Yeah that`s why I mentioned getting the stats from craftable insignias so the money that is spent is kept in circulation. whatever someone gets from selling something, he will just spend that on something else. Eventually the gold will be exhausted from various things over time. That way too you don`t need to visit vendors or trade tokens, you could just buy and learn the insignia and have a right click menu on items to select learned stat sets. The more user friendly and simpler a system would be the way to go for me.

Banewrath.5107:

Geniekid.2645:

Banewrath.5107:

While I like the idea of being bale to switch stats I don`t understand the need to always have to pay for something. this a game, we should have fun with it, not worry about economies or charges in a fantasy world.

Maybe an alternative solution would be to have the ability to unlock stat sets kind of like how you unlock beserkers or knights insignias for crafting. That way you own the stat set and apply it whenever you want to, to whatever you want. Crafters could sell insignias on the tp and non crafters could consume the insignia to unlock the stat set.
So you really are paying for the stats but it`s a one time buy for each set.

That is what I was trying to communicate with the second method – one-time upgrades that would unlock an affix and permanently allow you to switch to that unlocked affix.

With regard to fees – I don’t like fees either, but I recognize the need for gold sinks in this game to maintain a more stable economy.

Yeah that`s why I mentioned getting the stats from craftable insignias so the money that is spent is kept in circulation. whatever someone gets from selling something, he will just spend that on something else. Eventually the gold will be exhausted from various things over time. That way too you don`t need to visit vendors or trade tokens, you could just buy and learn the insignia and have a right click menu on items to select learned stat sets. The more user friendly and simpler a system would be the way to go for me.

I agree with your preference for the one-time upgrade system over the fee-per-switch system (although I’d take either right now). And yes, a craftable upgrade would be good – I only mention token spending because I don’t want to decrease the existing incentive for max level players to continue running dungeons. But I see no reason why we couldn’t give the player both options (crafting vs token spending) for unlocking the affix.

Yeah I could agree with that. Both insignias and tokens. the more options the better.