I was posting in the Ranger balance CDI and it occurred to me that there are issues across all classes with each format. For example, the Ranger is really doing poorly in PvE and WvW, but does really well in tPvP. What happens when you fix the issues for 2 formats when a class is already perceived as strong in another? It’s a balancing nightmare.
There are many cool things that could happen in PvE with skills such as the ability to port your turrets around on an Engineer that would be OP for PvP and WvW, but wouldn’t break PvE. The Ritualist class in GW1 had what I consider the best buff in that game as it pertained to a class balance patch. There weren’t many people that actively played their Rit in GW1 until two things happened: 1.) Skill splits. The Rit had very long cast times to cast spirits. For those that don’t know, Ritualists could cast spirits that were turrets. Our Ritualist in this game is the Engineer. The problem is that there is no way to transport them around the map quickly. If skill splits were enacted, and a skill to summon turrets created, Engineers in PvE would see more use. That way you could keep it out of WvW and PvP, but create another viable and fresh build for PvE and it wouldn’t break the game. 2.) Cast times on Rit Spirits were shortened for the class in PvE, but not in PvP. All of a sudden, a class that had been viewed as non viable outside some niche farming builds was a really strong and fun build all because skill splits enabled it.
While I think that having to balance the game for 3 formats is difficult, I think the long term effects are of a greater benefit to the game. It also gives more options to players when it comes to varying play styles for different formats. This way, classes are balanced to the format and you can fine tune their performance. I don’t want my characters hamstrung in one format because it would be OP in another and therefore certain changes that would be perfect for WvW aren’t considered because maybe that change would break sPvP. I think that type of thinking is bad for the game in the long term. If an idea is perfect for a class in a format but isn’t implemented because it wrecks another format, then skill splits are needed. This also gives developers the chance at more creativity which I think they would embrace. In the long term, this gives devs the ability to fine tune each class for each format.
Warriors are also a good example of a class that could benefit from skill splits. Because of the defiance mechanic in PvE, maces are pretty boring. I love maces in PvP though because of the stun/daze they provide. Stun/daze is nothing on a boss with stacks of defiance. Do a skill split and the mace can see a different set of effects and therefore be viable in PvE where now it isn’t.
There are myriad other examples I could give, but I have gone on long enough. Thanks for your time.
Leader of The Guernsey Milking Coalition [MiLk] Sanctum of Rall
