Guild Wars 2

Part 1:
Lately I see a lot of complaint posts about the elementalist class. Firstly let me emphasise that I am not trying to shoot down the validity of these claims. The majority of arguments in these complaint posts are in relation to effort vs. reward. This got me thinking and this post is a codification of the reflections.

Let us assume class A and class B are balanced if played both are played optimally. However class A has a higher complexity. Now if we look theoretically on the complexity of a class then complexity pretty much burns down to more abilities and resources to manage. More abilities mean more options. Optimally more options can lead to versatility and adaptability. The price however is that with each option added the probability of making an error in terms of playing optimally is increased. If we assume that player skill is following a normal distribution, then statistically class B will outperform class A the majority of the time due to the fact that there is a higher probability that the player controlling class A will make an error. This will ultimately make class A seem weaker than class B as the player controlling class A will experience more losses on a statistical basis. This happens even though the two classes are balanced in terms of ability/power.

Now let us look at the advantages of complexity, namely adaptability and versatility. These are effectively diminished by the latest trend in MMORPGs that all classes should be equally qualified for all kinds of gameplay (aka versatility and adaptability). GW2 is not exception in this regard. Without taking a stance on whether or not this is a positive or negative trend it can be concluded that the major advantages of high complexity in a class is at a minimum if not non-existent.

The resource system for a class plays an important role as well. The role of the resource system is to place restrictions on skills that can be used and how often. In GW2 the rough break down of classes is either the class is CD based, or based on initiative. So we have thief mechanics or “the rest of them”. I know all classes have some unique features, but for most of them it is simply another special “CD” for a special ability. Overall the important resource is either general CDs or initiative. If we look at these mechanics, then initiative is the most versatile, and is the superior of the two. However this is of less importance regarding the analysis of the complexity of a class.

With above analysis in mind we can conclude that complexity is in reality a disadvantage. Thus if we assume all classes are balanced around optimal play then we can rank classes in “OP-ness” based on complexity. A rough break down could be:

1. Thief (due to superior resource mechanic)
2. Guardian
3. Warrior
4. Mesmer
5. Ranger
6. Necromancer
7. Engineer
8. Elementalist

Whether above list is spot in the real game is not relevant since the assumption is that all classes are equally powerful and only looking at the complexity. Other factors will naturally come into play if we go into more detail. But from a macro view the above list should hold true.

Part2:
While the number of complaints for a class is not a direct reflection of its state of power, it may be used as an indication. Now a quick glance at the first page of each class forum gives the following numbers and rank:

1. Warrior – 0
2. Thief – 2
3. Guardian – 2
4. Mesmer – 4
5. Necromancer – 5
6. Ranger – 6
7. Engineer – 8
8. Elementalist – 11

Note that the above data is subjective and inaccurate. Also the sample size is way too small. I did not count bug fix requests and only counted threads that I evaluated to be “My class is underperforming because X or mechanic Y is broken because Z”. The point of the above was not to get accurate data, but to assess approximate trends. The funny thing is that in the thief and especially warrior forums there were threads that called out for nerfs to these two classes. Another interesting observation I did was that in general the forums contained “how do I beat class X” posts only for the top 4 on above list. The observant reader will notice that the complexity ranking and number of complaint posts are relatively similar.

The interesting thing about the above is that players that want to maximize his chances of winning (no matter the skill) should choose the class with the least degree of complexity. In GW2 the warrior/thief/guardian will be the optimal choice as long as the “every-class-can-do-everything” concept is maintained by the devs.

I could be that GW2 is actually a quite balanced game in terms of class ability, but imbalanced in terms of effort vs. reward for the different classes. The above listing of complexity may thusly also be used as a selection of difficulty mode for GW2.

Lastly I would make the point that fun factor have not been discussed in this thread. Personally I like complexity and find it fun, but I also value efficiency. I apologize for the lengthy high headed and extremely inaccurate analysis of why the elementalist class is dissatisfactory for many players.

Cool post with an interesting thesis.

+1

Not statistically accurate, but I think you’re onto the real base reasoning.

Thank you for the replies I am glad that you enjoyed the wall of text I think it is an interesting view on the class “balance” issues and I had to share it.

You are completely right Musty. It is completely inaccurate. As you point out the base line of reasoning does not seem way off. It could be interesting to have some real in-game statistics, to see if it reflects the above class ranking.

Could also be fun to make a more accurate statistical data. Numbers should be generated for how complex a class is (number of abilities, weapon swap CDs etc.). Then you could statistically calculate the probability of class A beating class B, taking into account that player skill is not equal. So acually when you have a complex class played by an above average player, then he may get beat by an average player playing a class with less complexity.

Would be fun, but I do not have the time to do the work currently. At least I have established a basic model for my own class selection :-) Think I will go with the necro since complexity = fun. So a good balance of fun and effectiveness

Interesting post and worth the read, I’m of the opinion that the only classes really ruining tPvP right now are Thiefs, Gaurdians, and Mesmers. Since you can conveniently just hop on a 80 for tPvP I’ve already benched my ele for a Thief, it’s simply a more effective class at the moment in every way possible. If I wanted to bunker I’d play a Guardian and if I wanted to support I’d have played a Mesmer instead.

It’s really rather disappointing because I love playstyle of Ele but it simply isn’t the most effective choice to pick if you want to win.