Guild Wars 2

Hi

Simple question:

Would you like the following trait instead of latent stamina.

Elemental focus.

You loose the ability to swap to untraited elements.
Gain a 20% CD reduction to all other skills. (weapon + utility)

So you loose two swaps and 8 skills (not counting autos). For widespread CD reduction.
Will that be on par or tend to be OP? I think on a high level it migt be less worthy. All it might do is lower the swaps and so the skill floor. It might strengthen the staff fire campers going T/F/W. Giving the 20% only to weapon skills would underperform.

I also guess that most active eles don´t like to hear about less element swaping.
But to use one trait for such a function makes it an option, and i expect a lot of people might like it.

Greetings

Wolf

It’s like sharing the same weapon skills among two completely seperate paradigms. You have skills and cooldowns balanced for four different action bars and now you are going to use the same skills for a two action bar mechanic with a global cooldown decrease across the board.

Sounds like a nightmare to balance with the end result being some kind of tug of war where one change decreases the strength of one side while increasing the strength of the other.

I mean, surely, if we put a little effort into this, we can find ways to add new dimensions to the elementalist that don’t involve completely retooling the elementalist’s core mechanics.

There are other versions of less swaps.

One is a weapon swap, instead of ele swap on 5-6 s CD.

Another is to give boons from unused elements, that can compensate for the loss of skills.

I agree that going for CD reduction will be hard to balance, if you intend to make it even. But when leaving the lower swap version a bit down, then its a trait PvP pro´s won´t use but will ease the life for many casual or RPG players in PvE and WvW.

But i think the effort is not absurd and the implementation also nothing to large.
The % Version might need some rounds to balance the numbers but it will work.
It will give a new feeling to eles and fit tempest, which is going against arcane ele swaping anyway.

Greetings

Wolf

My stance is the same as always. If casual players find a two action bar mechanic to be more comfortable and easier, they have 6 other classes to choose from that make use of that mechanic.

Trying to make something that everyone will like is the quickest way to get something no one will like.

I am not saying i want to make something everyone likes. This must fail.
I say, if Anet decided to go against arcane ele swaping, then push it further to make something new and diffrent, a large part of the comunity will enjoy.
The half thing tempest is now, seems to feel meh for much more players then those that will like it.
So make tempest a spec going against arcane swaping + water, but viable.