Engineers being versatile is a fantasy scenario that only exists on paper, and in dev minds, just like "middle range “. The only viable engineer builds are extremely specialised in trait, kit, weapon, utility etc; and each of the specialised builds lack in several areas, they are not versatile at all.
The word ‘versatility’ isn’t the word that comes to mind either when I play engineer. It’s ‘choice’. We can choose our kits and choose what to use because we aren’t bound to weaponcooldowns and such. But versatility?
Engineers are meant to be versatile, but then they released an sPvP patch that prevented classes from swapping their utility skills after the round began.
Engi is the profession for people who like challenges… who like to have it difficult, who think something is there and want to dig it up… explore problems to find possibly solutions.
Unfortunately all we dig up is bugs and non intended game mechanics (and 1-2 viable builds) that are either breaking that focus of adjusted traits or that feature certain elements, which then get promptly nerfed.
It might be there is nothing to dig up, unfortunately.
I see engineer as no more versatile then a thief or a ranger or a warrior, all classes can play the roles but now due to the changes in this class to balance pvp pve players are suffering for the so called versatility tax that only engineers are paying. And it’s not right or honest to ignore this problem or say it doesn’t exist. We’re not as versatile as people think. Our traits for example keep us from being as versatile as our adventurer counterparts.
The trait system needs a complete overhaul I was comparing the traits of the other two adventurer classes today, they get WAY more benefits for making more crits happen more often that do special abilities when switching occurs that we don’t have access to and much much better protections that give them the advantage. Damage for example, rangers and thieves both have a trait that gives them fury when then enemy reaches 50% health, rangers have a trait that gives their pets might on critical hits, thieves can combine two traits to do an enormous amount of damage (Executioner, Furious Retaliation) engineers equivolent of these traits are all grandmaster and in strange lines that don’t even fall under the damage lines like firearms for example, engineers also must use abilities to trigger our effects while rangers and thieves enjoy these buffs automatically. Defense for example, rangers get 50% endurance regen as an adept trait, thieves get to disappear if 10% of their total hitpoints is taken out in 1 hit as an adept trait. Meanwhile engineers have to have these as grandmaster traits or a version that doesn’t help us at all. The cloaking device could be changed to help us when we take that much damage at once, or they could move the bomb defense system, and that adrenaline implant definitely shouldn’t take 30 points.
Rangers and thieves can stack might and fury like crazy while engineers have to struggle to do so by drinking potions until they puke. Every trait that benefits us in damage is a grandmaster trait while the other classes get to use theirs in adept and master levels. It’s no wonder we have so many problems with damage.
