(not a native speaker, apologies)
I’m sure what I’m suggesting was discussed a dozen of times already. Here is my idea, anyway.
Suggestion:
Invoker Stance (opposed to the Legendary x Stances)- Invoke the power of the mists.
- Revenants start with this stance.
- No colour on their arms. Alternatively if it has to be: a greyish flame with red sparks. (profession colour = stance colour)
- Racial skills are usable in “Invoker Stance” (racial skills added as additional options to the normal set of “Invoker” abilities. swapping abilities is done like with any other profession when in “Invoker Stance”)
- loosely tied to “Invocation” Trait-line because of how the Invoker Stance is supposed to work
- Role: Inferior stance that is used to support a build, that can’t swap stances because they rely too much on it. (I’m looking at you Ventari)
While it’s own abilities are common, offensive “filling-in the gap” abilities (for example mist weapon summons, much like the weapon skills) the elite skill is emulating a predefined, stance-defining ability from the other equipped stance.
Invoker Stance is inferior compared to other stances, either because it costs more energy or because it’s abilities are straight up weaker. The reason why you may want to take it anyway is because you get 50 % energy when you swap stances, while still retaining something from your “primary stance”. For example (I’m spitballing, I only want to convey the gist)…
Vengeful Hammers for Legendary Dwarf Stance,
Enchanted Daggers for Legendary Assassin Stance,
Pain Absorption for Legendary Demon Stance,
Natural Harmony for Legendary Centaur Stance (automatic tablet spawn)and
Facet of Darkness for Legendary Dragon Stance.
Reasoning:
Not talking about balance, I’m in no position. I only started playing with my Revenant recently.
I noticed many things, that felt off when playing Revenant. Other profession maintained a coherent feel when speccing into different builds. The Revenant however feels split, much like the Deathknight from WoW. The Guardian is spiritual, blue and radiant. The Necromancer is dark, green and foul. Though Engineer and Elementalists are quite a bit more colourful and variable, it still feels coherent because they share a common theme, those being elements and crazy gadgets.
Not so much with the Revenant. The stances are so different to each other that they don’t just look like the real deal they are supposed “to echo”, they really do play like that mechanically. Apart from the strange happenstance that my Revenant starts with the Dwarf Stance for some reason at level 1, apart from his inability to draw upon the culture of his race and apart from the loss of his cool looking colour scheme (that being cold grey + red), the core theme of the Revenant – that being “to echo” a Legend of Greatness opposed to yourself, currently a lower being, maybe a legend in the making who still has to learn from the past – just doesn’t come through.
Addtionally I noticed, that playing Ventari feels monotone and clunky. When I switch stances, I don’t do what my build is good for, when I don’t switch stances I lack the most mundane things you commonly have in GW2. Yes, I have access to stun break and condi clear, but I loose my stance in the process. However, if you echo or mimic the Legend you just swapped out of, you not only get what other professions have instantly without surrendering your purpose (stun break, personal and easy-to-use condi clear).
I’m not arguing because of some balancing issue. Its not the numbers, it’s the concept or at least the execution that bothers me.
Thanks for your patience!