In my opinion, high DPS of zerker build is not the true problem here.
The true problem is, as a build also known as “Glass Canon”, zerker build should be a high RISK/high RETURN choice in the game which only a limited part of well-skilled player could master, but in the current version, I dont think the risk of running a zerker build is high enough comparing with the return it could bring. It’s simply hard to consider a meta build as a high risk choice, if it is so, most people would not tend to use it.
Zerkers do not die enough/or face the risk of dying in PVE even if they are not that well-skilled. In dungeons, faster runners just stack together and DPS the boss as quick as the can, or find some spot the glitch the bosses so that the bosses can not damage them.
This situation makes the game really boring.
Personally, even if Anet can not provide some resolution for the zerker issue, at least they should punish the stackers.
Why do people stack?
- Because in order to benefit from buffs — the game’s coordination mechanic — they have to.
Why do people stack in melee?
- Because melee does more damage.
Why do people pull mobs into certain areas, stacking them?
- Because most melee attacks cleave.
Why do people glitch bosses?
- Because it’s faster, and after doing dungeons for 20 months, the thrill is gone.
Why is the risk of using zerker too low?
- It isn’t. I’ve lost count of the groups that glitch the Spider Queen because they either don’t have the skill or don’t want to have to use skill to avoid her attacks. That last pretty much kills the lack of risk thing. There are plenty of zerkers whose play is mediocre at best, but who get by on glitches and memorization. If you think zerker has too little risk, go fight Pvt users in WvW. Let’s not confuse, “The dungeons are easy because people can run them in their sleep.” with “The dungeons are easy because GC risk is too low.” I remember when people were figuring out the dungeons. They were quite a bit harder then.
Why would a build not be meta if the risk is high?
- It would. Remember that the meta is driven by the best players, the ones who crunch the numbers and have the skill to pull things off.
Basically I agree with your post. The most beneficial solution becomes Meta. People are zerkering and stacking because those behavior can bring them maximum benefit with no doubt.
The problem is, is that what we/or game designers want?
You have pointed out that, zerker stakers with melee attacks have the most advantages in dungeons, which bring the question, was Anet attempting to make ranged weapons weaker in dungeons? Were ranged weapons designed only for PvP or WvW?
You also pointed out that many players stack because then don’t have or don’t want to have the skills to kill bosses like Spider Queen by other methods, but from my point of view, game designers have designed Spider Queen to challenge specific skills of players, for example, quick react on venom fields, if those challenges can be avoided with no/or very low cost, either it is a bug, or at least a failure of game designing, for the former, abusing of in-game bugs is against Term of use, and for the latter, those failures should be fixed.
At last, for the argument regarding META builds, my theory is based on the risk-return balance, since many of other forumers have pointed out, the ultimate target in PvE is to kill mobs which makes zerker build has the highest return in game, so it should bear the highest risk in game as well. If build diversity works well, there should be players who like the high risk-high return builds like zerker build, and players who like the low-risk-low return builds like bunker build, and those who like the various build lying between those two build. If almost players choose to pick the same high risk-high return build in a game, we should have enough reason to believe that the risk is not high enough, or the return is too high, and I think the game designers from Anet believe the latter(Actually I am not very sure, maybe they just think it is too much easier to lower the return from zerker gears than modifying the whole dungeon machanism).