I have some ideas on some new mastery track options and possibly a change to how mastery tracks are implemented. Searching the forum I found a few posts here and there, but thought it would be useful to try and have an over-arching post. Hopefully one of the mods can combine this with the other posts to consolidate things.

Mastery track unlock suggestion - I have been thinking about how Anet changed experience rewards to take back up after you have completed all of the unlocked mastery track options for specific map/game areas and really love that. I don't want to see more tracks get implemented that force everyone to go need to complete that mastery in order to continue getting experience. My idea to get around that is to introduce some new optional mastery tracks that require specific item purchases, or maybe completion of a scavenger hunt to unlock.

I would prefer the scavenger hunt option since they have already implemented that sort of with the griffon and it seems that people have enjoyed unlocking that track and it felt like I was more invested in finishing that track.

This could also take over part of what Anet were trying with the legendary journey scavenger hunts. I would not want something as in depth as that but it could be fun to go around the world working on and learning about something that is related to the mastery track.

New mastery track suggestions: (none of these are in any specific order of progression for my proposed track)

Gathering

• Increased detection range of materials on the min-map, this can be split into multiple jumps in range to have more mastery track options. If we went with jumps in range for this to be a full mastery track option by itself, I would love to see something like permanent gathering nodes show up on the main map as the top level mastery.
• As another suggestion, maybe have three tracks one for each gathering type (mining, logging, harvesting).
• Permanent additional strike chance bonus -- kind of covered via glyph
• Permanent rare material chance bonus
• reduced cost of purchasing gathering tools or maybe the ability to sell gathering tools back to vendor

Crafting

• Fast or bundle crafting - this would either speed up per item craft time or immediately finish when selecting the craft all button
• Permanent critical crafting experience chance
• Efficient crafting - this would give a percent chance to reduce the overall crafting materials per crafted item, or a percent chance to increase the output of the crafted item. I doubt this is doable since it would impact the TP and economy. However, maybe it could be limited to account bound crafted items to minimize that impact.
• Intuitive crafting - this would add unknown purchasable recipes to your recipe list but direct you where it can be purchased and how much it costs. I know this is on the wiki, but I think it would be a nice QOL addition to the crafting screen that could be selected if you want it.
• Greatly Skilled - this would unlock ascended crafting for chef and jeweler. Maybe at least for jeweler it could give recipes for crafting non-collectible items that are purchasable from various map vendors. Note: that this would really need work from ArenaNet but it has been asked for a lot

General Mount

• Trick mounting - add a mount skill that after the mount attack, your character dodges or immediately attacks. Maybe setup a combo-field.
• Mount acrobatics - add function to dismount and immediately glide.
• Mounted gathering - allow for staying mounted when gathering. Animations can be changed so that you do it on top of the mount saddle.

EDIT:

General Mount

• Quick Switch - Allow a "set" of mounts you can swap between like how we had the weapon sets in GW1. Either skills 2-5 or 7-9 could be used. I think this would add a really cool element to the mount races.

It feels weird to be the only one posting on this, but I am kind of a weird Asura anyway. :)

Thought of another that would be cool

explorer

• zone master - on map completion for each zone, you can unlock a mastery that will unlock all waypoints for that zone. This probably won't work with the waypoint unlock bundle, however that is only per character and the people with a ton of toons won't want to get one for each. (I am only at 30 and already hating big sections of map complete, and yes I have all mounts) -- done sort of with way point unlocks. The unlocks are not helpful if you have more than 1 alt or like spending a lot of money in the store

Not putting masteries behind raids and adventures...Erm.. yep, that's me done...

i agree completely. I didn't mind the scavenger hunt ones in POF, but I hate the adventures and knowing I have to complete them (for profession elites) makes them less enjoyable for me. It is now a task rather than a challenge, and I do not try to complete them for mastery points. It is just way too frustrating.

The raid one in HoT always bothered me, I hate raiding. I won't be forced to do something I don't want to do.Same with PvP or WvW, I don't want to do it, never have, in any game..ever..So I live without it. shrugsHiding masteries in content I don't want to play won't make me play it...

I am mostly the same. I really hate raids and PVP. I don't enjoy WvW. I have played "daily" rooms in PvP and various stuff in WvW for achievements and guild upgrades. I would really prefer to not do those... or dungeons or fractals.

I really like roaming and PvE events and randomly grouping up to beat a boss.

Honestly, if it takes me more than an hour for one mastery I won't bother.Most of the masteries I have left need eight or more.Doing a raid for one or two is not really worth the effort.Gain masteries to learn how to make legendary weapons, then learn pre's.. then do this, then do fractals...complete this collection, blah, blah, blah ...Sorry, I do have things to do IRL you know....Just so I can stand in DR with a big number next to my name?Pfffft.....For the content I play I don't need to.They are handy to have to make me better but I won't play content I don't enjoy to get there..

I wonder if we could do profession based mastery's that would allow for permanent use of elite weapons. There could be one to give Revenant a second underwater weapon option.

I'm not fond of masteries that are map-exclusive as many of these feel like you made problems to make masteries work. If you have to create a problem to make a mastery work, please don't. Mounts didn't feel like this because terrain has always been there and makes sense as obstacles to be overcome. This is also true of the glider. Both were masteries I welcome in the game. The pact mentor mastery was well-suited towards being a mastery. By gaining the mastery, you are showing that you aren't a beginner. I'd be very glad to have more masteries in the vein of those I have mentioned.

@Edelweiss.4261 said:I'm not fond of masteries that are map-exclusive as many of these feel like you made problems to make masteries work. If you have to create a problem to make a mastery work, please don't.

Agreed. There are masteries that feel somewhat artifical in this regard. Perhaps this could be alleviated by introducing some more mastery mechanics to older (or newer) maps, though. I remember reading about an idea on how to justify this: For instance, players could've carried (bouncing) mushroom spores to other areas of the map. As long as such occurrences would be few and their use highly optional, they could be an interesting addition with, I think, several benefits.

Still waiting for ranged combat from mountsor combat roll from mounted-attack to personal attack combo

GatheringGain 2 seconds of quickness and stability when you begin the gather. Speeds up the gathering process and keeps the player from getting knocked down during gathering.

CraftingThe batch idea suggested by the OP. It’s a nightmare these days to try and craft 250 fulgrite or refine 10 stacks of mithril ore. Please give us a mastery that completes the “craft all” instantly after one channeling.

Mystic ForgeMastery to allow runes and sigils to have a chance of returning a mystic coin, minor 15%, major 20%, superior 25%. This will give runes and sigils a purpose and bring the market back up. These items won’t feel like such a burden but a bonus.

@LucusAurelius.9820 said:GatheringGain 2 seconds of quickness and stability when you begin the gather. Speeds up the gathering process and keeps the player from getting knocked down during gathering.

I really like this idea. We really need something that will help speed up the gathering time.

Mystic ForgeMastery to allow runes and sigils to have a chance of returning a mystic coin, minor 15%, major 20%, superior 25%. This will give runes and sigils a purpose and bring the market back up. These items won’t feel like such a burden but a bonus.

Maybe there could be a full track for Mystic Forge that increases the types of materials you can put in, like all of the trophies, that would give a chance of something like coins.

It could also be pretty fun if mastery tracks started being implemented like the original skills system where you had to pick a certain number of each tier to unlock the option to pick the next tier for more skill points. Eventually you would have everything unlocked and usable, but getting to that point gives you control over your horizontal progression allowing you to customize your build.

If they did this though, would it need to be character specific or still account wide?

Explorer

Top level tier would show hidden chests on the mini-map

Gathering

combine two special gathering tool extras (like watchwork, unbound magic, etc...)

Group explorer

permanent karma boost for group events

World Boss/Mentor tag - but to get it you need to complete world bosses a certain amount of times or world boss collections. Something that forces you to learn the particular boss mechanics so you can lead a group. You can have a one for each boss and you have to select which you earn, or do it by zones and you have to select the zone. Alternatively, make this all one track and each level is another zone.

Same thing for Bounties

Salvage Lord

After getting Agent of Entropy a specific number of times, you gain an increased chance of getting extra materials

Nit Picker

Further progression gives a chance at rare materials when salvaging fine or basic items

Nothing goes to waste

requires specific number of salvages for each tier including ascended. Can now salvage starting items, junk, trophies, karma, and cultural armor for a chance of an account bound material.... or maybe introduce some new account bound items like the black lion statue that allows trade in for other materials. Maybe have this one require a specific type of salvage tool

Eco God

Can salvage mini's as if they were ascended (including mini queen jennah), tokens (especially the ones that never come around again like festival tokens), and tonics.

So I am currently trying to complete the ambrite weapon collection and had a couple of ideas for Maguuma Wastes masteries. I think these or something like them would give people a greater lure to play these maps after finishing account bound collection, legendary journey collections, and/or story journal. It should also reward the people who play through whole sets of the metas or lead groups through the events.

Rabid Claimer

• Have the Buried Locked Chests and Lost Bandit Chests show on the mini-map
• get special waypoints that take you directly to permanent harvesting/mining/logging nodes

Desert Warrior

• This would be a high-end one that would give more than the normal favor generated by completing events in Dry Top, and increase the speed of upgrades to fortresses for which you participate in events in Silverwastes.

Olde Timey Trader

• Gain the ability to trade bandit crests, geodes, mordrem organs, and any other map specific items/currency with special vendors for extra guild hall items or other kind of bonus materials.
• Maybe give the ability to trade map exclusive armor/weapons for other special armors/weapons, or even black lion claim tickets or black lion statutes.