Core Utility Skills locked to Core Specializations

[DonArkanio.6419]

Hey there,

What if utility skills were locked to Core Specializations? The trade-offs would be really real.Some E-Specs tend to overperform due to having already a strong set of utilities on top of the Core ones. What if this was changed? What if every Specialization line you pick had a select number of utilities that are enabled on the skill bar ones you select that specific Spec?

Specialization lines already provide enhancements to existing Core utility skills. Why not tie them?

• Core Builds have access to 3 sets of utilities
• E-Spec Build have access to 2 sets of Core utilities + 1 set of E-Spec utilities
• trade-offs

This is just a thought that came to my mind, I am curious about your opinions - how would you see it? Does it make any sense?

[starlinvf.1358]

EVERYTHING would have to be rebuilt and rebalanced from the ground up to even make this idea remotely feasible. The classes are power loaded differently across their various aspects, and many core Specs don't even line up correctly on damage types with weapon pairings. Especs complicate this further, since they can radically change how a class is power loaded (see Holosmith and Spellbreaker).

Tying utility access to trait lines in Core makes certain choices mandatory in some classes, and can easily create a major conflict in others since we're trying to force a 1:1 puzzle fit of categories. I can see Guards and Memsers being hit among the hardest; since guards get a lot of flexibility through their utilities, and Mesmers builds are kind of complicated in how you have to balance weapon, traits, stats and utilities for various game modes. They are already historically dependent on their GM traits defining a whole build, and each category has one skill that gets used across many builds.

[Sobx.1758]

I'm not sure why you'd want to limit your options, but I can't see anything appealing in your idea. So nah.

[Yannir.4132]

You would have to fill in all the missing types of Elite skills and Healing skills to make it a fair and valuable choice of what traitlines to run. Otherwise, some traitlines would be just inherently more valuable than others.

For example, a Guardian picks Virtues which gives him Consecrations. Now, Consecrations don't have a healing skill or an elite skill so it automatically has 2 less choices. Then you pick Zeal, which gives you Spirit Weapons. This category is also missing its heal and elite skills. 4 less choices.Then you pick Radiance as your third line, and get Signets as a result. This category does have an elite and a healing skill. What are they though? Signet of Courage and Signet of Resolve, the objectively 2 worst picks in their respective categories.These are the standard traitlines for a Core DPS Guardian for PvE purposes btw, so it's not even a niche build. A F2P account would use this for Dungeons and Fractals.Also because Signets are now exclusive to Radiance, a Support Guardian(or a Firebrand) can no longer run Signet of Mercy or Signet of Courage.

I can already see so many issues with this, and I'm only thinking about 1 profession. It's just too much work. Besides, this is already basically Revenants class mechanic. Would make that particular class feel less unique.

[Knighthonor.4061]

One word :Revenant