Jump to content
  • Sign Up

New E-Specs in 2020?


Recommended Posts

None can tell.New elites are traditionally part of x-pac content and this is not going to happen.However, new elites help keep the game interesting across all game modes so it should be good to have an alternative way to do this. If new elites is the way to give gameplay a new impulse or if another route would be the way is up to Arenanet.

Personally I would prefer to have a sandboxstyle skill/stats system. It would mean more split for PvP, but also make build matter more there. I doubt it would happen as templates are too new to have such an overhaul anytime soon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Amaranthe.3578 said:Would you pay for a new round of e-specs?Only if they came bundled with an expac.Hint: build templates (a feature that could easily be one of many features of an expansion) got monetized to the point where you could buy several expacs for the cost of unlocks for your account. I definitely wouldn't want any kind of similar monetization for especs - and yet i am sure that if thery were to be sold separately through gemstore, it would be exactly what would happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@TheGrimm.5624 said:I have been running with the unfounded and over-optimistic speculation that we will. If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

Unfounded reasons:

  • They said expansion level content, and yes to me that new e-specs
  • We had a reveal of elite style icons that was data-mined
  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites
  • NPCs foreshadowing classes using different weapons

I am not looking to raise anyone else's expectation, go with no and you will be happier.

hold on, elite style icons??? I need to see this

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if they'll put them out during the Saga.

I do know that they need to put them out during the Saga.

I wouldn't pay for them as separate purchases. IMO recent gem store practices and scarce in-game rewards have already counterbalanced selling elite specs, and doing that would be a gross misstep.

If they want to charge for elite specs, they should be part of an expansion. Selling features piecemeal is disgusting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Randulf.7614 said:In all serious, it is difficult to tell. Releasing them in stages cant work, so we have to get them in one lump. We have a 900 skill balance patch coming in the next couple of months - that could help pave the way for new elites. Or it could signal elites are done and they are focused on sorting what exists out going forward.

I hadn't thought of it before but you have a point, new elites on top of a massive balance patch could be pretty overwhelming, and it's likely there will be more balance patches/bug fixes following the main patch so everything would keep changing, which is not a great time to try to learn new specs and figure out new builds. So it would make sense to seperate the two.

I hope we do get new elites at some point, but if we do I suspect it'll be closer to the end of the season than the beginning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They said "expansion level content" but do you really believe that? I don't know if anyone's been paying attention, but we are 3 episodes (yes episodes, prologue is just a renamed episode ffs) and the content is literally the same as LW season 4. Anyone expecting more is probably setting themselves up for disappointment. Don't hold your breath for especs. Anet would have hyped them if they had any plans for it. That's a major selling point. It would raise the spirit of the entire community and give fans a reason to continue investing in the game. The fact they haven't uttered a word is very telling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@BlackBullWings.2734 said:

@"TheGrimm.5624" said:I have been running with the unfounded and over-optimistic speculation that we will. If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

Unfounded reasons:
  • They said expansion level content, and yes to me that new e-specs
  • We had a reveal of elite style icons that was data-mined
  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites
  • NPCs foreshadowing classes using different weapons

I am not looking to raise anyone else's expectation, go with no and you will be happier.

hold on, elite style icons??? I need to see this

I'm guessing it's a reference to either a group of weapon icons that were mined which seemed to be the same style seen on elite specs (they ended up being for build templates), or a set of blue-colored hero point icons which haven't been used yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Zexanima.7851 said:

@TheGrimm.5624 said:I have been running with the unfounded and over-optimistic speculation that we will. If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

Unfounded reasons:
  • They said expansion level content, and yes to me that new e-specs
  • We had a reveal of elite style icons that was data-mined
  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites
  • NPCs foreshadowing classes using different weapons

I am not looking to raise anyone else's expectation, go with no and you will be happier.

You've peaked my interest, what about these data-mined icons and NPC foreshadowing? :open_mouth:

A necromancer with a shield and other icon for example speargun, spear and staff so atleast 3 specs would get underwater weapons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the subject of elite specs:

Things that we wouldn’t rule out – but that we’re not talking about today – would be like another mount, another elite specialisation, those types of things. Those are all things that traditionally have waited until a boxed product is ready. But instead, now we’re saying, ‘look, here are the things that we’re doing. Here’s what we’re releasing right now. Here’s what’s next.’ Some of that was given in the roadmap from February. We’re getting pretty close to being done with all the things I said we were going to do, and now going into the territory of the things that I said were on the horizon.

It's a bit weird saying that mounts were in boxed products, given how we got Roller beetle and Skyscale, but he was probably talking about elite specs there. So.... not ruled out, not talking about them yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Zexanima.7851 said:

@"TheGrimm.5624" said:I have been running with the unfounded and over-optimistic speculation that we will. If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

Unfounded reasons:
  • They said expansion level content, and yes to me that new e-specs
  • We had a reveal of elite style icons that was data-mined
  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites
  • NPCs foreshadowing classes using different weapons

I am not looking to raise anyone else's expectation, go with no and you will be happier.

You've peaked my interest, what about these data-mined icons and NPC foreshadowing? :open_mouth:

Jhavi is a necro in the vanilla game, but here she use a shield. For the icon Ive seen them on reddit and facebook a while ago. If you google them you may be able to find them.

Edit: here the icon https://i.redd.it/35jv3b25q1j31.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@"TheGrimm.5624" said:If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

That's pretty obvious seeing as we already saw episodes 1 and 2, how is this a prediction at all -all you said was "if there will be something new, it won't be released in the past". :D

  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites

Which patches were that? I don't recall balance runs of this scope.

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Makuragee.3058 said:

@"TheGrimm.5624" said:I have been running with the unfounded and over-optimistic speculation that we will. If we were to see them in this LS it would be earliest in EP3/4.

Unfounded reasons:
  • They said expansion level content, and yes to me that new e-specs
  • We had a reveal of elite style icons that was data-mined
  • They are doing a large balance patch to tone everything we have now down, and they did similar balances before HoT & PoF elites
  • NPCs foreshadowing classes using different weapons

I am not looking to raise anyone else's expectation, go with no and you will be happier.

You've peaked my interest, what about these data-mined icons and NPC foreshadowing? :open_mouth:

Jhavi is a necro in the vanilla game, but here she use a shield. For the icon Ive seen them on reddit and facebook a while ago. If you google them you may be able to find them.

Edit: here the icon

And rytlock had off hand pistol as warrior since release, then class changed to revenant.Warrior still dont have off hand pistol and we cant class change so npcs can do what ever the devs want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Danikat.8537 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:In all serious, it is difficult to tell. Releasing them in stages cant work, so we have to get them in one lump. We have a 900 skill balance patch coming in the next couple of months - that could help pave the way for new elites. Or it could signal elites are done and they are focused on sorting what exists out going forward.

I hadn't thought of it before but you have a point, new elites on top of a massive balance patch could be pretty overwhelming, and it's likely there will be more balance patches/bug fixes following the main patch so everything would keep changing, which is not a great time to try to learn new specs and figure out new builds. So it would make sense to seperate the two.

I hope we do get new elites at some point, but if we do I suspect it'll be closer to the end of the season than the beginning.

Wasn't there balance patches prior HoT and/or PoF as a preparation (which they did not tell us at the time of the balance patches) for the coming elite-specializations?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Zok.4956 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:In all serious, it is difficult to tell. Releasing them in stages cant work, so we have to get them in one lump. We have a 900 skill balance patch coming in the next couple of months - that could help pave the way for new elites. Or it could signal elites are done and they are focused on sorting what exists out going forward.

I hadn't thought of it before but you have a point, new elites on top of a massive balance patch could be pretty overwhelming, and it's likely there will be more balance patches/bug fixes following the main patch so everything would keep changing, which is not a great time to try to learn new specs and figure out new builds. So it would make sense to seperate the two.

I hope we do get new elites at some point, but if we do I suspect it'll be closer to the end of the season than the beginning.

Wasn't there balance patches prior HoT and/or PoF as a preparation (which they did not tell us at the time of the balance patches) for the coming elite-specializations?

They re-worked the old trait lines system into specialisations ahead of adding elite specs, but that was in June 2015, 4 months before HoT was released. They did minor balance passes and bug fixes in between but no major balance patches.

It's pure speculation at this point but it's possible they're doing something similar now. Even if not I think it would make sense to space the two out by holding off on releasing any new elite specs until players have had time to adjust to the balance changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The amount of time needed to create and balance 9 new elite specs is far too big for them to be released outside of an expansion.

It's far too big a task to be done as living world.. and even if it was done and Anet decided to release another expansion in the future people would quickly start to ask questions like.. why should we have to pay for this expansion when all the features in it we've been getting for free over the last few years.

The biggest problem with promiting messages like.. Expansion like content.Give people things for free and they will expect you to continue to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Teratus.2859 said:The amount of time needed to create and balance 9 new elite specs is far too big for them to be released outside of an expansion.

It's far too big a task to be done as living world.. and even if it was done and Anet decided to release another expansion in the future people would quickly start to ask questions like.. why should we have to pay for this expansion when all the features in it we've been getting for free over the last few years.

The biggest problem with promiting messages like.. Expansion like content.Give people things for free and they will expect you to continue to do so.

I wouldn't mind paying for the e-specs separately if the LW gives expac-level maps and features.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...