nativity.3057

But you're also calling for the removal of solo/duo queue, therefore removing that choice... The choice to play as a 5 man queue is there (AT), but the numbers don't support that 5 man queue interest is higher than solo/duo queue interest. I think it's unfair to compare GW1 and GW2 populations since the "popular" games during their primes was different. Like MMOs were a lot more popular during GW1's era than GW2's.

I think you're grossly overestimating how many people will play PvP if it turns into 5 man queues only. Just look at AT participation.

Sometimes I wish Anet wasn't so draconian about WvW matchup threads. Might've kept the population alive. The old community WvW forum was absolutely salt filled, but had more active posters than these forums ever did.

Playing this spec for a bit in the PvP arena (Air/Arcane, Arcane/Water, Marauder's), it does not feel like a class that was built with PvP as a focus. Hammer skills are clunky, the cast times are a bit ridiculous to be used in PvP (especially Hammer 5), and is not self sufficient. To maximize DPS, you're supposed to cycle attunements, but you're stuck with core ele swap CDs. It makes the damage predictable, and if you don't cycle attunements, you just don't have damage. I can see how Catalyst might be good in PvE. The Hammer 2 skills do a good chunk of damage, but landing it is next to impossible (except for Air 2) on player hitboxes. Even if you want to combo CC into Hammer 2, why does Air 4 self stun? In the time it takes to recover from the self stun and walk up to hit, the CC has already worn off. I'm sure there is a theorycrafted build out there that focuses on auras and the GM trait that gives stability on auras, but since that requires not using Hammer, what is the point of elite weapons if there are no reasons to use them?

I would want to revert Amulet nerfs/removals. Every amulet change feels like a bandaid nerf to "fix" whatever class starts to take over the meta, ignoring the core mechanic that makes the class strong. Every season feels like a race to see which class is strong with the current stat selection and balance changes. It just feels like a counter to what GW2 was about in the beginning; where mechanics were core and stats were supplemental to making what you enjoy about the class shine. You can say that removing certain stat combinations helps with overall balance (because stats are the easiest to change), but what that leads to IMO is a stale meta where certain classes are king by virtue of mechanics.

Yeah, except you start talking about Druid stealth in Avatar mode yet we're talking about Soulbeast. How does Soulbeast run both Smokescale and Siamoth? And where in that do I say "Pets are OP". And in your original post, you said "Dolyak isn't OP bc of X reasons", yet your X reasons require more investment than just popping Dolyak. This debate is continuing because you're refusing to agree Dolyak Stance is BiS utility for Soulbeasts and refusing to acknowledge the difference between using 2 utility skills and 1 utility skill.

??? If you run BM/NM/SB, what about WS, since you need that for LR condi cleanse. How can you argue for using WS with LR this entire time and then go "run this other build that doesn't have it". Every time I respond, you keep digressing into different points. You talked about escaping with stealth, yet you bring up Siamoth. None of your points have continuity, and your argument no longer makes sense because you're grabbing different setups in response. I keep responding because you keep posting bad takes. What I'm saying is Dolyak Stance is a better defensive option than LR and SoS, while you keep arguing that taking these (in comparison) subpar utilities is the better option. It's not. And why do you keep talking about pets. Where have I ever mentioned pets.

So you wasted two CDs, cleansed immob + 2 conditions, still take condition damage and can be CCed during your 3 secs of SoS "invuln". Guess what, you have no stab. Sure, pop your SoTP, but you just popped your elite for stab, and apparently for you, utility and elite skills are similar in tradeoffs. Also, SoS is not as good as you think it is, since you keep thinking it's "damage immunity". It doesn't even break stun, so you have to use a different skill first. Like it's barely been in use since the duration/cd adjustment, and the only Rangers who seem to run it are running the passive option as well. You talk about Dolyak Stance being a noob trap? Signet of Stone is the biggest noob trap, and it got you. LR's vigor + evade is nice, but cleanses 2 condition traited (and the competing grandmaster traits are more condition resistance or more damage). You talk about "fury", but Moa gives fury without being traited, AND more damage reduction + condi reduction if traited. Fact of the matter is, Moa + Dolyak > LR + SoS. You comparing both LR + SoS to a single skill in Dolyak was incorrect. If this can't go through, then I can't continue this conversation because it's like we are playing completely different games. Stability isn't important? Sure, tell that to the classes who don't have such an easy and strong access to it. I'm guessing you've never been ganked by duo thieves running Basilisk, because it's common, and without stab you're dead. How are you gonna press SoS when you have no stab? They've already taken your singular stunbreak in LR. "I can just go to stealth". I'm sorry, I wasn't aware your Ranger has access to stealth and my Ranger doesn't. You get MORE with the utilities I'm talking about, and you keep saying "no thanks" to the extra benefits Anet giving to you for free. Why would we need tags? Because we're still talking WvW here. Now I want to ask how you're in T1 and you've NEVER come across cloudlings squirreling to get you, zergs focusing and chasing you, or coordinated gankers who will abuse the weaknesses in your build? Cleansing sigils are, again, only available to your build? I thought you ran Druid? Anyways, Unflinching Fortitude is a Soulbeast skill, and requires you to slot in a Stout pet. That means no Smokescale. Maybe you meant the resistance one, bc bird does have it. But again, you still keep saying "NO" to having more ways to counter soft-CC. And again, does my Ranger not have access to the same traits you have? And now you're forced into Nature Magic, dropping the damage you get from Beastmastery, which scales INCREDIBLY well with Soulbeast.

Not sure if servers don't do this anymore, but maybe we go back to color coded tags? Like in the past, blue/cat tags used to mean open squad pugmanders, and the other colors meant guild/closed groups with more restricted invitations.

Yeah definitely try Celestial Firebrand. I've also been running an edited version of the Paladin build, and it seems...a bit too strong? Firebrand's already pretty good, but the concentration and expertise update to Celestial made it a bit too much. You can, and will, down people in 1vX scenarios (X > 5, I'm not kidding). Anet might nerf Altruistic Healing. They probably should, if they are going to bring Mantra of Solace back up to par.

While Heel Crack might be D tier, maybe even F tier, there could be some fun interactions between Heel Crack, JI, and Celerity sigil in WvW. It's a shame how restricted this beta was in regards to equipment/runes/sigils. Got lucky when they reset the beta characters and threw in more sets in the bank at the time, but there's so many more interactions to try.

Your entire point is moot, because regardless of there being a handful of Spellbreakers and Reapers (I see Berserker and Core more than those other two builds), not a single one can heavily pressure you with CC or boonstrip. Which you keep alluding to, because apparently Dolyak Stance isn't enough to take these classes on for you. By the way, how are you having trouble with classes that Rangers handle with ease? "Anet didn't nerf it, so it's not OP". That is essentially your argument to its base form. Lmao, I can't stop laughing. Not to mention it was nerfed in PvP. Somehow Soulbeasts escaping WvW nerfs makes it okay. It's balanced in PvP, overtuned in WvW. Nope, you don't get to change the goalposts. Your first post was comparing a single utility to multiple skills. You don't come in now and go, "well, you run another utility with it" because that was never your argument. You specifically said how LR + SoS is a better option because it gives you multiple skills to use, while comparing it to a single skill. Nope, no goal post changing allowed. You still don't get why Dolyak Stance is so strong. It's either because you're blinded by class bias, or you simply don't know what's good in the game. Dolyak Stance removes soft-CC. Everybody who plays PvP competently understands how crucial it is to have specific soft-CC cleanses because of how cleansing works and cover conditions. CC skills have animations, soft-CC applying skills have less clear animations, and are often more spammable. That's how strong soft-CC is, and you continuing to downplay soft-CC cleanse shows what you know. Stability nerfs in Feb 2020 patch made every stack of Stability that more precious. "It's just some stability". Do you even play WvW? Not to mention it gives a defensive buff to both condition and power damage, where other classes would have to slot 2 utility skills to get both. But sure, me reading it being nerfed in PvP is a compelling argument that it's balanced. Yikes.

Looks like the patch notes is wrong, since it is 30s CD in WvW. Which begs the question, why would you NOT take a 30s cd stunbreak with all the extra benefits? Oh sure, it's not like protection doesn't stack with Dolyak Stance. Wait, it does, now you get 67% strike damage reduction. Literally 2/3 of the enemy's damage is mitigated. "Stance is the only reason to run Soulbeast". Totally, like let's forget how Soulbeast synergizes well with other traits, has great % damage increase and % damage reduction, and scales well in WvW with having more stats than other classes in Beastmode. Oh, and you get Stance skills, which are great. I apologize, I made the assumption, after reading your posts, that you wouldn't know that Dolyak Stance is a unique effect and cannot be stripped. But then again, you're talking about stability being boonstripped, when literally any hard CC will do that, so going "oh SpB will strip" is just a headscratcher. Honestly your whole response is a headscratcher. No single SpB or Reaper is going to boonstrip you and cc chain you, that's what a zerg will do to you. How are you getting heavy CC pressured or boonstripped by SpB. Are you eating every dagger burst and Full Counter? Because that's how you get stripped. Kind of funny how bad your takes are. My original post was regarding your decision to compare Dolyak stance to both Lightning Reflexes and Signet of Stone. You said "two skills allow you to activate different things at different times", like what? Reread that sentence please, because you don't lose a utility slot for running Dolyak Stance. I can run Dolyak Stance with any other utility, and I have more options to make the build more versatile because there are more open slots. Not to mention downplaying the extremely strong parts of Dolyak Stance. But then again, you seem to not have a clue.

What hyperbole? In your post you were comparing a single skill to the multiple options of other classes. If you want to compare defensive options, do it holistically. Because Dolyak Stance isn't the only defensive option, and the fact that it does so many things gives Soulbeasts more utility options. Again, you seem to be forgetting one major part of taking those two utility skills over Dolyak Stance, which is now you only have one free utility slot. You can activate two different skills in two different situations? Does slotting Dolyak Stance mean I only have 2 utility slots instead of 3? Don't know where you roam that you find more Necros/Mesmers than Rangers. Are you counting zerg builds as well? You see a lot of Engis bc Engi is also a very good roamer, but that's a different discussion. Imagine having a patch last year that removed a lot of access to stability and lowered strike damage, and then being someone who says "some damage reduction and stab" like those two things didn't just get indirectly buffed and are just "meh" things. Here you go again, saying "instead of Dolyak, I can just go SoTP", like those two are interchangeable, and that there isn't a difference between utility and elite skills. Also, why are you talking about Druid? Do you only run Soulbeast for Dolyak Stance? Again with the unbalanced comparisons. How are you comparing the entire mechanics of Druid to a single Soulbeast utility? Heavy CC isn't possible in a 1v1 if you aren't a potato. You can dodge CC skills you know? Spellbreaker (warriors as a whole) are limping on to the next patch in hopes of a buff. Reapers don't have an abundance of CC either. Most of their CC skills have huge tells; the class relies on chill spam, not CC spam. Boon strip? You do realize you cannot strip Dolyak Stance? Dolyak Stance CD increased from 40s to 60s. Feb 25 2020. Sure, hasn't been touched in 4 years.

How did this post get a like? The only reasonable comparison was to Engi's Elixir S. Which in this case it is a single button press for similar effects. Engis have stronger damage reduction, but cannot cap or cast skills, while Rangers have lower reduction, but isn't locked out of using skills. Then compares Dolyak Stance to Thief's Dagger Storm, which is an Elite skill, says it's okay that Dolyak Stance is equal to Dagger Storm. Then says "other classes have other skills for defense", forgetting the fact that those other skills require multiple key inputs, unlike the single panic button Dolyak Stance can be. Also says "Stone + Lightning" is a better option in certain scenarios, when that's TWO utility skills replacing ONE. Let's see, what's even more hilarious in the post: "Removing three movement impairing condis" is so significant in the current meta of immob/chill spam. "Gives some stability"; yes 6 stacks is "some", most classes struggle to even have 2 stacks, and only two utility skills in the entire game gives more stab in a single press (Armor of Earth and Dolyak Signet) "Some damage reduction", as if having both protection and resolution-esque effects on one skill isn't a big deal. "Against heavy pressure or boon strip", aka fighting severely outnumbered, Dolyak Stance is weak. 🤡 There are a lot of really strong skills in the game, Dolyak Stance is one of them. Soulbeast is already one of the better WvW roaming specs, and Dolyak Stance is a reason why. Not to mention you can trait Dolyak Stance to be even stronger.

A lot of "it could be better with just a tweak" with the current willbender beta test. But also a bit of "please change this before release" moments as well. Mainly played in WvW, so pvp focused. GS & Sw/Sw for maximum mobility in WvW makes Willbender one of the fastest class. Even thieves on mounts get caught. The class definitely leans more towards power damage than condi damage, but hybrid can work. Willbender traitline allows us to spec into different types of monk flavors (the class gives that monk vibe). Options to go full glass or drain tank in the first row of major traits, but what's likely to be used the most is the concentration one. The other options are specific and niche. 2nd row of traits is the most problematic, because they're all pretty underwhelming. First one to optimize you have to spam virtues. Second one boosts Willbender Flames, which is a topic of its own. Third one is best for PvP focused games. The alacrity grandmaster feels out of place; what role would Willbender fill that requires Alacrity, that won't be covered by another class? Tyrant's momentum is the best DPS option, and likely the most commonly used. Deathless Courage is a trait that looks good, if your game mode is killing open world mobs. It looks like a good trait for WvW zerging, but the time to kill is too long for Deathless Courage to work. Off-hand sword is nice, especially sword 5. Animation is crisp, movement is fluid, and the distance is far. Sword 4 is a slow skill, the tool tip is deceptive because the 2nd hit isn't instant. What that means is that when you chain Sword 5 into Sword 4, the 1.5s immob on Sword 5 is barely enough to get the full chain of Sword 4 without quickness. Damage on Sword 4 is split, and is underwhelming in PvP/WvW. Should pump those numbers up and it's a great weapon. My favorite virtue by far is the Resolve dash. It's instant, fast, and long, similar to Sword 5. Also gives a mini Litany of Wrath effect. The Courage virtue could use a fix in lowering the cast time. 3/4 seconds feels clunky when compared to F1 and F2. Willbender Flame is a questionable choice of a profession mechanic. And in its current beta iteration, there's not a lot of good things that can be said. Right now, it feels like a mechanic added because Anet didn't want the virtues to be passive oriented, where the damage comes after a single click. But it doesn't mesh well with what Willbender wants to do. It's forcing a mobile class to play around a single AoE (claw/line/circle) that barely ticks damage. Edit: Forgot about utilities. Which pretty much says it all. They're forgettable.

What do you mean stealth straight inside a wall? As for classes with stealth access, yes, they tend to be more common with the use of port hacks at least, as the escape can be masked. Example being, I was fighting a thief, who used his ports to try and get away, but I was running JI, sword and GS so I kept him in range, and just as he stealths, I use F1 reveal and tag him, revealing him, which he didn't notice as he used port to mouse location and was almost totally out of render range (4,000+ units away) in one port, he went from NW wall at NC to half way down to sentry, and then less than 2 seconds later was showing up as a dot at sentry, by the time I got there he had already capped and WPed right in front of me. I mean exactly what I said, I was shooting with rapid fire down on to a thief from the top of a wall . I t stealthed as rapid fire was in progress and the projectiles tracked from where the thief was straight inside the wall there by being obstructed . Me being on the top of the wall showed an obvious hack . I've been playing long enough to know the difference between a port and a hack . I also don't buy the idea that it may be glitch because the thief emerged from the wall moments after it's health became full . This was clipping hack inside a wall to avoid being downed not a port. The only people that complained were the people that got caught. And if ANET did it again I would not shed one single tear for anyone who gets caught .Using the argument of invasion of privacy is a complete crock of bull kitten when you consider the internet being the least private place to be in the world."Auto" hot keys ? That sounds the same as a macro which are also restricted in game . The are plenty of possible key bindings offered in game . A third party "Auto" hot key is cheating plain a simple . I think it's a bit more nuanced than saying "all people who were banned deserved it" because IIRC some bans during that time were rescinded (also cannot recall if third party software users of ArcDPS/Taco were banned). AutoHotKey isn't just a macro program; it also functioned as a separate tool for key binding. A player who didn't use macros, but used AHK as you would with native gaming mouse/keyboard binding programs would get banned. The anti-cheat didn't differentiate between the two, and would simply ban a user for having the program installed, even if it was used for a different game that allowed AHK. Also, playing a game =/= granting administrative access to a personal computer. The main uproar was this point, since we never agreed to have a tool downloaded when updating Guild Wars 2.

To be fair to Anet, the last time they tried to implement an aggressive anti-hack tool, they were met with severe criticism from the player-base over its invasive properties and false-positives (ie AutoHotKey). But at this point, I'd take the bad anti-cheat over meeting hackers, especially in PvP.

OP's point is "I got the skin when it was at its highest cost. If other players don't pay this same amount, they shouldn't deserve the skin".Issue with this kind of question is that it is always hotly debated. I do have an issue with OP pointing out how the Exotic version of the skin is available at rank 500, and that the skin is all that maters. Exotic to Ascended armor is, like people mentioned before, the least noticeable upgrade compared to weapons and accessories. But it's still an upgrade with 6 infusions slots (and the infusions that make the most difference is vit/toughness/concentration). It's like keep buff but permanent. Having access to Ascended selectable armor is nice. Before, the only option for stat selectable ascended armor was raids and PvP (iirc there is no stat-selectable ascended armor from living world).It's not like the actual cost in terms of tickets and memories changed. It's just the rank required to obtain the two. And honestly, rank was the least important aspect of WvW. If I'm not wrong with the process of obtaining Mistforged. 1st Tier (Triumphant) : from Triumphant Armor Box reward track. 2nd Tier (Triumphant Hero) : With tickets through NPC in WvW. This armor has 2 version, exotic and ascended (only the Asc version 500 rank, can be upgraded into Legendary). But players only need to obtain either one; exotic or ascended version of the piece to unlock Mistforged. 3rd Tier (Mistforged skin, 500 rank now) : tickets through NPC in WvW. Asc and can be upgraded to Legendary as well. Players were able to obtain Asc/Legendary with rank 500 even before the recent change. The only difference was the skin (without the glowing light tentacles/wings). Hence why OP was right, it only devalued the skin/item.You might be right. The Tier 2 Ascended version should be purchasable, as long as you have the materials. I think Anet's intention was to provide the Tier 2 Ascended early so players have access until they can purchase the Tier 3 armor. Issue was that the Tier 2 Ascended felt like a trap. You would rather upgrade the Tier 3 version into legendary armor, and save the marks for different armor, like PvP.

OP's point is "I got the skin when it was at its highest cost. If other players don't pay this same amount, they shouldn't deserve the skin".Issue with this kind of question is that it is always hotly debated. I do have an issue with OP pointing out how the Exotic version of the skin is available at rank 500, and that the skin is all that maters. Exotic to Ascended armor is, like people mentioned before, the least noticeable upgrade compared to weapons and accessories. But it's still an upgrade with 6 infusions slots (and the infusions that make the most difference is vit/toughness/concentration). It's like keep buff but permanent. Having access to Ascended selectable armor is nice. Before, the only option for stat selectable ascended armor was raids and PvP (iirc there is no stat-selectable ascended armor from living world).It's not like the actual cost in terms of tickets and memories changed. It's just the rank required to obtain the two. And honestly, rank was the least important aspect of WvW.

3v3 buildSoaring Devastation's immobilize sets up nicely into Sword of Justice. Scepter 3 > SoJ at range, F2 > SoJ for melee.

The buildWhy choose Dragonhunter? I think Dragonhunter is the best Guardian spec to try a hybrid build with because the DH line gives decent damage modifiers. Since hybrid builds will have lower power than pure power builds, we use these modifiers for extra juice. TraitsZeal: 3 3 1 While Radiance offers good traits for burning (see: Amplified Wrath), Zealous Scepter is the primary reason for picking the Zeal line. Radiance doesn't give you might generation if you take Amplified Wrath. With Zealous Scepter, you passively gain might stack by attacking, and the minor trait Symbolic Power grants you even more might generation. Kindled Zeal is taken because the other major traits don't have synergy with the build.Eternal Armory is the same; the other options don't bring much value in WvW, and taking Eternal Armory means Sword of Justice becomes a better skill. Virtues: 2 3 1 There's a lot of freedom in what you choose in the Virtues line. The only mandatory trait is Permeating Wrath. Shield of Courage grants you Aegis and blocks attacks in front of you. So taking Unscathed Contender is viable if you want to maximize your burst. Retaliatory Subconscious is the safer option. Inspiring Virtues works best if you take Unscathed Contender. Just more damage modifiers when popping Shield of Courage. As for Glacial Heart or Absolute Resolution, it comes down to your preference (and what you take in DH). One gives Chill, a cover condition and helps you kite, and the other gives you an additional 3 condition cleanse on F2. Dragonhunter: 2 2 1 Dulled Senses vs. Soaring Devastation. The reason why I don't take Soaring Devastation is that I value consistent movement speed over the option of taking runes other than Traveler's (and since this is a hybrid build, Traveler's Runes are pretty great). Also, you often use F2 to create space, not jump into enemies, so the active part seems wasteful. Dulled Senses gives you a cripple on Shield 5, so if you take Glacial Heart and Dulled Senses, you apply two cover conditions. Unfortunately, they don't stack in movement speed debuff. Zealot's Aggression is another damage modifier, and you'll always apply cripple with F1 passive + Sword of Justice. Extra pump. All 3 Grandmaster traits are viable. Hunter's Fortification gives you condi cleanse when you block (my preferred option given current condition heavy roaming builds). Heavy Light gives you access to Stability (my least preferred, since one stack of Stability doesn't mean much). Big Game Hunter can be taken since it will give you a big burst when you cast F1. You might think, "Burn guardian activating F1? That makes no sense". But, the cooldown on DH F1 is much shorter compared to other Guardian specs because of Defender's Dogma. Every time you block, the CD of F1 goes down by 1 sec, and you have multiple block skills. Weapons & UtilitiesScepter & Focus This is the weapon set you camp. Sword & Shield More utility based than DPS. Sword 2 is your only access to fury and is a teleport. Sword 3 can function as a defense against ranged attacks or stack multiple F1 burns. Utilities: Shelter | Sword of Justice | Judge's Intervention | Contemplation of Purity | Renewed Focus Shelter has a 2 sec block that works well with Hunter's Fortification. Litany of Wrath is too inconsistent when not using Valor. Trap heals more, but suffers the same inconsistency issue. It is a bit sad when Shelter is the best Guardian heal skill. Sword of Justice hits multiple times, applies cripple, vuln, and burning, and is ranged. Judge's Intervention is my favorite skill. A 1200 range instant teleport that applies burning and breaks stun. You can use it to add more firepower or use it as an escape. Contemplation of Purity is the strongest Guardian utility skill. Condi conversion and a stunbreak on a 40 sec CD (untraited). Renewed Focus (i.e. all other Guardian elite skills are no good). GearWeapons & Sigils Grieving is a great stat distribution for hybrid builds. Power/Condi/Precision/Ferocity. Hits all the checkmarks. For sigils, the safest option is to run double energy/cleansing sigils. These two sigils are really good. If you don't want to run these sigils, you can use the permanent bonus sigils (preferably condition damage) or condition on swap sigils for extra cover conditions. Armor & Runes Celestial and Traveler's Runes. The only wasted stat in Celestial is Healing power. Traveler's Runes for boon & condi duration plus movement speed. There is zero access to swiftness/superspeed in this build (a big shortcoming, but what can you do, Guardians aren't known for being speedy). If you don't care for movement speed, Antitoxin or Durability are good. Balthazar on paper looks good, but in reality, not so much. Trinkets Trailblazers/Grieving/Dire+Rabid. Mix and match based on your preference. Keep in mind that the build isn't about bursting someone in 2 seconds. It's more about the consistent and frequent application of damage + burning. RotationScepter 3>Sword of Justice>Scepter 2>1>1>1The go-to rotation. Most damage rotation with Unscathed ContenderSword 2 (stand on the symbol) > Spear of Justice > Focus 4 > Shield of Courage > Focus 5 > Scepter 3 > SoJ > Scepter 2 > 1 > 1 > Judge's Intervention (timed with Focus 5 explosion)Not a big fan of blowing all your cooldowns, but this will 100>0 someone not paying attention. Difficult matchupsMallyx HeraldJust a better build. More mobility, sustain, and damage. Condi MesmersNot a fun fight. Frequency and abundance of different conditions, while Guardians only have burning. ScrappersSay condition removal 10 times fast. Rangers and WarriorsNot really a hard match-up, but watch out as they can remove immobilize easily. Let me know what you think!

Wasn't the reason that guardian can only apply burn why it's not any good??

I'm actually confused why DH trapper runes is a problem. DH trap is Power based.Trapper runes is Condi damage. Please enlighten me.

I made a post before regarding matchmaking, and whether you agreed or disagreed with me, I think there were some good opinions presented. One guy, however, said that the +1 increase in PIP from being in Platinum over Gold was a reason why Plat should stay more exclusive. A literal +1 PIP difference, compared to your immense rewards for being in Platinum. In terms of gameplay, I really do not see a difference between Plat 1 players and Gold players. IMO, the difference between Plat 2 players and Plat 1 players is greater than the difference between Plat 1 players and Gold 1 players.I think you focusing on "Gold 1 players are bad, run off meta, and don't care about reaching Platinum" is misguided. Like in your example, a Gold 1 player running some meta condi Rev build is better than some Gold 1 running Power shatter mirage. I would say, a Gold 1 running condi Rev is better than a Plat 1 running Power shatter mirage. Anyways, from my perspective, the real issue is population. You can't increase rewards for reaching Platinum and think it will help increase the gameplay. Like look at the rankings now. IIRC (correct me if I'm wrong), the cutoff for Top 250 this season is actually higher than the cutoff for Top 250 last season.