Does elite spec make non-elite weapons irrelevant?

[Zoidberg.9237]

Is it me or does elite specs make weapons for which you don't require an elite spec to use irrelevant? I currently play engineer, and it seems like most weapon kits, pistols and rifles are weak compares to the hammer and swords you can unlock with the elite specs.

 

Am I wrong? Imo for the next expansion arenanet shouldn't release more specs and think about some other content they can release. This way it will be easier for them to balance the game.

[Random Wax Orc.7695]

Core Engineer is not primarily designed around weapons, so they tend to be a bit underwhelming, and clearly lack selection.  Other classes with more robust core weapon choices often overwhelm that elite spec weapon choice.  That is one reason why Engineer Elite Specs tend to face an up hill battle.

[Vidit.7108]

Typically no, Engi is a little bit of a special case because it has so few weapons. The more selection a class has the more niches each weapon fills. For example it would be really hard on warrior to introduce a weapon that makes all others it can wield inferior. 

On the other hand Anet has nerfed base weapons on some classes after an espec came out. Deadeye resulted in strike damage reductions to thief's core weapons some months later. Other weapons might get reworked for better or worse as a result, one of the biggest ones I remember was Guardian Scepter being reduced to 900 range  but attacked faster after the Dragonhunter came out.

[genjonah.1253]

I main a Rev/Renegade, and I very rarely ever use shortbow (sometimes when a raid is better condi than power)

[LucianDK.8615]

Another example is dragonhunter longbow. Pretty much universally never used due to how bad it is.