[Suggestions] Weapons and Elite Specs Unbound

[JackOfAllGames.2409]

Hello. I'm Jack and I'm an altaholic. I like making new characters from level 1 - usually experimenting with a new build - and taking them up to max level. I find it fun. Occasionally, I keep such a character and buy another character slot.

You may already know where I'm going with this:

Elite Specializations

One MAJOR problem with the way I like to play is elite specs. They usually drastically change the way that you play a class...and you can't even start working on them 'til 80. It feels bad, being stuck with a temporary play style that you KNOW you won't be using in the end.

Weapons

Closely related, weapons. GW2 has slowly been adding weapons to each class (a wonderful thing in my opinion), but the new weapons REQUIRE a specific elite spec. A spec that you can't get 'til 80. I understand that certain weapons and elite specs work well together, but that's NOTHING new. Plenty of vanilla specs do that too! I want a wider range of options.

So I have two things I'd really like to see changed:

First Suggestion: Elite Specs Unbound

Once you have unlocked the achievement for maxing out an elite specialization, let us train elite specializations on new characters (starting as soon as specializations unlock) and discount the elite spec hero point costs on such characters to make elite specs viable with fairly normal play. This keeps things as they are for first-timers, but similar to the mastery philosophy, seasoned players can freely use that spec for any new characters thereon.

Second Suggestion: Weapons Unbound

Separate weapons from their elite specs. Let any spec use whatever weapons they wish. It'll grant a lot more freedom and fun for builds. If you wish, you could tie this to achievements too. Perhaps unlocking each spec's ascended weapon achievement could allow using that weapon type across the board - no longer requiring that elite spec. This would be an additional reason for players to work on those ascended weapon achievements. Again, it would keep the experience as-is for new players (there is an argument to be made for simplicity at lower levels for new players), but give more options and freedom to seasoned players that already know how things work.

There would be some initial balancing to be done, but I honestly think these would have a pretty minor impact to balance while granting players a lot more freedom.

[JackOfAllGames.2409]

Any other thoughts/dissent? Am I the only one wishing for such freedoms?

[Zelanard.5806]

I don't really care about the first suggestion. It's kinda redundant to me since it takes less than 20 hours to make a toon from 1-80... But if you want it I suppose there's Some reason for it...

The second thing: another suggestion could be that the Core class could use all weapons but the elite class can't use other elite weapons?