Make the Soulbeast aura completely fade away like the Untamed does

[Runechrome.8419]

Hello everyone,

Soulbeast is a fun spec to play, but I would like to make the suggestion of having the Soulbeast aura fade away completely just like the Untamed. Back in the beta for the Untamed, ArenaNet changed it so the Untamed aura faded away completely as it interfered with the players outfits. I would like to argue that the Soulbeast aura has the same issue. I like to create outfits based on frost, fire or whatever comes to mind really, and I doubt I'm the only one, but I feel like it's necessary to make a nature themed outfit to make my character look good as there's a constant green nature aura on my character. I think the aura hinders creativity when creating an outfit and expressing yourself. And I also think the aura can just be rather tiring to look at constantly.

Additionally, I would like to request the shining effect around the merge button (default F5) to also completely fade away when merged as the effect on the merge button doesn't match the rest of the effects. Some visuals on the skill bar can be pretty, but there are alot of visuals going on with the skill bar when merged as Soulbeast. Sometimes less is more, which I think ArenaNet have proven themselves through the Untamed spec, and I believe letting the effect on the merge button completely fade away will help making the skill bar visually pleasing with its other effects.

Thank you for reading! 🙂

[Fueki.4753]

While I like my characters to be dressed in the profession's colour (which means my Ranger wears green), I'd like to get rid of that leafy fart cloud as well.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Fueki.4753

[Gotejjeken.1267]

Soulbeast one needs to stay or be a toggle IMO.  Unlike untamed it actually looks decent on a variety of different things.

Sort of hard to display in still image but this is my current char with the effect:

https://imgur.com/a/Wx628Pr

 

[anduriell.6280]

Although having a toggle for the professions auras/animations let’s be honest here: if  Anet doesnt want even to  fix the green goo so it doesn’t make your eyes bleed, a graphical change, I would expect much less them to put the minimal effort to add an additional toggle to the options screen. 
 

I am amazed ranger is the only class with weird auras or overwriting skins in game. No other class has a permanent effect going on them all  the time. I wonder why.

[Runechrome.8419]

17 hours ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Soulbeast one needs to stay or be a toggle IMO.  Unlike untamed it actually looks decent on a variety of different things.

Sort of hard to display in still image but this is my current char with the effect:

https://imgur.com/a/Wx628Pr

 

I must say that I disagree. Sure, if they can somehow make it a toggle more power to the player in the form of a choice. Otherwise it's just forcing the green aura on everyone with no regards to whether they like the effects or not. And while you might enjoy the effects with your character, I do not enjoy the effects with mine. I should not be forced to dress my character according to a forced aura to look decent.

 

16 hours ago, anduriell.6280 said:

I am amazed ranger is the only class with weird auras or overwriting skins in game. No other class has a permanent effect going on them all  the time. I wonder why.

I'm also confused as to why ranger has to be the only one having a permanent aura. I get it when e.g. Druid or Berserker has an aura to indicate a "temporary empowerment". But as no other class or specialization has to have an permanent aura forced upon them, why must Soulbeast? Especially when they fixed it for Untamed in the beta, where they did a very good job of it fading completely away.

 

Also, I stumbled upon a video where the skillbar while merged is so much more visual pleasing to look at. Please make the skillbar effects like that, ArenaNet!

Link to video: 

 

[Vavume.8065]

I found a way to remove all the silly aura's from my vision, I Uninstalled.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Vavume.8065

[Legion.9617]

On 8/14/2022 at 9:07 PM, Vavume.8065 said:

I found a way to remove all the silly aura's from my vision, I Uninstalled.

Can I have your stuff?

[Doggie.3184]

On 8/11/2022 at 4:37 PM, anduriell.6280 said:

I am amazed ranger is the only class with weird auras or overwriting skins in game. No other class has a permanent effect going on them all  the time. I wonder why.

Harbinger has it's weird green aura. It's not on forever but most builds you'll at least have green feet and pants which just makes it weirder looking than full body. It also gives an illusion that your feet are much bigger than they are.

Anyways, I'm all for the SB Aura Fade idea. 🙂

I also don't want to wear green so it will always clash with my fashion choices.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Doggie.3184

[CipherNine.9273]

On 8/10/2022 at 12:12 PM, Runechrome.8419 said:

Hello everyone,

Soulbeast is a fun spec to play, but I would like to make the suggestion of having the Soulbeast aura fade away completely just like the Untamed. Back in the beta for the Untamed, ArenaNet changed it so the Untamed aura faded away completely as it interfered with the players outfits. I would like to argue that the Soulbeast aura has the same issue. I like to create outfits based on frost, fire or whatever comes to mind really, and I doubt I'm the only one, but I feel like it's necessary to make a nature themed outfit to make my character look good as there's a constant green nature aura on my character. I think the aura hinders creativity when creating an outfit and expressing yourself. And I also think the aura can just be rather tiring to look at constantly.

Additionally, I would like to request the shining effect around the merge button (default F5) to also completely fade away when merged as the effect on the merge button doesn't match the rest of the effects.

Huge agree here. It's especially more annoying for matching with the new Aurene Legendary Variant themes from my view. Who wants that ugly puke green permanently twisting around them when they've got a Primordius fire themed outfit and weapon? Or the Jormag ice theme? As it stands now the only outfits that soulbeast matches with are lime green; that's incredibly limiting.
 

At the very least players should have the option to toggle the aura on or off. If other players want to be able to see it on so they're aware you're using it in pvp or wvw, fine. But if I want it off so I can see the skins and look I've worked hard to achieve, I should absolutely be able to do that as well. I also agree that players should have the choice to turn off the animation around the profession skills. It's unnecessary and distracting in my opinion.

Preferably the aura would just fade away, but choices in the graphics settings for each individual is a fair compromise.

[Psycoprophet.8107]

Sounds great to me.

[Ashantara.8731]

I wouldn't mind getting rid of the leafy fart shroud, either.

[Valfar.3761]

I like it. Should be a toggleable visual.

[Arheundel.6451]

We need visual cues to play the game effectively no less! 

[Fueki.4753]

2 minutes ago, Arheundel.6451 said:

We need visual cues to play the game effectively no less! 

That's why an option to disable its visuals for oneself would be best.

That way, one's choice wouldn't affect whether or not it's shown on another player's screen.

[wolfyrik.2017]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:12 PM, Runechrome.8419 said:

Hello everyone,

Soulbeast is a fun spec to play, but I would like to make the suggestion of having the Soulbeast aura fade away completely just like the Untamed. Back in the beta for the Untamed, ArenaNet changed it so the Untamed aura faded away completely as it interfered with the players outfits. I would like to argue that the Soulbeast aura has the same issue. I like to create outfits based on frost, fire or whatever comes to mind really, and I doubt I'm the only one, but I feel like it's necessary to make a nature themed outfit to make my character look good as there's a constant green nature aura on my character. I think the aura hinders creativity when creating an outfit and expressing yourself. And I also think the aura can just be rather tiring to look at constantly.

Additionally, I would like to request the shining effect around the merge button (default F5) to also completely fade away when merged as the effect on the merge button doesn't match the rest of the effects. Some visuals on the skill bar can be pretty, but there are alot of visuals going on with the skill bar when merged as Soulbeast. Sometimes less is more, which I think ArenaNet have proven themselves through the Untamed spec, and I believe letting the effect on the merge button completely fade away will help making the skill bar visually pleasing with its other effects.

Thank you for reading! 🙂

There are numerous auras in the game which obscure pc costumes, the Untamed one is the only one which fades. I suspect that it's due to the untamed one looking so completely awful and risible, rather than a move to protect creativity.

I do support your suggestion, tho. At the very least, some of the layers of the SB effect could be removed. It's way too much.

[CETheLucid.3964]

Personally I kind of wish the Untamed aura stuck around a little longer than it does now. Not forever but a bit more than instantly fading away. That said if Untamed aura is going to instantly fade away than I guess the Soulbeast one can as well. Or maybe just keep the green aura without the swirly vine bits? I get it to bug out like that sometimes (aura but no vines) and it honestly looks better. 🤷‍♂️

[Majic.4801]

The Looks That Kill

Thanks for bringing this up. I don't play Soulbeast because of this, and only because of this.

While I don't have a problem with elite specialization modes being visible to other players in competitive gameplay like SPvP or WvW, where knowing them is quite important, there's no reasonable need for it in PvE.

But aside from that, what makes Soulbeast unplayable for me is that the effect is just so obnoxious I can't stand looking at it.

People can laugh if they want to, but if we didn't care about how things look, we would all be playing Kingdom of Loathing instead of GW2.

[CipherNine.9273]

On 11/5/2022 at 9:58 AM, Majic.4801 said:

The Looks That Kill

Thanks for bringing this up. I don't play Soulbeast because of this, and only because of this.

While I don't have a problem with elite specialization modes being visible to other players in competitive gameplay like SPvP or WvW, where knowing them is quite important, there's no reasonable need for it in PvE.

But aside from that, what makes Soulbeast unplayable for me is that the effect is just so obnoxious I can't stand looking at it.

People can laugh if they want to, but if we didn't care about how things look, we would all be playing Kingdom of Loathing instead of GW2.

I've actually considered switching to core ranger once I get my Primordius aurene legendary variant purely because of the soulbeast aura, so you're definitely not alone.
 

To keep this targeted, I think it's best if the devs simply create a checkbox option to display persistent skill-based graphics on my character. The option should be checked on by default; this way the graphics the devs worked hard to create aren't automatically hidden and players who like them aren't inconvenienced, but those who are bothered by them can also turn them off. This is similar to how the player can choose to use their personal nameplate or not.
 

Options for displaying other player's skill-based graphics should be left alone so that people who want their tells in pvp and WvW can still have them.
 

It makes total sense that players should have the option to disable non-fading visual effects around their characters in a game that is so heavy on cosmetics and appearance.

 

How do we get this request to shift from a discussion to actual action?

Edited November 9, 2022 by CipherNine.9273

[Nwirvana.2976]

I feel that so so hard. My ranger is my main, I spent hours and hours into it and into the game but I can't stand this aura anymore. It's ugly as hell and that green... I'm ready to pay 2k gems to get rid of it at this point.

Edited November 11, 2022 by Nwirvana.2976
delete "kitten"

[Levetty.1279]

I still don't understand why they won't do this.

[CipherNine.9273]

11 minutes ago, Nwirvana.2976 said:

I feel that so so hard. My ranger is my main, I spent hours and hours into it and into the game but I can't stand this aura anymore. It's ugly as hell and that green... I'm ready to pay 2k gems to get rid of it at this point.

We shouldn't have to pay, but I too would pay. It's awful.

[Siofra Crumble.2098]

It's the sole reason I'm not playing SB anymore. Despite really like the trait/skillset.

The aura is just too much. It's an ugly effect and very distracting in the long run. My focus always tends to be drawn to it.

It's frustrating enough to swap to another spec just so I won't have to deal with it anymore.

[CipherNine.9273]

On 11/18/2022 at 8:18 AM, Siofra Crumble.2098 said:

It's the sole reason I'm not playing SB anymore. Despite really like the trait/skillset.

The aura is just too much. It's an ugly effect and very distracting in the long run. My focus always tends to be drawn to it.

It's frustrating enough to swap to another spec just so I won't have to deal with it anymore.

I've asked around and I hear people who main SB complain about it all the time, I just wish I knew what we have to do to get some type of dev response on this. They say to post in the forums, but I guess they only respond if there's a ton of engagement.

 

Are there any work arounds that anyone knows of to fix this? Are players able to mod their graphics files in some way to hide this effect on their screen only? It isn't a controversial change to allow a player to hide a persistent effect on their screen while letting the rest of players still see it.
 

The funny thing is that when a player mounts the effect does disappear, so there is a mechanism in the game that allows for the aura to go away. It's just about Anet changing it to fade away when not mounted, or allowing us to turn it off in graphics settings since it's a buff players usually leave on for long periods of time. . .

[kharmin.7683]

On 11/19/2022 at 10:40 AM, CipherNine.9273 said:

The funny thing is that when a player mounts the effect does disappear, so there is a mechanism in the game that allows for the aura to go away. It's just about Anet changing it to fade away when not mounted, or allowing us to turn it off in graphics settings since it's a buff players usually leave on for long periods of time. . .

I believe this is because mounting is a "transformation" as the SB merge probably is, too, and you can't have two transformations active at the same time.

[Beddo.1907]

1 hour ago, kharmin.7683 said:

I believe this is because mounting is a "transformation" as the SB merge probably is, too, and you can't have two transformations active at the same time.

Actually you just unmerge while mounted.