The FOURTH traitline

[Avatar.3568]

Its time for a huge change in the Meta, while also providing less Bad builds. 

The solution is simple, the Major traitline, for every class, should be permanently enabled and act as a fourth traitline.

But why on earth exactly should you do that? Good that you ASK!

"Essential traitlines" aß i would call them, Provider mainly buffs for the class mechanic, which have almost Always the biggest Impact in the builds, especially in the PvP Game modes

With making the following traitlines as a permanent Addition to the current choose what you want system, we would have Overall less Bad builds, New possibility's to create and a Lot to playarround before the Meta settles.

Core builds could have a way bigger Impact, while Elite Specs would probably get a more smaller bump.

DIsciplin for Warrior

virtuoses for Guardian*

Invoke for rev*

Beastmastery for Ranger

trickery for Thief

tools for engi**

Arcane for ele

Soulreaping for necro

Illusions for Mesmer

* Not Sure If its called Like that

** I have No clue about engi maybe ITS alchemy or idk 

You could enable These from lvl 10-20, an early teaching for traitlines while also telling indirectly, this is the Heart of every build.

New Players combined with Bad decisions, would Happen less, expierinced Players would have more Tools to Play arround.

PvP players (me) would gain more flexible ways to Play, more DMG, more Defense, or Something in between.

condi/Power Hybrid builds could have an easier time to become viable (instead of beeing useless)

the statsbased Meta would move a Bit behind, since so much traitlines give more "Power" With the build

 

of course There is a Chance of negative Impact, Players in PvP could maybe be easily Tech into Hardcore Bunker or Hardcore oneshot, but maybe this is resolving in it self.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

To be honest, I want this and at the same time don’t.

The power creep would be asymmetric but would give some professions incredible QOL.

[Fueki.4753]

If they gave us a fourth trait line, they might as well give us all five at once. If we can have four lines at once, the difference in also having the fifth line would be negligible.

Maybe they could also throw in a sixth row for a choice of elite specialization on top of that. With the creep that'd accompany the fourth and fifth lines, any further creep is of no relevance.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Fueki.4753

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

1 minute ago, Fueki.4753 said:

If they gave us a fourth trait line, they might as well give us all five at once. If we can have four lines at once, the difference in also having the fifth line would be negligible.

Maybe they could also throw in a sixth row for a choice of elite specialization on top of that. With the creep that'd accompany the fourth and fifth lines, any further creep is of no relevance.

TBH, I miss the old trait system where you did have all 5 available at once, but only so many points to invest as you saw fit.

[Fueki.4753]

19 minutes ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

TBH, I miss the old trait system where you did have all 5 available at once, but only so many points to invest as you saw fit.

That was a great system. But that system might have caused issues with elite specializations, if they hadn't taken it away.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Fueki.4753

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

Just now, Fueki.4753 said:

That was a great system. But that system might have caused issues with elite specializations, if they hadn't taken it away.

Yeah, I realize that. But it could have been taken care of by having the core mechanic traitline being swappable with one of the espec traitlines (i.e. no Berserker and Discipline at the same time). Naturally Anet would have to move weapon specific and utility skill specific traits out of the core mechanic traitline to make it work.

[Beddo.1907]

If I was an event boss in gw2 after they add a 4th trait slot, I'd quit my job.

[Jski.6180]

If you realty want to do this you will have to make each trait that you take with in the trait lines more of an chose. You cant have traits that cover def support and dmg at the same time kind of like we have now. You would need an clear chose kind of like some of the elite spec lines have now.

At the same time you would need to remove "passive" or Minor Traits every thing would have to be an chose you make and you would get nothing from just taking a line (mostly taking about core trait lines.) I guess you would need to make the player passively weaker as well (less base line hp def power etc..) making it more meaningful of the trait line chose (though i would also like to see more added to armor but that an bit off topic.)

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

5 minutes ago, Jski.6180 said:

If you realty want to do this you will have to make each trait that you take with in the trait lines more of an chose. You cant have traits that cover def support and dmg at the same time kind of like we have now. You would need an clear chose kind of like some of the elite spec lines have now.

At the same time you would need to remove "passive" or Minor Traits every thing would have to be an chose you make and you would get nothing from just taking a line (mostly taking about core trait lines.) I guess you would need to make the player passively weaker as well (less base line hp def power etc..) making it more meaningful of the trait line chose (though i would also like to see more added to armor but that an bit off topic.)

Did you ever play with the original trait system?

[Jski.6180]

3 minutes ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

Did you ever play with the original trait system?

I did and i see old effects from that system still in the game that no longer fit. No one seems to want to point them out or deal with them as well. The player base and anet seem willing to leave benefits of the old system like free hp and def base off the ideal of classes being able to trait for hp / and def as that class use to get stronger effects from there def trait line then say other classes with build in high hp / def. BUT that all wildly off topic of adding in an 4th trait line yet still part of this over all talk of balancing.

[soul.9651]

Yep, they definetely fixed the balance mess they did even from PoF, lets complicate things even more

[Nimon.7840]

While I sometimes wish I had a fourth traitline, it wouldn't be good for the game and add some insane power creep.

 

Necro perspective:

PvE: there wouldn't be a good fourth traitline to pick.

Power builds run spite/soulreaping

Condi builds run curses soulreaping

For endgame PvE deathmagic, which might be the traitline that adds the most dps to both condi and power, wouldn't be good to play on half of all encounters, since you would be griefing your tank with the toughness roulette.

In wvw:

Imagine scourges being able to play soulreaping on top of curses and spite.

Or roaming harbingers, that can now pick soulreaping, deathmagic, curses.

Yes other classes would be buffed as well by the fourth traitline, but I think the game would become extremely frustrating to play and a balancing nightmare 

 

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

5 hours ago, Nimon.7840 said:

While I sometimes wish I had a fourth traitline, it wouldn't be good for the game and add some insane power creep.

 

Necro perspective:

PvE: there wouldn't be a good fourth traitline to pick.

Power builds run spite/soulreaping

Condi builds run curses soulreaping

For endgame PvE deathmagic, which might be the traitline that adds the most dps to both condi and power, wouldn't be good to play on half of all encounters, since you would be griefing your tank with the toughness roulette.

In wvw:

Imagine scourges being able to play soulreaping on top of curses and spite.

Or roaming harbingers, that can now pick soulreaping, deathmagic, curses.

Yes other classes would be buffed as well by the fourth traitline, but I think the game would become extremely frustrating to play and a balancing nightmare 

 

Meanwhile from a warrior perspective it opens up a lot of build choices, I think the same would be true for guardians with Virtues.
 

[draxynnic.3719]

That is raising a valid point among the other reasons this would be a bad idea: it further splits the professions that can get three synergestic core traitlines for any build and those that can't. Currently, the advantage for the first group is kept in check by having to choose between the third core traitline and the elite while the second group can take the two good core traitlines and the elite, but if you gave everyone four, the first group would get a bigger advantage because they can actually make good use of all of them.

[Cuks.8241]

5 hours ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

Meanwhile from a warrior perspective it opens up a lot of build choices, I think the same would be true for guardians with Virtues.
 

I dont think it would open much more variety for warr than for anyone else. But it would be op as hell for pve dps because warr has so many dps traitlines. Especially power warr and the new defense line. Strength, defense, discipline spellbreaker. 

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

1 hour ago, Cuks.8241 said:

I dont think it would open much more variety for warr than for anyone else. But it would be op as hell for pve dps because warr has so many dps traitlines. Especially power warr and the new defense line. Strength, defense, discipline spellbreaker. 

It opens a lot of variety because Discipline is almost completely mandatory for most builds.

[SleepyBat.9034]

3 hours ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

It opens a lot of variety because Discipline is almost completely mandatory for most builds.

In other words, everyone would run Strength/Defense/Discipline.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

41 minutes ago, SleepyBat.9034 said:

In other words, everyone would run Strength/Defense/Discipline.

Maybe. I can see arms and tactics getting used more. Str/arms/tact/disc would be very good. Gunflame builds would either go full offense or spec into Defense to be less meme.

[PolarBear.3961]

I wanted this from the start... i still do.

[MarzAttakz.9608]

I'd be very happy with a fourth trait line as an Ele main. Not so happy with the hamfisted nerfs to follow.

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

Hell no. This kills choice and diversity. The whole idea about GW2 combat is that you have to make choices, and not just run around  with everything on by default.
What needs to happen is honest reworking of these "mandatory" trailines that hold professions hostage.

 

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

2 hours ago, ZeftheWicked.3076 said:

Hell no. This kills choice and diversity. The whole idea about GW2 combat is that you have to make choices, and not just run around  with everything on by default.
What needs to happen is honest reworking of these "mandatory" trailines that hold professions hostage.

 

Fast hands baseline when?

[Sigmoid.7082]

12 minutes ago, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

Fast hands baseline when?

Player: I always have to pick this trait. Make it baseline. 

Anet: In order to broaden the choices so players don't feel forced into certain traitlines we have reworked fast hands to something less dominate but still impactful enough to make an interesting build choice. 

 

Be careful what you wish for. 

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

1 hour ago, Sigmoid.7082 said:

Player: I always have to pick this trait. Make it baseline. 

Anet: In order to broaden the choices so players don't feel forced into certain traitlines we have reworked fast hands to something less dominate but still impactful enough to make an interesting build choice. 

 

Be careful what you wish for. 

I know right?

In this case though it's more like when Illusionary Persona was so integral to Mesmer gameplay that it was baselined. Kind of the same deal with fast hands.

[Bunny.9834]

The only one that I think should be allowed to have 4th trait line is Core Elemantalist THAT IS NOT using arcane line.