Remove Weapon Specific Traits

[Mell.4873]

With the introduction of old and new weapons to each profession when are they going to remove weapon specific traits.
I feel like the new weapons might be dead on arrival if your particular benchmark benefits from the Core weapon traits rather than the Elite or Weapon training ones.

I would also take it further to state some of the weapon specific traits are mandatory for using that weapon which leads to less build flexibility. I'm looking at your Mesmer Greatsword.

 

I propose adding any extra abilities provided by traits to the Core weapon like the 20% cooldown. Then any Stat bonuses are applied kept on the trait without requiring that weapon.
A good example could be Ranger Longbow trait. The Piercing and 20% cooldown are applied to the weapon and now the trait gives you a Swiftness, Quickness and when attacking past/at the range threshold of 1200. (Maybe make it 900 so it can work on Shortbow and Axe)
Finally, there has been some sacrifices to allow certain Elites to provide Boons so this could be a way to compensate that recent trade off.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Mell.4873

[DanAlcedo.3281]

Weapons need to be usable without the need for a trait. 

 

[Raarsi.6798]

Definitely either remove them outright, bake the trait bonuses from the elite specs into their original respective weapons, or move the traits into core trait line options in a way that would make sense (i.e. power damage weapons into power damage core trait lines, etc.).

[Alcatraznc.3869]

Well not every weapon are built equal.

 

To take your Ranger lowbow example, the weapon used to have a perk that would increase the range from 1200 to 1500. Then for some reason Anet decided to baked that trait into the weapon and give it an additional piercing effect if you take the trait. If you want to bake in the trait, that would means in the end Ranger longbow got 2 pretty strong buff given for free: the piercing effect and the additional range.

 

Then on the other side you have Engineer pistol for instance that has been and still is extremely underwhelming despite the QoL update on pistol a few patches ago. The weapon only has 1 trait that kinda helps it which is the +33% condi duration on the firearms perk. Bake that trait into the pistol, it is barely going to change anything. 

 

I highly doubt the new weapon are going to be dead on arrival like you suggest. If anything they are more likely to be overtuned or straight up killing some existing weapon that were in a bad state. Why ? Because it is an expansion weapon. Taking the shortbow of the Engineer, I dont know if it is going to be power or condition but if it's condition, I am 100% certain it is going to be the new meta condition weapon for Engineer and pistol is going to be left rusting in a forgotten underground room.

[Jski.6180]

I think all cdr traits are getting removed over time.

Its ok for an elite spec to have an weapon trait making it stronger for that elite spec to keep balancing for any given weapon to be too much on an different version of that class.

 

[Mell.4873]

3 hours ago, Alcatraznc.3869 said:

Well not every weapon are built equal.

 

To take your Ranger lowbow example, the weapon used to have a perk that would increase the range from 1200 to 1500. Then for some reason Anet decided to baked that trait into the weapon and give it an additional piercing effect if you take the trait. If you want to bake in the trait, that would means in the end Ranger longbow got 2 pretty strong buff given for free: the piercing effect and the additional range.

 

Then on the other side you have Engineer pistol for instance that has been and still is extremely underwhelming despite the QoL update on pistol a few patches ago. The weapon only has 1 trait that kinda helps it which is the +33% condi duration on the firearms perk. Bake that trait into the pistol, it is barely going to change anything. 

 

I highly doubt the new weapon are going to be dead on arrival like you suggest. If anything they are more likely to be overtuned or straight up killing some existing weapon that were in a bad state. Why ? Because it is an expansion weapon. Taking the shortbow of the Engineer, I dont know if it is going to be power or condition but if it's condition, I am 100% certain it is going to be the new meta condition weapon for Engineer and pistol is going to be left rusting in a forgotten underground room.

Very true but my solution will probably result in the nerf of certain traits since they are applying to weapon and or become universal.

At the same time if the new Weapons are OP, then this also might be a way to bring the Core weapons with their trait requirement up to speed with them.

 

They already removed all the cooldown reduction traits for utilities, so it is only matter of time before that happen to weapons. Let's hope they rework a few but most likely it will happen after the expansion is live for a year or so.

[VocalThought.9835]

I think they should keep them. So far there is only  slight advantage to having a weapon trait.