Equipment and Build Templates

[lakka.8642]

Is there a way to keybind both equipment and build template swaps to a same key? Everytime I swap to a build I have to change it twice and it's just not convenient. And by the way, it costs 500+300 gems (new equipment and build templates) for a new build but a new char costs 800 gems and gives you 2 build slots. So I was wondering is there a reason to not create a new char if you need more build slots?

[Danikat.8537]

As far as I know there's no way to bind them both to the same key, but I don't use either very much so I may be missing something. As far as I know the best you can do is to bind them to keys next to each other so it's quick to press both.

@lakka.8642 said:And by the way, it costs 500+300 gems (new equipment and build templates) for a new build but a new char costs 800 gems and gives you 2 build slots. So I was wondering is there a reason to not create a new char if you need more build slots?

It depends on what you use them for. If you have (for example) an open-world PvE build, a raid build, a PvP build and a WvW build then it's probably just as easy to have them on different characters and swap between them. But a friend of mine has a build for each raid boss, and one for running between bosses. It would be hugely impractical to change characters each time they got to a different boss, so for her it makes more sense to buy more build and equipment templates. (She really doesn't like the template format, she's got about 20-30 builds per profession so she often has to swap them manually.)

Some people also don't want to spend time/tomes to level up new characters, have to pass the equipment used for multiple builds between them, or want to do everything on 1 character.

[kharmin.7683]

I've bound mine to Alt+1, Alt+2 for the "first" set (build/equipment) on the character, then Alt+3, Alt+4 for the second set. It's two key-binds, sure, but really fast for me to swap builds. One ones that I've purchased the third set, I use Alt+5, Alt+6.

Easy (for me) to press Alt and then 1, 2 in rapid succession (or 3,4 or 5,6) to swap out.

[T G.7496]

Anet's solution is a disgustingly monetised piece of sh*t.

I gave up on it on day one really, and it is by far the biggest factor in my growing disdain for the company and the game.

It is so claustrophobic and limiting that it has sapped me of all the joy of experimentation I was previously enjoying with the brilliant Arc Templates.

The freedom, flexibility and elegance of Arc Templates opened up an exploration of the game for me in an unprecedented way. That it was free and unlimited was just a bonus.

The way Arc handled build swapping in competitive modes was also way better than Anet's garbage. Anet doesn't handle it at all, really; it is literally pay-to-win if you then tailor against specific classes/builds.

So, Anet literally had a near perfect example of how to implement a build template system in the game.

Did they emulate that?

Nope.

They didn't even create a template system, they created a loadout system. Nobody asked for more bag space, and there's already a solution to that you can pay for in the Gem Store.

The implementation of Anet's so-called template system into the game, and the mandatory removal of Arc Templates, was a terrible moment in my relationship with this game.

They utterly failed to provide a system that would cater for the players who would make the most use of it.