Blog

Mar 10

Written by:
3/10/2012 1:28 AM 

 

In the latest ArenaNet blog post, Jon Peters introduced us to the revamped system of Traits. In addition to that he presented a whole new line of attributes which aim to provide the players with more build possibilities.

We’ve witnessed lots of tweaks of the attribute system in the past. The design team seemed rather content when the attributes were categorized in a much more reasonable way. This didn’t stop them from expanding the whole system though. The new attributes offer brand new ways of offensive and supportive play styles. They are linked to the traits, in terms of progression, and moreover, they manage to make each profession feel unique.

So, what about traits? As Jon explains when the developers first thought of traits they were looking for a way of branching late game characters. The design process of this system has gone through different stages, the latest of which provides an easy to adapt environment and character defining decisions. Currently, traits function like this. From level 11 to 80 you gain one trait point for each level. When you hit 11 for the first time you can visit a certain trainer NPC. He’ll sell you an adept’s training manual which allows you to divide up to 10 trait points on every single trait line. Additionally, by reaching the 40th and 60th level, you will be able to buy a master’s training manual and a grandmaster’s training manual respectively. Those increase the trait point cap for each line.

Each profession has 5 different trait lines. Every line consists of 3 minor traits and 3 major trait slots. The minor traits are auto-slotted and point to a particular play style. The major traits on the contrary have to be selected by the player from a variety of already given traits. Jon Peters mentioned on the in game chat of the press beta client, that by release the players will have access to 12 major traits for each trait line. That gives them 15 minor traits and 60 major traits for each profession to experiment with.

And now let’s discuss the madness part. Re-Specializing! You can reset your traits by visiting a trainer for a small fee. The community went bananas over this one. The developers tried to explain some things, but no one was listening. Several calm people though wrote some interesting opinions on the subject, which we have compiled together.

Last but not least, several trait tools showed up. The Trait Calculator of Gw2Tools.com is one of them, but you can also try out the recently updated Luna-Atra skill tool. Let your imagination go wild and prepare with some theory crafting!

For the first time, traits don’t feel like just a great theoretical idea. They feel like the system they were meant to be—one that makes my warrior mine. Do I put 30 points in Defense, 30 in Tactics, and 10 in Discipline, to maximize survivability and major traits? Maybe a less traditional build with 26 points in Strength, 26 in Mastery, and 18 in Discipline would work better for my play style. The choices are actually staggering at times, but don’t worry, you’ll have hundreds of hours to turn the knobs to your heart’s content. My name is Jon Peters. I’m a human game designer. This is my build.

You can read the rest of the blog post here.


Now, let us hear your opinion. Did you like the new trait system or not? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by posting your thoughts on the corresponding thread of our forums.