Triple Spec Anyone? :D

So, I was tinkering with the new awesome specializations and I've realized that this could be expanded just a little bit more to allow players to simulate something I am caling "true classes"... but for that to happen, we would need triple specializations (today we can set one to mantain and other to learn, the others will unlearn).

But why this magic number and not the current two?

Well, to give specialization for every "virtual" tree (Combat, Magic, Strategy)... I am not saying to force one specialization to each tree and this would even break the purpose of having 3 specs, but the way the system was designed, it would work wonders with 3 specs.

For instance, I've imagined some (expanded) classes that would be avaliable:

1) Heavy Tank: Heavy Armor, Shields and Tactics
2) Heavy AoE Tank : Heavy Armor, Shields and Earth
3) Tactical Fighter: Heavy Armor, Blades (or Polearms), Tactics
4) Weapon Master (only for fun): Blades, Blugdeon, Polearms
5) Necromancer: Death, Fire, Focus
6) Elemental Crowd Control Mage: Fire, Air, Focus
7) Clerig Fighter: Life, Water, Bludgeon
8) Exorcist Priest: Life, Focus, Sun
9) Beast Master: Range Weapons, Taming, Light Armor
10) Tactical Ranger: Range Weapons, Tactics, Light Armor
11) Cloud Hunter: Air, Ranged, Light Armor
12) Rogue: Blades, Subtlety, Tactics
13) Shadow Dancer: Blades, Moon,Light Armor


The three-spec could work wonders. Only problem: @Chris would have a huge headache figuring out how to make it so that only 2 can be set to "mantain" and one to train at the same time (I suggest creating a new window for this).

C'mon guys, this will be funny!

 

I also wish we had 3 specs instead of 2. I thought this from the beginning since it was introduced. 2 really seems like a bare minimum to me.

 

Love it, has a lot of potential

 

Oops, mis-read the title. I was all ready with my limes and tequila

 

Hahaha, I did the same thing.

 

More relevant to the topic at hand...

I agree that being able to have three specializations would be a welcome change.

 

I love this idea.

 

I can see that as a long-term goal, but for Episode 1 there really isn't a need for a third spec. As new skills are added for Episode 2 and beyond, being able to further specialize would be a great idea.

 

I don't see why we can't just train them all up to whatever we want... but only be allowed to have 2 (or 3 as you propose) active by setting them to training or maintaining.

Instead of having them all change to "unlearn" when you pick one to train, @Chris could simply set them all to "not training". Then we can choose 1 (or 2) others to maintain to activate them along with the one that is training.

It's basically the same thing we have now, except we wouldn't have to lose the XP and hours of training them when we switch to another Spec. The only Specs that would be "active" would be the ones picked to train or maintain. All of the "not training" (or "unlearn" if we choose it manually) Specs will not be active and we would not be getting their benefits.

All this would take is a simply flag change in the code and it would work. And, this would allow us the freedom to easily change our specialization to match our intended playstyle at that moment.

 

Then it would defeat the purpose of specializations, cause people would still manage to get them all...You are supposed to be specializated only at some few trees.

 

I think 3 would offer a lot more flexibility. Its potentially not as necessary for weapon-users, but a single magic school for "damage" isn't really possible -there's not enough damage glyphs to fill a min-size deck in most trees. Would be nice if mages could pick up an armor or strategy spec too; we're already limited by the opposing element reduced attunement crap which stifles a lot of potential builds. Or pick up a weapon as well, since patch after patch it seems that we are pushed more and more toward picking up a melee weapon to deal with magic resistant everything. Can't even step in a shardfall anymore (or hilt fortress, or anywhere with obsidian golems...) with the 'magic shutdown' crap going on, unless I have some way to beat something to death. If we have to spread out skills a 3rd tree would make this a lot more viable.

 

What's the difference between what I suggested and having someone pick one, master it, decide to switch to a different one, unlearn it and pick a different spec?... Other than making them spend more time grinding and reapplying the spec points?

The current system doesn't lock you into your spec choice forever. It only makes it costly (in time and xp) to switch them up. I'm trying to eliminate or minimize the lost time and xp factor.

What I suggested does not allow you to be specialized in more than 2 (or 3 if Chris agrees to increase it) at a time... you just don't lose the skill points you spent time earning already so if you decide to switch back you can just pick up where you left off instead of starting over again.

 

Yeah, it is slightly annoying that specializing in a magic tree has a draw back in it's mirrored tree but if you spec in a physical damage tree, there is no draw back. I like specializations a lot but they need more balancing.

 

LMAO what has to be considered as to why specialization was implemented in the first place.

It was NOT to give players more power and more skillz it was to find a way to curb in those who have trained over 100 GMs, which was never how the game was intended.

Soo triple is not good and allowing to have more trained just not active is even worse.

Now if the game was created with real soft caps in place and deal with issues when they became problems then you could triple as yes it does make sense.

All trained just not active is not how game is / was supposed to be in the first place. And no bad idea. But this would also mean you have just taken those Power Gamers and told them not to bother so basically killing off a significant portion of the player base.

Again fix the problem, more and more band aids and just creating more high end content are not the solution but will work, for the time being.

 

As last my as they don’t lock me
Out of having more than one Specialization in the Taming, tactics, focus group. I will be good.

I like that I can pick any two anywhere.

 

I agree it would be very useful but would it not just be ridiculously powerful?

Having 2 is pretty powerful already.

That fact you want 3 shows that having 2 forces you make a difficult choice which means people will be using different stuff.

I would love 11 deck slots. But I know if I had 11 deck slots I would want 12.

I wanted a 3rd alternate deck to swap.And then I bet I would want a 4th alternate deck.

I think we should have to make harder more meaningful decisions. And be rewared or punished accordingly.

Even as a new player those classes look quite wrong to me.

Why would a Necromancer specialize in Fire?

And why would any intelligent life form take ranged specialization?

 

Imagination. Fire and death has combos already (flame arrow life drainer)...
Replace fire to chaos... or put a blugdeon so you are a necro-mage who is a fighter...
Don't get the "why take ranged spec" part... you think is underpowered? If so, then just buff it.

I am aware of the situation and as to make it more meaningful, i think attunement should be more meaningful to magic. Quite a lot more. As for strategy, i guess implement "attunement" system too? For combat i don't find it quite necessary as all trees NEED the kind of weapon equipped and this is the actual limitation.

As for players with 100's GMs (i am not one of those by far), guess this is innevitable, but with the penalty for dying being also huge, there's also a balancing factor.
I agree that defining what is "fun" or not is quite a grey zone though. I wouldn't like a penalty-less system for specializations, so that idea of just "switching" them don't appeal too much.

Good to hear different PoVs, think this discussion can be matured further.

 

I like it the way it is. It forces us to make a choice.

 

Which is it's ultimate purpose and what people on these forums actively campaigned for.

 

exactly, only physical has the ability to kill every single mob in the game while magic cannot, and magic res pots in pvp.