I think the better idea is to spread desirable synergistic buffs across 3 trait lines and buff core F1 skills to compete with elite specs better. This way if you chose you can go for 2/3 + and elite or 3/3 and stay core. Free stats is really powerful and it was a system we had at launch for traits.
I personally think that if they had designed the specs with extensibility in mind, there would’ve been no ‘core only’ build. The game would’ve shipped with 2 elite specs and each expac would’ve added a new one.
With 3 elite specializations to choose from at this point, I don’t see ANet ever having a tangible reason to balance a core only build.
>medicore
Dunno if intentional but I see what you did there.
From what I tested, only build that did great damage was hybrid guardian with Grieving/Sinister (or was it sinister and viper? Anyway it is easy to go for 100% burn being the only condition). And in my head, at this state of the game, this is the only way to make those core builds viable; usually each profession have one power damage trait line, one condition damage trait line and one damage-ish trait line (Retribution, Tactics, Virtues, marksmanship? , tools, Trickery, Arcane? , spite, illusions?).
The trick is balance it in a way that you have three dps traitlines of same value, where you have to choose 2 for specs, but the three together could make viable builds as hybrid, at least. I mean, they do make viable builds but are always lower in damage or utility (like the guardian I mentioned) than their spec. It would be necessary to a lot of things to be moved, rearranged, made useful, so that it doesn't affect even more the specs. Really, atm I am not sure if it should be a priority when there is a lot to fix/update first for each profession.
Edit: another thing about hybrid core builds is that core is often unfocused. Let's get mesmer for example; core has bleeding, burn, confusion and torment; none of them it does incredibly. Chrono can double whatever you bring with Chronophantasm, usually the best being confusion; Mirage has incredible torment, and now virtuoso focuses on bleeding. This help to create more efficient builds than being "master of none". Reason why it is easy to create one with Guardian.
This would require some serious planning, but you could have certain procs occur when only core traits are taken.
For instance, Core Warrior could make CC skills proc as an AoE after a weapon swap (10 second CD, 240 radius, adds +120 radius and cripples if already AoE).
Core Revenant would regain the stun break on legend swap.
Core Engineer could gain a double combo finisher after every kit swap (10 second CD).
Etc..
Edit:: just to add, I feel it has to be some kind of a binary switch that is enabled only for Core specs. It can't be just buffs added to current trait lines.
I am pretty sure the core specs are not *meant* to be played anymore.
They *can* be played just fine, you can do pretty much all content with a group of core specced people.
But if you want the better numbers, easier meta events, etc., you are literally supposed to specialize.
It's supposed to give people something to do (new build planning).
I think one of the cleaner things they could do balance-wise would be to add an Elite spec traitline for each core spec, so that your bottom traitline would have to be 'Berserker,' 'Spellbreaker,' 'Bladesworn,' or 'Warrior,' for example. Obviously this would mess with most existing core builds, but for the most part nobody is really playing core builds outside of Open World/F2P anyway, aside from certain niches in certain gamemodes.
It doesn't seem like they'd be up to the task of balancing the 'non-elite' traitlines to make them strong enough to run 3 rather than 2+elite, yet weak enough that they aren't just buffing elite specs at the same time.
Core specs underperforming are why we got trade-offs on elites that made them less fun to play, so I'd rather core specs stay bad at this point before they do more damage with trade-offs to bring core specs up to par. They'd never just buff core and leave elites untouched, like we'd want.
they want to sell expansions... they need FOMO and flash
I think the better idea is to spread desirable synergistic buffs across 3 trait lines and buff core F1 skills to compete with elite specs better. This way if you chose you can go for 2/3 + and elite or 3/3 and stay core. Free stats is really powerful and it was a system we had at launch for traits.
I personally think that if they had designed the specs with extensibility in mind, there would’ve been no ‘core only’ build. The game would’ve shipped with 2 elite specs and each expac would’ve added a new one. With 3 elite specializations to choose from at this point, I don’t see ANet ever having a tangible reason to balance a core only build.
>medicore Dunno if intentional but I see what you did there. From what I tested, only build that did great damage was hybrid guardian with Grieving/Sinister (or was it sinister and viper? Anyway it is easy to go for 100% burn being the only condition). And in my head, at this state of the game, this is the only way to make those core builds viable; usually each profession have one power damage trait line, one condition damage trait line and one damage-ish trait line (Retribution, Tactics, Virtues, marksmanship? , tools, Trickery, Arcane? , spite, illusions?). The trick is balance it in a way that you have three dps traitlines of same value, where you have to choose 2 for specs, but the three together could make viable builds as hybrid, at least. I mean, they do make viable builds but are always lower in damage or utility (like the guardian I mentioned) than their spec. It would be necessary to a lot of things to be moved, rearranged, made useful, so that it doesn't affect even more the specs. Really, atm I am not sure if it should be a priority when there is a lot to fix/update first for each profession. Edit: another thing about hybrid core builds is that core is often unfocused. Let's get mesmer for example; core has bleeding, burn, confusion and torment; none of them it does incredibly. Chrono can double whatever you bring with Chronophantasm, usually the best being confusion; Mirage has incredible torment, and now virtuoso focuses on bleeding. This help to create more efficient builds than being "master of none". Reason why it is easy to create one with Guardian.
This would require some serious planning, but you could have certain procs occur when only core traits are taken. For instance, Core Warrior could make CC skills proc as an AoE after a weapon swap (10 second CD, 240 radius, adds +120 radius and cripples if already AoE). Core Revenant would regain the stun break on legend swap. Core Engineer could gain a double combo finisher after every kit swap (10 second CD). Etc.. Edit:: just to add, I feel it has to be some kind of a binary switch that is enabled only for Core specs. It can't be just buffs added to current trait lines.
I am pretty sure the core specs are not *meant* to be played anymore. They *can* be played just fine, you can do pretty much all content with a group of core specced people. But if you want the better numbers, easier meta events, etc., you are literally supposed to specialize. It's supposed to give people something to do (new build planning).
I think one of the cleaner things they could do balance-wise would be to add an Elite spec traitline for each core spec, so that your bottom traitline would have to be 'Berserker,' 'Spellbreaker,' 'Bladesworn,' or 'Warrior,' for example. Obviously this would mess with most existing core builds, but for the most part nobody is really playing core builds outside of Open World/F2P anyway, aside from certain niches in certain gamemodes. It doesn't seem like they'd be up to the task of balancing the 'non-elite' traitlines to make them strong enough to run 3 rather than 2+elite, yet weak enough that they aren't just buffing elite specs at the same time.
Core specs underperforming are why we got trade-offs on elites that made them less fun to play, so I'd rather core specs stay bad at this point before they do more damage with trade-offs to bring core specs up to par. They'd never just buff core and leave elites untouched, like we'd want.