Feedback:User/Sparky, the Tainted/Interruption (GW2)

The lack of focus on interruption in Guild Wars 2 is not a desirable path to take. From a playing standpoint, removing interruption as a major factor makes the game less ability-based, less teamwork-oriented, and less enjoyable. From a technical standpoint, there are no good reasons for removing interruption as a major factor.

The majority of the reasoning behind the suppressing of interruption seems to be visual. I understand that the game should be easy to get a hold of, but the game should also be difficult to master. However, it is absurd to remove a playing style and high-level ability from the game simply because the skill must be learned by doing, rather than just watching. The lack of visual cues for observers can easily be circumvented by adding a large, flashy visual (depending on the type of skill interrupted) to be triggered by skill interruption, if it really must.

The argument that interruption removal is because it is entirely ping-dependent is hardly an answer. I am, primarily, an interrupter in GW. I'll admit my bias toward reaction/prediction and high risk/reward playing styles. From first-hand crippling ping, I know that, sometimes, reactionary interruption can be difficult, at worst. However, most things worth interrupting have had (and will likely continue to have) much less to do with reaction time and server response time (Guardian being a noteworthy exception) and much more to do with proper and skillful prediction. If the server response time is high enough to affect prediction interrupting (about a constant 1,000ish ping), then the server response time is too high for you to do almost anything properly.

A glaring contradiction to the ping stance on interruption is the stance on (especially) protection magic, in addition to effectively every other part of combat described thus far. Protection magic has always been about as low-profile to observers as interruption, with an equally vital role in combat with powerful emphasis on the same abilities. Protection and interrupting are basically the same thing, preventing something from happening through prediction and reaction, except that interruption is taking a minimal role in GW2 while protection is practically being moved from being the most important support to being the only support. GW2 combat is described as "visceral", also known as "ping dependent", and for some reason is considered a better "visceral" than interruption is.

I'm really not sure why it was decided to throw interruption by the wayside, when the decision makers admit the important, skillful, and tactical role of interruption. Guild Wars 2 is a chance for the developers to take advantage of the mistakes and successes of Guild Wars. Interruption is one of such successes and more: it is the defining feature of GW.