ArenaNet talk:Guild Wars 2 suggestions/Passive skills

Having a passive skill bar

Unfortunenately you pretty much created and updated attribute bar. Not bad if they expanded and had a time to activate but it would cause much testing --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:68.39.44.145 (talk).

I think limiting it to one or two passive skills and making the buffs profession-based rather than race-based could provide a great solution to the jack of all trades problem which affected monks, ritualists and paragons in GW1. For example, rather than always providing the same effect, Divine Favor might let you choose from one of three passive buffs:

• Blessing of Constancy: Your monk skills last X% longer and your non-monk skills last Y% longer.
• Blessing of Mercy: Whenever you cast a monk spell on an ally, that ally gains X health, whenever you cast a non-monk spell on an ally, that ally gains Y health.
• Blessing of Retribution: Your monk skills deal X% more damage and your non-monk skills deal Y% more damage.

This would allow Smiting Prayers to be good for those who specialize in it without making half-smiters overpowered in PvP. -- Gordon Ecker 01:24, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Here's some more examples, using mesmers.

• Mantra of Disruption: Whenever you interrupt a foe's skill, it takes X% longer than normal to recharge. Whenever you disable a foe's skill, it is disabled Y% longer than normal.
• Mantra of Ether: Your mesmer skills cost X% less energy and your non-mesmer skills cost Y% less energy.
• Mantra of Intensity: Your mesmer skills deal X% more damage and your non-mesmer skills deal Y% more damage.
• Mantra of Persistance: Your mesmer skills last X% longer, your non-mesmer skills last Y% longer and conditions you inflict last Z% longer.
• Mantra of Recovery: Your mesmer skills recharge X% faster and your non-mesmer skills recharge Y% faster.
• Mantra of Signets: Your mesmer signets activate W% faster and recharge X% faster, your non-mesmer signets activate Y% faster and recharge Z% faster.
• Mantra of Swiftness: Your mesmer skills activate X% faster and your non-mesmer skills activate Y% faster.

-- Gordon Ecker 01:39, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

I had a similar idea, I'll just describe it here. This would help balance the possible and dare I say probable exploitation of this feature. Instead of having a seperate bar for passive skills, why not just make passive skills part of the original skill bar? In which case, they'd basically be non-monk enchantments that don't penalize energy regen. People could choose to take as many as eight or as few as none... it's a matter of balancing the usefulness of passive skills with the variety of active skills you need to bring. Do I really need to bring Flare? Nah, I'll take [insert passive skill here] instead. Good idea! Imaster 15:26, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Ill just go straight to my example of what my idea is for this suggestion. 1 passive skill per profession...seperate to main skill bar (as a unique ability).

Assassin - X preparation-time (thinking 2-3 secs), for X seconds you r in stealth mode (cannot be seen obviously), X amount of recharge.

Ele - X preparation-time, amplifies all magic skills for X secs, X recharge.

Ranger - X preparation-time, increased attack range for X secs, Xrecharge.

War - X preparation-time, hightened defense for X secs or until you attack, X recharge (quick enough to re-use almost instantly if time runs out.

Necro - only thing i can think of is the 'soul reaping' attribute from GW1 lol.

Mesmer - X preparation-time, take on someone elses full build for X secs disabling opponents bar for X secs, but power of bar depends on how strong your character is, X recharge.

Monk - X preparation-time, increased potency of all monk spells for X secs, X recharge.

thats all for now --122.107.149.30 03:34, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

Most of those aren't passive skills, they're self-only buffs with durations and activation times, which Guild Wars already has. -- Gordon Ecker 04:08, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

The only difference would be, is that they will not be able to be removed at all. I guess thats what i was supposed add in my input above. If those skills above were made without prep time or recharge then maybe theyd be too powerful? --122.107.149.30 02:18, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Replace fixed primary attribute effects with selectable buffs

I've posted a concise version of my suggestions. -- Gordon Ecker 02:57, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Deletion proposal

I disagree with the rationale of the deletion proposal. Under these proposals, passive buffs wouldn't compete for skill slots with active skills. Also, maintained enchantments are strippable and have an upkeep cost, while the passive skills in these suggestions would be free and always active, like GW1's title buffs and primary attribute effects or most of World of Warcraft's talents. -- Gordon Ecker 02:07, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

I've but the reserved slot idea on ArenaNet:Guild Wars 2 suggestions/Skill ideas collaboration. Maintained enchants are just an example, as you say, there are many other examples in GW1 that this is already known to anet. Backsword 11:07, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

IMO my suggestion is more of a primary attribute suggestion than a skill suggestion, and ANet may not have seriously considered the possibility of being able to choose from multiple primary attribute effects rather than having one fixed effect for each primary attribute. -- Gordon Ecker 03:35, 30 September 2008 (UTC)