Increase potential variety in weapon user builds by giving buffs to weapons when someone has less of them equipped. Think of it like focusing your training on a specific weapon type, without the difficulty of explicitly coding that in (or the difficulty on the part of players to pick a weapon to spec into ahead of time). Additionally, if someone primarily uses a specific weapon more than the others they have equipped, they can be tempted to use only that weapon. If they wanted to do that, this change would allow people like that to not have an explicit disadvantage vs. other weapon users who have more options.
This can come in 2 forms:
An increase in damage, or other things like attack size or speed. Simple, but would probably benefit some weapons more than others.
A decrease in weapon skill level requirement. Ideally, this allows people like conjurers to use weapons they otherwise really shouldn’t, at the cost of not being able to use other weapon types.
If this implementation style is chosen, the addition of this mechanic may have to wait until more high level moves are available for warriors, because this doesn’t help them in the slightest.
Additionally, to make it less annoying, add an option in the options menu to turn the automatic equipping of newly acquired weapons on or off. It would also be a general quality of life thing, especially for non-awakened, non-weapon-using people.
Reasoning
My inspirations are fairly straightforward: the aesthetic gimmick of being really good with one specific weapon. Commodore Kai is a prime example of this (so are Shura, Calvus, and Revon, to some extent), but one can take inspiration from weapon users from other fictional settings as well.
In terms of practicality, this change is another edition to the classic conundrum: Do I want more options for my build, or do I want to sacrifice some options, making myself more predictable and more susceptible to situations my remaining options struggle in, for more raw power?
Additionally, one can think of various meme builds that could be made funnier by actually being usable. I can’t, though.
Would you use a build with only one or two weapons, given the option and buffs to balance it in comparison to using three weapons?
Yes, I would most likely use 1 weapon
Yes, I would most likely use 2 weapons
No
0voters
Of the 2 implementation styles I came up with, which one do you prefer?
Increasing the base stats of weapons, like damage or attack size
Decreasing the weapon skill level requirement with less weapons
What does decreasing weapon skill requirement actually do tho? prehaps i’m misunderstanding, but at high levels wouldn’t it be the same power for the 1x weapon user vs 3x weapon user? I fail to see any benefit from that in the long run.
But overall this is basically a better worded version of my previous post and I am in full support of this idea
Lowering weapon skill requirements would only work as a short-term solution, then again, giving warrior/knight/warlord/conjurer another damage/size buff on top of what they already have doesn’t seem like the greatest solution either.
I only see a flat damage buff being a problem when later on when each weapon gets more ability and using only one is not nearly as crippling as it is now with only 2 abilities, but it is a problem nonetheless. I’m thinking along the lines of cooldown reduction and MAYBE a small attack speed buff if they need it rather than a damage buff
I feel this would have a negative effect on combat by discouraging diversity. Players having to use all aspects of their kit is more interesting than giving them a single powerful sword or musket.
How exactly would it discourage diversity? That argument can only be made assuming that one weapon is superior to multi weapons. If anything it encourages diversity by offering more options
For an example, let’s say you have a weapon that has an ability you can use. Shocking, right?
If you have 3 weapons equipped, it would require, for example, level 50 in weapons usage to use.
With 2 weapons, it could require level 40.
If it’s the only weapon you have equipped, it could require level 30.
The alternative is to increase the damage and/or attack size and/or attack speed and/or decrease cooldown of weapons and their skills if someone has fewer weapons equipped.
It really depends on how it’s implemented, but I do agree. It definitely could discourage it, if done poorly. The hope is that is increases diversity in a way that wasn’t previously explored (I.E. how many weapons do you want to have?)
I said I might be misunderstanding because of how useless such a “buff” would be. It would literally only benefit single weapon users if vetex deliberately designs weapons that are by default over the weapons stats at lvl cap. but then the next patch rolls around and everyone’s levels are raised again. Now everyone is capable of using that weapon to the same level as you regardless of how many weapons they have. It’s unrealistic to expect vetex to add “over the stat cap” weapons every time the lvl cap changes
That is a fair point, I don’t really have a counterargument. I was thinking from the perspective of what could be done, rather than what is best to do or what people want best.
i would change my weapon loadout to a melee & ranged (probably dagger + bow)
it could also be an increase in hidden stats like projectile speed/lifetime or skill cd/endlag reduced (not the AOE though because that falls under attack size)
There really is a wide variety of ways Vetex could buff those
Personally, I don’t think I’d use less weapons if the feature existed, with the exception of maybe not using a gun. I like my options as-is: Flintlock for range, kai sabre for movement, claws for AOE
Honestly I really like this as a way to allow weapon hybrid builds to use newer weapons like the sunken staff and atlantean weapons.
Weapon hybrid builds have been left in the dirt for a long while now with literally every new weapon having 200 weapons requirement for the first ability.
This particular case probably won’t be fixed until Nimbus releases but I’d like to not see it repeat.
But I think this would only give diversity to weapon hybrids rather than all weapon users. A hybrid might need this reduction to use bis weapons, but unless Vetex designs weapons over the max stat cap specifically for this mechanic, so warriors are just barred from diversity. I feel there should be a more universal benefit for using fewer weapons and leaving the hybrid weapon requirements issues to another mechanic
Otherwise, I’d just change over to a wind conjurer