My main beef with Hero Skill Trainers...

They try to sell you already-unlocked skills for your Heroes! Not only that, but it makes NO sort of mention or clue that I already have access to this skill, forcing me to have to check my lists and see if it's in there or not. Why would I spend a Hero Skill point on Barbs when, as you can see in my drop-down list, that I already have the damn skill unlocked? My Heroes can already use Barbs whenever I want them to. Is there a tangible point to having it set up this way, or is this just laziness in the implementation? The first time I saw Barbs being offered to me I thought my account got bugged or something.

Obviously this isn't a serious problem, but it's kind of lame regardless.

I really think the Hero Skill Trainers should have some sort of filter so you don't end up wasting Hero Skill Points on those skills your Heroes technically already have access to. Just make the HST skill window look like the normal skill trainer windows so their lists have the 'Unlocked' part next to the skills your account already has. None of this button-to-buy crap.

well...u kno..its not a big deal b/c if u click on it it wont let u get it anyways if u already have it unlocked

I never tried to buy a skill I already had, so I couldn't have known that. Good to know though.

I think that the layout should be more like a normal skill trainer, in that skills you have are grayed out.

Buying a skill you've already unlocked at the hero trainers does have its use. You add the skill to the skill list of your character. I'm pretty sure I did buy some skills for my own use that I already unlocked for my account, to save skill points and platinum. I'm not 100% positive about it though.

/signed!
Hero skills can't be used by characters.

Umm Tetris then why is my monk using Shield of Absorption?

Wrong!
I "bought" a couple of skill through Hero Skill Trainer already. In fact, I cannot imagine why I should spend these valuable Hero Skill point on my heroes at all instead of my own character. Buying skills is really expensive later on, so use I the Hero Skill Trainer by any means I can. For heroes, just use Balthazar Faction rewards...

Even the hero skill trainer says you can use them.

Yes, they can.

Hero skill trainer shows/unlocks skills for your heroes and your current character.

I bet that TideSwayer's current warrior character didnt have Barbs skill. And thats why hero skill trainer listed it.

I used hero skill trainer to get free skills for my dervish PvE character.

Holy shti, really? I gotta admit I never even tried, because previously it was very clearly stated that hero skills are for heroes only:

I gladly stand corrected (and blame my fault on Gamespot). It wouldn't have taken four people yelling at me.

I think unlocks should be noted on the hero skill trainers...

NOTE: Hero Trainers also give skills to the char you are using. -so, if that character does not have that skill it will show up in the hero trainer listing regardless of unlocks...

Well in that case, use your hero skill points for yourself while you can...I smell a nerf afoot.

Hero skills was intended to be a new method to teach yourself skills for free. Here's the process:

1) You pick a skill
2) You learn that skill, regardless of what your profession is, and you will gain access to it when you have the applicable primary or secondary profession.
3) Learning the skill unlocks it on your account.
4) Unlocked skills can be used on Heros.

This is why you see listing of skills that you have already unlocked. While you have already unlocked in on your account, your character has not personally learned the skill yet, and the option is still there.

it's the holy gr...you get the point...
Thanks for the information

I used my Warrior to open skills for the warrior hero and he can use any skill I have open as my warrior. Also did the same for the ranger hero, infact went and bought some skills for my ranger in Nightfall and now the hero can use them also.

I can't seem to select Shattering Assault from the Sunspear Great Hall hero trainer. When I select it, the window simply closes with no additional feedback. I haven't capped that elite yet, so it wasn't previously unlocked, but I selected Lift Enchantments as test from the same trainer (previously locked), and my character unlocked the skill immediately with a confirmation message.

shattering assault existing in that list is a bug. It's an elite skill, the trainer shouldn't actually have it.

I really dislike the role of the hero skill trainers as replacements for skill-reward quests.

The benefit of the Prophecies system was that you ended up with a lot of 'quirky' skills that you wouldn't have paid full price for, but which gave you versatility when it came to swapping builds around and testing new ideas. To a lesser extent it was also good for people who like having every skill unlocked on one character.

The benefit of the Factions system was that you could quickly assemble the skillbar you wanted very early in the game. This gave you less versatility in the long run, but it was a lot more new-character friendly.

The Nightfall system seems to have the worst of both worlds. No reward quests, and the skill trainers have quite a limited selection (even when you factor in the in-class skills available at the hero skill trainer). Like Prophecies, many key skills are completely unavailable untill quite a long way into the game - what is with the skill trainers not knowing anything new between Kamadan and Vabbi?? And like Factions, you don't end up with enough of a variety of skills to let you branch out into different builds. Plus hey, you'll probably need to spend some of those points on skills that are genuinely needed by your heroes...

I rarely if ever use hero trainers for heroes... I use them for free unlocks on my PvE characters.

They have many uses... so I wouldn't call their display of already unlocked skills a bad thing.