Skill Synergy

This will be the largest update to date if they decide to implement this, but chances are they won't. However, hopefully they'll take this advice for GW2 and GW:EN when they make those games.

Anet has been promoting skill synergy for a long time now, from the basic shing jea quests to the new PvP primers (which are somewhat of a joke, actually). They try to get players to use skills that synergize with each other and would be helpful. However, one thing they fail to do is display it when creating their monsters. It seems like they choose the profession of the monster and use a random number generator to choose skills for the monster. Many people will not pay attention to exactly what the monsters use, but it may unconsciously get in a new player's heads that skill synergy really isn't that important.

A prime example is the Snarling Driftwood:
-Vim
-Flourish
-Hamstring
-Protector's strike
-Warrior's cunning

That's gotta be the worst display of skill synergy, and on top of that, it even has two elites! Protector's strike recharges so fast that flourish isn't very useful, and the monster uses ONE whole condition skill, making VIM nearly useless as well. Great demonstration on how to use elite skills, Anet.

Most people may not think this, but some people will look at a monster's crappy build and be like "hey, it doesn't matter if I run a random build composed of the 8 coolest sounding skills!" Then they find out the hard way when everyone starts calling them noob and getting rejected from groups.

Also, crappy skill selection adds on to the ease of farming by professional farmers. It Anet planned a little more in their skill choosing process, certain areas would not be as easily farmable by such basic builds. Not to say this will stop farming, but it'll hopefully make the farming process more challenging.

the fact that i can (as a sin) solo ghial 95% or better of the time shows this is true. I would like to see more "synergized" build on creatiures. I was disappointed with many of the bosses as their builds are near useless.

/signed

this would teach new players to build better, and it would make it more of a challenge and more fun (i think) to those of us who have played awhile.

~the rat~

heh /signed

i would love to see some bosses with good builds, like if ghial was an actually MM and some ranger bosses with real interupt builds, it woud both piss me off and entertain me.

I'd like to see some cross proffesion bosses aswell like a touch ranger boss, the only enemy I know in the game with synergy is the ruby djinns with glowing gaze and searing flames.

Eh... a.net become much better with developing skill synergy on PvE monesters over time. Factions mobs are much more balanced then Phrophecies mobs (which include UW and FoW since they were designed at the same time), and so on with NF mobs being generally better then Factions ones.

As for how this relates to farming, there will always be areas that can somehow be exploited by some sort of farming build. Adaptable people are always better then static ai, no matter how good the ais build will be.

/signed x100

this will make PvE harder... and then PvP players wont be able to make fun of the easiness of PvE. This will be [skill]Peace and Harmony[/skill]!!!

~Polynikes

/signed

Monsters are a joke now.

/signed

I have noticed this too. Bosses arnt hard they just hurt a lot. And apparently their builds are more theme related rather than actually being formidable by any means. Enemies in general are joke now.

DMG!=Challenge

Well... when skills get nerfed, the monster skillbar don't change...

But there are some creatures who still have some synergy in their builds...

/not signed
Who here realises that their hero ranger with an interupt heavy build can interupt (magebane elite for rangers is abusivve ) almost instantly any monsters around you? Can you really think that you'd be able to go up against of horde or AI controlled inturrupters and echo chain nukers? (ok so thats multi professional but you're getting the idea) You wouldnt stand a chance.

I will sign a 'Revamp some monsters to add a bit more spice to the mix' but with a 'make those revamped monsters appear in areas when the player has finished the campaign' sub note, otherwise you're just asking for a 'cater to me and my whims and do what I want' rather than thinking about new players coming into the game who are going to get whammied from this side of tyria to elona and back.