If you really want to make the life of new players easier, just allow them to get traits more easily. I have a lot of alts and all I can tell you is that it was pretty fun and fluid to level them back when I started the game, there was nothing wrong with it to be honest.
On the other hand, just wanted to make az engineer, but waited a bit, because I was hoping that you will introduce another system to get traits, because unlock missions are cool in general if we are talking about a PvP reward track or something more “high-end” stuff, but this is simply killing build-diversity at the start and doesn’t help us to get to now a certain profession or even start to love them.
When I’m experimenting with new professions, I like to play around the build and traits, try out different ideas, see that what potentials are in there, and is that class for me or not. Without having a decent option to get access to all the traits this is pretty hard, and all I know is, that previously I loved leveling an alt, and now it feels like a bit painful for me, because of all the limitations I’m getting.
Yes, I know, I can unlock them at trait vendor, but I consider those prices pretty high, escpecialy when I’m drowning in skill points scrolls. I would be very pleased with an option, what offers us traits for only skillpoints without guild wars 2 gold, or implement them for level ups. Maybe “trait books” dropping like skillpoint scrolls of level-up tomes?
Having the ability to scavengehunt certain Adept traits only above level 40 is not cool.
You have 5 trait lines, 6 adept, 4 masters and 3 grandmasters on each. Why not introduce them on level progressions?
What if from level 16 on (up to level 80) the player just selects a single trait to unlock? Like:
16-45 – Unlock an Adept trait
46-65 – Unlock a Master trait
66-80 – Unlock a Grandmaster trait
This way leveling up sure seems rewarding for me, plus it would feel really natural to learn new tricks with each level when I progress, not to mention the “what should I unlock now” excitement at each level.
I know that you probably want people to visit the different aspects of the game, experience everything, travel around in PvE, but I think if they enjoy the game, they would do them anyways, no need to force certain activites on people when they are leveling.
In fact I alraedy have 100% world completion for most of my alt, and want to have that for the remaining ones as well, because I just like to and I think it’s kind of fun, but I would be a happier player if I could experience a new class while I’m doing this.
So for me, your character leveling was just fine from the start already. I guess some new features will be useful for new players, but all in all I still think that “trait unlocking” is just a very unpleasent, overcomplicated experience right now, and that needs to be fixed somehow.