POE2 - Weapon Locked Skills reduces build diversity

POE2 has doubled down on locking skills to a specific weapon type. In multiple different cases the skill locked to one weapon does not make sense, or simply reduces player choice, which is in direct friction with POE philosophy of you can play anything on any class.

Here are just a few examples from the release trailer to show how bad this can potentially be over the course of POE2.

Whirling assault - Requires Quarterstaff - Why can I not spin a spear in the exact same way and potentially be more effective with its blade?

Shattering Palm - Requires Unarmed, Quarterstaff - this skill ALWAYS STRIKES WITH BARE FIST. If it always attacks with a fist why can i not use a one handed weapon, a spear, or literally any weapon you could reasonably punch with?

Hand of Chayula - Requires Unarmed, Quarterstaff - this skill ALWAYS STRIKES WITH BARE FIST. If it always attacks with a fist why can i not use a one handed weapon, a spear, or literally any weapon you could reasonably punch with? (repeating myself here but its literally the exact samething...)

Ancenstral Warrior Totem - Requires one/two hand mace - This totem is locked to only using mace skills, Why? Are the ancestors unable to manifest a blade or axe and strike at my enemies? Why can they only slam?

Just thought I would put this out there and see if it starts any kind of decent conversation on the topic. Maybe I am completely wrong and this will not have any large effects on build diversity, but it is at least something to discuss.

I see your point. However I think with the greatly expanded support gem mobility and the ability to have a different paasive tree for the alt weapon slot there will be a lot of build diversity.

I think skills attached to weapons is better, there are other skills that are not so best of both worlds are gonna happen.

This is probably more for organizational reasons than anything else

Also potentially leaked info but Cyclone might be an Axe only skill. Its not possible to spin with other weapons? Maybe it is because im still stuck on POE 1 mechanics but it just feels really weird that some of these skills do not branch out into more weapon types.

Making some skills weapon exclusive makes the weapon types more distinct. There will be a real gameplay difference and not merely a visual difference. Furthermore it makes it possible to design sets of synergies between skills/passives that are mutually exclusive. Having every skill go with every weapon could just lead to a boring skill mash were the most effective skills from every weapon are mixed together while others are ignored.
I haven't seen how it turns out in practice, but I would be optimistic that it might be a good design choice.

Swoon, I'm with you. I think locking skills behind specific weapons not only limits build variety, but is a flavor fail. All your examples are spot on with how they make no sense from a flavor perspective. My pet skill (Flicker Strike) is another victim of this, being locked to quarterstaves. All I want to do is teleport, and hit things with a sword, but instead I have to use a stick? It just doesn't compute why they would lock it behind quarterstaves.

With that said, I think there are some reasonable examples where it DOES make some sense to exclude a weapon category from a skill. Doing a big slam attack with a dagger doesn't make much sense, in the same way that impaling/backstabbing with a mace doesn't add up either.

All this said, my suggestion for GGG (not that I think they will ever see this, but who knows) would be twofold:

--- First, changing the mindset from "This skill is can only be used with these weapons" to "This skill can be used with any weapon EXCEPT these few where it doesn't make sense".

--- Secondly, giving weapons unique interactions with each skill. For example, with Whirling Assault, staves have a chance to knock-back enemies, while spears might inflict bleeding or impale. Flicker Strike staves might hit from further away (so you don't end up RIGHT next to some beefy rare mob), swords might have a chance to hit twice, while daggers could add INT to the damage instead of just STR. These are very much so just unrefined ideas, but I think they would allow for more variety in flavor AND builds than "Oh, I want to use X skill? Guess I NEED to run Y weapon".

you missing the realism here

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swoon69#3144 wrote:

Whirling assault - Requires Quarterstaff - Why can I not spin a spear in the exact same way and potentially be more effective with its blade?

because spear is for poking, not spinning it? never ever have a heard using a spear in this manner

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swoon69#3144 wrote:

Shattering Palm - Requires Unarmed, Quarterstaff - this skill ALWAYS STRIKES WITH BARE FIST. If it always attacks with a fist why can i not use a one handed weapon, a spear, or literally any weapon you could reasonably punch with?

bare fist fighting is usually associated with martial arts and staff is prob used here for the same reason

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swoon69#3144 wrote:

Hand of Chayula - Requires Unarmed, Quarterstaff - this skill ALWAYS STRIKES WITH BARE FIST. If it always attacks with a fist why can i not use a one handed weapon, a spear, or literally any weapon you could reasonably punch with? (repeating myself here but its literally the exact samething...)

same as above

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swoon69#3144 wrote:

Ancenstral Warrior Totem - Requires one/two hand mace - This totem is locked to only using mace skills, Why? Are the ancestors unable to manifest a blade or axe and strike at my enemies? Why can they only slam?

because its a slam skill? and slamming a blade into the ground? that's just heresy.

i love how much attention to detail they brought here and its a wonderful thing. it always bothered me that you could of used pole-arms/spears in d2 for ww.

Same for them locking ascendancies.

Hey GGG I don't spend all my life playing your game and soon to be games.

your game is temp based for the majority of players who have spent months or years learning it.

I'm not more likely to experiment with gems and builds if it is much harder to scale and get them to the fun portion of your game.

huffing copium like they read this stuff.

Doesn't sound like path of exile anymore.