Q on Certing: Specialization/Customization or 'upgrading'?

[I SandRock]

Went back 10 pages and used search but didn't deem any thread worthy enough of my reply, so I made a new one

I get the feeling that the certification system in Planetside 2 is basically one you 'level up' or upgrade. So, let's say a Medic has 20 available certifications. You could, playing long enough, get every single one of those 20 certifications of the Medic. And thus be a fully functioning, buffed up, pimped up Medic and have every single and same ability as every other Medic, never less.

Opposed to 'specializing' your class, meaning if you go one route, you are unable to get certain other certifications of that class. So, for example, you could spec your Medic to be more combat orientated and miss out on some special 'Medic' certifications or you could go a Medic spec and miss out on some special 'Combat' certifications, no matter how many cert points you have left.

I prefer this last option, where you define a path for your Medic which is different from other Medics out there. Especially since they said there is no limit to the total cert points you can get, if you keep playing, you can 'get it all'. Basically meaning that all the true veterans will all be the same, they will have every cert and there will be no differences between them. No individualism or customization? No specialization?

Or am I wrong and do we already know that some certifications are mutually exclusive, if you choose one you cannot have the other?

[Ratstomper]

I think it's the latter, but it's got me a little worried, as you cannot respec, they've said. So, if you get something and realize it's not something you really want/use, you're stuck with it and cant get the alternative sidegrades. Surely they'll introduce some kind of respec process.....right?

[Khrakhan]

What they said was that you cant respec, but that there is absolutely no need to respec because you are always able to get all of them.

So say you went one branch of the certs and decide you dont like it, well it doesnt lock you out of any other branch of certs so you can still just change your mind and start putting points into the other ones you want.

Theoretically, yes you could get ALL certs for a class, but they said that there are so many that it would take you a very very very long time to do so, and by that time through patches and updates they will have added even more....

So basically, yes you can specialize if you want, and then if you ever decide to add a little more utility to your build, you can do that as well.

[mintyc]

you can have every cert in the game, it will take you about 2.5/3 years of heavy play aparently but you can get them all. you cant carry all of the stuff you unlock its more about giveing you diferant options than makeing you more powerfull.

the devs stated aim is for a maxed out toon with all the gear and certs to be no more than 20% more powerfull than a level 1

[Ratstomper]

Originally Posted by Khrakhan

So basically, yes you can specialize if you want, and then if you ever decide to add a little more utility to your build, you can do that as well.

Ok, I misunderstood then. For some reason I thought there was some cert branching that was mutually exclusive. That's somewhat of a relief.

And now that I think of it, the "I can do everything" issue will be mitigated somewhat by classes and equipment. Classes can only do so many things (I.E. heavy infantry can't use medic skills, and vise versa) and so many certs seem to be for equipment accessories that you can only have so many of on your weapon at any given time.

[mintyc]

Originally Posted by Ratstomper

Ok, I misunderstood then. For some reason I thought there was some cert branching that was mutually exclusive. That's somewhat of a relief.

And now that I think of it, the "I can do everything" issue will be mitigated somewhat by classes and equipment. Classes can only do so many things (I.E. heavy infantry can't use medic skills, and vise versa) and so many certs seem to be for equipment accessories that you can only have so many of on your weapon at any given time.

also you dont have to level up the class you are playing, a cert point, is a cert point and can go into any of the trees.

[Kalbuth]

Once you have all certs for 1 class, let's say medic, you cannot equip at the same time all the tools you have upgraded, or I am misguided?

[Khrakhan]

Originally Posted by mintyc

also you dont have to level up the class you are playing, a cert point, is a cert point and can go into any of the trees.

Certain levels of certs will require a certains battlerank, but I am pretty sure the beginning of each branch is available at beginning. Depends on how much they rework it and how many things they add, but yeah pretty much.

Originally Posted by Kalbuth

Once you have all certs for 1 class, let's say medic, you cannot equip at the same time all the tools you have upgraded, or I am misguided?

No I dont think so. You will still only be able to equip as many items as you could before, unless they add certs that allow you to carry more equipment, that is still tbd.

[mintyc]

Originally Posted by Kalbuth

Once you have all certs for 1 class, let's say medic, you cannot equip at the same time all the tools you have upgraded, or I am misguided?

you will probably have slots you can put a certain type of gun/device in i.e you can only carry one medical aplicator you may have unlocked 3 diferant ones but you can only carry one.

[kaffis]

Originally Posted by DjEclipse

You can BR40 your medic. You won't miss out on anything.

While you can cert everything, it appears as if several of the certifications will be for things whose *use* is mutually exclusive.

So you can earn all the weapon attachments and variant special abilities for your medic... but you can only use one scope and one miscellaneous weapon attachment at a time, and you can't equip two different types of revive grenade at once, even though there are half a dozen different types available to you.

[Xyntech]

Originally Posted by kaffis

While you can cert everything, it appears as if several of the certifications will be for things whose *use* is mutually exclusive.

So you can earn all the weapon attachments and variant special abilities for your medic... but you can only use one scope and one miscellaneous weapon attachment at a time, and you can't equip two different types of revive grenade at once, even though there are half a dozen different types available to you.

Exactly right.

So if you cert into one scope, then you can use only that scope, but if you cert into two scopes, you can pick which one to use and then switch to using the other one anytime you want.

But just because you chose to unlock one scope doesn't mean you can't also unlock the other scope later on. But you can never uncert the first scope you picked and reuse those points to get the other scope. You are stuck with your decision and must earn more cert points in order to pick the other option that you previously passed up.

But there will be unlimited cert points that you can earn, so eventually, hypothetically, you can unlock everything. This will take a long time even with boosters, and they will be adding more content to the game over time, so don't expect to have everything unlocked very quickly. This is where picking and choosing what you most want to unlock will be important. Not because you can't change your mind, but because the whole process will take time. The sooner you change your mind, the sooner you can start working towards certing in what you really want.

[Meriv]

No respec? soo if i do a wrong build because we still don't know the result of it since no one else has played soo much what happens? do i have to start again? :S

If it is like this i hope they put a respec (not a fast, something like u can respec once per month or for tot cash etc..etc..)

[Ratstomper]

Originally Posted by Meriv

No respec? soo if i do a wrong build because we still don't know the result of it since no one else has played soo much what happens? do i have to start again? :S

If it is like this i hope they put a respec (not a fast, something like u can respec once per month or for tot cash etc..etc..)

As stated above, you won't need one. You can unlock all certs, but you can only use a certain number at any given time.

[Meriv]

Originally Posted by Ratstomper

As stated above, you won't need one. You can unlock all certs, but you can only use a certain number at any given time.

I read above but since i am a casual player i don't dispose time enought to certs "everything" in case i get a missclick for example or i do a bad building

[Mechzz]

Originally Posted by Meriv

I read above but since i am a casual player i don't dispose time enought to certs "everything" in case i get a missclick for example or i do a bad building

I think this will happen. I think so because it happened to me at the weekend in another up and coming MMOFPS.

It's a real pain if you cert into something that takes maybe 4 hours of gameplay to earn and then find it's really lame.

Some limited form of recerting would be much appreciated by the more casual players, I'm sure.