The current loadouts system doesn’t make sense

Does anybody actually use the switch role option in the actions menu (except for speccing support roles of course). No, because for example you can’t tank/ troll/ heal while spec as dps. The way it is currently set up, you basically need multiple armories just to be able to swap loadouts on the fly while maintaining your current role. Which also makes it a pain cus you have to imprint your gear for every different loadout unless you want to manually swap it every time in the loadouts screen. It would make more sense if we had extra loadout slots that didn’t also swap our current role. Ex. I have a light toon and a want range and melee loadout and the ability to swap between quickly and easily. Well you can’t do that short of imprinting multiple armories just to be able to do so. There should be another option in the actions menu to save different loadouts without changing your current role.

I'm thinking the switch role is there just for the sake of being able to switch your role to save it to an armory.
You basically answered all this though, the reason there isn't a way to save separate loadouts to switch to in your menu is because you use armories to do that.

Yeah armories I know but wouldn’t it be much simpler just to have a single armory spec and something like this in the actions menu for swapping loadouts

Actions
Switch role
Loadout 1
Loadout 2

You shouldn’t need multiple armories just to save a different loadout if your sp will be spec exactly the same. Plus then you have to re imprint that same gear multiple times which can get pretty annoying.

I see what you're saying and I agree. There'd be some benefit to having that implemented.

On the note with imprinting gear all the time, it is annoying. I have 3 armories one for dps, one for troll and one for "duels" just in case. My duel one uses the same gear as my troll but different augments and weapon and the like, when my CR is raising I let the duel armory get messed up by just imprinting my entire troll gear setup because I'm too lazy to make sure it's all correct until my CR stops rising.
I might just remove the gear from that armory altogether so that I don't have to imprint to 2 armories every time I get a new gear piece but then what did I buy it for.

While I'm here talking about armories, I wish they added an option to not save a style to the armory. I end up forcing myself to play an unwanted role for the situation because I don't feel like changing my outfit to an older one that's saved or I'm not done wearing what I'm currently wearing.

Some people don't have the desire or ability to spend an extra $5 on an armory. There's a 14-year-old in one of the leagues I'm in that isn't able to use money on the game. That's what Switch Role is for. I also still use it on my single-purpose alternates that get assigned to do damage instead of Control, Heal, or Tank when I random queue for Events and Event Mode content, or if I get queued in with a person of much higher CR in the same role.

You should get multiple options when imprinting an armory.



So you don't have to imprint your appearance if you don't want to.

That's the thing, there's no way to not imprint an appearance. As in; there will always be a style placed onto the armory whether I update it or not.
Because of that, there's no way to not change my style when I switch to another armory unless I imprinted the same style. My style always changes though and I can't be bothered to constantly update the armory so I end up not switching to another armory for a while because it'd change my style to an older one.

The function of the d pad switch role was in the game long before the armories and before unattuned gear. So now if someone doesn't have an armory they can switch roles and work up that way. Yes armories make things much easier but unless they make two armories for every ton then this function has to stay in the game

Interestingly you wrote this thread on the exact 6th anniversary of the launch of armories, Jan 16, 2014.

The switch system (T for PC, idk for PS) as you call it, is the original way players had to switch roles from the games launch. Armories were what SOE/DGC designed to do what you are talking about with different loadouts/specs. and of course it is a good money making thing for them.

I understand it’s a money maker, I just don’t see why you can’t have multiple loadouts within a single spec, but I digress.

Then there'd be no reason for 4 and 8 packs of armories lol... loss of income so what you're asking will never happen.

Having to imprint gear multiple times just for ease of swapping a loadout is ridiculous. I don’t see any reason why this hasn’t already been implemented. It’d be a simple QoL improvement and I doubt it’d effect profits.

That's not true I dps all the time in troll and heal gear, just fine. I've actually gotten Luthor's mangled whatever collection and the other 1 from mirror master while dpsing this way.

So yes people do, do it and it does work, and before you say 'oh well that's just a solo' no I've done this in raids too when friends are trying to learn healing or trolling. I'm merely there just incase, but while also providing some damage too.

Do I have multiple armories? Yes but all are healer setups, I have 4 on my healer, and 1 on my troll. My healer has 4 mainly just to have different outfits lol

I have 3 dps armories, 1 with metal part 1 augments, 1 for metal part 2 augments and 1 for melee precision. All 3 have the same dps gear barring differing weapons. I can switch between them pretty efficiently because I bought multiple armories. That directly affects their profits if I can do that without buying those extra armories. Same goes for the players who make multiple styles, those who like playing with different weapons and those with multiple loadouts. Again i say you're asking a wall to stop holding up the roof here.

Yeah, the idea of armories were good. Swap appearance, gear or loadouts on the fly....

But it is much more complicated that it should be.... imprinting all the necessary armories, keeping all that gear somewhere, SP allocation, artifacts, even whether or not you have soder colas equipped is all in the armory

Then if you want to salvage gear.... you need to clear that piece of gear with every armory that has it imprinted...

I know there are some players that have many, many armories.... I have no idea how they manage them all....

Fine well how about give us the option to buy additional loadout slots? Efficient, maybe, not if your imprinting and swapping between loadouts fequently with the way it’s currently set up.

The switch role button without an armory actually works better than ever with stat boosted event content. With the touch of a button my little used alt gets all their needed support or DPS stats-- no gear or skill points needed!

Yeah. For actual end game content... not so much.

When the game was fresh and not too many skill points, you could spec for both if you has a lot. They called it dual speccing and it was easier for some roles than others, but it was possible. You would have your alternate role at the bottom of your inventory and would press T and quickly swap at the beginning of the instance. There was a lot of kicking happening for roles that dps solo and didn't load in as their role, but it was okay. Once armories came in, this changed. It helped maintain speccing. You get one free armory and then you would just buy one other and you would be golden.

Man the days of having low SP and when you were asked to do another role. "Okay, give me a couple of minutes to hit the HQ and change my skill points." Then forget to get movement and having to do it again. lol

Those were the days, LOL.