Of course everybody would be happy simply if they balanced the traits. It's rather silly that for any offensive weapon sharpened stands so far above all other traits. So much so that only for the axe and dagger is it even worth using non-sharpened (on the main bar) in PVE.
I mean sharpened gives a 10-15% dps buff while the second best trait (precise) gives a 3-5% dps buff. WTF. Of course charged maelstrom gives a nice round 0% dps buff. Just balance the freaking traits ZOS. IT would allow variety to your weapons and give people a real reason to keep doing the content and to test new builds (the real reason many people play this game in fact).
In other news, my Maelstrom drops have been comical to say the least. In my last 6 runs I've gotten 5 Maelstrom bows, each with a slightly better trait ... really. So I have golded each in turn. I got Charged, Decisive, Nirn, Defensive, and just now I got powered. Only two I haven't gotten are precise, infused, and sharpened. Note, before this string of bows, the bow was the one and only weapon I had yet to get.
Of course this is not a coincidence, but it fits ZOS history of having "chunky" RNG, i.e. not locally random but globally random. This is why you can compile 400 raw voidstone and get no temporing alloy one day, but 5 the next. Or why you can try to break a lock you have a 90% success rate on 5 times and fail all 5 times.
Here's how the traits would have to be to balance them: Precise give you 18% crit chance, Infused would need to triple the affect and eliminate any cool down (might as well add charged to this), Nirn should give about 600 spell (or weapon) damage, decisive would either double or even triple ulti gain, and to replace charged make a trait which cuts the cost of abilities by, 16%. Powered should give minor berzerk and minor mending (or even better the same 8% gains but allow them to stack). Defending is good as is (it has its place), but would be cool to see it add something like minor evasion (it would probably have to nerf the armor gains in this case though). Maybe you have your own opinions, but the fact is that everybody would be happy (devs included cuz they'd make more $) if we simply just balance the traits (AND DONT *** NERF SHARPENED!!)
PC/Mac NA server. Cast, in order of appearance (got one of everything):
Samwell Slayer Stam NB AD Stormproof
Samantha Tarly Stam Sorc DC FC
The Sawmell Tarly Tank DK EP Stormproof
Tamwell Sarly Mgk Temp AD FC
Covenant Blues Mgk DK EP Stormproof
Samwell Tardy Mgk Sorc AD FC
Stam Tarly Stam Temp AD Stormproof
Samwelf Tarly Mgk NB DC FC
Stamwell Tarly Stam DK DC FC
Maester Samwell Heal Temp DC
Samara Tarly Tank NB EP
Sam Mfing Tarly Mule Sorc EP
Warden of HTarly. Mgk. Ward AD FC
Lord Tarly Stam Ward. DC. Still lowbie
I got a sharpened 2h axe on my third run. 1st def dagger, 2nd decisive bow and fourth charged bow. Working on my fifth run now hoping for another one handed.