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Guild Wars 2 Press Beta [Prepurchase Is Live]

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Why is the ability design so boring.

I think it's just the descriptions of them. I think in actual gameplay, it'll be better than:

"Bleeds your foe."

"Slashes your foe."

There's also a lot of passive utility skills which are boring, I agree. I think Warriors particularly have the worst of it (so many "Passive: Increase might," or "Passive: Reduce incoming damage"). Even their active skills are dropping banners that give party boosts (still boring)

But then when I look at Elementalists or Necros, they have teleports, stun breaks, summons, or a "death grip," bone walls, etc. Much more flavor and many more ways to differentiate yourself from others.

By release, though, I hope they come up with more active utility skills (since that's where a lot of our choice will come from, since our weapon skills are preset), rather than passive boosts. For warriors particularly, I see no reason why most would opt for the passives over essentials like a dash/charge, or their aoe stomps which either stun or launch. I'm just musing here though. The passives could prove to be statistically amazing, I have no idea.
 
I stand corrected. Ignore the Wiki, then.

Edit: Oh shit, new page... what news do we have that's top-of-the-page worthy?

Skills / Trait calculator!
http://gw2.luna-atra.fr/skills_tool/?lang=en

The wiki used to have lists of all the combos we know of, but they changed it in favor of a generic version that gives you no real information on the system until we get more examples. Why though I don't know. I have a feeling I'm going to spend a good amount of time checking out what every combination does.
 
I think it's just the descriptions of them. I think in actual gameplay, it'll be better than:

"Bleeds your foe."

"Slashes your foe."

There's also a lot of passive utility skills which are boring, I agree. I think Warriors particularly have the worst of it (so many "Passive: Increase might," or "Passive: Reduce incoming damage"). Even their active skills are dropping banners that give party boosts (still boring)

But then when I look at Elementalists or Necros, they have teleports, stun breaks, summons, or a "death grip," bone walls, etc. Much more flavor and many more ways to differentiate yourself from others.

By release, though, I hope they come up with more active utility skills (since that's where a lot of our choice will come from, since our weapon skills are preset), rather than passive boosts. For warriors particularly, I see no reason why most would opt for the passives over essentials like a dash/charge, or their aoe stomps which either stun or launch.

The easiest way to look at it is it's not all about YOU, you have to support your allies if you hope to succeed and things like banners/shouts and those passives go a long way in doing so.
 
I think Warriors particularly have the worst of it (so many "Passive: Increase might," or "Passive: Reduce incoming damage"). Even their active skills are dropping banners that give party boosts (still boring).

To be fair, Warriors also have access to more weapons than any other class, plus each weapon has a unique Burst skill. A lot of their damage and control is thus baked right into their equipment setup (as one would expect from a class that's all about physical combat), leaving their utility skills mainly for support.

Their banners can also be picked up and used as a weapon too, remember.

As somebody who is giving serious through to a Warrior, I thought they were kinda gimped in the utility skills department at first too.

The wiki used to have lists of all the combos we know of, but they changed it in favor of a generic version that gives you no real information on the system until we get more examples. Why though I don't know. I have a feeling I'm going to spend a good amount of time checking out what every combination does.

You'll need somebody to set up the combos for ya. I take it from the rate at which you post, you're unemployed too.

Start planning which classes we test first, I'll check my stock of energy drinks.
 
The easiest way to look at it is it's not all about YOU, you have to support your allies if you hope to succeed and things like banners/shouts and those passives go a long way in doing so.

Oh I understand that banners/shouts are still useful, I'm just saying (at least for me), that that playstyle is really boring. Dropping totems to support a party is not that engaging for me.

Also, I could just be reading the skill tool that you linked completely wrong.

http://gw2.luna-atra.fr/skills_tool/?lang=en

It seems like the "passives" have cooldowns of 90 or 120 seconds, etc...which wouldn't really make them passives lol. Probably just bad wording on the skill description.
 
Christ, I know this game won't out for months and yet I'm as excited for it as if it was going to be released next week. I can't wait to be able to start my Asura thief and wage war against you disgusting tall folk. No kneecaps will be safe!
 
Oh I understand that banners/shouts are still useful, I'm just saying (at least for me), that that playstyle is really boring. Dropping totems to support a party is not that engaging for me.

I get the general impression that most of the Warrior passives (Banners and shouts especially) are meant as something simple you can do to help everyone around you survive or be more effective while smashing faces in with your weapon of choice. Kind of a 'throw and go' thing. Stances seem to be mostly "Oh Shit" buttons.

It seems like the "passives" have cooldowns of 90 or 120 seconds, etc...which wouldn't really make them passives lol. Probably just bad wording on the skill description.

Signets grant a passive ability as long as they're slotted, but can be activated to provide some kind of special effect. It's just an omission on that site.

Signet of Might (60 sec. CD)
Passive: Gain might.
Active: Double damage with your next attack.

Signet of Fury (90 sec. CD)
Passive: You gain Fury.
Active: You gain adrenaline.

Signet of Stamina (45 sec. CD)
Passive: Grants faster endurance regeneration.
Active: Removes all conditions.

Dolyak Signet (60 sec. CD)
Passive: Reduces incoming damage.
Active: Gain stability for 8 seconds.
 
I actually wasn't thinking of anyone specifically, if you think I was talking about you. I actually mentioned to Ferny the other day that if you hadn't been asked to be an officer in GAFGuild, you should be; we may not agree on everything about the game so far, but it's clear you know your stuff and are passionate about it.
Nah, I was just more eluding to my whole spiel about exponential options being more passive if they don't visibly impact the gameplay. You know, digging up skeletons. ;) But my thinking is changing a bit. Attributes and weapons modifiers will probably be passive. I thought the trait system would be on par but now I'm putting them closer to skill choice.
 
Christ, I know this game won't out for months and yet I'm as excited for it as if it was going to be released next week. I can't wait to be able to start my Asura thief and wage war against you disgusting tall folk. No kneecaps will be safe!

Asura Thief powers unite!

I'm having too much fun with this skills tool.....more than I should be.
 
It seems like the "passives" have cooldowns of 90 or 120 seconds, etc...which wouldn't really make them passives lol. Probably just bad wording on the skill description.
Some passive have actives.

Examples:
Bane Signet 60 CD Passive: Grants you Might.
Active: Knock down and damage your foe.
Signet of Judgement 30 CD Passive: Reduces incoming damage.
Active: Grant retaliation to nearby allies.
Signet of Mercy 90 CD Passive: Improves healing.
Active: Revive a nearby ally.
Signet of Wrath 30 CD Passive: Grants you increased condition damage.
Active: Immobilize your target.
 
This is the last thing I thought anyone would ever complain about. I literally cannot think of any other RPG - MMO or otherwise - that has so many skills that look interesting and seem unique in a very crowded genre.

Well the fact that every class has soo many skills makes it look as if a lot of classes look alike.
Skills tend to look the same once you have seen too much footage of the classes but havent played them.
I just hope that I'm wrong and the classes are still quite unique.
 
I know this game will supposedly have decently low reqs based on the dev builds, but does anyone know how low?

Like will a gtx560ti or equivalent net average/amazing results? Just wondering!

(i only have a decent laptop for the time being so i'm trying to gauge haha)
 
I know this game will supposedly have decently low reqs based on the dev builds, but does anyone know how low?

Like will a gtx560ti or equivalent net average/amazing results? Just wondering!

(i only have a decent laptop for the time being so i'm trying to gauge haha)

Hard to say. That SHOULD be plenty of power, but we haven't really had any hands-on time with a well optimized build yet.
 
I'm gonna compile the list of neogaf builds here and outline them in one post when I get home. Also a list of people who are playing what class. Maybe even some avatar fu!
 
Guys seriously, you have to spread out your points! Runes grant passive ability and not just unlocks. Every posting I'm seeing is goose-egging stuff like toughness and health. I know we are just theorizing but you probably want to start off doing it right.

Look at this:
http://www.gw2tools.com/calc/#t-g-ffkkf:Waa.baa.cXa.YZa.Waa

See the 10 points in radiance? Well, that gives me better critical hit and 10 points gives me +15% on my mace/sword. Why does it matter? Well, did you notice there are a bunch of runes that can activate on critical hit? Yea, there's that. Also, my 10 point in virtues might seem wasteful but it decreases my virtue charges. And that same 10 points grants me 2 conditions removed by virtue of resolve instead of one. That is huge!

I would recommend taking a look at the passive abilities, how they relate to skills as well as other traits, and try to cross compare to create builds. If I see anybody gimping themselves out of health and defense, I'm coming after you.
I'm gonna compile the list of neogaf builds here and outline them in one post when I get home. Also a list of people who are playing what class. Maybe even some avatar fu!
I'd wait on some edits if possible. ;) Runes need work, even on mine.
 
Watching that yogscast video on elementalist, and they really are just crazy. The possibilities for this profession alone is crazy. This profession feels like it would take a long ass time to get good at. 40 different skills that are all relevant in different scenarios, not even counting utilities or ultimate's.
 
It's fairly sad to admit I even like the design of the traits calculator site, the icons are sleek!

I need this game :(
 
Guys seriously, you have to spread out your points! Runes grant passive ability and not just unlocks. Every posting I'm seeing is goose-egging stuff like toughness and health. I know we are just theorizing but you probably want to start off doing it right.

Look at this:
http://www.gw2tools.com/calc/#t-g-ffkkf:Waa.baa.cXa.YZa.Waa

See the 10 points in radiance? Well, that gives me better critical hit and 10 points gives me +15% on my mace/sword. Why does it matter? Well, did you notice there are a bunch of runes that can activate on critical hit? Yea, there's that. Also, my 10 point in virtues might seem wasteful but it decreases my virtue charges. And that same 10 points grants me 2 conditions removed by virtue of resolve instead of one. That is huge!

I would recommend taking a look at the passive abilities, how they relate to skills as well as other traits, and try to cross compare to create builds. If I see anybody gimping themselves out of health and defense, I'm coming after you.

I'd wait on some edits if possible. ;) Runes need work, even on mine.
I edit my build as I come across new info. But the skeleton is there.
 
I edit my build as I come across new info. But the skeleton is there.
Yea, I gotcha. I'm just trying to emphasis an area that people might not be seeing. Traits are not just "unlocks." They have important links to each other traits, skills, and even game mechanics. They often have a deeper meaning then the skill bars themselves which is why I posted earlier that I am separating the system from the other passive ones (atts & weps).

Just as an emphasis, there are instances that I'm observing where it is better to start with the traits before the skills. I'm not joking, check it out.
 
Yea, I gotcha. I'm just trying to emphasis an area that people might not be seeing. Traits are not just "unlocks." They have important links to each other traits, skills, and even game mechanics. They often have a deeper meaning then the skill bars themselves which is why I posted earlier that I am separating the system from the other passive ones (atts & weps).

Just as an emphasis, there are instances that I'm observing where it is better to start with the traits before the skills. I'm not joking, check it out.
That's actually how I started my build :) so we're in the same boat. However there is so much that goes into a build it's crazy.
 
Lightning graphics are lame early in the video =(. Bolts of lightning>balls of lightning.
Might just be their graphics settings. On the low to high comparison video the lightning kn high looked pretty good. But all I remember seeing is the orb aoe lightning ball. Even then probably some aren't final.
 
Might just be their graphics settings. On the low to high comparison video the lightning kn high looked pretty good. But all I remember seeing is the orb aoe lightning ball. Even then probably some aren't final.

Hopefully. Arc lightning doesn't even show anything coming from the elementalist's hands...
 
Guys seriously, you have to spread out your points! Runes grant passive ability and not just unlocks. Every posting I'm seeing is goose-egging stuff like toughness and health. I know we are just theorizing but you probably want to start off doing it right.

I think it's just that everyone is too used to other MMOs and their all-or-nothing approach to Alternative Advancement. Spreading yourself across all three Talent Trees in WoW, for example, was considered the hallmark of a newb.

My impression of GW2 is that because everyone has to keep an eye on their own health and work together, you live or die by your versatility. The eggs-in-one-basket thing doesn't look like it's gonna work and players are going to have to think about what they want to specialize in, but more importantly what is sacrificed in the process.

I'm happy to say that my Guardian Spec so far is very similar to the one you listed, though I have Two-handed Mastery (2h weapon skills recharge 25% faster) as my Master Trait in Honor rather than Writ of the Merciful (All symbols grant regeneration) as you selected.

The reason is, I don't think the Regeneration from Symbol of Faith (#2 Mace skill) will stack with it, and that's the only Symbol skill I'd have. I also plan to use a 2h Hammer as my second weapon for Purge Conditons (#3) and Knockback (#4). If they do stack, I'd probably roll a build very similar to what you have.
 
That's actually how I started my build :) so we're in the same boat. However there is so much that goes into a build it's crazy.
Yea, for the burning build. I saw that. But the really tough ones to wrap your head around are the ones that link to other traits and mechanics. The trait <-> skill stuff isn't that bad. Only classes though that have deep systems have this though. Eles for example are mostly trait <-> skill and not much else. Similar to your build, you can create a burn heavy one or something different like a signet one.

Here's an example which I have no idea if it works.

Warrior Traits
Unsuspecting Foe - 50% crit chance versus stunned enemies.
Rending Strikes - 33% chance to cause vulnerability on crit.

Attribute
Precision - increases critical chance

Weapons Skills
Skull Crack (4s max) - 10CD - Stun your foe with a skull crack. Effect increases with adrenaline level.
Shield Bash - 25CD - Bash your foe with your shield and Stun them.

So now you have a critical damage stun build. Skull crack is a burst skill and stun is a condition. So what about adrenaline and duration?

Back to work!

Attribute
Expertise &#8212; Improves the duration of all conditions inflicted by the character.

Weapons Skills
Healing Surge - 30 - Heal yourself and build adrenaline.
Signet of Fury - 90 - Passive: You gain Fury. Active: You gain adrenaline.
Berserker Stance - 80 - Gain adrenaline for a short time.
Signet of Rage - 120 - Passive: Grants adrenaline. Active: Gain Fury, Might, and Swiftness.
Counter Blow - 10 -Block the next attack. Counter with an attack if you are in melee range. Gain adrenaline if not attacked.(Knockdown: 2 seconds)

So now you have an adrenaline build based partly on not taking damage -> create long duration stuns -> 50% critical attack rate -> condition layer on crit. Could mean a ton of damage if you keep the chain going. Wait, oh shit. You also have fury to increase critical...damn. I wonder if some teammates who can apply fury would help (*cough* ranger)...but I also can do it. /drawing board

Just throwing this out there. I used what many would consider the most 1d class and the possible usage of teammates as batteries. ;)
I think it's just that everyone is too used to other MMOs and their all-or-nothing approach to Alternative Advancement. Spreading yourself across all three Talent Trees in WoW, for example, was considered the hallmark of a newb.
Yep, I'm seeing nothing like this. It is way different. I gave your warrior class some thought above. ;) ^^^

EDIT:
Symbol of Faith is only one skill but it has only a 6sec CD. :) Regeneration also stacks.
 
I'd rather specialize my character based on what I want o do with it rather than spread myself thin.
You had a squishy necro with no points in toughness (for armor) that relies on CQC. I'm not saying it isn't a good build but there is the possibility that you would be taken out quickly with such low defense. No malice also means you lose condition damage which is what the necro does best in the game (you are also using them).

I'm not saying I'm right but spreading yourself thin is not the idea here.
 
Yep, I'm seeing nothing like this. It is way different. I gave your warrior class some thought above. ;) ^^^

Yep, I was looking at a similar build based around bleeds since all those points in Malice would benefit that condition as well and Deep Cuts + Attack of Opportunity make a nasty combo too. Since I'm looking to go Rifle in my second slot, that's a shitton of shit raining down from Bleeding Shot (which is spammable) before they even get close.

http://www.gw2tools.com/calc/#t-w-apkak:aaa.eZY.fWa.aaa.ZWa

20 points in Discipline also gives you adrenaline when swapping weapons (yay) and reduced weapon swap cooldown (also yay). For Traits I picked an Unknown that grants Adrenaline when killing an enemy and an Unknown that reduces the adrenaline cost of Burst Skills. Sure-footed and Embrace of Pain in Defense are both adrenaline generators too.

Totally bombed out on Tactics and I'm not crazy about 5 points in Strength, but I figure runes can supplement that damage a little since I have so much going towards crit.

Edit: Meh, I rolled that 5 from Strength into Defense to get some extra armor via my shield. I'm not TOO worried about the 0 in Tactics, all that long-range bleed damage and the fact that my target will be stunned quite a bit will both help with the survivability issue.

Goes without saying my Utility skills are Healing Surge, Signet of Fury, Berserker Stance, Frenzy and Signet of Rage.

Symbol of Faith is only one skill but it has only a 6sec CD. :) Regeneration also stacks.

Ah, good to know. Might end up going that way, then. Though I do like the Hammer's Knockback, Purge Conditions and Ring of Warding. Especially since the wife will be playing a Longbow Ranger and dumping AOE damage into my little cylinder of no escape.
 
Ah, good to know. Might end up going that way, then. Though I do like the Hammer's Knockback, Purge Conditions and Ring of Warding. Especially since the wife will be playing a Longbow Ranger and dumping AOE damage into my little cylinder of no escape.
I considered it but that's more of a squishy killer build. Much more team oriented. The one I posted, which needs a ton of work, it more of a PUG build. Something people can plug on to kill everything. Probably pretty good for PvE. I likely probably won't use it. ;)

The hammer will do more damage but the sword can blind, the mace heal. So you will have better luck taking on random warriors if you PUG or are in PvE. The teleport ability is also better catered towards non-coordinated play since usually you want teammates to cripple (your wife as a ranger in this case) so you can start your chains. But without a teammate, a teleport will do better. Some hammer skills also have high CD which is again suited for teamwork on attrition. You might not last long enough on a recharge if you are playing ronery.

My warrior build is also very gimmicky. It's literally banking on one skill (lol) so it is very 1d compared to yours. But these are the gimmicks that lead to FOTM, which is supposed to die amirite? J/K, of course none of these will work and I'm just a loon...heh
 
The hammer will do more damage but the sword can blind, the mace heal. So you will have better luck taking on random warriors if you PUG or are in PvE. The teleport ability is also better catered towards non-coordinated play since usually you want teammates to cripple (your wife as a ranger in this case) so you can start your chains. But without a teammate, a teleport will do better. Some hammer skills also have high CD which is again suited for teamwork on attrition. You might not last long enough on a recharge if you are playing ronery.

Well, that's what the Two-Hand Mastery trait is for, and really it's just Banish and Ring of Warding that have the long CDs. If I'm alone I will definitely change things up, but when I'm with the wife I'm gonna want to be keep her covered while she plinks them rather than chasing after things.

There's always Judge's Intervention if I need to rush somebody (hate that CD though).

Still early in the game, so to speak, and plenty of time to try things out later. Fun to talk about though.
of course none of these will work and I'm just a loon...heh

I think we're all technically crazy for trying to make this stuff work when A). The game isn't done and it could all be changed right now for all we know and B). We haven't even played the game yet.
 
anyone know what the thiefs guild skill does?

"Call in your fellow thieves for combat support. "

Since it's an elite skill, I'm thinking maybe it does something cool like summon a bunch of ninjas to attack your target and vanish. Found a youtube video of it; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqnvO3NTXHM&hd=1&t=2m38s.
It appears to summon 2 AI-driven Thieves.

Edit: Shite, sorry for the double post.
Edit 2: Found a video of it.
 
I play it in my dreams every night

I'm not quite there yet, but I find myself itching to play more and more throughout the day. Not just in a "Gee, I wish I could play Guild Wars 2 now" kinda way, but more of a "Everything sounds boring, I think I'll go check for new GW2 news again."

I'll probably start having dreams about it when we get closer to launch. Right now it's still kind of off in the future, but when we have a solid date? I'm gonna be playing it all night and waking up to disappointment.
 
I think we're all technically crazy for trying to make this stuff work when A). The game isn't done and it could all be changed right now for all we know and B). We haven't even played the game yet.
A bit. I don't expect any of my builds right now to actually work. But by attempting them you start to learn how everything weaves together. Sort of like studying cause the developers have an answer key they won't show you. So when day 1 comes, you can watch everyone dump their points and pick generic builds. You'll probably find something that punishes all of that though with just a short time of tinkering. And if you have a bunch of people in a guild who were hive-mind with build theory? That's how you get early team builds that roll everyone playing purple laser beams with their pezmers.
 
First game in a while that I can honestly say is paining me that it's months away from release, and I didn't even get to play it yet! :(
 
Man i've been so busy with work that I literally have about the last 5 pages to read and go over cause Jira is always posting so many good things. DAMN YOU JIRA
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