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Guild Wars 2 |OT5| We've got fun and games

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A

Ashodin

Member
From guild wars dye job, this guy's mesmer looks amazing

nx0DHV0.jpg
 
Z

Zeroth

Member
So, since I have nothing do to here, I decided to think on specializations and how they will work. I'm on monile so forgive my lack of quoting multiple sources and stuff, I'll write down the stuff off my head:

Specialization will allow classes to excell in certain tasks (duh), but how they will do so is an enigma. I figured the following:

* We will have a new trait line, but we will also lose one. So, what will happen is the following: When rangers specialize into druids, their Healing Power line will get replaced. This new trait line will give emphasis to ways for druids to excell in support, maube giving more bonuses to spirits, or focusing on the all new utility skill type they will get. It's also possible that this new trait line will give bigger stat bonuses to incentive going for it.

* Yes, new utility skills types which tie to what Colin said about getting different utilities. The thing here though is that specializing will get rid of one type of utility skills you currently have (I'm not familiar with ranger, but I would say traps will be removed because they don't quite match a druid). Some of you may wonder what would happen to traits that give bonuses to this removed utility type and that exist outside of the replaced trait line, which ties into Colin's speech about how some traits wouldn't be available: they would be locked out.

There's also the possibility that the new trait line will actually replace its opposing trait line (like attack for a new healing power line, or precision for a toughness specialization), giving further emphasis to specialization, but I think two trait lines with the same stat bonuses could end up overlaping in some things.

Oh, and just for the fun of it:

* Warrior: main hand warhorn torch. Prec/Condi specialization, lose stances.

* Guardian: longbow (for the easy guess) or warhorn. Precision spec for longbow, toughness spec for warhorn, lose consecrations.

* Necromancer: greatsword. Power spec, loses corruption.

* Elementalist: Sword or torch. Prec spec for sword, Prec/Condi spec for torch, loses conjure weapon.

* Mesmer: Shield. Toughness spec, loses glamour.

I'm not too familiar with the other classes to give a sincere guess. What would you guys say?


Oh also, happy birthday Zeroth Breaker. Wish I could celebrate it.
 
R

Retro

Member
Thorgal said:
Q4 and 2014 NCSOFT results
Click to expand...

That's about a week old. Doesn't seem new thread worthy, it'll mostly elicit variations on "Holy shit, Lineage is still a thing!", "Holy shit, Wildstar is really doing badly!" and "Holy shit, Guild Wars 2 is dying!"

The takeaway isn't "Guild Wars 2 is dying", it's "Guild Wars 2 is still alive". Most MMOs don't last their first year. But that's not how people will see it...

Kos Luftar said:
AKA, Guild Wars 2 suck/fails/dead thread with the usual people.
Click to expand...

Yep, pretty much that.

Zeroth said:
So, since I have nothing do to here, I decided to think on specializations and how they will work.
Click to expand...

I'll circle back around for a response, I have an idea that takes more than an edit to put down.
 
S

spiritfox

Member
Have they said how major are the changes specializations will bring? I know about the new weapon and utility skills, but will they change the profession skill and traits too?

If they do change the profession skill, I can see Druids getting a new pet skills that involve nature spirits, or getting spirits as pets. Maybe something that merges the active pet with all active spirits, giving it a boost in the pet's powers. Engies will get their tool belt replaced with 4 drones that give various active abilities, which may change based on utility skills slotted. Mesmers get a time based thing, maybe clones get to stun or lock people in place.
 
R

Retro

Member
spiritfox said:
Have they said how major are the changes specializations will bring? I know about the new weapon and utility skills, but will they change the profession skill and traits too?

If they do change the profession skill, I can see Druids getting a new pet skills that involve nature spirits, or getting spirits as pets. Maybe something that merges the active pet with all active spirits, giving it a boost in the pet's powers.
Click to expand...

They've said it will change weapon skills, utility / heal / elite skills, traits and profession mechanics, but they haven't said how yet.

Personally, I think it would be cool if Druids could assume a camouflaged form and take direct control of their pets for a while.
 
T

Taffer

Member
I wonder how an entire party of healyshout cleric mace warriors would do with fractals beyond a certain point. How much Agony could they outheal with no AR? My faith is absolute.

Zeroth said:
Oh also, happy birthday Zeroth Breaker. Wish I could celebrate it.
Click to expand...

What gives?
 
Z

Zeroth

Member
Taffer said:
I wonder how an entire party of healyshout cleric mace warriors would do with fractals beyond a certain point. How much Agony could they outheal with no AR? My faith is absolute.
Click to expand...

Depends on how fast you can shout at your team mates. If they are 5 pugs with a elitist attitude and no patience, no agony can stop em.

What gives?
Click to expand...

At the beach, no wifi for at least a week. I can barely log in and get my daily login rewards before my daily mobile data plan caps.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Taffer said:
I wonder how an entire party of healyshout cleric mace warriors would do with fractals beyond a certain point. How much Agony could they outheal with no AR? My faith is absolute.
Click to expand...
Well you have 3 shouts on command (and a fourth via traits cast on receiving incoming conditions that we'll ignore for now). If you go with On My Mark! over Fear Me! for the shorter cooldown, your full burst of 3 shouts is on a 24 second CD. Cleric shouts are a little under 3k healing per without runes, sigils, or food buffs. So an entire party could burst each other with 3000*3*5 = 45,000 healing every 24 seconds if they stay within shout range. That's 1875 health/second.

Agony ticks damage as a percentage of your maximum health pool. A cleric warrior will have over 23,000 health I think but let's just use that value. Different agony attacks have a different number of ticks, but we should probably compare against the big bad- Jade Maw's 9 ticks over 9 seconds. At the first agony scale (10-19), zero AR yields 12% damage per tick for a total of 108% damage. So you must heal yourself more than 8% during that 9 second period to survive.

Now let's consider the second agony scale (20-29), where each tick would be 30% of your health. That's 270% of your total health pool. But assuming that one begins at full health when the agony strikes, (23k +45k)/23k = 296% percent of the cleric health pool. However the timing of the shouts matters. Four seconds of agony is 120%, so you have to space them out every 3 seconds with a narrow margin of error. That said, the party should survive. The math appears to hold down to 2.7k healing per shout.

At the third agony scale each tick is 48% of your health, which would require roughly 100k health to survive. My faith too is absolute, but I foresee our bones rotting eternally on that green block in space.

TLDR: fractal level 29
 
U

UltimateIke

Member
Zeroth said:
* Warrior: main hand warhorn torch. Prec/Condi specialization, lose stances.
Click to expand...

Stance traits are on the Toughness/Healing Power line. It wouldn't make sense to get new traits in the Precision/Condition Damage line and have unusable traits in another line. Or maybe it would, I dunno. Maybe you're seeing it as not making it as much about replacing traits on the same line, but making another line less appealing when in a specialization.

But torch is what I am leaning toward too. Sword/Sword and Sword/Torch warrior could be a beast at condition damage.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
UltimateIke said:
But torch is what I am leaning toward too. Sword/Sword and Sword/Torch warrior could be a beast at condition damage.
Click to expand...
Pff, gotta work mainhand mace in there for distracting strikes. I thought you recently learned its value?

Presumably one would go mace/sword + sword/torch for a double block set like my mesmer. Plus you can stack might via blocking.
 
U

UltimateIke

Member
Moondrop said:
Pff, gotta work mainhand mace in there for distracting strikes. I thought you recently learned its value?

Presumably one would go mace/sword + sword/torch for a double block set like my mesmer. Plus you can stack might via blocking.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure the world is ready for that. 25 stacks of bleed, 5 stacks of torment, constant burning, and at least 8 stacks of confusion (maybe even more if you went with physical utilities like Kick, Stomp, and Bull's Charge).

Warrior torch 4 should burn, and torch 5 should be a smoke field. (I'm jealous of Thief pistol 5.) I would maybe even concede to it being a channeled skill so the Warrior couldn't blast their own smoke field. Some animation with you waving the torch around, spreading the smoke. That would make it more important for blinding than trying to do stealth.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
Saw the new defiant on the stream, It works like this:

[Defiant][===============================]

You got your Defiant Bar up there right?

When you use a CC, it takes a chunk of it:

[Defiant][==============..................................]

then it regens over time. I bet each CC is either weighted or standardized how much takes off the bar.
 
U

UltimateIke

Member
Ashodin said:
Saw the new defiant on the stream, It works like this:

[Defiant][===============================]

You got your Defiant Bar up there right?

When you use a CC, it takes a chunk of it:

[Defiant][==============..................................]

then it regens over time. I bet each CC is either weighted or standardized how much takes off the bar.
Click to expand...

So when does CC work? When the bar is full or empty?

I assume empty? So if you keep it empty can you chain interrupts? Or does it fill back up once a CC move succeeds?
 
N

NobleXenon

Member
For a game that's been on sale for almost three years (and without an expansion pack) still making an average 100 million a year is pretty good.

I always wondered what GW2 unit sales are. The last time I heard it was around four million, but that was well over a year ago and never included China's release.
 
K

Kos Luftar

Member
Ashodin said:
Saw the new defiant on the stream, It works like this:

[Defiant][===============================]

You got your Defiant Bar up there right?

When you use a CC, it takes a chunk of it:

[Defiant][==============..................................]

then it regens over time. I bet each CC is either weighted or standardized how much takes off the bar.
Click to expand...
is defiant actually working differentley or just a new way of repressing it?
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Really, a single queue for conquest and stronghold?

Beyond the obvious that some people will want to play just stronghold, this means that if you happen to roll the stronghold map you must completely switch your build around in the 90 seconds pre-match. I hope this is not how things will be.

And spare me the "splitting of the playerbase;" that scarecrow doesn't justify this short-sighted decision.
 
F

Forerunner

Member
Moondrop said:
Really, a single queue for conquest and stronghold?

Beyond the obvious that some people will want to play just stronghold, this means that if you happen to roll the stronghold map you must completely switch your build around in the 90 seconds pre-match. I hope this is not how things will be.

And spare me the "splitting of the playerbase;" that scarecrow doesn't justify this short-sighted decision.
Click to expand...

Yup, I never understand any of the decisions their pvp department makes. They always take one step forward and two back.
 
H

hockeypuck

Member
Ashodin said:
Saw the new defiant on the stream, It works like this:

[Defiant][===============================]

You got your Defiant Bar up there right?

When you use a CC, it takes a chunk of it:

[Defiant][==============..................................]

then it regens over time. I bet each CC is either weighted or standardized how much takes off the bar.
Click to expand...
Ugh. I understand the reasoning behind the change, but a major reason why GW2 appealed to me was that the UI was relatively clean of bars. Most MMO UIs can't have enough bars and it just looks like a spreadsheet to me.
 
N

nataku

Member
I don't see the issue. It's so much more clear with that design than just the tiny, white text on an icon surrounded by millions of other icons.

Even if the functionality is exactly the same.
 
M

Mxrz

Member
Really don't want Longbow on guardian. What could it really do better than the current setups?

Unless its ranger-longbow level, its probably not going to be better dps than scepter/focus due to Smite. So more utility & support, which are less useful in things like dungeons and fractals. In pvp it'll be up against bunker support or medi-burst. Maybe it'd work as a swap for bunkers.

But the guardian is already pretty support-based. The specialization making it even more support based seems weird. Weapon choice aside, I'm curious how the class will change. I'm hoping for more offense, and maybe an offhand that is more viable than shield & torch. Actually if they could redo the shield skills entirely, that would be great.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
UltimateIke said:
So when does CC work? When the bar is full or empty?

I assume empty? So if you keep it empty can you chain interrupts? Or does it fill back up once a CC move succeeds?
Click to expand...

When you use CC, it works, then the bar depletes. Once it's gone, you can't use CC. It promotes timed usage.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
irfaanator said:
doesn't it get harder to remove each time right now? still the same in the new defiance?
Click to expand...

Huh? With the new bar system you'll get maybe two CC out before it depletes (if all CC cost the same amount of "bar"). It requires players to realize that spamming CC won't work, and let the bar refresh (however long that takes).
 
I

irfaanator

Banned
Ashodin said:
Huh? With the new bar system you'll get maybe two CC out before it depletes (if all CC cost the same amount of "bar"). It requires players to realize that spamming CC won't work, and let the bar refresh (however long that takes).
Click to expand...

doesn't more stacks of defiance appear each time you remove it? I don't remember exactly
 
Z

Zeroth

Member
Mxrz said:
Really don't want Longbow on guardian. What could it really do better than the current setups?

Unless its ranger-longbow level, its probably not going to be better dps than scepter/focus due to Smite. So more utility & support, which are less useful in things like dungeons and fractals. In pvp it'll be up against bunker support or medi-burst. Maybe it'd work as a swap for bunkers.

But the guardian is already pretty support-based. The specialization making it even more support based seems weird. Weapon choice aside, I'm curious how the class will change. I'm hoping for more offense, and maybe an offhand that is more viable than shield & torch. Actually if they could redo the shield skills entirely, that would be great.
Click to expand...

A longbow guardian wouldn't be DPS focused. The idea behind it would be changing guardian from a close range supporter to a back row supporter (the spirit bow skill is a good idea of what could be done). And yes, it would be more utility/support, which.. Is fine for anything outside of dungeons/fractals, indeed, which is fine by me. The tools guardian have are good enough for that content, so why not think on stuff the class could't do before?

As for the off-hand, shield is fine except for skill 4, which I sincerely feel that should be changed (maybe a knockback). I would like to see warhorn for further boon support, but a longbow is fine.
 
R

Retro

Member
Here's what I'd like Heart of Thorns to do, even though I am 99% sure none of it will happen;

Runes and Sigils
  • Account-bound on acquire, equipped from a drop-down menu in the equipment tab.
  • Remove all but the 6th rune bonus; runes no longer grant stats, just change gameplay mechanics.
Traits
  • Trait lines removed, replaced with 8 Trait slots (one awarded every ten levels).
  • Stat bonuses from trait lines are averaged out and baked into the regular stat increases, smoothing out the weird stat spikes from the NPE.
  • Traits are loosely organized into thematic groups similar to existing line themes.
  • Remove as many passive / stat-heavy traits as possible, and remove adept / master / grandmaster traits. They're all just mechanical choices.
  • Minor Traits are either buffed to be on level with Major Traits or turned into runes / sigils. Fall damage traits are good candidates for this.
  • Specialization changes what traits can be slotted. For example, when specialized as a druid, four of a Ranger's slots would only accept Druid-exclusive traits, limiting them to four 'core' Ranger traits instead of eight.
  • Incorporate cosmetic trait slots that allow players to change the appearance of their spells and abilities (no more Engineer toolkit backpacks, no more Guardian Aegis effect, etc.)
Traits would be learned from profession-specific quests situated around several unique locations for each theme. For example, an elementalist might head to the Thaumanova Reactor, Mount Maelstrom and the Citadel of Flame for different fire traits, facing a thematic challenge at each related to the type of fire traits they're trying to unlock. Multiple traits are unlocked at once upon completion of a special event or objective (very short, occurs on site), adding some much-needed lore into each profession. The more complex a trait is, the later it would be available in terms of zone level.

Zeroth said:
So, since I have nothing do to here, I decided to think on specializations and how they will work.
Click to expand...

Told you I'd circle back! As far as specializations go... (completely talking out my ass for a lot of these which are definitely terrible ideas).

Repeat: These are TERRIBLE ideas and are NOT REAL. I'm just dicking around. Not trying to hype anyone or myself up, just... idle speculation for shits and giggles.

Warrior: "Commander" Specialization
  • New banners that combine old banner effects together. New banner healing skill.
  • New "Command" utilities that issue an order that other players can follow by using Interact, such as assuming a formation and charging in as one.
  • New Elite skill calls in some foot soldiers, similar to Thieves Guild.
  • Banners now grant a Burst Skill when picked up.
  • Gains access to Torch, uses it to strip boons and mark targets for increased damage.
  • Mechanic: Standard Bearer. Summon with F2, duration based on how much adrenaline you have. Provides a powerful buff while fighting with you, plus pressing F2 while active will cause him to burn adrenaline and provide additional support.
Guardian: "Paragon" Specialization
  • Obtains access to shortbow.
  • New "Chant" utility skills that function like chain attacks, with each new chant having an instant effect on activation and then granting a specific boon or effect until the next part of the chant is activated.
  • New Elite skill that summons a Spear of Justice for use as a conjured weapon.
  • New Mechanic: Avatar of Virtue. Virtues function the same as they normally would while passive, but when activated the Guardian now also becomes a Paragon of Justice, Resolve or Courage for a set duration. While in Paragon form, the other two virtues become special attacks while the activated virtue allows the player to leave Paragon form early.
    • Paragon of Justice: Wrapped in searing flame, brandishing a spear of light for additional damage.
    • Paragon of Resolve: Wrapped in a cloak of tranquil water, brandishing a staff for additional support.
    • Paragon of Courage: Wrapped in shimmering armor, brandishing a shield for additional control.
Engineer: "Roboticist" Specialization
  • Gains Hammer, which in addition to melee skills can also repair turrets.
  • New "Robotics" utility skills that are used to create mobile, sentient helpers and function much like mesmer Mantras (Activate to 'build' the robot, then expend a set number of charges before recharging). Examples include medical drones that support, a mechanical third arm that can wield either a shield or machine pistol (toolbelt skill swaps between the two), and the much-feared Mecha-Karka Drones that latch onto the nearest enemy's face and detonate.
  • New Mechanic: Power Armor. To adapt to their new melee-oriented combat style, Engineers have developed a suite of robotic augmentations that are worn under their regular armor. Power Armor stacks up to four times, with each stack providing a different benefit depending on the engineer's main-hand weapon. When a toolbelt skill is on cooldown, the power armor is decreased by one stack, which is regained when the toolbelt skill is available again.
Ranger: "Druid" Specialization
  • Obtains access to Staff.
  • New "Wild Magic" utility skills that are essentially nature spells with short cooldowns that are more comparable to weapon skills (5-10 seconds). When on cooldown, the magic literally runs wild; plants spring up in the Druid's wake, granting special effects (thorns that bleed, flowers that grant regen, etc.).
  • New Mechanic: Wild Sight. Functions similar to the Necromancer's Death Shroud, where the player takes direct control of their pet while the ranger becomes invulnerable. Grants new skills (some pet-type dependent), ends when the pet's Energy gauge reaches zero.
Thief: "Hunter" Specialization
  • Gains access to rifle for long-range attacks and mild support.
  • New "Armament " utility skills that act as small weapons the Hunter keeps on his person for special situations, used directly (rather than as conjured weapons / weapon kits). For example, a small shield to temporarily block attacks, or a wrist-mounted crossbow for a quick, unexpected ranged attack.
  • New Mechanic: "Stalk". Instead of stealing, the player now presses F1 to stalk their prey, studying their target to learn their weaknesses. A new "Focus" gauge is added that fills as players use their F1 skill (which changes to an attack based on weapon choice once a target is 'marked'). When the focus gauge is half full, the F2 skill unlocks, while players must wait until it is completely full to utilize the F3 skill. Focus is not an energy type; it is not consumed by using skills. The F2 and F3 skills change depending on what type of enemy is targeted, and are tailor-made to inflict the most harm. For example, facing a magic-using enemy gives the thief skills that are built to disadvantage casters (such as a F2 Leap attack and an F3 interrupt). Facing a physical combatant would grant skills that keep them at range, such as an evasive strike and an immobilize. F2 is always a damage or condition-inflicting ability and usually has a short cooldown, F3 is always a control or defensive ability, such as immobilize, daze or block.
Necromancer: "Dreadlord" Specialization
  • Gains access to Greatsword.
  • New "Blood Magic" utility skills. These spells start off inactive, but as the player inflicts damage they begin to gain charges (maximum of 3). Blood spells remain active until all charges are expended. Would include effects such as healing the necromancer or creating a Hematophage that other players can pick up to gain vampiric abilities temporarily.
  • New Mechanic: In place of Deathshroud, the Necromancer is now able to assume 3 spectral forms. Entering and switching between a form drains a small amount of Life Force.
    • F1 - Dominion of Shadow: Regenerate some endurance when dodging.
    • F2 - Dominion of Marrow: Auto-apply weakness when hit.
    • F3 - Dominion of Blood: All attacks steal health.
    When active, the player may press the activation key a second time to trigger an additional effect that ends their spectral form, draining a larger amount of Life Force in the process;
    • F1 - Dominion of Shadow: Transform into a shadow, gaining swiftness and becoming invulnerable for a few moments.
    • F2 - Dominion of Marrow: Encase yourself in armor, gaining stability and retaliation.
    • F3 - Dominion of Blood: Drain health from nearby enemies and gain vigor.

Elementalist: "Celestial" specialization
  • Off-hand Sword gained.
  • New Mechanic: "Aether Attunement". Aether spells affect gravity, light and the cosmic energy that lies between worlds. Powers include moving at light speed, creating pools of gravity to draw or repel enemies, etc.
  • New Conjured Weapon: Aetherglaive.

Mesmer: "Chronomancer" specialization
  • Shield gained.
  • New mechanic; "Echos." Shattering your illusions now creates echoes, after-images that remain stationary for a set duration after the shatter has occurred.
    • Mind Wrack - Leaves a swirling cloud of chaos shards at the shatter point, damaging those who pass through it.
    • Cry of Frustration - The shattered illusions "rewind" after a few seconds and reform; these illusions do not count towards the Mesmer's total and cannot be shattered, but will explode if approached, inflicting confusion.
    • Diversion - Creates a rift visible only to the Mesmer at both the mesmer's feet and at the point one of their illusions was shattered (randomly selected). Interacting with this rift will cause the Mesmer to teleport to that location, leaving a clone that will explode if approached, inflicting torment.
    • Distortion - Shattering illusions now leaves a shimmering mist. Any friendly player who runs through this mist gains a temporary buff that will completely negate one attack per stack (maximum stacks: 3).
  • New "Slipstream" Utility skills. These spells act like reverse guardian Virtues; they normally provide a passive, time-themed effect to all nearby players and the Mesmer, but can be activated, removing the group effect but casting a powerful spell in the process.
 
A

Ashodin

Member
From the HoT trailer Retro and I noticed something about the Engi:

TFq98kK.gif


Before he attacks, he still has his drones and check out the Hammer near the head. Nothing there.

D5U7BLg.gif


After he attacks, the drones drop away and he has this like "booster" attached to the same area which was previously not there.

Neat huh!

EDIT: BOW GUARDIAN CONFIRMED

f9GVVLs.gif


OK Check it. Guardians have a trait to heal on dodge. It's a big blue sunburst we do when we heal people nearby. Watch the loop, and identify the sunburst. It's coming from a guy near the middle of the GIF, and he applies Virtue of Courage to nearby players as well. After that, he continues firing with some sort of bow which I'll point out is NOT Ice Bow because that fucking thing can be seen from space.

Guardian spec = bow confirmed

EDIT2: You can see the mesmer chronomancer skill being used in the upper right, so this has to be a specialization WVW match or something
 
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