Guild Wars 2

Topic title asks it all. I’m planning on starting up an Elementalist soon, and for some odd reason that I can’t explain, I want him to be a Charr. Now a LONG time ago, I asked your opinions on which Legion a Guardian Charr would belong to, but as I cleaned my slate completely after coming back to the game from a LONG time of not playing, I have next-to-no characters now.

So tell me, which of the playable Legions do you believe an Elementalist would belong to?

Blood Legion – Especially a Dual-Dagger Elementalist, up-close and personal.
Ash Legion – Where magical subterfuge seems to be a little more welcomed.
Iron Legion – Where my flames temper steel and the very earth hammers it down.

Personally, I’m leaning towards Blood, whether or not I main dual Daggers, but I’m curious to see your opinions and ideas.

Someone posted a relavant link in another thread.

Onlinewelten: ArenaNet has recently provided more insight into the charr race and it has become obvious, that they have turned their backs on the flame legion and its shamans. Does that attitude have any influence on an elementalist’s life and standing within their society?

Jeff Grubb: No. While the charr as a society have a preference for the more military professions, there is no in-game penalty or punishment for being a charr elementalist or a charr necromancer. The Flame Legion is condemned more for their worship of false gods and longtime oppression of the other legions than for the fact they have a preference for fireballs. The Flame Legion remains the most “magical” legion – that was their strength, and their overthrow in part has driven charr achievements in technology. But the charr always appreciate a fellow charr who can carry his or her own weight, and while they might mock an elementalist for his light armor, they appreciate the mobile artillery support that a timely meteor shower provides.

http://www.onlinewelten.com/games/guild-wars-2/interviews/jeff-grubb-im-interview-zu-charr-7759/seite-3/

Flame legion. They’re all about magic. You’re welcome.

Seriously though, all legions will utilize every class. They will just utilize them differently. You’re on the right trach looking at daggers like that but there is more to it. Blood legion is in your face and brutal. Magic flames or electricity or rocks being cast left and rigfht from a staff with no reguard seems right up there elementalist alley. Similarly, an Iron Legion elementalist may power a steam vehicle no matter what weapon they prefer. or an Ash Legion elementalist may also use daggers, or cause explosions in the night to cause a diversion, or electrocute or freeze any time it is in the interest of subterfuge. Basically, whatever you prefer because it can all fir within the legion.

Isn’t one of the recruitable NPC’s for Blood an elementalist?

Ash does have like eleventy million necromancers walking around with a dagger and focus though (not that they appear to use the focus, ever) so as far as acceptance goes I’d expect they’d be the least suspicious. Or maybe they’re just equally suspicious of everyone. Either way…

If we look at all four, then 100% Flame Legion.
If I’m not mistaken, elementalists (and mesmers and necromancers) are easily looked a bit down on, because magic is something Flame Legion is more known for when it comes to charr.

I personally play a charr elementalist in Ash Legion, dualwielding daggers. I have a long story on my character and she does have Flame Legion blood though.

But as Dustfinger said, all legions will work. I just personally also think that Ash and Iron are a biiit better than Blood for an elementalist, since Blood is very very tough/harsh/etc., whereas I think elementalists look a bit more fragile and elegant. But that’s just my opinion. ^^

Good luck with it.

I would go Ash, Iron, Blood, in that order. Ash’s story line is really enjoyable and well written. I made another charr just so I could play through that story line.

Honestly, an elementalist wouldn’t be better or worse suited to any of the Legions. All charr, regardless of Legion, are suspicious of magic—but each Legion is going to have some who are cool with it and some who are not. The real difference would be how the elementalist uses his or her magic to help a Legion. So it depends on how you want to play your elementalist.

Blood: This elementalist would be a violent battlefield soldier, using the elements to cook or freeze the helpless opponent inside their armor. They would probably favor earth and fire—especially earth because it causes massive bleeding damage and provides hard-hitting close-range attacks.

Iron: This elementalist would put his or her talents towards more creative tasks—like infusing a new weapon or invention with magic. Elementalists could really shine here because they can combine technology and magic for weapons of mass destruction.

Ash: This elementalist would have the biggest variety of battlefield tactics. He or she could use wind to make them faster and more stealthy, or earth to hide in a natural environment. An ash elementalist would hone magic to be used in assassination—both long range and up close, and to confuse an enemy

Personally, I’d say that the legion apart from Flame that most appreciates scholars in general is Ash. Iron and Blood both typical engage in straight-on fights that pit strength against strength – the distinction is that Iron is more inclined to make use of technology while Blood makes greater use of war beasts like the various varieties of devourers. Neither, however, is particularly concerned with needing to hide their big guns, whether they be actual guns or a siege devourer.

Ash makes greater usage of subterfuge, though, and the truth is that when push comes to shove, it’s a heck of a lot easier for an elementalist to sneak up to something and nuke it then it is to get a siege devourer or a cannon into position. So I could easily see Ash as being the legion most inclined towards using magic – elementalists as a substitute for the heavy artillery they can’t afford to bring along on secret missions deep behind enemy lines, necromancers for their ability to quickly raise an army from the enemy dead, and mesmers for reasons that should probably be obvious.

(I should note here, though, that there are more NPC guardians in Iron than any other legion. This is probably explainable through Iron being the legion that has had the most exposure to other races that could have taught them the techniques of the guardian – keeping in mind Rytlock’s ignorance of guardian magic in EoD, it’s quite likely that guardian magic only came into charr society relatively recently.)

I’m curious, but what does weapon choice have to do with legion choice?

Ramethzero.3785:

I’m curious, but what does weapon choice have to do with legion choice?

How the individual would use them based on how their legion tends to fight. So more for personal flavor in your own imagination than anything.

I guess I have nothing to add then, because that makes no logical conclusive sense to me.

My own Charr Elementalist, Bru Coldblood, is Blood Legion. His sire was a Flame Legion shaman, and he was the runt of the fahrar (I made him as short and skinny as a male Charr can be) along with Dinky, so they naturally became besties. Because of his sire, Bru naturally took to magic, and he and Dinky teamed up and watched each other’s backs against the bullies in the fahrar. The tough life growing up in the fahrar, combined with the shame of his sire, left Bru with a chip on his shoulder big enough that he blasted his way into the Blood Legion to prove himself. He is a back line Legionnaire, providing direction, fire support and healing for the brawlers of his warband (Dinky, Elexus and Fyon). He chooses to favor Water in direct spite of the Flame Legion, but will not hesitate to show his ancestry with a Fire barrage when necessary. Bru’s take on magic is that magic has nothing to do with false gods, spirits or anything else; he simply harnesses the forces of nature, much as Engineers do with their alchemy and equipment. He does feel a bit superior to the Engineers, though; after all, they need their gadgets. An Elementalist just needs the gift for magic and the attitude to harness it. Power from inside, as opposed to any false power from outside, be it the false gods, or the machine “idols” of Iron that the Charr have set up in their place. But that discussion could be its own topic…