Guild Wars 2

AS title indicates, every class should be given access to every weapon type and a corresponding ‘unique’ skillset for each. Why can’t my ele wield a greatsword like that mesmer over there?

Because its one of those things that makes your class unique …one of the only things since you’re wearing the same armor as that Mesmer.

because your ele is not mesmer

Why can’t mesmer use fire spells?

Because different classes are different.

I’m not talking about eles getting mesmer skills, and vice versa. I’m talking about every class getting a set of weapon skills for each weapon type.

It’s probably to much work to implement all the different computer animations for all the different types…

I don’t agree with all weapons.. what is a warrior going to do with a focus? and I wouldn’t really agree with an elementalist wielding a greatsword… them fragile little flowers picking up that huge chunk of metal? psh no.

But give the warrior a staff and long bow… give the horn to the elementalist.. give… anything… to the engineer. (I’d really like to see a different type of gun specialization for the engineer…. something sniper ish… would probably be a kit though :p)

The best answer, frankly, is to A) make each profession have a more distinct feel and B) to give room for added content in the future.

It wouldn’t be too hard (well maybe it would be, but it’s possible) to come up with weapons kills for all weapons and all professions. But if you do that, then you’ve screwed yourself for future content. You’d no longer have the option of opening up weapon selections to create more profession variety and depth. All you could do is create entirely new weapons (which I’m sure is also planned), or add different swappable skill sets for existing weapons.

EDIT: And yes, as Nesetalis pointed out, certain things simply don’t make sense, most especially magic weapons (staves, scepters, and foci) to professions with no magical abilities. Although to you, Nesetalis, I ask this: why is it more believable for a mesmer to wield a greatsword than an elementalist?

Loic, the mesmer doesn’t actually wield it, it floats. It is used as something akin to a lightning rod for their magic. Now this might be aplicable for elementalist too, but i’ve not seen much floating in their stuff.

Also, wanted to add to staff weapons for warriors… Totally wanna fight with a staff >:3 like a monk or such.

Loic.4367:

But if you do that, then you’ve screwed yourself for future content. You’d no longer have the option of opening up weapon selections to create more profession variety and depth.

I don’t understand that argument, I’m sorry… but isn’t it always the case that existing content can’t be at the same time future content?

Loic.4367:

And yes, as Nesetalis pointed out, certain things simply don’t make sense, most especially magic weapons (staves, scepters, and foci) to professions with no magical abilities.

But does it make sense that a warrior is able to handle a rifle and a greatsword but not a pistol and a staff (not for magic, just for being used like a club or something)? Not to mention a dagger or a torch?
Okay, I agree for scepters and foci, it sounds reasonable to limit them to the magical professions. But I don’t understand why a warrior can’t handle any other weapon in his way. And why I can’t take a dagger in the one hand or the other hand as a ranger…

If it comes to “making sense”, I would prefer a system where you start with few options. Maybe only sword and either shield or warhorn for the soldiers, dagger for adventurers plus pistol for engineers and bow for rangers, and one of the magical weapons for scholars. Or more options and you have to choose you preferred weapon(s) during character creation? And then you have trainers from whom you can learn other weapon skills. You don’t need to if you don’t like to, but except trainers for magical weapons who refuse non-magical professions every trainer can teach his weapon to everyone, even greatswords to mesmers if they insist to learn it.

Nesetalis.5293:

Loic, the mesmer doesn’t actually wield it, it floats. It is used as something akin to a lightning rod for their magic. Now this might be aplicable for elementalist too, but i’ve not seen much floating in their stuff.

Also, wanted to add to staff weapons for warriors… Totally wanna fight with a staff >:3 like a monk or such.

Mesmers do plenty of swinging. Mirror Blade is an overhead throw, they need to heft up and thrust it into the ground for Mind Stab, and Illusionary Wave is nothing but a swing of the sword.

Talyjta.9081:

Loic.4367:

But if you do that, then you’ve screwed yourself for future content. You’d no longer have the option of opening up weapon selections to create more profession variety and depth.

I don’t understand that argument, I’m sorry… but isn’t it always the case that existing content can’t be at the same time future content?

Loic.4367:

And yes, as Nesetalis pointed out, certain things simply don’t make sense, most especially magic weapons (staves, scepters, and foci) to professions with no magical abilities.

But does it make sense that a warrior is able to handle a rifle and a greatsword but not a pistol and a staff (not for magic, just for being used like a club or something)? Not to mention a dagger or a torch?
Okay, I agree for scepters and foci, it sounds reasonable to limit them to the magical professions. But I don’t understand why a warrior can’t handle any other weapon in his way. And why I can’t take a dagger in the one hand or the other hand as a ranger…

If it comes to “making sense”, I would prefer a system where you start with few options. Maybe only sword and either shield or warhorn for the soldiers, dagger for adventurers plus pistol for engineers and bow for rangers, and one of the magical weapons for scholars. Or more options and you have to choose you preferred weapon(s) during character creation? And then you have trainers from whom you can learn other weapon skills. You don’t need to if you don’t like to, but except trainers for magical weapons who refuse non-magical professions every trainer can teach his weapon to everyone, even greatswords to mesmers if they insist to learn it.

To the first point, what I meant is that they should hold off on opening up weapon selections until later. Pace themselves with content release so that they don’t close their options too quickly.

I’ve actually advocated pistols and torches for warriors in a recent thread. I’m not saying weapon selections shouldn’t be expanded, but that ArenaNet should take it’s time in doing so.

And to both Nesetalis and Talyjta, the staff as it exists currently is purely a magical weapon. They could use it for other professions in a martial sense, but it’d be a smarter option to just create a new weapon type to accommodate that niche, like “quarterstaff” or something, similar to how we have maces and scepters (short sticks, usually with an object in the end).

I see, I’ve never checked usage of the staff for is magical and non-magical usage. It’s size let me think you also could hit someone with it :-o . For myself I would be okay with staff as “magical staff” and “quarterstaff” for “non-magical” usage.

Next days edit : The following was not very well-thought-out, I withdraw it. /Edit

Another idea I had this night was about a greater change in the weapon system like this: The skills you get with a weapon are not profession-based but “style-based”. So not every ranger has to learn longbow automatically in ranger-style, he could go to an warrior-style-teacher and learn the skill like a warrior. And a mesmer could learn to use the scepter like an elementarist.
That also would open up more degrees of freedom, without even re-programming the skills themself or adding new skills.

Talyjta.9081:

Another idea I had this night was about a greater change in the weapon system like this: The skills you get with a weapon are not profession-based but “style-based”. So not every ranger has to learn longbow automatically in ranger-style, he could go to an warrior-style-teacher and learn the skill like a warrior. And a mesmer could learn to use the scepter like an elementarist.
That also would open up more degrees of freedom, without even re-programming the skills themself or adding new skills.

That would completely negate a large portion of the differences between professions. The only differences in professions at that point would be profession mechanics / utilities. Having a set of weapon skills for weapons that are different per class is one of the things that makes the classes more unique.

Plus it’d make no sense in many cases. How would a Guardian who whips out a staff and starts making clones and throwing chaos magic around fit a Guardian at all? Or a Warrior who grabs the Ranger Greatsword moveset and suddenly has animal spirit visuals on attacks?

As for making all weapons usable by all classes… gonna have to say no on that one too. Again its a matter of removing a part of what makes the classes unique. Even if each class had a unique moveset for each weapon, it would remove the fact that classes identify with and use certain weapons. It would open up more options, but it homogenizes everything a bit when every class can grab anything from a Rifle to a Scepter and just go to town.

I’d rather have them focus on making new, fitting weapon types to add as additional choices for existing classes than have them spend all the time making movesets for existing weapons. I’d rather have them add Flails or Spears or Tomes, giving those new weapons to applicable classes, than have Thieves picking up staffs and Necromancers picking up huge hammers.

Hm, yes, I understand that arguments.
About magical weapons, I think it would be reasonable to make them profession-specific (and allow only to learn the style of the owm profession).
But then, yes, the differences between the single professions would decrease. I don’t care very much about that, but I know that’s an important point for others. So I withdraw that suggestion.

When the game was purely thought to be about horizontal progression, I expected more weapons to become available to every class with each expansion or large content patches… thus adding to each classes abilities, and giving them new options on how to build their character, but in a balanced way.

Now since it looks like the game will be a treadmill, I would assume that numbers are going to inflate, and nothing too exciting like making more existing weapon sets available to classes that currently don’t have them.