Guild Wars 2

Once upon a time… probably about oh I don’t know? 250 years ago? Give or take? You had a series of intrepid warriors who with hundreds of skills built their tactics and combat ability around a central ‘theme’. The theme could be conceptual, or it could be based around the weapon, but in both cases or either case the Elite skill had a tendency to compliment the build, or even be the lynchpin to its over all effect.

Zoom forward 250 years into the future. A ‘better’ game? By far! I love and adore GW2 but the synergy and the flow of my build has nothing to do with my Elite in many a case simply because the Elite skills are laughably ineffective at being used in conjunction with the other skills. Tapping your 1-5 skills while kiting only to cycle through a few utilities and then if you feel up to it you shrug and pop your elite because potato?

I know this has been on the hearts and minds of many of the players. It probably won’t change which is a tragedy. The utility skills operate with the over all ‘theme’ of each individual build, offering a wealth of diversity and chances for creative play. Why then is the elite skill a glaring dispatch from that creative flow? From that sometimes necessary Nail-in-the-Coffin that can change the tide of battle.

In Guild Wars one skill never changed the tide of battle. However One Build could and one build needed to work like clock work which meant that all skills needed to operate on conjunction and used wisely. However even choosing an elite is less of a thought process and more of a “What can get me out of trouble if I absolutely need to and what has the shortest down time,” with some classes it’s a flat out “Ugh which sucks the least?”

That ought not happen in such a polished and amazing game. Many of my critics will bleat “This isn’t Guild Wars 2” with some level of legitimacy. No it is not. However it’s built upon a name and has added the very same title to a skill which is meant to perform a task and yet more often than not it remains forgotten gathering dust because I can’t see a point to turning someone into a Moa while swinging more swords at them. Offering everyone quickness? Great! There aren’t a slew of other skills that do that just fine without taking forever to recharge. Transformations? Those would be brilliant if you didn’t POSE after the transformation cycle while getting nailed in combat for up to 3 seconds.

Synergy has always played a tremendous part in the Guild Wars franchise. The Elite Skill is a glaring misstep that I hope is addressed. It’s not about power Arena Net it’s about harmony, grace and flow. Your build should feel natural, not be a trip through shoehorning in a skill that you feel obligated to put in because you’re tired of seeing the final box on your skill bar empty.

If you support the idea for an Elite overhaul please, please please make your voice and complaints, suggestions clear. Be general, be specific it doesn’t matter. This is a game we all paid for and support and I think each of us wants the best out of it. I don’t want Guild Wars back, 250 years have passed and this new age is a fine testimony to that former foundation, let’s make Guild Wars 2 a better second installment by making one of the most unique factor of the original series (An end game ability that is awesome.) a more feasible option.

As a side note all of the naysayers who think that everything is ‘just fine’ by all means comment and make your case as logically and well spoken as you can. If you can actually defend the idea that each and every elite skill serves its purpose REGARDLESS of the build it’s in then I’ll certainly heed your advice and give whatever build you suggest a try. This is of course under the assumption that the elite skills (Each one) can be utilized well in a full cycle of pve or pvp.

Thank you and good gaming.

In short, I disagree with the suggested overhaul. With their long cooldowns and flashy effects, GW2 elite skills were designed to serve a very different purpose than GW1 elites, which were usually more tightly integrated into the build, even to the point of just being a better version of a normal skill. It’s a mechanic that works in the more deckbuilding-oriented context of GW1, but just doesn’t fit the GW2 style, in my opinion. I suspect whether a person agrees or not depends largely on how they feel about the different ways the two games handle builds in general.

I would like to see more options for Elite Skills, but I wouldn’t like to see them majorly changed in their basic character. Even though I can’t use them as frequently and they don’t integrate into combat flow as neatly, I find myself enjoying my GW2 elite skills a lot more than I did in GW1.

I can understand your point but at the end of the day it seems that the elite skills simply exist as their own entity with no synergy to the other skills. The long cool downs alone have forced myself and many a player alike to double guess their own judgment on whether they should be used at that moment or saved for a more threatening encounter. This ought not be. A tool, weapon, or shield should always be at the ready, or at the least be a gear in the machine that creates your weapon and defense (build). I do respectfully disagree with your perspective. Also you playing an elementalist seems to give you at least some use out of your elites which may influence your decision?

My Ele uses his class elites, but my Mesmer, Ranger, and Guardian all frequently use their racial elites, which are as questionably powerful and build-relevant as you can get, so, no, that’s not much of an influence on my decision.

Personally, I don’t mind the long cooldowns, since they require me to look at the larger picture of what I’m doing, rather than just one battle, and in return I get bigger, splashier elite skills.

It’s largely a matter of preference, and that’s okay. I figured I should chime in with a contrasting perspective, as long as the topic is being discussed.