Guild Wars 2

Yes, yes, I know most everyone has probably thought “Lets have a dark, dragon power using class…” this is only half that.

Skippable plot stuff.

With the pact forces of Tyria having slain the first of the Elder Dragons, laying the risen dead of Orr to rest, they had earned themselves a moment of respite, however brief. Though the methods and motives differ between the Vigil, the Durmand Priory, and the Order of Whispers, one thing was agreed upon: The dragons power was far beyond that of magic, rivaling even the six gods themself.

With the Priory’s studies into the Sons of Svanir, the Branded, and the deceased corpse of the elder dragon Zhaitan, they developed an understanding of how these powers are tapped into by the dragons vile minions. The Order of Whispers, with spies among the Sons of Svanir dragon cult, learned how they controlled and channeled these powers. And the Vigil’s strongest warriors, in their moment of repose, practiced turning these powers against the dragons themself.

Through study, training, and the theft of knowledge, the Dragonknight style was devised, using elemental might in accord with physical power. Treating massive weapons as catalysts for the dragons might while leaving their flesh and minds clear to fight. The men and women who take up this style are valiant of heart, and steadfast, using their destructive might to protect those around them and lay low those before them.

The Dragonknight uses Axes, Maces, Focuses, Greatswords, Hammers, Rifles, and Longbows. Mace is mainhand only. Axes are either hand, and Focus is offhand only.

It’s profession mechanic is Draconic Might. A resource that is built up by focusing using the profession skills “Empower: Earth.” “Empower: Death” “Empower: Chaos”.

There are three slots on the Dragonknight’s Draconic Might gauge. Each can be filled by one empowerment charge. These charges alter how the Dragonknight’s skills work, without changing the fundamentals. Basically, if you were to throw an axe, with Death, it would sink itself into the target, bleeding them. With Chaos, it would gain a single bounce. And with Earth, the axe would apply a brief slow. These are not expended buffs, but small augments to the Dragonknight’s skills that alter the way it’s weapon skills work. As there are three empowerment slots, you can use one of each empowerment, or multiple. There is also a fourth skill “Purge Weapon” Which enables you to set new empowerments.

Earth focuses on area of effect destruction, sundering the ground and spreading fire and ice. Though it’s focus is on stone and rock, it is more focused on representing terrestrial elements and conditions, the fire and the world’s core, and the ice at it’s tips, as well as the land itself. It tends towards AoE and control in equal measure, instead of damage, making attacks hit multiple targets, increasing Area of Effect ranges, or slows and chills. Some skills also gain burning.

Death focuses on it’s namesake. Death empowerment is aimed at bringing an end to enemies, and playing off their own weakness. It contains a few leeching bonuses to weapons, but mostly focuses on bringing a painful end to a single target. It’s mainstays are poison, bleeding, execute style damage increase, and occasionally leeching.

Chaos focuses on support, be it through weakening the enemy or strengthening allies, as well as causing attacks to bounce from target to target. It’s generally aimed at retaliation, might, fury, weakness, daze, and confusion, with empowered ranged attacks often gaining a bouncing shot at reduced damage to spread the effect around.

These empowerments can be stacked as the player chooses. Adding additional empowerments does not add additional effects to abilities, but simply increases the effects of the empowerment.

If you fire a longbow arrow with one earth, one death, and one chaos empowerment, it will inflict a 1s burn, a 2s bleed, and a 1s confusion, as well as bounce to one extra target, doing half damage, but inflicting one of each again. If it was done with two earth, one death, it would infict a 2s burn, and a 2s bleed. Three earth = 3s burn. The ability to swap it around is to allow players to customise their abilities to fit the situation, without changing how the attacks handle.

Hammer focuses on overwhelming power and force. Its attacks splinter the earth and scatter enemies. (Just an idea of how it’s movelist works, not a full movelist)

1. Scatter Dust. A hammer strike to the ground, cracking the ground around the Dragonknight. AoE range is small. AoE extends for each empowerment of Earth. 1s Bleed for each empowerment of death. AoE 1 might 3s for each empowerment of Chaos.

- Shatter Stone. A second follow up hammer strike to the ground, with a slightly wider AoE than Scatter Dust. AoE extends for each empowerment of Earth. 1s Bleed for each empowerment of death. AoE Fury 1s for each empowerment of Chaos.

-Sunder Earth. A final devastating hammer strike to the ground, causing spikes to strike upwards from the ground (Risen knight attack). AoE extends for each empowerment of earth. 2s poison for each empowerment of death. 1 3s might and 1s fury for each empowerment of Chaos.

2. Dragon’s Talon. A strike to the ground that sends out a forward wave of earth. Each empowerment of Earth increases the range of the projectile. Each empowerment of death increases the projectile’s damage. Each empowerment of chaos adds 1s weakness to enemies hit.

5: Piercing Roar. The Dragonknight slams their hammer into the ground, the handle facing straight up into the sky, throwing their hands back as they release a burst of energy, knocking enemies to the ground around them. Each empowerment of earth increases the knockdown slightly. Each empowerment of death adds bonus damage and leeches it for the Dragonknight. Each empowerment of Chaos adds 5s weakness and 5s retaliation AoE to the effect.

Greatsword focuses on delivering magic imbued single target damage. The sword is treated as a magical catalyst of destruction. (No spinning attacks here)

1. Divide. Brings the blade down on the enemy from directly above, a crack of lightning following in it’s wake. Each empowerment of earth adds a 1s slow to the strike. Each empowerment of death adds a slight leech effect to the strike. Each empowerment of chaos adds might to the user, either 2, 4, or 6seconds long, but always one stack.

- Disperse. The Dragonknight brings the blade back up into the air, cutting upwards through their target with lightning following in its wake once again. Each empowerment of earth adds a 1s slow to the strike. Each empowerment of death adds a slight leech effect to the strike. Each empowerment of chaos adds might to the user, either 2, 4, or 6seconds long, but always one stack.

- Decimate. The Dragonknight impales the target with their blade, a final blast of lightning striking the target along with its strike. Each empowerment of earth adds a 2s burn to the target. Each empowerment of death adds health leeching and damage, much more than the previous two strikes. Each empowerment of chaos purges one boon from the target. (Yes, it can purge 3 boons, but you’re going full support setup with a weapon that won’t buff your allies, and is melee)

2. Entropic Flare. Drive your weapon into the ground, before bringing it upwards in a long crecent slash, a blast of death and fire erupting under the target (Still a melee attack, it will simply attempt to track left to right in a cone to make up for the lack of AoE). Each empowerment of Earth adds 2s burning. Each empowerment of Death adds direct damage. Each empowerment of Chaos adds 0.25s Daze to the target.

Mace focuses on disabling and weakening the enemy.

(No moves designed yet)

Axe focuses on rapidly attacking the enemy with a flurry of strikes, applying conditions and effects to spare.

3: Havoc Spread. Throws an axe that bleeds the target. Each empowerment of earth widens the cone, from one axe to three, to five, to seven, though the damage remains the same. Each empowerment of death adds an additional bleed. Each empowerment of chaos makes the axe apply one 4s might to allies in the cone.

Focus is focused on large, destructive spells at the cost of mobility.

4: Dragon’s Breath. Channels a destructive cone infront of the Dragonknight, doing large amounts of damage, though the cone cannot be aimed once used. Each empowerment of Earth widens and extends the cone. Each empowerment of death adds 1s poison to each hit of the cone. Each empowerment of Chaos adds 1s vigor to each hit of the cone to an ally.

5: Primordial Fury. The Dragonknight throws their hands to the side, forming a field of fire around them that burns enemies. This ability can be pressed again to detonate the field in a blast of fire, knocking enemies out of the field and delivering heavy damage. Has a warm-up period before activating the field. Dragonknight cannot move or attack during the cast. Blast gains in power the longer the field is active. Each empowerment of earth increases the width of the field. Each empowerment of death applies increased damage and leeching to the blast. Each empowerment of chaos causes the field to grant 1 stack of 2s might and 1 stack of 2s fury to allies within the field on each tick of damage.

Rifle is focused on magical shots. It is slow to fire in all cases, but potent, delivering a mixture of AoE damage and single target damage, through magical ground targeted effects and direct shots.

1. Pyre Shot. Fires a blast of fire at the target. Each empowerment of earth adds a blast radius to the shot. Each empowerment of death adds to the damage of the shot. Each empowerment of chaos makes the shot bounce once within 300 range of the target.

5. Lightning Rail. Focuses a charged shot while aimed at a location. When target location is selected, fires a shot with it’s damage based on charge time, hitting instantly. Each empowerment of earth adds to the blast radius. Each empowerment of death adds an additional shot, though the charge is reset after each shot. Each empowerment of chaos adds 2s weakness and 4s vigor to allies and enemies struck by the shot.
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Longbow is quick to fire, focused on dispatching single targets with a hail of strikes.
(no moves yet)

This class is my effort at a sort of magic knight that can vill various roles through destructive power, as opposed to defensive strength. It relies on it’s power with stronger, if slower attacks than other similar classes, and its empowerments to tailor it’s attacks to fit the situation.

It is NOT a dark class, dispite the name. It is not evil, sinister, or in posession of dark glows. The necromancer still fills that role. Though it is destructive, it is more a fusion of Warrior and Elementalist design styles, with bright displays of destruction backed by martial prowess.

Thoughts, move suggestions, refinements are all appreciated.

I really like your idea. I’ve been trying to come up with a new class too and my idea was a druid-like warrior, but your idea is better imo. Let me just see if i got this right, F1 is Empower Earth, F2 is Empower Death and F3 is Empower Chaos right? If so, would these skills have cooldown? How many slots would it have? Would it reset after combat? without those the class might seem overpowered.

and F4 Is Purge weapon. No cooldown, but the skills are balanced around having three empowerments on at a time, and do not fade. The idea is that skilled players will mix their empowerments around while mid combat, quickly purging and empowering themselves to react to the flow of combat, while newer players will keep one empowerment set on at a time. Quickly dumping their empowerments and going one earth two death to fire off Lightning Rail three times.

Three slots. You can go one of each for a balanced setup, or heavier into one than the others.

You basically NEED Earth empowerments to get decent sized AoE’s off of anything. The only way you’re buffing is with a Chaos empowerment. And you’re definately not reaching max damage without Death empowerment. The idea is to swap around as the situation demands, and never feel pinned into just one.

Likewise. If you run three chaos, you will buff a ton, but your buffs will only hit a tiny area. If you run three death, your attacks may be extremely lethal, but you’ve got no utility to them outside of heal blocking, and no radius, making the longer ones easy to dodge. If you run three earth, you’ll hit a large area, and be able to keep hitting, but it won’t have too much bite.

Moderation, and swapping to fit the situation is the name of the game.

The problem with trying to add a new class is keeping everyone balanced, and for the most part, all the classes are. Some would argue the thiefs are highly OP, but if you have experience against them they aren’t too hard to kill.
I’d say no on a new class, especially a dragon knight class..

No. I hate going in to all of the reasons why, but there’s plenty.

Hammer auto attack: You’ve got an AoE damage auto attack that grants fury and might to allies, while stacking bleeding and poison on enemies. Look at any other profession’s auto attack, and see if they get an AoE with two conditions and two boons.

Hammer 2 skill: You’ve got a ranged attack that inflicts weakness on a hammer on a soldier profession?

Hammer 5 skill: You’ve got lifesteal, AoE knockdown, weakness, and retaliation. Again, just look at others, and think about what you’re giving your own profession.

Greatsword auto attack: Lifesteal, cripple, and might on auto attack, on a weapon that’s always an AoE auto attack. Even if this was on a single target, you’ve got lifesteal, cripple, and might on every swing of your auto attack.

I’m going to stop here, because it’s more of the same. While you did do a good job keeping your conditions and boons short, unless the weapon is swinging with the slowest attack speed ever, you’re going to get very overpowered, very fast. What if you ran in to a friendly mesmer with time warp, or built yourself with points of boon/condition duration…

The basic class mechanic is an interesting idea, but you need to do some serious work on everything else before it even becomes remotely workable in the game. My advice to you is this: Look at every other profession in the game. Take them to the Heart of the Mists, play around with them, with every weapon set and every build you can possibly think of. Once you’ve got a good feel for what everyone else can already do, and how the balance between all the other professions works, then start to think about your own.

I’m aware it’s overpowered as all hell as is. It’s more to illustrate how the class is supposed to work in theory, as opposed to being remotely balanced. I picked out the various slots on various weapons that would illustrate what you could do with the various perks, so I tended towards skill 5 and auto attacks to show it, not towards the middle of the bar skills that are used for utility purposes.

I’m not in a good position to balance every little thing. I don’t have access to the hard data ANet does, and I haven’t logged the 100 hours of every class that I’m sure the PvP balance team has.