Believe it or not the Norn race were meant to be shapeshifters with beast forms relating to their Spirits of the Wild. They transformed into were-bears a lot in GW1.
GW2 Norns have them as elite skills with long cool downs. That and norn NPC’s/enemies in-game rarely transform.
What a way to go… but maybe the norn had the potential to have that flavor you’re looking for?
I think revenant is trying to fit that role because it can tank, DPS, or heal. Sure the druid class is sorta like the Boomkin from WoW but revenant has the versatility. I think rev improves upon it because cat form had stealth which made it potentially more OP than rogue whereas Shiro is superior to thief in many ways but thief still has more teleport and escape options yet different enough (jade winds).
As for shapeshifting I’d love it if norns could permanently stay in an animal form playing as a werewolf or werebear would be awesome!
I love werewolves but unfortunately it’s tied to Norn only and the male Norn look awful. :P
I was always hoping they’d bring Dervish back as a Shapeshifting class that turned into god-related creatures to make it more interesting but we got disco floor Revenant taking it’s place instead.
The Lycanthrope system is pretty much the main reason I bought ESO at all when it went F2P.
| Fort Aspenwood (NA): Sylvari Daredevil Thief Main: All Classes 80. | Please Remove/Fix Thief Trait: “Last Refuge.” “Hard to Catch” is a Horrible and Useless Trait. Fixed 6/23/15. Praise Dwayna.
Please remember that the Norn in this game currently, after being shoved out of the Shiverpeaks and basically on the run, have greatly weakened spiritual power. After all: “I pray to the spirits of the wild, but they rarely answer” isn’t just a statement vendors are randomly scripted to say, it is a lament, an outcry, to you, dear player, to go kill that nasty ol’ dragon upstairs.
Believe it or not the Norn race were meant to be shapeshifters with beast forms relating to their Spirits of the Wild. They transformed into were-bears a lot in GW1.
GW2 Norns have them as elite skills with long cool downs. That and norn NPC’s/enemies in-game rarely transform.
What a way to go… but maybe the norn had the potential to have that flavor you’re looking for?
During development of GW2 they clearly advertised that Norn can transform into a bear and other animal types.
Can’t be used under water. All have a 240 second cooldown. All last only 30 seconds. They are completely useless (to me) and almost nobody ever uses them.
I wish they would rework them to be similar to engineer kits, where they last as long as you want, or until downed/defeated. They could change/rework the ‘weapon’ skill bar so they aren’t too powerful.
Knowing ArenaNet they’d rather just replace the skills instead of reworking them, like they did with the elite guardian skills Tome of Courage and Tome of Wrath, which had long cooldowns and lasted a very short time. They were a type of transformation skill that replaced your weapons skills and changed something about your character (having a floating magical book in front of you).
Being a lover of Druids in WOW .. bull/bears FTW .. I was hugely disappointed when the promise of GW2’s ad-hype turned into the sad reality of the Norn’s shape-shifting skills, as noted by Charrbeque.
As for 200 dollars/pounds/euros, I don’t see any significant numbers being willing to spend that amount on a class so I see no prospect of Anet doing it, especially in view of the fact the Norns ARE GW’s shape-shifters lore-wise the ‘fix’ would be to make them behave like GW2’s pre-release hype made out.
Hmmm, I see a pattern here, Anet advertise one thing pre-release then deliver something seriously different (and inferior) in practice.
I see this as a perfect opportunity for a PvE/PvP skill split (gasp!)
- Introduce a new mastery line for race-specific skills, increasing their efficacy with each rank ala the Factions allegiance, Nightfall promotion, and EotN reputation skills
- Add a new racial-only skill slot in PvE only beside the elite
- Each race would gain mastery XP in their home territory
- And some final mechanism to allow all races to use all racial skills once every racial mastery is maxed. Sounds strange, but remember GW1 Humans had no problem using the animal totems and Asura tech skills in EotN
I get that Anet wants no one race to be mechanically superior to another, but this seems like a good way to utilize a very large untapped aspect of the game, as well as revitalize core Tyria.
I see this as a perfect opportunity for a PvE/PvP skill split (gasp!)
- Introduce a new mastery line for race-specific skills, increasing their efficacy with each rank ala the Factions allegiance, Nightfall promotion, and EotN reputation skills
- Add a new racial-only skill slot in PvE only beside the elite
- Each race would gain mastery XP in their home territory
- And some final mechanism to allow all races to use all racial skills once every racial mastery is maxed. Sounds strange, but remember GW1 Humans had no problem using the animal totems and Asura tech skills in EotN
I get that Anet wants no one race to be mechanically superior to another, but this seems like a good way to utilize a very large untapped aspect of the game, as well as revitalize core Tyria.
/ramblingonandon
/loopycoldmedicinehead
A race specific mastery line is a great idea! This is a perfect way to keep it balanced and give the Norn the shapeshifting abilities we all want.
As for 200 dollars/pounds/euros, I don’t see any significant numbers being willing to spend that amount on a class so I see no prospect of Anet doing it, especially in view of the fact the Norns ARE GW’s shape-shifters lore-wise the ‘fix’ would be to make them behave like GW2’s pre-release hype made out.
Hmmm, I see a pattern here, Anet advertise one thing pre-release then deliver something seriously different (and inferior) in practice.
And yet there were people who pre-purchased for 100$/euros or even more (or pre-payed as they like to call it, even though its the same bloody thing) even though there was so little content in that money (sure for new players it was great deal)
With that knowledge AND from experience i can say that people are stupid enough to pay 200 for a single class just to show-off. You would be amazed how many people would do that – just add some AP for that and = succes.
I would not personally never pay 200e for something wich is pure cosmetic. Either if is can be a shapeshift wich benefits for you either is it running speed(travelling form), or some type of boost of stats or something. It would be ‘’pay to win’‘, also it would put a Norn in superiority position againts other races.
(listening a gun sounds while in a crow form or something….. yeah sounds cool ! )
Besides in my mind turning to animal spirits like bear,wolf,crow, and so on is totally differend then shapeshift to werewolf for excample.
I have also play World of Warcraft, but a classes in that game offers a actually roles wich has they purposes either is it a Tank(my personal favourite), Healer, or dps. (cannot really count a support) RIFT offered more of this type of a set.
A shaman wolf shapeshift from World of Warcraft is actually closer while compared to a Guild wars animal spirits.
(Extra rants).
I hope so, but its they choice ofcourse. That they wont start run to a same point what a World of Warcraft has gone. I know even flying was a long time in there(i play it a classic), but these type of a aspects in a game only breaks a game if a skills/talents offers to avoid a playing content by sitting in air wich is like giving a flying ability if a football game and take a ball to opposite side without none enemy player able to catch or do anything while could travel without a problems and ’’score’’ just after a land and hop up to air again.
..Even a expansions has been by world of warcraft pretty nice looking its own fantasy world in a personal order like TBC, Classic, Mop/Draenor, Catalysm and Wotlk.
A gameplay has changed to rubbish in my mind. Removing a restrictions and aspects/additions like a flying/garrisons being just too benefit. It is in my mind a killing blows to a gameplay, and game itself like mmorpg. A games like command conguers,Settlers,Heroes of might and magic or whatever you get in a mind
should stay in they own category, or like already mentioned a flying(addition aspect) wich is not really even intented for a playing content wich is build for ground.
A Guild wars has it own cool and nice aspects/additions, but has also a flaws wich some people may like, but i personally not so much.
Better save that money and start playing WoW legion when it comes. Druids will be getting awesome skins with their legendary weapons.
Sounds fair okay, but to me that game is dead and buried already by it changes. Goodluck anyway of your journey in there if you go to play when it comes.
I see this as a perfect opportunity for a PvE/PvP skill split (gasp!)
- Introduce a new mastery line for race-specific skills, increasing their efficacy with each rank ala the Factions allegiance, Nightfall promotion, and EotN reputation skills
- Add a new racial-only skill slot in PvE only beside the elite
- Each race would gain mastery XP in their home territory
- And some final mechanism to allow all races to use all racial skills once every racial mastery is maxed. Sounds strange, but remember GW1 Humans had no problem using the animal totems and Asura tech skills in EotN
I get that Anet wants no one race to be mechanically superior to another, but this seems like a good way to utilize a very large untapped aspect of the game, as well as revitalize core Tyria.
/ramblingonandon
/loopycoldmedicinehead
A race specific mastery line is a great idea! This is a perfect way to keep it balanced and give the Norn the shapeshifting abilities we all want.
How would the Revanant use the racial skills? Since all the racial skills are utility skills the Revanant loses access to them.
I wouldn’t pay $200 for anything in a game. Or for a game.
You might be taking the OP’s rhetoric too literally. Translate it to “this is the next new class (or elite spec) I want to see, more than anything”.
(Not that anyone has to agree — let’s just not get too caught up in the language; there’s no chance it’s going to cost more than the price of an expac.)
John Smith: “you should kill monsters, because killing monsters is awesome.”
