Guild Wars 2

I have several Legendary items. I started with the 2H weapons, reasoning that I wouldn’t have a glaring lack of off hand items if I equipped a 2 handed weapon. So I made Bifrost, Eternity, then Juggernaut. Each and every one of them was completely awesome and a great investment into my gameplay. However, once I made Bolt, I realized that I needed to get to work on crafting my off hand weapon. I had a bit of a dilemma there, I love the shield, torch, and warhorn; my personal playstyle, however, sees very little use in those weapon choices. The shield and torch, in my opinion, are often outclassed by other weapons and the warhorn is fantastic on the Ranger and Necro, (and in some cases the warrior) but I don’t spend a ton of time playing with those classes. So the obvious offhand choice was The Minstrel.

I recently completed The Minstrel and I’m very underwhelmed. With any other legendary the “preview” doesn’t show off every particle effect. With The Minstrel, the music notes even looked like they’d be more prominent from the preview. When I first equipped it, I was shocked to find that bolt’s aura all but covered up the music notes. In fact, it’s hardly noticeable. In fact, when I equip bolt, that characteristic zap sound even covers the thrum of the harp. I realize that you guys at anet are always updating these legendaries, but I would like to put in my 2 cents. Please update The Minstrel. I would love some sound effects, particle effects and just a bigger impact of having the weapon. I would like to feel that my legendary grind wasn’t generally wasted by equipping what feels like a rather nice exotic. I had some recommendations as well.

Bear in mind, these are only opinions and you are totally okay to disagree, but let’s keep these posts positive, yeah?

For projectiles, I’d envision a wavy stream of music (ie the 5 lines with music notes). The characteristic music notes should appear on the lines and perhaps coming off of the lines.

The equip effect should be a burst of music notes around the character. Many other legendaries have this effect and it seems appropriate that The Minstrel gets it too.

I’m okay with the lack of footfalls, but I would like to see a more emphasized music note stream from the weapon so that I can notice it while having a legendary main hand equipped.

Other weapons have sound effects passively when a legendary weapon is equipped and if this is on the table for The Minstrel I think it’d be cool if a simplified version of some of GW2’s theme music be played on a harp while it’s equipped. It would have to be relatively soft so as not to bother nearby harp hating players.

Those are some of my ideas but I’d love to hear your ideas. Feel free to post them below. You may also post if you disagree with my ideas. For example, you might let me know why you think I’m wrong or you might call me a noob sandwich, but as I said before, keep it positive.

Tl;Dr The Minstrel’s effects are vastly overshadowed by my main hand legendary’s effects and I would love to see some visual and audio improvements.

Congrats on your new legendary two headed chicken!

I think it looks cool together.

Thanks, nearlight! I’m glad I finally finished it!

Yeah, I kind had the same reaction when I finished mine. I wasn’t expecting footfalls, but something to indicate “hey, this is a legendary weapon” music when you use the skills or something, currently it looks and feels like a glorified Exotic. Though I like the music notes that trail you when running is nice.

I love the music notes, I suppose I wish I could just see them better. I realize that bolt has a really large aura and some overshadowing should be expected but I’m probably going to need to make frostfang or moot just so that I can appreciate my offhand lol.

Actually…this is the only legendary i have…and i crafted it because it didnt have footfalls or look..i dont know..over the top. Sound effects on skill activation would be nice for sure! But please dont change things appearance or make it have over the top effects!

I would hate for my proposed improvements to negatively affect your experience with Minstrel, but I would still like to see some change. I personally love the idea of playing the GW2 theme simplified on a harp. But other than that, I would probably be happy if my projectile looked like lines of music. If you could add something, Dante, what would you like? (I realize I’m a lot less minimalistic in my tastes)

I love the Minstrel it has great details and colours but I would like some extra effects on used skills (Mesmer curtain getting an effect) and some footfalls/aura/swap effect.

sharkswithlazers.7632:

I would hate for my proposed improvements to negatively affect your experience with Minstrel, but I would still like to see some change. I personally love the idea of playing the GW2 theme simplified on a harp. But other than that, I would probably be happy if my projectile looked like lines of music. If you could add something, Dante, what would you like? (I realize I’m a lot less minimalistic in my tastes)

I wouldnt mind having Footsteps in the shape of music notes, i actually at the time thought it had them. I wouldnt do an Aura. Maybe make the music notes a bit more noticeable(As it is, on my Charr, its hard to see them because the way they hold that focus puts it inside the pants im using) Have the Harp play a random selection of 3-5 songs that are deemed the best(And as the game goes on, maybe add more to it) when drawn(On the harp of course.) Would be incredibly amazing to, and not over the top! (IMO).

First World Problems, Tyria edition.

Sorry, had to say it :P
I hope ANet grants your request

That actually sounds great, Dante. Hopefully, they will address this eventually. I realize they’ve got their hands full with HoT and the new legendaries will be coming out soon. I’m just walking around in LA with just The Minstrel and no other weapon and it’s a bit disappointing when I can’t see the visual effects that well. I have the game on a high graphics setting but alas lol.

A lot of other Legendaries got visual updates that made huge improvements to their (already cool) designs. Hope some of that love comes to the Minstrel.

sharkswithlazers.7632:

That actually sounds great, Dante. Hopefully, they will address this eventually. I realize they’ve got their hands full with HoT and the new legendaries will be coming out soon. I’m just walking around in LA with just The Minstrel and no other weapon and it’s a bit disappointing when I can’t see the visual effects that well. I have the game on a high graphics setting but alas lol.

A lot of other Legendaries got visual updates that made huge improvements to their (already cool) designs. Hope some of that love comes to the Minstrel.

That is true they did, but some of those changes werent popular, and some of those changes removed things from legendaries that made them unique(See howler). Hopefully The Minstrel gets some love at some point. It really seems to be the least used of the Legendaries even more so after the shield. I think ive seen one other Minstrel in my three years of playing :O

But hopefully they do something!

I’ve seen a couple, but you’re right. It’s a very under-represented Legendary. That’s a bummer too because as far as weapons go, the Focus is a generally popular one.

sharkswithlazers.7632:

I’ve seen a couple, but you’re right. It’s a very under-represented Legendary. That’s a bummer too because as far as weapons go, the Focus is a generally popular one.

Yea! i was generally surprised by how few there are compared to how much they get used.

Dante.1763:

I wouldnt mind having Footsteps in the shape of music notes, i actually at the time thought it had them. I wouldnt do an Aura. Maybe make the music notes a bit more noticeable

Maybe something like the bard auras in EQ2 ?

Beldin.5498:

Dante.1763:

I wouldnt mind having Footsteps in the shape of music notes, i actually at the time thought it had them. I wouldnt do an Aura. Maybe make the music notes a bit more noticeable

Maybe something like the bard auras in EQ2 ?

I wouldn’t mind a music note aura or something.

Uhm, excuse me if I am wrong, but isn´t it noted in the GW2 Wiki that the aura of an offhandlegendary would be overwriten by the aura of an onhandlegendary. Before I has crafted my howler I was reading the articel of it and I think there was something mentioned.

Hm only thing i found is: " Footprints of a legendary equipped in the main hand will override any footprints of a legendary equipped in the offhand."

So i may be wrong with my sleepy brain

i have Bolt and Minstrel too. yeah, Minstrel needs a facelift….

DieFinn, the aura remains but the footsteps are overridden. Regardless of what they do, I’d hope to see that at least something is done to make Minstrel feel like a legendary weapon. I mean, when compared to immobolus (sp?) The Minstrel looks and feels nearly exactly like an exotic.

I mean, if you look at the screenshot I posted at the beginning, you can immediately notice the effects of Bolt but The Minstrel’s effects are completely dwarfed. Sure, the pink on the harp is eye catching but the music notes are dim and tiny compared to the huge tongues of lightning that completely engulf my character.

I have minstrel too. Did we not spent all of those stacks of t6 mats to make it, all those gifts too? Then why not add some faint light pink aura at least? Just because it’s offhand weapon doesn’t explain the feel of normal exotic weapon i have when i look at my legendary minstrel.