Guild Wars 2

Out with the old…in with the new! With the update a day away I wanted to make a thread to help people ease into the new system. I was inspired by a comment so I decided to do this. Below is a list of specialization names for each profession and some abbreviations I came up with and some that people were already using. Add your own if you feel like it

Elementalist:
Fire Magic: FM or Fire/F
Air Magic: AM or Air/A
Earth Magic: EM or Earth/E
Water Magic: WM or Water/W
Arcane: Arc/R

Engineer:
Explosives: EP or splosives
Firearms: FA
Inventions: Vents
Alchemy: Alch
Tools: Tools or Tls if lazy lol

Guardian:
Zeal: Zeal or Zl
Radiance: Rad
Valor: Val
Honor: Hnr
Virtues: Virts

Mesmer: (this’ll be fun XD)
Domination: Domin or Dom
Dueling: Duel
Chaos: Chaos
Inspiration: Inspir.
Illusions: Lusions

Necro:
Spite: Spite
Curses: Curse(s)
Death Magic: DM
Blood Magic: BM
Soul Reaping: SR or Reaping (not to be confused with Shadow Refuge or Reaper spec)

Ranger:
Marksmanship: Marks (not necro marks)
Skrimishing: Skrim or Mish
Wilderness Survival: WS
Nature Magic: NM
Beastmastery: BM

Thief:
Deadly Arts: DA
Critical Strikes: CS
Shadow Arts: SA
Acrobatics: Acro
Trickery: Tricks

Warrior:
Strength: Str
Arms: Arms
Defense: Def
Tactics: Tact
Discipline: Dis or Dp

For anyone that has no idea what I’m taking about this quote from Anet might clear it up. Please feel free to share any ideas even different from this. Thanks!

“I am a(n) {profession name} specializing in {Spec #1}, {Spec #2}, and {Spec #3}. i.e., I am a ranger specializing in Marksmanship, Wilderness Survival, and Beastmastery.”

Edit: My apologies to all the Eles I forgot water magic (_). Also added F/A/E/W/R.

This type of thing will be useful instead of typing a spiel about what you’re running Currently maining Thief/Guard so i’ll check that side of things out.

Eternalight.4708:

This type of thing will be useful instead of typing a spiel about what you’re running Currently maining Thief/Guard so i’ll check that side of things out.

Haha glad you liked it, yea it’s a quality of life time saver especially when you have more than more class in the party!

Nice guide !

Looking forward to typing ’I’m running FA’ (when FA is used in the non-polite way)

anx.7549:

Nice guide !

Looking forward to typing ’I’m running FA’ (when FA is used in the non-polite way)

Lol ty feel free to abbreviate whatever works for you

It’s a nice thought… Let’s have a look at my new Guardian build that I will try out tomorrow.
http://dulfy.net/gw2traits#build=AgIEeAGsA-g~

I am not sure that Anets wishes will be answered from me here… I would say “I am a Meditation/Symbol guardian”. But if people want’s to know my specialization I would say ‘Guardian with Hon (u,d,m), Zea (m,m,d), Val (d,d,m)’. Something like that.

So if I run Fire Air Arcane with my ele, I would have to write FM AM Arc? This takes longer to type than the old 60066.
Also, you forgot water.

In the ele forums, people are already starting to use a more efficient nomenclature:
F=Fire
R=Air
E=Earth
W=Water
A=Arcane

So my build would be dubbed FRA.

While I think it’s funny as heck, not so sure how efficient changing “Illusions” to “Lusions” is. Overall, nice job.

Also all the shorthand ending in “M” kept me expecting to see an “S&” in front of one. Probably just me… Do I have a problem?

Nice sentiment, but I doubt most of these will catch on. Usually abreviations catch on through use of the community, and not through someone dictating them.

Anything longer than 2 letters can already be ommited. Thief looks good (though not sure why you didn’t go with AB for acrobatics and TR for trickery), Mesmer you didn’t even try. :/

Kury.8210:

Also all the shorthand ending in “M” kept me expecting to see an “S&” in front of one. Probably just me… Do I have a problem?

You’ve got the exact opposite of a problem, bud.

Well for Mesmer you might want to try:

Dm
Dl
Ca
In
Il
Cr (when we get the elite spec)

Heh!

If I run a thief with Deadly Arts, Trickery and Acrobatics… I would be a DATA thief. And yeah… those trait lines are seriously overpowered xD

DA:
- Sepent’s Touch: stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison, attacks in downed apply 2 seconds of poison
+ Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing.
- Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when poison.
+ Panic Strike: Striking a foe below health threshold: 2,5 immobilize
-Exposed Weakness: 10% more damage if target poisoned
+ Improvisation: When you steal one skill category is recharged, can use stolen items twice.

T:
- Kleptomaniac: Steal gives 2 initiative
+ Thrill of the Crime: Steal gives fury, might and swiftness (10s)
- Preparedness: 3 extra initiative
+ Trickster: Reduced recharge on tricks, remove condi on trick
- Lead attacks: 1% more damage per initiative, 15% faster steal recharge
+ Bewildering Ambush: Steal applies 5 stacks of confusion

A:
- Expeditious Dodger: 2s swiftness on dodge
+ Pain Response: 10s regen and remove conditions when struck below 75% health
- Feline Grace: 2s vigor when successful evade
+ Swindler’s Equilibrium: Succesfully evading with sword reduce steal recharge with 1s
- Endless Stamina: Effects of vigor 50% better
+Don’t Stop: Effects of cripple and chill reduced by 50%

DATA might well become the new thief meta.

Sirendor.1394:

Heh!

If I run a thief with Deadly Arts, Trickery and Acrobatics… I would be a DATA thief. And yeah… those trait lines are seriously overpowered xD

DA:
- Sepent’s Touch: stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison, attacks in downed apply 2 seconds of poison
+ Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing.
- Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when poison.
+ Panic Strike: Striking a foe below health threshold: 2,5 immobilize
-Exposed Weakness: 10% more damage if target poisoned
+ Improvisation: When you steal one skill category is recharged, can use stolen items twice.

T:
- Kleptomaniac: Steal gives 2 initiative
+ Thrill of the Crime: Steal gives fury, might and swiftness (10s)
- Preparedness: 3 extra initiative
+ Trickster: Reduced recharge on tricks, remove condi on trick
- Lead attacks: 1% more damage per initiative, 15% faster steal recharge
+ Bewildering Ambush: Steal applies 5 stacks of confusion

A:
- Expeditious Dodger: 2s swiftness on dodge
+ Pain Response: 10s regen and remove conditions when struck below 75% health
- Feline Grace: 2s vigor when successful evade
+ Swindler’s Equilibrium: Succesfully evading with sword reduce steal recharge with 1s
- Endless Stamina: Effects of vigor 50% better
+Don’t Stop: Effects of cripple and chill reduced by 50%

DATA might well become the new thief meta.

Overpowered until people learn to dodge steal. Then the spec loses quit a lot of it’s significance.

I know OP means well and is trying to help, but as someone who dislikes abbreviations (I know I’m in the minority here), I’ll stick to spelling things out completely for clarity’s sake.

Put more thought into it, and realized just how important this is. Our traits are no longer defined by the typical #/#/#/#/#. We’ll be defined by which lines we take instead.

Undoubtedly OP realized this and it’s the very reason for making the list. It’s just now dawning on me that the abbreviations are a bit more important than I first thought.

I will become a SAD warrior ( strenght, arms and discipline)

I liked the part when the OP completely skipped Water Magic.

arthurobenzi.2619:

I will become a SAD warrior ( strenght, arms and discipline)

lol

Cyninja.2954:

Sirendor.1394:

Heh!

If I run a thief with Deadly Arts, Trickery and Acrobatics… I would be a DATA thief. And yeah… those trait lines are seriously overpowered xD

DA:
- Sepent’s Touch: stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison, attacks in downed apply 2 seconds of poison
+ Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing.
- Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when poison.
+ Panic Strike: Striking a foe below health threshold: 2,5 immobilize
-Exposed Weakness: 10% more damage if target poisoned
+ Improvisation: When you steal one skill category is recharged, can use stolen items twice.

T:
- Kleptomaniac: Steal gives 2 initiative
+ Thrill of the Crime: Steal gives fury, might and swiftness (10s)
- Preparedness: 3 extra initiative
+ Trickster: Reduced recharge on tricks, remove condi on trick
- Lead attacks: 1% more damage per initiative, 15% faster steal recharge
+ Bewildering Ambush: Steal applies 5 stacks of confusion

A:
- Expeditious Dodger: 2s swiftness on dodge
+ Pain Response: 10s regen and remove conditions when struck below 75% health
- Feline Grace: 2s vigor when successful evade
+ Swindler’s Equilibrium: Succesfully evading with sword reduce steal recharge with 1s
- Endless Stamina: Effects of vigor 50% better
+Don’t Stop: Effects of cripple and chill reduced by 50%

DATA might well become the new thief meta.

Overpowered until people learn to dodge steal. Then the spec loses quit a lot of it’s significance.

What’s this dodge steal you speak of? Does it also give you fury, might, swiftness, recharge utilities, give you two fast attacks, drops 5 stacks of confusion on foe, deals damage, heals you, poisons foe, weakens foe (oh and I forgot it also converts and steals boons from enemies if you take another trait instead of trickster)?

Face it… Data thief OP.

roachsrealm.9284:

I liked the part when the OP completely skipped Water Magic.

Lol! Good one. :P

I’ll be calling everything by 6/6/6/0/0 still.

Sirendor.1394:

Cyninja.2954:

Sirendor.1394:

Heh!

If I run a thief with Deadly Arts, Trickery and Acrobatics… I would be a DATA thief. And yeah… those trait lines are seriously overpowered xD

DA:
- Sepent’s Touch: stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison, attacks in downed apply 2 seconds of poison
+ Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing.
- Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when poison.
+ Panic Strike: Striking a foe below health threshold: 2,5 immobilize
-Exposed Weakness: 10% more damage if target poisoned
+ Improvisation: When you steal one skill category is recharged, can use stolen items twice.

T:
- Kleptomaniac: Steal gives 2 initiative
+ Thrill of the Crime: Steal gives fury, might and swiftness (10s)
- Preparedness: 3 extra initiative
+ Trickster: Reduced recharge on tricks, remove condi on trick
- Lead attacks: 1% more damage per initiative, 15% faster steal recharge
+ Bewildering Ambush: Steal applies 5 stacks of confusion

A:
- Expeditious Dodger: 2s swiftness on dodge
+ Pain Response: 10s regen and remove conditions when struck below 75% health
- Feline Grace: 2s vigor when successful evade
+ Swindler’s Equilibrium: Succesfully evading with sword reduce steal recharge with 1s
- Endless Stamina: Effects of vigor 50% better
+Don’t Stop: Effects of cripple and chill reduced by 50%

DATA might well become the new thief meta.

Overpowered until people learn to dodge steal. Then the spec loses quit a lot of it’s significance.

What’s this dodge steal you speak of? Does it also give you fury, might, swiftness, recharge utilities, give you two fast attacks, drops 5 stacks of confusion on foe, deals damage, heals you, poisons foe, weakens foe (oh and I forgot it also converts and steals boons from enemies if you take another trait instead of trickster)?

Face it… Data thief OP.

No, but it might prevent the enemy thief of getting any of those if the requirement was to actually connect with the skill.

I don’t know how it’s coded, just saying IF it requires you to hit the enemy to grant most of those benefits, it’s far from overpowered.

Ah, I see, well I don’t want to derail this thread (cause I really like the idea of naming classes by their specs). It might be possible to dodge it, but it’s instant cast and a shadowstep.. so I don’t think it’s easy to dodge. Maybe if you’re blocking/dodging right at the moment the steal hits… but it would be very hard to predict.

/continue nomenclature discussion

I think this system is a tad overcomplicated. Rather than try to differentiate different specialisations across all professions, I think this way would be easier:

For instance, with ele:

Fire= F
Air= Ai
Earth= E
Water = W
Arcane = Ar

and Warrior as a second example:

Strength = S
Arms = Ar
Defence = De
Tactics= T
Discipline = Di

This is far easier to remember as each abbreviation is as simple as it can be. Therefore, it is the most logical.

Sure, Warrior’s “Arms” and Ele’s “Arcane” will share the same abbreviation of “Ar”, but it’s fairly obvious which you are referring to. In a party, other people will know what profession you are and elsewhere it is normal to state what profession you are before you describe your build anyway.

I can also imagine people describing which traits they pick by numbering them vertically.

You have 9 trait options in each specialisation, 3 rows of 3. All top-most traits are 1, middle ones are 2 and the bottom-most ones are 3.

Here’s a random example of this all put together:

“I’m an Ele. F 132. Ai 222. Ar 311.”

Vermillion.4061:

I’ll be calling everything by 6/6/6/0/0 still.

And how will you determine the order of those 5 lines, given that there are literally only 3 lines visible at any time?

Each class has 5 lines, so I’d just number them.

Eg.

Ranger A has Marksmanship, Skirmishing, Beast Mastery, so they’re a 1-2-5 Ranger.
Ranger B has Skirmishing, Nature Magic, Beast Mastery, so they’re a 2-4-5 Ranger.

When Elite specs come in, which takes away 1 choice from 3, it becomes
2-4 Druid
1-3 Druid

Crimson Clouds.4853:

Fire= F
Air= Ai
Earth= E
Water = W
Arcane = Ar

But… but… where’d all the "M"s go…?

Zelhyn Lekovitch.2867:
So if I run Fire Air Arcane with my ele, I would have to write FM AM Arc?

Can we call it the radiomancer?

Crimson Clouds.4853:

I think this system is a tad overcomplicated. Rather than try to differentiate different specialisations across all professions, I think this way would be easier:

For instance, with ele:

Fire= F
Air= Ai
Earth= E
Water = W
Arcane = Ar

and Warrior as a second example:

Strength = S
Arms = Ar
Defence = De
Tactics= T
Discipline = Di

This is far easier to remember as each abbreviation is as simple as it can be. Therefore, it is the most logical.

Sure, Warrior’s “Arms” and Ele’s “Arcane” will share the same abbreviation of “Ar”, but it’s fairly obvious which you are referring to. In a party, other people will know what profession you are and elsewhere it is normal to state what profession you are before you describe your build anyway.

I can also imagine people describing which traits they pick by numbering them vertically.

You have 9 trait options in each specialisation, 3 rows of 3. All top-most traits are 1, middle ones are 2 and the bottom-most ones are 3.

Here’s a random example of this all put together:

“I’m an Ele. F 132. Ai 222. Ar 311.”

Nice this seems to work pretty well!

Cyninja.2954:

Sirendor.1394:

Cyninja.2954:

Sirendor.1394:

Heh!

If I run a thief with Deadly Arts, Trickery and Acrobatics… I would be a DATA thief. And yeah… those trait lines are seriously overpowered xD

DA:
- Sepent’s Touch: stealing inflicts 2 stacks of poison, attacks in downed apply 2 seconds of poison
+ Mug: Deal damage and gain life when stealing.
- Lotus Poison: Weaken targets for 4 seconds when poison.
+ Panic Strike: Striking a foe below health threshold: 2,5 immobilize
-Exposed Weakness: 10% more damage if target poisoned
+ Improvisation: When you steal one skill category is recharged, can use stolen items twice.

T:
- Kleptomaniac: Steal gives 2 initiative
+ Thrill of the Crime: Steal gives fury, might and swiftness (10s)
- Preparedness: 3 extra initiative
+ Trickster: Reduced recharge on tricks, remove condi on trick
- Lead attacks: 1% more damage per initiative, 15% faster steal recharge
+ Bewildering Ambush: Steal applies 5 stacks of confusion

A:
- Expeditious Dodger: 2s swiftness on dodge
+ Pain Response: 10s regen and remove conditions when struck below 75% health
- Feline Grace: 2s vigor when successful evade
+ Swindler’s Equilibrium: Succesfully evading with sword reduce steal recharge with 1s
- Endless Stamina: Effects of vigor 50% better
+Don’t Stop: Effects of cripple and chill reduced by 50%

DATA might well become the new thief meta.

Overpowered until people learn to dodge steal. Then the spec loses quit a lot of it’s significance.

What’s this dodge steal you speak of? Does it also give you fury, might, swiftness, recharge utilities, give you two fast attacks, drops 5 stacks of confusion on foe, deals damage, heals you, poisons foe, weakens foe (oh and I forgot it also converts and steals boons from enemies if you take another trait instead of trickster)?

Face it… Data thief OP.

No, but it might prevent the enemy thief of getting any of those if the requirement was to actually connect with the skill.

I don’t know how it’s coded, just saying IF it requires you to hit the enemy to grant most of those benefits, it’s far from overpowered.

If you take all of the Steal traits at each level of Trickery (including the Grandmaster that Dazes) then you can use it approximately every 20 seconds (if my math is correct). Functionally, what that likely means is 2 times per minute. Steal has to hit for anything to happen. If you miss or its blocked, or you don’t have a path it goes into CD. So, while its arguably nice, remember that the boon durations have not been published yet and at this point it doesn’t seem OP to me at all. Not given the expenditure of traits that would be required to make it as good as the poster thinks. Something that you can use 2-3 per minute by heavily traiting into it vs. traits that are more useful moment to moment isn’t such a good trade off. Also, Acrobatics has been taken out, shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave at this point – it was good for a little might on dodge and Cat’s Grace – and they’ve nerfed it so hard you wont be able to dodge as well as an Honor Guardian or a Wilderness Survival Ranger. Dodging wise you’re better off using food to help you there.

My Warrior better get tested, cause he’s gonna run with S trength T actics D efense.