Guild Wars 2

Question: Why do staff skins have to all look bland and boring?

Suppose this is matter of opinion but there is not one single staff model in this game I would consider cool looking. What is even worse is my main is an Asuran so weapons look tiny and most often are hardly even visible.

Now compare all staff models to say…I dunno….great swords. Staves look like they were an after thought to those. Even low level GSs look nice. Is this GreatSword Wars 2?

Anyway, on the plus side: I save myself a ton of gold and aggravation not going after stave skins since none are worth bothering with. Yea I know, staff is just a stick and they obviously went for that vibe but why can’t they make staves that make you go WOW THAT’S COOL! Not even Bilfrost is worthy of that, it’s something I’d expect you would pick up for 3 g and not what 3k.

edit staves = staff with an s since that is apparently a naughty word.

Personal opinion. I think Memory of the Sky, Whispers Secret Staff and the Guild Pillar are really cool looking. There’s a few others I like too. I do think that overall, a lot of the skins that launched on release for weapons are terrible. The new ones, particularly the guild models, are much much better.

I like my staffs, so I guess it is just a matter of preference. =)

I actually love sta kitten .

Scepters, on the other hand, save the honorous exception of Meteorlogicus, pretty much all look like crap.

Whispers secret staff is what I use, not that you can really see it since I am asuran. Wish there was a race change option so I could go human thus weapons are not so small you can’t tell what they are half the time.

W/e. I think 99.9% sta kitten look like quickly made junk.

Can you honestly tell me that they put same amount of effort in to staves and other weapons when compared to the almighty ultra weapon set known as great swords?

I don’t use any greatswords, as they are not my thing. Again, it is just a matter of preference. I think the sta kitten I use are great. And I also have an Asura as my first main.

So that means I have no right to an opinion then. Ok, fine.

You asked a question, I answered. If you don’t like staff(s), that is fine. Others do. We all have our opinion, none greater or lesser than the other. =)

I actually think they look better than GS. Most GS’s including the legendary ones (That we have 3 legendary GSs and 1 of every other weapon should tell you a lot) look like toys to me, not like something that would be useful in melee fight.

Be happy man, pistol models are worse.

I’d tend to agree with the OP. They typically arn’t very inspired – take the Asura T3 set for example, amazing set, love it to bits… staff though, it’s just a block on a stick.

I want to see some more techy and interesting staves suitable for asura.

HeliaXDemoN.1208:

Be happy man, pistol models are worse.

I think many of the pistols look pretty awesome. I just took a look at the gallery because I have not seen many of them yet and I like a lot of them. One of my favorites is the basic Glyphic pistol and I transmute the look to other pistols often.

However, like in the OP’s situation this is one of those things were many people will have different ideas what look good. Unfortunately it would be very hard to come up with a massive amount of models to suit everyone’s taste.

fixit.7189:

So that means I have no right to an opinion then. Ok, fine.

No one told you that. No need to be touchy. Other people are welcome to their opinions too.

Sadly, most of the staff using classes are themselves useless junk.

I`m a staff ele still waiting for those promised buffs.

You know….because my class isn’t supposed to be a melee assassin.

Greatswords, perhaps due to their size and “large-ness”, have excellent attention to detail. That makes all animations and effects on greatswords look extremely impressive, and I doubt many think otherwise, either they like the oversized style or not. However, I have to agree that even more “normal” greatswords look pretty cool.

There are some pretty awesome staff models. However, I’d say that in comparison to greatswords, staves (and hammers, if we talk about two-handed weapons in general) lack impact. They feel very shy in comparison.

When you see a flaming greatsword, you clearly think of overwhelming destruction. When you see a flaming staff, you hardly notice their effects. If a player is meant to feel like a powerful sorcerer wielding it, the design can’t acchieve it at all. Likewise, an asura-styled greatsword shows off more impressive technology than a similiarly styled staff (or hammer); and the same can be said for many other things.

Staves (and hammers) lack that fearsome quality, and that clear (size-wise) attention to detail. Very few staves make you feel like a powerful or intimidating sorcerer – most of them feel like a bunch or ornamented sticks whose details only become clear when you zoom in.

But like I’ve said, there are exceptions. I’d also say that scepters are not very good looking neither, but then there’s Emberglow, among others, which are delicious.

In fact, ironically, Emberglow, even though it’s a scepter, is a more impressive staff than most staves in the game. For those who don’t know, emberglow is an oversized scepter (that’s part of the charm, imo) with a strong burning animation (think of fiery-dragon sword – in fact, sometimes it feels like I’m wielding one). It has more visual impact than most two-handed weapons that are not greatswords.

In general, what I can say for staves versus greatswords, I can say the same for light armor versus heavy armor. At least, male light armor. It’s incredible the amount of “end-game” light armor that feels like bland, mid-game armor, or an hyper-realistic ornamented mess.

JustTrogdor.7892:

HeliaXDemoN.1208:

Be happy man, pistol models are worse.

I think many of the pistols look pretty awesome. I just took a look at the gallery because I have not seen many of them yet and I like a lot of them. One of my favorites is the basic Glyphic pistol and I transmute the look to other pistols often.

However, like in the OP’s situation this is one of those things were many people will have different ideas what look good. Unfortunately it would be very hard to come up with a massive amount of models to suit everyone’s taste.

The major problem is the size.

I see a guy with a Greatsword with fire from hell and I look my boring pistols. =/

People who’ve played WoW, like myself, come to Guild Wars 2 and find that the staff models have taken a huge turn for the worst. I never had a problem with bland looking armor in any other mmorpgs, but then I come to Guild Wars 1 and 2, and they’re all boring. The only exciting armor is the CoF armor, and there are maybe 1 or 2 cool staff models that I kind of like, so I know where you’re coming from. I guess that people that have never played mmorpgs before have not seen really cool looking armor, so they seem to think of the guild wars armor as “cool”. That’s what I think anyway. And I also think Anet should look at Wow’s armor and develop stuff like that… I think that would improve the playerbase a lot.

HeliaXDemoN.1208:

The major problem is the size.

I see a guy with a Greatsword with fire from hell and I look my boring pistols. =/

Some of that I think has to do with the race/size of the character. I have a human female thief with p/p Glyphics and I think they certainly stand out. I have some screen shots from side view while letting loose with unload and I think it looks pretty tough. I don’t think they could make the pistols look much bigger before they would appear a bit awkward.

A great sword is suppose to look big because it is suppose to be a large weapon with an intimidating look. To me a lot of the looks are dependent on the weapon type due to the base style of the weapon. In my opinion I wouldn’t want wield daggers the size of greatswords.

But I think I get what you are saying. When compared to a flaming greatsword they just don’t stand out as much. I don’t care for the look of a focus for the same reason and some of them just look stupid in my opinion.

Galtrix.7369:

People who’ve played WoW, like myself, come to Guild Wars 2 and find that the staff models have taken a huge turn for the worst. I never had a problem with bland looking armor in any other mmorpgs, but then I come to Guild Wars 1 and 2, and they’re all boring. The only exciting armor is the CoF armor, and there are maybe 1 or 2 cool staff models that I kind of like, so I know where you’re coming from. I guess that people that have never played mmorpgs before have not seen really cool looking armor, so they seem to think of the guild wars armor as “cool”. That’s what I think anyway. And I also think Anet should look at Wow’s armor and develop stuff like that… I think that would improve the playerbase a lot.

Not sure if sarcasm…

Its true that hammers suffer from this as well. They look like toys

Maybe the reason we do not have 2 handed axes in the game is that the ones they made were so bad that they had to take them out.

Galtrix.7369:

People who’ve played WoW, like myself, come to Guild Wars 2 and find that the staff models have taken a huge turn for the worst.

How could the staves from WoW have taken a turn for the worse in GW2? I was at the TP today and I couldn’t find any WoW staves listed so I suppose I just need to look there tomorrow to see what you mean.

oh…I thought this thread was about hot Anet employees.

I think the GS was put in the spotlight and everything else was a side project during development. A good looking staff is hard to find but there are a few out there.

Julie Yann.5379:

A good looking staff is hard to find but there are a few out there.

I’m holding in a quote from the U.S. television show ‘The Office’ after reading that.

Considering that the functionality/effectiveness of staff on 2 of the 4 classes that use it is mediocre to poor, I’d say that form follows function.

I dislike the way most greatswords look in this game. It took me ages to find a couple for different characters that didn’t feel over done or like surf boards on a stick. I prefer the staff models in this game to the greatsword models in this game, though I admit this is a matter of personal taste.

I’d like to see more sword models that actually looking like…well…swords.

I have made peace with the Sta kitten and there are some I really really like.
I also have trouble finding GS skins I like since I prefer my weapons to look like weapons and to have fine details instead of huge particle effects.

Of the GS I think Kryosaor is the most beautiful followed closely by Skybringer.
The staff I use is Imryldeen and I love the plain old Krytan staff too
My Engi uses Ebonhawe pistols and the Lionguard pistols are also awesome and sitting in my bank

My Mesmer will be going for the Ceremonial Staff one day. It’s not terribly fancy, but the colour scheme suits her armor and hair colours. My Asura Elementalist will use the Peacemaker’s Staff. Again, not that fancy, but fitting for an Asura spellcaster. I will probably also get Bramblethorn one day for my Sylvari Necro, just to continue the plant theme I have going for her.

Morrigan.2809:

I have made peace with the Sta kitten and there are some I really really like.
I also have trouble finding GS skins I like since I prefer my weapons to look like weapons and to have fine details instead of huge particle effects.

Of the GS I think Kryosaor is the most beautiful followed closely by Skybringer.
The staff I use is Imryldeen and I love the plain old Krytan staff too
My Engi uses Ebonhawe pistols and the Lionguard pistols are also awesome and sitting in my bank

Skybringer dropped for me recently…I hadn’t seen it before. Great skin.

Yes, many greatsword skins in the game, but most of them are dreadful. I prefer greatswords to look like greatswords and not a whale being swung by it’s tail.

I have both Kryosaor and Skybringer sitting my bank unused. My guardian uses Kymswarden, and my ranger uses the human T2 Highlander.

As for staves …
Bramblethorn, Delusion, and Silence seem ok, at least in the galley images.
My guardian uses the Fused staff skin. one of the few F&F skins that I liked.

Even for the people who don’t like or don’t care about the “surf boards on a stick” greatswords of this game, there’s no denying that greatswords have far more visual impact than staves and hammers, with the exception for legendary weapons and one or two other examples.

Final Rest is a pretty cool staff, though, but it looks like a scythe, so I’m not sure if that’s “fair”. :P Nonetheless, the scythe-ish look gives it more visual impact.

Staves should have more animations/ particle effects. They are, afterall, a spellcaster’s weapon, yet the particle greatswords look more magical than most staves themselves.

I agree that staves don’t have much visual impact in-game. It’s a bit surprising, since they’re fairly large weapons.

When I finally managed to make my corrupted brach staff I was expecting some impressive, swirly icefog effects. Instead it glows a bit on the top. At least I think so. It’s hard to tell.

DiogoSilva.7089:

Even for the people who don’t like or don’t care about the “surf boards on a stick” greatswords of this game, there’s no denying that greatswords have far more visual impact than staves and hammers, with the exception for legendary weapons and one or two other examples.

Final Rest is a pretty cool staff, though, but it looks like a scythe, so I’m not sure if that’s “fair”. :P Nonetheless, the scythe-ish look gives it more visual impact.

Staves should have more animations/ particle effects. They are, afterall, a spellcaster’s weapon, yet the particle greatswords look more magical than most staves themselves.

I think I’d like most of them less with more particle affects. Some of us are fans of less is more. I want a weapon that looks like a weapon, not a kid’s toy.

I guess my biggest peeve with staves is they’re all so.. arcane.

Skulls on sticks, statues on sticks, sticks on sticks – the Asura are the foremost mages in GW2, and yet there is very little in the way of staves that reflect the technological nature of the asura.

Personally I’m using the staff Delusion and love the look of it…
But everyone has a different taste. I would say that greatsword skins have a lot more options yes, but to be honest I hardly like any of them… :’D

Vayne.8563:

I think I’d like most of them less with more particle affects. Some of us are fans of less is more. I want a weapon that looks like a weapon, not a kid’s toy.

But they already look like a kid’s toy even without the particle effects. ;D

I mean, we’re not even talking about bladed weapons here. It’s a magical weapon. If it shows no magic, then it basically devolves into an ornamented stick. Cool for tribal, elderly, festive or kiddy stuff. ;D Does not fits all tastes.

(I’m also a fan of less is more, btw, and so I happen to be disappointed that there’s no male light armor (imo) that looks both elegant and end-gamey awesome.)

DiogoSilva.7089:

Vayne.8563:

I think I’d like most of them less with more particle affects. Some of us are fans of less is more. I want a weapon that looks like a weapon, not a kid’s toy.

But they already look like a kid’s toy even without the particle effects. ;D

I mean, we’re not even talking about bladed weapons here. It’s a magical weapon. If it shows no magic, then it basically devolves into an ornamented stick. Cool for tribal, elderly or kid stuff. ;D

I’m also a fan of less is more, btw, and I happend to be disappointed that there’s no male light armor (imo) that looks both elegant and end-gamey awesome.

Not sure how old you are, but it might be a generational thing. Today movies are so overdone. Everything has to be over the top. I’m from a generation where action movies didn’t have scenes that were too unbelievable to put in fantasy movies. Just the way it is. People want bigger, better, flashier….but I don’t.

Again, might well be a generational thing. I don’t mind that my staff looks like a gnarled walking stick…because that’s what a staff is.

Vayne.8563:

Again, might well be a generational thing. I don’t mind that my staff looks like a gnarled walking stick…because that’s what a staff is.

hehe I do believe you are talking about the Terebinth staff- low level Brisban karma item I think
I love that staff and used it for ages

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Terebinth_Staff

Morrigan.2809:

Vayne.8563:

Again, might well be a generational thing. I don’t mind that my staff looks like a gnarled walking stick…because that’s what a staff is.

hehe I do believe you are talking about the Terebinth staff- low level Brisban karma item I think
I love that staff and used it for ages

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Terebinth_Staff

Oh…nice. I hadn’t seen that. I was actually talking about the gnarled walking stick from the hall of monuments. It does have an animation but it’s a subtle one.

JustTrogdor.7892:

HeliaXDemoN.1208:

The major problem is the size.

I see a guy with a Greatsword with fire from hell and I look my boring pistols. =/

Some of that I think has to do with the race/size of the character. I have a human female thief with p/p Glyphics and I think they certainly stand out. I have some screen shots from side view while letting loose with unload and I think it looks pretty tough. I don’t think they could make the pistols look much bigger before they would appear a bit awkward.

A great sword is suppose to look big because it is suppose to be a large weapon with an intimidating look. To me a lot of the looks are dependent on the weapon type due to the base style of the weapon. In my opinion I wouldn’t want wield daggers the size of greatswords.

But I think I get what you are saying. When compared to a flaming greatsword they just don’t stand out as much. I don’t care for the look of a focus for the same reason and some of them just look stupid in my opinion.

Maybe increase the effects, because the bigger weapons have big effects and the pistol with effect have a very small effect, making the effect some time imperceptibly.