This is more of a story issue, but isn’t it kind of weird how our characters never get to do anything cool that requires our unique talents? Thieves never get to steal anything aside from simple pick-pocketing, engies never get to tinker in a workshop, etc. The personal story only takes race into account and not our class. Whenever a class skill is needed, an NPC usually steps in to do the thing, (and to add insult to injury they’re usually better at it than you.)
For example, if you’re a mesmer in the order of whispers, when Tybalt needs to disguise himself as a certain human noble, they bring in some OTHER Mesmer to cast an illusion on him while they send you off to stab things with a sword like some kind of common warrior! If stealth is needed, so what if the pact commander is a thief, bring in the Pale Reavers! While we’re at it, let’s ask this necro to stand here and watch this priest of Grenth to do the job instead! And then for other missions or heart quests and such, you just get bundled weapons like flamethrowers and such so an engineer’s unique equipment is never needed, and so on.
I’m not actually complaining, I like a lot of the story missions and the fact that you sometimes get new bundle equipment and partners to play with to mix things up, but I think it would be really cool if we DID get some class specific missions. Either as a part of the next living story chapter where you got a variable chapter based on your class just like we do with race, or just some optional side-quests that are specific to your character’s class and require their skills. Like an NPC that explicitly says they need a _______ to assist in a task rather than just anyone.
Thieves could get some heist or assassination missions where they could break into places and sneak their way to their target. (Very much like the stealth mission where you play as Caithe, but you get to be yourself)
Necromancers could perform rituals to various ends and prepping for and casting the ritual could be a specific mission. On the other end, perhaps guardians could do exorcisms instead.
Wariors could train troops or lead soldiers on missions.
Engineers could be tasked to repair or pilot some of the pact’s ships and war machines, or mix alchemic potions in a lab.
Mesmers can do spy missions or even something like entertaining a party.
Rangers could go on a hunt for some sort of legendary beasts.
Revenants could act as spirit mediums and travel to the mists to seek out information.
I think you get the idea.
Honestly, these are already somewhat things we do in story missions, but they’re designed in such a way that any class can do any of them. Which is largely a good thing for main story missions, but something designed to require a specific class’s actual skills would be a new kind of challenge to play though, and give people something interesting to experience on multiple alts of different classes.
These missions could perhaps reward class specific equipment that you can use to show off your mastery or dedication to a certain class. Like engineers having a unique gun skin that they “built” themselves by gathering parts on a special engie mission, or thieves having a special jeweled dagger they stole from a vault somewhere, or elementailists having a special focus they summoned through their arcane power in a complex ritual.
I doubt something like this would actually happen since making separate missions for every class would be a lot of work, but I wanted to share the idea and see what others thought of it.