Guild Wars 2

I’m hoping 5, one for each trait line.

Any info on this, or speculation on your parts?

Not what was announced today we will get more information as it comes out. Ohh here though use this site to get more information. To answer your question I’m guessing 2 specs.

https://heartofthorns.guildwars2.com/en

Also FAQ

https://help.guildwars2.com/home

So far we only know of 1. I personally hope we get at least 2.

I sort of expect them to cop out and do only 1 for each prof with every expansion.

Which sounds terribly boring to me, but it fits their casual build system.

I’m betting we’ll see 2 per profession.

I would like to know this.

Two per profession would be great

the official info makes it sound like one per class.
you’ll unlock access to a weapon previously unavailable to your profession as well as new traits, skills, and unique mechanics – all of which will transform your profession into something new.

basically seems like elite classes would be in old rpgs

Two per profession I’d guess.

Specializations sounds like you have to make a choice, so i would hope they’d add more than one per class.

I would like 3 at minimum, 3 seems to be the magic number for specializations for me.

If there is just 2 then it will be too black and white, where one could just be more OP than the other. 3 you get vareity with special benefits for each and for those with different playstyles and preferences within that profession

Ashanomara.5431:

Specializations sounds like you have to make a choice, so i would hope they’d add more than one per class.

This, basically. It’s not really a “specialization” if its the only choice.

The alternative is if specializations come with drawbacks in selected areas, in which case what was before the default option will now fill a different niche.

This is just pure speculation but I don’t think specialization will necessarily grant the use of a new weapon to a class.

Maybe some classes will have specializations that involves a different use of a weapon that they actually have use, such a warrior using its longbow in a ranger-like way, or a thief using P/P to spread multi-target conditions such as confusion and torment.

I’m guessing three per profession, so that every character has the ability to fill the control/support/damage roles that are currently only barely there in pve content.

My guess is that specializations are sets of skills/weapons that specialize that character ofr a specific role, and those roles are more important for future content, as this allows any class to fill any role, successfully getting around the whole “we can’t do this dungeon without a warrior, priest, and 3 DPS” anet wanted to avoid with the original system, while allowing them to develop more complex and role-focused play.

If there is only one then it isn’t really a ‘specialization’.
Specialization implies choice.

Hm, here’s my theory on this. Specializations are so professions can go deeper into a certain aspect of their capabilities or game mechanics. ANet released the game with the wish to recreate the Holy Trinity[DPS, Healer, Tank] into what I’ll call the New Trinity[DPS, Support, Control]. In this sense, I think it would make sense for 3 specials per profession to exist to fit into each niche of this Trinity.

I can’t imagine them doing just 1 special per, or there’d be no specializing about it. While many people have come to this conclusion because ANet hasn’t given or shown information about other specials in their announcement, I think that’s reasonable in that they simply didn’t want to be too unfair or show favoritism towards one profession by giving them more than the others. Rangers were used only as an example and will probably showcase the possibilities of what it can be, a medium armored class wielding a staff being odd and unorthodox up to this point. Thus just because they didn’t show more than one doesn’t mean they only have one per profession.

Those are just my thoughts.

Eventually, in grand total, I’d like to see 5. One themed to each trait.

But with HoT, I’d expect no more than 3, and think 2 is most likely.

I hope it isn’t just 1. Why? Customization. I don’t want to be shoehorned into a single progression for my characters just because. I don’t want to be stuck with " either progress as this, or don’t progress at all."

And in the end, capping at 5 works best, IMO. It’s the top amount of thematic specialization I can think of without delving outside the professions’ themes or niches, and it avoids eventual balance troubles with too many possibilities.

Just start out with 2, with the other 3 sketched out and ready to implement for future feature batches.

Besides, it works well. Ranger goes druid for nature magic (gains magical weapons), archer for marksman (gains guns), <insert meleeing name here> for skirmisher (gaining more melee weapons), beastkeeper for beast master (gains primarily pet boons, like more pets to switch between and more skills per pet), and then a trap and tool focused specialization for wilderness survival.

I just hope they keep underwater content in mind when designing specializations.

5 please and not only pve focus wth… for each trait line so specs are not limited.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Eventually, in grand total, I’d like to see 5. One themed to each trait.

But with HoT, I’d expect no more than 3, and think 2 is most likely.

I hope it isn’t just 1. Why? Customization. I don’t want to be shoehorned into a single progression for my characters just because. I don’t want to be stuck with " either progress as this, or don’t progress at all."

And in the end, capping at 5 works best, IMO. It’s the top amount of thematic specialization I can think of without delving outside the professions’ themes or niches, and it avoids eventual balance troubles with too many possibilities.

Just start out with 2, with the other 3 sketched out and ready to implement for future feature batches.

Hm, true originally I wanted 5, but I read someone else’s post about this and found it made much more sense. A specialization will unlock new mechanic[s] to the class, meaning maybe an extra F1-4+ buttons to use. New Heal/Utility/Elite skills. And, new Traits. Some people are thinking of it as a whole other window, but I find the idea that we’ll simply have new traits locked with the prerequisite of a certain specialization. This’ll mean specials don’t have to be constrained to a single trait line, but I do hope they don’t feed us a meta in their placement of these special traits.

I think 5 would b way too many honestly, how the hell would you balance the game in the slightest? (oh a warrior coming at me in WvW, now is he the warrior spec that does X or XY or YX or XX or YY or XYX? Guess ill find out when he uses 1 of 10 possible things). 2 would be perfect but i wouldn’t be surprised if they only did one at the start and built out from there.

He said that Druid will fundamentally change the way Ranger is played. I’m guessing there will only be one per class, as they seem to be major playstyle and theme variants, not simple trait specs. Furthermore, I’m guessing that these Specializations are Guild Wars 2’s replacement for new campaign professions. In other words, instead of getting Assassin when we go to Cantha, Thief would get an Assassin Specialization. When we go to Elona, Paragon would be a Guardian Specialization. I think we’re only getting one right now, because they’re going to be the Maguuma Jungle themed variants. He made a big deal about the location being why Ranger gets Druid.

Jade Arkadian.9280:

This is just pure speculation but I don’t think specialization will necessarily grant the use of a new weapon to a class.

Maybe some classes will have specializations that involves a different use of a weapon that they actually have use, such a warrior using its longbow in a ranger-like way, or a thief using P/P to spread multi-target conditions such as confusion and torment.

The “Specialization” paragraph in the new HoT site states unequivocally that you get a weapon not previously available to your profession. I can’t quote directly as only the first line will highlight for some reason but it’s at https://heartofthorns.guildwars2.com/en#section-specializations

I really hope there are at least two choices per profession, though I’m ok with the choice being final once made (as long as it is clear in game when making the decision that you can’t go back). That will add so much more variety to the game as well as a sense of uniqueness to the players.

edit: Interesting thought, Jokubas. They could indeed add more specializations later to fit various themes! In which case I would not be fine with irrevocable choices, since as new choice becomes available, players already vested in certain alts should have access to those choices.

Jokubas.4265:

He said that Druid will fundamentally change the way Ranger is played. I’m guessing there will only be one per class, as they seem to be major playstyle and theme variants, not simple trait specs. Furthermore, I’m guessing that these Specializations are Guild Wars 2’s replacement for new campaign professions. In other words, instead of getting Assassin when we go to Cantha, Thief would get an Assassin Specialization. When we go to Elona, Paragon would be a Guardian Specialization. I think we’re only getting one right now, because they’re going to be the Maguuma Jungle themed variants. He made a big deal about the location being why Ranger gets Druid.

Well if that’s true and there’s only one specialization then what if the ranger doesn’t want it? Will he be forced into being Druid against his will? That seems off to me.

TurtleofPower.5641:

I sort of expect them to cop out and do only 1 for each prof with every expansion.

Which sounds terribly boring to me, but it fits their casual build system.

Ye but they said upon achieving your new specialization, you get new traits, new utilties, a new weapon, and new mechanics. The new mechanics part is most interesting because it changes the fundamental parts of the class which I think is really really interesting.

I think that specializations as well just give them more space to add content in the future. So much more space.

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

If there is only one then it isn’t really a ‘specialization’.
Specialization implies choice.

Yeah. Its less Specialization and more profession/class evolution at that point. Perhaps they’re using Specialization because they plan to release more than one this time or another option in their second expansion (like… another three years from now).