Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet just tweeted what looks like a picture of a Guardian with a bow.

This week’s Elite Specialization?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CELHAUUVIAAVsGN.jpg:large

Image link, because its been posted in a file format non-comparable with the forums.

Is that a bow, or a bat’leth?

It has to be guardian, celestia blue color and that helmat scream it.

Given the wings + bow I’m assuming it might be an arch-angel/celestial concept maybe? Something that carries the guardian’s holyesk styling much like the warping values of mesmers turned into chronomancer.

Should know soon since they slipped the mes+shield art before they did a stream on chronomancer so I suspect guardian is the next on the table for talks.

Awwww yeaaa!!!!

Eirian Direstorm.9748:

Is that a bow, or a bat’leth?

Bow, its the kinda skin you can get for longbow if i remember right.

Galeskyring.9617:

Eirian Direstorm.9748:

Is that a bow, or a bat’leth?

Bow, its the kinda skin you can get for longbow if i remember right.

And shortbow, Aether and Azureflame, if i remember right.

And its also the Spirit Bow

Man… this might make it worth me leveling a guardian…

There’s nothing wrong with the class, per se, but I just never really enjoyed playing it…

He will sing athems / arias : )

Looks interesting, can’t wait till the info goes up.

Betting the guardian-blue wings are going to be the item from their reward track, like the shoulders were for the mesmer.

And that sounds awesome, personally I think the majority of characters look ridiculous in wings, but I’ve got one armor set on my guardian that I style after Final Fantasy IXs Alexander, but I need me some white wings to complete it.

No speculation on the name? We only have a couple days for it…

The wings are similar to the wings Paragons in GW1 had when using skills. If the Guardian elite specialization is indeed the Paragon, then I can see them getting banners as their utility skills. I would’ve said shouts but they already have them.

Is that a longbow or shortbow?

Lamu.8453:

Is that a longbow or shortbow?

Looks like a longbow, and, since shortbow is a short/mid-range skirmish-type weapon, I doubt sb fits for Guardian.

It’ll be called, “Paragon”. It’s really too bad they didn’t give the Guardian Specialization a spear to use as a ranged weapon on land. Especially since they gave that Guardian in the image wings like a paragon. If they want to add spear as a land weapon for the guardian at a later time(If they ever add new weapons for existing professions)and it’s called something else, it’ll be odd.

I’m psyched about the longbow for the guardian and that it will be called paragon. If paragon isn’t the name of the guardian elite spec. I will eat my beta GW2 ball cap.

Still just speculative at this point but I would guess from this image that 1.) Guardians are getting access to a longbow weapon. Makes sense given the spirit one…and they could honestly use a better ranged weapon anyway. And 2.) the wings are either as someone suggested already a new back skin, or I am hoping possibly an indicator to a new elite/specialization skill in the vein of the WoW Paladin ability Avenging Wrath (to the unfamiliar, it buffed damage and healing significantly and was visually displayed with golden wings appearing on the players back) which also works because the current elites bore me.

Am I the only one who doesn’t want the spec to be called Paragon? If they use it then the original Paragon class is permanently locked out if Anet ever expands into Elona. Personally I am hoping for the name top be “Exemplar”

Either Paragon or Seraph/Seraphim*, i would say.

*due of the multiple pairs of wings

Seyta Hamon.8071:

Am I the only one who doesn’t want the spec to be called Paragon? If they use it then the original Paragon class is permanently locked out if Anet ever expands into Elona. Personally I am hoping for the name top be “Exemplar”

i too wish it wasn’t paragon, not for ur reasons tho. because i thought paragon was lame in gw1 and i wanted something more exciting for the guard. but maybe they’ll surprise me later this week

Seyta Hamon.8071:

Am I the only one who doesn’t want the spec to be called Paragon? If they use it then the original Paragon class is permanently locked out if Anet ever expands into Elona. Personally I am hoping for the name top be “Exemplar”

I think the chances of them adding any more professions after the Revenant are very slim anyway. We have 3 of each armor class now and there is not a whole lot of room left to be filled, either thematically or role-wise. Besides, Anet has stated that they will continue to add elite specializations in the future. So whether or not the Guardian gets an elite specialization called paragon, there will probably not be an actual paragon profession.

personally im hoping for the name Valkyrie

On a slight side note, all these mentions of the paragon’s spear has got me thinking… Don’t some Tengu you meet carry spears? If we get a new race next expansion, and that race happens to be Tengu, that could be a cool time to drop in a new weapon or two.

It looks good * – *

Eirian Direstorm.9748:

Is that a bow, or a bat’leth?

Wish it were a bat’leth

shadowfanatik.5160:

personally im hoping for the name Valkyrie

Too sex specific…

Am I the only one thinking it’s neither support or dps?

oh god, please no, dont bring this paragon junk back…
They offered already in GW1 absolutely nothing new, what other classes couldn’t have done/ or did even better…
They never fitted into the game really, they had the most boring armor design of all classes…. their gameplay screamed after being wannabe angelic bards that have no place in the lore of this game, because in Tyria exists no heaven nor a hell, so also not angels and devils.

Please be more original than this Anet and just don’t recycle old junk…please let it be everything possible, but not paragons >.>

Anthems, Hymns, Arias and such stuff is something for real bards, something, that fits by design also to Bard and not heavy armored wannabe angels. gameplay elements liek them would I expect under the next Mesmer Elite Specialization, because Music and Singing is about INSPIRATION and nothing of that belongs to the Guardian but to the Mesmer…

You know, why compared to this the Chronomancer for the Mesmer is so perfect?

Because,

• its unique
• it fits to the style and theme of the Main Profession it originated from and clearly looks like a Progression and not like a step back to the rotten roots of 250 years ago
• it is no old recycled junk and something from GW1 that got scrapped because it had no place in GW2 due to all of its mechanics being simply mergable into the typical base classes of a game
• it is able to give an already existing gameplay mechanic of an other Class a new twist to let that mechanic work for them differently, but I don’t see the Guardian Elite Spec with Banners working anyhow super differently than Warriors, nor is it very creative to go on that route now to just recycle gameplay mechanics only from other classes to give them in a different way to the Elite Specializations. Would be very lame, when Elite Specialization could be alot more interesting via adding also completely new gameplay elements to the game to make them more unique and fun to experimentate with them something completely new also over that, what we know for now already since 3 years basically.

sigh, just disappointed to see this, absoutely have expected something alot better, than this if this silly paragon prediction becomes true.

Please name it after something, that can be taken as a profession.
Paragon is no profession, its just a noun for being someone, where other people look up to someone and strive to become like this person, because that person is good in something, or did something very well and other people try to become as good in something like that person, so person X is a paragon for them…

You know, like parents are naturally paragons for their childs while they grow up, or where your older sister/brother can be a paragon for you, because he/she is very successful in their job and you want to become so successful also too..so you see in your sister/brother being a paragon for you strivign to become same as succesful like her/him

God in heaven, give the elite specializations please proper names and not immersion breaking stuff that is completely out of context.
You know, something like

• Crusader
• Patron
• Warden
• Keeper
• Custodian

Something, that actually sounds, like its a real job, that you have to learn and master like the other professions

/endrant and letting steam off
….

I surprisingly feel better now xD

PS: wohoo, I’m not the only one here, who absolutely doesn’t want it to be named Paragon High Five to Seyta
However, Exemplar is just the same, its just another typical English synonym, which exactly means the same like Paragon, so I personalyl would rule Exemplar also out, because its simply out of context for something that should be a profession.

Conncept.7638:

Betting the guardian-blue wings are going to be the item from their reward track, like the shoulders were for the mesmer.

Helmet in picture is one we already have. Shoulders we don’t really get a good look at. Gauntlets seem to be new, though I could be wrong. I doubt they’d do back piece, but could be wrong.

Manuhell.2759:

Either Paragon or Seraph/Seraphim*, i would say.

*due of the multiple pairs of wings

Seraph is already in game, as one of the human military branches. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Seraph

Hmm…winged longbow Guardian spec…

Obviously the Paragon is strong with this one, but I don’t know as there’s enough separate identity left in the skein of ideas they pulled apart that used to be the Paragon to make a new elite spec from. The Paragon was billed as a heavy-armor party leader with holy powers (hinted at via their admittedly awesome phantom-wings animations) and a focus on vocal abilities. The base Guardian…is a heavy-armor party leader with actual straight-up holy powers and access to vocal abilities. Short the spear – which we’re not getting – all the Guardian lacked is a strong ranged option. And…well, Longbow.

I don’t think the Guard spec will be ‘Paragon’ because the Guardian’s already eaten most of the ‘Paragon’ concept/role. Oh, they may use the term ‘Paragon’, but I doubt it’d be much more than a cheeky callout to the original class, not a serious attempt to recreate a Paragon facsimile in GW2. Heh, they’ve already done that.

As for skill type…hmm. Banners are a possibility, but Guard and Warr are already distressingly similar in a lot of ways. They would be a good fit for a backrow support character, though…hmm. I could almost see Spirits, but realistically there’s not much conceptual difference between Spirits and Banners. A stationary AoE buff fountain is a stationary AoE buff fountain, and in neither case is gameplay around the things usually very interesting. Conjures occur to me as something a Guardian elite spec might be able to work with, but Elementalist conjures are in a dicey place as it is, and also Spirit Weapons.

A lot of other classes’ special skill lines are basically grab bags of random skills appropriate for the class archetype which the devs gathered together for traits with no real unifying identity – Deceptions and Tricks, Glamours/Manipulations, a few others. Some stuff just flat isn’t fit for a Guardian – Venoms and Corruptions just don’t work on a holy warrior, though mechanically both could be thematically repurposed to work. Just couldn’t call them Venoms or Corruptions, which kinna defeats the point. So between skill lines with no real identity, skill lines that require mechanics the Guard doesn’t have (Glyphs), and skill lines that run counter to the purpose of a righteous paladin, we lose at least three quarters of the game’s skill options.

Someone pointed out in a Banshee speculation thread that Elixirs aren’t necessarily exclusive to Engineers, but without toolbelt thrown skills Elixirs aren’t good party support, and party support is pretty much the core of what the Guard does. Turrets…well for one, you’d have to create random magic turrets because Guardians don’t do wrenches, for two once again Spirit Weapons, and for three no. Same for most of the rest of the Engineer’s stuff, really.

Man, this stuff is hard. So many of the skill categories in the game are either profession-exclusive by fundamental mechanics or just don’t work as skill categories. We’ll have to see what comes of the Bowdian, I suppose.

(Arch(er)angel?)

I hope it’s a paragon. It’s already established profession in GW universe and it would be interesting to know how this profession evolved from its origins.

Manuhell.2759:

Either Paragon or Seraph/Seraphim*, i would say.

*due of the multiple pairs of wings

The game already has “Seraph,” and they are specifically the human military. I’m pretty sure the profession won’t be named something with that amount of confusion potential.

I think the wings may just be artistic license, or a blue shading of the current black wings.

Long bow … I’m so torn which one to put on my sylvari guardian. Though Chaos and White Hart are looking best to me right now, there’s a few good ones for her. Opinions? (I don’t have the last two, so it would take major effort to get them).

Herald would be a cool name, but that would make more sense if the new weapon was a warhorn.

I see many are on the Paragon bandwagon as well as some completely against it. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out.

I also notice a lot of names being used from existing words. Well technically, Chronomancer is a made up word so why not another? I thought Arcwing or Archwing might be a cool name for a specialization.

Leo G.4501:

I see many are on the Paragon bandwagon as well as some completely against it. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out.

I also notice a lot of names being used from existing words. Well technically, Chronomancer is a made up word so why not another? I thought Arcwing or Archwing might be a cool name for a specialization.

Chronomancer was actually planned for the original Guild Wars: Utopia expansion. It got canned when they decided to work on GW2 instead. So considering that Druid and Chronomancer both have roots in GW1, it isn’t a stretch to assume most, if not all, elite specializations will come from GW1 lore in one way or another.

Exemplar also exist on the Lore. The Exemplar that appears on the books is part of the Tyrian elite forces, working directly for king Baede and his kitten of a son Edair. She was clearly NOT A GUARDIAN: a ubber sensual and snakey woman that controlled the crown through subterfuge and charisma. And an incredibly powerful Necromancer…

I actually dont want it to be Paragon. I want something new. Not Paragon no offense. didnt like the theme attached to them in GW1, on my guardian.

Ardid.7203:

Exemplar also exist on the Lore. The Exemplar that appears on the books is part of the Tyrian elite forces, working directly for king Baede and his kitten of a son Edair. She was clearly NOT A GUARDIAN: a ubber sensual and snakey woman that controlled the crown through subterfuge and charisma. And an incredibly powerful Necromancer…

I assume you mean Livia. True she is/was a necro. Exemplar (and Master Exemplar) is a rank in the Shining Blade, currently the rank is held by Countess Anise (Mesmer), Mehid (Guardian), Salia (Warrior), and Talie (unspecified). While it is a bit of a stretch in the lore I think the term fits better than the Paragon

I like the idea of Mantras as their new skill type. It would sound better as Chants or Prayers, but I guess Mantras fit.

Seyta Hamon.8071:

Am I the only one who doesn’t want the spec to be called Paragon? If they use it then the original Paragon class is permanently locked out if Anet ever expands into Elona. Personally I am hoping for the name top be “Exemplar”

Even though I loved Paragons in Nightfall (Mained one and never touched dervish lol) I too don’t want a Paragon specialization for the Guardian. The last thing I want is more shouts, they have already included that part of paragon’s playstyle.

We want what they currently don’t offer right? Mesmer’s specialization looks awesome as they pumped it full of AoEs, something Mesmers currently don’t have. Besides, if you really wanted to connect the two, just go grind a Champ Paragon title :>

YES. So glad its going to be Guardian this week. My Guardian uses crystal themed weapons, and I’ve had an achievement chest to claim a Zenith weapon on my screen for months now waiting for the Guardian’s weapon to get confirmed so I could claim the matching Zenith skin to use. I just want that darned bouncing chest gone >.>. I mean, I know there was speculation of it being a bow from datamining and possibly an eagle-eyed segment of the initial HoT trailer, but I’m waiting for it to be 100% confirmed for sure, especially since there are two types of bow.

Also nice that its a spec we don’t know (much) about. We had already seen Chronomancer in action somewhat in the reveal trailer, this one is going to be a bit newer and more unknown.

Glad we’re getting another spec this week too. I was half expecting them to throw Chronomancer at us and then go another couple of weeks before showing more, which would have been a bummer.

You can almost smell the price of charged lodestones exploding.

Orpheal.8263:

oh god, please no, dont bring this paragon junk back…
They offered already in GW1 absolutely nothing new, what other classes couldn’t have done/ or did even better…
They never fitted into the game really, they had the most boring armor design of all classes…. their gameplay screamed after being wannabe angelic bards that have no place in the lore of this game, because in Tyria exists no heaven nor a hell, so also not angels and devils.

Please be more original than this Anet and just don’t recycle old junk…please let it be everything possible, but not paragons >.>

Anthems, Hymns, Arias and such stuff is something for real bards, something, that fits by design also to Bard and not heavy armored wannabe angels. gameplay elements liek them would I expect under the next Mesmer Elite Specialization, because Music and Singing is about INSPIRATION and nothing of that belongs to the Guardian but to the Mesmer…

You know, why compared to this the Chronomancer for the Mesmer is so perfect?

Because,

• its unique
• it fits to the style and theme of the Main Profession it originated from and clearly looks like a Progression and not like a step back to the rotten roots of 250 years ago
• it is no old recycled junk and something from GW1 that got scrapped because it had no place in GW2 due to all of its mechanics being simply mergable into the typical base classes of a game
• it is able to give an already existing gameplay mechanic of an other Class a new twist to let that mechanic work for them differently, but I don’t see the Guardian Elite Spec with Banners working anyhow super differently than Warriors, nor is it very creative to go on that route now to just recycle gameplay mechanics only from other classes to give them in a different way to the Elite Specializations. Would be very lame, when Elite Specialization could be alot more interesting via adding also completely new gameplay elements to the game to make them more unique and fun to experimentate with them something completely new also over that, what we know for now already since 3 years basically.

sigh, just disappointed to see this, absoutely have expected something alot better, than this if this silly paragon prediction becomes true.

Please name it after something, that can be taken as a profession.
Paragon is no profession, its just a noun for being someone, where other people look up to someone and strive to become like this person, because that person is good in something, or did something very well and other people try to become as good in something like that person, so person X is a paragon for them…

You know, like parents are naturally paragons for their childs while they grow up, or where your older sister/brother can be a paragon for you, because he/she is very successful in their job and you want to become so successful also too..so you see in your sister/brother being a paragon for you strivign to become same as succesful like her/him

God in heaven, give the elite specializations please proper names and not immersion breaking stuff that is completely out of context.
You know, something like

• Crusader
• Patron
• Warden
• Keeper
• Custodian

Something, that actually sounds, like its a real job, that you have to learn and master like the other professions

/endrant and letting steam off
….

I surprisingly feel better now xD

PS: wohoo, I’m not the only one here, who absolutely doesn’t want it to be named Paragon High Five to Seyta
However, Exemplar is just the same, its just another typical English synonym, which exactly means the same like Paragon, so I personalyl would rule Exemplar also out, because its simply out of context for something that should be a profession.

I just wanted to say… HAVE YOU READ THE CLASSES NAME?! GUAAARRRDIANNN. It’s name means “One who guards”. Paragon, “a person or thing viewed as a model of excellence”. Cmon…

EDIT: Custodian is a janitor. I don’t want to be a magical Janitor..

With my Guardian main Warleader being named “Nike Goddess of War” I am naturally pleased to see the spirit wings.

…And would gleefully slaughter nations of mobs to get the Paragon’s “Obsidian” armor translated into GW2. Several of the Paragon armor sets are just so elegant.

Nike.2631:

You can almost smell the price of charged lodestones exploding.

For the ghost slaying potions, right?

If by ‘ghost slaying potions’ you mean the ‘Gift of Light’ to craft Azureflame, then yeah, absolutely .

PFFFFFF Bow…………

I hope it’s not just a guardian that shoots buff areas.

Daegony.3604:

I like the idea of Mantras as their new skill type. It would sound better as Chants or Prayers, but I guess Mantras fit.

I agree, they may not be my favorite gameplay wise, but mantras fit with the guardian quite well, possibly better then they do with the mesmer. With meditation being a staple for the guardian, mantras would definitely be a logical addiction to there skills. Not a whole lot of skill types fit with the gaurdian, mantras seem to fit just perfectly

Paragon seems likely, but I’d prefer they go with something White Mantle…
May not seem like something we’d embrace, but I’m sure there’s a way to spin it.

Justiciar, Confessor, etc…

The longbow will have 5 knockback skills that are only usable in PvE, and only when the enemy mob is perfectly positioned. The elite specialisation shall be called Ranger+.

Mantras anyone?

Could be a fitting skill type, just give them slightly different mechanics and a couple of supporting traits in the traitline and it could work.

Edit: Mind you, if it’s a longbow, then the only cross class thing that makes sense is with warrior or ranger – could be banners then, or maybe stances?