Q:
Specialisations and old weapons.
Will specialisations be able to wield old weapons?
Mesmers are only going to get a shield off-hand. Do you believe the mesmer specialization will only have two weapon skills?
And if they are able to, will the weapon skills be the same?
In the last years since release, how many skills has ArenaNet added to the game? How many skills do you really think they are going to add in the expansion?
Will specialisations be able to wield old weapons?
Mesmers are only going to get a shield off-hand. Do you believe the mesmer specialization will only have two weapon skills?
And if they are able to, will the weapon skills be the same?
In the last years since release, how many skills has ArenaNet added to the game? How many skills do you really think they are going to add in the expansion?
Thanks for the answer!
Specializations aren’t just the new weapon for the profession. It also adds a new trait line, gives a new class mechanic, new utilities and an elite. It’s a lot more than just a few new weapon skills.
How i think specialization should work:
Take Elementalist as example.
By Specializing, the Elementalist become the Hamstormancer. They lose the whole Arcana Trait line, which is replaced by a completely new trait line. The Hamstormancer can equip Swords as their main weapon, but they retain the use of Attunements.
New traits need to be added, and they are likely going to be added as a new trait line. Considering that it is unlikely for Elementalist to lose any other trait line(Fire/Water/Air/Earth Magic), it is likely they will lose Arcana. It also makes sense that only Elementalists should have Arcana, and by becoming a Hamstormancer, you lose Arcana and gain a new trait line.
In the Ranger’s case, it also makes sense that only Rangers should have access to Beast Mastery. Of course, Druids get to keep their pet, but they lose Beast Mastery, and gain a new trait line in Earth Prayers. They also get a new weapon, the Staff.
Only Mesmers should have Illusions. If you become a Chronomancer, you should get something like Time Magic instead.
This way, the base professions remain worthwhile. Just consider your Elementalist without Evasive Arcana, or your Guardian without Absolute Resolution. By specializing, you would lose those great traits, but gain a new weapon, a new trait line and new skills. So this makes you consider to not specialize if you want to keep those traits.
This will allow the base professions to remain competitive as it brings choice to the players whether they should specialize or not. We would gain a lot of diversity(18 professions) in this way, compared to everyone specializing(9 specialized professions).
The Revenant would work the same way. By specializing, they are not Revenants anymore, so they would lose Invocation(Legend Channeling trait line) and gain a new trait line, with a new Legend as well.
Considering that Revenants are to have 5 trait lines, people have speculated that there will be 4 Legends(1 for each line), and 1 Profession trait line. But datamined source found 5 Legends. The last Legend(Shiro Tagachi) is likely to come through specialization only, replacing the profession trait line(Invocation).
(edited by Turtle Dragon.9241)
Will specialisations be able to wield old weapons? And if they are able to, will the weapon skills be the same? Can someone enlighten me? Please.
+ I will add on, based on datamined information that can change at any moment.
From what we see from the Elementalist Specialization, you still keep your parent class weapon skills, to go along with your Specialization’s new weapon.
The main Trait Tree (the last tree on the bottom) will likely change due to mechanics changing,
Also Specializations get their own Utility skills unique to them, and heals and elites. But also can use SOME of the parent classes skills as well.
Specializations aren’t just the new weapon for the profession. It also adds a new trait line, gives a new class mechanic, new utilities and an elite. It’s a lot more than just a few new weapon skills.
They actually have not elaborated on this.
I doubt however that it will be a new trait line along side the old ones.
If it was it could become seriously unbalanced, imagine a thief being able to double dip into ferocity & critical chance from traits.
I imagine it will be a new trait line that uses points unlocked from something else.
Speculating now that I’ve read more about people’s opinion and because the deadline for speculation is running out:
Mesmer: Will be getting shield. Since it’s an off-hand, that means they will definitely be getting 2 new skills. It’s been stated, specializations with fewer new skills will likely be compensated in some way. This is why I think that the shield specialization for Mesmer will likely alter not only the profession mechanic, but the skills that also involve said mechanic. Instead of skills that create illusions and clones, they will do something else, perhaps create distortions in time at a specific spot on around a specific target. This means:
- Utility skills that create clones or illusions (Mirror Image, Decoy, Phantasmal Disenchanter/Defender) will be replaced with some kind of time/space skills.
- The heal skill, Ether Feast, will be replaced since this heal’s effect is determined by clone/illusions active.
- The trait line, Illusions, will be replaced.
- Skills/traits that work on/with shatters, clones and illusions might be altered to encompass ‘time distortions’ or whatever the new specialization will get so they can have use with both specializations.
- Traits that create clones/illusions will remain in-tact, but will be over-written with whatever the specialization gets.
Notes- It’s actually a lot of change for just a shield off-hand, but again, it’s not about the number of skills, but the class mechanic.
Druid: Ranger will be getting staff so 5 new skills for the Druid specialization.
- I have a feeling the Druid will lose the ability to swap pets (they’ll only have 1) and lose the ability to fine command their pet (they’ll be able to tell it to attack a target or stop, that’s it). Their other two options (to use the special or to swap pets) is replaced by something else.
- They will instead be able to infuse power into their single pet and they’ll have more options to bolster that pet but once the power is expended, the pet requires another bout of power to continue.
- Beastmastery will be replaced by a more support-ish trait line that is aimed to help the Druid combo with their pet better using infusions and such.
- Not sure what set of skills Druid would lose but it’s possible it might be either Shouts or Spirits, and I’m leaning toward Spirits which would mean Water Spirit would be replaced with another heal.
Necromancer: Not going to lie, don’t know much about Necro as I’m waiting for a new race to roll my Necro. But they’re getting 5 new skills from Greatsword in their specialization.
- Since they get 5 new skills, I bet their class mechanic would stay relatively the same, just with a different effect than their Lich form (perhaps just a different form).
- They will lose either Wells or Minions as their utility skills, either or they will lose the Blood Fiend heal skill.
- I have a feeling their specialization will focus on self defense/offense.
Elementalist: Have had the most questions about them. They may only get a main-hand or off-hand but they will still get a lot of skills regardless because their profession mechanic, Attunements, will remain the same. But they will also have the profession mechanic that ‘hits’ them for the prize they get, i.e., there will be a ‘cost’ to swap attunements or to gain the full effect. To some, it might feel like the only specialization to feel ‘nerfed’ but in actuality, it will simply be a ‘different’ way to play.
- They will of course lose the Arcane trait line and set of utilities (including the heal, Arcane Brilliance).
- Since Arcane are either attunement neutral or reliant, perhaps Elementalist’s new feature will be primarily reliant on building up elemental power within an attunement and unleashing it. Rather than gaining bonuses by rapidly swapping attunements or dependent on your attunement, you instead get accumulating bonuses for that attunement for staying in it longer or ‘charging’ it and/or transferring that accumulated power to another attunement (like accumulated power in fire can transfer to earth, earth to water, water to air and air to fire) allowing you to focus on a particular element of your choosing by using another element to help power it.
(edited by Leo G.4501)
Speculating now that I’ve read more about people’s opinion and because the deadline for speculation is running out:
Mesmer: Will be getting shield. Since it’s an off-hand, that means they will definitely be getting 2 new skills. It’s been stated, specializations with fewer new skills will likely be compensated in some way. This is why I think that the shield specialization for Mesmer will likely alter not only the profession mechanic, but the skills that also involve said mechanic. Instead of skills that create illusions and clones, they will do something else, perhaps create distortions in time at a specific spot on around a specific target. This means:
- Utility skills that create clones or illusions (Mirror Image, Decoy, Phantasmal Disenchanter/Defender) will be replaced with some kind of time/space skills.
- The heal skill, Ether Feast, will be replaced since this heal’s effect is determined by clone/illusions active.
- The trait line, Illusions, will be replaced.
- Skills/traits that work on/with shatters, clones and illusions might be altered to encompass ‘time distortions’ or whatever the new specialization will get so they can have use with both specializations.
- Traits that create clones/illusions will remain in-tact, but will be over-written with whatever the specialization gets.
Notes- It’s actually a lot of change for just a shield off-hand, but again, it’s not about the number of skills, but the class mechanic.
Druid: Ranger will be getting staff so 5 new skills for the Druid specialization.
- I have a feeling the Druid will lose the ability to swap pets (they’ll only have 1) and lose the ability to fine command their pet (they’ll be able to tell it to attack a target or stop, that’s it). Their other two options (to use the special or to swap pets) is replaced by something else.
- They will instead be able to infuse power into their single pet and they’ll have more options to bolster that pet but once the power is expended, the pet requires another bout of power to continue.
- Beastmastery will be replaced by a more support-ish trait line that is aimed to help the Druid combo with their pet better using infusions and such.
- Not sure what set of skills Druid would lose but it’s possible it might be either Shouts or Spirits, and I’m leaning toward Spirits which would mean Water Spirit would be replaced with another heal.
Necromancer: Not going to lie, don’t know much about Necro as I’m waiting for a new race to roll my Necro. But they’re getting 5 new skills from Greatsword in their specialization.
- Since they get 5 new skills, I bet their class mechanic would stay relatively the same, just with a different effect than their Lich form (perhaps just a different form).
- They will lose either Wells or Minions as their utility skills, either or they will lose the Blood Fiend heal skill.
- I have a feeling their specialization will focus on self defense/offense.
Elementalist: Have had the most questions about them. They may only get a main-hand or off-hand but they will still get a lot of skills regardless because their profession mechanic, Attunements, will remain the same. But they will also have the profession mechanic that ‘hits’ them for the prize they get, i.e., there will be a ‘cost’ to swap attunements or to gain the full effect. To some, it might feel like the only specialization to feel ‘nerfed’ but in actuality, it will simply be a ‘different’ way to play.
- They will of course lose the Arcane trait line and set of utilities (including the heal, Arcane Brilliance).
- Since Arcane are either attunement neutral or reliant, perhaps Elementalist’s new feature will be primarily reliant on building up elemental power within an attunement and unleashing it. Rather than gaining bonuses by rapidly swapping attunements or dependent on your attunement, you instead get accumulating bonuses for that attunement for staying in it longer or ‘charging’ it and/or transferring that accumulated power to another attunement (like accumulated power in fire can transfer to earth, earth to water, water to air and air to fire) allowing you to focus on a particular element of your choosing by using another element to help power it.
If you watch the interview that was done with angry joe they specifically said that you won’t lose access to anything when you specialize. You just gain access to new stuff.
That doesn’t rule out some abilities not scaling as well however, you just won’t lose access to them.
Speculating now that I’ve read more about people’s opinion and because the deadline for speculation is running out:
Mesmer: Will be getting shield. Since it’s an off-hand, that means they will definitely be getting 2 new skills. It’s been stated, specializations with fewer new skills will likely be compensated in some way. This is why I think that the shield specialization for Mesmer will likely alter not only the profession mechanic, but the skills that also involve said mechanic. Instead of skills that create illusions and clones, they will do something else, perhaps create distortions in time at a specific spot on around a specific target. This means:
- Utility skills that create clones or illusions (Mirror Image, Decoy, Phantasmal Disenchanter/Defender) will be replaced with some kind of time/space skills.
- The heal skill, Ether Feast, will be replaced since this heal’s effect is determined by clone/illusions active.
- The trait line, Illusions, will be replaced.
- Skills/traits that work on/with shatters, clones and illusions might be altered to encompass ‘time distortions’ or whatever the new specialization will get so they can have use with both specializations.
- Traits that create clones/illusions will remain in-tact, but will be over-written with whatever the specialization gets.
Notes- It’s actually a lot of change for just a shield off-hand, but again, it’s not about the number of skills, but the class mechanic.
Druid: Ranger will be getting staff so 5 new skills for the Druid specialization.
- I have a feeling the Druid will lose the ability to swap pets (they’ll only have 1) and lose the ability to fine command their pet (they’ll be able to tell it to attack a target or stop, that’s it). Their other two options (to use the special or to swap pets) is replaced by something else.
- They will instead be able to infuse power into their single pet and they’ll have more options to bolster that pet but once the power is expended, the pet requires another bout of power to continue.
- Beastmastery will be replaced by a more support-ish trait line that is aimed to help the Druid combo with their pet better using infusions and such.
- Not sure what set of skills Druid would lose but it’s possible it might be either Shouts or Spirits, and I’m leaning toward Spirits which would mean Water Spirit would be replaced with another heal.
Necromancer: Not going to lie, don’t know much about Necro as I’m waiting for a new race to roll my Necro. But they’re getting 5 new skills from Greatsword in their specialization.
- Since they get 5 new skills, I bet their class mechanic would stay relatively the same, just with a different effect than their Lich form (perhaps just a different form).
- They will lose either Wells or Minions as their utility skills, either or they will lose the Blood Fiend heal skill.
- I have a feeling their specialization will focus on self defense/offense.
Elementalist: Have had the most questions about them. They may only get a main-hand or off-hand but they will still get a lot of skills regardless because their profession mechanic, Attunements, will remain the same. But they will also have the profession mechanic that ‘hits’ them for the prize they get, i.e., there will be a ‘cost’ to swap attunements or to gain the full effect. To some, it might feel like the only specialization to feel ‘nerfed’ but in actuality, it will simply be a ‘different’ way to play.
- They will of course lose the Arcane trait line and set of utilities (including the heal, Arcane Brilliance).
- Since Arcane are either attunement neutral or reliant, perhaps Elementalist’s new feature will be primarily reliant on building up elemental power within an attunement and unleashing it. Rather than gaining bonuses by rapidly swapping attunements or dependent on your attunement, you instead get accumulating bonuses for that attunement for staying in it longer or ‘charging’ it and/or transferring that accumulated power to another attunement (like accumulated power in fire can transfer to earth, earth to water, water to air and air to fire) allowing you to focus on a particular element of your choosing by using another element to help power it.
If you watch the interview that was done with angry joe they specifically said that you won’t lose access to anything when you specialize. You just gain access to new stuff.
That doesn’t rule out some abilities not scaling as well however, you just won’t lose access to them.
When he says that, he states it in the context of being able to switch between the base class and the specialisation just by getting out of combat. Implying that you lose access to those things while in the specialisation, but never permanently, as you can just immediately swap back afterwards.
[/quote]
When he says that, he states it in the context of being able to switch between the base class and the specialisation just by getting out of combat. Implying that you lose access to those things while in the specialisation, but never permanently, as you can just immediately swap back afterwards.[/quote]
Watched it several times. Really could be taken either way.
Until they further elaborate on specializations I wouldn’t assume anything.
I think Geo’s speculation was well thought out and sounds logical. I think the best way for them to have an out of combat switch between specializations would be to let them swap out their last trait line. And if they are going to make certain utility skills exclusive to the base class it will probably be the ones that their profession mechanic trait line and mechanic modifies. They should also make one of the heals specialization specific. So:
Mesmers: Illusion and Phantasm Skills and Ether Feast/Signet
Rangers: Shouts and Heal as One (was originally a pet skill in gw1 anyways)
Thief: Trickery and Withdraw (it should have been a trick anyways)
Engineer: Gadgets
Elementalist: Arcane
Guardian: Consecrations and Shelter (Shelter should have been a consecration anyways)
Warrior: Hard to say as their profession mechanic trait line isn’t all that tied to a utility set…signets? and Healing Surge (their mechanic is changing so they shouldn’t need the adrenaline based heal)
Necromancer: I think necromancer is the hardest to speculate as I think that the set of skills that is uniquely for necromancers and should not be available to it’s specilization is minion skills which isnt modified by their profession mechanic trait line. And admittedly spectrals which is modified by the profession mechanic trait line doesn’t even work with the necromancer death shroud mechanic so it would probably be better if it belonged to their specialization[spoiler] (what with Marjory’s greatsword holding the spirit of her dead sister in it)[/spoiler]
Of course it would be nice if they modified some weapon skills if they are going to have us swap out our profession mechanic trait line. For example, I play condi mesmer; my scepter 3 skill, confusing images, is going to be fairly nerfed if they take away the traits in the Illusion trait line that modify confusion. Actually, the scepter in general will be fairly nerfed without the illusion trait line…all it’s good for is summoning clones and inflicting confusion. This is just one instance where it would be in the games best interest if they modified some weapon skills for the specialization.
Watched it several times. Really could be taken either way.
Until they further elaborate on specializations I wouldn’t assume anything.
it’s not assuming, it’s logical thinking… specializations are supposed to get new trait line, they are also supposed to be horizontal change, not vertical progression… this directly implies that if they will get new trait line, they must lose one of existing trait lines to have a free space for new one, there is no other option…
If you watch the interview that was done with angry joe they specifically said that you won’t lose access to anything when you specialize. You just gain access to new stuff.
That doesn’t rule out some abilities not scaling as well however, you just won’t lose access to them.
I haven’t watched his interview, I will when I get time tho, thanks.
I’m not too sure about the whole “not losing anything” part. It has been stated in multiple sources and during PAX south that the specializations are horizontal progress of your character and not a requirement to get stronger. If all the specialization did was add onto the base profession, that = stonger than the base profession. The current professions aren’t suppose to be replace by their specializations.
If they do, in fact, keep all their utilities and skills that still doesn’t touch on the fact their profession mechanic will be altered in some fashion. I don’t know if any of the remaining skills will change but regarding the OP’s question, I do think the specializations will retain access to their old weapons, perhaps with the stipulation of losing access to one of them or being “locked into” their specialized weapon with only the weapon swap as free to swap around…
Which says something about the Elementalist specialization. Would it be off if the elementalist specialization could ONLY equip a sword in the main-hand and you only had the option of selecting the off-hand? Perhaps that is how they’ll change the profession mechanic…it’d be a lot easier to do if the specialization was locked into a certain weapon.
And thinking about it, I completely forgot about Engineer T_T I’ll have to write that up in a continued speculation post.