Guild Wars 2

I guess our previous theory about the specs getting 2handed weapons having altered class abilities and the specs getting offhand weapons getting bonus class abilities was wrong. Thief gets a 2handed weapon, but doesn’t have a changed class mechanic, they just get An Extra Dodge, like how Mesmers, Warriors, Revenants, and Tempests get Extra Ability Buttons.

I guess Guardians and Necromancers were the only classes that really followed the design philosophy of elite specs as changing the class, rather than just upgrading it.

I was going to say they lose access to a traditional dodge in leiu of the custom dodges, but depending on how they function that may not be much of a loss. And I also realized as I was typing it that its entirely possible to just not pick a Grandmaster trait at all.

They also don’t gain all that much, though. So maybe its not so much the weapon but just how much is gained that determines whether its an addition or an alteration.