Guild Wars 2

seems like they only enhance your class traits instead of changing them, and the increase in power is pretty meaningful.

Trying to think of a case of why not to use one so far.

(I checked to see if there was a thread on this, surprisingly I can’t find one!)

Windsagio.1340:

seems like they only enhance your class traits instead of changing them, and the increase in power is pretty meaningful.

Trying to think of a case of why not to use one so far.

(I checked to see if there was a thread on this, surprisingly I can’t find one!)

I think so, the key is in the title. They’re supposed to be specializations, they won’t fit every build and they do replace things. For example, the active effects for guardians are replaced on the dragonhunter so you can’t support your team in the same way by spreading those virtues. I’m not sure if mesmers lose anything but perhaps they will be getting a generic F5 that will be replaced by the chronomancer and just because they gain something doesn’t mean that something will be more meaningful for all builds than not taking the specialization.

in the guardian case, as far as I can tell the new ones are just the old ones but better;

They keep their passives, but while taking a bit more work, have much more effective actives.

mesmer is similar.

Windsagio.1340:

in the guardian case, as far as I can tell the new ones are just the old ones but better;

They keep their passives, but while taking a bit more work, have much more effective actives.

mesmer is similar.

The dragonhunter’s actives are more offensive and no longer spread the boons and such around so support builds that depend on them won’t work with the specialization.

Kyban.4031:

Windsagio.1340:

in the guardian case, as far as I can tell the new ones are just the old ones but better;

They keep their passives, but while taking a bit more work, have much more effective actives.

mesmer is similar.

The dragonhunter’s actives are more offensive and no longer spread the boons and such around so support builds that depend on them won’t work with the specialization.

That’s a mistake;

f1 is more focused, but still hits multiple, and has increased effect and range
f2 is the old f2 + an optional leap (no evidence you can’t point blank it)
f3 is the one case, it depends on the nature of the ‘shield’. The description implies it works similarly to aegis to people under its coverage as compared to working like a reflect wall.

Your build requires something from 3 different non elite specs? :P

It’s fairly simple. When the benefit from combining 3 base outweighs the benefit you get baseline from the specialization, and you don’t plan on using that weapon or utilities. This will likely happen more times than you’d think.

They could always add a Pure class baseline boost though. For anyone with 3 base specializations they gain some sort of baseline effect, couldn’t hurt, but I really doubt it’ll be necessary for people to still run baseline builds.

The main reason is that the specialization trait line will be almost certainly focused on the things it specializes in. Fro guard that means it will be a whole bunch of trap and LB traits… if you don’t want to use traps or the LB then you probably will be better off not taking it.

I’m not expert on Mesmer or Guardian (especially so for Guardian), so I can’t say anything for certain. However, I do predict a PvP Ranger build that isn’t likely to use the Druid specialisation. With everything still up in the air, this is subject to change, but it’s getting a lot of discussion over on the Ranger forums.

Remorseless Greatsword overview:
Key traits:
– Beastmastery: Two-Handed Training (GS hits grant fury, reduced cooldowns)
– Marksmanship: Remorseless (fury refreshes opening strike (guaranteed crit + vuln))
Variants:
– Wilderness Survival: Survival of the fittest (Fury, CDR and condi cleanse with survival skills)
– Skirmishing: Quickdraw (Opening Strike Maul you twice) and furious grip (fury on weapon swap)

Druid would have to give more fury procs and defence than Survival of the Fittest on the Wilderness Survival Variant or, more likely, the fury doesn’t refresh the pet’s opening strike and beastmastery isn’t all that useful. For the Quickdraw variant, Druid would have to set-up a Double Maul better than Beastly Warden and a harder to dodge canine.

Good to see people still working to maintain the current classes. And I agree with a few here that the changes sound great, but the little things that will be changing will be where the truth of this Specs lie.

For example, Altruistic Healing won’t be as powerful on a DH as it is on a Guard.

Pitched Reason: “Being stuck with the name ‘Dragonhunter’ for your specialization.”

Genesis.8572:

Pitched Reason: “Being stuck with the name ‘Dragonhunter’ for your specialization.”

Plus kittening one.

Genesis.8572:

Pitched Reason: “Being stuck with the name ‘Dragonhunter’ for your specialization.”

I knew if we work at it long enough we’d come up with an unquestionable reason why a base-line class is best. +1

Windsagio.1340:

seems like they only enhance your class traits instead of changing them, and the increase in power is pretty meaningful.

Trying to think of a case of why not to use one so far.

(I checked to see if there was a thread on this, surprisingly I can’t find one!)

Of course because they want people to buy the xpac. Having said that the new abilities revealed as far are extremely unimaginative, all wells for mesmer, all traps for guardians.