Guild Wars 2

Specialization unlocks a new weapon type previously unusable by your profession. Engineers get hammers, Necromancers get greatswords, and Mesmers get a shield… Wait what? An offhand weapon?

From the perspective of weapon skills unlocked, don’t you think that specializations unlocking an offhand weapon is weak compared to unlocking 2hand weapons?

As Jon Peters mentioned specialisations with an off-hand weapon will get a kind of compensation. What this will be we have to find out.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2yh56f/more_dev_talk_from_pax/

For all we know the Chronomancer (or whatever its called) could potentially replace all the illusion-effects on weapon skills with special mechanics. That would be huge changes that definitely makes up for just having an offhand.

oh cool. thanks for the link

It may seem a bit weak but until we know what moves they actually have and figures we won’t fully know tbh I’m at peace with my mesmer only getting a shield if it comes to it but I do get what you mean, 2 slots vs 5. We will have to wait and see (:

Off hand specializations and one handed weapons may get extra utilities to compensate for the extra skills 2h weapons get.

I would like to know what you guys think the specializations will get as weapons and why.

The ones that are already confirmed or at least kind of certain are:
Necromancer: Greatsword
Mesmer: shield
Ranger: Staff
Engineer: Hammer

here are the ones I think the rest of them will get and why:
Warrior: Pistol(he has many weapons to choose from already and I doubt he will get any of those magical weapons. That and because there are many NPCs with heavy armor in game that wield a pistol)

Guardian: Longbow(it is the only weapon the guardian can summon as a spectral weapon, but not use for actual combat. That and Brahm, who kind of solved his mommy issues might pick up his mothers bow at some point)

Revenant: No speculation here, since we don’t even know the full array of his regular weapons yet, but for some reason I think the staff might be only usable when specialized).

Thief: I don’t have any base to speculate on here either, therefore I guess rifle, at least I can’t think of anything else.

Elementalist: I have no idea

In addition: Do you think that the classes that only got an offhand weapon announced(like the mesmer) will get an additional mainhand weapon so that they get 5 new skills to, or will those just have to deal with less new weaponskills?

Did we really need another specialization speculation thread?

In addition: Do you think that the classes that only got an offhand weapon announced(like the mesmer) will get an additional mainhand weapon so that they get 5 new skills to, or will those just have to deal with less new weaponskills?

No they will not, each specialization only gets a single weapon. However, it has been confirmed that those specializations that do not get a 2-handed weapon will get something extra. What that extra is is unknown.

Guardian’s longbow got confirmed in the recently released WvW video. Yay for longbows. :>

Fashion Mage.3712:

Guardian’s longbow got confirmed in the recently released WvW video. Yay for longbows. :>

REALLY!?!? Yisssss, finally!!! XD thx for the conformation ^^

Fashion Mage.3712:

Guardian’s longbow got confirmed in the recently released WvW video. Yay for longbows. :>

where did you saw that video? could you pls link it

lol .. that people always again bring up this nonsensical argument, that only because a class gets an offhand weapon, that it MUST be automatically worser than what others get.

In this braindead (sry when I say this word, but it is what this kind of complains feel to me) way of thinking today any normal??
Do people of today just think only with mathematics in their head first which tells them 5 v 2 new Skills, so the Specialization with only 2 new Skills on FIRST SIGHT must be automatically worser??? Ergh..NO?

Don’t you people think, that it is mostly obvious, that if a class receives on first sight lesser new skills, than an other specialization, that Anet might have GOOD REASONS for this decision???

1) Class Balancing
2) Will get in a different way more Skills, like through a change in the Class Mechanics (Hello there F-Skills!!! Long time no see… cough)
3) Will receive something different as compensation, like therefore more power/meaningful effective Traits under the Specialization
4) Other Weapons might not fit to the Specialization Theme…
5) or is the most fitting Weapon that currently exists as the better choice would eventually require to implement a complete new weapon type
6) Don#t forget the other already existign Weapons, because when you change to a Specialization, you don’t will suddenly forget how to use the other Weapons that you used already before as they surely will get with the Specialization also different Weapon Skills, or do you believe, that the Longbow Skills of the Ranger will still be the same, as like when you are a Druid??
Theoretically possible, but would it make much sense?? Not really, Thats Anet perfect chance to add new Weapon Skills for all existing weapons without alot of problems, just through Sub Class..ergh Specializations ^^
What i want to say with my last point is… we have already 8 Classres with different amount of Skills, did anybody complain about that until today ???

No, because people get/got used to that very quickly, that Classes like the Warrior, the Engineer or the Elementalist especially have the biggest amount of options of Skills in this Game, while other Classes liek the Thief, the Ranger or the Mesmer on the other hand have not so much choices.
Based on this fact, there will always be Classes, which have more Skill options, than others, because its the CLASS DESIGN which matters, not the total amount of Skills they have.

The mesmer forums have been arguing about this for much of the last couple of weeks. In broad terms, most mesmers are hoping that something good will come in the expansion, but the shield offhand has left a lot of us feeling very much doubting that the class will have anything decent happening in the expansion. While some (Chaos) keeps trying to ignite the flames of hope, others(Fay) are firmly convinced that a shield for mesmers is just a way for them to blow us off and not worry about doing anything good for this expansion.

For myself, I still have faith that anet may realize that ignoring an entire community is unwise and they will revisit the decision…

Seishiro.7468:

REALLY!?!? Yisssss, finally!!! XD

I feel the same way. :p

Ragnarox.9601:

Fashion Mage.3712:

Guardian’s longbow got confirmed in the recently released WvW video. Yay for longbows. :>

where did you saw that video? could you pls link it

http://gfycat.com/ImmaterialWhichEgret

From this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxjkQ8Tf7rE

Zarathustra.1458:

The mesmer forums have been arguing about this for much of the last couple of weeks. In broad terms, most mesmers are hoping that something good will come in the expansion, but the shield offhand has left a lot of us feeling very much doubting that the class will have anything decent happening in the expansion. While some (Chaos) keeps trying to ignite the flames of hope, others(Fay) are firmly convinced that a shield for mesmers is just a way for them to blow us off and not worry about doing anything good for this expansion.

For myself, I still have faith that anet may realize that ignoring an entire community is unwise and they will revisit the decision…

I came up already once with the same concept i think anet will go with with Chronomancers for GW2 together with Shields in an other similar complaint thread about Mesmers gettign with shields on first sight only 2 skills with the new weapon…

Again, please don’t forget, there exist also other weapons, which might be considered to add new Weapons skills, not just only the new Weapons that the Specialization adds.
it would be just weird, if a Specialization would do nothign else, than to add only 2-5 new Weapons Skilsl based on the new already existign weapon, when there are also other Weapons which don’t want to be forgotten.

The other point is, the Mesmer’s F-Mechanics easily allow it Anet to change the whole Shatter Gameplay of the mesmer with the change to the Chronomancer most likely to a new “Time Aspect” Gameplay in which the Chronomancer most likely, because it belongs theme wise to them, like butter on the bread, will be able to get control over the 4 aspects of Time Magic, which is the strongest form of Dominion and Chaos Magic together.

• Past
• Present
• Future
• Chaos

With that beign said, the Chronomancer is basically a Mesmer Specialization, that focuses on Dominion Magic and Chaos Magic to become able to control and bend time at will through manipulation of the very fabric of time and space itself, that is the illusion that lies in between the reality and the mists like a veil. (butterfly effect says hello..how what design was again the Mesmer..humm grubs? or no, were it perhaps butterflies?? ^^) with chromancers making alterations in there, which will change the past or the future after the chaos principle that is part of the theory behind the butterfly effect basically as much as I understand about it. But theme wise it just all would fit together so much

With such a change in the F-Skills, Anet can easily change all kinds of Weapon Skills also those 2 of the Shield and can make easily out of those 2 Skills directly 8 and instantly by this butterfly effect, the world does look mathematically instantly different again for all those little complainers out there

Just as said, its the Class Design that matters, not the amount of Skills on first sight that are newly added without knowing anything about new gameplay mechanics ect. that come along with the Chronomancer Specialization too.

Random speculation:

Perhaps the thief specialisation will be like sniper-camper style: with access to a rifle, a fair amount of stealth (esp. if they get a camouflage skill) but low mobility if steal gets replaced by something else.

The second-hand comment on classes with offhands getting something else sounds like there’ll be more than the mesmer specialisation getting an offhand. Elementalist is a possibility, they’re lacking a reason to play single-attunement, so maybe something like locked in-combat (or with huge recharge) attunement swap but with weapon swap added? Ele offhand… I guess warhorn is pretty magical.

Interesting mesmer discussion above.