Guild Wars 2

I’m going to be downloading the client tonight, will probably get to play later this week… But I have a question for you regarding classes…

I enjoy playing tanks in MMOs. Now, from what I understand, this isn’t a standard MMO. But is there a place for a tank?

If there is a need for tanks, does race matter?

And lastly, if there isn’t such a thing, I’d really enjoy playing a DPS type. Any recommendations?

Nope, there’s no trinity here. So, there’s no real need for a dedicated tank. You can make any class built to survive, or you can make them built for damage (or a combination).

Race makes no difference in playing, other than racial skills (which are mostly useless).

Highest DPS classes would be elementalist, warrior, and thief. However, as I said above, any class can be set up for DPS. So, it’s really just up to what you like. I’d recommend picking a class or two and trying them out to see how you like them.

The game doesn’t have the “trinity” in the usual MMO sense. But if you like the feel of tanks, then probably the guardian profession is the closest thing i this game you will find. Guardians wear heavy armor, have a fair number of pretty strong defensive skills at their disposal, and are also great group buffers. They are also very much a melee-ranged class so if you are used to tanks in that sense, it might suit you quite well.

RoseofGilead.8907:

Highest DPS classes would be elementalist, warrior, and thief.

Warrior is 5th in term of dps, so nope. Engineer and Ranger have a higher dps than Warrior.

MeththeMadman.7420:

I’m going to be downloading the client tonight, will probably get to play later this week… But I have a question for you regarding classes…

I enjoy playing tanks in MMOs. Now, from what I understand, this isn’t a standard MMO. But is there a place for a tank?

If there is a need for tanks, does race matter?

And lastly, if there isn’t such a thing, I’d really enjoy playing a DPS type. Any recommendations?

Welcome to Guild Wars 2!

To answer your first question, there is no place for tanks in this game except for bunkering points in PvP. Additionally, Race is irrelevant in anything except your own preference for armors and animations.

You’re in luck! Every class is ideally a DPS class in GW2 for PvE. Now, some classes lean more towards being utility classes like Mesmers and are taken not for their damage, but for the shortcuts they can provide.

Elementalists and Thieves are the heaviest hitters. They will also be more challenging to play that some other classes. Elementalists also specialize in offensively buffing the group and providing AoE damage and offensive support. Thieves specialize in single target as well as providing AoE blinds and stealth support for a party.

Guardians have access to a lot of stability and projectile defense. Additionally, they can support the party with blocks, blinds, and protection. A Guardian would be for you if you enjoy providing heavy defensive party support. Unlike the Elementalist and the Warrior, the Guardian does not increase the party’s overall damage but rather reduces or negates damage taken allowing the party to benefit from their rune bonuses to deal more damage.

Rangers are actually very versatile. Because of their pets, Rangers can play very niche roles in tight situations. Additionally, Rangers bring a bit of everything to the table. They are expected to bring party offensive support through traits and spirits to increase the overall DPS of the party. A skilled Ranger can however be expected to fill needs of the party with their versatile weapon sets. Whether it be projectile reflection, burst DPS, or vulnerability stacking, the Ranger is a good choice for offensive party support with a lot of built in evasion and self-sustainment. It’s worth noting that one of the Ranger’s personal heals provides a water field allowing the entire party to benefit from blasting for health. The ranger is also very capable of combo-ing with this water field themselves through their primary weapon sets.

The Engineer is another very versatile class. It can support the party in a large number of ways BUT requires a lot more leg work than it would on the “native” class that normally provides that support. Engineers can stack might, they can generate and blast stealth for the party, and they can maintain a consistently high level of vulnerability on enemies. It’s a rewarding class to play and honestly one of the most fun but you have to like active gameplay. Good engineers know when to swap in and out of their kits. Between your kits, you are able do anything from immobilizing mobs, blinding, dazing, etc… Engineers can do almost anything but must always remain in a dynamic style of gameplay. Good Engineer players are aware of all these skills and keep their timing in mind to smartly swap between kits.

Warriors are a great class to learn the game on. They are the most forgiving class you can play with a large health pool and a very good class to play on solo. The Warrior has, in my opinion, the easiest access to offensive self buffs without having to learn any particular mechanics. There is no combo blasting needed or kit swapping. With the Warrior, it is literally a button or two. A Warrior can be expected to provide their party with offensive buffs through banners, traits, and if needed, Phalanx Strength. Despite whatever you may hear from uninformed players, Warriors are not a very high damage class however they are the easiest to perform optimal damage rotations on and are the least complicated. For many unskilled groups, the Warriors will perform the best because many of the other classes require some more technique or understanding.

The Mesmer is a relatively slow class without very much personal DPS. It is a powerful utility class however with access to a great deal of projectile denial, reflection damage, and blocks. It is a popular solo class and has access to very niche skills and utilities that make them attractive to parties trying to complete content more efficiently. Mesmers have access to party wide stealth, pulls, and are often called upon to portal a party through shortcuts. Mesmers can also increase party wide DPS with quickness.

Wow! Thanks for all the help here!

I did some reading on my own last night and I think I’ve narrowed it down to a few classes, but favoring one in particular.

The Elementalist, the Warrior, the Guardian and the Thief are all definitely classes that sound like a ton of fun.

I’m not big on the whole “gun” thing in an MMO, personally.

But the class that I think I’m leaning towards is a Guardian. Tanky (but not a tank) and they seem to be good for dungeons and PVE, which is where I’d spend the majority of my play time (as limited as it’ll likely be).

Of course, I’ll probably play the other classes at some point too, though.

Good choice. But Guardian is my main so i’m kind of biais

Guardian is squishy in term of passive defense. It have a high armour, but the lowest amount of HP. Warrior is closer to a more traditional ’’tank’’ as it have both high armor and high hp.

The strength of the guardian come from active defense. He focus on blind, block, reflect, invulnerable, etc to not get hit. And he can provide the same for his team to protect it from incoming damage. A guardian will boost the survivability of the team and it can be a really important member of a party.

Guardian is definitely a good class, and it’s not a bad one to start out with, either. It’s pretty easy to learn to play, and it’s also a class that’s useful in every mode of the game (wvw, spvp, and pve).