Guild Wars 2

Since the class change tokens seem not to be really welcomed, then how about a way to start a proper secondary class on the same character instead?
Perhaps after completing a quest to unlock it, then the player could switch between professions in towns through a specific NPC.
While keeping everything else like missions and exploration and all the soulbound equipment, the additional class would start at level 30, with 30 trait points for that class and retained skill points.

Additionally, this could also open a possible way for classes to use more weapon types in future, and thus new weapon skills for players to use.

So what you’re suggesting is something like the Job system in Final Fantasy XIV?

This sounds like a terrible idea. If I wanted another class, I’d just… make another character. Not sure why I’d need an entirely new “subclass” system to be built for me.

I have seen this fail and games and succeed in others. It is good in idea form but hard to do correctly in implementation most the time. I have always liked this setup as I am one of those that prefer to main one character rather then be an altaholic. But I also understand the use of alts as a way to see the story-line from a different point of view and how that is good in this game and as well is generally encouraged. Thus why I find that subclass systems may not work.

The finer points of a subclass system is being able to main a single character and not have to work another character up generally so starting from 1 would be the same thing as starting a new character so most people would just go why am I not making a new character. As well most games it is about being able to subclass for buffs, which in this game they give you options to get buffs on all characters so this is less needed. So since there is no buffer/healer/tank setup in this game it points more or less to subclassing being bad.

As much as I would love it, I also see their really being no point to it as their is much more to see by making a new character. If this game was set-up like Final Fantasy or Lineage II then I could see the use, but with how it is setup I say save up for a new character slot and roll that new character and enjoy the class if you already have five you don’t want to delete.

A GW2 subclass system doesn’t necessarily have to be equal to other games like Final Fantasy XI/XIV or Lineage 2.

Besides, making a new character and taking it to the levels of your main requires time and/or money, let alone if you have worked your way to a legendary weapon you can use only on one character. Maybe there are players who have made one in a month, but there are also those who probably wil take a much longer time to make one.

There’s one main point out of a subclass for GW2 I came up with:
Let’s suppose a player with main class Guardian attains level 80 on a Ranger subclass. Now from there on, by speaking to a particular NPC or rather completing a quest, he/she can choose one mastery based on the weapons usable by the subclass of their choice, thus enabling the main class to equip an additional weapon type and gaining a new unique set of weapon skills.
Of course, this would require ANet to create more skills for each class and weapon. But why not? It would add to the variety.

I could agree with being able to switch professions, but only a-la Final Fantasy V: Switching completely, sharing no skills (no mime profession).
People could want to try out different class-race combinations. And that’ll take 40 character slots. With this, they could have just 1 character per race and armor type (since their gear would stay souldbound, it’ll make more sense to switch only to professions with the same armor type), so they’ll need just 15 to try all combinations, which is more reasonable.

I could also agree with ‘specializations’. That give you access to a set of 4 utility skills and one extra elite, but nothing else.
For example, a thief could get:

• Spy : Utility skills with longer stealth times. One of them allows them to stay cloaked permanently if they don’t move and there’s no hostile enemies within 1500 units. The elite lets them disguise as one enemy until they attack or are downed.
• Assassin: Utility skills centered around precision and shadowsteps. The elite would be what Shadow Form should have been in GW1: allowing the ‘assassin’ to move much faster, randomly evade a few attacks(but not all), while also being able to slip through blocks and barriers created by skills. It’ll last only a few seconds and have a very long recharge, though.
• Rogue: Utility skills centering about stealing, providing more ways to steal, like temporarily stealing control of minions, pets, turrets, stealing skills, etc… The elite would ‘steal’ someone’s entire build, gear and and all, for a very short time, effectively copying that character’s build while it lasts.

But being able to freely pick and choose skills and weapons from different professions? With that I can’t agree.
The Mime is too overpowered to have anything like that in a multiplayer game. They can do anything!

LOL guys. A secondary profession? Like in Final Fantasy or Lineage?

Surely, SURELY you guys meant a secondary profession like in GUILD WARS 1. Thanks.

Instead of subclass maybe advance class for the class your playing I think the amount of weapon you get is very limited. I was hoping for weapons skills to be able to evlove to stronger flasher versions after leveling to a point. however since that is not to be an alternative option is an advance class say for the thief. one of the class can specialize in stealth or traps, where you can get passive buff and skills. along with that each advance class get to choose a weapon master to specialize in a weapon. All this specialization does is unlock new weapon skills that you can use weapon skill points on. Just like the slot skills.

Leablo.2651:

LOL guys. A secondary profession? Like in Final Fantasy or Lineage?

Surely, SURELY you guys meant a secondary profession like in GUILD WARS 1. Thanks.

No, that’s not what they meant at all. We want a way to completely change our class from, say, Warrior to Guardian — much like FFXI or, really, any FF job system. We don’t want GW’s multi-class feature of Warrior/Guardian, as that would require more resources and become a nightmare to balance.

There’s a huge difference in what’s being proposed and what you seem to think is meant.

This seems dumb. Start a new character if you want to change professions. It doesn’t really take long at all to go 1-80, and you get some epic lootz and cool content along the way.

Chamone.6890:

This seems dumb. Start a new character if you want to change professions. It doesn’t really take long at all to go 1-80, and you get some epic lootz and cool content along the way.

You haven’t been following the thread much, have you? Anyways, everyone is free to create new character from scratch. We’re discussing about a feature that would bring some more variety to the game, other than save time for those who don’t have much aka casuals.

Leablo.2651:

LOL guys. A secondary profession? Like in Final Fantasy or Lineage?

Surely, SURELY you guys meant a secondary profession like in GUILD WARS 1. Thanks.

This is exactly what I was thinking!

Anyway, to contribute to this post, I think that they’re not needed.

Sub job’s or professions work for some games. But not soo much with this game. There is already a ton of “balance” issues being worked on (or in other words, QQ posts about thief being to strong) adding a sub profession would just be too difficult to approach at this time. It worked well in GW1 since there were soo many skills to choose from so it opened more builds up but all professions have access to different types of skills here so its hardly the case.

There is no reason to do this. Every class already has so many different play-style options. If you change weapon sets and traits, you’ve completely changed the class you are playing. There’s no need for sub-classes where you can be like, “Oh, if I sub this class, I’ll be more tanky, but if I sub this class I’ll have more burst.” This is already accomplished through traits and weapons sets.

The exact system you are describing, is exactly what existed in GW1, until they released the expansions at which point you no longer had to complete a quest, you just had to reach the NPC that would sell you a secondary profession.

Correction, it seems that you are not really talking about secondary professions, rather you are talking about changing your primary profession based on completion of a quest… and then being able to switch between them at will, but still being able to use any of the weapons from either profession?

You’ve lost me.

Additional weapon types for all classes?

Um, I am pretty sure they put quite a bit of thought into the weapons that they chose to gave to each specific class, for good reason too. Some weaponry are clearly magic oriented, whereas others are clearly melee-oriented, while some are betweeners. A warrior with a staff? Or an elementalist with a greatsword? I think not.

And looking at OP’s first and second post in the topic, it looks like he changed his stance. In the first post, it’s clearly about some quest that would allow you to completely swap your profession, whereas in the second post he talks about swapping and then gaining access to new weaponry.

Both of these ideas are kinda dumb. Subclasses would bring a ton of balance issues, whereas being able to completely change your class doesn’t promote the longevity and integrity of the classes. Not to even mention that the Hero of Shaemoor converting from a Guardian to a Thief would bring some really weird things to the personal story.

It seems like I involountarily created a bit of confusion about my ideas so I’ll clear them out.

No, I didn’t change my stance about it. The weapon mastery idea was an addition to give subclassing a point, in response to the usual “Pointless. Just roll another char”.
And I didn’t mean that you would be able to use all of the subclass’ weapons on the main class, just one of choice, given an unique set of skills.

Like an Elementalist subbing a Warrior. Supposedly importing the “great sword mastery”, he shouldn’t get the warrior’s great sword set of weapon skills, but an entirely new set based on the main class’ traits. Elementally charged physical attacks could be an idea for one. Besides, Mesmer is also considered a mage class, yet again, they can use great swords.

An elementalist with a great sword sounds weird, you say? Yet they can summon a fiery greatsword, can they not? Provided an appropriate set of skills any class could make use of any weapon. Leaving out the exclusives to off-hand, like focuses.

In my opinion, as long as profession exclusive skills don’t get mixed there wouldn’t be any major issue with balancing. It requires just some work by the developers.
I swear, sometimes it sounds like people are overly afraid of change.

About the personal story, it depends on the idea the players have of their character. I main a thief, but my character is absolutely not a knave or a pirate. She’s a stealthy warrior that prefers tricking and silent approach, rather than brute strength.
And why a thief can’t be the “Hero of Shaemoor”? Because thieves are evil? As I said, it’s all about the personal point of view. And again, in my opinion, the class name means nothing at all.