Guild Wars 2

Rifles. Just think about it.

1. Rifles are used by one heavy armor profession and one medium armor profession. Yet, none of the light armor professions. When you think about the number of unique weapons for necromancers (axe, warhorn) and mesmers (greatsword, sword, pistols, torch) Elementalists have nothing to stand out with. They do bring conjured weapons to the table. However, they don’t quite qualify as a substitute because they don’t use the attunement swap mechanics, aren’t affected by a lot of traits, and do not have different weapon skins. Therefore, they cannot count as substitutes for lack of main weapons.

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2. Rifles could introduce a fantastic way to reliably deal damage from afar, though mostly single target and using utilities mostly benefiting the user itself. That way, it stands out as a long range and kiting dos as opposed to staves for stationary combat through bombarding an area and providing team support, scepters as a mid range weapon and various utilities, and daggers for high speed melee combat.

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3. Rifles being used by a magical profession? It’d be freakin’ amazing in my opinion. The attunements could, of course, be like the other weapon sets, except with some twists to make it really feel like a magical gunner, thematically: fire is for direct and burn damage using flamethrower like attacks, water for some healing and cleanses, air for long range sniping (imagine a lightning bullet being fired instantly for high damage – with some inpressive sound effects such to emulate a natural lightning bolt) jumps, dashes, or teleports (it’d be nice to have a second lighning flash. One can dream…) for instant repositioning to maintain distance…. or to get close enough to use the earth attunement, which could feature powerful shotgun attacks and bleeds to accompany the scatter shots, as well as durability to survive better at point blank range.

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4. Rifles are two handed weapons. It’d be easier to balance it on its own rather than weighing a new main or offhand weapon against existing weapons like daggers and focuses. Also, the other two hand weapon are already conjures. Greatswords, which are already covered by an elite skill (firey greatsword is fine as is.) and hammers by a conjuration skill (lightning hammer is just fine as is, considering the fact that it already tops the damage charts)

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In short, a rifle would provide elementalists its “unique” flavor as opposed to the other light armor professions while giving us a fresh way to play elementalists.

Thoughts?

(p.s. I’m hoping that Anet doesn’t see this post. I’m paranoid that they’ll do see it and then decide that rifles for ele’s is actually the worst idea ever. Hooray for irrational fears! Also, the ease of writing this lengthy post from an ipod… Kudos to Anet’s website team/whoever designed the whole flipping thing!)

I love this idea, but I also feel like a rifle’s kit might just end up being a mixed bag of current skills lobbed together… like the scattershot blood being essentially the trident earth 2; or perhaps a chainshot that’s basically the staff 1 on air… or a shocking net shot that’s the trident air 4…

I dunno =o depends on how/if they handle this.

I actually wouldn’t mind seeing a pistol/dagger combo possibility. Say like, with the pistol offhand on fire you’re given a skill similar to the engi rocket boots?

I don’t think rifle fits the lore and in all honesty we have good enough ranged options. I’d love to see hammer access on elementalist though. Massive, slow elemental hammer nukes going off.

My pro oppinion is EEEWW!. Personally I dislike guns and such in this fantasy game, and would not use it, even if we got one. It is THAT silly I think. Therefore I oppose the idea.

Give us a spear instead!

I feel that the point of magic is to shoot stuff out of things that normally do not shoot stuff. To that end, I feel rifles and pistols should be the last weapons the class should ever have added.

That would be like the Warrior getting Scepter and Focus as new weapons. What would they do? Poke you with them?

A wizard wielding a rifle?

Breaking down all the barriers now, are we.

I like the idea of a long range weapon that could give boons and utilities to eles without having to rely mostly on blast finishers, such as the staff and it’s Eruption+Whatever-field-of-choice. I do not, however, see the rifle fit for the role of doing such a thing. The “cultural differences” between staves, sticks and talismans, and complicated technological tools such guns are too big. I could imagine a magician wielding a gun because, to me, magicians could be seen as trickster, leaving their audiences in awe with deception and illusions. And deception, illusion and trickery again could be tied to thievery and thieves, the likes who I could expect to wield a firearm(which is why I find it fitting that mesmers can wield pistols). But a fully fledged wizard, not so much.

On a less serious note, if the devs decide that eles need rifles, I implore them to add a skill to water atunement that shoots a continous stream and adds a soaking visual affect to the foe called Water Gun. And add a super soaker skin. Then I could totally accept the fact that eles use rifles.

I’ve been asking for elementalist rifles for a while now. I feel people are limiting their view of this setting far too much.

Tyria isn’t a standard fantasy setting. Like it or not, it has some heavy steampunk elements added to it. Even some magiteck sci fi elements. And there are two races that I guarantee would have developed magic-based rifle combat. Charr and asura.

Recall if you will that all asuran technology is heavily magic based. All those laser guns and energy cannons? That isn’t technology, it’s magic. There are already magical firearms in the game. And the charr are pure pragmatists. Why arm a soldier with a staff when they can be armed with a rifle and get similar results? As a charr elementalist I’m not just a wizard, I’m a soldier who happens to use magic in the field.

Rifle can easily exist as a magical weapon in lore, and in fact does exist. We just don’t have access to a magical firearm outside the mesmer’s pistol.

I always felt the elementalist rifle should be a mixed bag of two animations though. Shooting animations for the single target shot spells and the auto attacks, but also able to be waved in the air the way the staff is to bring down ground targeted spells and AoEs.

If you can channel magic through a stick, why not a stick that shoots hot lead from one end?

Ehecatl.9172:

I’ve been asking for elementalist rifles for a while now. I feel people are limiting their view of this setting far too much.

Tyria isn’t a standard fantasy setting. Like it or not, it has some heavy steampunk elements added to it. Even some magiteck sci fi elements. And there are two races that I guarantee would have developed magic-based rifle combat. Charr and asura.

Recall if you will that all asuran technology is heavily magic based. All those laser guns and energy cannons? That isn’t technology, it’s magic. There are already magical firearms in the game. And the charr are pure pragmatists. Why arm a soldier with a staff when they can be armed with a rifle and get similar results? As a charr elementalist I’m not just a wizard, I’m a soldier who happens to use magic in the field.

Rifle can easily exist as a magical weapon in lore, and in fact does exist. We just don’t have access to a magical firearm outside the mesmer’s pistol.

I always felt the elementalist rifle should be a mixed bag of two animations though. Shooting animations for the single target shot spells and the auto attacks, but also able to be waved in the air the way the staff is to bring down ground targeted spells and AoEs.

If you can channel magic through a stick, why not a stick that shoots hot lead from one end?

Amazing post. Seriously.

Evidence that it can be done, already is in the lore, AND how it could be done. +1

Also, anyone who thinks elemental rifles cannot be done has obviously never played Borderlands 2.

ex. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmCLmlwcxs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOCmCLmlwcxs

^ This is just one example out of dozens.

Azunai.5974:

Ehecatl.9172:

I’ve been asking for elementalist rifles for a while now. I feel people are limiting their view of this setting far too much.

Tyria isn’t a standard fantasy setting. Like it or not, it has some heavy steampunk elements added to it. Even some magiteck sci fi elements. And there are two races that I guarantee would have developed magic-based rifle combat. Charr and asura.

Recall if you will that all asuran technology is heavily magic based. All those laser guns and energy cannons? That isn’t technology, it’s magic. There are already magical firearms in the game. And the charr are pure pragmatists. Why arm a soldier with a staff when they can be armed with a rifle and get similar results? As a charr elementalist I’m not just a wizard, I’m a soldier who happens to use magic in the field.

Rifle can easily exist as a magical weapon in lore, and in fact does exist. We just don’t have access to a magical firearm outside the mesmer’s pistol.

I always felt the elementalist rifle should be a mixed bag of two animations though. Shooting animations for the single target shot spells and the auto attacks, but also able to be waved in the air the way the staff is to bring down ground targeted spells and AoEs.

If you can channel magic through a stick, why not a stick that shoots hot lead from one end?

Amazing post. Seriously.

Evidence that it can be done, already is in the lore, AND how it could be done. +1

Also, anyone who thinks elemental rifles cannot be done has obviously never played Borderlands 2.

ex. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmCLmlwcxs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOCmCLmlwcxs

^ This is just one example out of dozens.

I mean really. What is there to say that the Asura haven’t figured out magical pistols.

That being said. I kind of feel like with the way Eles work and the way rifle’s work, that maybe a rifle might not be the best choice?

Perhaps the pistol?

Averaelas.1876:

Azunai.5974:

Ehecatl.9172:

I’ve been asking for elementalist rifles for a while now. I feel people are limiting their view of this setting far too much.

Tyria isn’t a standard fantasy setting. Like it or not, it has some heavy steampunk elements added to it. Even some magiteck sci fi elements. And there are two races that I guarantee would have developed magic-based rifle combat. Charr and asura.

Recall if you will that all asuran technology is heavily magic based. All those laser guns and energy cannons? That isn’t technology, it’s magic. There are already magical firearms in the game. And the charr are pure pragmatists. Why arm a soldier with a staff when they can be armed with a rifle and get similar results? As a charr elementalist I’m not just a wizard, I’m a soldier who happens to use magic in the field.

Rifle can easily exist as a magical weapon in lore, and in fact does exist. We just don’t have access to a magical firearm outside the mesmer’s pistol.

I always felt the elementalist rifle should be a mixed bag of two animations though. Shooting animations for the single target shot spells and the auto attacks, but also able to be waved in the air the way the staff is to bring down ground targeted spells and AoEs.

If you can channel magic through a stick, why not a stick that shoots hot lead from one end?

Amazing post. Seriously.

Evidence that it can be done, already is in the lore, AND how it could be done. +1

Also, anyone who thinks elemental rifles cannot be done has obviously never played Borderlands 2.

ex. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmCLmlwcxs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOCmCLmlwcxs

^ This is just one example out of dozens.

I mean really. What is there to say that the Asura haven’t figured out magical pistols.

That being said. I kind of feel like with the way Eles work and the way rifle’s work, that maybe a rifle might not be the best choice?

Perhaps the pistol?

Ele’s already have weapons for close and mid range fights. Staff provides long range utility by blasting areas and providing fields. But it’s not quite the same, being diluted and spread out.

Rifles provide the package needed for true kiting and long range single target bursting.

But. I wanna fire a pistol XD Unless rifles allow for magic headshots!

Averaelas.1876:

But. I wanna fire a pistol XD Unless rifles allow for magic headshots!

Or both

Rifle for magical sniper, pistols for magical duelist. Cowboy with magic!