Guild Wars 2

The sunspear is a new elite specialization idea for the guardian. Sunspears are Elonian guardians who still follow the ancient art of combat of the paragons, long ago replaced by the much modern guardian teachings. Even if they stuck to traditions over progress, that doesn’t mean they haven’t refined their own style, improving the old school and progressing it into its own advanced version.

Aside from classic guardian weapons, sunspears use the trident, wielded with two hands as an alternate version of one-handed spears. They rush into melee combat, striking their enemies before they can react thanks to their trident’s longer shaft, knocking them down to then impale them in the ground. Not even fleeing enemies are safe, for tridents can also be thrown, knocking down and immobilizing those who try to escape their wrath.

Sunspears are natural leaders, empowering their allies from the front line of the battle. Wherever they go, they summon their banners, providing multiple benefits in combat to those standing with them.

However, what really makes sunspears stand out from classic guardians are their unique virtues, the wings. These skills have two phases: In the first, the passive, each virtue summons a pair of wings, attached to the sunspear’s back, providing benefits to nearby allies indefinitely. The second, the active, consumes the wings to perform an attack, which leaves the skill on cooldown. These active skills require a new resource, called radiance, represented by a resource bar in the UI. Radiance grows by accumulating boons in combat, and once the bar fills up, all of it can be spent to enter an enhanced state, where you deal more damage and attack faster, with the three pairs of wings permanently up, even if you use the active skills.

Sunspear

• New weapon: Trident (2H) (Used like a two-handed spear)
• New utilities: Banners
• New mechanic: Wing virtues

Sunspears represent more than a look into the past. They are the last standing members of the legendary Order of the Sunspears, exterminated upon lich emperor Palawa Joko’s rise. The few survivors went into hiding, and now lead the rebellion to take back Elona. Rumors speak of six-winged warriors wearing the original armor and symbols of the order, bringing hope to the hearts of those in need.

As long as the sunspears stand, their legendary order will never truly die.

Important notes

This elite specialization idea assumes two changes:

• One-handed spears are added to the core profession, for both hands, providing the necessary ranged abilities not available to the core profession as of now.
• Dragonhunter virtues are revamped into a more cohesive and useful set of skills, removing Wings of Resolve to bring them back with the sunspear.

I would absolutely love this idea! The sunspears were amazing in gw1! I also like the idea of using the virtues more. Also having banners would mean more support roles for guardian which fits into the original idea and is an option to replace the ps ones.

banners are an awful idea what use would they have in pvp or any situation where you need to move alot they would not be fun in the slightest.

It doesn’t have to be useful in pvp. Wars don’t take banners in pvp, why would a sunspear? However, in pve, raids, wvw, banners are just fine.

Sorin Noroku.5342:

I would absolutely love this idea! The sunspears were amazing in gw1! I also like the idea of using the virtues more. Also having banners would mean more support roles for guardian which fits into the original idea and is an option to replace the ps ones.

Glad you like it.

Banners don’t need to be useful for PvP, but they could be, since the sunspear grows in power through boon stacking, and the banners would provide plenty. Also, the elite banner could have a special effect where it kills downed enemies when first summoned, kinda like a finisher, but with the banner effects afterwards.

More information on sunspears, and a few changes as well:

• New resource, Radiance. It increases depending on the number of boons the sunspear has. It is represented by a resource bar.
• New virtues, Wing virtues. When first activated, they pulse effects to both the player and nearby allies. A second activation lets you perform an attack. Both skills require radiance to activate, and have a similar gameplay to herald facets.
• New F4 skill, called Ascension. You need full radiance to activate it. It boosts the sunspear for 15 seconds, pulsing a new effect where boons on himself and allies are consumed slower. It also gives alternate wing virtue skills, more powerful than the normal versions. Similar to the Berserk skill.
• Each first activation of wing virtues is represented by a pair of ethereal wings, for a total of 3 pairs or 6 wings if the three virtues are active. The Ascension skill displays the 3 pairs, now with flames, while the skill lasts.
• Banners provide boons to nearby allies, and have a very good synergy with the Radiance resource.
• The weapon skills of the trident have additional effects depending on the boons the sunspear has.
• The sunspear is more effective when joined by allies, specially if said allies have boon support options as well. Their weak spot is condition damage and boon corruption.

Love the idea, but I do take issue with the banners. While I see how they could fit, I feel that something like mantras would be more thematic (concentrated bursts of whatever energy guardians channel). Just my 2 cents

No pls…no more spirit weapon kitten useless utilities….we need more physical stuff.

oscuro.9720:

Love the idea, but I do take issue with the banners. While I see how they could fit, I feel that something like mantras would be more thematic (concentrated bursts of whatever energy guardians channel). Just my 2 cents

I prefer to save those for a caster-themed guardian. Current idea is archivist, greataxe + mantras, and tomes/kits as the elite mechanic.

Ragnarox.9601:

No pls…no more spirit weapon kitten useless utilities….we need more physical stuff.

I could see these banners being objects that can be destroyed for balance’s sake, if that’s what you mean.