Guild Wars 2

Why does melee automatically cleave while ranged has to spec into pierce?

1) Not all melee weapons cleave, and of the ones that do usually not all their skills cleave. A bow with pierce trait always pierces.

2) Having it on a trait means you can turn it on and off as needed. If you’ve got a cleaving melee weapon and are in a situation where you must not accidentally hit other nearby targets, you have to switch weapons.

I’m pretty sure that in D&D, the shortbow peirces by default. However, the range is only 720. I’d take 720 range shortbow for free peircing!

1) Melee is supposed to be better in damage and all that by default due to risk/reward.

2) Cleaves only hit up to 3 targets, where piercing hits either 5 or limitless (there’s been conflict on which is right).

PS: Daggers never cleave.

Durzlla.6295:

PS: Daggers never cleave.

Unless you’re an elementalist. Argue it all you like, but I consider the elementalist’s main hand dagger to be a melee weapon.

Quarktastic.1027:

Durzlla.6295:

PS: Daggers never cleave.

Unless you’re an elementalist. Argue it all you like, but I consider the elementalist’s main hand dagger to be a melee weapon.

None of their moves cleave…. They’ve got vapor blades, but that’s a pierce.

you can hit more then 5 people with pierce. Or you could do it in the past (very long time since i used piercing arrows)

ive hit 8 people with LB #4 (fired straight into a zerg). however, i cannot confirm that it still is possible.

Last time i used piercing arrows was somewhere before May patch, so things may or may not have changed.