Guild Wars 2

As subject line says, this is a just-for-fun, zero basis in fact, pure speculation thread about what the druid specialization (especially with staff) is going to look like for us rangers. I share it simply as a means of having fun while we all wait for some real information to emerge.

So my 4 guesses, in order from most to least likely:

1. Our definitive party support spec. Right now there is not a ton that we as rangers bring to groups in terms of support. Taking a parallel from guardians (who can support using lots of weapons, but who do so in a particular way with staff) I think it is most likely that a staff-based druid is going to be a spec that sees a drop, perhaps a substantial drop, in DPS as compared to our current main DPS specs, but will bring a lot of support skills to group play.

2. A Ranged, AoE spec. Another thing rangers lack is the ability to output any sort of consistent AoE damage from range. Longbow 5 is basically it. If a staff druid isn’t a support character, then I could see it being something akin to a staff elementalist. Multiple AoE damage skills, all with 1200 range, only of course more along a plant/nature theme than the elemental themes of the ele.

Those two are, I think, the most likely. If I had to expand my list beyond two…

3. Shape-Shifting Druid. Yes, something akin to the WoW druid. I know there is going to be a strong, viceral reaction from many players against this (PRECISELY because it is what the WoW druid was), but I think we have to acknowledge this is at least a possibility. Specialized this way, the ranger would lose his pets and instead shape-shift into one (or more) animal forms. A slight variant on this idea would be shifting into some sort of a spirit-form (something akin to the shadow form that necromancers can take on once they have built up life force).

4. A Melee-DPS class. Though the least likely, I think it would be fascinating if staff-based druids were mostly melee characters, swinging the staff around in melee attacks. Very different from anything else in GW2 (closest parallel I can think of is either a quarterstaff monk in various RPG games or DDO; or perhaps from SWTOR the jedi who use the 2-handed lightsabers) and for that reason I think it is highly unlikely. But it certainly would be an interesting take on the staff idea.

Anyways, those are my speculations. Shared only for fun. If I was a betting man, I would bet on #1 or perhaps #2.

My guess is we are the one getting all shouts. It seems obvious to me as Ranger is severely shunned in group situations.

Shapeshifting is the least likely. Druids as of Guild Wars lore have nothing to do with animal transformations and everything to do with spirits. The druids of Guild Wars are people who shed their mortal bodies and became spirits of nature. If we do shapeshift it will probably be an elite transformation that turns us into a Druid Spirit for a short time.

I’m leaning toward a mix of 1 and 2. I doubt they’d give us an ENTIRE specialization dedicated purely to support. I imagine it’ll offer skills that have a bit of both and our build will determine if we go heavy into support or try to be an AoE damage fighter. For example a druid could go into Nature Magic and the Druidism trait lines to be a specialized support build but perhaps Wilderness Survival and the Druidism line to be more of a tanky AoE build.

Druid gw2 Controls Spirits and Nature (aka creatures Pets)
i’d say its going to be Staff hard CC with effects that grant Pet bonuses , then since the Traits are very flexible in the new system you could do.

Hard CC durid beastmaster with Shout cleansing support by using runes of the Soilder.
to grant AoE swiftness+regen while Buffing the pet by using the specialisation trees for Nature magic, Beastmastery and Skirmishing or wilderness for those Again Pet boosting traits.

while being a staff Ranger using that CC to pin targets making the pet Extra effective.

i did love using a Staff in gw1 for the extra Mana to power Beastmastery skills and running skills like Run as One.

I would really love to see the number 4, but I really don’t think this is gonna happen…
Number 3 would have one problem: if you get rid of pets and instead transform into them by using staff skills, that would require using a staff to use class mechanics, which I also don’t think that will happen.
Number 1 or 2 are more likely. But still, it is worth noting that even though druids are more “mage like” usually, I don’t think that becoming a druid in GW2 will turn your Ranger into a scholar, or in other words, we will keep using medium armor instead of light armor, unlike the other “mage” classes in this game… Maybe that will have some sort of impact on druid skills?

1) Ranger have plenty support already. Viable support? Well that’s another point.

2) Range aoe spec? well that would be a poor implementation.

3) Norns already got the shapeshifting thing.

4) I don’t like this idea sorry ^^

Well, my guess is that the staff druid will have a lot of crowd control and since it’s a “nature” spec, it will have plenty of condition damage. Maybe they could add to this a bunch of “Sentry” utilities like the assassin in diablo 2. (magical turret)

As for shouts, sadely, Rangers already have shouts so this won’t be the druid specialization. The good news is that heal as one is becoming a shout that we will be able to trait. (I just hope that the current shout will be look at and upgrade in the process so they don’t stay in there lame shape).

Gotejjeken.1267:

My guess is we are the one getting all shouts. It seems obvious to me as Ranger is severely shunned in group situations.

They did say one class specialization will get an elitle that gives a new bar of “shouts” could be the new druid elite, i dont think it will be the staff native skills.

I would LOVE 4 (especially with some awesome fighting animations to go with it) but also feel like it will be 1.