Guild Wars 2

What did we do during the Twisted Marionette content to get people to split into the different paths that we can’t do for the Pavilion? Somehow we were organized enough then to distribute the population.

Ranger: 7/10
Guardian: 8/10 Pretty good homonym for what you do as an adventurer.
Thief: 8/10 Everyone needs a specialty.

Mine;
Alchemist Bardoc – Engineer
Biochemist Dekka – Necromancer

Alchemist Bardoc potion master and gunslinger. Scientist and outlaw. The man with no name. . .expect for Bardoc.

Thanks to the wardrobe system I finally got the look I was going for from week 2 of the game. First is my Asura engineer/gunslinger.
Helm: Stalwart Helm
Shoulder: Stalwart Shoulders
Chest: Rascal Coat
Legs: Duelist Pants
Boots: Privateer Boots
Now I just need to get an Ascended Revolver or Aetherblade pistol and I will be complete ecstatic.
http://s1306.photobucket.com/user/APunch85/media/gw162_zpsab6a82b4.jpg.html

Second is the Goledyne Systems Series G-170 Annihilator. Designed for sniping and WvW guard assassination.
Helm: Gas Mask
Shoulder: Militia Pauldrons
Chest: Banded Coat
Legs: Heavy Plate Legguards
Boots: Heritage Warboots
“Annihilator, online.”
http://i1306.photobucket.com/albums/s580/APunch85/gw153_zps254dc077.jpg
http://i1306.photobucket.com/albums/s580/APunch85/gw157_zps10a04472.jpg

Ha ha, just kidding. It’s my Norn warrior, Rocsson. No one can deny he has a sense of style.

Snagged this screenshot the other day. I’m using it as a desktop background now. Definitely worth the repair bill.

I have a theory about combat roles in Guild Wars 2. Although this theory is based on subjective observation I would like to post it for peer review and see what this community has to say. Before I begin I would also like to thank my Guild mates for their input when I first broached this topic.

During the promotion of GW2 one of Area Net’s primary talking points was the removal of the “Holy Trinity” of combat roles indicative of MMO games. (On a side note, I find the overuse of the term “Holy Trinity” to be extremely annoying. Unfortunately it is currently the most succinct way to refer to the Healer/Tank/DPS paradigm.)

In at least one interview developers did name a different trinity that they wished to use in their game:
Damage/Control/Support.

If we examine the skills provided by different weapons given to each class there seems to be a large number of possible combat roles inherent in each character class. I made the following list by puzzling over the functionality of the weapon and utility skills, as well as traits, I have observed in the different classes.

Guild Wars 2 Combat Roles
-Physical DPS
-Condition Damage
-Condition De-buffs
-Ally Offensive Boons
-Ally Defensive Boons
-Enemy Control (damage mitigation through blocking, interrupts, blinds and evasion)
-Field Medic
-Balance (solo survival) [can be called selfish in a group]
-Multi-role (actively trying to combine two or more roles) [Although, some internal synergy between roles is natural]

When I created characters for World of Warcraft, TERA and Neverwinter I decided I wanted to play a tank. That determined what race and class to take: Paladin for WoW, Lancer for TERA and Shield Warrior for Neverwiner. I don’t think that is how GW2 is designed. ANet focuses more on the RP of an MMORPG. Your combat role comes second to your character’s personality.

Creating YOUR Character:
Hero Archetype==>
Combat Role===>
Weapons and Utility Selection <==> Trait Selection
(These two are interchangable and connected)

Any character can take on any role. You choose traits for your character to optimize the role you want to play. Of course, some classes are better at certain roles than others, but all have the potential of performing in any given role.

To make it so people are not waiting for a “healer” or a “tank” before they can do content, tasks that were concentrated in those two characters are now spread across more players. This will require a larger amount of player communication than is the norm in PUG groups. Coordinating combo fields (or trading off certain roles with other players while your skills are on cool down) requires explanations or even voice chat the first time you try that kind of strategy.

Most forums talk about maximizing your DPS. It seems player consensus is that the optimal dungeon group uses overwhelming damage to muscle through. But is that necessary? Is that really the best way?

An example of the wider potential for combat roles beyond DPS can be found in the recent Molten Forge dungeon. Defensive fighting really had a chance to shine. Projectile reflecting was devastatingly effective against the fire shamans and Charr riflemen.

Since there was a major skill and trait revision/rebalancing recently, this is a good time to reexamine how we make our character builds and group composition. Awkwardly, the fact that we need to discuss player roles within a group so long after the game’s launch could be a sign that No Trinity design has failed.

What do you think of the multiple roles I stated earlier? Do they really exist or are they a figment of an overactive imagination? Will composing a group from the expanded list of roles make dungeons easier for everybody?

8/10 for sounding exotic but I have no idea how to pronounce it.

After scrolling through 6 pages of this thread I am surprised no one shares the first name of my character.
My Ranger, Flora Wraithlight with her pet, Fauna.

Also introducing my elementalist Cathair Eudicot

Is it possible that ANet is not releasing the swimwear to the gem store right now so that the NPCs have a unique look for a little while?

Maybe later once the characters have been introduced and no longer need to stand out from the crowd, and the populace is no longer being eaten by crazed wildlife, we can all get decked out in the latest summer-wear.

I have a similar hope for the future of town clothes. I like the idea of a transmutation stone to turn items of armor into town clothes without stats.

I am amused by the idea of calling them “Pacifist Transmutation Stones.”

My warrior is at level 35 and I’ve been running a mace/mace – mace/shield combination, with the utilities Endure Pain, Stomp, and Bull Rush. It is probably not a good build but I enjoy it. I have been doing mostly PvE so I have no idea what how effective it is in WvW. I am not saying this is a great build, I’m just sharing my experience so far.

The way I’ve been playing is about controlling enemy damage with interrupts, knockdowns, blocks and dodge rolling the —-- out of there. Open with the off-hand mace skills, close with Bull Rush, or walking. When the mace skills are one cooldown I switch to the shield. By the time I run through all the other blocks and interrupts I can usually switch back to mace/mace and keep going. Once I trait to lower mace and shield skill cooldown time it should work even better.

I can handle up to 3 enemies at a time without my health dipping below 75%. Any more enemies than that and I usually get rolled unless I do some fancy footwork. AOE casters are the bane of my existence and REQUIRE I change skills if there are lot of casters in the area.

Like any build in the game, you choose your weapons based what enemies are in the area and which weapons can counter them most effectively.

TL;DR: I use shield as part of my PvE build to mitigate bad guy damage output. It works but has limitations that can get ya dead.

My main, Halbjorn Rocsson, enjoying “Pink Day in LA.”

I saw a pair of comics about this very subject, the other day.

Norn Thief? NO

Norn Thief? YES

Orca seems the most logical.
But I vote for the Spirit of Thundershrimp!