Guild Wars 2

I was fully expecting $39.99 SRP for HoT as that’s historically been the standard for MMO expansions. I also think it’s great that their lowering the barrier for new players by not forcing them to buy the base and expansion to get into the game.

That being said; the price is a little steep, especially once you factor in an additional $10 for a new character slot for the new class. It feels like ArenaNet is justifying the higher-than-average SRP with the fact that it includes the base game for new players (similar to how Blizzard justified the price of WoD by saying it came with a free level 90 boost). That does nothing for us veteran players.

An extra 2 character slots for those who already own the base game would be a completely fair and reasonable thing for ArenaNet to offer. If I’m not mistaken, this is what you got for adding additional campaigns to your account in GW1.

I’m a new Necromancer, drawn to this profession largely due to the potential of the Blood trait line and the possibility of being a life siphoning, clothie tank. While I don’t have nearly as much experience with the Necromancer as most of the people posting here, I do have plenty of experience with life siphoning classes. So, here are my humble suggestions on how Blood can be improved in HoT.

A note on DS: part of my thought process here is that the way that AreaNet can fix DS is to allow each trait line to synergize with/improve DS while having it offer group support in a manner that is thematically appropriate to the trait line. The only base-line improvements I’d suggest to DS be the use of utilities and that (non health siphon) healing grants life force while in DS (with a Soul Reaping trait that converts excessive life force to healing).

Numbers are just for example purpose and may be under- or overpowered.

Minors

Adept: Vampiric – Siphon health equal to 25% of all damage dealt, works while in Death Shroud. Proportion of health returned is increased by Healing Power.
Master: Full of Life – Gain regeneration while health is below the threshold and regenerate health while in Death Shroud if activated below the threshold.
Grandmaster: Transfusion – Siphoned health also heals nearby allies.

Majors

Adept
Ritual of Life – <unchanged>
Mark of Evasion – <unchanged>
Quickening Thirst – Increases 25% movement speed while wielding a dagger and reduces recharge on dagger skills by 10%.

Master
Blood to Power – Power, Condition Damage and Healing Power is increased while below the threshold.
Bloodthirst – Increases siphoned health to 75% of damage dealt.
Vampiric Glutton – Power and Condition Damage is increased by Healing Power, increases Healing Power’s effect on siphoned health proportions. <note: the idea here is to allow for stacking of Healing Power in order to make siphoning health do more healing then damage without nerfing itself.>

Grandmaster
Vampiric Rituals – <unchanged, but the amount of health siphoned is determined by your damage to siphon health ratio.>
Unholy Feast – Draws conditions from allies and yourself while in Death Shroud. If there are no more conditions to draw, grant Stability. Gain Life Force for every condition drawn.
Vampiric Master – Grant the effect of your Vampiric <with your damage to siphon health ratio> to all nearby allies and increases the amount of health you siphon while in Death Shroud.

Mystic forge crafting materials will replace skill points as awards for everything that currently awards skill points, except gaining levels and doing skill challenges (the skill point icon events on your map).

You get the materials directly instead of buying them.

“Old skill points in excess of those earned by leveling and skill challenges will be converted into crafting materials for the Mystic Forge. Items and activities that were previously repeatable sources of skill points will now also provide that same crafting material.”

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/specializations-part-two-reward-tracks-and-elite-specializations/

I tried something different, for me, with my keybinds when I started GW2 and it’s worked well enough for me that I’ve applied the same setup to every other MMO I play (well, with modifier macros added to help manage actionbar bloat).

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 = weapon skills
Q = heal
E = elite
Z, X, C = utilities
alt+1, 2, 3, 4 = tool belt skills
Mouse button 4 = dodge
And I’ve rebound A & D to strafe

All else I just use the defaults.

TGSlasher.1458:

Flame Decimator, Charr engineer of the Iron Legion. Destroying the Gold Legion, fire against fire!

Nice, but a bit Norn-ish in the great-deeds-as-a-name motif so I’ll say 7/10.

I’ve got three

Grunok Flintstrike – Iron Legion Engineer
Furrik Boneshatter – Blood Legion Warrior
Neevra Plaguestorm – Ash Legion Necromancer