Guild Wars 2

I love the feel of soulbeast: I really dig beastmode and all of the new skills it gives you access to. My suggestions are echoed many times over on this post, but I figured I’d leave it here all the same:
-I absolutely agree that we should be able to pet swap in beastmode.
-I do like the green aura while in beastmode, but I would suggest having it last for only the first 1-2 seconds upon entering beastmode. I can definitely see myself staying in beastmode for extended periods of time, and having that green aura the whole time is distracting and not aesthetically pleasing.
-I agree that the utility skills are a bit lackluster…
-This is a specific thing I noticed about the beastmode smoke assault skill with smokescale pets: once the skill ended it didn’t automatically re-engage me with the my targeted opponent.

Overall though, props to the devs for a really cool elite spec.

Methinks she’s one lethal lady.

I’ll just echo what everyone else is saying… Seabreeze, you’re on the money here. Fast, flashy attacks that take advantage of the daredevil’s martial arts background and the sweeping range of a staff. You’re brilliant

I feel that this spec, after some overhaul and fine-tuning, should be hella fun to play.
Here’s my feedback:
-I agree that the autoattack feels slow and clunky. The third part of the AA doesn’t really fit with the theme, as the thief sends out the staff at the opponent. I see the DD as a very physical brawler, so this seems inconsistent.
-Staff 3: The actual animation of the hit doesn’t have a good pop to it. I would recommend using the Staff 2 animation for the Staff 3 skill, but just make the thief move backwards instead of charging forward. This would allow Staff 3 to evade and hit multiple foes.
-Staff 2: If we were to use the existing Staff 2 animation for Staff 3, then I’m not sure what would go here. Something that’s mobile and hits multiple enemies, along with the existing vulnerability.

Grumwulf.9602:

What I would have liked is a staff that did things like block, a wide arc knock back, a great circular sweep that did damage to 5 targets, or a circular sweep that blinded 5 targets, a quick hit with the end of the staff to interupt or daze.

-Staff 4: The “circular sweep” that blinds or sends up a smoke field could work wonders for this skill. Right now, the skill is a little too narrow and slow to allow the DD to take on multiple foes.
-Staff 5: few complaints here. I feel this is the defining move of the spec, and it looks suitably kitten.
-I’m finding that the general consensus is that the holding animation doesn’t fit. I definitely concur: while the animations in general feel clunky, this stands out. Holding the staff over the shoulders, or holding the staff downwards with the bottom half behind the back, would be far more fitting with the DD theme.
-Physical skills are interesting. I love the idea, but they sometimes are more hindering when dealing with more than 1 enemy, given that they only affect one foe. I’m not sure how to address this for each, however. That being said, I love Bandit’s Defense. It’s a gem of a skill.
-The elite is awesome. However, the animation for the finisher is a little banal, given that it’s the generic finisher animation. Maybe the animation could be tweaked to give it more personality: in my mind, I see the DD doing a fancy twisting flip in the air, then slamming their first down to put their poor enemy out of their misery.

Shinobi.3240:

Imagine Lotus Training/Unhindered Combatant/Bounding Dodger like the attunement of an elementalist.
You would be able to change them during combat.
You can give them a cooldown or let them eat a bit of your endurance when you switch between them.

-I love this idea. This would give the DD a more unique profession mechanic, and allow it to be more adaptable and versatile. This could really round out the spec in addition to the (fantastic) three dodges.

Overall, I applaud the devs for their efforts so far: this is a bold idea, and it has real potential. It just needs some reworking. Cheers!

Thank you so much, Roy!

I think the bow for Guardian is a great idea: this is a ranged option that I can get behind. The Dragonhunter satisfies in some regards, but not all just yet. I’m confident that it can though
I guess my biggest concern is that I don’t know what role the DH can play. Longbow usually relegates it to the back-line, but with all of the traps and the Heavy Light trait, it seems destined for front-line combat. If it’s meant to switch back and forth, it has few, if any, options to do so. It just doesn’t feel like a dedicated ranged option. Some stray comments:
-I agree that the auto attack is too slow. Especially if this spec is meant to survive on the front-line (which I’m not sure it is, anyway).
-I like the idea of the traps, but their effects are a little underwhelming. If they were to have longer-lasting effects (I’m thinking of Procession of Blades specifically), that could offset this.
-The range on Wings of Resolve doesn’t cover enough ground. I feel it would be a lot more useful with larger range, to allow the DH to cover ground, stay mobile, and move back-and-forth from the back- to front-lines.

I love the feel of the reaper. There’s a lot that works, and a lot that has potential.
Some stray observations:
-I actually like the greatsword. Yes, the casting times are slow, but overall I love the feel of a reaper lugging around a massive sword.
-I love Gravedigger. The mechanics are sweet. Cast time is a little slow and damage could be a little higher, but I realize that the numbers will be adjusted anyway long before the expansion drops. I also really love how you can move while channeling the attack: it helped when I could open with the attack and channel while bumrushing my opponent.
-I do agree that the auto attack is too slow. It’s not terrible in PvE, but it’s still hindering in it’s own way.
-I also agree that Grasping Darkness has some kinks. It goes out in relation to the direction the character is facing, which may not be as effective as going out in relation to the position of the enemy. It also did nothing when the enemy was fairly close, so it couldn’t work as an interrupt. Given the recharge time, I feel that this attack should be a lot bigger in terms of its effect (longer range on the pull, effective interrupt, maybe even a daze) to really leave the enemy helpless.
-Reaper’s shroud is super cool, and the effects are on point. Infusing Terror is a little over-the-top in terms of effects, but I remember Roy saying that he was playing with how “loud” this effect was going to be. Also, it seems that the life force drain in reaper’s shroud is too fast. I couldn’t last in the shroud long enough to feel like I was making a difference.
Overall, the reaper looks like it has the potential to kick some serious butt.

I couldn’t play as much as I wanted this weekend, but I have some scattered feedback for the revenant:
-For Shiro, Precision Strike is a little underwhelming. I didn’t find myself using it a whole lot: even as a snare with the chill effect, I preferred to just use Unrelenting Assault to chase down enemies. Maybe making this a whirling attack with higher DPS would make it more effective.
-For Shiro: the auto attack doesn’t seem to fit in with the overall theme of the legend. It might just be that the animation isn’t the frenzy of blades that I imagined, but I feel as if the auto attack slows down the flow of the Shiro legend.
-For Shiro: I love love love Unrelenting Assault. It’s pretty. It’s deadly. However, making it an evade might make it even sweeter.
-For Shiro: I wasn’t a huge fan of Enchanted Daggers: it fit with the theme, but it just seemed too weak in terms of healing.
-For Malyx: I’m glad the casting times were decreased. It felt a lot better to play overall, and it was pretty fun switching between Shiro and Malyx.
-Stray observation: I remember reading a blog post about the revenant that said that sometimes the legends will speak to the player. I noticed that a little when I invoked them, but it was infrequent. I would love to see each legend speaking out more often, even during combat, to enhance the thematics of the profession. We’re piggybacking on the powers of some very dangerous legends: I’d love to hear them speak their mind!
Overall, I’m loving the feel of the Revenant. It’s shaping up really well!

Soren Storm, complete with a heroic pose.