Guild Wars 2

I would like to see these professions boosted to 500 as well.

I get there’s the whole laurel/ecto and relic economy with ascended jewelry, but ascended weapon and armor is still heavily gated.

Belzebu.3912:

I bet that we’ll have Shiro as a legend, and it will be power based, I can see it having a smoke field.

I’m hoping not. With Mallyx we already have a servant of Abbadon. I would like a little more legend variety.

Darkness.9732:

Impossible man.
Ranger is the most broken class in this game. After 2 years and half Anet hasn’ t fixed it.
My personal opinion is that they didn’ t put enough efforts to fix it.
So…I doubt they will add new pets for ranger couse they don’ t care about rangers and everyone knows it.
It’ s not stranger that in every point of interest episodes devs never use ranger…

Do you have a ‘ranger discussion’ tracker or something? You are a one note song and a one trick pony of posting. I don’t anyone sees you unless someone even mentions the word ‘ranger,’ and you only then show up to pronounce doom.

Part of the problem is that we are seeing the Revenant’s new toys but we don’t know how ANet plans on changing up the old professions and their specializations in regards to these new tech changes. According to most playtest reports, playtesters discerned no new changes to the old professions, which is likely for purposes of demo playtesting. Yet we know, for example, that the old professions will receive appropriate changes to their stability skills that are more in-line with the Revenant’s skills.

My only worry would be how long this battle would take with a smaller number of people: i.e., when action in the zone dies down.

Genesis.4671:

<——— Genesis.

Another Genesis? That’s going to make things confusing.

My vote: Foefire’s Power.

Foefire is definitely THE hammer for guardians.

Easy Fix: Pretend that your Revenant became a Revenant post-Zhaitain, but was previously some other profession for the Zhaitan Campaign and S1-2 Living Story.

I was wondering about this as well as how Wynne found out about the sylvari connection to Mordremoth.

The Owl Spirit

darkace.8925:

A bunch of people trying to learn the mechanics of a new, difficult fight can be fun, but a bunch of people trying to learn the mechanics of a new, difficult fight while being sandbagged by a bunch of people trying to learn a new class at the same time isn’t going to be. If the expansion has any Tequatl or Marionette style fights wherein players must show at least some semblance of skill, all the newly power-leveled Revenants are going to make the first few days of that fight very frustrating experience.

So I hereby request all new Revenants show a little respect for their fellow Tyrians and learn their class before diving into the new, supposedly-more challenging group content.

How about you show a little respect for the people who bought the same game you did?

Roy Cronacher.1576:

Eggs.3142:

I also hope those UI changes get spread to other classes too. They looked pretty

You’ll likely see more of it on specializations.

That’s what I’m worried about. It seems that some of these UI changes should benefit more than just the new profession and specialized professions, but also the old ones too.

Roy Cronacher.1576:

…and this is why we showed all the things. Awesome job getting all the info dulfy.

Will these new technologies be used to improve existing profession skills and not just introduced for their specializations?

ArenaNet:

This is a thread about the story of HoT, particularly as it relates to improving the player experience as per either the Personal Story or whatever replaces it.

Please be consistent and remember the player’s past accomplishments as well as the characters we interacted with. Remember who the player is. I felt it was a bit bizarre in the Season 2 Living Story to spend so much time with the Destiny’s Edge B Team (Marjory, Kasmeer, etc.) when the player was made the commander of the Pact. I know that the egg is important, but if we are the commander of the Pact, then we should have been at the battle.

Make Orders Matter! We joined an Order back in the Personal Story. It was supposed to be a meaningful choice. Please let that remain a meaningful choice as we go on in Heart of Thrones. Storylines don’t have to branch, but NPCs should remember who we are. And perhaps there should be branching dialogue that acknowledges this membership.

Others should feel free to add your checklist of what you want to see as far as improving the Personal Story experience – not necessarily particular plot points – for Heart of Thrones.

Garambola.2461:

There are more legends. We have only been showed two so far.

Exactly. As more legends come, some will be more ideal to pair together than others. You probably won’t pair a condition legend with a power one, but you may pair the tanky one with a support one.

I’ll echo the people who said druid. All we have is a name, a base class, and an associated weapon. We don’t know how a druid work. We still need to see the great revelation of the druid first.

Going into the mists and returning does not make you a revenant. A revenant uses the power and visages of the mists in particular ways.

Astral Projections.7320:

Why? What is so necessary about the Zhaitan story that makes it required, no matter how badly it might bend the lore, and not as an optional “memory” story?

Zhaitan is not so much the issue. It’s how Guild Wars 2 operates that is at the heart of the matter. Unlike Guild Wars 1, Guild Wars 2 is an actual MMORPG with a shared world. The shared world is not a memory. It’s persistent.

Furthermore, if Heart of Thorns was a stand alone campaign separate from the pre-HoT Guild Wars Sitz im Leben, it would have to be new leveling zone and story content for everyone and not just the revenant. That’s why it appears that some are trying to turn the revenant into a profession with special snowflake treatment. The complaint is misplaced to be about the revenant when it’s really about how Heart of Thrones does leveling or co-exists with the old Tyria. Fast tracking the revenant to just Heart of Thrones content with prior content being optional gives revenant players special treatment over other players – particularly new players who buy the game – who may pick other professions.

Astral Projections.7320:

When you have an expansion in other games, do the new professions which start then do the new story line or the old story line?

Usually the old storyline. WoW created a new storyline and starter zone for their death knight “hero class,” which started at level 55, though usually finished the zone around level 58. I don’t think that Blizzard was pleased with their result, which is why their second new class, the monk, was a regular level 1-max character that starts in a race’s given starter zone. A level one monk in WoW would then level through old Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm content before reaching the, then “fresh,” Mists of Pandaria content.

Part of the problem with the Guild Wars 1 approach is that racial identity replaced “ethno-expansion” identity. The GW1 expansions introduced new stories and professions, but as an extension of a varied human ethnic identity. Assassins and ritualists were an extension of Cantha. Dervishes and paragons were an extension of Elona. That approach has died out in Guild Wars 2 where we now have racial storylines in lore and a race-exclusive personal story. I feel that the racial storyline is part of the reason why ArenaNet will not fast-track the new profession to this new content. ArenaNet uses the personal story to teach players, primarily new ones, what it means to be a member of the playable races in Tyria. How do krewes work? What drives a norn forward in life? What is the political situation in Divinity’s Reach? What does a wyld hunt mean for a sylvari? What does it mean to be part of a charr legion or warband? While we get glimpses of these questions outside of the personal story, the early personal story acts as a critical racial tutorial. Having the Revenant fast track to the Heart of Thrones content without that racial story places the emphasis on the profession over the race, which is unprecedented so far in how ArenaNet approaches Guild Wars 2.

Astral Projections.7320:

Then don’t quote me and say that I’m doing the opposite of what I actually said. Address your comment as a general post, not as a reply to me.

But you do want to treat the revenant as a special snowflake whose personal story differs from the other professions, correct?

Astral Projections.7320:

Ummmm. Did you even read what I posted?

I’m not bemoaning the lack of proper revenenant story. If you had actually read (and understood) what I said, I said the old story is logically impossible therefore it should be left off (except as an optional side quest) and that the Revenant’s story should be the season 3 Living Story (which will be the same story for all professions, not just the Revenant). So, I’m actually saying, no specific story for the Revenant, the opposite of what you said.

Please read the actual posts before making comments. K thx.

Yes, the fast track solution. But, believe it or not, you are not the entirety of “people” to which I was referring in regards to logistical problems with the revenant. It still gives the revenant a special status that “skips” the prior story either through an automatic level 80 boost or cajoling the level 1 revenant into the post-80 content.

silvermember.8941:

The old story is no more logically impossible actually it is far less logically impossible than the the introduction of the Nightfall classes to prophecies. There is no point in Arenanet trying to make the revenant story, when a much efficient way would be to simply handwave it like they have in the past.

Those who follow the lore closely since guild wars 1 already know and have simply accepted it. Making season 3 about the revenant just seems so pointless, where progressing the story should be more important.

Agreed.

xboxer.6785:

will the new class have a different story line ???

Hasn’t this already been answered with a resounding “NO” from the Reds in this forum?

Astral Projections.7320:

Genesis.8572:

Just pretend that your revenant became a revenant post-Zhaitan/LW S1-2 content but some some other profession before! Not that hard. I suspect it’s not that you want an obvious, easy-fix solution that requires a little active imagination on your part, but that you simply want the revenant to receive special snowflake status.

Uh huh. No doubt that’s it. (Rolls eyes)

Yes, I get it. People have objections to lore chronology, but the expectation being flaunted that ArenaNet give the Revenant something extra in the character story – even post-Red post saying otherwise – seems like vanity and a chasing of wind. It’s not happening, but it’s not the end of the world, time and space in Tyria, or the death of Guild Wars lore.

So while you bemoan the lack of a proper revenant story, I’m busy making my own. A human guardian with dead parents who after discovering their fate and deals with Zhaitan goes diving in the mists for more answers where he becomes a revenant so he can hopefully kick more White Mantle butt in Heart of Thrones.

Just pretend that your revenant became a revenant post-Zhaitan/LW S1-2 content but some some other profession before! Not that hard. I suspect it’s not that you want an obvious, easy-fix solution that requires a little active imagination on your part, but that you simply want the revenant to receive special snowflake status.

Koviko.3248:

Like you said, the topic has been derailed and I’d like to end the conversation here. No more name-calling, okay?

Then talk about something else, preferably the original topic. Stop responding to replica posts. I dare you.

Astral Projections.7320:

What does this mean then?

’ArenaNet says it will not make class-specific story content for them.‘

What other class specific story lines are they talking about? I’m drawing a blank on what class specific stories my other chars had.

It means that no other profession had profession specific stories and neither will the revenant. Don’t overthink the obvious.

Knighthonor.4061:

Anet should have learned from Blizzard and made a starter zone similar to how Blizzard did for Death Knights.

If they did, they would also have learned why Blizzard never did it again.

TurtleofPower.5641:

Yes but there’s no game content there. In GW1 expansions came with an area that was all about the background of new professions. It fast tracked you in leveling to get you to the end of leveling, but the nicer part was it made the new professions part of lore in fully playable, explorable way.

It’s really disappointing that the precedent for GW2 is now going to be … just drop anything in the game with barely a connection to anything else.

Back then, there was also only one race option, which simplified matters considerably due to the racial storylines of the Personal Story of GW2.

Kaleban.9834:

You’re talking about a game that’s been out for over a decade, and as you said, is now into its FOURTH expansion, not first.

Is it okay then for ANet and GW2 to just stick to the same basic formula of story hackery, instead of trying to learn from other games’ errors and mistakes and attempt to fix them?

I don’t think people are truly expecting some epic re-imagining of the profession creation system, BUT its not like Revenants were “always there, hidden among us” kind of deal, Rytlock post LS2 is LITERALLY the first according to the devs. At least with WoW, when each individual expansion was released, AT THE TIME they made sense more or less with the existing continuity. HoT isn’t even trying to jive with the current state of the game, and that’s poor planning.

I don’t mind, because I also have enough sense to recognize the practical considerations behind the game itself. Here’s what I said earlier, if you look up just a few posts:

If this lore-breaking time conundrum really upsets people, can’t they just pretend that their character was not a Revenant until they reached the HoT content and that their character played through the pre-HoT content as their “prior profession” before switching to a Revenant?

What’s more this does not require ArenaNet to create new starting zones or personal story missions for people who desperately want their Revenant characters to be treated as a special snowflake.

So yes, Rytlock is indeed the first Revenant. If lore is important for you, roleplay it out as you see fit. Make your Revenant and then jump into the Mists of WvW and EotM to level up your character to 80. Then play through the Personal Story as reliving the memories of your prior profession.

TurtleofPower.5641:

Roy Cronacher.1576:

Professions do not have their own starting zones. A character’s starting zone is determined by the race that was selected.

Wait… what? You’re introducing new profs that will start at the beginning and they’re just supposed to play old content to get to 80? Why can’t they have a fast track zone or something?

This is starting to seem more and more like The Sims/EA style cash grab where you guys make lots of mini expansions. I’ll be rather sad if that’s the outcome of Anet after all these years.

New players will likely level from 1 to 80. Veterans who play a lot of GW2 seem to be acquiring these Tombs of Knowledge and other level/exp boosters that are taking up space in their banks. You’ll be fine.

The idea that WoW handles their lore better is absolutely laughable. This is said as a WoW lore enthusiast and as a guy who has played Warcraft 1-3, their expansion packs, and WoW since Vanilla beta: the Warcraft franchise is a terrible trainwreck of lore and story progression filled with more retcons than sense.

Consider that a blood elf and draenei can both start as a monk class – as introduced in the fourth expansion, Mists of Pandaria – but their starting zones still reflect the time of the second expansion, The Burning Crusade.

The new details show that there’s a lot of potential for the Revenant, but we do not have any details yet on the nitty-gritty that allows meta munchkins to power-game nor do we know of the new profession changes (specializations, conditions, boons, etc.). Patience.

Harnel.6810:

As I recall, someone datamined Balthazar from the game. Not an armor, but a mesh that’s meant to be used for an NPC or transformation. It might be possible to avatar transform into Balthazar as a Revenant.

You become an avatar of Balthazar during the Durmand Priory story mission in Lion’s Arch against the Risen.

Jokubas.4265:

Well, since this means Dervish is unlikely as its own class, I hope this means Dervish becomes a Revenant Specialization that allows them to channel the gods instead of legends and rethemes their attacks to be more whirling.

Probably not given that the gods may be too human-specific for the other races.

If this lore-breaking time conundrum really upsets people, can’t they just pretend that their character was not a Revenant until they reached the HoT content and that their character played through the pre-HoT content as their “prior profession” before switching to a Revenant?

What’s more this does not require ArenaNet to create new starting zones or personal story missions for people who desperately want their Revenant characters to be treated as a special snowflake.

Did you also miss the part where mobs will use this against players?

Do Revenants wear blindfolds because they poked their eyes out from all the spikes that ArenaNet keeps putting on their armor?

Koviko.3248:

So you think my assertion that only the Pale Tree can create an exact Caladbolg is false? Do you have any evidence at all to back it up? My “stubbornness” is because I believe that I am correct and I am standing my ground.

Saying that nothing in this “world of magic” is impossible means that we shouldn’t even be having lore discussions or holding ANet accountable for mistakes. There have to be limitations for any respectable story/universe.

As an outsider who was more interested in reading about the OP’s premise than a hijacked debate about Caladbolg, I can say that the matter is more of your frustrating inability to understand what the word “replica” means that makes you look foolish.

Thornwolf.9721:

Some people care about the lore, unlike you i do . So if you wana make everyone happy; Just make an opening instance like you did with waking from the dream, and the other starting points and just have it go through a small instance which just introduces you to the class. Seriously; Its not that big of a thing , its just tells the story of how you got there . Sure other races would be there; But do you honestly think you would remember some random chaar who fought beside you ? Nah. I Think coming from the mists is better than just some generic beginning we have seen a crap ton .

Yes, some people care about lore. I am one of those people who care. But here’s the thing, Thorn. We don’t know all the lore about the Revenant. We don’t know what’s appropriate as per lore for them.

Edit: Please enjoy playing the defeat of Zhaitan with the profession specializations you unlock in HoT without any new starting zone or lore explanation.

BrunoBRS.5178:

i don’t know why i keep reading these posts with convoluted ways to add a story to the revenant’s introduction. you guys will be so disappointed.

even after a dev outright tells you that their experience will be the same as any other profession, you keep thinking of ridiculous extra fluff that is completely unecessary. professions have always been a mechanical thing in the story.

This too.

Or how about when I create a Revenant of Race X, then I start out as a level 1 character of race X in their starting zone? Awesome.

Glad to hear that there’s not a separate zone for revenants.

Roy Cronacher.1576:

Professions do not have their own starting zones. A character’s starting zone is determined by the race that was selected.

Thank you. May this be the nail in the coffin for this banal speculation.

NPCs often have abilities that PCs do not. Don’t sweat it.

There’s also that one in the Straits of Devastation that involves jumping onto the tree roots in the hidden grotto that often involves people falling to their deaths.

Character-bound masteries work in Metroidvania games because these games require less of your time to complete or progress through bonus objectives. But in today’s MMORPG? It’s hours upon hours of game time required for character progression, because there is such a tremendous amount of content that goes beyond Metroidvania games.

BrunoBRS.5178:

I find it hilarious that in one of the interviews, Colin said “we avoided the term GvG because there are two distinct GvG communities in GW2, that play very different games that they both call GvG, and they hate each other”

Pardon my ignorance, as someone who does not PvP much, but what are the two communities of GvG?

Probably the amount of magic in Tyria. EDs eat magic and sleep. Civilizations (e.g. asura, Orr, possibly the charr, etc.) then seem to (unintentionally) use the magic of the slumbering EDs.

Chase.8415:

There is absolutely no difference between the Mac Install files and the Windows Install files, the only difference is it’s in a cider wrapper, which is supported on Linux as well but you have to wrap it yourself.

You can literally copy the mac app and paste it into a windows machine and still execute it, I’ve done it myself many times; this is why it will always be in beta, because it’s really nothing else.

There are glitchy problems though that affect Mac users. The game crashing during big battles – WvW and PvE open world and boss fights – is a common complaint.

None of this has anything to do with Heart of Thorns and everything to do with Guild Wars 2 101.

Also, the OP needs to learn how to be concise.

Jadebloods.5029:

because sylvari are a new and relatively unexplained race. they’re a mystery still. i for one am totally excited and cant wait to see what happens with them.

People would probably have less of an issue with sylvari if they were not treated as the golden children of lore, particularly given how humans keep getting a raw deal on lore.

Pop and Ryt-lock?

Ha. Likely Game of Thrones on the mind.

ReaverKane.7598:

Its not really a raised level cap, in the sense that you don’t really have to reaquire gear and whatnot. You will get some stuff you would from a raised level cap, new skills and profession mechanics (via specializations) and more progress and objectives via the masteries. Its actually a very elegant solution to the stagnation in character progress many people have complained about in GW2 (i’ve had friends that played 2 months, got to 80 full exotics, and quit, because they were used to having stuff like gear grind and whatnot to fuel their gaming motivation).
Now lets hope that the new AI efforts, coupled with the masteries and the new opponent mechanics deals with the other problem. Game being too easy with everyone just facerolling Zerker gear in PVE.

Not complaining. Just noting that it serves a similar function.