Guild Wars 2

Corvus.5836:

Conncept.7638:

There is one thing still very confusing to me about this blog post.

It sounds like the Revenant may get less customization than other classes. As per usual your first five skills are determined by your weapon, but unlike other classes they said your second five skills are determined by your legend. Are they determined only by your legend? As in, you pick a legend and get the five skills that come with it? Or will there be a selectable loadout of skills within each legend? And if so how many per legend?

I didn’t read all the posts above but if you look at the attached image, above each utility skill you can see the tab arrow. I assume this means there will be a number of skills for each Legendary Hero, allowing you to customize a bit rather than only offering five per.

I see this mentioned a lot, but please keep in mind that:

1. The revenant is still in alpha development, and these pictures are from a dev build where they can even keep the arrows up during combat. The presence of arrows in these pictures shouldn’t be considered representative of final design.
2. There are still racial skills to consider. There’s no reason to lock us out of those, so it’s likely we’ll get arrows just for the possibility of slotting in non-profession skills.

All that said, I really hope it’s not completely locked down. I at least want to have a little wiggle room with either skill group 2-4 or 7-9.

I’m wondering how the potential limitation is going to work with traits. My thief can trait up to buff venoms and have a full bar of venoms to make use of that. (It’s not a popular build, but the point is I can do it.) A revenant traiting for a skill type might only have one or two skills of that type to take advantage of the traits.

Also, will you be forced into certain trait lines based on which legends you picked? Will trait line C be Mallyx-centric, and so on? I really hope not.

They will need to be extra creative with how they make the traits for this profession. The old methods just won’t work. The dividing lines between the trait lines and individual traits simply cannot be the same as used for other professions. Fingers are crossed.

I have to strongly oppose the idea of swapping weapon skills between weapons. It’s too easy to say that they’re not themed to their respective weapons when you haven’t actually seen them in action, but I trust they are just as properly themed as for any other profession.

If we go down the road of swapping weapon skills, I would prefer choosing from a set for each weapon. What I’m thinking is that you would always have a pair of options for each of the 2-4 skills.

When dual-wielding, you would have an option for each slot from each of the weapons. With the mace/axe combo, for example, each slot 2-4 would have an option from the mace, and an option from the axe.

Two-handed weapons like hammer would simply give 2 hammer-themed choices for each of those slots.

Dondagora.9645:

Monkey Fritz.9052:

Dondagora.9645:

Conncept.7638:

There is one thing still very confusing to me about this blog post.

It sounds like the Revenant may get less customization than other classes. As per usual your first five skills are determined by your weapon, but unlike other classes they said your second five skills are determined by your legend. Are they determined only by your legend? As in, you pick a legend and get the five skills that come with it? Or will there be a selectable loadout of skills within each legend? And if so how many per legend?

I take it as you get to choose your utility with the same variety as any other class and each legend will change the affect of the utility, meaning more customization. So you get 5 types/sets of 4 utility skills each. This gives you 20 skills. The number of skills is then multiplied by each combination of Legends. This is what I believe it meant.

Read the dev posts in this thread. It is confirmed to be a static swap per legend. No choice.

They did say it is not set in stone, yet.

Yep, just read it, shoulda seen that earlier~

Also, if you look closely at the skill icons, you’ll notice that the “misty white” coloration is a bit different between the legends. Jalis’s skills are more cyan, and Mallyx’s skills are more purple. Each legend has its own theme color. In contrast, the weapon skill bar features a neutral “misty white.”

Palador.2170:

Gulesave.5073:

1. Lock legend skills to their respective legends, but include a handful of non-legend skills. Aside from racial skills and Antitoxin Spray, the revenant would get a smattering of skills that aren’t bound to a specific legend, and can be swapped into any legend’s bar freely. These would have to be generic and useful for all legends, such as simple resource maintenance.
   1. I recommend creating a skill type based on minor legends. The historical characters that aren’t quite big enough be a proper legend can each get a single skill named and themed after them. These could additionally provide an attribute bonus when slotted, sort of like a signet that doesn’t deactivate. Seriously, who wouldn’t want a “Channel Prof. Yakkington” skill on their bar?

I like this idea, and it makes a lot of sense. “Crest of Durmand”, “Crest of Havocbringer”, and “Crest of Silverwing” as skill names, for example.

Ooh, “Crest” has a good ring to it. Or…

GW1 had the storybooks you used to experience the stories of Gwen, Saul, and the others, so what if we stole that theme and turned that into a “Story” skill type? It could just be called “Razah’s Story,” for an example that’s easy and clear, or something like “Khilbron’s Intent” to work in a little more lore. Skill icons could be something like a book cover or scroll.

To emphasize the “Story” nature of them, they could all be chain skills, (instead of giving the attribute bonus I mentioned earlier). Each part of the chain when activating one of these skills would be vaguely themed after a “chapter” in the story. These multiple activations would also improve the versatility of the skills, which would help them a little toward fulfilling their purpose of improving build diversity.

There are a couple ways the build limitations of legends could be worked around without much fuss:

1. Build the skills into legends as defaults, but allow swapping after the fact. A legend’s skills would be designed to work together, but players are free to change that up if they want. This would require a lot more balancing and testing than locking them, though.
2. Lock legend skills to their respective legends, but include a handful of non-legend skills. Aside from racial skills and Antitoxin Spray, the revenant would get a smattering of skills that aren’t bound to a specific legend, and can be swapped into any legend’s bar freely. These would have to be generic and useful for all legends, such as simple resource maintenance.
   1. I recommend creating a skill type based on minor legends. The historical characters that aren’t quite big enough be a proper legend can each get a single skill named and themed after them. These could additionally provide an attribute bonus when slotted, sort of like a signet that doesn’t deactivate. Seriously, who wouldn’t want a “Channel Prof. Yakkington” skill on their bar?

The game considers cloaking and stealth as separate mechanics, unfortunately. Hence the purple tinting when cloaked.

All those voice actors are still alive and working in the industry. Several of them have even continued working with Arenanet voicing various NPC’s. There’s no reason to doubt that revenants will have some new quips.

Meh. We already have a build saver. It’s called alts.

It’s important do draw a line between NPC’s doing things players can’t do, and NPC’s doing things player can do, but better.

Also important, the line between combat abilities that might be brought into a profession for worldwide use, and exploration abilities that would – if given to players at all – more likely be masteries that can only be used at specific locations.

I do have to admit, the idea of profession-specific masteries is very appealing as a player, but from a development side, it would be a less efficient use of resources than making a smaller number of abilities usable by everyone.

If it can be done without increasing load time on the screen, I would enable some in-game features for character selection. Namely the hero panel, inventory, BLTC, and map.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve logged fully into a series of characters to try and remember which one had a certain item, or build, or crafting profession.

And buying on the BLTC could certainly be useful outside of a logged in state for people who just want to check some prices quick. Not to mention the convenience of buying a new character slot or other account perk from a place that’s contextually appropriate.

As for the map, just think of how awesome it would be to select a waypoint and log in directly to where you want to go, instead of having to load up a whole map you don’t want just because it’s where you left off. You would still pay the waypoint fee, but save on time and server bandwidth.

Does it need to be fixed? Yes.

Does it have anything to do with HoT, or is there any reason to bundle this fix with HoT? No.

This has been bugging me since the game was released. Plant harvesting has the most limited use of all three gathering types. Would it hurt so bad to throw in some cotton and other plants for us to harvest? It’s okay for plants to serve more crafts than cook.

My current ideal for a trait system:

Tier 1 fully unlocks automatically, so players can experiment at early levels.

Tier 2 traits can be bought (cheaply) with skill points (no gold), directly in the trait interface.

Tier 3 traits require facing trait challenges and spending a few skill points. Complete any trait challenge to unlock any T3 trait of your choice, making it open for purchase with skill points. There should be more challenges to pick from than traits to unlock. Unlocking of a trait would be account-wide. Purchases of unlocked traits would then still have to be made on a character-by-character basis.

I’m not seeing any evidence that the devs have or would follow this pattern, though. Unless I’m missing something?

Aside from availability charts, I’m pretty sure each profession will be getting the weapon that stands to work best with the theme and mechanics of the specialization.

Rangers had little to do with magic, hence druid and staff. Mesmers were poor against groups, hence aoe chronomancer and shield. Necros lacked big and heavy attacks outside of death shroud, hence raging necro with a greatsword. Engineers were bad at melee and focusing on a single target, hence drone-gineer and hammer.

I feel it’s more important to identify the key weaknesses of each profession and see which weapon can best fill the gap.

No, they couldn’t use all weapons. A necro/warrior with an axe is weilding that axe as a warrior, not as a necro. The axe doesn’t directly synergize with any necro skills or attributes.

GW1 didn’t even have weapon-based skills for every profession like GW2 does. Heck, staves, scepters, and foci provided you with absolutely nothing but stats and an auto-attack. Each weapon didn’t automatically determine half your skill bar.

It’s a really unfair and inaccurate contrast, that I think we can stop making.

Neither. Sorry.

1. First option won’t work for new players wanting to start off with a revenant.
2. Player characters still need to be Commander of the Pact, the Slayer of Zhaitan, and the Hero of Lion’s Arch, and be able to play through LS Season 2, even though that all happens before Rytlock’s return. Putting tons of unnecessary work into creating a new PS won’t change that plot hole.

If anything, this would be a possibility for a thief spec, since dual skills are in their purview. I wouldn’t expect to see it on any other profession.

Ah, yes, horrible, horrible. It’s so awful that outfits can be worn by every profession, provide looks not possible with piecemeal armor, have minimal clipping problems, and enable you to change your whole look on the fly without having to stock multiple sets of equipment. Just… disgusting, aren’t they?

Astral Projections.7320:

Vukorep.3081:

Thainre, a female sylvari thats crying right from where sylvari characters are born from their pods after finishing the tutorial zone.

She says she wants to become a elementalist,but her mentor suggests her to become a thief instead .

She wants to use magic ,she says. hmm

Yah, she has been there reportedly since BWE3 so I doubt it has anything to do with this expansion.

The really odd thing is, she’s carrying a hammer.

Maybe she wants to be a stealthy hammer-wielding elementalist. I see nothing wrong with sneaking up behind someone and smacking them with Thor’s hammer.

It could be as simple as having access to the F1 skills of both weapon sets, regardless of which one you have equipped.

They mentioned before that one of the masteries could be for tearing off a mordrem’s defensive “bark” better. That gauge might represent these defenses, sort of like shields in a shooter game.

There is absolutely nothing pointing toward a healer spec. Try not to pull your worries out of left field.

What, just because they don’t look like they should be instantly fatal like other melee weapons? I’m totally fine with whacking a few grawl and mordrem in the face with any of the staff skins in the game.

I’m a little concerned about how leveling for skill points after 80 is being replaced by masteries and skill-points-as-rewards. With apparently all masteries being expansion-locked, (not just the Heart of Maguuma, but also the “core” ones), this sounds like players without the expansion will be completely frozen out of experience track rewards after level 80. I hope I’m wrong about that.

The easiest way I can describe it is, “Mastery points give you the key. Experience points turn the key.”

Also, some of those were placed when that was the minimum price. Certain min prices have gone up, and the old orders stayed in the BLTC.

There were more than enough nails in that coffin already.

Agreed, please rephrase the title. You’re making a request, not a statement.

They have specifically said that the new-new system will be “simplified.” Given that and the enormous amount of detailed criticism they have heard on the current system, I feel there’s an excellent chance that the we will see real improvement.

The current system was touted as an improvement, yes, but they made the mistake of only looking at the perspective of a new player running their first character. Also, it came from CDI ideas about horizontal progression that the community never intended to be applied to pre-existing abilities.

Quite frankly, I’m sure their ears are still ringing from the heavy ear-boxing we’ve given them over all this. By this point, avoiding those mistakes should practically be a Pavlovian response.

They’ve stated that the biggest goal with HoT is to expand end-game play by introducing content that is infinitely replayable. Replacing the entire personal and living story just to avoid a plot hole seems like a wee bit of an unnecessary diversion from that focus.

I think they’re going to be replacing profession mechanics with similar mechanics. Just because a druid has a pet, doesn’t mean they have to use it the same way a traditional ranger does.

Notice the wolf waits to pounce until the druid’s big attack has finished channeling. That could be a sign that the pet attacks less often and is a smaller part of the druid’s damage quota, (which would fall nicely in line with discussions during the ranger CDI).

I think it should vary according to the level of the map. Beginner zones should keep their current number of waypoints. Level 80 zones should all feel more like Silverwastes. Then just make a nice downward curve for the areas in between.

Here’s your checksheet to know if your standstill behavior is a problem:

• Are you receiving rewards without actively contributing?
• Are you dying to mobs and letting players waste their time reviving you?
• Is your presence up-scaling events that you aren’t participating in?

If you answered no to all three, you’re fine. A single yes, and you need to consider relocating.

Knighthonor.4061:

Gulesave.5073:

Even if weapon channeling isn’t on the F bar, it could still come from utilities. They would only need a single utility skill that channels your active legend into your weapon(s). Less like ele attunement, more like ele weapon summon, is what I’ve been picturing.

On that note, it would be easy to extend that mechanic to channel up some armor effects as well, (retaliation, knockback when hit, etc.).

But again, they said channels change the back skills not weapons. Also if it worked the way you explained, it would be possible to spec with 3 channels in utilities, so how will that work out using your system? What would a channel change into if its a utility skill…

Eh? It wouldn’t. Your F skills channel a chosen legend into your non-weapon skills, changing all their effects, (like ele glyphs). One of these skills, (or skill types), could theoretically alter your equipment, imbuing it with the essence of the legend you’re currently channeling.

Again, that’s just how I’m imagining it.

Even if weapon channeling isn’t on the F bar, it could still come from utilities. They would only need a single utility skill that channels your active legend into your weapon(s). Less like ele attunement, more like ele weapon summon, is what I’ve been picturing.

On that note, it would be easy to extend that mechanic to channel up some armor effects as well, (retaliation, knockback when hit, etc.).

(in walk a group of quaggans with orange skin and green wigs)

Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-dee-dooo
I have a jumpless puzzle for you
Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-da-dee
The deep dives will come when they’re ready
Who do you blame when your players can’t wait?
Pampered and spoiled like an Orrian krait
Blaming the players is a lie and a shame
You know exactly who’s to blame

The college and the fahrar

Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-dee-da
If you are patient, then you will learn all
You will play in happiness tooo
Like the Quaggan Looompa dooom-pa-dee-dooo

Accountancy WP FTW.

Knighthonor.4061:

Gulesave.5073:

1. For people still confused, I think it’s all easier to digest if you think of the current versions of each profession as Spec#1, and the HoT versions as Spec#2. It’s not so much additional abilities, as it is different abilities. The HoT specs will likely excel at what the current specs fail at most. For example, the mesmer currently fails at fighting multiple targets, (especially short-lived ones), and the chronomancer spec looks to excel at (literally) dropping whole groups of mobs.
2. As for polearms and other new weapon types, they explicitly said “no” in the Massively interview. However, they hinted that the artists have been designing polearm-like skins, which could possibly be for staves used in melee. This is a much more elegant solution than introducing a whole new weapon type to the economy, so kudos if they’re actually doing it.

Where did they say no to new weapon types?

Also new Spear like skins for Staffs would be meaningless when you consider the way the Wardrobe system works, as well as the fact that many non-spear like staffs would be made.
So how would a Melee staff Revenant look with one of the magic themed staffs in e game’s wardrobe?

On the first point, I was wrong to say it was a Massively interview. That was my memory being bad. The info is second hand and off the record, coming from someone who spoke to Colin at the after-party. It’s in the first post on this Reddit thread:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2tk5t2/woodenpotatoes_expansion_confirmed_heart_of/

Feel free to take that source with a grain of salt, but also don’t assume that it being off the record means we will have spears. As for using non-stabby staff skins to beat people with: who cares? Most of the staves still look like they would hurt to get smacked with, as much as most of the other weapons in the game. Who am I to tell people what they can and can’t use as a beating stick?

OK, that is awesome news from Colin. But…now I feel encouraged to wait until HoT before making any more characters. Maybe some of the related changes, such as this, might be rolled out ahead of time as they’re ready? It seems best for everyone if any features that aren’t locked behind the HoT-buywall are pushed out on their own.

Not sure if many of you have noticed, but the denizens of LA have indeed been making gradual progress. Not so much on the clearing of rubble, strangely, but they have been at work putting up some new structures here and there. There are new bridges and ramps popping up, a new hidden bar, and other little tidbits. You just have to go out of your way to explore occasionally to spot what they’re doing.

I think they said it would be two weeks before the first deep dive, in the quick on-air interview right after the announcement.

I’m not concerned about the personal story. Yes, the revenant technically didn’t exist before the fall of Zhaitan, but your profession has no impact on your personal story. It’s barely even mentioned, if at all.

In the announcement, they went out of their way more than once to point out that LA is still in ruins, describing this as the “current” state of affairs. The hint couldn’t have been more obvious if he was winking and nudging at us with his elbow, methinks.

1. For people still confused, I think it’s all easier to digest if you think of the current versions of each profession as Spec#1, and the HoT versions as Spec#2. It’s not so much additional abilities, as it is different abilities. The HoT specs will likely excel at what the current specs fail at most. For example, the mesmer currently fails at fighting multiple targets, (especially short-lived ones), and the chronomancer spec looks to excel at (literally) dropping whole groups of mobs.
2. As for polearms and other new weapon types, they allegedly said no, if you trust the Redditors who were at the after-party. However, they hinted that the artists have been designing polearm look-a-likes, which could possibly be melee-themed skins for staves. That would be a much more elegant solution than introducing a whole new weapon type to the economy, so kudos if they’re actually doing it.

You’re citing charr and humans summoning each other’s legendary spirits as an existing problem with the revenant, but the only two legends confirmed are a dwarf and a margonite, (and maybe a dragon).

Gotejjeken.1267:

A return of preparations would be what makes me the happiest. I’m not sure if we will ever see it though.

I think preparations pretty much got turned into venoms and given to thief. Rangers could theoretically get their own venoms in the future, but since they already share traps with thieves, it seems unlikely.

Norn racial armor seem more dervish-like to me, with all the dangling bits that fly out when you spin around.

Yes, of course. What a silly question.

Invictus.1503:

Don’t be so sure Mallyxx is confirmed and he was last seen in the Domain of Anguish which is the area you are referencing.

They flat-out listed him off as one of the legends during the announcement. He is 100% confirmed.