Guild Wars 2 Looking Forward

So it’s a bit late but I recently finished two legendaries, my sixth weapon the Binding of Ipos and my first accessory Aurora. The Binding of Ipos was the one I was working towards for the last few months but with the announcement of the Legendary Armoury I decided it was time to work on other types of legendaries. I had never got around to Aurora, largely because it felt like I had to re-do everything I had just done when it first came out, unlike Vision a lot of the objectives for Aurora didn’t register if you’d done them before. So I decided to suck it up and go back to Living World Season 3, it wasn’t as bad as I expected, enough time had passed that I was enjoying the maps again and that I had forgotten cool things I could rediscover. Although I will say how much I didn’t enjoy making the Druid Stone.

I’m not sure whether or not I’ll craft more legendary weapons, there’s a few left that I still like, although some clash with legendaries I already have, no point having both shields or focii, so I’d be looking at probably Verdarach (gen 2 Warhorn), one of the underwater weapons or one of the two scepters. I guess it’ll depend on how the legendary armoury is implemented. My personal hope is something similar to how Star Wars the Old Republic handles collections, where once you have the item you’ll be able to just spawn infinite copies of the item – happy for a reasonable one off gem payment to add an item to the armoury. Though I worry the implementation will be really unfriendly. If it is done well then I’ll probably have a real push on getting non-weapon legendaries, I’m not keen on WvW but maybe I can stomach it enough for legendary armour though it’d probably be much quicker to just get into raiding. Still time will tell.

Looking past the Icebrood Saga, which so far I’ve enjoyed we have expansion three to look forward to it and by the hints it’s Cantha. I don’t know when it’ll be but I imagine the Icebrood Saga will last for a while yet, I’m expecting 8 chapters (not counting more like Visions of the Past) but wouldn’t be surprised if it was 10 chapters. I know that so far the data-mining of hero challenge icons for the Icebrood saga hasn’t come to anything yet and it could be as simple as maps needing to have an icon even if it’s not used and someone speding five minutes to make them on a whim but I’m hoping that half way through the Icebrood saga we might see some new elite specs. Speaking of elite specs I couldn’t not write down some ideas I had for some. A quick caveat though, so far we don’t know the next expansions killer feature, HoT gave us a new class and gliding, PoF gave us the best mounts of any game I’ve ever played. If PoF and HoT are bundled with the new expansion then the new expansion won’t need to give us mounts though there is still some room (e.g. underwater), if it doesn’t come with PoF then I’d expect a couple of mounts, maybe a cross between Raptor and Springer (a Moa?), as for whether they’ll do another class… I don’t know, there really is room for the Ritualist though and it’s the perfect time to add it. At the same time a new playable race, Tengu? Would be cool, though in a game like Guild Wars 2 a new playable race doesn’t add as much as say it does in WoW but I feel like it’s now or never with a new race at this point. A new expansion (especially one set in Cantha) is a real chance to appeal to new players or to get players back. maybe it’s time for a really fresh start? Brahm could easily leave the group post IceBrood, Rytlock as well – maybe the new leader of the Charr? Taimi’s illness could lead to her exit, though I’d prefer a happier ending for her. Kasmeer and Margery could also find a reason to not come with us to Cantha. Caithe could stay with Aurene at the Eye of the North. Cantha could easily be made into a great new introduction or re-introduction into the game.

I’d also be really tempted to make new race options for existing races for Cantha and make them start at a higher level (who at this point doesn’t have endless 20-50 scrolls?), I’d consider making Shing Jea into low level maps (say 30-80) to let new players start in new and current maps. Anyway race options:

• Canthan Human (or Awakened Human)
• Flame Legion Charr (or Olmakhan)
• Former Inquest (maybe Gorrik convinces a huge defection)
• Sylvari from Malyck’s tree (probably too much to hope for), realistically just new Sylvari born post Mordremoth, maybe a sign the Pale Tree is healing?
• Norn is harder unleess we come across a new set of Norn, or maybe they’ll be Norn choosing the spirits we’ve recently saved e.g. Ox, Wolverine or Eagle?

Anyway at this point I’ll just put my Elite spec ideas down and hope for the best.

Warrior
I have no real interest in Warrior but they are going to struggle for a new weapon that fits the class fantasy. One option is to re-use a weapon if they don’t want to add new weapons. If they add Spear as a non-aquatic option, I’d say Paragon to represent the return of the Sunspears. Otherwise I’d consider dual pistols and do either a corsair or pirate themed spec but I do feel that’d suit Thief much more. Otherwise you’re left with Shortbow, or the three magic weapons. Melee staff again? I promise my ideas for the other classes are better. Warrior got Spear in the original Guild War’s anniversary event, I don’t know whether or not that was a hint or just the best option, but I feel like one of the Guild Wars anniversary weapons will turn out to be a hint, lots of them bridged the gap between games e.g. Necromancer’s scythe, Monk’s hammer, etc.

Guardian
I feel like Warhorn would be a nice weapon choice, Guardian has so far avoided dual-wielding (and I think it should stay that way) otherwise I might have said dual daggers based on Paragon getting daggers, but maybe one dagger. If Ritualist isn’t coming back then maybe Spirits would be a good fit. I could really see a Guardian with a Warhorn summoning humanoid spirits. they could even go the foefire route lore wise with Warhorn? Glyphs could easily work as well, they like changing the Guardian’s virtues, but maybe the Glyphs change based on your last used Virtue.

Revenant
My ideas for Revenant really depend on whether or not Ritualist is coming back. If it is then I would add an elite spec either based around a new playable race e.g. Talon Silverwing for Tengu or I would give the Norn or Asura a legend to call their own. Norn would be easy, they could literally have a spirit of the Wild or Eir or even Svanir. If Ritualist is not coming back then I would add a Ritualist legend ideally of the new race (if we’re not getting a class). I would give them Focus, and maybe Scepter. Also I would want Spirits to be a big part of the legend but wouldn’t want to make all their skills spirits, as such I would make the traits include summoning a spirit when you swap to (or maybe from would work better) a legend e.g. Pain for Shiro, Life for Ventari, Protection for Jallis and Agony for Mallyx. I’d also consider maybe doing the same for weapon swap, though maybe all of one tier of traits could let you summon a spirit under certain circumstances e.g. Restoration when you use your healing skill, maybe Shadowsong when you attack an enemy (obviously they would have a cooldown). Doing spirits that was would leave the five utility slots free to showcase the other ritualist stuff, if they just had focus then I would definitely have a spirit weapon (weapon kit) as one of them. Maybe the healing skill summons that giant bundle item from the original, and it heals you when dropped? I feel like the elite skill should be signet of spirits, it’s just so iconic. Only thing against this idea, Ritualist doesn’t feel like a heavy armour class and it’d be really similar to the last elite spec. So please just give us Ritualist.

Ranger
So far we’ve had Druid which was a magic Ranger, Soul Beast that felt magicalish and did away with the pet. It’s time for something that doubles down on what a Ranger is. I think they should do a Beastmaster, give you an F5 that summons either both pets at the same time for a short while or summons an epic pet (swaps with your normal pet) which you can use for a short while before getting your normal pet back. Guild Wars Rangers have always been attached to nature rather than say WoW’s Hunter, so I don’t think they should get guns, which pretty much leaves Maces, off hand Sword or Hammer (trying to avoid the magical weapons). None really appeal to me. As for their new skills I think something like minions but ones that only last a short while, like Elementalists’ Glyph summons.

Thief
If we’re going to Cantha, the choice is obvious off-hand Sword and either call it Bodyguard or Assassin. Skill wise I think Corruptions (you get a condition but but do something powerful e.g. Blood is Power, you get bleed stacks but give out lots of might) would be perfect. Also Thief has had two handed weapons both time, time for an offhand, it all fits!

Engineer
My main so I’m probably the most invested in this. So far we’ve had Scrapper based on Charr engineering, Holosmith based on Asuran engineering. So either Human or Sylvari engineering next unless they want to do Norn because of the Icebrood saga but even the devs couldn’t say what the Norn engineers did to contribute to the airships. Either case I’d really like minions, turrets never lived up to the dream and gyros are wells now. I want mechanical minions either Clockwork ones from Human engineering or Steam creatures like the ones Scarlet used – I know I’m a Sylvari main but I think the latter. There are more options for Humans, where as Sylvari already have a seed turret racial, making a full plant engineering spec would be hard but tapping into Scarlet especially as living world season one is being re-explored would be the perfect time for a Sylvari steam creature/minion elite spec. Weapon wise, Mace would make the most sense I guess and it hasn’t been used for an elite spec yet.

Elementalist
I don’t have any great ideas, I’d love to see arcane get some love but a 5th element isn’t going to happen. Unless it literally creates a single weapon to go with it e.g. Arcane Warrior (Greatsword) or Arcane Archer (Short/Long Bow). They also want to avoid the twenty weapon skills that come with two handed, unless maybe they decide to bite the bullet and do it. They did give Elementalist an energy storage axe in Guild Wars, so maybe they’ll give Elementalist a new bar of energy and they’ll have powerful skills that they can use with little to no cooldown, a bit like how Thief’s initative works, they could even make the elite skill induce exhaustion like in Guild Wars.

Mesmer
They haven’t had a two handed option yet but none of them jump out at me. I could see Mesmer being the best fit if they wanted to do a gun Mage, they already have off-hand pistol. Though my preference would be Warhorn and bringing back some of Guild Wars’s original Mesmer inspiration. They’ve changed Chronomancer (still not over it) to adjust the F1-4 like Mirage so we can probably expect the same. Running with the inspiration idea, I’d change the F1-4 to make you clones inspires allies around them, maybe F1 gives might, F4 maybe could be your clones heal your targeted ally, if you have 3 clones maybe they revive them from the downed state? As for the skill types, the F1-4 would be basically commands, though commands could be an option. Shouts would probably fit with the Warhorn. I’d love a new Mesmer spec to get excited about, since the Chronomancer changes I’ve barely played my Mesmer.

Necromancer
I’d be tempted to go Death Knight and give them shield (and maybe Sword) and stances, that could be fun. Though if we want to tap into Canthan lore, a Plague Doctor could be really cool but that’s basically Sourge. Why are there so many plagues? Another option, being as the scepter of Orr failed to turn up again maybe they could conjure legendary (lore wise) weapons like the sceptor of Orr, though I doubt they want to give any other class conjured weapons/kits. They could make some sort of Grave Stalker maybe with a bow but that’d be quite close to Deadeye in theme.

Anyway that’s my current ideas about some elite specs, would love to see some mid-Icebrood but not hopeful, would also love some proper expansion news or an update on the legendary armoury.