Guild Wars 2

[Fordel]

In about the same way that self healing is a healing role or party buffs are.

No, self healing won't keep the party alive. 

[DLRiley]

Tell that to 8 N/Mo 

[Sophismata]

I see the ele being mostly unused since most of its damage can be dodged and the utility in the aoe skills maybe better designed for mobs and not players. Compared to the necro who is a force of nature in a constantly changing and moving battlefield, damage output aside, the necro doesn't need to hit anything to have his presence known.

Until you play the game, sweeping assertions such as these tend to be wildly inaccurate. I know why you've made your argument but you have no context within which to frame your hypothetical game experience.

Personally, I think the elementalist is likely to be popular given its appearance, flashy spell effects and close association with an iconic RPG archetype.

[DLRiley]

Ele's are always popular in PVE, can't throw a stone off the top of shiverpeaks without hitting one E/ who thinks that flare is the greatest thing since sliced cheese. Its their PVP usefulness that I am concerned with and yes the guild wars community is very well known for abandoning flavor and cliche rpg conventions if the shit doesn't work. I kinda feel like they could have left the ele and the ranger behind along with the monk.

[Lantyssa]

I kinda feel like they could have left the ele and the ranger behind along with the monk.

Shut yo mouth!

[Morfiend]

I am pretty excited for the Thief class. I almost always play Rogues in any sort of RPG game, and the Thief looks fun.

[Azuredream]

I kinda feel like they could have left the ele and the ranger behind along with the monk.

Shut your mouth 

[nominix]

I am pretty excited for the Thief class. I almost always play Rogues in any sort of RPG game, and the Thief looks fun.

Been lurking on this forum for a while... seeing your post and seeing this recent reddit blog post...

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/g5mue/what_i_learned_from_playing_guild_wars_2_at_pax/

It's about the control scheme so not directly about the rogue.  However, it does give you an idea of how the rogue will play.  Sounds a bit like Diablo 2 with WASD controls.  Definitely very cool!

[Ingmar]

I see the ele being mostly unused since most of its damage can be dodged and the utility in the aoe skills maybe better designed for mobs and not players. Compared to the necro who is a force of nature in a constantly changing and moving battlefield, damage output aside, the necro doesn't need to hit anything to have his presence known.

Until you play the game, sweeping assertions such as these tend to be wildly inaccurate. I know why you've made your argument but you have no context within which to frame your hypothetical game experience.

Personally, I think the elementalist is likely to be popular given its appearance, flashy spell effects and close association with an iconic RPG archetype.

50% of the characters will be skanky elementalist females, just like regular GW.

[Zetor]

Elementalists are also the most useless class in GW atm [at least for hardmodes, since elemental damage is resisted so much], so it balances out... or something.  

(yeah, I know you can go elementalist/monk healer and use your elementalist status only for the huge mana pool and that one mana regeneration spell - I don't consider that an elementalist, sorry :p)

[DLRiley]

Elementalists are also the most useless class in GW atm [at least for hardmodes, since elemental damage is resisted so much], so it balances out... or something.  

(yeah, I know you can go elementalist/monk healer and use your elementalist status only for the huge mana pool and that one mana regeneration spell - I don't consider that an elementalist, sorry :p)

They are still bad and fill absolutely no role in PVP due to their design, which again skillshots will make worse. If you wanna power monk heals in pve with "infinite" mana you can just be a necro/monk.

[Azuredream]

All of which means jack shit to me, I will be rolling my (quoth Ingmar) skanky elementalist female regardless.

[jakonovski]

Underwater combat gameplay demo: http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/guildwars2/video/6321038?hd=1

This game just seems too good to be true.

[Ingmar]

They mis-pluralized 'seraph' in there, game is ruined.

[Sky]

Very nice. The black necro smoke effects are great, especially the one blinding ability he used while in death shroud that persisted for a while after combat and was dissipating and trailing him as he swam on.

[Murgos]

GW2 looks like a better MMO than SWTOR.  But, SWTOR looks like a better story driven game.  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Personally, I hope they can both grow the market and be raging successes.

[Lantyssa]

GW2 has personal stories, too.  Five races and three choices each.  Also fully voiced.  Only GW2 isn't hanging their hat on only story.  They're trying to make a fun game, too.

[HaemishM]

My God, this game needs to come out NOW.

[Amaron]

I don't understand why this game looks boring as hell every time I watch a video.   I actually LIKED Guild Wars.   I like the way this game sounds too.   Every time I load up a movie though they are doing something stupid like fighting a boss they can't kill for 10 minutes.

Also total nitpick but they need to fix the movement/idle animations.

[jakonovski]

I think it's a case of trying to explain stuff and play simultaneously. It's apparently much harder than you'd think.

[Draegan]

Dungeon Play Video

Here's a video of a few people going through a dungeon.  It's from the POV of someone outside the group so there is no UI and camera spins around.

Very very boring and terrible video.  For a game that talks about getting rid of the trinity and create dynamic combat type stuff, all I saw was a tank with a shield and sword, and a few other players standing around with their feet rooted hitting 1,1,1,1,1,1,2.  We didn't see all the supposed interactive abilities that create crazy things, or any type of interactive environment.

I just seemed like one trash pull after another of ghostly white NPC models.

The only thing I couldn't see is who the healer is.  Maybe it's everyone self healing, or you can't see the skills go off.

They do get a bunch of bonus points for the flame thrower though.

I'm not sure why they put in a bunch of tank and spank trash clearing fights strung together.

[Sky]

Yeeeah flame thrower in fantasy setting. Engineer looks like a lot of fun. But then there's those awesome necro effects, too.

At this point I feel the same way I do about Rift and TOR: what does it bring /besides/ the diku combat? Because it's not like a AAA titles is going to deliver anything else. So I'm looking at the setting, the story, the classes.

Even Rift, with it's game-changing soul/role system still boils down to the same things. Who's going to tank, who's going to heal, etc.

[Malakili]

Yeeeah flame thrower in fantasy setting. Engineer looks like a lot of fun. But then there's those awesome necro effects, too.

At this point I feel the same way I do about Rift and TOR: what does it bring /besides/ the diku combat? Because it's not like a AAA titles is going to deliver anything else. So I'm looking at the setting, the story, the classes.

Even Rift, with it's game-changing soul/role system still boils down to the same things. Who's going to tank, who's going to heal, etc.

The dynamic zone states sound cool, but I hope it actually plays out in a way that is dynamic, rather than being gamed by the player base for optimal loot reward, or whatever.

[Draegan]

Based only what they've described and shown, crossed with my cynicism and uber gamerness, the dynamic events are going to just be elaborate scripted events with just different outcomes.  Essentially large scale public quests with public quests inside public quests.

Probably going to be a lot of fun the first few times though at the beginning when you don't know wtf is going on.

[Lantyssa]

The only thing I couldn't see is who the healer is.  Maybe it's everyone self healing, or you can't see the skills go off.

There is no dedicated healer profession.  The video is bad, but it's probably by people who aren't familiar with the system.

[Draegan]

The only thing I couldn't see is who the healer is.  Maybe it's everyone self healing, or you can't see the skills go off.

There is no dedicated healer profession.  The video is bad, but it's probably by people who aren't familiar with the system.

Yeah I know there is no dedicated healer, but there are healing abilities that can affect other people.

[Ingmar]

I'm not sure why they put in a bunch of tank and spank trash clearing fights strung together.

Have you ever played the first Guild Wars? Trash mobs are its middle name. Another way to look at it though is that their dungeon design, at least in GW1, is generally not oriented towards 'bosses are why you are here'.

[Mattemeo]

...and finally, the Sylvari are revealed.

[Fordel]

I like them, I'd play one.

[caladein]

...and finally, the Sylvari are revealed.

For all the terrible puns and talk about plant anatomy they still look like humans wearing banana leaves.

[Sjofn]

Those look goofy as hell.


It's looking like I'm going to be playing all humans all the time, pretty much. If I play at all. 

[Zetor]

Go gnomeasura or go home! 

[Sky]

Those are pretty cool. I imagine class is limited by race, those would make odd necromancers or engineers :)

I hope the controls are better than GW1, which (imo) is one of the worst mmo control schemes I've experienced.

[caladein]

Those are pretty cool. I imagine class is limited by race, those would make odd necromancers or engineers :)

Nope, any race can be any class.

[Lantyssa]

I was already planning on making my Necromancer a Sylvari.  Their signature character, Caithe, is as well.

It'd be funny if they had dead plant versions of minion spells though.