Elementalist Profession Page Updated
As promised yesterday, we’ve conjured another profession update, this time for the spellcasting wonder that is the Guild Wars 2 Elementalist. Here’s a snippet from our freshly pressed page:
The Guild War 2 Elementalist channels raw magical energy to become one of Tyria’s most devastating mages. With their ability to control the natural elements and wield them as spells, buffs and debuffs, Elementalists truly are a destructive force.
But Elementalists are far from invincible. In fact, they are quite vulnerable to direct attacks and focus fire. But left unchecked, this profession can inflict massive amounts of spell damage. An Elementalist can also specialize into battlefield support and perform cantrips, conjures and glyphs that improve team performance.
That leaves the Necromancer and Engineer in the back burner. Don’t worry; you won’t have to wait long. We’re hitting the refresh button on those two last professions next week. Stay tuned and browse through the other six Guild Wars 2 professions in the meantime!
GW2PC Daily News: How to Name Your Charr and Other GW2 Toons
Having a hard time naming your ferocious feline? Head to the new Charr name creator at dragonwatch.net to get a moniker that that’s positively savage. We took the random name creator for a spin and got these five sample names that following the conventions for our favorite fighter kitties:
- Rox Scratcharrow
- Staggh Ashenmonger
- Maul Fiercechest
- Lana Manstrike
- Swift Fierceblood
From this sample, it’s pretty obvious what are the rules for naming a realistic Charr. The name needs to inspire courage or strike fear in the hearts of enemies. The more violent the verb and imagery used, the better. The GW2 Wiki entry on the Charr also reveals why their surnames always seem to put two words together:
The cubs are taught to unify and define their own social structure and the warband shares a root name which they incorporate into their surname.
What about your Human, Sylvari, Norn and Asura? GW2Guru has you covered with a comprehensive list of naming patterns for all playable races, plus a few NPC ones. Even though this post has been up for what seems like a year, it was our first time seeing it – and it’s an absolute blast to read.
Who knew Asuran females end their names with a vowel (useful for telling them apart)? Or that the difference between Krytan and Ascalonian humans is that the latter are named after Europeans? Feel free to share your character name suggestions in this post!
GW2PC Daily News: Gem Store Items and Prices – Which Ones are Worth Buying?
Gem store shoppers, it’s your lucky day. We’ve rounded up the list of items being sold at the Guild Wars 2 gem store, including their prices, for your shopping and redemption convenience. For funsies, we also judged each gem store item according to their importance – whether they’re a bargain-buy, wait-a-while, or for-superfans-only.
- Carnival Ringmaster’s Hat, Cook’s Outfit, Pirate Mate’s Outfit, Scholar’s Outfit – For-superfans-only. If you’re into cosmetic items, then shop for these.
- Fine Transmutation Stone and Transmutation Store – For-superfans-only. Lets you keep using your favorite weapon model.
- Dye Pack – Wait-a-while. When you get bored with your digs.
- Magic Plant Food – Wait-a-while. Could be cheaper than Dye Pack in the long run.
- Mystic Key – Wait-a-while. You have a chance to get it as a drop.
- Asuran Bank Portal – For-superfans-only. Map travel is quite convenient as of now.
- Instant Repair Canister – For-superfans-only. Repairs are also quite convenient now.
- Perfect Salvage Kit – Bargain-buy. Guaranteed success saves you time and upgrades.
- Resurrection Orb – Wait-a-while. Not sure if time saved running back is worth the 250 gems.
- Unlock Bag Slot – Bargain-buy. Pays for itself for the additional loot you get per run.
- Unlock Bank Tab – Bargain-buy. Bank tabs are shared across ALL your toons so this is a great gem investment.
- Crafting Boost – For-superfans-only. Only 50% chance is a bit of dealbreak.
- Experience Boost – For-superfans-only. Powerlevelers will like this.
- Karma Boost – Wait-a-while. Need to find a fast Karma farm first though.
- Killstreak Experience Boost – Wait-a-while. We want to see others try this first.
- Magic Find Boost – Wait-a-while. Potentially worth it.
- Minis Pack – For-superfans-only. Nice item for collectors.
This should come in handy for the next beta weekend event, especially if you still haven’t spent the free gems from ArenaNet or if you’re looking to refill your gem stash soon.
GW2 Warrior Profession Page Updated
This week we’re rolling out another couple of updates in our profession pages, starting with the adrenaline-pumped Guild Wars 2 Warrior. Here’s our take on this indomitable fighter:
The Guild Wars 2 Warrior is a battle-hardened commander, skilled in the use of most weapons and capable of leading a team to victory with his stat-boosting banners and self-improving stances. In fact, his masterful versatility in combat is second to none.
Warriors will not and cannot be ignored in the battlefield. Their foes quickly buckle under the pressure of their physical assaults which include incapacitating blows, knock down swipes and adrenaline-pumped combos. Their offensive might is matched only by their tenacity and resilience, a deadly mix of traits that emboldens all Warriors to engage enemies without fear or hesitation.
Read the whole entry here. Who’s next on our refresh list? A little hint — he can be ice cold one minute and lava hot the next. Watch out for the spellbinding new profile tomorrow!
GW2PC Instant News: The Escapist Likes GW2 for Being Group-Friendly
Thank the six human gods — Guild Wars 2 is not a sad, solo-centric MMO!
That’s the basic reaction from The Escapist’s Justin Clouse who tested the beta and is now lauding the game’s push for easy team play. “The emphasis on working together with other players without jumping through hoops is something this genre has really needed,” he said in a new preview article for the popular gaming site.
The bulk of the preview describes the new systems in Guild Wars 2, and was obviously written for gamers who did not participate in the beta weekend event. What was his minor complaint? Needing to buy keys for Mystic Chests. I’m guessing he didn’t get the memo that Mystic Chest Keys drop from mobs, if a bit rarely.
Preview
GW2PC Daily News: Tips and Tricks for Better Beta Play
If you struggled with the controls and new systems of Guild Wars 2, then you’ll be glad to read up on this new tips and tricks post from blogger Dulfy.
The popular how-to guru has listed 30 ways for you to improve your gameplay for the next beta weekend event, which we’re sad to report still has no confirmed date. Truth be told, even veterans can pick up a few pointers in her comprehensive list, which includes combat maneuvers like kiting and dodging, to what exactly is an overflow server. We’ve listed a few quotable gems from her list.
On The Value of Gathering
How to Deposit Collectibles Without Going to the Bank
How to Send Items Your Alts and To Friends
Some items on the list even come with helpful screenshots, which is great. Feel free to share your own leet advice below, or make your own list to share at the GW2PC forums. The newbies will surely appreciate it!
GW2PC Instant News: Still No Date for BWE2
Dying to know when the next Guild Wars 2 beta weekend event is coming? You’ll have to wait just a bit longer because ArenaNet is not yet ready to pin down a date. Community manager Rubi Bayer tweeted this message:
The word “roughly” is a bit worrying for some. But we think this is just ArenaNet’s safety net for when unavoidable delays arise. This way, they don’t have to break their word. Under promise and over deliver, that’s their motto and a smart one at that. We’ll let you know as soon as a date is announced, which if history serves, is still a couple of weeks away.
GW2 PC News Round-Up: BWE1 Previews, Reviews and Amazing PvP Vids
With the Guild Wars 2 first beta weekend event now done and over with, bloggers and new sites are beginning to roll out their initial impressions on the game. From combat to crafting and gem shop items, this round-up gathers the new previews to come out the beta. Check out the list to compare play notes with these game journalists, bloggers and eSports pros:
Crafting Preview
- Guild Wars 2 Crafting Preview | MMORPG.com
Gem Shop and Trading Post Preview
- Gem Shop and Trading Post Preview | MMORPG.com
Reviews and Impressions
- Last Portal to Tyria | Sixdee.net
- My Weekend with Team Legacy, a GW2 Experience | Team Liquid
Amazing PvP Videos
- Amazing PvP Warrior Killing People in Less Than 4 Seconds | YouTube user Moldran
- Top Tier: PvP Action | AlphaCollective
- GW2 Beta – Engineer PvP | YouTube user Teldo
- Secret Jumping Puzzle in WvWvW | YouTube user xARxNomaD
GW2PC Instant News: Sell All Junk Button in the Works
Selling junk during the beta was a bit of a hassle. We had to select and sell each item individually, which meant a few more clicks and seconds spent clearing our inventory. Fans took to the forums to suggest a single-click “Sell All Junk” button, which we gladly found out was already being developed.
According to ArenaNet’s Linsey Murdock:
Good to know this is coming soon, if only so we can easily separate the junk from the very important stuff like gear and crafting materials.
GW2PC Daily News: What’s the Point of Melee? Jon Peters Answers the Big Q
If you specialized in a close-combat spec for the Guardian, Thief or any other profession, you’ve probably asked yourself: Why even bother playing melee in Guild Wars 2?
Melee weapons specs (swords, hammers, etc.) just seem to be more vulnerable to champion boss attacks and had little noticeable damage advantage compared to ranged weapon specs (staff, shortbow, etc.)
It’s a good thing then that systems designer Jon Peters heard the raging debate, because he has reassured fans that playing melee will give you more damage and more control. Melee will also be getting more defensive tools and less enemy hatred, which should go a long way in bumping up melee survivability:
Hey all. I wanted to talk about this a bit since it is a hot topic here and also on the internets. The intention is that both styles are viable. Certainly right now Melee is more difficult than ranged. There are some things we will try to do to address this, but I think the more you play you would find they are closer than you think.
First what’s already there:
- Melee does more damage. Melee damage is simply higher than ranged damage across the board.
- Melee has more control. With a few intentional exception Melee has a lot more control than ranged.
What Melee needs:
- defensive tools on more weapons, particularly on lower armor professions.
- ai needs to favor Melee a bit less than it currently does.
Jon then suggests that melee players may need a bit more training help. He admits that melee roles in Guild Wars 2 will require a bit more work than the pew-pew ranged, and offers a few tips for those struggling with the close-quarters action.
What else:
Finally because of the more action based nature of combat Melee needs to be taught better. Effective Melee requires skills that translate over from FPS games which are notoriously harder on casual players. You have to wasd to move, constantly aim with your mouse camera, and hit skills on 1-5.
Some tips:
If you have learned any good Melee tips that you think we should pass on to newer players feel free to post them here. I’ll start with a few tips of my own.
- If you don’t have mouse look on when using a skill you will turn to face. I sometimes let go of mouse look as I activate to help me aim through the chaos and then click it back down in between attacks.
- Melee has a lot of hard hitting skills and good setup. Utility skills Can really help set up big Melee attacks. Bulls charge on warrior, scorpion wire on thief, judges intervention on guardian.
- know when to run. No matter what you are not a tank. You have to move in and out avoiding damage. If you have to soak damage try and bring boons like Protection and Regeneration or conditions like Blindness and the very undervalued Weakness.
Thanks for reading this all. Rest assured we will keep working on this and just keep in mind the subtle differences in GW2 combat that take a while to sink in.
Jon also offered a few more reassurances that development might consider toning down champion mob damage (to perhaps allow melee classes to live through those cleaves and special attacks) and possibly fixing the camera distance (which would help melee classes get a bigger picture of the battlefield).
All around, we like these responses. Jon seems pretty aware of the challenges of playing melee now, and making their advantages more palpable will prevent the game from being just a shooterfest of ranged classes.
Follow up:
Hey everyone. As a general rule I try to not post twice in one thread because it starts sucking me in and I need to spend my time sleeping/working on GW2. However, so many great replies here I wanted to just explain why you might not get responses to them, but a lot of great valid points. It is nice to have a community that understands the problems as well and just know our goals are the same.
Some small notes.
- Champions hit too hard.
- Melee attacks are longer range and wider arc than you might suspect to compensate for latency.
- Camera distance might not change, but we have considered moving the position a bit to help with visibility.
Thanks for your support again and see you next beta weekend.
Jon
What’s your take? What would make melee classes better or at least equally playable as ranged?