Originally posted by cloud8521

Originally posted by Nephaerius

I am not saying warriors cannot be masters of the bow.  Nor do I feel like that makes rangers useless (I don't believe I expressed that at all).  My point is the ranger will have access to all the capabilities the warrior has on the bow and then some.  If the warrior played out like you stated there would be ridiculous pvp imbalance.  Therefore, when partying, if you want a bow user you are going to choose the ranger - AoE, CC, DD - over the warrior - AoE.  In the mists you certainly might take a warrior that does AoE bow dmg, but generally speaking there will come a point when you need that warrior, one of only 2 heavily armored classes in the game, to wade out into the thick of things and take some dmg for the party.  Most likely it will be more important to the party that the War can wade out there and take the dmg then AoE with a bow as you can already get a Rng to do that for you.

im pretty sure that there will only be 5 bow skills for ranger, so it does not matter.

Except the the ranger has access to both the shortbow and the longbow, whereas, the warrior only gets to use the longbow.  So the ranger will have access to ten bow skills.

I would hope to see the mesmer able to use pistols so we could get some magic-gunner type gameplay as the mesmer's form of DPS. I could also see the mesmer gaining some shadow-step like abilities.

But as I have said elsewhere, I think the mesmer mechanics will make a come-back, just not in a profession called mesmer.

So my list of what I would like to see on the new mesmer-ish profession:

-Pistol DPS

-Illusionary doppelganger (maybe as an elite)

-Possibility to overshadow an enemy (i.e. take control of an enemy's mind so it turns on its own)--good potential for CC and damage

-DoT and CC hexes

-Interrupts (a must-have for competitive PvP)

My shadowy source has hinted strongly that the gunner class will be called 'Tactician'

As per what the OP said about six professions returning from the original, it's been said in early information that a few of them would receive changes and the names would be changed to better reflect the new mechanics involved. So, I expect the mesmer and assassin to return with different names and added mechanics, but similar play-styles to the originals.

As for the second heavy armor profession, Paladin will most likely never be a word used by Anet. So crusader makes sense given that there are 3 organizations in the game world attempting to crusade against the elder dragons. But I still like my name for it: Acolyte.

Originally posted by tddavis

They have an even bigger problem to deal with W vs W than lag, and that is focus fire. I have not seen an MMO deal with it properly yet, it is the reason why large encounters are not fun. people get focus fired right and left, getting one shot is not fun. I have not seen them address the problem yet either.

I think the downed mechanic will pretty much balance focus fire; once you go down, enemy players will probably worry more about other players that are still up.  Also, in one of today's Q&A sessions, Eric mentioned that one of the unannounced characters will be largely support.

@ KingKong007: You are operating on the premise that GW2 is primarily instanced? As has been said time and again, the game is not heavily instanced, and areas where the dynamic events occur are open world.

Now, you referenced the background loading technique used in WoW... you are aware that that system was developed by Blizzard North--which coincidentally had their project relocated and the branch-office dissolved, and those not willing to move to Blizzard's California branch formed Anet.

So the technology being used is likely going to be a hybrid of the two systems developed by the team: it will probably use background streaming in the open world areas, and will use instances for the highly populated main cities. In fact, we already know as much--the main instance area from the demo videos is Divinity's Reach.

I know that hardware limitations (primarily the HDD) are a key issue for graphics running smoothly, and that some of the un-initiated call graphical hiccups lag. For those that experience such hiccups, I suggest turning your settings down. But my interpretation of the thread was concerns over network latency, thus my (probably poor) attempts at re-routing the thread conversation away from the graphics, and back to actual packet transfers.

@ Wizardy and KingKong007: the graphics have very little to with lag. For most MMOs, the graphical assets are stored locally on your hardware and the data transmitted is just delta values. So lag only occurs when when you are required to receive more deltas than your bandwidth can handle. The only advantage to instances was that when you were in a party, the game would preload the model deltas (i.e. the character looks, armor, weapons, etc.) for your party, and with GW2 the nearby character deltas could be similarly cached with dynamic LODs.

So, realistically, the only time you would have lag from graphics deltas being sent, is when you suddenly start adding lots of new players all at once.

I think the key for GW2 and not lagging will be the dynamic LOD for animations. If you look carefully at the videos fighting the Shatterer, you might see that some of the animations farther away from your character loose details and become as simplistic as possible.

Considering that a number of players in the demos were playing from Anet's Bellevue office, I would say that lag is a non-issue.

It would be even more impressive to learn that the demos were being served from their office, but I think at this point that that information is not available.

You have no idea how relieved I felt while watching the live stream when he said the phrase.

I loved playing WoH-monk in top 200 gvg. The adrenaline of good catch against a spike, the thrill of literally controlling the life or death (don't piss off your monks) of your teammates...

Now I wonder what that class is...

Speculation anyone?

I'm sure Anet has thought of everything. They have always maintained that fun is the highest priority for the game direction; monotonously succeeding would eventually become boring, so there will be some mechanism to correct the imbalance.

Other developers would simply do a balance update, but the folks at Anet are rather creative and like having fun as much as anyone else, so I wouldn't be surprised if something more were to be involved.

Complete off-hand speculation: the devs could be able to take control of event enemies in order to drive event outcomes more chaotically. I can just see it--Izzy taking control of the Shatterer, laughing maniacally as he rampages through an area.

Originally, I was going to play my usual first character--the lightning caster--but the attunement system for the Ele looks like it would break my RP style of only using lightning skills; I would hate being put into positions where I group with people and then they expect me to go out of character by swapping attunes mid battle :\

Also, no swords for Eles is also a non-selling point for me; I loved playing the Meleementalist in the original (tho, people I grouped with called me crazy suicidal noob; when I would go in with conjure lightning + Hundred Blades spam (pre-nerf)--lots of damage, but very low life and armor).

So, for me, I'm gonna have to wait and see if I can cope with the attunement thing, or maybe find a different class to play first from the ones not yet announced ('cause the other choices so far just ain't my style).

Originally posted by NoEndInLife

Originally posted by therez0

My speculative list, is as follows:

4)Necromancer - pretty much a known profession since it was in the first book.
5)Archanist - replaces the mesmer and is able to use pistols
6)Ravager - replaces the assassin and uses shortbow, dual axes, swords, daggers
7)Engineer - the guns but no bows class we were told about.
8)Acolyte - the other heavy armor class that uses mace/shield or a staff in melee and has support skills.

As for the second heavy armor class, I'm pretty sure that Anet will not use a name like Paladin or Templar; it becomes far too easy to make bad comparisons to those classes from other games and that just isn't something Anet does. Also, those names don't fit with world lore; I don't think you would see a Charr Templar, or a Norn Paladin.

 Dude... you're basically saying that anet will introduce 4 new classes. They said that there will be only 2 new classes.

My speculative list is the same as Bob The Tank

When Anet said they were introducing 2 all new classes, they also said that a few got renamed to better fit the changes that have happened throughout Tyria; so to me, my list makes sense because the core mechanics for mesmer and assassin remain, just name changed with some added mechanics.  I feel the name changes better fit with the new lore: Archanist suits asura just as well as it does does a human, whereas mesmer doesnt really seem to fit with any race other than human.  The same thing for ravager, I can see a charr or human ravager, I can't see a charr or norn assassin though--it just doesn't fit the established lore for those races.

@ endersshadow and SuperZero89

Perhaps part of the double standard comes from the lore-based worlds. Perhaps some of the ones bashing SWTOR are afraid that game will not live up to the expectations set by the lore; whereas, with GW2 the devs get to tailor the lore to their needs as they go--well kinda, I know a few rabid sticklers for Guild Wars lore, but it is still more flexible. I think in general, its easier to go into attack mode against a game set in well know IP with established mechanics (i.e. lightsabers should slice through people like a chainsaw through butter), because its easier to see where the devs can go wrong as compared to a game with fresh lore (or in this case, fresher lore).

I'm in no way advocating for the trolls/fanbois here, moreover, I'm more advocating for a patient stance. With a little patience, the fears that send some into attack mode can sometimes be calmed, and the blinders on the fanbois can sometimes be removed once people get actual gameplay data.

For me personally, I fall into the fanboi camp for GW2, but thats because I have some close experience with the Anet staff, and I sometime want to go rabid in their defense when some people say that the info they are releasing is just hype-machine smoke-and-mirrors. I know the type of people at Anet, and I know that when they release information about their games, that info is going to be 98% accurate to the actual product. But I also know that I have no way of convincing others of my faith in the team.

That said, I'm not one of the blinders-on type of fanbois either. I realize that there are going to be pitfalls and disappointments along the way. And, actually, I already have some reservations about the game: the Ele's active attunement system will probably break my style of RP'ing a lightning mage, the lack of a secondary profession seems to limit build complexity (which is one of the main things I love about the original), and the removal of a dedicated healing class puts doubts in my mind about PvP (specifically high-end GvG, which is also one of my favorite things from the original--playing WoH-infuse in a top 100 guild was a surreal experience where you had to have lightning-fast reflexes and your team's life was literally in your hands).

My speculative list, is as follows:

4)Necromancer - pretty much a known profession since it was in the first book.
5)Archanist - replaces the mesmer and is able to use pistols
6)Ravager - replaces the assassin and uses shortbow, dual axes, swords, daggers
7)Engineer - the guns but no bows class we were told about.
8)Acolyte - the other heavy armor class that uses mace/shield or a staff in melee and has support skills.

As for the second heavy armor class, I'm pretty sure that Anet will not use a name like Paladin or Templar; it becomes far too easy to make bad comparisons to those classes from other games and that just isn't something Anet does. Also, those names don't fit with world lore; I don't think you would see a Charr Templar, or a Norn Paladin.

I don't think there will be a problem with SWTOR winning game of the show, it has some pretty stiff competition, and I think GT5 will have a very good showing--dare I say good enough to win.

Also, don't hold out hope for either SWTOR or GW2 to win the Online game category, Blizzard has pile nominated in that category too, and we all know how Activision/Blizzard has a way culling votes it doesn't deserve.

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Originally posted by cloud8521

well  i still want to know the souce of the extra pictures. i mean yes the art style is not the same thought the picture too... then again im a horrible jusge at that.

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The 'extra' pictures are concept art that can be found on the wiki: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Professions_reveal

As you can see, the concept arts look similar to the class arts revealed from the shadow figures, but are in vastly different poses, and even have different weapons.

The rouge-like class shown daul-wielding swords in the concept, I believe is dual wielding axes in the shadow art.

And IMO, the fan art has the necromancer and the 'mesemer-ish' class switched. I think the mesmer magics will be taken into a new class called the Archanist which is the asura to the left, and the necromancer is on the right.

Templar is not a bad name for the other heavy armored class, I just think that its a silly name considering the races (would you have a Charr Templar in you game?). I think a better name is Acolyte (also a name take from the original GW) because it makes sense given that we know there are three secret orders that you can join up with.

Most people I know (including myself) only bought the skill packs for their secondary/pvp accounts. It was a big deal back when the Xunlai Tournament House was open to have more than one account, that way you could earn extra z-keys off the betting system. Asides from that, most of the upper tier gvg'ers had secondary accounts to use in smurf/alt guilds, especially for z-quest day or bonus weekends where lower ranked guilds were gvging en-mass (easier to get quick matches without being a high ranked guild).

They mentioned in a recent interview that almost every article of clothing designed for the game will be player wearable, including blacksmith aprons and other NPC outfits, so I'm sure there won't be a shortage on purely cosmetic options for characters. They also mentioned the dye system will have 3 colorable parts per outfit piece and that they will do a more in-depth feature about character cosmetic options in the future. So we should look forward to that for some nice details.

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Originally posted by RawAttitude

I think they will use the classes they were going to use in GW: Utopia. There where going to be 2 new profs in there called: Chronomancers and Summoners. Big chance those are going to be part of GW2.

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Except we already know that there will be no chronomancer from an interview last year: http://www.onlinewelten.com/games/guild-wars-2/interviews/arenanet-im-interview-teil-2-4666/seite-6/

And because they have stated that the books are lore-bound, its almost a certainty that necromancer will make a return making the summoner almost redundant.

The Professions page on the wiki has a concise list of whats known about the professions: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Profession

But at any rate, we are bound to get a reveal this week, and if their past actions are any indication of pattern, we should be getting a shadowy figure posted in ANet's Flicr steam sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning.

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Originally posted by Gardavil2
Some have speculated what classes may be in GW2, and the speculations seem like copies of, or variations of, classes on GW1.

I myself have a different idea of what classes will be in GW2.... the Devs said a characters race would affect the skills of each class in different ways (that's how I understand what they said)...So I am not so sure that many of the classes from GW1 will translate into GW2 since so much time has passed in the game world timeline and the world has changed.

Think about the Races themselves, then imagine the classes that would spring from the races... that is what has me curious, there may be classes revealed that most have not even considered yet. The Devs have said that they desired to create GW2 because they could not implement many of their ideas into GW1 without messing things up with the storyline and the game. I can think of a few classes not in GW1 that if the Devs had added them into an expansion would have really botched things up. The classes I am thinking of could naturally "evolve" from the Races mentioned so far.

I am waiting to see if my theory is correct. The next 2 reveals should pin it down one way or the other.

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I've been thinking/speculating about the classes in this very way.  Given that ranger and warrior are already very norn-like and the sylvari are very new and highly adaptable, I've been thinking more along the lines of professions that fit the charr and the asura: I think likely classes would be 'ravager' and 'archanist'.

From the looks of the shadowy figure to the left of the Ele on the professions page, I would say he's dual wielding axes.  That and the history of the charr makes me think ravager would be a good fit to the game lore, and would probably be the replacement for the assassin.  I believe it would be one of the three adventurer class.

Archanist fits the asuran lore rather nicely and is a good replacement for the mesmer (yes, I know some people think mesmers were in the book, but if you read carefully, you know they only mentioned mesmer magic, not the actual profession). I also speculate this class to be able to use pistols.

Of course, Necromancer is a given since it was firmly titled as a profession in the book. I think it will take on some of the old ritualist skills

We also know that there will be class that uses rifles/pistols and not bows, so that would give us the last of the adventurer type professions, and I will tentatively call it the 'engineer'.

The last class will be other soldier profession, but it will be vastly different from the warrior. I will speculate that it will be called 'Acolyte' and it will take on some monk and paragon skills, and will use staffs, maces, and bare-hands in melee.

I've always been of the suspicion that GW2 is more finished than they are saying. I've been following their work for a very long time, even before ArenaNet was formed; through that time I have always found that their mentality has always been to only release information once they were 99.99% sure that the information was correct and game playable.

My gut tells me that the game has been gold for about 2 months now, and just like GW1, they are pushing back release in order to get a head start on the next content batch (campaign, expansion, etc.) and build hype/cheap marketing. My instincts tell me that the release date could be as early as November 23 of this year, putting it squarely within the Holiday buying season.