Anjin Unleashed: News Filter: The GW2 Hype Machine Revs Up

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!
Warning: There are going to be an inappropriate number of exclamation points in this post. If you find the abuse of punctuation offensive or disturbing, please turn away now.

Sorry about that. All of this Guild Wars 2 news has awakened my inner fanboy. Like the leviathan rising from the depths, you'd better get out of the way when the fanboy emerges. Guild Wars was the game that got me into online gaming, so I can't help but be excited. There is just so much to take in!

ArenaNet has turned on the information fire hose and we're received four articles on just the last three days. Mike O'Brien's Design Manifesto gives a great overview of their goals for GW2. From writing a great storyline to better social tools to improved combat, they have really set their expectations high.

Speaking of combat, lead designer Eric Flannum has a two part article about covering the subject. The first talks about changes to the skill system. When it was first announced that GW2 would look more like an MMO, I was worried that they might ditch the limited skill selection for a screen full of icons. I shouldn't have doubted. ArenaNet has a skill bar, but now with ten skills! Awesome, right? But then they say that the first five skills are based on what weapons you are wielding! Wait, what? How crazy is that?!?

Then the second article goes into more detail about how weapon, profession, and race choices effect your skill options. Ah, much better. Eight starting professions sounds cool: three scholars, three adventurers, and two soldiers. We already know about the elementalist (more on that in the next bullet) and they use warriors in their examples, but who does that leave? Mesmer has to be the other scholars. But what about the monk? If they leave in necromancers, they have to be scholars. Does that make the monk and adventurer? One of the adventurers has to be a ranger. But who else does that leave? Paragon as the other soldier? Assassin or dervish as an adventurer? Something entirely else? I'm not too sad to see secondary professions go. They were a fun concept, but it sounds like they're leaning more toward multiplayer skill interactions instead of personal skills.

The most interesting update (at least to me) was the first profession confirmed for the game (if you don't count warriors /smile) was the elementalist. I actually find it fascinating that talking about the professions/classes is my favorite part. I guess that's why everyone went crazy about Bioware stringing that information along. It's not surprising the people are so interested is news about classes. Choosing a profession is the single most important decision you make when playing a class-based MMO.

Wow, I didn't actually say anything elementalists in that bullet. Looks like I won't in this one either. Moving on...

Actually, what is there to say about elementalists. They look really cool. And they look and feel like GW elementalists, so that's a good thing. Focusing on Area-of-Effect attacks and glyphs is exactly what I want from the profession. I was so excited that I have the new elementalist wallpaper up on my desktop right now. I was positive before that I was going to play a ranger, but this makes me want to start with an ellie. Of course, I'll probably say that about every preview I read. I hope they give us enough character slots. Better start saving for the eventual character slot microtransactions.

Of course, one can't discuss GW2 coverage without mentioning Ravious from Kill Ten Rats. I don't know where he gets all of his insight, but it's damn scary. Plus, you can find a couple of great interviews over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Anjin Unleashed