ArenaNet talk:Guild Wars 2 suggestions/weapon fighting styles

I have an idea that's along the lines of what you're talking about here. If you don't mind I'm going to use your discussion page to outline it rather than make a new subject, for fear of someone just deleting one or both of our posts as 'duplicates'. Anyway. Here it goes.

Replace weapon type attributes (swordsmanship, axe mastery, marksmanship, etc) with a Combat Discipline system.

This system will link multiple weapon types to a single attribute, and that attribute would reflect a fighting style. For instance:


 * Traditional Combat: Includes one-handed axes, swords, and hammers/flails, two-handed axes, swords, and hammers/flails, and supports the use of shields, bows, and crossbows. This style would outline a lot of the conventional combat moves and techniques you see in use by the current Warrior, Paragon, and Ranger classes. Think "stance tank" and "broadsword + towershield".


 * Berserker Combat: Includes dual-wielded axes, swords and hammers, two-handed axes, swords and hammers, but would have virtually no ranged combat. This would be more like an aggressive, high-damage output + high risk melee style, and could use the Lead/Offhand/Dual attack system from the assassin class, only it would work with the dual-wielded axes/swords/hammers and serve a different style (more madness than method). Think "chase tank" and "Claymore".


 * Exotic Combat: Includes daggers, wakizashi, katana, daikatana, bisento, bows/crossbows, bo (staff), "unarmed"(which would not literally be unarmed but instead use equipable glove-type weapons, such as sappers or tiger claws and all that), and other ancient Orient-inspired weapons. This style would be like an expanded version of the current assassin class, and the moves/animations and functions of the weapons used would more accurately reflect the style. Think "ninja" or "samurai".


 * Mystical Combat: Includes the use of magical staves/wands, and attack skills associated with them, as well as scythes, quarterstaves, perhaps certain types of swords such as sabers and scimitar. Think along the lines of the Smite spell when it was still an attack skill, and then combine it with the attack and casting animations of the current Ritualist class, then broaden it to a more diverse set of attack functions to give the caster classes a more 'multi-faceted' feel. Think "warlock".

These Combat Disciplines or Proficiencies or whatever you want to call them should somehow coincide with the type of body-armor your character is wearing in order to prevent really silly combinations such as a clunky full plate tank using graceful-looking dagger moves. Or an assassin wearing full decked-out ninja gear slapping people around with a hammer. *cringe*

Several of these disciplines would transcend classes. And some classes would have multiple disciplines available to them. For instance:


 * Warrior-Traditional and Berserker combat
 * Ranger-Traditional and Exotic Combat
 * Assassin-Exotic Combat
 * Dervish-Mystical and Exotic Combat
 * Paragon-Traditional and Mystical Combat
 * All Casters-Mystical Combat
 * Some Casters-Exotic(think monks) or Traditional(think mesmers) Combat

Depending how they overhaul the class, armor, and weapon systems in GW2, a lot of this idea's obstacles could prove a non-issue. The idea itself could also prove unfeasible. But we'll have to see what they do. Anyway. The idea would be that instead of designing classes based on the one weapon type they use, they would instead design classes for their supplemental role, while weapon usage would be linked to a more thematic attribute that includes multiple weapon types. This would allow people to use multi-weapon-type builds without having to spread their attribute points insanely-thin, killing their combat efficiency. The limited skillbar would still force people to think about their builds carefully, but wouldn't constrain them to a single type of weapon. I think doing it this way would allow different breeds of similar weapons to be more accurately manipulated (a scimitar, claymore, rapier, and katana are all swords, but you don't use them the same way).

Would make pretty much all builds more interesting, visually appealing, and fun I think...

Oh and I know this sounds exactly like a "proficiency" system but it's actually a little more specific than that because you'd be linking the attack skills to the combat style and not just the ability to equip the weapon. Either way, even the proficiency system would be an improvement over the current system. At least I think so...

Anyway. That's my take. -Painted Bird

Alas many people tend to hate proficiency systems with combat styles, plus this idea in terms of styles has been passed around a couple times already I think. However my main beef with this is that it comes across, to me at least, more restricting than the current system used, while my main goal was to add versatility and less restrictions in equipment usable per build, allowing multiple variations of weapons to be used for the same build bot for different effects. Weaponmaster 10:00, 21 February 2009 (UTC)
 * For example a made up just now skill, Measured thrust would deal damage; and an additional +5 damage and causes deep wound for 10 seconds if the weapon used was a 2h sword, causes bleeding and cripple(in that order) if it was a 1h weapon with a shield in the off hand, and causes  more damage if it was with a pair of swords equipped and you attack twice.