Elite skill

Elite redirects here. For high-end missions, see Elite Mission. For high-end armor, see Elite armor. For quests with a difficulty of elite see category:Elite difficulty quests and/or Elite difficulty.

By profession By capture location other
 * Warrior
 * Ranger
 * Monk
 * Necromancer
 * Mesmer
 * Elementalist
 * Assassin
 * Ritualist
 * Paragon
 * Dervish
 * Any All
 * All
 * Prophecies
 * Factions
 * Nightfall
 * Eye of the North
 * Alphabetical list
 * By campaign/expansion
 * Lists of elite skills

Elite skills are skills that have been specially designated by the designers as being more significant than non-elites. Players may only include one elite skill in their build, although under special circumstances, a skill bar might have several. Builds are often named after their elite skill, because that skill often prescribes many of the remaining skills, e.g. Crippling Shot Ranger or Panic Mesmer.

Elite skills are indicated in the skill bar by a golden border, and within the Skills and Attributes Panel with yellow text.

Acquisition

 * PvP players can unlock elite skills through a Priest of Balthazar.
 * PvE players can learn a locked elite by using a Signet of Capture while standing near a dead boss who has the skill.
 * There are four elite PvE-only skills that can only be learned via quests.
 * All players can learn unlocked elites by use of an appropriate elite tome.

Number of elite skills


! Type || ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || Common || Total
 * - style="background:lightgray;"
 * Core || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || - || - || - || - || - || 30
 * Prophecies || 112 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 93 || 10 || - || - || - || - || - || 60
 * Factions || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 15 || 15 || - || - || - || 90
 * Nightfall || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 15 || 15 || 11 || 111
 * Eye of the North4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 31 || 3
 * - style="background:lightgray;"
 * Total || 36 || 35 || 35 || 35 || 34 || 35 || 25 || 25 || 15 || 15 || 4 || 294
 * }
 * Eye of the North4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 31 || 3
 * - style="background:lightgray;"
 * Total || 36 || 35 || 35 || 35 || 34 || 35 || 25 || 25 || 15 || 15 || 4 || 294
 * }
 * }


 * 1) There are four common PvE-only elites:
 * 2) * Nightfall: Junundu Siege — can only be used while riding a Junundu.
 * 3) * Eye of the North: the Norn animal blessings: Ursan Blessing, Raven Blessing, and Volfen Blessing.
 * 4) Warriors have one extra elite because Hundred Blades was originally a non-elite skill.
 * 5) Mesmers have one less elite because Mantra of Celerity was removed before Guild Wars was originally released.
 * 6) There are no profession-specific elite skills unique to Eye of the North. In order to capture elites in EotN regions, you must have access to the campaign the skill originates from.

Skills that interact with elite skills

 * : Used to capture elite skills in PvE. Gives experience when an elite skill is captured.
 * : Copies target Ally's elite skill.
 * : Causes target foe to lose energy the next time they activate an elite skill.
 * : Disables target foe's elite skill.
 * : Copies target foe's elite skill.

Trivia

 * Prior to the August 23, 2007 update that limited a skill bar to having only 3 PvE-only skills, a player could capture up to 6 elites in their skill bar in certain explorable areas in Prophecies, making it possible to have 7 elite skills at once.
 * Lightbringer Signet was considered an elite until the August 7, 2008 update. Players who achieved the Elonian Skill Hunter title beforehand will show 141/140 elites captured on the Elonian Skill Hunter title track.