What 4 professions would you pick for a dungeon?

[rhandric]

O_o

I played well after even when Sunwell came out, and I definitely do not remember this system. Maybe it just wasn't widely used on my server?

Well it was the only way to get into the LFG channel...but it also wasn't widely used, because people preferred to use trade chat...and it was a cyclical nature.

[Merendel]

I played back in TBC from back around the time attunements were removed, and I do not recall this system ever being implemented. It sounds like you may be referring to a mod.

Your recolection non withstanding it was there, it was just underused. You could flag yourself as LFG for up to 3 dungeons (or raids too) in your level range at a time and what your role was. In the same pannle there was a button labled search for group (or search for more if you were in a group) that pulled up a list of people/groups flaged for the selected instance. I used it extensively in Wrath prior to LFD, cant recall if I used it in TBC. And yes it was part of the stock UI, the LFD minibar icon replaced the old LFG one. The issue was so few people used it and many didnt even know it existed so they just spamed in cities.

Shouldn't you be able to clear any content, regardless of difficult, with any combination? If any content requires you to have a balanced setup you can't really tell that Holy Trinity is gone, but rather that it was expanded. I've seen a couple of posts/threads saying that there is no Holy Trinity but there are still roles to fill. Seems just a variation of the same thing. Nor that I think this is bad, I like the idea. Just that the whole "lol Holy Trinity is finally gone lol" is a bit too extreme.

There is a big difference between you can clear with any proffession combo and you can clear with a 1 trick pony group. If you build a group with 5 glass canon DPS you only have 1 trick, kill the enemy faster than they can kill you. Chances are this will not suceed as that focus on a brute force power vs power clash and the NPC's have the advantage. On the other hand a slightly more balanced approach where you have some CC avalible, boons to aid your side and conditions to hinder your foe your much more likely to be able to outlast the NPC's. Also of note you can build a balanced group out of 5 of any one proffession if you want to. If you just rush in with 5 glass cannon warriors that all bulls rush frenzy hundredblades and have no HP expect to get squished. 5 warriors that are useing different weapon combos and are traited into different specalities on the other hand will do fine if played well.

[Sylvanie]

I definitely remember the system he's talking about, you marked your role (after 3.1). It could be used for group quests (and specifying which quest you were on), and for dungeons, and for raids - but you could only mark three items you were interested in. It was added in 2.0. http://www.wowpedia.org/LFD#History.

It's a different system from that LFD tool; if anything, the GW2 system is based on the City of Heroes LFG tool (and I think CoH got it from someplace else, though I don't remember where).

The problem with the WoW tool was that you could only list yourself at looking for up to three dungeons. Looking for a group for any dungeon was not possible. Other tools combined an LFG flag with an optional comment where you could list what you wanted to do (if you wanted to be specific). That worked well in CoH (where role didn't matter much, and where it did, the AT was listed) and not so well in SW:TOR (where you couldn't see whether someone was a tank or healer and you couldn't search across zones).

[DrakeWurrum]

Well it was the only way to get into the LFG channel...but it also wasn't widely used, because people preferred to use trade chat...and it was a cyclical nature.

The only way? Definitely not. I was constantly joined to /lfg as my /4 channel.

[Sylvanie]

The only way? Definitely not. I was constantly joined to /lfg as my /4 channel.

It definitely required using the tool at some point (patch notes say it was in 2.1.0, though my personal recollection is a bit hazy). Of course, the usual method was to list yourself as LFG for some obscure quest and then just talk in the channel.

The tool got used some more once daily (heroic) dungeon quests were implemented, and you did not have to click through 15 different heroics to find players, but could reasonably find them in one place.

[Willias]

I really don't know!

There's a lot to consider. Even if you brought more than one of the same class, they could each perform some sort of utility that the other couldn't due to the weapons that they bring in on a given fight. A mace+shield/hammer guardian is stronger with certain types of utility than a scepter+torch/greatsword guardian is.

I feel like the two classes people will want the most though are Elementalists and Guardians because they have the strongest base ability to give out boons and healing. Thing is, Elementalists are very weak in terms of self healing (which balances their ability to cast heal spells while attuned to water). The problem with guardians is that a lot of their support abilities are best used in melee.

Elementalists really aren't necessary (their heals are on long cooldowns anyway), and the boons guardians hand out can be covered with properly specced Rangers, Warriors, or Engineers.

Basically there are three roles in Guild Wars 2: Damage, Support, Control. All classes can do good damage if specced and equipped correctly. Some classes do not do well in the Control role, some classes do not do well in the support role.

The only two classes that are solidly in the Support Role are Guardians and Elementalists. The only two classes solidly in the Control role are Necromancers and Thieves. These classes do not cover the opposite role very well.

Most of the other classes can change up their specs enough to be able to do any of the three roles fairly well, and a well balanced group won't likely need Guardians or Elementalists so long as they pay attention to the boons that they're bringing into their group.

[DrakeWurrum]

The only two classes that are solidly in the Support Role are Guardians and Elementalists. The only two classes solidly in the Control role are Necromancers and Thieves. These classes do not cover the opposite role very well.

Guardians and Elementalists are actually really good at Control when built right.

The problems with support for Necros and Thieves is that they don't have a lot of skills that offer good support. (Wells, too long of a CD)

[Cyclone Jack]

Whatever my friends are playing at the time.

[DrakeWurrum]

Whatever my friends are playing at the time.

I take back what I said about the Charr, this answer is the best.

[Sylvanie]

Basically there are three roles in Guild Wars 2: Damage, Support, Control.

Damage is not really a role in GW2. If the only thing you're contributing is damage, you're probably a liability. Conversely, every class has to contribute damage, as has been discussed before. It's not an either-or proposition. It's "damage plus something else".

I have my doubts that you can cleanly separate classes by their support and control contribution, either. There's probably a lot more difference between various builds of the same class than between some builds of different classes when it comes to control and support. Nor do I think that you can meaningfully classify everything as either support or control.

Also, I think people overrate healing. You can't really outheal damage in GW2, healing is mostly an error recovery mechanic for when you failed to avoid damage. But that's not the only counter. Disposable pets (mesmer, necromancer) serving as decoys can reduce the likelihood for healing to be needed in the first place, and a warrior's Battle Standard can be superior (namely anytime that the hit actually downs someone).

Control may also be of limited use against champion mobs with the unshakable mechanic (not sure when they introduced it and how many dungeon bosses get it, but I saw outdoor champion mobs with it the other day).

[DrakeWurrum]

Damage is not really a role in GW2.

Ooooh yes it is. Do not make the mistake of believing that damage does not matter in GW2.

[Sylvanie]

Ooooh yes it is. Do not make the mistake of believing that damage does not matter in GW2.

I did not say that? In fact, I said that it does matter in the very same paragraph. However, damage being important does not make damage-dealing a stand-alone role.

[DrakeWurrum]

I did not say that? In fact, I said that it does matter in the very same paragraph. However, damage being important does not make damage-dealing a stand-alone role.

I don't think anybody said there's any such thing as a stand-alone role. O_o

"Role" in GW2 isn't going to mean the same thing that it means in other games.

[Sylvanie]

I don't think anybody said there's any such thing as a stand-alone role. O_o

"Role" in GW2 isn't going to mean the same thing that it means in other games.

Well, the post I was responding to seemed to say just that.

And role just doesn't have a useful meaning in GW2, since no class dedicates itself to a singular aspect. There's no real point in trying to redefine the term; it only confuses people.

[DrakeWurrum]

"role" does not have to translate to "dedicated role" I hope you realize.

Otherwise "dedicated role" would be redundant.

[Karazee]

Give me any good players of any class. As long as the players have a functioning brain, I'm happy to have them along no matter what profession they play and no matter what they are specced for.

[Deleted]

well, warrior / guardian with shield wouldn't hurt to be honest. they have some more armor then and blocks. Guardians are the best to play the shield role since they have some heals.

so my setup: Guardian with shield. warrior, ele, engi, and 1 random except mesmer! D:

[Sylvanie]

well, warrior / guardian with shield wouldn't hurt to be honest. they have some more armor then and blocks. Guardians are the best to play the shield role since they have some heals.

Unless I'm missing something, shields do not grant defense (the GW2 term for what armor is in WoW). Their defensive value lies in the skills they grant, which are not necessarily better than what a different off-hand or a two-handed weapon provide. For example, a guardian's shield does not provide any actual blocking skill, while a focus off-hand does; which one is better is situational.

[Merendel]

Unless I'm missing something, shields do not grant defense (the GW2 term for what armor is in WoW). Their defensive value lies in the skills they grant, which are not necessarily better than what a different off-hand or a two-handed weapon provide. For example, a guardian's shield does not provide any actual blocking skill, while a focus off-hand does; which one is better is situational.

Well shields do have the defense stat on them so I presume they offer some amount of mitigation. On the other hand the amount of defense it provides is about the same as a cloth helmet of comparable level so its not exactly a ton of extra damage reduction

[Sylvanie]

Well shields do have the defense stat on them so I presume they offer some amount of mitigation. On the other hand the amount of defense it provides is about the same as a cloth helmet of comparable level so its not exactly a ton of extra damage reduction

Hmm, I seem to remember that last time I looked at them, they didn't have a defense stat. But I may have easily missed it among the other text. On gw2db, they don't have defense, but that could likely be a display bug.