Meet the Dragonhunter: Guardian’s Elite Specialization

[Exroyal]

Hey guys, blogpost about Guardian Specialization is up.

Here's the link: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/m...pecialization/

There is also a video there.

For those lazy or can't click on links:

Welcome, friends. I’m Karl McLain, and today we’ll be talking about the guardian’s new elite specialization: the dragonhunter—a ferocious big-game hunter that specializes in ranged combat and back-line support.

When we set out on the search for the guardian’s elite specialization, we looked for areas in which the guardian lacked a solid role. It turns out that wielding light and virtue as power sources is actually somewhat difficult to do, and a guardian’s abilities are fairly short-range or unconventional in their application. We thought about how the guardian might handle long-range combat and supporting allies while fighting on the back lines. To this end, we’ve decided to incorporate a more physical aspect into the guardian, and its powers in light-wielding have deepened to the point that they can better physically manifest objects into the world and send them flying as swift as an arrow.

Virtuous Combat

With all of the changes to Tyria, dragonhunters have learned to better control their abilities in the fight against Mordremoth. Instead of fire-and-forget, we’ll be introducing more focused abilities that allow you to lend a better helping hand around the battlefield; virtues will become corporeal and will require you to aim them to some extent. Here’s the rundown on how your virtues will change.
Spear of Justice—The Virtue of Justice currently grants your allies the ability to burn enemies in addition to trait benefits. With the new specialization, you’ll find that your Virtue of Justice is now a thrown spear that pierces through all unworthy foes, tethering them as long as they remain in range. You’ll send out searing pulses to each enemy tethered, continuously burning them and ensuring an unpleasant experience for those affected.

Wings of Resolve—Your resolve against the enemies of Tyria has grown by leaps and bounds. Dragonhunters will find that their Virtue of Resolve no longer instantly heals in an area, but that they can instead grow wings of light and leap into an area, healing allies. For those more offensively minded, you can also trait your Wings of Resolve to deliver an attack at your landing spot.
Shield of Courage—Instead of simply activating your Virtue of Courage and giving your allies aegis, you’ll now create a shield in front of you that blocks attacks for allies within its radius. With excellent control through positioning, you’ll find that you can block much more efficiently when facing the enemy, though you’ll be exposed from your flanks.
Also please note that we’d like each new virtue to retain properties of the traits that affect them, such as Renewed Justice and Justice is Blind. When not recharging, they’ll still have passive effects so that you can continue to provide Battle Presence and provide your allies with a full health pool as you currently do.

Another Arrow in the Quiver

Along with their newfound powers in light manipulation, dragonhunters will have access to longbows. Instead of shooting arrows, the guardian will focus on firing massive, single projectiles at a ferocious velocity. This weapon set will focus less on engaging enemies at close range but will have lots of potential in assisting allies around the battlefield. An example of this is that your Symbol of Energy can be launched to an area to grant allies vigor. If your enemy is using a projectile attack and is attacking your allies, you can fire your Deflecting Shot in its path and, with the right timing, destroy all of your enemy’s projectiles along the way.

Supremacy through Insight

Favor in battle can often be determined by foresight and preparation, and dragonhunters will be able to manifest light-based magical traps that will activate when an enemy runs over them. These big-game traps will have a variety of effects, but none will be pleasant for an enemy unfortunate enough to be caught within them. Approach carefully, enemies of Tyria…or fall prey to the guardian and their elite Dragon’s Maw.
Since you’re probably already asking, yes, the dragonhunter’s healing ability is also a trap. Guardians will preemptively imbue light into the ground for a smaller heal. When enemies trigger the trap, the guardian will pull the light from the ground, striking and blinding enemies while healing for a large amount.

Advancing Forward

Guardians will find that the new elite specialization gives them access to some conditions and functionality normally reserved for professions of a more physical nature. They’ll gain a bit of innate mobility, while the ability to cripple or bleed enemies will become an option through their elite specialization traits. One of their elite specialization traits is Rending Light, which will enable all varieties of traps to bleed enemies. Whether taking on the masses or a single enemy, the dragonhunter is a predator to be feared.
Sharpen your justice. Dust off your resolve. Brace your courage. Guardians—the dragonhunter approaches. See you on the battlefield.



Note: there are two pictures i'm to lazy to post.

[Lotus Victoria]

Looks...ok, I guess. My main was a Guardian when I first played the game, but now I play as a Thief, because Guardians are kinda slow (no offense, my shielded friends! I just like a lot of strikes ).

But still, it's great. I didn't expect bow either, and that's epic.

[Exroyal]

Well the bow was expected, as seen in the trailer and the teaser they dropped on monday, however i didn't expect them to be trappers. I was more leaning on a paragon-ish. Most suprised bout the name though. Dragonhunter, epic.

[Arlee]

I didn't really expect a ranged specialization, but then again Guardians haven't had access to ranged weapons (well Bows and Guns) until expansion arrives. I was hoping for something more traditional Melee-focused frontline combat specialization and not so heavily focused on ranged combat.

Might even have to reroll a new class when all specializations have been revealed as I usually don't enjoy Hunter-like gameplay that much..

You don't have to use the Dragonhunter spec if you don't want to.

I'm actually pretty excited... I can see a number of uses for this especially in WvW and sPvP. The traps sound interesting, though I think a lot of it will depend on how their revamping of traps actually works. Sounds nifty in theory though, I can't wait to actually try it out.

[Vintersol]

LB Ranger in heavy armor without the stupid pet mechanic.

[Kazgrel]

For whatever reason, I don't feel as impressed with this one as I was with chronomancer. However, I'll have to watch that intro clip later.

I do like the fact it addresses the long standing "issue" with guardians of not having a half decent long range weapon. I still suspect their primary meta build (for pve at least) will revolve around melee weapons. But now WvW guards defending a fort/tower from atop a wall actually have an option to hit people down below that doesn't involve the nearest arrow cart.

[zito]

I'm not really impressed. First the name, dragonhunter, is stupid. Like what even...?

Secondly traps. Nobody will use that trap heal. Ever. Nobody. When you are being ranged out how the fuck are you suppose to trigger your heal? That trap will never be an option.

Thirdly traps. They gave them traps. Traps in this game have been horrible so far, ranger traps are so so, theif traps are pretty bad. I have zero confidence they will do guardian traps right.

Very underwhelming preview, the virtues sound cool though.

Now I feel really bad because if necromancers get shouts :l (they already have the most underwhelming visuals in the game)

[4KhazModan]

Worst elite specialization ever! Out of all the things they could do with a warrior of light class and we get ducking fragon hunter?!? Is this some kind of joke? Mesmers get to manipulate time and all we get is long range cc and improved virtues?!? 0/10, I am horribly disappointed. On the bright side, I won't have to change my build because there is no way in hell this interests me.

[zito]

I can't get over the name they picked.

Dragonhunter. Everyone who plays GW2 is already a dragonhunter. Why is this spec called dragonhunter? Chronomancer is a time wizard so they can manipulate time. But dragonhunter hunts dragons which everyone already does so what even. What about PvP? You don't hunt dragons in PvP unless another proffesions spec is named "dragons"

Also that video. Guardians get rain of arrows like rangers and traps... like rangers... can you just name it ranger?

That name though. Garbage. Horrible. I can't even.

I won't be using this in PvE but in PvP I'll probably do a double range build with scepter/focus/longbow and traps to keep everyone the fuck away from me.

- - - Updated - - -

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sup...of_the_Trapper

Another class gets stealth. Lovely. I'm def using this in PvP. Stealth + all the gap openers + double range = delicious.

[4KhazModan]

We are warriors of light and now we get to be rangers of light. gg anet. gg.

- - - Updated - - -

What's next? Thieves of light? Elementalists of light?

[zito]

Traps seems very generic. Heal trap heals and blinds. One other trap bleeds and cripples. Literally copy paste of rangers. There is nothing interesting about this spec except one skill with wings.

The demo tomorrow better be amazing because this is generic and boring so far

- - - Updated - - -

I just can't get over how underwhelming this is. They went from amazing chronomancer to generic and badly named dragonhunter.

Copy paste traps, horrible heal, the name that does not make sense in any way.

I just... what

[Arlee]

Secondly traps. Nobody will use that trap heal. Ever. Nobody. When you are being ranged out how the fuck are you suppose to trigger your heal? That trap will never be an option.

Thirdly traps. They gave them traps. Traps in this game have been horrible so far, ranger traps are so so, theif traps are pretty bad. I have zero confidence they will do guardian traps right.

What's to say the Trap won't be able to be triggered at range? And it would make sense you wouldn't have to be standing it to get the heal. ALso they've already said they are redoing how traps work so hopefully traps in general will be much better to use.

[zito]

What's to say the Trap won't be able to be triggered at range? And it would make sense you wouldn't have to be standing it to get the heal. ALso they've already said they are redoing how traps work so hopefully traps in general will be much better to use.

Because if a trap is trigged at range by nothing then it wouldn't be a trap, it would be a symbol basiclly. Symbols themselves are just pre activated traps.

And it doesn't make sense to stand in the trap to get a heal, but that's the point of the trap. You do get a small amount of heal when you place the trap but you have to be in it when it triggers to get the rest of the heal, just like allies will to get the heal or enemys to get blinded.

I read no where on a trap reworking.

Nobody will use the heal trap, just like nobody uses that healing meditation they added because the functions itself is horrible.

[4KhazModan]

I don't care if it is the strongest build in the game, the concept is a horrible disappointment to me.

To me, numbers are secondary.

[zito]

I don't care if it is the strongest build in the game, the concept is a horrible disappointment to me.

This. This dragonhunter is suppose to be a preview. What does anything of this have to do with dragon hunting? There is nothing in this reveal that showcases what makes a dragonhunter a dragon hunter unlike the chronomancer demonstrating its time control.

The name should be a character title not a specilization name. Everyone is a dragonhunter - it's the base lore of the game.

THIS NAME IS SO DUMB I CAN'T GET OVER IT. I feel like I do when I rant about male cloth armor.

[Edge-]

What does anything of this have to do with dragon hunting?

Because the whole game is about dragon hunting!

I don't know, I think the name is pretty lame but whatever. Longbows, man, I'm cool with it.

[lawow74]

Next up, ANet introduces a new light armor called Dragonhunter's. The low 'whump' you heard just now is zito exploding from sheer nerdrage.

[zito]

Because the whole game is about dragon hunting!

I don't know, I think the name is pretty lame but whatever. Longbows, man, I'm cool with it.

That's the thing, everyone is a dragon hunter so why is dragonhunter not a title but a specilization name? From what they previewed this is just a guardian crossed with ranger. The 2 traps they showed so far, one is useless and the other is copy paste from rangers.

They should of just called the spec "Hunter" and not "dragonhunter" and it's so much better and makes more fucking sense.

Did traps work on zhaitan? No we fucking shot it down with a giant lazer. Traps aint going to do shit to a dragon. The name is just..... ugh

Next up, ANet introduces a new light armor called Dragonhunter's. The low 'whump' you heard just now is zito exploding from sheer nerdrage.

Don't test me, I'll go into rage mode

[Malthanis]

"Dragonhunter" strikes me as more "specialized to take down something big" than anything (especially in a fantasy setting). Though the trailer didn't really do a good job of showcasing the abilities.

As for traps being "useless": we have a rough concept on the heal and the name of another. That's nowhere near enough information to start throwing "useless" around.

[zito]

"Dragonhunter" strikes me as more "specialized to take down something big" than anything (especially in a fantasy setting). Though the trailer didn't really do a good job of showcasing the abilities.

As for traps being "useless": we have a rough concept on the heal and the name of another. That's nowhere near enough information to start throwing "useless" around.

There is no rough concept. The heal trap heals a small amount when placed, when triggers heals large amount in the area and then inflicts blind. It is not a reliable heal as it has to trigger for the big heal. the second trap is literally a copy pasted inflicts bleed and cripple from rangers.