Guild Wars 2 MMO News, Guides, and Features at Ten Ton Hammer

Lead Designer Eric Flannum has posted the second and final article of his two-part feature discussing the races, combat, professions, and weapons of Guild Wars 2 (GW2). In a game like GW2, it's important to have a diverse selection of weapons. Luckily, this is not a fact lost on ArenaNet and they have added a nice selection of weapons for GW2 and in such a way that no one profession can wield them all.

Combat as told about in the last article, will work a little different as the first five slots of a player's hotbar is predefined. This aspect comes into play when using siege weapons as well since the five slots will change what skills are available should you start using a siege weapon or interact with environmental objects. Of course, races and professions also get touched on, but one of the more interesting features is the cross profession combos, which allow different classes to use their abilities to pull of certain kinds of special combo attacks.

A warrior and an Elementalist playing together could combine their abilities in several different ways. The Elementalist could drop down Static Field, which is an area-targeted lightning effect. A warrior who fires a rifle bullet through the static field would cause his shot to be charged up with electricity, inflicting additional damage. If that didn't suit their style, then the Elementalist might drop a Wall of Fire in front of a group of enemies. The warrior could enter the firewall and use Cyclone Axe, an attack which causes him to spin rapidly, sending the firewall outward and hitting his foes. There are literally hundreds of combinations for players to discover.