Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is due to be released in February. Along with fishing, skiffs, an entirely new area, and some amazing new stories ahead, there are also new Elite Specializations for every class to help your favorite character to achieve new heights and here they are.
Bladesworn
Warriors need little introduction. With the philosophy of hit hard and tank harder, the Warrior is the foundation of many MMOs. With the Bladesworn, the Warrior moves towards the hybrid world of gun and blade. With the Gunsaber and offhand pistol now part of their arsenal, the Bladesworn uses Dragon Slashes to rend their foes. With slashes dealing massive damage, and the ability to fire upon foes from range, the Bladesworn looks and feels dangerous.
With the sword-based abilities a callback to Samurai like lethality with blades, and the trait tree stacking damage and unblockable attacks, the Bladesworn is set to be lethal in any aspect of the game.
Catalyst
Elementalists are purveyors of the natural forces of the world. Able to cast a fireball and then freeze you solid, they are relentless until they’re stopped.
The Catalyst grants the Elementalist access to the hammer, as well as a Jade Sphere. Moved around much like Ventari’s Tablet from the Revenant, the Jade Sphere grants boons based on the Elemental Attunement of the player. With a limitation based on how much energy you have, which accumulates through damage dealt, therefore the Elementalist must stay alive long enough to deal their damage.
The Catalyst focuses hard on buffing and AOE abilities, as is commonplace with the class, and the Trait tree allows you to switch between control and outright damage.
Harbinger
Necromancers are masters of the Dark Arts, able to raise undead hordes to fight by their side or shred enemies with devastating conditions and damage. Necromancers can shift into Shroud, allowing them to gain a second HP pool that they can use to offset incoming damage or to deal even more damage of their own. With the Harbinger Specialization, that is no longer the case. With the ability to wield a pistol in an homage to the old west, and equipped with elixirs, as if some plague doctor bent on revenge, the gameplay style of the Harbinger is something completely new to long time Necromancer players.
Stacking Blight on themselves in a moment of pain means power, the Necromancer gains increased abilities at the cost of their own HP over time. The Harbinger Shroud builds Blight on your character but offers you the ability to torment, life siphon, and daze. Whilst the targeted elixirs offer a plethora of boons when used.
The traits of the Harbinger move away from the traditional HP pool and pushes players towards fast-paced damage dealing, and faster damage taken. It’s all about ramping up as much damage as possible whilst keeping yourself alive enough to dole it out.
Mechanist
Able to make their own friends from spare parts, the Mechanist wields the Jade Tech of the Canthan region with lethal precision. With the ability to equip a mace, in case a giant robot didn’t hit hard enough, the Mechanist’s tool belt skills are replaced with the Jade Mech command skills.
With the Jade Mech’s skills changing based on the Traits selected, the Mech can do a variety of things, functioning as a mini-doctor, a lightning rod to zap foes, or a rock ’em and sock ’em doll.
The Mechanist is also able to do a variety of different attacks, although the focus itself is all on the Mech. The Mechanist themself can deal with a lot of confusion stacks and will be able to assist with stuns and buffs to allies.
Specter
Thieves are not known to be team players in many games. With their ability to hit hard and fast and vanish as quickly as they popped up to ruin your day in the Mists, they are great solo players. The Specter is here to change that, slightly.
Specters gain the power of a Shadow Shroud, which is used to not only debilitate and cripple foes with Fear and other conditions but also to heal and buff your allies. With Shadow Shroud able to tether to targets and grant barriers to allies the Specter can support and maim alike.
The trait tree for the Specter grants the Thief the ability to stave off death if needed and can exert massive control over the field in a variety of ways, through damage or utility.
Untamed
The Ranger is known for its range and support abilities, able to strike hard and fast, whilst sending in their pet to help. The Untamed specialization grants Rangers access to a hammer as well as cantrips. whilst channeling the raw bond between pet and player to devastate the enemy. Granting the players access to new pets such as the Phoenix and the Juvenile Siege Turtle you’ll be able to unleash various unique abilities, whilst pummeling foes with your hammer.The trait tree focuses a lot more on the pet aspect, and Major skills can help you clear conditions, heal or buff damage as your pet eviscerates all around them.
Vindicator
The Revenant is the youngest of the Guild Wars 2 classes. With its ability to switch between various stances to change the type of damage and utility it outputs, the Revenant is the Jack-of-all-Trades.
The Vindicator grants access to the Legendary Alliance Stance, as well as the greatsword. With the ability to invoke Archemorus and Saint Viktor, the Vindicator calls back to the Kurzick and Luxon factions of Cantha.
Vindicators can access the ability to deal damage instead of dodging attacks through their Trait tree and can serve as hard-hitting tanks in exchange for mobility.
Virtuoso
The Mesmer is known as being a cunning trickster class, with its flashy skills and ability to cast clones that provide both offensive and distraction abilities it’s a class unique to the Guild Wars franchise. The reveal of the Virtuoso specialization for the upcoming End of Dragons expansion has shown that now the spellcasters can use daggers in their weapon pool.
The shatter abilities of the Mesmer, in which their clones are used to offset their DPS and stack conditions have been removed with the Virtuoso. Instead, psionic-based abilities and bladesong skills have taken their place. The Mesmer is now able to use floating daggers to rip foes apart rather than their traditional method of having clones explode into butterflies and pain.
The trait line of the Virtuoso grants Psychic Blades, replacing the automatically generated clones with the blades, and once every ten seconds outside of combat a blade is generated passively. As with all trait trees, there are different paths available. From pure DPS builds that turn your Mesmer into a glass cannon to the Condi builds that devastate over time, there’s room for every player here.
Willbender
The Guardian is the epitome of protection and defensive abilities. Wielding heavy armor and a sense of righteousness, they will either face-tank for your team, or get one shot after dealing massive damage to the enemy.
The Willbender specialization grants the Guardian access to an off-hand sword, setting them up to duel wield a flurry of fast, high-paced, and relentless damage. As if sprung forth from an anime, the Willbender gains massive movement skills compared to their base class whilst simultaneously setting foes alight and buffing allies around them.
Based upon the Empresses or Emperor of Cantha’s personal guard, the Willbender is tanky and able to stay in combat for a long time. Their trait tree provides the traditional options for Guardians, allowing players to choose if they wish to burn their foes alive, slice them up, or stand there taking punishment whilst generating Courage.
