Guild Wars 2 has always been a fairly popular MMO, due to its unique storytelling approach and its lack of subscription fees. With the recent rumors of a new expansion on the horizon, it felt like a good time to take a look at one of the game’s most unique features, the weapon system.
While weapons are not a new feature for MMOs, ArenaNet took a new approach by making each weapon type grant the player a different set of skills. Their unique system allows for any class to fill the typical roles of an MMO (tank, healer, DPS), even if they wouldn’t logically fit in that role.
Even with their current weapons and the wide variety of skins, ArenaNet has plenty of room to improve. I would really like to see how the game play shifts if they were to add new weapons to the mix. Weapons like…
Polearms
Honestly, I’m surprised that ArenaNet didn’t start with something like this. By giving polearms to the more typical melee classes (Warrior, Guardian, Thief) and you can introduce some really fun new skills.
“Polearm” is a pretty broad weapon category. It typically includes spears, so it’s possible that ArenaNet wanted to avoid encroaching on their water combat system. To be honest though, the underwater combat was never a selling point for Guild Wars 2. I would definitely like to see an evolved version of the Paragon class from Guild Wars: Nightfall make a comeback, bringing the spear back from beneath the waves.
Spellbooks
I’m an absolute sucker for magic — so when I heard mention of spellbooks as a weapon class, I latched onto it hard. Though it would be limited to the magic-based classes (Elementalist, Necromancer, Mesmer, and maybe even the Guardian or Revenant), the idea of powerful magic being tied to books is such a staple for High Fantasy. In my mind, it’s reminiscent of the “Tome of Wrath” skill that Guardians used to have, and should be just as visually appealing.
Fist Weapons
I’ll be honest, I was not a fan of this weapon category for a long time. I didn’t think it would be any fun, and it felt too similar to some of the elite skills. I was eventually convinced that there was a lot of potential — and after some serious thought, I came up with some preliminary ideas.
Thieves with fist weapons could provide crowd control (confusion, immobilize, slow, vulnerability) rather than being the heavy damage class that they are usually. Even magic-based classes (Elementalist or Necromancer) could use fist weapons infused with elements to wreak some havoc.
Chain Weapons
Remember in Kung-Fu Panda 3, when Kai uses his chained blades? That’s what I’m talking about here. Granted, that’s only one example of a chain weapon, but it paves the way for some good ideas.
A lot of chain-based weapons, such as the manriki and surujin, originate from Asian countries, which would offer an excellent segway for ArenaNet to bring back Cantha, the landmass from Guild Wars: Factions. I see a lot of potential for a variety of skills including interesting mobility based skills.
ArenaNet has a habit of creating expansions with a lot of content. Undoubtedly, any new expansion will add maps and maybe a new character class, but adding new weapons could turn a good expansion into something truly legendary.
What weapons would you like to see added to Guild Wars 2 in future expansions? Let me know in the comments below!
