Trise.2865

No. Never expect anything. That way, if there is nothing you won't be disappointed and if there's something you can be surprised.

Okay. See you in Queensdale. You can meet my raptor, Electro Lemon.

What if I were to tell you that you already have? You might have noticed a number of patches loading this past month, without much explanation on the forums. That's not merely hotfixes and balance issues, that's Path of Fire files downloading.

Will there be a combo pack? Yes. It's in the Gem Store and on the [store Page](https://www.guildwars2.com/en/shop/ "Store Page") right now. Click the Path of Fire package you want to buy, and the next page has the option to "add Heart of Thorns" for a discounted price.

Can you download it without a disk? Yes. Everything downloads directly as you boot up the client, and you can download that from this very website, [here](https://account.arena.net/welcome "here").

The original system was designed around players being able to recognize others' professions at a glance. The skins were designed for each weight, with the original professions' visual cues customized for those skins. The advent of Outfits changed that philosophy, but not the effects designs, which is why some outfits don't look as good on certain professions as others. Going "whole-hog" into skin customization, even keeping the armor classes separated, would necessitate a redesign of individual profession effects: how and where they appear on the character, how they work, etc.

I'm not saying "they can't do it", merely pointing out it's more complex than it would seem on the surface. ...far from "skin deep", as it were.

If you need practice, go to Claypool in Queensdale and Train with the Militia there. Picking up the shield sets you in a tutorial-like mini game where you learn the visual and audio cues for major attacks and, more importantly, how to time your blocks for such attacks.

> @Carighan.6758 said:

> Woooooot!

>

> Plus, he hints at a forthcoming first-party solution!

Where, exactly?

Somewhere new. As much as I'd like to see the places from Guild Wars 1 and how they've changed, I want to explore the rest of Tyria. Does it have any other continents besides Tyria, Cantha, and Elona? Are there hidden archipelagos or islands somewhere in the Unending Ocean? Are there entire continents, some "new worlds", yet undiscovered? If we always go back, we'll never know.

Let's expand this out a bit. Assuming the Cantha expansion will reveal a Samurai Warrior, possibly replacing Sword and Greatsword skills with different abilities, what else can it do? what would other specs would the other classes get from/in Cantha? Here's a few ideas:

1: Ninja Thief. Obviously. Like, duh. Ninja rely heavily on agility, cunning and stealth, but also on tools and throwing weapons. This opens up clever use of the scepter and/or focus as containers/launchers for these shuriken, blinding powders, meteor fist, etc.. This also has the possibility of OH Sword for dual-blade Shiro Tagatchi action.

2: Cavalier Ranger. Cavalry and mounted combat - especially mounted archery - are a major part of Chinese, Mongolian, and Japanese warfare, historically. This Elite would allow the Ranger to "mount up" on specific pets for buffs, similar to the Soulbeast, but with charging or dashing abilities depending on the pet's type. For example, a Bear mount can Crash forward, knocking enemies away for damage, while a Cat mount can Pounce and Maul a single target, holding them in place for your follow-up attacks, and a Moa mount could use its iconic Screech attack. (This could lend interesting play to Birds and other small pets. Instead of riding them yourself, they would ride on you, letting you use the animal itself as a sort-of throwing weapon, like a Falconer.) Now, to answer the obvious question, there are key differences between combat mounts and travel mounts. The PoF riding mounts would simply be too fast or skittish for proper combat, while the combat Pet mounts would move slower (no significant speed buff), but can fight. As a new weapon access, the Mace would be ideal here, assuming Spear is out of the question, but treating the pet as a weapon kit allows mount-customized weapons, like spears, hookswords, etc.. Complex to make, I know, but potentially awesome.

3: Musketeer Mesmer. Hear me out on this one. A key component of early rifle/musket warfare is the line rotation: one line shoots while another retreats and reloads. The plays best in the Mesmer's wheelhouse, creating and cycling through clones to maintain continual firing, while advancing in a direction or holding a position. Certain skills or Elites could allow the Mesmer to be a one-Mesmer firing squad, repeating the line to his/her left and right, allowing a wider range of continual fire. This also could the Mesmer an interesting in-and-out play, similar to a Thief, with various retreating shots/skills within or out of the primary chain.