SkyCakeLight.3750

And then the world, Pinky.

(sorry if that joke was already made)

I typed up a long comment about what I want but decided to delete it since it was way too long for an idea that isn't that good or thought out. Yes, this long comment is the shorter version.

I want a new elite spec for Engineer that makes both Kits and Deployables relevant again. Kits still are, but I want them more diverse in their moveset. Just one new kit that interacts with whatever you build. And, I'm not exactly wanting new turrets (though a buff to them from the elite spec would be nice). I want deployables more akin to Age of Reckoning Engineer. Mace as a weapon. Maybe even MH and OF options if we're really dreaming!

Just an example idea! Something like building a giant cannon and then using the kit that lets you refill it's ammo, change ammo type, overcharge it, and repair it. Something a little more than just dropping it down and forgetting about it, but not completely dominating how you play. The kit could be the elite skill so that you don't feel like you have to take it. Only if you want to get the most from what you build! Otherwise, whatever you deploy will still be useful.

Or, building a heal station that heals when built. But! You can interact with it via the kit to change it's mode from Heal to Condi Clear or Barriers, then overcharge it to release it bigger effect. Something more permanent than the Healing Turret and more interaction than "blow this up in your Tool Belt water field".

It would be nice if I could play a "set-up and mess up" type of Engineer with core. But, giving those tools to an Elite Spec would make them more impactful and allow for more interactions such as the elite kit allowing you to manually overcharge your gear. Even though it would be in the same vein as Scrapper in that it's really just another layer to the core engineer cake. Of course, it would probably be the biggest pain to balance for PvP. Think pre-HoT Bunker Engi where it could AFK and defend a point... I'm basically asking for a better version of that. I would not envy the PvP balance team!

Honestly, this idea is something the Engineer community has been pretty against. I really enjoy the fantasy of "leaving your mark" on the battlefield by building various gizmos, turrets, walls, barewire, ect. A construction-based Engi that makes use of kits appeals to me even if it really just highlights the issues people have with core engineer. GW2 tends to be a pretty fast paced and on-the-move type game that doesn't really lend well to the playstyle I want.

Plus! Cantha is probably rebuilding and will need engineers to do it! We could get a hardhat helmet.

Edit: Another theme I'd really like to explore (and would add more thematically to Engineer than my idea) is Alchemy in some form. There's a lot they could do with it! It's already part of the Engineer's kit. But, doesn't really stand out. I'm sure they could come up with some interesting boon interactions and ways to use Elixirs more offensively!

For Engineer, either Mace or Scepter.

Mace could be fun for a "Construction/Demolition" based spec. Explosive Autos in a 3-chain finisher would be fun even if it does kind of step on the toes of Bomb Kit. Could finally use that wrench skin!

I think Scepter would be fun for an elite spec for Engi based around temporary summons. Could use the scepter to direct some kind of bot or something. Not that your damage would rely on an AI for it to work. Just the animations. Kind of like Beast Master in WoW where they have (had?) some abilities that would temporarily summon a beast. Just in this case it would be more flavorful animation-based rather than reliance.

I don't bother posting in profession forums usually despite lurking there daily because most posts are either about PvP/WvW or complaints about balance. I, personally, don't have any interests in those topics or the communities it propagates even though I think those are topics worth discussing. I wanted to make a thread not too long ago about how I really enjoy the new Explosives trait line for Engineers. But, was discouraged when I thought that if I do happen to get any discussions on it then it would be "great, engi stilll sucks in [gamemode] and has [bugs]" Even though they may or may not be wrong, it's (again) not a topic I'm interested in talking about.

I'll stick to lurking and maybe jump in when a fun thread gets started. I do think the other posts in this thread have a bigger impact than my reasoning.

Edit: This kind of seems "meaner" than I intended. I don't think the forums should change or anything.

For me, it's my recently-created Charr Thief (teef). Even though I have several thousand hours in this game, I don't have a lot of gold. I very rarely have more than 100g on any given point and I think the height of my gold was around 250g. Tend to average about 30-40g. But! I was really wanting a new Charr character. I've been really getting into Charr lately and maps like Grothmar Valley really does it for me. The problem was I already have at least two of every profession except Thief! Mostly because I just never really got into the class. Probably have like 30 hours playtime on my thief. Still, decided thief was going to be my new Charr!

I created the character, leveled to 80 with Tomes and had to click on every level, then bought her a full set of level 80 exotics, exotic sigils for her weapons (that I ended up changing and having to get more sigils), like another 10g on runes, and the last few of my transmutation charges since I haven't been doing maps but have been going through charges like crazy. I essentially broke the bank for her! Joined an HP train for HoT and unlocked Deadeye for her. Have yet to log on her since spending all this time and gold on her. I made a Charr Mesmer a couple of days later and have been playing her occasionally. The teef is pretty much already shelved and she never had a chance!

- Bigger Broad-Horn Bull skin for the Skyscale.

- Bigger mount skins in general more suited for Charr and Norn. The Dreadnought is great for Charr and I would want more skins akin to it for the other mounts.

- More explosions! Just standard ones without a gimmick such as the glitterbomb one or the finisher that is an explosion, but with the SAB skin on it. I'd love to blow up trees, rocks, or plants.

I wasn't a huge fan of Cantha and wouldn't want an expansion based on it. Don't think Cantha is bad or anything. Would rather something new.

It'll certainly be a fun.

If Glue Shot is changed to be more explosive-like, how am I going to make questionable and largely inappropriate jokes about it's animation?

Joking! The more boomage, the better! I like it.

I can't wait for the changes and wish they were coming out today!

Any reconsideration on the minimum distance required for the new Aim-Assisted Rocket? I'm not sure I quite understand making it not work with bombs. Not a huge deal! I just want the most amount of explosions as possible.

Butterfly Kingdom is a great name.

I don't think it's too hard. I do think the gap between someone that can stack 25 Might, Fury, ect. and someone who can't is too large.

The more explosions the better! Eager to see the new ability animation for Orbital Strike. It was pretty lackluster after the change to what it is now. Here's to hoping people can actually tell when an Engineer is around! Even Thief is more flashy and noticeable.

I voted Necromancer, but it'll no doubt change since I have a hard time sticking with a main. It was Engineer on launch and became Mesmer during HoT. I play all the classes and have 2 80s of each (aside from Rev and Thief).

I like professions for several different reasons, but themes is really high on that list. Necromancer is fairly thematic, even if it's core traits are still a little wonky (leagues better than they used to be). I think Condi Reaper is one of the most thematic builds in the game. There's a fairly strong Chill Reaper on metabattle. The build itself isn't meta, but it looks so great when you're playing it! Even my Necromancer who dresses in white and pinks looks scary when all the enemies around her are frozen. Then the massive scythe from shroud is very flashy. Really gives a good scary vibe! BUT! I don't like playing Reaper. It's way too straightforward and slow. I don't really mean that as an insult, it adds to the theme. I will sometimes switch to Reaper purely for thematic purposes. I like Scourge, even if the theme isn't all that great for me. Possessed sand is neat and all, but "eh" is the best I can say about it. I do much prefer the playstyle of Scourge over Reaper. I like thinking about my shades and planning out (relative to the combat-pacing) what to do. Even if that plan is already mostly laid out beforehand.

I'd really like to go back to Engineer. Holosmith and Scrapper don't really do it for me. I hope the next elite spec just has silly amounts of explosions or something.

I typed up a long post describing each of my characters to help make my point, but realized it wasn't really needed. Instead! I would say that the class I choose to play has nothing to do with my personal life or traits. However, almost none of my characters play to the usual trope of the class they are. Quick example is my Necromancer wears whites and pinks, can almost always be found smiling. Not a single thing about her that's edgy or dark. So the possible correlation falls on class stereotypes that aren't exactly determined by GW2.

What is more "me-like" via through the game is the constant need to create and play alts. I don't like being in the same spot doing the same thing for too long and often find ways to shake things up a bit (there are obvious exceptions). I find within the RP community, race has a bigger impact on the person playing the character than class does. Even then though it's a "little-to-none" outcome as most people tend to play several different characters of different races.

I think this is something that seems to be more prevalent in other games. I feel like a person playing a Tauren or Pandaren Shaman has the potential to say more about them as a person than someone playing a Charr Elementalist. The classes/professions in Guild Wars 2 tend to be a bit more open than in a game like World of Warcraft. You actually see it often on WoW forums/subreddits when someone posts an IRL guild photo. People are usually able to point at which person plays a certain class. Obviously not 100% accurate!

Interesting concept to explore though since everyone is so different that you're guaranteed to get some creative and varying answers!