Aquatic Elite Specs?

So I know an idea like that would sound ludicrously far-fetched given a varied list of factors like potential balance issues and dealing with a set of game mechanics that have barely been touched up since GW2 came out, but it was something that dawned on me watching the announcement for the skimmer update and wondering if ANet would go further down that undersea rabbit hole. My guess is that they wouldn't be entirely like what elite specs we've seen, and while they could just relegate it all to yet another mastery system, it does seem like a way of introducing another round of elite specs without making core specs feel even more insignificant than they are currently.

Either way, I was just curious on what y'all think about it. I'm not really for or against, but it does make for an interesting "what if" thought experiment.

I don't think they should design elite specs to be aquatic specifically, but considering that underwater content will most likely have a big role in the next expansion, since we are probably going to fight the deep sea dragon, I think they should make sure that the elite specs they are designing are functioning well underwater.

Like making sure that all the new utility skills can get used underwater as well as the new class mechanics. One major complaint I had when they introduced the scrapper elite spec with Heart of Thorns was that the scrapper trait line was absolutely dysfunctional once you entered water. You were not able to use the function gyro, you obviously couldn't wield a hammer, all gyro skills didn't work. And even the traits were mostly wasted, since you could neither use hammer nor gyros, some traits were working with lightning combo fields which you had not a single one while swimming....

The situation got better with scrapper's rework, making gyros wells and usable underwater. Holosmith also can use mechanics in that environment and many of their utility skills work there, too.

Just make sure that the next elite specs are not too restricted underwater, maybe create alternative underwater versions of utility skills if you have to. Like how necromancer's flesh golem becomes an undead shark if used underwater.But the elite spec doesn't need to get designed to perform best at underwater, it just needs to function.

I have a hard time imaging an aquatic e-spec (especially in the context of Cantha where solid jade replace water... Well maybe in 400 years they dug deep enough over a large enough area and had rain pour like hell for long enough to get water again...).

Anyway, the only thing that can realistically be of use underwater only in a kit given alongside an e-spec is the weapon and, I could careless whether they give an underwater weapon to the e-spec. Maybe it would even be a blessing if they did since there would be less broken thing to balance in a PvP/WvW nigh void of underwtaer area.

Regular espec: can be played on land and underwater.Underwater espec: I assume it can only be played underwater?

I'm not sure why you'd want to limit places you're able to use your especs to well under 50% of the available content, but I don't like that idea in the slightest.

Sidenote: Might be a good time to buy some UW Legendaries, for resale--they will prob jump in price

I'd rather they actually bother to make already existing skills actually function underwater. There's still tons that are left being unusable, which can make entire builds non-functional for no reason.

For example, Chrono's wells are unusable underwater. Renegade is unusable underwater. Elementalist Conjured Weapons are unusable underwater. etc.

Which is just odd, because other wells work fine underwater, there's no limitation about elements underwater (Elementalist's Trident can use all 4 elements just fine), even the notion of "Land style attacks" is done in the form of Reaper's Shroud and the Holoforge giving their respective classes their regular transform skills no problem (Which suggests that underwater weapons aren't strictly necessary...)

Beyond that... An interesting concept for "Underwater Elite Specs" could be in the form of equippable "Kits" that replace an Underwater weapon in your equipment that give new underwater skills/weapons but for your specific class. Essentially like implementing new weapons, but in a controlled way that's done only via Specialization Collections (Then purchased from a vendor for additional copies to use different stats)

Which wouldn't be out of place, given how limited Rebreathers are (With them basically being just the free ones you get from leveling/PS and then level 80 crafted or purchased in Bitterfrost Frontier with a rare chance to loot one from the Sunken Chests)

@Dadnir.5038 said:I have a hard time imaging an aquatic e-spec (especially in the context of Cantha where solid jade replace water...The Jade Sea has been turning back into water for many years now.

The real reason why we likely won't see any wet elite specs is because people generally hate Underwater combat.However, this is not restricted to GW2. The underwater combat in Monster Hunter 3 was unpopular enough for it not to return in future games of the franchise.I believe this is due to people generally (not every single player of course) having problems fighting on three axes.

Regardless of the reasons though, GW2 underwater content has been poorly received and thus Arenanet has mostly halted its development.As far as I know, they haven't even released any aquatic skins since at least the release of HoT.

The Jade Sea was such a small part of Cantha that it wouldn’t make sense to have underwater specs.