Daniel Handler.4816

It is heavily implied that if Aurene tried to go beyond her current stockpile she would go insane. If she is not slowly going insane already. We want to replace the other Elder Dragons because they keep killing people. But we also need Aurene to be healthy. For her to continue to take part she would need to unload all of this extra power. Having the Pale Tree take all of the Plant/Mind domain would theoretically allow Aurene to absorb some of the power within Jormag.

@"SeikeNz.3526"Btw fencer's finesse currently procs on scepter/sword clones. Regardless power quickness chrono is not going to be better than a power quickness firebrand (instead of heal firebrand) in dps if that's what you are going for. There are a number of things having to do with that. Chrono has 4k more health. Danger Time is too situational. "Feel My Wrath" is too good... Edit: Power chrono can do it's stuff from 900 range, etc. condi boon chrono will exceed heal firebrand and supply perma alacrity/quickness. You can also play normal condi chrono and just swap Chronophantasma with StM to exceed power quickness chrono in several situations.

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long. its a very fair, im traited to gs also perma quickness+ perma 50% alacracy + 25 might, the dmg is low even with all those boons, if i give all those boons to my ranger it would explode the golem, maybe i just made a boon bot Scepter/pistol vs axe/shield doesn't prove much. it proves because im traited to heal/support on the fb the axe shield is to do some dmg also it's not the best dmg out therewhile chrono gs is supposed to do damage also it's traited to do damage and it's doing lower damage, also the scepcter/pistol is not that bad as you are trying to say, pistol 4 do a very good burst plus the 5 stun when needed, also scepter 3 do another good damage, then i just change back to gs for damage Then you are doing something very wrong. Perhaps not shattering? Even with harriers, a chono with sword/shield + MW will not be twice as long. yeah im shattering how im supposed to have perma quickness and alacracy? Then I have no idea how it is taking you twice as long. Are you not running full berserker on the Chrono? chrono is on divinerfb is on harrier with mix of giver Try with full berserkers with assassins legs and trinkets. You don't need boon duration or TW. well that's only 22% increase of crit damage, but you don't have 25might uptime + perma quickness and perma alacracy, i don't think 22% of crit damage can overdps itExcept you do have perma aoe quickness. And 25 might uptime and perma alacrity would come from your renegade regardless of whether you were a firebrand or mesmer. Adjust the console. Edit: It is not 50% less dps than heal firebrand. You would have to be comparing it vs a quickness firebrand to get that kind of difference.

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long. its a very fair, im traited to gs also perma quickness+ perma 50% alacracy + 25 might, the dmg is low even with all those boons, if i give all those boons to my ranger it would explode the golem, maybe i just made a boon bot Scepter/pistol vs axe/shield doesn't prove much. it proves because im traited to heal/support on the fb the axe shield is to do some dmg also it's not the best dmg out therewhile chrono gs is supposed to do damage also it's traited to do damage and it's doing lower damage, also the scepcter/pistol is not that bad as you are trying to say, pistol 4 do a very good burst plus the 5 stun when needed, also scepter 3 do another good damage, then i just change back to gs for damage Then you are doing something very wrong. Perhaps not shattering? Even with harriers, a chono with sword/shield + MW will not be twice as long. yeah im shattering how im supposed to have perma quickness and alacracy? Then I have no idea how it is taking you twice as long. Are you not running full berserker on the Chrono? chrono is on divinerfb is on harrier with mix of giverTry with full berserkers with assassins legs and trinkets. You don't need boon duration or TW.

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long. its a very fair, im traited to gs also perma quickness+ perma 50% alacracy + 25 might, the dmg is low even with all those boons, if i give all those boons to my ranger it would explode the golem, maybe i just made a boon bot Scepter/pistol vs axe/shield doesn't prove much. it proves because im traited to heal/support on the fb the axe shield is to do some dmg also it's not the best dmg out therewhile chrono gs is supposed to do damage also it's traited to do damage and it's doing lower damage, also the scepcter/pistol is not that bad as you are trying to say, pistol 4 do a very good burst plus the 5 stun when needed, also scepter 3 do another good damage, then i just change back to gs for damage Then you are doing something very wrong. Perhaps not shattering? Even with harriers, a chono with sword/shield + MW will not be twice as long. yeah im shattering how im supposed to have perma quickness and alacracy?Then I have no idea how it is taking you twice as long. Are you not running full berserker on the Chrono? Edit: even with no slow uptime and Seize the Moment over Chronophantasma I am unable to reproduce your situation on scepter/pistol + GS

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long. its a very fair, im traited to gs also perma quickness+ perma 50% alacracy + 25 might, the dmg is low even with all those boons, if i give all those boons to my ranger it would explode the golem, maybe i just made a boon bot Scepter/pistol vs axe/shield doesn't prove much. it proves because im traited to heal/support on the fb the axe shield is to do some dmg also it's not the best dmg out therewhile chrono gs is supposed to do damage also it's traited to do damage and it's doing lower damage, also the scepcter/pistol is not that bad as you are trying to say, pistol 4 do a very good burst plus the 5 stun when needed, also scepter 3 do another good damage, then i just change back to gs for damageThen you are doing something very wrong. Perhaps not shattering? Even with harriers, a chono with sword/shield + MW will not be twice as long.

I don't think they could ever reach the ASAP response you mention when they are making complicated tech changes.

She currently exceeds her mother in size. It is possible reproduction maturity is somehow separate from the rest of physical maturity but yeah.

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long. its a very fair, im traited to gs also perma quickness+ perma 50% alacracy + 25 might, the dmg is low even with all those boons, if i give all those boons to my ranger it would explode the golem, maybe i just made a boon botScepter/pistol vs axe/shield doesn't prove much.

Her species is seemingly capable of asexual reproduction. And she appears to have the body of a full grown adult. Is there some reason she can't start laying eggs for us to rapid grow as we did with her?

That is not a fair comparison. You should have tested with sword/sword + x, where x is either sword/focus, or traited greatsword. YMMV with slow uptime but 3 minutes is too long.

Well no. I don't believe point 2 belongs in the discussion. My original point was innate propensity. X as being "shoved in their faces" from religious standpoint alone. It was intended to be a cross-cultural observation. And the political, artisan, magical traditions were just gravy to cement their probable introduction to most humans. You wouldn't say rainbows don't have a natural tendency to include red because they equally include other spectral colors. I'm not trying to prove 25% or more of all human spellcasters are Mesmers because unlike your Grenth example, nothing indicates they may have a secret unpopularity. I can't prove there isn't one holding them back anymore than I could prove Lyssa isn't a goddess in our reality, but I can place the burden on anet to show it in game before I consider it.

Elite specialisations as currently presented, however, are subdivisions rather than anything like this. A mirage, for instance, is at most the equivalent of a Me/A from GW1 - not enough of a shift to represent a move into another discipline. Wait, are you considering elite specializations sub divisions because the spellcasting professions/schools are already divisions with the spectrum? In which case subdivision is what could kill them. I thought you meant mesmer isn't likely to die from mirage dividing again. Mo/P is a subdivision of monk made interdisciplinary with the introduction of Ritualism. The later of which had Preservation elements, but also Misty stuff. The same could happen to Mesmer. Me/A (Mirage) is a subdivision of Mesmer and could become interdisciplinary with the introduction of Dervish hoo-ha. The latter of which has Denial elements but also Misty stuff. As light + spirit = constructs, twisting space + transformation= transmutation? Reality warping that resembles the invocation/conjuration of Revenant/Elementalist more than the physics manipulation of Mesmer. Polymorphing grains of sand into Moa's would probably be more popular than illusions that die with the target. Disregarding the probability of that specific profession, I don't think people finding their own combinations is going anywhere unless they are including elite specializations in the mix.Modern surgery couldn't have just hybridized with natural philosophy, it required anatomy/physiology to completely supplant barber-surgeons.

I may be wrong on the history here, but neither modern surgery nor neuroscience arose through subdivision. They are interdisciplinary fields that underwent/are currently experiencing professionalization. Edit: Mirages have translated techniques from thieves to mesmer. They are already shadowstepping instead of teleporting, the next step could be incorporating actual shadow magic. Then earth prayers from dervish. Etc. Eventually you could end up with something that twists light and space but is not a Mesmer. Just as Guardians bend light and fire but are not monks.

Humanity is not the default perspective when comparing spellcasting proportions cross-species. It may be anthropologically sound to say they aren't playing favorites. But that doesn't change the numerical comparison. If I was discussing Melandru and rangers I would approach the argument as I did Asura and necromancers: becomes:"Humans probably have more rangers than the Asura because of Melandru, and the latter race's seemingly hostile relationship with nature. Per capita it might be higher or lower than Charr and Norn depending on how influential Olmakhan philosophy and the Spirits of the Wild are, and other cultural perceptions. The Sylvari have nothing against, and a considerable amount of things for, so they are probably first among the main races. It doesn't mean humans favour rangers more than engineers." For and against doesn't necessarily mean favourable and unfavourable. It is just for and against their presence in society. The magic schools are considered a "for" because Mesmers are contained within the concept. Something like the unpopularity of necromancy would be considered an "against." You take the net result and compare it against the net result of other races. If the perspective is Asuran society we are. Because the magic as science crowd can now, or some day, take a role filled by those who practice magic as art. And whether science is independently innovating, building upon the arts, or having more happy accidents is seemingly irrelevant because the relationship is seemingly commensalistic. Science is progressing faster. Religious/political/artistic/magical tradition can contribute to a positive correlation. And that correlation can be weighed against the correlation of other races. It only becomes bias towards mesmers when you have the cultural bias of non-humans.

Children in Kryta knowing the story of an Ascalonian hero who, as far as we know, never visited Kryta is indicative of the story spreading across the land of Tyria. Gwen Thackeray's family and descendants established themselves in Kryta. The most famous human Mesmer at this point is arguably Jennah. And neither necessarily spread to, or had their histories retained by, Cantha and Elona. Gwen Thackeray's family and descendants established themselves at EBONHAWKE. Logan and his brother lived in Kryta for a time yes, but Gwen is never stated to have visited there, and as far as I recall, the Thackeray family name being well known there is from Logan, not Gwen. Elona and Cantha both had famous mesmers, who established themselves adventuring or in combat. Cantha, IIRC, has at least one mesmer enshrined in the major temple alongside other national heroes. We saw Elona having the Mirage elite spec native to the area, so it's a bit odd they'd have a specialized form of Mesmer training if Mesmers aren't considered among those meant for combat or frontline/adventuring.Her husband, Keiran Thackeray is a Krytan war hero. Logan Thackerary grew up in Kryta. The family established roots there at some point. We are told by Nasrin "Mirages have day jobs." If even the meant for combat specializations have trouble finding work, then the profession as a whole is probably worse off being considered for combat. The concept of scholars who fight exists in our reality. There are doctors and scientists who serve on the frontlines and elsewhere in militaries around the world. It doesn't mean lay people consider the base profession fighters. Estelle and Logan are surprised in A Meeting of Ministers by what the Mesmer PC would probably consider simple mantra use. "Handle me? You can't move!" is a completely idiotic thing to say for someone who's station in life has probably afforded them better education, and is part of an organization that employs mesmers. Edit:https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Research_Journal There is evidence Gwen could distort without a weapon like, or as a precursor to, the PC's ability. In contrast to the White Mantle who hide behind illusions and range. Even if Gwen is world famous that doesn't mean her deeds are well understood or generalized to the profession. I would imagine if every Mesmer was a Gwen or PC, the profession would be in a soldiers who are scholars situation like Firebrand. But that isn't the case.

They managed to survive the general martialization of spellcasting professions. But as interdisciplinary practices grow, and magi-tech becomes more advanced, what keeps millennia old arts fresh? Elite specializations? Psychology couldn't retain neuroscience. Barber-surgeons couldn't keep surgery. For instance there may come a time when Mirages aren't Mesmers, just as Guardians aren't Monks.

Children in Kryta knowing the story of an Ascalonian hero who, as far as we know, never visited Kryta is indicative of the story spreading across the land of Tyria. Gwen Thackeray's family and descendants established themselves in Kryta. The most famous human Mesmer at this point is arguably Jennah. And neither necessarily spread to, or had their histories retained by, Cantha and Elona.

Okay, two things to be clear about here. Gate Tech is them building two gates, and connecting them. This does not relate to portals, as you have to physically build each gate first. The ability to have the other side be "where ever you want it to be, regardless of gate being there or not" is an Inquest development of very recent years, and that gate hub was completely destroyed and all the inquest there killed, awoken (and possibly killed again), ran into hiding or (in at least one case) defected to the Pact. It's unclear if he survived the battle at Thunderhead though. Gate tech is very useful, but it's a travel method, not a battlefield relocation tool. Holomancy is also, just within the last few years invented. And then it got it's reputation horribly tarnished by Scarlet to the point the inventor of the new tech/style outright retired from it and sought a new path. It is not the same as illusion magic either, so it's not like it could replicate the same functions in combat. Overall, Asura would only have "recently" found reasons to swap from mesmer abilities, if they wanted to. I'm pretty sure Mesmers would be viewed as meant for, or able to do combat. Considering how many legendary heroes are mesmers. It's hard to think of commoners going "Can mesmers be great on the battlefield?" without somebody pointing out something like... "Gwen founded Ebonhawke and was so damaging to the Charr they literally call her Goremonger." Especially when we can find Children in DR playing as "ancient heroes", including Gwen. Charr would be informed of what Mesmers can do in the Fahrar. They may not be trained as mesmers, but they'd know what to expect when facing one. Asura, all children get education. Sylvari are curious, but they'd know what Mesmers can do. Especially with Nightmare courtiers and interactions with Asura and humans. Norn, while perhaps lacking "formal" education as compared to other races, still learn magic and combat just as well. There are known mesmers among their race, and they interact with the other races just as much. This would be like, isolated cases of people who don't think mesmers are meant for combat roles just as much as they do non-combat functions. There is nothing to indicate they'd not be treated just as well as other combatants. I think this is turning into two separate discussions. To your latter half standardised education for legion Charr and Asura is a good point. But it is not a given for other races. Children in Kyrta knowing of Gwen does not mean she is world famous.

The conversation from my perspective has shifted from whether mesmers are meant for combat to general perceptions across all races. What role do Mesmers play in society? Do commoners think they are meant for combat? Are they given parity to other combatants? Mesmers in the navy, Seraph, White Mantle, politics, religion, and artisan class speak to humanity. They don't tell us what other cultures do. It is entirely possible telling people of their lethality is universal to all magical education. But what about people who weren't fortunate enough to receive that. You can't prove a negative. But it defeats the purpose of showing us things like Dynamics/Statics/Synergetics, Flame Legion/Olmakhan, if the rest of their society is also secretly in proportion. Tldr: are some mesmers meant for combat, yes. Are even they used as much as they could be, no.

I think you are using magic schools in a different context. I am specifically referring to Denial/Aggression/Aggression/Destruction, which are now abstract concepts that might not even exist in the future, and Mesmer as a specific profession with its own identity. One that has persisted from Orrian times, is thematically tied to Lyssa by humans, and is a major part of politics and the arts in their society. The mind domain, spellbreakers, Revenants, alchemists, golemancy, holomancy, etc can contain/borrow from/resemble mesmerism but they are not Mesmers, nor do they refer to themselves as such. The Mind/Dream and Raven may push people to explore Mesmerism because it relies on one's own intellect and magical abilities. I do not see Charr or Asura doing this in a proportion close to humans. Conversely I don't see humans moving towards asura magitech. The Orrians were accomplished artificers and the White Mantle Portal device shows the race is fully capable on its own Edit White Mantle Portal devices were probably made by mesmers. Gate technology was probably made by dynamic scientists.And for all we know the two developed independently.

I ...honestly forgot PVE was a thing and I am absolutely mortified. @Daniel Handler.4816 Apologies. This is obviously not as cut and dry as I'd hoped. In PvE, particularly raids, I can see how that would be crippling. in PVP, though, it remains an egregious issue when paired with condi. I understand your point, but PvP engagements shouldnt have to suffer like that for PVE to be balanced. No apologies needed. I would note the person was probably talking about solo open world and not raids. In raids you have people tanking/healing for you. And other classes don't dodge often anyway because of the dps loss. Its more of a concern in solo open world PvE. And majorly a concern in WvW. The problem in in PvE can be addressed using the right skills and weapons. But in WvW you are still beholden to stacking on allies and dodging with them to avoid being covered in condis. I ...honestly forgot PVE was a thing and I am absolutely mortified. @Daniel Handler.4816 Apologies. This is obviously not as cut and dry as I'd hoped. In PvE, particularly raids, I can see how that would be crippling. in PVP, though, it remains an egregious issue when paired with condi. I understand your point, but PvP engagements shouldnt have to suffer like that for PVE to be balanced. Mesmers have several utilities that can break stuns, and one that grants specifically stability. They just dont take them because mirage cloak, mirage mirrors, and distortion remove the need to slot utilities defensively, with the exception of blink. Not being able to attack while stunned, even though it uses endurance, isn't a tradeoff for being able to evade while stunned. That argument isn't real. No class can attack while stunned. not having access to an attack because you got cced isn't a drawback particular to any class. Dont agree with you, regarding pvp. If EM allows you to dodge and break stuns in exchange for damage, that opens up builds for sidenode stalling. If IH doesnt allow dodges while stunned, mirages have to slot utilities more defensively or predict attacks to do heavy damage. This may have implications in pve, but pvp as it stands right now is kittened because condi oriented mirages running IH have very little counterplay. you dont get what I mean, mirage cloak is both defensive AND offensive tool. If you use it while stunnes, you give up offensive part ( ambush )srsl you remind me of that video Happy something posted, called mirage cancer, while playing warrior, throwing rock that deals 11,1k dmg.while dueling this "cancer mirage" he could afford to afk while being whittled down for 13 sec. didnt die, didnt even take any damage. becouse guess what, condi damage sucks. I really want to just be misunderstanding the plight of mirage mains, but the matchups I've seen and experienced wouldn't exactly be considered a plight to me. I don't consider it a plight in PvP. When you are dueling on a side node I don't see the issue. Especially because Mesmers already excel in 1v1 player and 3 illusions situations. I could see how it might seem like they have no tradeoff. Perhaps more PvP split traits need to occur. But altering the mechanic gamewide is a bad idea. Also back to the topic, the effect Mirage's tradeoff has on build diversity is fine-ish in comparison to other classes. Chrono is at a loss. Where a mirage could simply grimace and play condi with staff or axe and Jaunt while spamming evades, a chrono struggles to cover for no IP and poor slow uptime outside of raids. They seem to be pushing Chrono as a ranged combo caster, versus Mirage as a more melee and reactionary. Like an ele vs thief. That is fine. But needs more support. edit: for example if you want to discourage melee you could keep IP off of F1/F2/F3, but restore it to F4.

Again, though, this applies to magic generally. Humans have magic linked to their religion because they used to view it as a gift from the gods. All this line of thinking can demonstrate is that humans have a greater focus on magic in general than they might without that link to religion, but since all forms of magic are linked to religion, it doesn't push them towards a specific form of magic (except possibly away from revenants, since they aren't associated with any of the gods, although I headcanon that they're associated with Kormir and maybe Grenth). It doesn't apply to magic generally. It applies to magic schools. Asuran society is just as, if not more, magically oriented. But their focus is different, and the same goes for other races. Asura probably have more necromancers than the Charr because of high magic use, the golemmancy tie-in, and a seemingly complete lack of stigma. Per capita it might be higher or lower than humans and norn depending on how influential Grenth and Raven are, and other cultural perceptions. The Sylvari have nothing for or against, so they might be near the middle, or second to last, amongst the main races. It doesn't mean Asura favour necromancy more than alchemy, golemmancy, etc. With humans and mesmers there are centuries of tradition and an illusion magic specific goddess (vs general mind stuff with Sylvari and Raven). Not only is there no stigma, but theirbeloved Queen and several other prominent members of society are mesmers. Along with many artisans. Magic, religion, politics, and culture are saturated at a time when bloodstones don't restrict new magic users. It's not humans favouring it more than other schools. It's other races favouring it less. Edit: when Asura have holomancy and gate technology why would they even need mesmers outside of niche non-combat situations. Snaff didn't need to be a mesmer to control Kralk.By the time a metal legion equivalent is comfortable with magic why would they even choose mesmerism over Asura tech.For that matter why would any race besides humans and sylvari favour mind magic over Asura tech?

As said, all allied groups don't feature much diversity, but enemies do. Or are you really going to say the White mantle have a fully fledged out roster of people, while the Seraph have only warriors (sword/shield, and bow) and ZERO spellcasters? This is a very specific and poor way to approach the clear gameplay limitations and all. That's like going "Well horses don't exist in Tyria" merely because they aren't ingame. Despite the fact we have hard proof that horses exist in Tyria. Also as pointed out. Ascalon army in GW1 as allies: warriors and the occasional ranger. Ascalon army in GW1 as enemy, and as ghost enemies in GW2: Every profession represented, with a diversity of roles and capabilities. Except you aren't arguing diversity. You are arguing proportions. Other groups may have one or more mesmers. But if they don't have them in the same proportion as the White Mantle then the perceptions are different.

Not an innate -propensity. The concept is just shoved in their faces. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lyssa is one of six gods worshipped by many humans. And she is explicitly associated with illusions and beauty. (and also water but that isn't shown much). She has her own sector and shrine in their capital city, her https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lyssa%27s_Reliquary is full of mesmer-esque phenomena, and her scriptures seem to hint humans believed she invented mesmer magic. As for mesmer reputation. The full extent of their abilities is kept under wraps by the mesmer collective. It is not in their interest to kill openly. Especially when many are members of nobility. Strictly speaking, there's a human god for every magical school, although elementalists were split among four (arguably five in GW2, then maybe four again after Balthazar's fall from grace) and guardians were probably split between Dwayna and Balthazar. Trying to recall now if there's been any specific mention of humans being mesmer-heavy. I think the observation has been made that Orr was fairly mesmer-heavy, and out-of-game sources have indicated that the Shining Blade is mesmer-heavy. There is a god for every magic school. But that discrete characterization doesn't seem to exist within non-human religion and philosophy. The Mind domain/Dream and Raven might be mesmer-esque, but they don't call out illusion magic specifically, abound with purple/magenta, etc. The eternal alchemy is distinguished by static/dynamic/synergistic. And the Charr only seem to care for elementalist or drudic (Olmakhan) magic, if they do at all. Yes, but there being a god for every magic school makes this a connection between human religion/philosophy and magic in general, not mesmerism specifically. It is referenced a few times that the patronage and blessing of the gods gave humanity a major leg-up in magical ability over other races, and they may even still be ahead even of the Asura when it comes to using magic without the aid of technology. But again, this doesn't provide a reason for any one school to be favoured. Necromancy is sponsored by Grenth, for instance, but necromancy is still relatively unpopular among humans.And yet probably still more popular than Charr. Spellcasting is universal, illusion magic as part of religion and politics is not. Its popularity within human society should still exceed other races. Yeah, similar to how necromancer is a major profession, but we don't see as many of them on the front lines. I find it hard to believe the "rank and file" doesn't know about these professions, when interacting with groups from those regions quite heavily now in joint operations against Kralkatorrik. I wouldn't take NPC's as being representative of actual division of professions in a group. For example, in the minis we have various Seraph soldiers, like Mages, Archers, recruits, Juggernauts, heavy guards, medics. Ingame, we see, the recruits (the scale armor) and sometimes the "heavy guard" (various forms of CM dungeon armor, mixed with scale or human culture to be officers or sergeants). I could see people thinking that, until the white mantle bits of Season 3. Minis are toys. They are no more proportional than stuffed animals are of fauna. No more descriptive than a name and a visual. For example all a Seraph mage toy displays is there exists at least one Seraph who is a light armored spellcaster. White Mantle are a subset of a single race and post season 3 appear to have made no dent in the diversity of the Orders. In addition the Pact does not make up all combatants. A non-pact member is much more likely to be aware that guardians can serve on the front-line than mesmers. Actually, I'm inclined to think the minis are indicative of the full range of the Seraph. One thing you need to keep in mind is that ArenaNet tends to be... conservative when it comes to factions that are mostly allies. The Ascalonian Army in GW1, for instance, was shown as being pretty much exclusively Warriors and Rangers apart from named characters and resurrection shrine attendants. When they became enemies - during the Annihilator mission or as ghosts in GW2, for instance - we got to see their full range of forces. The Seraph are probably in a similar situation. Apart from one personal story instance, they're basically only allies, so ArenaNet only bothered to implement the basic warrior and archer versions. Lake Doric required that the Seraph troops get an update, and a Guardian version was implemented, but even then ArenaNet was probably still being conservative. It's also worth keeping in mind that, if anything, it might be more complicated to create enemies in GW2 than in GW1 (in GW1 it's just a matter of configuring a build using player skills unless they want to do something more ambitious, while GW2 enemies are... well, not simply a matter of assigning them a build). Outside sources such as Sea of Sorrows show that, at least at that time, the Seraph had a decent amount of magical support. Even if they've been underfunded, and even with the possibility that the Shining Blade has been preferentially recruiting magic-users among the royal loyalists, I think it's doubtful that the magical arm of the Seraph will have withered away entirely. While the majority of most human armies tend to be base warriors and archers, every human army we've fought has had a significant magical component except the bandits - and that's probably because the White Mantle hoovered up the magical talent (the ratio of spellcasters to non-spellcasters among the White Mantle did seem higher in GW2 than GW1).There is a difference between diversity and proportions.