4 Anticasters, but... no casters?

[Zekent.3652]

Why do we have 4 anticasters already (Spellbreaker, Mesmer, Thief and Druid) but no caster class/spec?

Maybe we have 1 and im lost, i dont know, can you name 1 viable caster build in this game?

[Loboling.5293]

Scourge, Staff Tempest, Staff Mirage, Condi Necro are probably the most caster like specs that are viable. Basically, the scholar classes can be played as casters. 

[ASP.8093]

What is your definition of "caster" or "anticaster?"

[Dadnir.5038]

I second ASP.8093, You'd first have to define the term "Caster", "Anticaster" and "Viable".

That said, I'll make an educated guess based on the hypothesis that:

- "Anticaster" is used to define a spec that have focus on hard CC

- "Caster" thus is there for a spec that have cast time that are long enough to be interrupted

- "Viable" stand for "meta" (because it's the common perception in this game)

Based on these 3 guesses, my answer would be that GW2 is the worst game possible when it come to interrupt builds as the hard CC skills themselve aren't really built toward interrupting but toward disabling a foe for a set amount of time while, except for channeled skills, there are few skills in game that have a long enough cast time to be interrupted with hard CC that have themself a cast time.

That said, you can annoy core necromancer, reaper, druid, axe/GS warrior, core elementalist and tempest with those "anticaster".

 

[Alcatraznc.3869]

To me, caster are basically classes that uses magic in casting form. Basically everything wearing light armour but if we really want to be specific I suppose it would be staff and scepter. users I guess Guardian and to a certain extent Specter are also casters. 

 

 

 

 

[Jski.6180]

There is a real lack of magic in this game at best your "casters" are just ranged dps classes but there no real "magic" behind it more of just rangers with "magic" animations. Your more mage like skills are more mid ranged and on far tankly classes like necor and mezmer.

Its like trying to be a "mage" support you can make a glassly healing class but it never will out do a tankly support classes because anet did not think risk reward for support and boon though well enofe.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Jski.6180

[oscuro.9720]

I’m confused how Mesmer and Druid are anti-caster. They seem more like casters to me. Can someone explain?

[Zekent.3652]

2 minutes ago, oscuro.9720 said:

I’m confused how Mesmer and Druid are anti-caster. They seem more like casters to me. Can someone explain?

Powerblock mesmer with their interrupts since gw1, druid with the daze marksman build since gw1 ranger aswel

[oscuro.9720]

1 minute ago, Zizekent.2398 said:

Powerblock mesmer with their interrupts since gw1, druid with the daze marksman build since gw1 ranger aswel

So a class with lockdown is an anticaster? That seems like a weird qualification to me, but oh well. They definitely seem more like casters to me.

[Zekent.3652]

1 minute ago, oscuro.9720 said:

So a class with lockdown is an anticaster? That seems like a weird qualification to me, but oh well. They definitely seem more like casters to me.

Mesmer is literally an antimagician mage (so, its both?), and yes, classes/builds specialized on interrupts/cc are anticasters.

[oscuro.9720]

2 minutes ago, Zizekent.2398 said:

Mesmer is literally an antimagician mage (so, its both?), and yes, classes/builds specialized on interrupts/cc are anticasters.

I just don’t think the “caster” and “anti caster” designation works great in this game, so using a thematic designation makes more sense for gw2, but to each their own 🙂 

[Jski.6180]

48 minutes ago, oscuro.9720 said:

So a class with lockdown is an anticaster? That seems like a weird qualification to me, but oh well. They definitely seem more like casters to me.

Long skill use classes often is what seen as casting and being able to stop that casting often is seen as counter casting.

There just no good variation on casting with "magic" and skill use with a wepon.

[Obtena.7952]

 

23 hours ago, Zizekent.2398 said:

Why do we have 4 anticasters already (Spellbreaker, Mesmer, Thief and Druid) but no caster class/spec?

Maybe we have 1 and im lost, i dont know, can you name 1 viable caster build in this game?

Probably not ... because these are player-created categorizations.

[Stx.4857]

This game doesn't really have casters though..  so there aren't anti casters either.  You might think that the scholar professions using a staff would be casters, but the fact is every class in this game has cast times on their abilities, and no one uses mana.  

 

If being anti-caster means you have a lot of cc and boon rip, then okay..  most of the classes can fill that role when built for it.

[oscuro.9720]

3 hours ago, Jski.6180 said:

Long skill use classes often is what seen as casting and being able to stop that casting often is seen as counter casting.

There just no good variation on casting with "magic" and skill use with a wepon.

So…warrior is the most like a caster then, because it’s all long cast time, easily interrupts me attacks? Because most other classes have their DPS builds focused on low cast time high effect. This is why I don’t like these categories in this game, they don’t work imo. 
 

edit: and ele, but not scepter ele, but kinda scepter elenalso I guess? So basically warrior and ele.

Edited January 17, 2022 by oscuro.9720

[Jski.6180]

23 minutes ago, oscuro.9720 said:

So…warrior is the most like a caster then, because it’s all long cast time, easily interrupts me attacks? Because most other classes have their DPS builds focused on low cast time high effect. This is why I don’t like these categories in this game, they don’t work imo. 
 

edit: and ele, but not scepter ele, but kinda scepter elenalso I guess? So basically warrior and ele.

It kind of is if every thing in the game uses magic the say the Winds of Disenchantment is a spell. Its just there a real brake down in a skill and a spell in this game where you cant tell the differences of an wepon base skill much as the longer time use for a wepon attk vs a spell casting of Winds of Disenchantment.

GW2 is split into 3 categories. Soldier, Adventurer, and Scholar seeming every one even anet forgot what that means. Scholar should be the "mage" of the game but they have much like Adventurer been all made into Soldiers though power creep and a real lack of spell-casting add ons and in say the Adventurer point of view the lack of "tech" add ons. Every one is hitting each other with sticks at this point some just has more flash then others.

 

[AlexndrTheGreat.8310]

From a theme perspective I currently see like 3 anti-caster ideas amongst the classes. Overall it’s classes that have a focus on boon removal (not really corruption like Scourge does). It seems that class with those kinds of abilities are equivalent to “anti-casters” in other games since their focus is on removing boons (“buffs”). 

Spellbreaker since it has a focus on countering and boon removal (Break Enchantments, Winds of Disenchantment, Magebane Tether)

Mesmer as a class overall tends to have a very anti-mage feel to it (Null-Field, some of the traits)

Mallyx Revenant also has a strong anti-mage feel to it (Break Enchantment).

Compared to something like WoW it’s not very clear cut. WoW has distinct divisions between types of damage (ie. physical vs non-physical) so there’s things like the Demon Hunter class which takes less magic damage for example. Things like that don’t really translate directly to GW2.

”Caster” classes are more like what the abilities look like that the class is using. Ele dagger, weaver sword, catalyst hammer could all be seen as physical stuff, but scepter and staff would definitely feel more like a caster.

Really any scepter, staff, and focus has a strong caster feel to them.

Edited January 17, 2022 by AlexndrTheGreat.8310

[Sahne.6950]

Freshair Ele is the only Caster (atleast in my books...) Rest can be seen as one.. but IDK its just Freshair Ele for me. And it sadly is not that viable anymore after they took 5% of its dmg...  some people can make it work but most of the time Freshair is just a meme atm....

[Dadnir.5038]

2 hours ago, Sahne.6950 said:

Freshair Ele is the only Caster (atleast in my books...) Rest can be seen as one.. but IDK its just Freshair Ele for me. And it sadly is not that viable anymore after they took 5% of its dmg...  some people can make it work but most of the time Freshair is just a meme atm....

So... What is a corruption Sc/D necromancer in your book?

[Sahne.6950]

1 hour ago, Dadnir.5038 said:

So... What is a corruption Sc/D necromancer in your book?

...overpowered? 😄 nah im joking never played SC/D Necro so dont take it serious.

 

For me casters are like Sorcs from ESO or basicly any other MMO. They use kiting and Hard CC to chain one big combo that almost always onebangs you when you could line up the combo with CC well... just like a Freshair.

Casters for me are Ranged glasscannons (using magic) that use CC into a combo to burst down Enemys... And that is only the Freshair in GW2

 

Anything necro is just... to tanky to fit into what i see as casters. (but that is just me and my smolbrain thinking what casters are supposed to be)Okey i see... they CAST spells yeah... 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Sahne.6950

[Dadnir.5038]

1 hour ago, Sahne.6950 said:

...overpowered? 😄 nah im joking never played SC/D Necro so dont take it serious.

 

For me casters are like Sorcs from ESO or basicly any other MMO. They use kiting and Hard CC to chain one big combo that almost always onebangs you when you could line up the combo with CC well... just like a Freshair.

Casters for me are Ranged glasscannons (using magic) that use CC into a combo to burst down Enemys... And that is only the Freshair in GW2

 

Anything necro is just... to tanky to fit into what i see as casters. (but that is just me and my smolbrain thinking what casters are supposed to be)Okey i see... they CAST spells yeah... 

Well, they are "ranged casters" that chain spells inflicting conditions and make use of "fear", which is a hard CC, in their combo to widen the the gap between them and their target.

Keep in mind that necromancers aren't "tanky", they have builds that make them feel like they are but, based on what they face they aren't always tankier than other professions.

 

In many game, the profession which the the best at "onebang" through the chaining of a big combo is usually the "archer" (Technically Soulbeast can offer you this kind of experience, Deadeye as well can offer you this experience). However, I doubt you'd qualify them as "caster" because by seing them using "archer"/"sniper" weapon, your prejudices would lead you to put them into the "archer"/"sniper" box.

This lead me to think that you do not look for a "caster" per se but for an archetype that use elemental magic with a typical "magic weapon" that would fit into the "burst mage" box.

[Zenith.7301]

Thieves are anti-everything, if it makes you feel any better.

[Zekent.3652]

3 hours ago, Zenith.7301 said:

Thieves are anti-everything, if it makes you feel any better.

Lmao, good one.

[Avatara.1042]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:14 PM, Loboling.5293 said:

Scourge, Staff Tempest, Staff Mirage, Condi Necro are probably the most caster like specs that are viable. Basically, the scholar classes can be played as casters. 

Staff tempest?