What is a spell?

[Angelica Dream.7103]

I gain health every time I cast a spell.Are all skills spells? Even utility 7-0?

[Dreamy Lu.3865]

Angelica, I kindly recommend you to go for Wiki: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Main_Page

This is a very good support to understand all game mechanics, with nice descriptions. You can either follow with the summary given on main page, or type the word of what you want to know about in the search field left side.

GW2 is a game where it is important to take time to learn about skills, how they work, what they do and the different types. It is a lot too much to answer within a post here. :)

[Coren.5092]

Dreamy, the wiki does not answer the question and I've not found the information on a quick google search. In fact, searching for "spells" in the wiki takes you to the "skills" page. Likewise, in the "elementalist" wiki page it says something along the lines of "arcane spells" which can only be utilities. It is not a direct answer, and it is not clear if they are using the same definition as the signet or a generic one. Maybe Angelica did already look through the wiki.

Angelica, I'd say that the best way is just to try in game. The "Combat" tag tells you how much you heal and the source, so you can just get hit, use an utility without attacking and check that tag. I will try at some point myself and edit this post accordingly with whatever I find, but I'd say that's the only way right now to get a definitive answer.

EDIT: I did the test and answered a few posts below.

[Danikat.8537]

This is something the Wiki probably should cover - different skill types and how they're defined for different purposes. I saw a similar topic recently where someone was asking about what counts as a projectile for the purposes of being blocked by reflection.

But I'm not sure how well know the information is, so writing a Wiki page could be a big job.

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

"Spell" is not its own skill type.

Assuming this is related to Signet of Restoration, the wiki's talk page has some discussion: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Talk:Signet_of_Restoration

[Coren.5092]

I have checked: Used glyph of storms (utility) and I got the signet of restoration proc. The weapon skills do as well.

Well catched, Tanner, although the information is a tad too buried for normal wiki usage to be useful. In the talk page that Tanner refers to they say that, apparently, every skill triggers the signet of restoration, weapon and utility both included.

The relevant bit being:"-I haven't gotten to test everything, but as far as I can tell all weapon skills trigger it, along with Arcane wave, result in healing. I'll have to test with glyphs and signets (lvl 8 woop woop), but I'd guess that everything but signets, or everything but signets and glyphs, works.Zau 04:14, 13 November 2012 (UTC)-If you use Written in Stone, it even triggers off of itself. 80.112.181.245 12:55, 4 December 2012 (UTC)"

This should definitely be put in the article page for the signet somewhere. For example in the trivia bit.

[Dreamy Lu.3865]

@Coren.5092 said:Dreamy, the wiki does not answer the question and I've not found the information on a quick google search. In fact, searching for "spells" in the wiki takes you to the "skills" page. Likewise, in the "elementalist" wiki page it says something along the lines of "arcane spells" which can only be utilities. It is not a direct answer, and it is not clear if they are using the same definition as the signet or a generic one. Maybe Angelica did already look through the wiki.

Angelica, I'd say that the best way is just to try in game. The "Combat" tag tells you how much you heal and the source, so you can just get hit, use an utility without attacking and check that tag. I will try at some point myself and edit this post accordingly with whatever I find, but I'd say that's the only way right now to get a definitive answer.

Hello

Sorry if I did not explain correctly. I try to say it better: Angelica is speaking about "spell", but there are no "spells" in GW2. It is a wording not used in this game. Instead, there are generally "skills" and they can be of different types, like well, stance, shout, glyph, signet and so on... It is the reason why in Wiki, when you type "spell" in the search field, you are directed to the "Skill" page automatically. This is correct and well done because it leads you to where you need to be: The page about "skills". There, you have a quite complete description, including links to more pages for more specific details.

I provide now the two links that should bring the help needed (at least I hope):

• A global and detailed description of all existing skills (with a nice visual list of all types and for what professions they work): https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Skill
• A description of the skill bar, with also a nice visual description of it that I find quite helpful: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Skill_bar

I believe that those two links are a good start providing the main info since the global skill concept and how it works with the skill bar is covered. Aside of that, there are more pages, allowing to go into further more details, like the list of the racial skills, the page about special action skills, and son on.

I hope I was of a better help this time.

[Coren.5092]

@"Dreamy Lu.3865" said:Hello

Sorry if I did not explain correctly. I try to say it better: Angelica is speaking about "spell", but there are no "spells" in GW2. It is a wording not used in this game. Instead, there are generally "skills" and they can be of different types, like well, stance, shout, glyph, signet and so on... It is the reason why in Wiki, when you type "spell" in the search field, you are directed to the "Skill" page automatically. This is correct and well done because it leads you to where you need to be: The page about "skills". There, you have a quite complete description, including links to more pages for more specific details.

I provide now the two links that should bring the help needed (at least I hope):

• A global and detailed description of all existing skills (with a nice visual list of all types and for what professions they work): https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Skill
• A description of the skill bar, with also a nice visual description of it that I find quite helpful: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Skill_bar

I believe that those two links are a good start providing the main info since the global skill concept and how it works with the skill bar is covered. Aside of that, there are more pages, allowing to go into further more details, like the list of the racial skills, the page about special action skills, and son on.

I hope I was of a better help this time.

Dreamy, absolutely. Angelica and me are at fault for not being specific enough. I think we were both talking about the "Signet of restoration" skill for the elementalist. Its description states "Grants health every time you cast a spell." (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Signet_of_Restoration). That's where our use of "spell" comes from. The fact that "spells" themselves do not exist in GW2 is the whole problem with that skill description.

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

The problem here is that despite "Spell" not being a skill type, Signet of Restoration has the following passive effect:"Passive: Grants health every time you cast a spell." (emphasis mine)It seems in this case that SoR counts every skill, but that's unclear.

Rather than trivia, I think this may very well deserve an "Anomaly" tag. I'll try to research it first - that discussion is from right around launch, things may have changed!

[Dreamy Lu.3865]

Yes, that's clearly weird! And very interesting at same time... :)

The next step could be:

• To to put a feedback to the page in Wiki and see the replies to it.
• To open a thread into the General Discussion section of GW2 forum, with clear title "Signet of Restoration: Every time you cast a spell?"
• To test when the signet works while playing to see when it activates exactly.

Now while talking about that signet with you, I just remembered that some months ago, there had been a problem with this signet, that had been disabled due to a bug, but I can no more find the thread about it. Anyhow, this was another issue with this same signet, but not related to its description.

I will see if I can find something and as I have two elems, I will try to test it. If I get anything, I will come and post again. Please do same if you ever find something on your side. :)

[Angelica Dream.7103]

Also if you type Spell in Wiki you are redirected to skill.You guy are figuring out what I am looking for. The spell working on the "Signet of restoration"

Still not answered. Wish a Anet would jump in and clear this up.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

@"Angelica Dream.7103" said:Also if you type Spell in Wiki you are redirected to skill.You guy are figuring out what I am looking for. The spell working on the "Signet of restoration"

Still not answered. Wish a Anet would jump in and clear this up.

It's answered, it's just a weird answer you didn't expect:GW2 treats skill and spell as synonymous, which is why the wiki redirects you.

Classically, the original RPGs on paper distinguished between weapon usage, spells, blessings, and a variety of other types of ways to interact with the world. Wizards alone could cast spells; warriors alone could use weapons directly (I oversimplify, of course). That jargon has lived on, even though the distinctions vary from game to game.

So it's no surprise that some of the people writing descriptions use skill & spell as synonyms, and that the wiki assumes that this is self-evident. And similarly, I don't think anyone should be surprised that many players find that confusing.

[Coren.5092]

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:

Classically, the original RPGs on paper distinguished between weapon usage, spells, blessings, and a variety of other types of ways to interact with the world. Wizards alone could cast spells; warriors alone could use weapons directly (I oversimplify, of course). That jargon has lived on, even though the distinctions vary from game to game.

So it's no surprise that some of the people writing descriptions use skill & spell as synonyms, and that the wiki assumes that this is self-evident. And similarly, I don't think anyone should be surprised that many players find that confusing.

I think that this is the key. They wrote the skill description for an elementalist, so I think we are supposed to figure that all their skills must be spells. Moreover, I bet most people aren't that magic-the-gathering-y to worry about that specific detail anyway. I wondered about it when I made my elementalist and after finding no information just went through the empirical route.

On the other hand, second guessing a GUI is usually not a fun thing to do, and maybe the skill text could be reworked. The thing is, I don't know how to reach Anet for a minor thing like this other than hoping they notice this thread. Maybe Dreamy idea is on the money: make one with a better worded title. I guess it shouldn't count as a duplicate because the issue discussed is actually different.

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@"Angelica Dream.7103" said:Also if you type Spell in Wiki you are redirected to skill.You guy are figuring out what I am looking for. The spell working on the "Signet of restoration"

Still not answered. Wish a Anet would jump in and clear this up.

Within the Elementalist context, any skill in your skill bar is considered as a spell. What I'm not sure about is the new skill type Stance. Whether it also triggers the signet or not, I'm not sure since I have not used the signet with Stance.

[starlinvf.1358]

More specifically, its a hold over from Guildwars 1, as there was a significant distinction with skills and their classifications. Many skill effects target specific types for triggers, especially among the Interrupts, Hexes, Enchantments, and Stances.

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Skill_typehttps://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Spell

The Tool tips contain information that can date back as far as internal alpha builds, and they usually only cleaned up when mechanical update also updates a skill in question. Glyphs are one of the few categories that haven't needed to be touched to date... so its not too surprising the tool tip is still the original.