Preferred professions by weapon type?

[hackedraptor.3210]

What are your preferred professions for each weapon be it for fun or effectiveness?

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

Well, it's been a day.  You haven't gotten an answer, because that's backwards to the way the game works.  We don't pick professions based on their weapons but we pick weapons based on what is good for our favorite professions.  

[draxynnic.3719]

Interesting inversion of the usual approach. Hrrrmn...

Using the weapons that are currently playable, since it's probably unfair to try to judge the SotO weapons on their current states:

• Axe: Probably Guardian. I like them all, but it's satisfying to hook enemies in and then drop a symbol on them.
• Dagger: Elementalist, with mesmer, thief and warrior as runner-ups.
• Mace: Revenant. Fire field, blast fire field, simple and satisfying.
• Pistol: Engineer, for a wide range of abilities. It's often lacking in actual effect, though.
• Sword: Guardian. Even though it's lost some of its original flavour, it still packs a lot into three skills.
• Scepter: Mesmer. It's usually not a good option in terms of numbers, but I find it very satisfying when it does work.
• Focus: There's not really a clear standout, but possibly elementalist.
• Shield: Guardian. The shield wave and bubble are both very satisfying when used right.
• Torch: Guardian. Trait interaction is awkward, but I think it squeezes a lot of fire magic flavour into two skill slots.
• Warhorn: Elementalist. Wide variety of spectacular effects, pretty much the epitome of what an elementalist weapon should be (looks pointedly at pistol).
• Greatsword: Mesmer, particularly with mirage, for a better lightning feel than actual elementalist. Necromancer for more conventional use.
• Hammer: Guardian. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I like that it has a unique playstyle.
• Longbow: Guardian by a hair, although ranger is probably the most effective.
• Rifle: Thief, although I almost wrote "deadeye" because, well, would you use it with another spec?
• Shortbow: Revenant. Now you're thinking with portarrows.
• Staff: Mesmer. Come for the purple lightning storm, stay for the boons.
• Harpoon gun: Engineer feels like the biggest standout, the others I all find pretty vanilla.
• Spear: Thief. Lots of blocks/evades and options for versatility.
• Trident: Tossup between Guardian and Mesmer, but I think Guardian wins simply because it doesn't have a clone on a withdrawal skill.

17 minutes ago, Blood Red Arachnid.2493 said:

Well, it's been a day.  You haven't gotten an answer, because that's backwards to the way the game works.  We don't pick professions based on their weapons but we pick weapons based on what is good for our favorite professions.  

Ironically, I was partway through when this popped up...

I don't think your assertion is necessarily true there. Weapons are a big part of a profession's identities, so identifying which professions have a set of weapons that you really like would be a valid method for choosing a profession.

Edited December 10, 2023 by draxynnic.3719
Added to some of the reasoning

[Fueki.4753]

Axes: Warrior

Daggers: Spellbreaker

Right hand Swords: Guardian

Left hand Sword: I don't really like any of them

Maces: Ranger

Pistols: I don't really like any of them.

Scepter: Mesmer

Longbow: Ranger

Shortbow: Renegade

Rifle: I don't really like any of them.

Hammer: Unleashed Untamed

Greatsword: Mesmer, the melee ones are all either boring or too clunky and buggy for me.

Staff: Warrior

Shield: I don't like any of them.

Focus: Mesmer and Guardian

Torch: Scourge

Warhorn: Ranger

Spear: Warrior

Harpoon Gun: Ranger

Trident: Mesmer

Edited December 10, 2023 by Fueki.4753

[Eekasqueak.7850]

Axe: Firebrand, love the pull

Dagger: Mesmer/Virtuoso because 1200 range dagger amuses me.  

Mace: Revenant because I like condi builds and the leap 

Pistol: Necro and soon Guardian

Scepter: Elementalist probably has the most fun one to me

Sword: Revenant, solid damage and the teleport spam move is fun

Shortbow: Thief even if it isn't meta the movement and bouncing projectiles are fun 

Longbow: Guardian

Rifle: Thief

Hammer: Revenant

Focus: Mesmers

Torch: Guardian and Necro

Shield: Guardian 

Staff: Guardian and Thief

Greatsword: Revenant 

Warhorn: Necromancer

Trident: Revenant and Guardian

Spear: never use it

Harpoon gun: Thief and Engi

[Gaiawolf.8261]

Axe: Guardian. As others have said, the pull into the symbol is fun. Axes are fun on a few professions though.

Dagger: Mesmer, specifically how virtuosos lean into the concept of hurling them. Thieves are runners up for the evasion and stealth.

Sword: Mesmer. I loved playing my sw+sw/GS mesmer.  Shame they don't work better for mirages.

Mace: Revenant. I really like the field/leap combo.

Pistol: Engineer. Such cool concepts. Thief pistols are also fun. (Guardian pistols may trump these if their issues will be fixed on release.)

Scepter: Guardian. Tough one between guard and mesmer, but the scepter fits my guardian's character concept better. I liked the CC in WVW.

Longbow: Ranger. Classic, and I appreciate no self rooting on the burst. (Looking at you, guardians.)

Shortbow: Renegade, although I haven't really used this weapon on any profession.

Rifle: Thief. I love stealthy snipers.

Hammer: Guardian, although not by much, and I don't really use it at all. I wish the revenant hammer was better.

Greatsword: Mesmer. Using it as a giant laser rod is too cool and fun.

Staff: Mesmer. A fun weapon when you get all 3 clones going. Thief and guardian staves are fun too. I like the concepts for elementalists and necromancers as well! Good weapon for several professions. Tough choice.

Shield: Guardian. That bubble.

Focus: Guardian. It can be very useful and has good balance.

Torch: Mesmer. I like the stealth, and the mage can interrupt. 

Warhorn: Elementalist. It's too good on so many builds.

[Dadnir.5038]

• Axe: warrior, It's the only weapon I like to use on warrior.
• Sword: Guardian.
• Mace: engineer.
• Dagger: I'll say elementalist because I have fun memories with this weapon.
• Pistol: Mesmer, I still hope for a pistol main hand on mesmer.
• Scepter: Mesmer again, love scepter on mesmer even if everyone else hate it.
• Longbow: Ranger but that's just because there aren't any LB worth using on other professions.
• Shortbow: Revenant, hand down the best Shortbow skillkit out there.
• Riffle: Maybe thief.
• Hammer: Engineer. Now that I think about it again... Elementalist's conjure lightning hammer!
• Greatsword: Does elementalist's conjure fiery greatsword count?
• Staff: Mesmer, love the flow of the skillkit.
• Shield: Engineer.
• Focus: guardian.
• Torch: Warrior
• Warhorn: Ranger, I like the animation, otherwise I'd probably choose warrior.

No weapon kit for necromancer because necromancer's weaponkit are 🤢. Thanks goodness there is Reaper shroud which beat every single weaponkit in term of coolness.

Edit: Changed Hammer favourite.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Dadnir.5038

[Doggie.3184]

stealin' this list

• Axe: Warrior. Offers a lot of movement while attacking, fast, lots of cleave, low cooldowns, can throw it.
• Dagger: Thief. Swings it fast, throws it, bounces it, teleports to enemy, stealths, etc... if only they'd finally fix Death Blossom's forced movement it'd be perfect with a great AoE.
• Mace: Engineer. Leaps and shoots projectiles. Too bad it's left to only support.
• Pistol: Necromancer. It stole Ricochet from Thief and gets bonus explosions with it. If Ricochet still existed on Thief it'd be my favorite weapon again.
• Sword: Ranger. My god Ranger sword is fun now that it leaps all over the place on low cooldown and hits hard.
• Scepter: Elementalist. Lots of easy AoE and options for attacking. (If only they'd fix Shatterstone's sound effect.)
• Focus: Necromancer. I have Binding of Ipos and Necro has the most access to throwing eyeballs. Possibly the only one who does?
• Shield: Engineer I guess. At least they throw it and have flip-over skills. Least exciting weapon in game and they never add really tiny shields like bucklers.
• Torch: Guardian. Turns them into a Wizard.
• Warhorn: Elementalist. Only class that actually gets cool attacks with it. Outside of Ranger summoning birds the size of buildings on large bosses.
• Greatsword: Ranger. Swoop in and summon Halsin in Bear form every 2-3 seconds to hit enemy with the force of a road roller.
• Hammer: Guardian. Banish is good for begone'n thots.
• Longbow: Guardian. Innate Pierce and AoE. Has a low cooldown piercing atomic nuke on 2 that feels illegal as it's often booped entire max HP bars to 0.
• Rifle: Engineer. Blows up the whole map with minimal effort and Jump Shot/Ground Target Leaps are some of the best utility in game. Easy access CC.
• Shortbow: Thief. Does low damage sadly but useful for tagging and utility. It gets the most screentime for Legendary Effects in whole game. Soo Won shortbow is peak.
• Staff: Thief. Best animations and bonkism. King of Ground Target Leaps. Has a /flourish emote now.
• Harpoon gun: Engineer. Big booms.
• Spear: Thief. It's actually their best designed weapon. Wish I could use it on land.
• Trident: Elementalist I guess, rarely get to see Tridents.

[hackedraptor.3210]

oh wow I just realised you can activate dark theme in here lol. thanks for ss.

[Jobber.6348]

I like dual swords and among all the classes that can dual swords, Revenant is probably my favourite. 

Warrior's is alright but it doesn't give off much of a skirmisher vibe, more like a kind of mobile and agile fighter who cuts you all over. 
Mesmer swords are just eh... They definitely give off the whole magic-swordsman vibe and as much as I like battlemages and magic swordsman, the gameplay flow is terrible with Mesmer swords because of how clunky 3 > 3 feels and 2 rooting you on the spot. Virtuoso improves on this significantly but offhand sword still has a really awkward hitbox for skill 5 that I dread using.