Gathering Ideas for new Elite spec mechanic.

[EnderzShadow.2506]

@Lonami.2987 said:

@EnderzShadow.2506 said:

@Lonami.2987 said:My current top three ideas:

• Reaver:
  The pet is replaced by a new mechanic, the
  swarm
  , formed by multiple smaller pets at once. You choose between a few different swarm types, among them pocket raptors and pygmy moas. Swarm members respawn automatically a few seconds after death, and can focus on multiple targets at once. Reavers wield
  spears
  in both hands, using them as ranged weapons from a safe distance, leaving close combat for the swarm. They enhance their combat skills through
  venoms
  , which are applied to both the reaver and every individual swarm member. Reavers come from the Luxon clans of the Jade Sea in Cantha.
• Bloodhound:
  The new mechanic is called
  dual pet
  , and lets you summon both pets at once. The new weapon is the
  crossbow
  , and they get
  deception
  as the new slot skills. Bloodhounds are merciless hunters, their art originating from Blood Legion charr in the faraway Plains of Golghein, and can track and hunt any target, be it beast, man, or machine.
• Botanist:
  The pet is replaced by a belt of customizable mechanic skills, representing a
  seed pouch
  . You can choose and equip a variety of different plant species, and then throw their seeds in combat to summon plant/fungus turrets with different abilities, including damage, support, and more. The new weapon is the
  vial
  , an off-hand liquid container, used to heal and support the plants. For the slot skills the get
  wells
  , with additional synergy options. Their mysterious art comes from the Depths of Tyria.

For more information on the new weapons and the reaver, you can check

the Canthan expansion idea where they're featured

. The other two are part of expansion ideas as well, but they're still a work in progress.

Feel free to check the

ranger redesign ideas thread

too.

All of those suggestions sounded interesting.

The bloodhound caught my eye with tracking.What if they put some kind of tracking mechanic into game....showing who was in the area and which way they went (I'm thinking of WvW) and even pvp.There were classes that could track in Shadowbane...but that worked because it was such a wide open FFA pvp landscape.

I mostly thought of anti-stealth stuff, but that sounds pretty interesting too. Just let bloodhounds select a target, and then said target leaves a trail in the ground, visible to the bloodhound only.

We need more fun mechanics like that in the game.

Yeah, I was thinking of something like that...but then, reality set in and I don't think anet would be that keen adding something as complicated as that into the game, let alone one class.

But, eh, I can dream. In Shadowbane, if I am remembering correctly, you could choose who to track.What if the Bloodhound could pick through the NPC's that had been through the area--or a 'sense of smell' that lets you pick up a scent and track towards the named target.I know it would be helpful in PVE, in those guild quests where you have to find the named npc.

But honestly, sounds like a lot of work and could create a situation where the ranger gets preferential treatment--- "have to bring a Ranger"(or 2-3)

[Lonami.2987]

@"EnderzShadow.2506" said:Yeah, I was thinking of something like that...but then, reality set in and I don't think anet would be that keen adding something as complicated as that into the game, let alone one class.

But, eh, I can dream. In Shadowbane, if I am remembering correctly, you could choose who to track.What if the Bloodhound could pick through the NPC's that had been through the area--or a 'sense of smell' that lets you pick up a scent and track towards the named target.I know it would be helpful in PVE, in those guild quests where you have to find the named npc.

There's a technical problem with that. You can start recording and then watch what you have recorded, but the game itself won't be recording 24h for you to go back in time. That's why "check who was here before" won't work, unless you place a trigger and then start recording.

So yeah, you can place a mark on an enemy or an area, and then come back to see what happened, but you can't arrive at a place and check the past if you didn't record it yourself. It's the same with chronomancers, you have to place a mark before time traveling, so the game records your state back then so you can return to it. No recording, no returning.

@"EnderzShadow.2506" said:

But honestly, sounds like a lot of work and could create a situation where the ranger gets preferential treatment--- "have to bring a Ranger"(or 2-3)

I'm fine with that. Some professions should have exclusive roles. It works as long as every profession has his own unique ability, and all of them are necessary and useful.