If Guardian gets the Samurai mask Icon

[Balsa.3951]

Warrior and Guardian both would fit the mask.

And for me personally, it's the coolest Icon and concept of all to become a samurai.

 

Why Guardian is likely to be Samurai  (Offhand Sword)

Samurais working like Guardians of an Honor code.

They are both Protectors of the status Quo 

they be known as obedient to their master 

Almora used offhand sword in Living world and npcs sometimes in the past hinted elite specs

 

Reason why maybe not Guardian becomes a Samurai... Guardian becomes a Monk  (Main Hand Focus) Visual not as nice imagine running around both hands holding a Book. And Warrior as weapon master could fit that role very well.

 

How would a Samurai Guardian work?

Instead of virtues F1-F3 we get stances (similar to Firebrand but limitless charges, more like what Ele has)

The Mask of each stance would have an obvious visual effect, that's why the mask is so dominant in the Logo. Like the Chinese art form where the performer changes face.

 

Guardian would become from the light to the darkness 

Life steal unlockable attacks

and fear. Dark Spirit weapon fast hitting projectiles. 

If Guardians so far are Jedi's EOD Guardians are the Sith Lords. 

F3 could be dedicated to movement skills teleportation and shadow steps, may even portals for teammates

F2 Crowd control and team support

F1 Dmg Burst skills active blocks 

 

Healing will be a non-existing focus, it's win or die with Honor

(extra points if we can do Seppuku just kidding)

 

I can see this class be mainly used for PVP but also for special pve encounters.

 

I forgot to mention there is no F0 stance, u always in one of the 3 stances.

 

Name is Mempo or Daikijin 

 

But naming could also be based on the Lore

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Balsa.3951

[Kodama.6453]

Samurai used a wide arsenal of different weapons. While they are often associated with swords, we could also possibly get a samurai spec using something else.

 

I personally tend to believe that the mempo might represent a warrior with staff as the weapon. It got discussed alot in these forums here that a staff could get repurposed as a spear for warrior, considering that underwater weapons are not coming to land. There are already staff skins which look like spears, so it could be possible.

 

Many famous samurai are oftenly pictured as spear users. Just to name 2 examples which are coming to my mind immediately: Sanada Yukimura and Honda Tadakatsu.

 

In my opinion, icon 8 could possibly also be the guardian. Maybe they get a juggernaut elite spec, something that encapsules them in a big magical armor and lets them fight in melee with enemies. Looking at the elite specs guardian got so far, they are still lacking a melee bruiser. I also can't help but seeing references of the guardian ankh symbol in icon 8.

[Fueki.4753]

While pop fiction caused many people to falsely associate Samurai with swords, their preferred weapon actually were bows, with polearms being their second-most used choice.

 

Assuming Arenanet doesn't indulge in pop fiction, the only way for Guardians to become Samurai would be for underwater spears to become available on land (which I doubt will happen) or Guardians would get access to Shortbow.

Unlike for a hypothetical Warrior Samurai, Staff cannot be used to simulate polearms, since Guardians already have access to it.

[quaniesan.8497]

I'm afraid, and seriously so, that there's a decent chance we might get rifle with magic bullets, based on one of the icons.  It's abit..... theme-breaking as far as I'm concerned.  Definitely not a fan if it came to that.  Long bow: "ohh no....."

Hope we get dual-swords as many have said.

[Trejgon.9367]

2 hours ago, Fueki.4753 said:

Guardians would get access to Shortbow.

 

I don't find that idea all that much appealing tbh, because samorais did not use "short" bows, like pretty much at all.

The "classical" samurai used Longbows.

 

But late samurai also used flintlocks, so we could be getting rifles.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Lord Trejgon.2809

[Black Bandit.9425]

My money is on the rifle TBH. Though I do find this a bummer because I chose Guardian as it's a melee class. Was hoping for daggers, which would include a faster playstyle for guard, whos pretty slow. Of course that's not happening and we're stuck with the rifle, but man can dream can't he?

[Kodama.6453]

18 minutes ago, Black Bandit.9425 said:

My money is on the rifle TBH. Though I do find this a bummer because I chose Guardian as it's a melee class. Was hoping for daggers, which would include a faster playstyle for guard, whos pretty slow. Of course that's not happening and we're stuck with the rifle, but man can dream can't he?

My personal hunch is that guardian is the icon of the guy with the big pauldrons and muscled arms and they could get offhand mace.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Kodama.6453

[Aeolus.3615]

im putting my hands that its the  flame icon 🙂

 

off hand sword.

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Aeolus.3615

[Black Bandit.9425]

2 hours ago, Kodama.6453 said:

My personal hunch is that guardian is the icon of the guy with the big pauldrons and muscled arms and they could get offhand mace.

I think that will be Engineer makes sense they'd get main hand mace

 

2 minutes ago, Aeolus.3615 said:

im putting my hands that its the  flame icon 🙂

 

 

what would the weapon be?

[sajah varel.9261]

I hope it's not an offhand weapon. It doesn't fit the guardian at all. The class is the only one that doesn't dual wield. It should stay that way. A dual wield style has nothing to do with that style of a heavy warmage/paladin, their offhand should stay more of a defencive option.

I would prefer either a warhorn (making it the only class that can have all 4 offhand items, warhorn, shield, torch, focus) or a rifle.

 

The actual best option now would be a spear on land. I really hope they do that if it's a samurai theme.

Let the dual sword to the thieves, they already have the ninja and monk archetype, let them be dual wielding samurai too.

[draxynnic.3719]

56 minutes ago, sajah varel.9261 said:

I hope it's not an offhand weapon. It doesn't fit the guardian at all. The class is the only one that doesn't dual wield. It should stay that way. A dual wield style has nothing to do with that style of a heavy warmage/paladin, their offhand should stay more of a defencive option.

 

This is elite specialisation #3. The heavy warmage/paladin that doesn't dual wield archetype has already been well catered for with core guardian, dragonhunter, and firebrand.

 

Not every elite specialisation, of any profession, needs to be straitjacketed into one person's specific idea of what the profession should be. That's the beauty of the system - it offers the opportunity to branch out a bit, and if any specific elite specialisation isn't to someone's taste, there are others (and core) to choose from. In fact, having the opportunity to borrow from themes of other professions, as a kind of GW2 substitute for GW1's secondary professions, is part of the point of elite specialisations - dragonhunter, for instance, is essentially a guardian take on trapper ranger. Why not a guardian take on a dual wielder? Especially when there's both NPC precedent in Almorra and precedent in mesmer for an offhand sword to be used more as a spellcasting implement and parrying tool than striking as a weapon?

 

If that doesn't fit your specific idea of what guardian should be, well, dragonhunter, firebrand, and core guardian are all still available. Or you could even just play the elite specialisation with an offhand you like better. Nobody's forcing you to use the elite specialisation's weapon - many elite specialisations already barely use their weapon.

Edited August 2, 2021 by draxynnic.3719

[sajah varel.9261]

14 minutes ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

This is elite specialisation #3. The heavy warmage/paladin that doesn't dual wield archetype has already been well catered for with core guardian, dragonhunter, and firebrand.

 

Not every elite specialisation, of any profession, needs to be straitjacketed into one person's specific idea of what the profession should be. That's the beauty of the system - it offers the opportunity to branch out a bit, and if any specific elite specialisation isn't to someone's taste, there are others (and core) to choose from. In fact, having the opportunity to borrow from themes of other professions, as a kind of GW2 substitute for GW1's secondary professions, is part of the point of elite specialisations - dragonhunter, for instance, is essentially a guardian take on trapper ranger. Why not a guardian take on a dual wielder? Especially when there's both NPC precedent in Almorra and precedent in mesmer for an offhand sword to be used more as a spellcasting implement and parrying tool than striking as a weapon?

 

If that doesn't fit your specific idea of what guardian should be, well, dragonhunter, firebrand, and core guardian are all still available. Or you could even just play the elite specialisation with an offhand you like better. Nobody's forcing you to use the elite specialisation's weapon - many elite specialisations already barely use their weapon.

 

Yeah but there are limits to that concept. Like by that standard :

 

Warrior scepter focus with spells. Why shouldn't they get it ? That should break with the whole melee warrior theme and add diversity. I'm pretty sure that's not happening though and we're most likely to get a melee staff or dual pistols or even a short bow. Same with a ranger, you're most likely to get a shield, mace or a hammer before you get a rifle or pistol.

[draxynnic.3719]

4 hours ago, sajah varel.9261 said:

 

Yeah but there are limits to that concept. Like by that standard :

 

Warrior scepter focus with spells. Why shouldn't they get it ? That should break with the whole melee warrior theme and add diversity. I'm pretty sure that's not happening though and we're most likely to get a melee staff or dual pistols or even a short bow. Same with a ranger, you're most likely to get a shield, mace or a hammer before you get a rifle or pistol.

Well, why shouldn't they get it?

 

Warrior combined with spellcasting professions was definitely a thing in GW1. And if you'd invested enough in a magic attribute, well, you might as well carry the appropriate scepter for ranged attacks, and/or a focus so you can get that extra energy out of the low warrior energy pool when you need it. We've already had berserker using fire, and spellbreaker being described as warrior/mesmer - if ArenaNet decides at some point to do a warrior spellcaster concept that invokes magic with a scepter as an alternative to a rifle or a suspiciously fiery bow as their ranged attack, why not? It might not fit everyone's idea of warrior, but with core, berserker, spellbreaker, and any other elite specialisation of warrior that comes out between now and then, there are other options. Not saying it's top of the list of priorities, but I wouldn't strike it off the list of possibilities altogether.

 

Similarly, why wouldn't ranger get rifle or pistol? Plenty of people going out into the wilderness might find one of those handy. Being close to nature, let alone just close to animals, does not mean that you have to use old-fashioned weapons. A spiritual druid or soulbeast might refrain from using such an industrial weapon, but a Blood Legion beastmaster would probably scoff at such a restriction.

 

And that's the benefit of the elite specialisation system. They can push the boundaries, and it doesn't reflect on the profession as a whole - just those who specifically follow that elite specialisation. And people who don't like it can continue using the existing elite specialisations and core. 

 

When it comes to guardian using offhand sword - ArenaNet has already demonstrated that this is not something they consider antithetical to their concept as guardian as you seem to think. Almorra was, clearly, a guardian in the Darkrime Delves fight. And in the second half of that fight, she's using an offhand sword. Therefore, in ArenaNet's eyes, a guardian variation using an offhand sword is a valid possibility. QED.

Edited August 2, 2021 by draxynnic.3719
Typo fix

[Genesis.5169]

Guardians get another class thats not half caster i'ma delete my guard for real, i love the hell out of FB i'm hoping for another paladin like class, DH is hands down my least favorite elite spec and it basically plays it self.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Genesis.5169

[draxynnic.3719]

3 hours ago, Genesis.5169 said:

Guardians get another class thats not half caster i'ma delete my guard for real, i love the hell out of FB i'm hoping for another paladin like class, DH is hands down my least favorite elite spec and it basically plays it self.

If you're enjoying Firebrand, it seems excessive to delete your Guardian just because you don't like the new elite specialisation - FB will still be there, after all.

[Genesis.5169]

7 minutes ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

If you're enjoying Firebrand, it seems excessive to delete your Guardian just because you don't like the new elite specialisation - FB will still be there, after all.

Your absolutely right i was over exaggerating..

[InsaneQR.7412]

Tbh i got convinced that the bullet icon is the guardian Icon and gets a firearm.

 

And the mask is warrior with a shortbow as the new weapon of choice.

Although i would have loved if thief would get the mask and gains so e Oni magic and guardian gets the dual sword Icon.

 

But yeah getting double swords would make sense for gaurdian too.

 

[Downstate.4697]

Im hoping its the big armed guy with mh shield. Im ready for a sh/sh guardian

[Heinel.6548]

I still remember back around launch I and a couple others called for rifle guardians Sister Rosette (chrono crusade) style. It'd come full circle after 9 years if we finally get it.

 

But it could probably just be Icon #3 and the 3 dots are the 3 virtues. and it's a dual sword spec for guardian, so everyone can get disappointed and wait for the next expansion.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Heinel.6548

[Kodama.6453]

On 8/3/2021 at 12:10 PM, InsaneQR.7412 said:

Tbh i got convinced that the bullet icon is the guardian Icon and gets a firearm.

 

And the mask is warrior with a shortbow as the new weapon of choice.

Although i would have loved if thief would get the mask and gains so e Oni magic and guardian gets the dual sword Icon.

 

But yeah getting double swords would make sense for gaurdian too.

 

I have doubts about the bullet representing guardian, simply because guardian already got longbow as an elite spec weapon.

 

The bullet icon strikes me as a power based firearm and I don't see guardian getting another 2 handed ranged power weapon.

 

My personal guess is that icon 8 (guy with huge pauldrons and muscled arms) will be guardian with offhand mace. Inspired by the Kurzick juggernauts from GW Factions.

[anduriell.6280]

On 8/3/2021 at 12:10 PM, InsaneQR.7412 said:

Tbh i got convinced that the bullet icon is the guardian Icon and gets a firearm.

 

And the mask is warrior with a shortbow as the new weapon of choice.

Although i would have loved if thief would get the mask and gains so e Oni magic and guardian gets the dual sword Icon.

 

But yeah getting double swords would make sense for gaurdian too.

 

my guess the bullet icon is warrior. it is consistent with the 2 other specs icons were a weapon and it's effect is shown.

Double pistol for a ranged dps spec. For the swirling around the bullet i'd say condi with piercing and unblockable effects.

there are the 2 addrenaline bars, so this new spec loses 1 compared to core which means less self sustain.

 

 

[Alchimist.4738]

I do like the idea of stance, maybe you use your virtues like a core guardian normally would, with slightly different effects, but then it'd change your primary weapon skill depending on the virtue you used and the weapon, like a Mirage ambush would.

 

However, Guardian has access to eleven weapons (including underwater) plus a twelve one for the elite so that'd be thirty-six new skills and it doesn't seem feasible. Edit: I was wrong, it'd be eight weapons that could use a modified primary weapon skill, still that'd make twenty-four new skills to make, and it wouldn't work with the idea of a sword off-hand. I still kinda enjoy the idea.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Alchimist.4738

[Smoosh.2718]

If Guardian gets the crossed swords then im convinced i got my predictions correct for all elite spec icons.
https://i.imgur.com/eE0CjLd.png
 

Crossed swords as shown in the elite spec reveal and in the icon, the pose suggests a gap closer (see the rev sword attacks) the 3 pips represent the 3 virtues of the guardian.

If, on friday we find out that Guardian is getting two swords then thief is getting the oni mask along with a greatsword.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Smoosh.2718

[Aeolus.3615]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:09 PM, Smoosh.2718 said:

If Guardian gets the crossed swords then im convinced i got my predictions correct for all elite spec icons.
https://i.imgur.com/eE0CjLd.png
 

Crossed swords as shown in the elite spec reveal and in the icon, the pose suggests a gap closer (see the rev sword attacks) the 3 pips represent the 3 virtues of the guardian.

If, on friday we find out that Guardian is getting two swords then thief is getting the oni mask along with a greatsword.

 

Thief will be a GS

[draxynnic.3719]

On 8/5/2021 at 7:09 AM, Smoosh.2718 said:

If Guardian gets the crossed swords then im convinced i got my predictions correct for all elite spec icons.
https://i.imgur.com/eE0CjLd.png
 

Crossed swords as shown in the elite spec reveal and in the icon, the pose suggests a gap closer (see the rev sword attacks) the 3 pips represent the 3 virtues of the guardian.

If, on friday we find out that Guardian is getting two swords then thief is getting the oni mask along with a greatsword.

Wait until the icon gets revealed before you count your chickens. It's not impossible for two professions to get an OH sword with their elite specs.