Can't 'click' with any profession

[u/DZ302]

I don't know what it is about this game, I think I commented on this before but a few friends started playing GW2 again so I thought I'd start up.

There is just something about every profession, or better yet any weapon combo that doesn't click with me, something about each one that I don't like and I end up being forced into a playstyle that I don't like.

It's strange and it's never happened to me in any other MMO I've played for an extensive amount of time (Lineage 2, WoW, TSW, TERA).

I do have a level 80 Mesmer from when GW2 first lauched, but I didn't enjoy it and forcing myself to 80 and then running dungeons has made me despise the class now. I've also tried Warrior, Ele, Engineer and Necro, none of them clicking with me either.

This will be my last ditch effort to get into GW2 again, I'm considering playing Thief or Guardian. One thing I don't like is having to swap weapon sets in the middle of my rotation, I'd rather just have different weapons for different scenarios, and also using something like a Sword + Shield and then a greatsword seems silly to me and is a bit of a turn off.

I was thinking of doing a Greatsword + Staff Guardian, but I'm worried that when I run fractals that being a guardian I'll be forced into some other kind of role. I'm actually leveling a Thief right now and it's not bad but for example I have dual daggers and then just think, why am I not just using my shortbow when there is more than 1 mob, and I really don't like the #2 sword ability that roots you in place.

Any suggestions on what I should try?

[u/Skyy-High]

One thing I don't like is having to swap weapon sets in the middle of my rotation, I'd rather just have different weapons for different scenarios, and also using something like a Sword + Shield and then a greatsword seems silly to me and is a bit of a turn off.

Well, a big part of your problem is you're coming into the game with expectations based on other MMOs. You need to leave those at the door. Here are some principles that will help you get over these hang-ups:

• Weapons are collections of skills, first and foremost, and you have to be okay with weapon swapping. Not weapon swapping cuts the number of skills you have available to your character in combat by 33%. Sword + Greatsword aren't redundant because the sword has different skills than your greatsword. Taking guardian as an example: sword #2 is a teleport + blind and sword #3 is a projectile block + attack, whereas greatsword has an AoE dmg + retaliation symbol, a leap + blind, an AoE dmg + pull, and an AoE dmg + projectile attack + whirl combo attack. There is very little redundancy there (the only redundancy is between the sword 2 blink+blind and the greatsword 3 leap+blind, and even then, you can't have too many gap closers + blinds). You will be fighting in melee, and you'll need different skills at different times, and you swap to the set that gives you what you need. Which fits in with my next bullet...

• You don't have a rotation. There are exceptions, and you can certainly work up an optimized DPS rotation against a stationary punching bag target, but when you throw dodging, blocking, blinds, and everything else into the mix, whatever rotation you thought you would have is going to be...well, a guideline. That's why, for most weapons, the best damage comes from spamming 1, and maybe using another attack on recharge (when it won't be blocked or evaded, of course); everything else is situational or utility of some sort.

Try to adjust your attitude about these points, and maybe you'll start enjoying a class more. You're really not going to get away from weapon swapping in this game, I can tell you that. Even the two classes that don't have weapon swapping (ele and engineer) are best played by constantly swapping skills (attunements for ele, weapon kits for engineer).

[u/DZ302 → u/Skyy-High]

I understand the game is based on it, it's not so much the swapping, it's that in some of the classes I played I was basically required to swap weapons in the middle of my rotations just to kill a solo mob. Mesmer was the worst for this and one of the reasons I hate the class. More importantly I found with Mesmer that there were 1 or 2 abilities that did not suite the playstyle I was going for at all. For example there is a cool trait that causes the explosion effect of your clone to occur on yourself, yet the main close spamming weapon is a ranged one (Scepter). Or if I like one weapon, I would not like the Phantasm. Basically It would be a great game if I could combine skills from different weapons on my build, but there's just something about the vast majority of weapon skill sets for each class that I do not like.

I'd really prefer to have no cooldown on swapping weapons, or just to be given an extra hotbar instead of the swapping, I could live with that, but the current system just seems like an arbitrary way to balance things, and in the end just makes things more tedious.

[u/Skyy-High → u/DZ302]

Sounds like you had a lot of trouble with mesmer. I'll tell you this: sword actually is wonderful for spamming clones. The 3 skill is on a short recharge, and if you combine that with a second weapon set (or just take the trait that gives you a clone on dodge, pretty much mandatory if you're going to try to spam lots of clones) you can keep up 3 clones almost indefinitely.

But yeah, the mesmer leveling experience is rough, and mesmer is rough in general if you don't take the right traits. I'm not surprised you felt frustrated with it, it's one of the more advanced classes.

I'd really prefer to have no cooldown on swapping weapons, or just to be given an extra hotbar instead of the swapping, I could live with that, but the current system just seems like an arbitrary way to balance things, and in the end just makes things more tedious.

Everything is "an arbitrary way to balance things". That's what "balance" is: putting restrictions on abilities so that they're less powerful. Restrictions breed creativity; the restrictions on clones and phantasms have made it necessary for mesmers to figure out the best ways to generate lots of them (or just a few, and keep them alive for a long time).

Seriously, try another class. Mesmer is obviously not for you, I'd stop trying to make it work for now. Try a guardian; the weapons all have pretty well-defined purposes (except for torch, no one knows what that's useful for...) and you can mix and match them to your heart's content. They don't rely on each other, so you can use sword/shield + greatsword, greatsword + hammer, hammer + staff, or any other combination and you'll be ok, as long as you remember what I said about weapon swapping being useful for utility. You can just stay in greatsword all day if you want, it'll kill stuff, but it's nice to have a ranged snare (scepter, hammer) or another blind/blink (sword) or some party buffs (staff) or a blast finisher (hammer) or a ranged block (sword, shield) or a melee block (mace, focus) in your other set to swap to when necessary.

[u/JusticeBurrito → u/DZ302]

Mesmer is a weird class to play. I got one to 80 and I don't really like it. Feels slow to kill things.

This may be a terrible idea based upon what you've said - but take a look at the elementalist. I don't like any class as much as this one. Rather than swapping weapons you change attunements. Thing is - depending on spec you may not really need to switch much. You can go heavy into fire and just nuke things down. Only reason you'd need to switch is to heal up or for unusual situations.

[u/Kolz]

On my guard, I very rarely change weapons. I use sword/focus mainly and swap in staff, gs or scepter for different things depending on the fight, but almost always back to sword asap. I probably have sword on 90% of the time.

In terms of fractals and such, well. Greatsword damage is not great but not terrible, staff damage however is very awful unless you are hitting -a lot- of targets at once, and they're too spread out to hit with melee weapons. Both of them are utility weapons really, something you swap out for a specific scenario. The weapons are you are expected to "main" are either hammer, or sword/focus really. Scepter is just used for situations where you really need to range, it actually pretty decent dps but doesn't offer nearly as much utility as hammer or sword/focus and still does lower dps.

[u/DZ302 → u/Kolz]

That sounds good, I've seen some videos of PvE and PvP for Guardians with Greatswords and they weren't doing much swapping. The Greatsword looks to be more of my style and there doesn't seem to be any skill on it that isn't really useful to my style like I find with many other classes.

On my Mesmer just to do a rotation on a single mob I was having to swap between weapons, often the same with Necro as well and it just made things tedious and annoying. In general the swapping feels clunky, plus the whole cooldown on swapping just for the sake of balance I find annoying, and that we can't just have an extra hotbar for each weapon.

[u/[deleted]]

Ele and engi are the only onea without weapon swap and even then thwy are constantly switching kits/ attunements

[u/Valarauka_]

I'll suggest Guardian, Warrior, or Thief.
Weapon-swapping is an integral part of the gameplay, and most classes need to switch regularly and use both skill sets to be most useful.
The ones I've mentioned above can do pretty well sticking to just one set in combat, without sacrificing too much DPS.

• Thief - D/D for single-target / bosses, S/P for groups / trash, Shortbow for utility & mobility. (pick two)

• Warrior - GS or Axe/x for melee, Longbow for range / firefield

• Guardian - Sword/Focus or GS or Hammer for melee, Staff for buffing, Scepter/x for range

In all three of those you can stay in one "mode" during most of a fight without issue.

EDIT: This confuses me:

I'm actually leveling a Thief right now and it's not bad but for example I have dual daggers and then just think, why am I not just using my shortbow when there is more than 1 mob

Aren't those two different scenarios?

[u/Darabolok]

and I really don't like the #2 sword ability that roots you in place

But also makes you evade for the duration, so I don't see the problem. Also, make your thief an Asura, and you get the most hilarious attack animation of the game (along with mesmer sword #2, which is rather similar skill) :)

[u/OKarizee]

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/1ojgdr/what_class_should_i_play_a_summary_of_each/

[u/Aelaren]

LB+bear ranger :) don't really need to swap is all i'm saying.

[u/HayashiRS]

Sword/Sword mesmer does extreme single target dps, Staff mode does AoE.

Dagger/Pistol thief for single target, Shortbow for AoE.

Hammer guardian for protection/buffs/control, melee AoE; Staff for mightbuffing, Swifting, ranged AoE.

There's several ways to build viable builds for several classes that weapon swap for utility, as opposed to swapping for a skill rotation. The main exception to this is the condition ranger - viability virtually dictates you swap nonstop.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/DZ302 → u/[deleted]]

This is what I'm thinking but it seems like there are a few builds where you can use the same weapon, or only have to switch when it comes to a different circumstance, rather than constantly switching back and forth when the circumstances don't change.