new weapon types for existing characters?

With Nightfall released and a choice of ten classes now avalible, i'd like to see the next chapter of guild wars take a different direction to the 2 classes and 25 new skills that the other chapters have done.

Don't get me wrong i love all the stuff implemented each chapter (excusing the new ai flaws but thats many other open topics....) but i want to be able to customize with items, rather than slightly different versions of skills


So what am i babbling about? Altering the weapons and focus items for the proffession. A few i have thought about are

-Double handed axe's and swords for warriors. Bit more damage but are two handed - leading to different builds not incorperating shields

-crossbows for Rangers - faster rate of fire, less range/ damage but are single handed allowing for a focus item to be equipped (carved charms which help with pets or nature rituals for example). I know a crossbow requires two hands but meh..... still be cool

-Alchemic vials for Elementalists - think bombs that they throw which do different elemental damage in a splash/aoe. More powerful than a staff but slower attack time. Splash damage is low but adds effect a few monsters (cold vials slow monstor speed by 5%, burning vials, gas poison vials etc....)

-Shurikens for Assassins (my guildie with an Assassin would sob for joy). Fast ranged attack but low damage. Quite a departure from the assassin main form of attack (in close and back out again sharpish) but its just an idea.


Anyway just a half baked idea for some discussion. My search doesn't seem to pick up anything like this but half the time it crashed out anyway!

Thanks for any input!

I'll go through them in the order you have mentioned
- Been discussed numerous times. Would lead to imbalanced issues, especially in PvP where warriors are prime damage dealers and usually the last guys targetted anyway so they would never use a shield

- Like you said, crossbow requires two hands so... umm... It would basically just be a different skin of another bow type (short bows, composite bows, long bows, etc all have different stats already. Concievablely, they could come up with a crossbow varient of that).

- Imbalanced. Inheirent effects like slow, burning, etc in weapons is way to powerful.

- Shurikens can already be simulated with a deadly arts assassin using hexes and half range attacks. It isn't popular, but it can be done.

No new weapons. I do, however, believe the Warriors and Paragon's should have other options other than shields for their off-hand.

I suggest something like a trumpet or telescope that increases the range or effectiveness of shouts and such.

Double-handed axes/swords and one-handed hammers if incorporated correctly will be balanced. It will probably require an entire revamp of all warrior skills though. So I say it is okay the way it is.

Crossbows? Why not? Just another skin and variant to the variety of exising bows. But new animations will have to be made for the crossbow. Not a big deal. I think.

Alchemic Vials. No.

Shurikens. Ok. would be cool. wouldn't really affect gameplay at all. Big deal to some and others could care less.

Just a note for realism, crossbows fire slower but have higher damage (penetrating power) than bows. I think they're also slightly shorter ranged than bows in general. The closest we've got to a crossbow at the moment stat wise is the hornbow.

You ould make a recurve bow have a Crossbow skin, or a hammer have a Great Haxe or Great Sword skin, more than that, nothing else can be made.

Remeber the Jitte? Is a blunt damage dealer weapon that uses Craftmanship.

Ok,what is all the imbalanced talk when refering to a two handed sword or axe?

They exist in real life, so why not incorporate them? The two handed sword skin type is already in the game,they just let you use it with one hand. Fellblades and Longswords(the type with the scottish hilts that are popular) are both two handed swords.The Fellblade is really known as a Glaive.

The difference is that we have never needed to hold these two handed swords with two hands.The Gemstone axe as well as the Sephis and Victo's Battle Axe are also two handed weapons when you consider their sizes in comparison to the characters and their real life facimilies.

So,what would make them imbalanced? They already exist without being held as they should be! Do they need to do more damage? Yes,sense they are two handed weapons,but so are hammers. Should they move slower? Yes, but not as slow as a hammer, since the hammer head is what really slows down a hammer's movement. A large axe head would be very similar to a hammer, so that mechanic can just be applied as a hammer's physics would work.

My point is that the making of two handed weapons wouldn't imbalance the game,but add to the game mechanic as a whole while adding a touch more variety.

Oh,btw, the crossbow is slower except for the chinese designed Cho Ko Nu, a repeat fire crossbow with a limited supply of short range arrows that are held in a top loading style.Also, crossbows come in a smaller size that is one handed,but does considerably less damage than the large crossbows.That and loading a crossbow is considerably harder than notching a long or short bow.

Variety is always fun.

I like the idea of one handed [Repeating](Optional) Crossbows.

But one handed none the less.

And also the Two handed Swords / Axes and One handed hammers with Different DMG then the current ones are a great idea, It will bring a new form of play With the skills we have now.