Faction/Nightfall as standalone games

If you have factions and nightfall only, can you still use all the core professions skills (warrior, monk, etc)? Will I be able to unlock all the elites from prophesies?

If you can't unlock all the skills from prophesies then I don't think Factions/Nightfall is viable as a standalone game; you'd only be able to play as the new classes.

I really appreciate any clarification.

Each class has it's core skills + the skills specific to a given chapter available to it. There are quite a few viable builds that do not require skills in any one chapter. Simply put, if you don't own a chapter, you don't get the skills specific to that chapter.

Oh, it sounds like each chapter has its own version of each class. Thanks.

You may find some builds on a forum but find that it uses skills that you don't have access to. Sometimes you can substitute another skill, other times it wouldn't be the same build.

Basically: No you won't be able to get Chapter 1 skills.

Being standalone or an expansion doesn't revolve around if you get all the skills or not...

Each chapter has skills and such only for that chapter.

So if i didn't have prophecies, where my elementalist has flare, lava flow, fire storm, fire ball, etc., and went with factions as stand alone, and created a new elementalist...those skills would not be available? Would there be similar alternatives?

In some cases yes, there are similar alternatives that differ only in something like amount of damage, durration, or cost.

Each campaign has MANY viable builds for people that only have that campaign. Will you have more options with all 3? YES! Will you be PvP competitive without all 3? Most likly not on anything outside Random Teams.

But if you decide you want to PvP but not pay the full price, there is always the PvP unlock packs.