Weapons and Classes Question

Hey folks,
I'm and rpg noob, and i mean like, this is the first rpg i've ever played. I heard a lot of fuss from the guys i work with about this game and decided to give it a go. And i'm pleased.
On to my question:
I picked a mesmer/ranger charecter to play as, and i'm wondering if it matters what type of weapon i use, i.e. do i need to use mesmer weapons? Or can i use a ranger bow, and it's all good? Will it affect me in the long run?
thanx!

You can in fact use a ranger bow, but a mesmer staff/cane will supply you with the energy you need to use your mesmer skills, now if you do in fact want to use a bow, i suggest that you pump up your marksmanship to meet the requirements. Mesmer's also have illusionary weaponry to attack without a real weapon and ignore all armor, but this is very far in the game.

uh yah what he said

Basically you can use any weapon you want, but consider:

- Some weapons have a minimum requirement on certain attributes. If you're the wrong class, you can't use that weapon.

- Depending on your attributes you get a bonus on certain damage type, for example a warrior with high swordsmanship attribute get a bonus on swords, an elementalist with high fire attribute will get a bonus on any weapon that deals fire damage (see weapon description to see what kind of damage a weapon deals)

- Some skills require a certain weapon type to be used, for example the warrior spell "cyclone axe" obviously requires you to use an axe.

- Some weapons give you an energy or life bonus. Energy bonus is usually more valuable for players who rely heavily on spell casting (monk, elementalist, ...), unlike warriors who do a lot of damage in melee.

- Two-handed weapons (hammers, staffs, bows) don't allow you carry a shield or other off-hand item, but often have other advantages that compensate this draw-back.