Skill
From Guild Wars 2 Wiki
A skill is an ability which can be activated by a player to perform an action in the world. It is through skills that a character is able to do damage, protect themselves and their allies, and interact with objects in the environment. Guild Wars 2 has no default weapon attack and skills must be used to do weapon damage. The user can select a skill to use as an auto attack by right clicking it.
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[edit] Anatomy of a skill
Each skill has a variety of different attributes:
- Effect — what the skill actually does once it is activated.
- Target — what the skill is able to target, such as self, enemy, an area of effect, or none at all.
- Recharge time — time it takes after a skill has been used before the skill can be activated again.
- Activation time — time it takes to activate the skill. Also known as cast time or warm up.
- Skill type — skills with common effects and activation types, as well as profession exclusive skills.
- Activation cost — price of activating the skill: adrenaline, initiative or life force.
- Maintenance cost — for maintained passive skills such as stances.
- Slot — A skill can occupy any of the following slots: weapon, healing, utility, elite, downed, pet or environmental weapon.
- Movement — whether the activation of the skill is interrupted by character movement.
- Icon — a unique icon allows quick identification of the skill on the skill bar.
- Animation — a unique animation for the skill provides a clear indication of the range and effect.
- Range - a distance over which the skill or effect applies.
- Description — short description of the effect of the skill and numeric values of the skill afterwards.
[edit] Learning new skills and combat
Using a weapon for the first time will not give access to all weapon skills, but they are unlocked as the player keeps using the weapon. Skills no longer have tiers of progression, but become stronger with each player level.[1]
The five skillsets on the left hand side of the hotbar can be learned incrementally by using any number of weapons your class can weild. Use a dagger and you will have set of skills or spells that advance via a percentage until they're fully learned. Use a wand and you get a completely different set of skills. Using each weapon gradually unlocks the skill next to it until all are learned. You start with one basic spell for each type of weapon, located at slot 1, and the others beside will be grayed out until you max out your skills with that particular weapon by fighting.
The skill's effect can also be modified by the application of trait, and if necessary, skills can have different effects in PvE and PvP versions or disallowed from PvP play to maintain balance.[2]
[edit] Acquisition
PvE and world PvP skills, including most weapon skills, are initially locked.
- Weapon skills can be unlocked through killing enemies with a certain weapon.
- Elite and utility skills can be unlocked by skill points.
Elite skills cost either 15, 20 or 25 skill points, while utility skills only cost from 1 to 7 points. [3]
Pet skills and skills given by environmental weapons do not need to be unlocked and are always available to PvE and world PvP players. In structured PvP all skills are available for play without needing to be unlocked first.
[edit] Use
Skills are combined by the player into a skill bar outside of combat.[4] The skills available for the bar are determined by race, profession, the type of the weapon wielded and what skills are currently unlocked. Once equipped on the skill bar the skill is activated by clicking on the icon in the skill bar or by selecting a key which activates the skill in a particular skill bar slot. Skills can be activated in towns and outposts.[5]
Skills have different activation mechanics. For example, a skill might be ground targeted or have a cone area of effect which requires an additional click to position the effect. Other skills may have a limited range and will miss a selected target if activated too far away.
A skill with an area of effect has the area clearly marked on the ground. Skills which have a positive effect for the player are marked in blue, skills which do not affect the player will have a white marking, and skills which will harm the player are marked in red.[6] Area of effect attacks, buffs and heals are applied to up to five targets in the area.
Skill activations may be combined to create a new effect. Combinations can occur within the skills of a profession or require a player of another profession to enact. For instance, arrows shot through a Flamewall will deal fire damage.[7] The power and effect of the skill can also be affected by the direction the attacked enemy is facing. For example, hits made to the side or from behind could increase damage or stun duration.
[edit] Skill types
Skills with similar behaviors are grouped into types.
[edit] Soldiers
- Consecrations - apply an area effect for a short time that does not require a trigger
- Meditations — break stun and refresh to start anew.
- Spirit weapons — summon a temporary spirit weapon to fight; dismissable for a special ability.
- Symbols — apply a mark on the ground that is triggered by enemies or allies
- Tomes — replaces the caster's weapon skills and fixes the user in place.
- Wards — areas across the ground that prevent enemies from crossing them.
- Banners — movable banners to support and buff allies.
- Physical — involves controlling foes and (forced) movement.
- Stances — toggleable enhancements which can be turned on or off.
[edit] Adventurers
- Device kits — replaces weapon skills to provide skills of a special nature.
- Elixirs — induce random effects to support yourself, your team or to harass your enemies.
- Gadgets — utilize mechanical gadgetry.
- Turret skills — deploy stationary devices to help defend and control an area.
- Weapon kits — replaces weapon skills to provide more specialized weapons.
- Animal companion skills — animal companion-specific skills.
- Pet skills — affect your pet.
- Spirits — nature spirits which influence the battlefield around their location.
- Survivals — use survival-skills to gain control.
- Dual wield skills — the third weapon skill for thieves is determined by both the main-hand and off-hand weapon.
- Deceptions — skills that allow for hasty maneuvers.
- Stealth — replace the first weapon skill while stealthed.
- Tricks — deceptive tricks gaining control over enemies.
- Venoms — apply a creature's venom to your weapon to inflict conditions with attacks.
[edit] Scholars
- Arcanes — skills using non-elemental magical energy.
- Auras — skills using elemental magic to defend the caster.
- Cantrips — magical tricks, sorcery, and charms.
- Conjures — summon potent environmental weapons for allied use.
- Glyphs — enhance or modify the natural power of the elementalist.
- Clones — temporary allies with caster's name and appearance who attack a single foe.
- Glamours — fields that have special effects applied to characters in them.
- Manipulations — skills used to mislead opponents.
- Mantras — chargeable skills with an instant cast when triggered.
- Phantasms — temporary allies with caster's appearance, but different names and skills.
- Corruptions — apply conditions on enemies.
- Marks — ground-targeted spells which can be triggered manually.
- Minions — undead allies that attack foes and do their master's bidding.
- Spectrals — spells using an otherworldly spectral energy.
- Wells — a persistent spell that affects the surrounding area.
[edit] Others
-
Multiple professions
- Area skills — skills which affect the area around a targeted foe or plot of ground.
- Chains — three skills that share a single skill slot, which are executed in sequence on a single target.[8]
- Channeled skills — activated, then held down to continue using the skill.
- Charge skill — held down to power them up for more impressive attacks.
- Sequence skills — after using a skill, it is replaced by another.
- Shouts — affect a large area and give bonuses to allies or debuff enemies.
- Signets — provide a passive benefit, but can also be activated for a greater effect.
- Toggle skills — turned on or off for long-lasting effects.
- Transforms — allows the user to temporarily become something else, gaining a variety of new abilities.
- Traps — effects placed on the ground and triggered by enemies walking over them.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ About lore and mechanics with Eric Flannum, GuildWars2.pl
- ^ Warriors, traits, and combat chatter: Massively's interview with the Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer, Massively
- ^ http://www.necrobator.com/features/a-closer-look-at-necromancer-traits/
- ^ Interview mit Eric Flannum, Online Welten
- ^ Using skills in cities, towns etc..., Martin Kerstein, forum post
- ^ IncGamers’ Guild Wars 2 Interview - Part 2, IncGamers
- ^ Guild Wars 2 Design Manifesto, Mike O'Brien
- ^ Interview: meet Guild Wars 2’s acrobatic Ranger, PC Gamer
| Skill lists | ||
|---|---|---|
| Profession | Soldiers |  Guardian •  Warrior
|
| Adventurers |  Engineer •  Ranger •  Thief
| |
| Scholars |  Elementalist •  Mesmer •  Necromancer
| |
| Racial |  Asura •  Charr •  Human •  Norn •  Sylvari
| |
| Other | Animal companion • Downed • Drowning | |
| Skill types | ||
|---|---|---|
| Modifiers | AoE • Chain • Channel • Charge • Sequence • Toggle | |
| Shared | Shout • Signet • Trap • Transform |
|
| Virtues | Meditation • Spirit weapon • Symbol • Tome • Ward |
|
| Burst skills | Banner • Physical • Stance |
|
| Tool belt | Device kit • Elixir • Gadget • Turret • Weapon kit |
|
| Pets | Pet skills • Spirit • Survival |
|
| Steal | Deception • Dual wield • Stealth • Trick • Venom |
|
| Attunements | Arcane • Aura • Cantrip • Conjure • Glyph |
|
| Shattering | Clone • Glamour • Manipulation • Mantra • Phantasm |
|
| Death Shroud | Corruption • Mark • Minion • Spectral • Well |
