Ursan as a test for GW2?
First off: this is not a "bash Ursan" post! PLease, don't discuss whether or not Ursan is OP here. There are plenty of other posts that have beat that issue to death.
OK then:
Now that I have finally purchased GW:EN, and have a chance to see Ursan and the other "blessings", I wonder if this is a test for new skills for GW2?
As such, it is kind of interesting because it takes the 8-skill bar and opens it up to 40+. (1 "skill" opens up to, in this case, 5 - one of which is the manual "turn off" button, but what the hay.) Now, in GW2, as we are lead to believe, Norns will have the innate ability to "become the bear". So, perhaps this was a way to try out allowing people to expand their 8-skill bar thru the use of such unique "blessings" or abilities?
Not necessarily a bad thing. Imagine, for instance, if the elite Avatar forms worked the same way? The Avatar of Grenth allows you access to a unique "Grenth's bar", skills usable only by that form. (Although, each skill on that bar might replace the inherent abilities granted to the current Avatar form. You might need to hit one skill to, say, deal Cold damage to all adjacent foes, and another that makes the next 2-3 attacks unblockable, etc.)
The blessings in EotN may be a test pilot for the way new skills will work in GW2. That is, skills may have multiple applications, depending on the situation. Your 8-skill bar may each open up a sub-bar of 5-8 skills, thus expanding the options from 8 to 40+!
Granted, perhaps they aren't going to go that far. But, it is worth looking at the mechanics of, and asking: Why Ursan? Why these other blessings that work so differently from anything else in the game? Perhaps each race will have a unique "Ursan"? What if there were an "Ursan" for each profession?
And, yes, I know they've done something similar with the Dragon Arena and the Holiday events - you enter a zone and have a specified skill set that everyone shares, with some minor variations. Just wanted to explore the reason why they went this route, is all!
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