Weapon diversity in new professions

Has anyone thought it was strange that the initial physical damage professions in prophecies have multiple weapon types while every subsequent profession has not? Warriors have three distinctly separate disciplines: sword, axe, and hammer. Rangers have multiple bow types with different physical properties: recurve, shortbow, hornbow, longbow, etc. For some reason Anet has abandoned this concept in subsequent chapters. Assassins have... daggers. Paragons have spears, and dervishes have scythes. That's it. Do you think it was deemed too inefficient as far as the development and balance processes go, or was it abandoned because of a more legitimate reason such as multiple types not fitting the profession?

Having to make choices as far as properties of your weapon adds a bit of depth to the building process for a character, mainly in Ranger setup... The warrior is really a special situation, by some definitions its 3 classes in one. Knowing when to switch to different bow types for different situations in the game, i.e. switching to a longbow to get a cripshot off on a target thats out of recurve range then switching to a recurve for higher consistent DPS, also adds a bit of strategic depth to actually playing the game. I can't help but think that if they had used this concept in the newer professions to some degree, people would enjoy the professions significantly more. Thoughts?

I think it fits the ranger and warrior classes better than it would the new ones. Even still.. wouldnt it be cool as a dervish to be able to switch between long and short shafted scythes to increase or decrease your attack speed, damage, accuracy and even perhaps melee range?

I completely agree, Anet is starting to flake on us. Pretty sad really, a once good game no longer has to same quality. I can't stand the way the classes are set up, if you're going to have one weapon mastery attribute, you should at least have variances in that weapon type like the ranger does. Personally I think we should have scythes with wider ranges, longer ranges, spears with further ranges and different speeds, and daggers with different speeds and chances of dual striking. At least something to mix them up.

Thanks, I was about to make a post of this, but you did it for me. I totally agree, Anet is too lazy to make this for us...
A paragon could have a short ranged weapon too, like a... whip :P

actually, assassin dagges have huge difference of some doing shashing and some doing piercing damage ... yeah, i guess that you are somehow right, but again, paragons did get weapon and variety of shields.

LOL, how are you going to say they are too lazy. This would be a good feature but I highly doubt it has anything to do with anyones willingness or lack of motivation. They probably have a list of weapon types and future ones that could be introduced and future classes later on. If they made to much variation in non-core classes they would limit their ability to create unique classes in future expansions.

It's called two-handed swords and axes. Problem solved.

That would severly make some skills super.

EX: 2H swords deals as much as hammer, Hundred Blades would be way overused.

THere would be no way to balence 2H weapons unless they were in a different requirment line.

chapter 2's and 3's unique professions are specialists.

Core's professions are generalists.

This is a complete joke right? You trade more damage for defence, exactly what a dervish does now...

Hundred Blades? That can't be your best example, truly tell me right now out of all 3 campaigns if swords damage was example: 21-30

Tell me what becomes overpowered? Sever Artery? Crippling Slash? Final Thrust?

Think for 2 seconds and edit your post, this is actually legitament, you trade in 16 armor for more power.

I still cannot believe you just said hundred blades...

EDIT: I seriously LaWl3D!

Hundred blades is not about damage, its about charging your adrenal skills. The other sword skills would be overpowered with low adrenal cost AND increased power as well as faster attack rate.

Balancing 2 handed sword damage with existing sword skills would take time and cannot be used in its present form. Balance involves a lot of things including analyzing skill synergy, cost, recharge, aftercast, casting times, secondary profession usage.

I would think that two handed weapons would have slower attack rates not faster. Unless you're telling me you can swing a 30lb sword faster than a 10lb one... In which case you probably have issues :P

Any why the hell would anyone trade 8 damage for 16 armor? Even more so when the attack rate would be SLOWER?

And about hundred blades, um, lets see, if it did turn to be 30, dealing a max of 82 damage, gaining 2 strikes of adreneline, AND triggering vamp/zealous/and-enchantments-that-trigger-upon-hit Twice,

Tell me WHY I wouldn't use that skill?

Don't forget swords/axes can do piercing or slashing damage...

2-handed swords are slower to swing and you give up a shield. Why would they be overpowered?

Besides that it would actually fix Flamberges, for they are NOT onehanded swords. What a shame.

A 1-handed scythe (and earth/wind/mysticism foci) would be fun. No AoE damage, but faster attack and less weapon damage like 8-25?

One sword type in factions is actually blunt damage (the Jitte)

Well, I don't think they'll be changing any existing weapon systems (i wish) but hopefully in new chapters they'll at least do something like the bow system for physical weapons. I just can't see a good reason for them NOT to other than dev time. I can't see them making another warrior type class with multiple disciplines either, but who knows...

Personally, I'd love it if Paragons could use the spears at melee range. IE: melee weapon. Just think Vlad the Impaler.

QFT.

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