So the weapon beta has been up for a bit and I experimented with my main class, Mesmer. Results are meh.
Problem: only off-hand we have is shield, and shield really doesn’t do much. It’s probably going to find use in tanky builds, but that’s it. Biggest problem: blocks are channels, so you can’t do anything for several seconds on ends.
Everything else: too much tailored towards their specialisations.
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Axe stays melee condition, sword stays melee power. Won’t change anything up.
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Dagger has slight applications in ranged power.
That’s it. Dagger maybe for ranged power, under certain circumstances.
Axe Virtuoso? Dagger Mirage? Both meh. Shield with anything? Double-meh with a sigh on the side. Chrono with dagger as DPS? Can’t compete with anything.
I’d hope that smarter people than me will find some applications, but I’m afraid that all that’s being checked for is meta DPS, so there’s probably nothing to be expected from on that front.
Dagger Ambush Spam kind of worked almost somewhat, DPS-wise. Riveting.
Seems like Rev, ranger, ele, and engie make the most out of this. Some because they don’t have many fun weapons (Rev, engie). Others because the weapons are versatile enough to work with whatever class.
I had fun with staff untamed and sword tempest
First impression: this is more minor than I thought it would be. Mostly because these weapons were originally made with a specific specialisation in mind.
It’s fun to have more weapons though and I appreciate the increase in available build variety. Some professions will see greater use than others depending on how elite-tailored their weapons are, or if their weapons are good in general.
I believe we’ll see a bigger impact with the expansion release due to the addition of new weapon options for some professions.