Guild Wars 2 Reveals New Elite Specializations for Thief, Necromancer, and Warrior

Guild Wars 2 is gearing up for its next major expansion, Visions of Eternity (launches October 28), and ArenaNet has just pulled back the curtain on three new elite specializations for the thief, necromancer, and warrior professions.

Here’s what players can expect from each of these new specializations:

• Antiquary (Thief): Inspired by treasure hunters and relic collectors, the Antiquary shakes up the traditional thief gameplay. Instead of the classic Steal, players use Pilfer to call on a skritt assistant, acquiring one of two randomly selected artifacts with unique effects.
  • Artifacts can range from offensive tools like automated turrets to defensive items providing shields.
  • A new skill category, Double Edge, lets players use certain abilities repeatedly, but with a risk of backfiring if used before cooldowns expire.
  • Antiquaries emphasize improvisation and adaptability, appealing to players who enjoy unpredictable combat options.
• Ritualist (Necromancer): Returning from the original Guild Wars, ritualists blend spiritual summoning with necromantic power. Drawing on Canthan traditions, ritualists can now support or deal damage with spirit summons.
  • Spirits are summoned while in ritualist shroud and provide both immediate and lingering effects in combat.
  • Weapon spells, a new utility skill type, grant beneficial effects to the ritualist and nearby allies, though with diminished potency for the latter.
  • Key shroud skills include summoning spirits like Anguish, Wanderlust, and Preservation, each with unique effects and interactions.
  • This specialization bridges the gap between support and damage roles, offering flexibility for different group compositions.
• Paragon (Warrior): Inspired by Elona’s legendary defenders from Guild Wars: Nightfall, the Paragon returns as an elite specialization for warriors, focusing on leadership and battlefield control.
  • Paragons use spears and command their allies with chants that provide pulsing, scaling buffs, as well as commands that can target enemies or allies.
  • They introduce a new resource, motivation, which is generated through burst skills and fuels the effectiveness of their abilities.
  • The elite skill “We Will Never Yield!” prevents the paragon and their allies from falling below zero health for a short period, offering a unique defensive tool.
  • Echo mechanics allow for strategic timing of secondary effects, rewarding skilled play.

For those wanting a closer look, ArenaNet will provide live previews and a hands-on beta event, letting players test these specializations before launch. The final 3 elite specializations will be revealed on August 1 on Twitch.

Further reading: Official blogpost