Ho, travelers! My name is Taylor Brooks, and I am a combat designer here at ArenaNet. I'll be your guide to our new combat feature in Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™, the Kodan Spear Training Mastery. By training with the lowland kodan of Janthir, you'll learn how to use your spear on land in new and exciting ways. Starting tomorrow and over the next few weeks, we'll be detailing how each profession utilizes the terrestrial spear. For today, I thought it would be a good idea to cover some of the general spear information you'll need to know.
Q: Will spears be one-handed or two-handed weapons on land?
A: Spears are two-handed weapons both on land and underwater.
Q: Will spears on land just use the same skills as when used underwater?
A: No! Every spear has an entirely new set of skills for each profession when used on land. They also have brand-new skill effects and animations that we are excited for everyone to see!
Q: If every profession is getting a spear, does that mean they will all feel the same?
A: Spears are a versatile weapon, and their gameplay will reflect that. Some professions will employ the spear as a ranged projectile weapon, some will wield it as a melee weapon, and others will utilize it as a magical focus to cast powerful spells.
Q: How can I unlock spear usage on land?
A: The ability to use terrestrial spears will be available when Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds launches. They will be locked behind the first Mastery in the Kodan Mastery line, which is discovered early in the story, or as a purchasable unlock in WvW. We want everyone to be able to use your spears early and throughout your journey in Janthir. As with all other combat features, Kodan Spear Training will be unlocked automatically in PvP for those who own Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds.
Q: Can I use my current underwater spear on land?
A: Yes, spears can be used interchangeably in the aquatic and terrestrial weapon slots. But it is important to note that to equip a spear in both slots, you will need two spears.
Q: Which spear skins can I use on land?
A: All current spear skins will be able to be used on land. We also plan on adding spear skins with all future weapon skin collections.
Q: Will there be a new legendary spear?
A: There will be a new legendary spear released with our first major update following the expansion release. Additionally, the Legendary Armory will be expanded to store up to four Kamohoali'i Kotaki in case you want to wield all the spears, all the time!
Q: Since engineers and elementalists can use spears on land in the expansion, will they gain the ability to wield spears underwater too?
A: Professions that currently cannot use a spear underwater will continue to not be able to use a spear underwater.
Q: Do you need to own Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds to wield spears on land?
A: Yes, this combat feature requires ownership of the expansion.
Q: Will there be a beta test for spears?
A: Yes! There will be a beta event from June 27 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-7) until June 30 at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-7) that will give everyone a chance to try out spears and give us feedback. We'll be announcing more information about that beta event soon.
Q: Will there be a livestream?
A: There will be a stream featuring your favorite developer (me) along with Cal Cohen and Roy Marks. We'll show off all the new spear skills and do a deep dive into what you can expect with them. Be sure to tune in to our Twitch channel on June 21 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-7)!
We'll be back tomorrow and in the coming weeks with more information about the new spears and their skills. We are very excited to give everyone a taste, and so I'll leave you all with some teasers as to what you can expect to see!
- A spear skill reminiscent of an old fan favorite.
- A new type of autoattack mechanic.
- A set of spear skills featuring a new spin on an existing skill type.
- A set of spear skills with multiple ways to reset the cooldown of its key skill.
- A melee spear skill that rewards careful positioning.
- A set of spear skills that features a reimagining of a mechanic seen in the original Guild Wars.
- A spear skill that inflicts a debilitating effect with a new unique effect.
- A set of spear skills that require precise aiming at range.