GUILD WARS 2 Reveals 3 New Elite Specs and Details of the DX11 Upgrade Ahead of Beta

Guild Wars 2 is getting ready for a lot of changes with the upcoming End of Dragons expansion. In addition to bringing the continent of Cantha and 9 new elite specializations (one per class) into the game, the team is upgrading from using DirectX9 to DirectX11! Starting September 21, fans will be able to log in and participate in betas for three new elite specs and opt in to beta test the new DX11 features. You can learn more about the DX11 beta and upgrade in the official blog post (but it’s very exciting!) while we talk about the three new elite specs below. The final three specs will be revealed by October 26 when the third beta begins.

First, we have the Bladesworn which is for Warrior characters. This new elite spec uses the new Canthan weapon called a gunsaber! Exclusive to warriors, gunsabers use cartridges with magical amber from Echovald Forest to add energy to attacks. Bladesworn forego adrenaline in favor of flow which builds up over time in combat.

Next is the Revenant’s new Vindicator which uses the greatsword to close gaps, hold ground, and wreak havoc. The Vindicator is designed to face down multiple foes at once and unlocks the Luxon and Kurzick champions as a dual-natured Legendary Alliance. The Luxon Archemorus rewards selfish and aggressive play while the Kurzick Saint Viktor cares more about defensive and supporting behavior. This is definitely going to be interesting.

Finally, the Elementalist is now swinging a big hammer as the Catalyst. Designed to deal damage in bursts with some control aspects, the Catalyst also has special spheres to help channel ancient magics. These look awesome.