Guild Wars 2 combat precludes "holy trinity"

Designer Jon Peters has explaihned that the Guild Wars 2 combat system was designed in such a way as to preclude the "holy trinity" - the standard party configuration of healer, tank, and damage dealer - despite recent criticism of the MMORPG's claims to the contrary.

In the game's latest blog post, designer Jon Peters addressed response to the recently revealed guardian class.

"'So much for no Holy Trinity,' we’d hear. 'Guardian is a paladin, dedicated healer, monk, tank…'" he wrote, before adding "Our professions aren’t dedicated healers, DPS, or tanks because frankly, we built a combat system that just doesn’t allow it."

As evidence of profession's generalisation, Peters cited several cross-class features, like a dedicated healing skill slot, and the ability to revive fallen party members.

Other anti-trinity design decisions include efficiency equality when buffing, and the removal of ally-targeted abilities, meaning players must keep their eyes on the action, not the numbers.

Increased mobility counters a tendency towards static battling, and the diversity of skills and weapons available to professions means each is more adaptable.

Thanks, Massively.