The Guild Wars 2 Warrior class has been unveiled by developer ArenaNet, and it is brutal. One of my pet peeves in MMOs based on personal combat is that the attack animations, and reaction animations from the targets, often seem a little tame. It is often difficult to discern if the enemy has been struck at all, with a hit causing no visible effect or reaction. As a rule, if I have to see damage numbers to tell if I’m beating down the enemy, I’m at least slightly underwhelmed. This does not appear to be a problem for the Guild Wars 2 warrior!

Click below to see the warrior in action for yourself.

Another feature that makes me anticipate getting my hands on the warrior is its description as “a master of weapons”. Those weapons listed so far as being within the warrior’s purview include swords, axes, maces, hammers and even ranged weapons such as longbows and rifles. Beyond the choice presented in a warrior’s arsenal, there also appear to be numerous tactical choices for a warrior’s player to indulge in. That shouldn’t surprise any Guild Wars veterans, as the series is already known for a high degree of mechanical customization in its characters.

Two other major mechanics for the warrior are Adrenaline and Burst Skills. Adrenaline appears somewhat similar to the system of the same name present in the first Guild Wars, and for those new to the franchise it represents an energy building mechanic. Each attack generates some adrenaline, which provides an overall damage boost for the warrior, and feeds in to the Burst Skills mechanic. Burst Skills are activated by releasing stored adrenaline, and vary depending on the weapon the warrior is wielding. Each burst skill will also improve depending on the amount of stored adrenaline released upon its activation.

Be sure to follow MMOCrunch on YouTube for more massively multiplayer videos in future. For more information on the warrior, visit the official site.