ArenaNet have unveiled the next profession for Guild Wars 2 exclusively to PC Gamer. The seventh Guild Wars 2 class is a well drilled master of stealth, an explosives and heavy weapons expert with the ability to call in heavy support. Introducing: The Commando.
Read on for an interview with Guild Wars 2 dev Jon Peters on the new form of devastation the Commando will bring to the battlefield..
PC Gamer: How would you describe the Commando's role on the battlefield?
Jon Peters: I would say that, just like every profession in the game, he can fulfil lots of different roles. He can do a lot of damage, he can be a healer, and then, quite literally, a tank, when he hops into his tank.
PC Gamer: What other kind of weaponry will be at his disposal?
Jon Peters: He tends to use a variety of different guns, like flamethrowers, bazookas, knives, walkie talkies, grenade launchers. Vehicle-wise he has a couple of different options. In the air he's got a helicopter. Underwater he's got a submarine. On the land he tends to go between motorcycles, submarines and the tank.
PC Gamer: So it's fair to say he's slightly faster than guys on horses.
Jon Peters: It's fair to say he's definitely the fastest profession.
PC Gamer: As a one man explosives expert, and a trained killer with nerves of steel, does the Commando have any need for team mates?
Jon Peters : Not really. He can basically take on anything in the game on his own. He doesn't require a group. He tends to destroy everything before anyone can get to him.
PC Gamer: Does he feel fear? If so, what scares him?
Jon Peters: Commitment. He doesn't like to get involved too much, unless there's killing involved. He tends to be immune to fear, which makes him really good against necromancers.
PC Gamer: What's the Commando's greatest weakness? Does he even have a weakness?
Jon Peters: He doesn't really have any weak points. Those Commandos that do tend to get cut from the team.
PC Gamer: How does the Commando let off steam in his spare time?
Jon Peters: As you see in the video, they like to do recreational swimming. They also like to work on their camouflage and their vehicles, and take landscape pictures from their helicopters.
PC Gamer: Is there anything the Commando can't do?
Jon Peters: Melee combat is their weak point, but that doesn't tend to matter. They've normally killed everything before they get close.
PC Gamer: Can the Commando go commando?
Jon Peters: That's something we're not talking about yet.
PC Gamer: Will there be a future reveal on that?
Jon Peters: Well, we'll just have to wait and see.
PC Gamer: The Commando's motto is "if it bleeds, I can kill it." If it's, say, undead, and it doesn't bleed, then can he still kill it?
Jon Peters: The good thing is that everything in the game can be bled, so that lets the Commando pretty much kill everything, but in future we may introduce some none bleeding types to see if that has any balance impact for him.
PC Gamer: Are you worried that the ability to call in a predator air strike, and drive a tank, might perhaps unbalance the game in some way?
Jon Peters: Not terribly. We try and make every profession overpowered. That's one of our rules, if everyone is overpowered then no-one is overpowered, so I think it should work out pretty well.
PC Gamer: Given how powerful they are, what happens when a Commando fights a Commando in PvP?
Jon Peters: We haven't really tested that yet. We're a little worried about it.
PC Gamer: What's the best thing about being a Commando in Guild Wars 2?
Jon Peters: The submarine is a lot of fun. It's good to go underwater and blow stuff up!
For more on Guild Wars 2, check out the latest in-game footage , or head over to the official Guild Wars 2 site.
