ArenaNet have been talking about how crafting will work in Guild Wars 2. It will be possible to master two disciplines at a time, and recipes will let you create attachments and modifications that can make your weapons more potent, and your armour more secure. For a cost, it will be possible to switch between crafting skills, while still retaining your level and skill points. ArenaNet's objectives are simple. Make crafting flexible, and make every crafted item useful.
Here are the eight disciplines, as outlined in the blog post on the Guild Wars 2 site.
- Weaponsmith – Weaponsmiths craft melee weapons, such as swords, axes and hammers.
- Huntsman – Huntsmen craft ranged weapons like bows and pistol, as well as torches and warhorns.
- Artificer– Artificers craft magical weapons such as staves and scepters.
- Armorsmith – Armorsmiths craft heavy armor pieces.
- Leatherworker – Leatherworkers craft medium armor pieces.
- Tailor – Tailors craft light armor pieces.
- Jewelcrafter – Jewelcrafters craft jewelry, such as rings and necklaces.
- Cook – Cooks can prepare food which characters can eat for temporary combat buffs.
You'll be able to craft entirely new items, or modifications to existing ones. The example given is of a blade handle that will grant your weapon a chance to poison enemies it strikes. Materials can be gathered from salvaging kits, that let you break down useless items, looting, and the harvesting of ore, plants and trees around the world.
Commonly in MMOs you need a specific skill to harvest a certain type of material, but in Guild Wars 2, players will be able to gather any materials they find. Game designer Andrew McLeod explains why. "We wanted gathering nodes to be sought after by every player, so that when players are grouped together they don't need to feel guilty by making the group wait for them while they run off after an ore vein on the side of the road."
Like other MMOs, You'll still need to find recipes to build advanced items, and crafting new items will level up your crafting ability. There will be 400 levels in each discipline, which sounds like a lot, but ArenaNet are committed to cutting down on the grind. McLeod says "our intent is that you should never have to make something you consider worthless while leveling a crafting discipline."
