Quote Originally Posted by Alien_Gamer View Post
[url]In short, an elite specialization is a new set of traits and skills for a job that gives you access to a new weapon and fundamentally changes how the job plays. In FF14 it would be the equivalent of letting a Warrior use a Staff and fighting in a way different from both WHM and WAR.
To be clear, you are describing how things work regularly with any class in GW2. The weapon choice brings up different abilities, and reshapes the gameplay for the class. Pick up a Greatsword as Guardian and live the life of a hard-to-kill damage dealer. Pick up a scepter and focus and Guardian becomes the second best healer in the game. There are no tanks, healers or DPS.

As you level, you get core specializations that define what your character can do. At level 80, you can get an elite specialization (with the purchase of at least one expansion set), which gives you access to weapons you couldn't use before. Guardian can take up a bow at level 80 and become a Dragonhunter, for example. All of this is not automatic. It's way worse than what WoW removed from their specializations back around Cataclysm.

None of this would carry well into Final Fantasy XIV. While there is a wide range of attacks one can make in GW2 with different weapons, there are still only 5 basic weapon skills available. While there are core specializations (and weapons) that allow you to take more damage, or to heal damage, there are no tanks, healers or DPS. It makes for interesting PvP, and world bosses can be a fun DPS romp. You can pay for the game once and play forever, but be aware that raiding requires the purchase of expansions and a max level character.

Fun game, but ... if you want to try out that style of play, go get Guild Wars 2.

It simply isn't a fit for this game.