Guild Wars 2 Reveals New Elite Specializations For Thief, Necromancer, And Warrior

Three new elite specializations have been revealed for Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity — the Antiquary (Thief), the Ritualist (Necromancer), and the Paragon (Warrior).

The Antiquary trades traditional stealth for chaos and creativity. These relic-hunters thrive on unpredictability, using “Pilfer” to summon skritt assistants who steal artifacts instead of conventional skills. Players choose between two random relics with unique effects like automatic turrets or protective barriers. The Antiquary’s “Double Edge” abilities can be reused before cooldown but risk harmful backfires.

The Ritualist draws from Canthan tradition. These spiritualists enter a ritualist shroud, summoning spirits like Anguish, Wanderlust, and Preservation to strike foes and linger on the battlefield. Ritualists also gain access to weapon spells, area buffs that empower themselves and nearby allies. Traits can extend spirit duration or enhance their battlefield impact.

The Paragon revives the spear-wielding protectors of Elona. Focused on empowering allies and leading from the front lines, Paragons generate a unique resource called “motivation” by using burst skills. They unleash chants that offer powerful effects and pulsing refrains that persist as long as motivation is sustained. Through the echo mechanic, command abilities trigger a delayed secondary effect, or players can preemptively activate echoes by using bursts. The Paragon’s ultimate skill — "We Will Never Yield!" — prevents them and allies from dying for a short time.

These specializations coming to the free-to-play MMORPG will be showcased live on Twitch on August 1 at 12 PM Pacific Time and available for players to try during the beta event from August 20 to 27.