Surprised so many people rolled Mesmer.
Is it just me, or does "target closest" not always work? I bound it to "C" (just like GW1) but I would occasionally target animals instead of enemies.
I believe it targets the closest enemy not already targeted.
I would be right next to an enemy and use it to target that enemy, but if for some reason I hit it again, it would move to the closest un-targeted.
BTW, I am not seeing the difficulty complaints. I went to Essex Hills at level 14 and was able to solo level 18-22 mobs. People need to just apply some effort. Once you find a good setup, it is difficult to die. I found my optimal setup 14 hours in at level 13, I had 63 deaths. When it ended, I had 25 hours, was level 21, and had 65 deaths.
This was my setup:
Guardian:
From about level 4 to 12, I used a greatsword and a hammer. Greatsword for taking out multiple foes, hammer for single foes. This was when I died the most. I initially thought Guardians would be less squishy, but being in the front line is not how they should be played. They have skills like Sancuary for a reason - to hit and run. Which leads me to the next part.
From level 13 and on, I adjusted my setup. I used a sword and shield as one set, and a scepter and focus as the next. What this allowed me to do is as follows: The sword let me jump into battle and blind melee foes. When the blinding ended, the other skill unleashed rapid attacks that also blocked incoming attacks. After that I would get a few more attacks in then activate shield skills. The first one does some extra damage, the next one knocks foes back. At that point, I'd switch weapons. Scepters allow you to immobilize foes. I'd cast that, then use the AoE spell Bane(I think). This finished off most foes. If not, a dodge and the focus skill (forget the name) finished off what was left. If this were a mob instead of a single enemy, or if there was magic, I would use Sanctuary and cast Bane on myself. Then switch to Sword/Shield, teleport in and inflict blindness, then use my shield skill to do some damage then knock foes away. Switch back to scepter, re-use those skills and attack from distances.
This whole thing is not to brag. I never tried it in PvP so I'm not sure how it works against intelligent opponents, but it worked for me. That's what this game is all about - adventuring and finding out what works best to suit your playstyle. It is not like other MMO games where there are optimal skills, and it is not like GW1 where PvX is your only way to get decent. It's new and fresh and people need to find what suits them best instead of looking for the "right" way to play - there isn't one.
Sorry ahead of time for any mistakes. Never noticed how difficult it is to type long messages on my 3DS
I'd go with the racial skills and stuff, give people bonuses for choosing a class, not disadvantages. In GW2's case I could imagine race specific weapons with additional skills and stuff, not limiting but expanding the skillset.
