Guild Wars Mini-Interview #14
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Q: Will players be able to dodge melee and ranged attacks using strafing (dodging techniques) or will your being hit be pre-determined by the fact that you are visible due to no cover by nearby trees or walls?
A: Dodging is definitely a factor in avoiding damage, and the strafing keys are in place for that. Q and E work if you're a keyboarder. Holding the right mouse button allows you to use the left and right arrows for strafing. And of course, now that the keys are personally mapable, you can choose how you want strafe and sidestepping to work for you.
In addition, some professions have a specific skill that performs a character-specific avoidance maneuver. Just one example is the ranger's Dodge Skill. This is from her Survival school of training, which currently lasts for 5 seconds, and gives her a 33% faster movement rate and allows her a +27% change of evading incoming arrows. The nice thing about Dodge is that it's very reasonable in Energy costs, at only 5 Energy per usage, so you can use it repeatedly. Of course, the ability only endures if you do not attack, so you must choose wisely in layering this avoidance skill in conjunction with your chosen attacks.
Other skills of this type the type that offer bonuses with balancing drawbacks include Shield Stance, Mantra of Distortion, and Bonetti's Defense, to name just a few. Each has its advantages and its balancing drawbacks: Shield Stance slows movement, Mantra of Distortion causes you to lose energy, and Bonetti's Defense is another skill that is cancelled upon making an attack. As with so much in Guild Wars, it will take strategic thinking and player ingenuity to use skills in the most meaningful way.
