Guild Wars 2

The cycle time on Rapid Fire is currently 14.5 seconds, activation time + recharge.

After the patch the cycle time will be 12.5 seconds.

By reducing the activation time, you are in basically reducing the recharge since the cycle time of the skill is reduced.

This may be intended, but a 2 second reduction on cycle time through the reduction of a channel skill’s activation time hasn’t ever occurred as far as I can recall. It amounts to about a 14% reduction to cycle time in total.

Assuming that they didn’t increase the CD to compensate?

They also increased the dps significantly while also making it harder to avoid the shots (sidestepping will be harder due to projectile velocity increase).

I don’t think a lot of people thought about that when they heard about this change, but it’s still a fair change. Keep in mind that as it stands, Rapid Fire is not a DPS increase if you are at max range.

The ranger class has been a class that’s largely identified (some may argue that it’s also defined) by the long bow. However, the weapon is not only significantly lower DPS than melee weapons, but it’s even more so in group encounters where the ranger is stuck out of range of boons such as might and fury. This change will at least close the gap a bit, even though melee will still be the meta, even with the cooldown reduction.

Consider also that in PvP, the decreased cast time can be seen as a nerf in some ways since a single dodge can now avoid most if not all of the rapid fire, whereas it couldn’t when the cast time was 4.5 seconds. Decreasing the cooldown by 2 seconds will make this ability stronger, for sure, but longbow rangers are hardly in danger of being overpowered. =P

The change to rapid fire, hands down, is the best change to a longbow ranger in 2 years.

Dahkeus.8243:

I don’t think a lot of people thought about that when they heard about this change, but it’s still a fair change. Keep in mind that as it stands, Rapid Fire is not a DPS increase if you are at max range.

The ranger class has been a class that’s largely identified (some may argue that it’s also defined) by the long bow. However, the weapon is not only significantly lower DPS than melee weapons, but it’s even more so in group encounters where the ranger is stuck out of range of boons such as might and fury. This change will at least close the gap a bit, even though melee will still be the meta, even with the cooldown reduction.

Consider also that in PvP, the decreased cast time can be seen as a nerf in some ways since a single dodge can now avoid most if not all of the rapid fire, whereas it couldn’t when the cast time was 4.5 seconds. Decreasing the cooldown by 2 seconds will make this ability stronger, for sure, but longbow rangers are hardly in danger of being overpowered. =P

Reflects are also going to be really deadly to LB Rangers. You don’t see them too frequently but with the Warrior Mace AA buff you might see some with Missile Deflection. I think LB Ranger snipers are going to be a threat, but I don’t see them being OP.

There are multiple things the changes to rapid fire bring. For instance, 1 dodge now evades more shots (evade frame the same, shot frequency increased). Additionally due to a much shorter channel time reflects can start affecting you at the point of no return meaning you have to be more careful in using it against certain targets. Lastly, you can start scaring the kitten out of people with your tommy gun.

NinjaEd.3946:

There are multiple things the changes to rapid fire bring. For instance, 1 dodge now evades more shots (evade frame the same, shot frequency increased). Additionally due to a much shorter channel time reflects can start affecting you at the point of no return meaning you have to be more careful in using it against certain targets. Lastly, you can start scaring the kitten out of people with your tommy gun.

As the gentleman says.
Its still a long cast, you have enough time to dodge. In gw1 you needed to counter 1/2 and 1/4 sec long cast time skills. In this game the casting times are totaly nabfriendly

McWolfy.5924:

As the gentleman says.
Its still a long cast, you have enough time to dodge. In gw1 you needed to counter 1/2 and 1/4 sec long cast time skills. In this game the casting times are totaly nabfriendly

The only critical skills that were on such short cast times were like infusion. Good luck d-shotting an infusion. Everything else, like guardian or diversion, had around 1 to 1.5 cast times. Blinding Surge had a 3/4 cast time. Many aoe spells and lighting orb and ranger preparations (considered interrupt bait) were about 2 second cast times. The cast times are pretty similar. The only difference is you don’t get a pretty cast time bar below the enemy health bar.