Guild Wars 2

Right now there are four buttons you can use to control your pet, F2 is the only pet skill you can control when it occurs.

Attack my target (F1) should be changed so that when you use it to pick a target, it then switches to Return to me (F2) and vice versa. It will toggle to become attack or return depending on which you used last

This frees up the third button (F3) so that it can be used to control another pet skill which makes most pets more useful in most areas of the game.

• For canines and pigs (F3) can be used to control Brutal Charge

• For Ravens and Owls (F3) can be used for Quickening Screech

• Moas can use (F3) for Harmonic Cry [Also their F2 skill should be changed so you can aim which direction you want them to face, similar to skills like Whirlwind attack]

• Bears can use (F3) for Defy Pain, which would be totally cool for when you send them to revive someone/yourself

• (F3) would also be good for Drakes so that you can control their Tail Swipe

• Cats can use (F3) for maul

• Devourers can use (F3) for Tail Lash

• Spiders can us (F3) for poison gas

Beyond the F3 skills, their are two changes that could make ranger better

• Heal as One would be greatly improved if it is classified as a survival skill since it could have the lowest heal cooldown and cure two conditions if traited
• Guard should be an instant cast because every other shout in the game is instant cast

and a final minor visual thing that would be cool is if your pets could grow as you play the game.

In PvE and WvW you tame juvenile versions of your pets, it would be totally stoked to the max if they started to grow in size as you level up, (EX: juvenile wolf grows until it is the size of a Dire Wolf when your ranger is lvl 80) In PvP you could unlock the larger versions by getting the Champion Hunter title.
No huge effect on balance but it would be a cool thing to see

No mention of an evade command?

I like it. I’ve long been hoping Anet would give us at least ONE more skill from our pets to really make pets something spectacular. Though I might’ve just moved pet swap to F5 for the extra skill spot, this definitely works as well.

I also like that you went with the poison field for the spiders over the immobilize. While having control over that immobilize would be much more useful, I acknowledge that it’d make the jungle spider crazy overpowered. Two immobilizes on one pet is too much.

One other change I’d make though. Have the F2 skill for the pigs send the item directly to the ranger’s hand. If the ranger chooses they can drop it on the floor for someone else to use. This would make the ranger’s use of that skill much more fluid, let them use the item much quicker, and prevent the item from getting stolen and ruining the ranger’s strategy.

Yea if you alternate attack and return on the same skill you will get so many issues it’s not even funny. They are already buggy as it is. Pet is one of the reasons ranger is not meta anywhere(not the main but still). Adding an evade frame every time the ranger gets an evade frame would go a long way in balancing the class. The protection on dodge(which you have to trait for) is not cutting it.

Agree on F1 change, but they should do away with swap pet as an F button and give total control over all 3 of their skills. Additionally they need some function to direct the pet like in some games where you hold a key and use your mouse to then select where you pet goes in the event you forsee some nasty AoE incoming.

I don’t think they need to evade, it’s just about actually commanding them instead of letting some half kitten AI program do the majority and fail miserably.

Also flying pets (and enemies) need to ignore terrain, gliding up the xyz axis is already in play since we have water combat, why do bird pets need to go around edges to reach a target? Is it really any different from a pet or mob chasing you in water when you go up and down and around?

NinjaEd.3946:

Also flying pets (and enemies) need to ignore terrain, gliding up the xyz axis is already in play since we have water combat, why do bird pets need to go around edges to reach a target? Is it really any different from a pet or mob chasing you in water when you go up and down and around?

All of this here. It’s so aggravating to have a BIRD that can’t fly over that small little gap between your spawn point and point B in Skyhammer. I can clear it with a casual leap but my pet sees it and goes “I’m sorry, but it’s too far. I can’t possibly clear the distance.” as he calmly flutters right by my head.

Pets in general really need some way to clear small gaps and jump down from high points.

Pretty solid idea OP, supporting.

@NinjaEd

Agreed. I’ve no idea where Anet stands with the idea for pets to take reduced AoE damage, but giving a direct command option for pet placement would certainly make zerging a lot less taxing on the pet and also encourage tactical gameplay. Right now pets are almost useless in zergs, unless it’s something like a jungle stalker stacking might on you in passive mode while you snipe from 1.5k range.

Actually, following up with what I said in this thread:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/balance/Fix-ranger-pets-in-PvE-already/4354362

Where I suggested we give bears and porcines cleave and devourers piercing to improve pet AoE damage.

With that change and this, bears and devourers would become excellent pets for dungeon runs.

Bears already have good defensive stats. Combine that with Defy Pain being on command and the bear naturally having cleave they’d be amazing for dungeons.

Especially if we tack on a second or so of evade frames on “Return to Me” command so that our pets can actually dodge. Put some sort of internal cooldown on the dodge frames so we can’t spam the dodges of course.

This would make devourers very handy if, instead of Tail Lash as the OP suggested, we get control of Evasive Retreat. That’d give us two evades on the devourer for added survivability and decent damage with the piercing shots I suggested.

Of course drakes would be even better for dungeon runners too. Already tanky and the ability to control exactly when they do their blast finisher would be a huge benefit.

For builds not interested in pets this change would see moas as a strong option since you could leave them passive at your side and use them for buffs and secondary heals. They’d also be spectacular additions to a ranger support build. Maybe even open doors for a BM support ranger using Compassion Training and Invigorating Bond to have four extra heals, two for each moa, that can also grant boons to nearby allies.

Pretty much every aspect of ranger would see a significant improvement through this buff. One that is arguably very much needed.

Specifically to the F1 idea, the skill needs to work more like the following:

Select target and tell the pet to attack. If your pet is already attacking the target, then return to the Ranger. If your pet isn’t already attacking that target, then attack that target.

This way you don’t run into having to press attack twice to switch targets.