Guild Wars 2

1. So many useless traits

2. No utility worth having

3. Power build is so bad

4. Pet is useless

Worst of all, Ranger apologists from sPvP and PvE says Ranger is balanced when clearly it’s not in WvW.

Ya, I made this thread because just for the slim chance Anet will address it.

roaming and in small groups ranger is great in wvw and thats from myself as a power build.

If you want to draw attention from anything other than trolls, I would go more in depth into what the problem is and how you would like to fix it. right now your post is just flame-bait.

If I was you, I’d edit out the last line of the OP because, while it is understandable that you have frustrations with ANet, I do sincerely think this topic is important and deserves to have some discussion, since it is actually quite relevant.

As mentioned, there are lots of “useless” traits, especially from a WvW standpoint. Skirmishing is actually the least functional traitline available, and does nothing of value for builds outside of stat increases. Meanwhile, WS has a ton of useful traits for all types of builds, but doesn’t necessarily have the most desirable stat increases for power based builds.

Nature Magic improves the most group oriented utility, which is spirits, but spirits just so happen to be ineffective in a lot of the WvW encounters. Between siege and AoE spam and the paper quality spirits have even when fully traited, combined with their “uninteresting” or more or less unnoticeable effect in large scale situations, they aren’t really all that great.

Combine that with lots of selfish utilities, like Signets, that require heavy trait investment to even be useful but are less effective than they should be if you are arguing whether or not to take a ranger or another damage class/build and which is the best in slot option.

With food buffs and large cleansing due to how well classes like guardians stack and how limited removing boons is (like retaliation), traps are basically just a no, and what is a shout ranger really? They are easily replaceable, and usually heavily invested into a pet mechanic for their damage that just doesn’t scale well at all with any number of players outside of about 2, which is also the argument for BM invested rangers.

Some of those options are clearly good for roaming and small skirmishes, but ranger is truly just about, if not, the most lacking class when it comes to larger group encounters, particularly if you are talking about Best in Slot compositions, at which point every other class can either completely replace rangers while offering better utility, or bring so much more to the table that the loss of whatever a ranger actually brings (being a nuisance with a pet and no real burst damage unless they are suiciding with GS or in PVT gear and like a fly buzzing in your ear).

Honestly, at the end of the day, ranger is just some poor hybrid between thieves and warriors that have decent enough mobility, but don’t benefit and output at the same level as thieves to justify building selfishly, and aren’t damage oriented enough as warriors to be effective tanky damage dealers, and are stuck with a very poor excuse for a class mechanic that scales increasingly less with every single content patch, not to mention just existing WvW content.

Just some thoughts from me (fyi, I’m one of the ranger SOAC podcast hosts, or the cohost more technically).

People need to get off of this train of “ranger is bad design” and learn to play the class.

1. Traits need merging.

2. (Some) utilities need reworking.

3. Power is beast if you know how to play it. (I main power ranger)

4. Pets need reworking as well. They are near useless in large group fights and only have a real use in like 1vXs (1, 2, 3, etc. etc.)

Ranger is fine for solo and small group stuff – it’s GVG and zerg situations where ranger really sucks. Hard.

The core issues are: lack of AOE, and lack of group utility.

Aside from that, their traits are pretty badly organised – too many bow traits, traps in a line that doesn’t make sense, generally too many filler traits.

Oh, and the pet still sucks.

Where is teh ranger CDI ? i tough it was still being worked on.

• Swap #4 and #5 on longbow, change barrage to the skill eir has that actually launches a slew of arrows, give each a small aoe ring like grenades have so people can avoid it, slap on damage coeff of about 1.5 and give it a 15s cool down.

• Increase width of piercing arrows linear area.

This would make me very happy.

gawker.8340:

1. So many useless traits

2. No utility worth having

3. Power build is so bad

4. Pet is useless

Worst of all, Ranger apologists from sPvP and PvE says Ranger is balanced when clearly it’s not in WvW.

Ya, I made this thread because just for the slim chance Anet will address it.

just Lol…
i will give you an example of how rangers can fight if you know your class and play them right.
3 simple steps :
1)go here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYqwd1GXsT4
2)watch
3)stop complaning.

i agree that ranger has low damage on some stuff, some useless traits and utility skills but that doesnt mean he cannot kill slay and murder every class…

So ranger is bad in one particularly playstyle in one mode which is messed up and badly balanced by basic design and was never intended or subject of any balance decision ever.

Oh no, how horrible!

And thieves are terrible at bunkering points, quick, they need help!

I don’t see why more people don’t run sw/d/lb. Its the combo I and a few others roll with and it is beautiful! Evades, stick to your target and if they run of you need a break lb for pbs/rf combo or pbs/his for stealth and space making then either barrage or rf.

I have had people chase me thinking I was an easy kill and then they stand in my barrage as I melee them and wonder why they drop so fast…

If only we were slightly better at zerging instead of ranging then it would be nice but range gonna range

Kibazuka.1390:

So ranger is bad in one particularly playstyle in one mode which is messed up and badly balanced by basic design and was never intended or subject of any balance decision ever.

Oh no, how horrible!

And thieves are terrible at bunkering points, quick, they need help!

Not entirely true, the situation post-patch has bled over into TPvP where rangers have fallen out of the “meta” team composition where, all other things equal, other classes can accomplish the same goal ranger builds accomplish while being more versatile and useful in teamfights. You’ll see evidence of this during the previous weeks ESL and Mistpedia tournaments, and will more than likely see a repeat of team comps lacking rangers in the upcoming ESL/Mistpedia events.

And it has nothing to do with rangers being bad at all. They just don’t fulfill as many functions as another class would in their position, especially since now people are realizing how easy it has always been to fight a spirit ranger, and how minimal the benefits of the spirits actually are and how easily they are countered. Considering that this is the most optimal utility selection for what people build for in team comps if they aren’t a pure damage class that can build selfishly like a thief, rangers are ending up in the same place in PvP that they are in WvW.

DarkFlopy.8197:

gawker.8340:

1. So many useless traits

2. No utility worth having

3. Power build is so bad

4. Pet is useless

Worst of all, Ranger apologists from sPvP and PvE says Ranger is balanced when clearly it’s not in WvW.

Ya, I made this thread because just for the slim chance Anet will address it.

just Lol…
i will give you an example of how rangers can fight if you know your class and play them right.
3 simple steps :
1)go here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYqwd1GXsT4
2)watch
3)stop complaning.

i agree that ranger has low damage on some stuff, some useless traits and utility skills but that doesnt mean he cannot kill slay and murder every class…

I watched two fights, and I’m not impressed. Those are bad players you are facing.

Also, I want to clarify; I never said Ranger cannot kill anything. I am strictly talking about the 4 points. I have killed many people too, but there are certain builds on other professions that are simply unstoppable if you are ranger.

jcbroe.4329:

If I was you, I’d edit out the last line of the OP because, while it is understandable that you have frustrations with ANet, I do sincerely think this topic is important and deserves to have some discussion, since it is actually quite relevant.

As mentioned, there are lots of “useless” traits, especially from a WvW standpoint. Skirmishing is actually the least functional traitline available, and does nothing of value for builds outside of stat increases. Meanwhile, WS has a ton of useful traits for all types of builds, but doesn’t necessarily have the most desirable stat increases for power based builds.

Nature Magic improves the most group oriented utility, which is spirits, but spirits just so happen to be ineffective in a lot of the WvW encounters. Between siege and AoE spam and the paper quality spirits have even when fully traited, combined with their “uninteresting” or more or less unnoticeable effect in large scale situations, they aren’t really all that great.

Combine that with lots of selfish utilities, like Signets, that require heavy trait investment to even be useful but are less effective than they should be if you are arguing whether or not to take a ranger or another damage class/build and which is the best in slot option.

With food buffs and large cleansing due to how well classes like guardians stack and how limited removing boons is (like retaliation), traps are basically just a no, and what is a shout ranger really? They are easily replaceable, and usually heavily invested into a pet mechanic for their damage that just doesn’t scale well at all with any number of players outside of about 2, which is also the argument for BM invested rangers.

Some of those options are clearly good for roaming and small skirmishes, but ranger is truly just about, if not, the most lacking class when it comes to larger group encounters, particularly if you are talking about Best in Slot compositions, at which point every other class can either completely replace rangers while offering better utility, or bring so much more to the table that the loss of whatever a ranger actually brings (being a nuisance with a pet and no real burst damage unless they are suiciding with GS or in PVT gear and like a fly buzzing in your ear).

Honestly, at the end of the day, ranger is just some poor hybrid between thieves and warriors that have decent enough mobility, but don’t benefit and output at the same level as thieves to justify building selfishly, and aren’t damage oriented enough as warriors to be effective tanky damage dealers, and are stuck with a very poor excuse for a class mechanic that scales increasingly less with every single content patch, not to mention just existing WvW content.

Just some thoughts from me (fyi, I’m one of the ranger SOAC podcast hosts, or the cohost more technically).

This is why I should leave it to people like you to articulate what I feel about Ranger. You have mentioned many things that are true and I feel you. I’m just so troubled that Ranger power build is so bad yet some people actually deny it. You obviously understand how to compare professions and can give cogent reasons why such and such class is better suited for a certain role. Many other Rangers here keep saying I need L2P. They don’t even understand what i’m saying therefore they cannot address it. I know most, if not, all the strengths of Ranger. I know how to play the game well, and it’s because I know the game so well that I find Ranger weak.

Sigmoid.7082:

I don’t see why more people don’t run sw/d/lb. Its the combo I and a few others roll with and it is beautiful! Evades, stick to your target and if they run of you need a break lb for pbs/rf combo or pbs/his for stealth and space making then either barrage or rf.

I have had people chase me thinking I was an easy kill and then they stand in my barrage as I melee them and wonder why they drop so fast…

If only we were slightly better at zerging instead of ranging then it would be nice but range gonna range

That’s the exact weapon set I use, brother. I have been using that for about 3 months now. It does it’s job and is easy to play. However, I find that it’s not enough to use that build to compete with top tier players. You are forced into condition bunker or BM bunker to compete at high level skill play. Otherwise, the current LB zerker Ranger can snipe average players easily.

Kibazuka.1390:

So ranger is bad in one particularly playstyle in one mode which is messed up and badly balanced by basic design and was never intended or subject of any balance decision ever.

Oh no, how horrible!

And thieves are terrible at bunkering points, quick, they need help!

Don’t see why you bring up disgusting sPvP when i’m talking specifically about 1 build on 1 class in 1 game mode. I thought I made it clear that I don’t care about sPvP or PvE.

Viking Jorun.5413:

People need to get off of this train of “ranger is bad design” and learn to play the class.

I don’t know why you brought that up. I’m not complaining about design, i’m talking about 1 build on 1 class in 1 game-mode.