Guild Wars 2

1. “Sick Em” behaves just like F1. Wouldn’t seem too much of an issue but when trying to time it right before a pet skill it cancels it. Many builds that use some sort of enhancment to their attacks (not might or fury) usually time them right before they attack either to maximize the number of hits or to get a specific hit in, it should be the same for this utility skill. Using it before the pet skill works too but it shouldn’t cancel any action they were doing, thats what the attack button (default [F1]) is for.

2. New pet behavior mode. The pet should not engauge any combat unless you do. By this being, if you are running through a spot and an enemy hits you or the pet while its in aggressive move, it should not act on its own and start attacking things. Now in the event that someone wants to afk with the pet guarding them, they could maybe make this a 3rd pet behavior instead so if they like it the way it is, its still there. Just a 3rd option to make it only start combat when you do would be nice for running to events/nodes.

3. Agressive mode accidental attacking. You may be in a large mosh pit of kittens and at those times, you NEED your pet. Well if you tab through trying to take them out and happen to tab onto a far away enemy while attacking, the pet will run to that enemy and likely link a bunch more enemies (unless you got cat like reflexes). Simply enough, swinging and missing an enemy should not make you’re pet go after it. It should only attack things you hit with damage.

Non of these are game breaking for me, merely suggesitons.

Reading the title of this topic I was expecting some random suggestions for new critters to have juvenile versions of. Might consider changing the title to “3 Ranger Pet (Behavior Improvement) Suggestions” because you do make good points. I agree with all of these.

Especially 2+3 as the behavior for an “Assist” combat stance for the pet would be useful.

#2: If you’re just running through an area you should set them to the Avoid Combat mode since that’s also what you as a character are doing. I don’t see the point in adding another behavioral mode that you’d still need to toggle. Seems redundant to me… Also note, even when they’re in the Avoid Combat mode, F1 still works to make them attack without engaging Aggressive mode.

Completely agree with 1+3. Ranger has become my hobby class for when I get bored on my main, and it gets frustrating having to deal with my pet running away to hit a faraway enemy I accidentally selected using that annoying right click targeting while trying to pan the camera. And of course, anything (reasonable) to improve the pet’s effectiveness is nice :P

Been wishing I could:
1) Make the pet auto-use F2 whenever it is off cooldown. Some critters I don’t want this, like the Daze of the black moa, but many others I don’t want to micro manage it and would just like to ctrl + right click to make it activate asap.
2) Possibly be able to swap in and out of F2 which of the four pet skills I can activate, and only outside combat. The remaining 3 are on AI as usual.
3) See the icons for the remaining 3 pets skills above f1-4 so I can see them being used. Unless I’m staring intently at my pet and can read it’s behaviour well, I don’t have a clue when it is using skills and what is coming off cooldown soon.
4) Show the seconds timer for the F2 cooldown.

1. is mainly for roaming whether it be collecting nodes/harvesting or running to an event instead of wp. When in combat, your movement speed is reduced. As a ranger this only happens when you or your pet attack something. Now maybe I could just toggle passive/aggressive mode but unless I key bind it (I try not to waste key bind space with anything that isn’t used often… thats with a 13 button mouse) I can run into a fight unknowingly leaving my pet’s dmg out of it and get myself into a panic. #2 would still attack things but only when you attack them. Aggressive mode will be for if the player doesn’t mind it or when they afk it will defend them.

Not to mention passive mode requires you to pay attention to yet another things during a fight which is keep pressing F1 to make the pet do something and attack instead of staying idle.

An auto attack for pet skill option would be nice, for ranged pets such as devourer I definitly would like it to manage itself a bit.