Guild Wars 2

Hi, I have played Gw1 and GW2 for an exceptional amount of time. Not trying to compare the features side by side, but the ranger change has bugged me since pre-day 1. I have an 80 ranger, have played with it in pvp, wvw, and pve often and understand how most things work on it, it relies on the pet. It feeds off the pet. But what if we don’t want the pet? How does one seperate an entire profession mechanic and still maintain the unique flavor this profession offers? (or should). I have been brainstorming and would like to share now.

First off, change how stowing pet works. It should be a constant, that is toggled. In other words, when you click to stow pet it should stay stowed no matter if you enter water, take any sort of damage, or w/e. Now this would require a change to the cd on stow so for now, lets say when you stow a pet, it goes on a 60 second cooldown and summoning a pet goes on a 60 second cooldown for re-stowing(this does not affect swapping pets, this is only towards stow).

Secondly, we need a reason to stow pet other than being embarresed that our pet couldn’t help us when needed most. ANY values I post on this part are subject to change, and are only to give the feel of what is getting benefitied. Lets start by acknowledging the vast majority of ranger skills revolve around the pet, can’t exactly just remove that. So lets add to them in this new stow mechanic

=Traits
(Marksmanship)

-Steady Focus: Same 10% dmg when endurance full but an additional 15% dmg while pet is stowed (in combat) The idea of this is to introduce the feel of playing without the pet if the player wants to but also to not force players to the end of this tree just to get this effect.

-Spotter: Maintain same current effects, but add the option of IF your pet is stowed, increase this bonus to 140.

-Remorseless: Maintain same current effect but if a pet is stowed, regain opening strike every 15 ranged attacks (ranged weapons).

(Skirmishing)

-Primal Reflexes: Maintain same current effect but add the bonus of 25% endurance if a pet is stowed.(so vigor for 5 seconds and 25% of your endurance)

-Companions Might: Maintain same current effect but add the option of 1 stack of might for 3 seconds to yourself on critical hit while pet is stowed (Cooldown 5 seconds).

-Agility Training: Maintain same current effect but add the option of 15% bonus movement speed to you while in combat while pet is stowed.

-Carnivorous Appetite: Maintain same current effect but while pet is stowed, you gain that healing effect on critical hits with a 5 second cooldown(scales off your healing power).

-Moment of Clarity: Maintain same current effect but increase this value to 200% while a pet is stowed. (so it goes from 150% to 200%, not 200% more incase that confused anyone)

(Wilderness Survival)

-Expertise Training: Maintain same current effect but add the option of 175 cond dmg to yourself while pet is stowed.

-Hide in plain sight: Maintain same current effect but while pet is stowed gain stealth for 3 seconds, move 50% slower for 3 seconds, and remove the effect (daze, stun, launch, kd, kb, etc). This cannot occur if your pet was stowed within the last 3 seconds (if so, the old effect takes place).

-Bark skin: Maintain same current effect but while pet is stowed your pet will automatically be summoned(under 25% hp) and activate “Protect Me”. This effect (while stowed) cannot occur more than once every 75 seconds.

(Nature Magic)

-Bountiful Hunter: Maintain same current effect but increase dmg to 10% while pet is stowed.

-Vigorous spirits: Maintain same current effect but spirit takes 25% less damage while pet is stowed.

-Nature’s vengence: Maintain same current effect but add the option of gain protection (for 5 seconds) when spirit is killed while pet is stowed.

-Spiritual knowledge: Maintain same current effect but add an option of retaliation to itself while a pet is stowed.

-Enlargement: Maintain same current effect but add the option of stability to yourself(and dmg bonus) for the same duration when you reach 25% health and your pet is stowed (cooldown 90 seconds.)

-Spirits Unbound: Maintain same current effect but Spirits apply a cripple effect 2s per pulse (every second) while moving in a 380 unit radius around it while pet is stowed.

Nothing for beastmaster since that trait line is centered around pets (mostly).

Also, I suggest any effects while a pet is stowed be immediatly removed IF the player calls upon the pet as to not overlap the two. The goal is to add an option for players who’d like to play without a pet without simply making pet summoning a selectable skill(like in Gw1).

I would suggest (and have opinions) changes to the current weapon/healing/utility/elite skills while a pet is stowed but 1 step at a time (I feel like traits were the biggest change).

Or they could just fix pets and give them much needed survivability in boss fights…just sayin lol

Got no input as I don’t know much about the profession but wanted to point out you left some words out on this part:

NinjaEd.3946:

-Spiritual knowledge: Maintain same current effect but increase the

I’ve been looking at rangers as my next alt and it probably would be nice to have some alternate playstyles/builds. Dunno what they can do now, but IMO, it’d be kinda keen if there was a play style that incorporated calling on your pet to charge in with potent effects but for short periods of time (call in the pet to maul down a group, maybe knock around a target a couple of times then be stowed back after a period of time). This would sort of take the place of having the guy out for long periods of time. Maybe in conjunction with your idea to empower the ranger while the pet is stowed…

I just think it’d be boring to give the class substantial buffs for not using their class mechanic at all…kind of like how I don’t care much for the Warrior ‘sit on your adrenaline bar all day’ kind of builds…they work, but not ideal for certain weapons.

It amuses me how many people ask to get rid of the pet when viable alternatives exist. In THIS game, to be a ranger is to have and rely upon your pet. If you do not want a pet, there are viable alternatives.
GW2 is designed so you pick your playstyle (to have a pet, to summon minions, to have access to a 6th weapon skill, to have 3 freebie signets, etc) then grab the class that matches it. Not grab a class than force it to fit you and break it for thousands of others.

Removing a broken mechanic is no alternative to actually fixing the broken mechanic. Focus on what’s important, don’t divert needless attention to removing features.

marnick.4305:

Removing a broken mechanic is no alternative to actually fixing the broken mechanic. Focus on what’s important, don’t divert needless attention to removing features.

I can appreciate what the OP is saying, and I don’t think they offered any really bad ideas, but I have to agree with the above quote in this instance.

The core of the ranger class is pet use and I would much rather that steps are taken to make the pet aspect better rather than offering more ways to subvert it’s use. Basically, as a Ranger, you should always want to be using your pet.

I do, however, feel that Stow would be better off as a full toggle for situations where you definitively don’t want your pet around (such as when doing jumping challenges).

marnick.4305:

Removing a broken mechanic is no alternative to actually fixing the broken mechanic. Focus on what’s important, don’t divert needless attention to removing features.

Who said anything about removing the pet?

Ranger pet mechanic isn’t the best, but it is with us no matter what. I only suggest an alternative to how stow works and a reason to do so other than for avoiding combat, like in bosses for example. Your pet dies in many bosses, so you want it away or atleast on passive. That means your dps is lowered drastically since the pet isn’t contributing.

And thank you Leo G, I updated the trait. OFC not all need to be taken, they are just part of the suggestion to get an idea of how to buff ranger to compensate for the lack of a pet (stow) but will have no affect at all on people who use the pet (when it is out)

I’m not 100% against the idea of removing pets for a change in class feel, mostly because there are a couple classes that have a bit more than one mechanic. Thieves have Intiative and Steal. Guardians can spec special for each of their three special buffs. Engineers have special powers connected to their skills along with huge selection of unique weapons each of which they can spec for. And so on.

In Guild Wars 1 pets where just another power you could choose to have, and as such anyone who came from GW1 tends to feel restrained in their inability to remove them. So having a mechanic that is this or that, isn’t completely unacceptable. What I don’t agree with is changing all instances of traits that work with pets to being able to work with or not with pets. The traits are designed to give you options. I don’t buff my pets, they can go to hell for all I care, they’re strong enough for me, I want to buff me. as such I choose traits that don’t involve pets. Just I like choose traits that don’t involve swords, daggers nor axes, cause I don’t use them. I don’t pick traits that buff traps nor spirits.

I don’t ask that any of those traits start buffing the weapons and skills I do use, I simply don’t use them because they’re not designed for the way I want to play. If they went forward with this, obviously there should be traits that work better if you don’t have a pet to support that playstyle, but they shouldn’t all change just to make that a reality.

Nay of the Ether.8913:

Or they could just fix pets and give them much needed survivability in boss fights…just sayin lol

And fix our weapons, and our abilities, and our spirits, and our obstructed issues, and our horrible class design regarding abilities…

But nah. They won’t fix it. That’d allow us to stand up to daddy’s favorite, the warrior.