Guild Wars 2

When the druid came out of the gate, there was a big fuss made of it. It’s arrival supposedly hailed the end of the “Beserk Meta” and the need to prioritise damage over all other features of a character or party. That’s a very big deal – perhaps the biggest deal of the entire expansion, if such a change is to really happen.

I play several classes, including necro and ranger. I watched the development of the Reaper with great interest and followed the many issues it had, from the first time we saw it, to the current iteration we have in the beta now. A poster on these forums described the difference between early and current reaper as the different between night and day – which I feel was a perfect way to put it, considering the many changes the reaper underwent, based on intense and focused feedback from the necro community.

Now I`m looking at the druid and I see a repeat of this, but that’s not the point I want to make. The angle I am going with is that Arenanet cannot afford to have the druid in this state. Its different to the reaper, or any other class, this time they made an elite spec that was supposed to change the very way the game was played. The ranger community was issued with an incredibly heavy burden and that was to sacrifice their current class and playstyle for the good of the community and the game itself. Of all the classes, theirs was the least ready and capable of meeting this expectation and thus arenenet should have been prepared to go above and beyond in helping them to do so.

With no further test weekends and with the druid in such an inadequate state, I just do not feel this is what is taking place. The game has been booked for a heart transplant and in the final hours of its lifesaving operation, the overworked, underpaid animal doctor has been called in and given a bargain basement cutlery set with which to do the deed. The prognosis is not favourable, in these conditions.

So I say unto arenanet – if you do not go to some extreme lengths to fix the druid and to make up for the lost time – the beserker meta is going to wipe out your new raids and leave you looking all kinds of bad. Extra effort is needed, extra testing time must be arranged and communication needs to a whole lot better towards the ranger community. They will only be your saviours if you carry out your side of the bargain and give them the tools and consideration they need.

Now I`m looking at the druid and I see a repeat of this, but that’s not the point I want to make. The angle I am going with is that Arenanet cannot afford to have the druid in this state. Its different to the reaper, or any other class, this time they made an elite spec that was supposed to change the very way the game was played.

What?

I don’t support the celestial form of the Druid since I think that it is a mechanic that can stand alone and have little to no synergy with the Ranger mechanism, the pet. But, even with this opinion, I feel that the druid in it’s shape is already pretty strong (even, to strong). Now, if you talk about the druid as an elite spec that change the way you play the ranger, then yes it’s okay and it’s doing it’s job, there is few things to actually tune and it will probably be done quickly.

But, If you think that Anet create the Druid to change the whole game… Excuse me but no. Anet policy is to not make a profession mandatory for any content. And this policy need to stay.

The druid just add more direct healing support in a profession that was essentially healing via indirect source (pet/spirit/regen). I think the druid spec could have respect more the ranger core mechanism and actually used it to do the same job.

But that’s all, Anet never said : “Druid is your savior! Druid will destroy zerk meta!”. This is ridiculous. How would you be able to destroy a DPS meta with a support spec? Core content will still be faster with a DPS team (aka zerk). Futur content, by an unsought design, have time gated boss (enrage timer) which put non-DPS character even more out of the windows. In the end, support spec will play with glassy gear as soon as the fight mechanisms will be embeded in our mind, simply because the boss always need to be burn down faster.

chronometria.3708:

this time they made an elite spec that was supposed to change the very way the game was played.

Okay i’m just gonna comment on this one part, i have read your post, but this just stood out. The druid was not meant to “change the way the game was played”. One class will not change the way the game is played, it all depends solely on how the encounters are designed.

The “dead of zerkermeta” isn’t something that people say because the ranger received a healing spec (many classes can already provide healing and group support). Why it’s been such an important thing that people keep mentioning is because of how anet has been talking about the encounters, specifically in raids. And something we’ve seen in the all round difficulty of the random mobs in the new zones (apparantly the sudden drop in difficulty in the new story instance and zone is a bug)

Even if they had given the ranger a damage spec, and no one a healing spec, the point will still have been the same. You’d just have to use the healing and group support that’s already ingame because now it’s actually viable to spec in.

EDIt: also, the druid isn’t in a bad place at all. Played it all weekend, it’s a pretty good spec, if not great (imo atleast)

Played druid for a while, didn’t really feel like the skills have much in the way of group synergy – celestial needs charging and isn’t there when you need it, and the 1 second or so switch time means by the time you can hit the skills it’s a little late (at least in wvw).

I can see it being good for pve battles where everything is a lot more static, so I guess as it’s not been designed with wvw in mind it serves it’s purpose.

Ele still way more useful from a heal/damage/group play point of view on a mobile battlefield.

That’s my first impressions of the classes, my impression could well change when I play them a lot more after release.

…….The game has been booked for a heart transplant and in the final hours of its lifesaving operation,…..

I think they just wanted to give a class that didn’t have a lot of support that option. It’s not a [game/profession] life saving operation or a game changing feature.

Each profession was given something that helped it at it’s weakest point, particularly the professions that really needed help. The druid will help rangers get into parties. The reaper will help the necro. That’s all this really is. A way to add functionality to the profession.

I played the druid most of the weekend and really enjoyed it.

The ranger community isn’t going to be asked to do anything massively huge, because I don’t believe most people will raid. In fact, the group of people you refer to as the ranger community probably represents only a tiny percentage of rangers in the game.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there will be organized guilds and groups that do raids, that are on voice. You’re not depending on a random pug like in the marionette, so I don’t see the problem here.

Are you really saying the ranger community, as in the guys that play rangers and know the profession and post on the forums aren’t good enough to take on this burden?

Nice, really nice.

If you can find a quote that proves me wrong, that’s fine, but from what I recall they never said the druid is what was going to break the Berzerker Meta, what they said was that the design of Hot in general was what was going to break the Berzerker meta.

“the boss always need to be burn down faster.”

I think the solution would to start creating mobs that don’t reward you for killing them as fast as possible but for killing them according to their mechanics.

Jim.4935:

“the boss always need to be burn down faster.”

I think the solution would to start creating mobs that don’t reward you for killing them as fast as possible but for killing them according to their mechanics.

Pretty much this but even they want to go that way, you will always see peoples QQ there, “The game is changing in a wrong direction”, when its not.

Sinzaku.2980:

Jim.4935:

“the boss always need to be burn down faster.”

I think the solution would to start creating mobs that don’t reward you for killing them as fast as possible but for killing them according to their mechanics.

Pretty much this but even they want to go that way, you will always see peoples QQ there the game is changing in a wrong direction when its not.

Anet just needs to do what they think it’s best for the game and we already know that they don’t really like the zerker meta. People will always rage whatever they choose to do with the game, it’s just how people act on the internet.

Jim.4935:

Sinzaku.2980:

Jim.4935:

“the boss always need to be burn down faster.”

I think the solution would to start creating mobs that don’t reward you for killing them as fast as possible but for killing them according to their mechanics.

Pretty much this but even they want to go that way, you will always see peoples QQ there the game is changing in a wrong direction when its not.

Anet just needs to do what they think it’s best for the game and we already know that they don’t really like the zerker meta. People will always rage whatever they choose to do with the game, it’s just how people act on the internet.

Yea sadly but the community is large enuf for cover this rage from a minority =D