After seeing so much complaining about dragonhunter since it was announced. I just wanna give a thanks to Arenanet for making this elite spec. Since my biggest problem with guardian was always the ranged option, scepter just never felt fun and didn´t really feel long range with slow projectile speed.
First i need to ask something to see if i am remembering wrong, has wings of resolve gotten a leap finisher added to it since last beta? and also didn´t Procession of blade use to be 25 sec instead of 20 as it is now?
PvE:
This has been done with a celestial(armor)/sinister(trinkets) balthazar(runes) build, with of course with heavy focus on burning.
longbow: I had to change my playstyle a good bit for this weapon. But for me that meant i found a more fun and active weapon for guardian. The main thing i learned is that longbow, needs a good amount thinking on the spot with some micromanagement of targets to get maximum out of it. Because of my spec, i want as many justice procs as possible. So having puncture shot always hit 2 target was important, making sure skill 2 and 3 pierces enough mobs. Same time Deflecting Shot has just so many option, damage, piercing damage, block projectile, chance for boosted damage and blind. And it all end off with having 2 retreating shoot we can use while running to shot behind.
Yeah i am in love with it and my other weapon might end up seeing very little use now.
Virtues
Justice i only ever use the passive, losing the burn and cripple would ruin my spec. and few times i did try it, i never really seen the tether work at all, seems to miss alot?
Resolve on the other hand i love using the active. it saved me a lot of times when just running around maps, since i can get further away from mobs and get healed. Same time the heal is nice and big and i often use it just for the heal.
Courage i do like it. But yet to find a place in pve where it to useful. But i am pretty sure it has saved me a few times.
Traps:
Now this is one of the things for PvE i changed my mind about big time compared to last beta. Back then i liked em already for PvP, but not so much for PvE. I decided to give em another chance, and i am so glad i did. Test of faith and procession of blade turned out to be my favorite, while the last 2 normal utility ones didn´t feel worth using for story or open maps. Test of faith does good opening damage and most time mob will run through it at least ones, so overall damage it does is good. But if you alone with mobs you can make em run in circle in damage part, and that just feels good. While procession of blade is just a whirling wrath on steroids. Does more damage, gives more justice procs, gives fury, can be traited to daze, i can move away(Helps against big bosses) and bigger radius. How can i not like this for my build damage wise?
I still need to unlock dragon maw in PvE(1 hero challenge away)
Also against 1 of the story mode fight, i was glad healing trap was added, that huge amount healed with low cooldown when traited, just helped so much, in longer fights.
Judge’s intervention is a nice way to get in and drop traps. It isn´t need, since bow work fine at close range and you only gonna be there a short time. Traps only helps making dragonhunter even more active.
PvE stats
Didn´t expect i was gonna have to talk about this, but i was positively surprised they added a stats type that might be good for my setup. I am talking about vipers. If replacing sinister with viper’s i would get more power at cost of some crit and condition damage, while getting some nice condition duration. This to me sound like a nice option that could finally make me drop balthazar runes for something else.
I beaten story perfectly fine without to much trouble and yet to find a place in open maps where build didn´t work. Hell i manage to solo a few champion with it, even hero challenges.
PvP
I am not one those super pvp’ er. I am just going in there for fun and do mistake in there. First off all i never felt like i was making my team worse, hell i won far more match’s then i expected, since i was on a new spec and not use to it yet. Spec did fine in 1vs1 and at times i even did rather well in 1vs2. My problems in pvp was never spec, but team mates (not ressing or support points and just going for fights!)
longbow:
Alot of things i said about PvE part still holds true overall. Though since there is at max 5 other people, using bounce and piercing gets alot harder. But i find longbow to be a nice range with good damage to pressure people, which synergies very well with Wall of reflection.
Virtues
Justice: again in pvp for me it see very little use, but i have to admit, i did snipe a kill with pull low health guy into trap and it did feel good. But that not something i will do often, since need my cripples and burn.
Resolve: again leap can get me out tight spot at times and heal is ok size, This sees constant use. Though does kinda suck the heal can be stopped if leap is cut short.
Courage: cooldown is long, yet i keep using it, since in a big battle a perfect use of this ability can be what decides battle outcome. Either be to block while stomping or ressing someone or to control a huge ranged incoming of damage.
Traps:
yeah i am running with same traps in here, just add in dragons maw and changed judge’s Intervention to Wall of Reflection, since it lets me do range pressure without them attacking back, and if they come into close combat i got a 3 trap combo with on em. Same time i run sword to do a teleport trap dropping attack.
Other random pvp notes
Will need to know i actually having huge succes with heavy light in pvp, since if i see some one downed i can go in shot and proc stability and go for stomp. That has been working better then expected, since there is no real control over heavy light
Closing comment: I love dragon hunter with traps. It is a very active elite spec that requires a lot of moving around and thinking if you using both longbow and traps. But it doesn´t mean dragonhunter is perfect. Class still feels slow for a spec that suppose to hunt dragons and defenders dogma needs a change or be removed and still feel we need a condition damage trait (removed defender dogma and make zealots aggression a minor, since all dragonhunter should have it. Now there is a spot free for a new major focusing on condition damage)
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. I have way more survivability aswell. I lost 1 1v1 since the launch. So yeah i can´t understand all the hate about the DH. I think most guards just want an elite spec with a skill that insta kills everybody…