Guild Wars 2

After teaching you all how to fight Reapers, I thought I would help show Reapers a trick to give yourself a fighting chance against Druids when you meet them in WvW open field.

I’ll be showing you in this video how to prevent the dreaded Druid’s longbow knockback + root combo as a Reaper.
I had quite a bit of lag with the video taking program on, but when you try this with your decent connection, it works. Just a bit of practice, a lot of concentration and your finger on the shroud button helps you prevent that dreaded knockback. Knowing that the knockback animation is a small white twirl helps too.

Longbow + staff druids are the hardest as they kite pretty hard. But I’ve killed my fair share of them too with this shroud to stunbreak + dash trick. I tried to make a video against a very good quickdraw LB + staff druid but he was very good, some alex guy from Mag and I was lagging too much to react to his knockback from invis due to the video program.
Not to take away anything from him, he was a class stronger than me. But without the lag, I would have given him a closer fight =) he won like 8 out of 10 fights in the end.

Fast fingers, decent connection and a lot of concentration. Plus some practice.

By the way, does anyone know how the Druid was blocking during the fight? I was re-watching the fights and noticed he blocked my attacks at odd intervals.

EremiteAngel.9765:

By the way, does anyone know how the Druid was blocking during the fight? I was re-watching the fights and noticed he blocked my attacks at odd intervals.

Aegis from Rune of the Defender bonus #4.

Clownmug.8357:

EremiteAngel.9765:

By the way, does anyone know how the Druid was blocking during the fight? I was re-watching the fights and noticed he blocked my attacks at odd intervals.

Aegis from Rune of the Defender bonus #4.

seems like you are right! I never thought this rune would see much use. Is it the current rune meta for druids?

Defender Rune is a cheesy meta off-choice for classes that want extra sustain and have a low cooldown heal or access to low cooldown blocks, such as Daredevil, Warrior, and Ranger.

Of course a great way to even the matchup against a Druid is to either avoid or instantly stunbreak the knockbacks so that he’s effectively not running a Grandmaster trait. The problem is that this doesn’t actually really help you: Against a competent Druid, they have plenty of other ways of re-opening the gap and/or CC’ing you. The only way you’re going to be able to give it to a Druid as a Reaper is if…
A) You’re Condi
B) You’re running Path of Corruption
C) They eat the Death’s Charge

The fight is pretty stupid easy to win if they fail to dodge a PoC Death’s Charge, especially after entering Celestial Form since they no longer have Celestial Clarity and you likely end up corrupting some combination of Regen, Stability, and Swiftness, which then makes it easier to follow up with an Executioner’s Scythe or a Terrify.

TL;DR: There are ways of improving the numbers in the Druid matchup, but it’s pretty much always the Druid’s fight to lose.

Zero Solstice.9754:

The only way you’re going to be able to give it to a Druid as a Reaper is if…

A) You’re Condi

Power Reaper vs. Longbow Druid:

-Marauder Gear
-Axe / Focus (20 second cd, 1200 range boon strip + chill)
-Corrupt Boon (15 second cd, 1200 range corrupt)
-Plague Signet (1200 range immob transfer)
-Speed of Shadows (7 second shroud cd -> more access to shroud2 gap closer and projectile block)
- Locust Signet is not mandatory but helpful (in combination with Speed of Shadows permanent +25% running speed)

Timing: If Plague Signet is on cd, wait for shroud entering until immob inc and destroy the roots with the auto attack (2 or 3 hits). Then Death’s Charge!

EZ Mode!

You die if he immobs you when:
-signet is on cd
-shroud is on cd
-consume conditions is on cd
-you are on axe (can’t destroy the roots) and weapon swap is on cd

Avoid that!

KrHome.1920:

Zero Solstice.9754:

The only way you’re going to be able to give it to a Druid as a Reaper is if…

A) You’re Condi

Power Reaper vs. Longbow Druid:

-Marauder Gear
-Axe / Focus (20 second cd, 1200 range boon strip + chill)
-Corrupt Boon (15 second cd, 1200 range corrupt)
-Plague Signet (1200 range immob transfer)
-Speed of Shadows (7 second shroud cd -> more access to shroud2 gap closer and projectile block)
- Locust Signet is not mandatory but helpful (in combination with Speed of Shadows permanent +25% running speed)

Timing: If Plague Signet is on cd, wait for shroud entering until immob inc and destroy the roots with the auto attack (2 or 3 hits). Then Death’s Charge!

EZ Mode!

You die if he immobs you when:
-signet is on cd
-shroud is on cd
-consume conditions is on cd
-you are on axe (can’t destroy the roots) and weapon swap is on cd

Avoid that!

I can assure you that if you’re fighting any Druid worth your time in an open-field setting, they will run you in actual circles until you die. I don’t need you to tell me the matchup because I probably know it better than most individuals here. The immobilize isn’t the end-all in the matchup if the Druid understands proper posturing and reset mechanics. Axe gets out-traded and out-ranged pretty handily by Staff and Longbow, your heal is on a longer cooldown than theirs, and they have more ways to open gaps than you have to close them.

Actually, I concur with Zero.
In open field, a druid who is intend on kiting you to death will give you very little chances of winning.
Especially if he is running quickdraw trait. I understand from other druids though that it is not a trait that is used much these days.

My video showed a duel that took place in a sizeable area but it wasn’t really open field as I could predict some of the druid’s kiting movements due to the ‘arena’ setting.

Also, the build I’m using if anyone is interested. It is kind of a hybridish build leaning towards condi damage but not having to use any condi duration food and still achieving 82% bleed 92% chill. The food choice throws off some of my opponents when they think they are fighting a power reaper =3

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vREQNAnYWnc0Al3gd2A+2A0biliBjaIMFKCx9whYSMKA8tKAA-TFSAQBA4JAEQ9ByUJ4DV/xH7PESlOfUZkFOFAZGGAGCRAc3d31qqIChAYPGA-w

So… after a year of telling people to run SoS, now people are starting to run it and are finally killing mobile professions >_<

C’mon people!

Yes a good druid will kite very well, though I also chalk this up to mentioning the build used here in terms of utilities isn’t particularly amazing for taking on druids. Most went pretty unused. Shouts, given the pets as another target, are wiser and offer better sustain/LF gains.

Ahh I’m the druid from this post.

Eremite didn’t mention the part I fought his necro build a few times before we started to duel and pretty much almost lost (with the condi thief randomly jumping in).

I personally think it’s not about being a good druid in general. I think its more about knowing what you’re fighting against. Like every condi necro I fought before required me to keep my distance (aside from using staff on thief). The dps from condi necro in melee range is too much.

Nothing to really do with this post but I out-sustained a LB/Staff druid 1v1 on point in PvP yesterday with a Power Necro, so I’m pretty happy with that. Skill level was comparable, they did some things right and some things wrong, just as I did. (for example, I failed to see his LB #4 coming when I was approaching the point he was on)

Yannir.4132:

Nothing to really do with this post but I out-sustained a LB/Staff druid 1v1 on point in PvP yesterday with a Power Necro, so I’m pretty happy with that. Skill level was comparable, they did some things right and some things wrong, just as I did. (for example, I failed to see his LB #4 coming when I was approaching the point he was on)

Druid has to give up the node to a Necro. They can win the fight, but a decap is nearly guaranteed.

Zero Solstice.9754:

Yannir.4132:

Nothing to really do with this post but I out-sustained a LB/Staff druid 1v1 on point in PvP yesterday with a Power Necro, so I’m pretty happy with that. Skill level was comparable, they did some things right and some things wrong, just as I did. (for example, I failed to see his LB #4 coming when I was approaching the point he was on)

Druid has to give up the node to a Necro. They can win the fight, but a decap is nearly guaranteed.

And had I played condi, that would’ve been an even bigger advantage for me but as I play power with no staff, I always have a range disadvantage vs most classes. Especially LB/Staff druids. Still I won, so I’m good with that.

Zero Solstice.9754:

I can assure you that if you’re fighting any Druid worth your time in an open-field setting, they will run you in actual circles until you die. I don’t need you to tell me the matchup because I probably know it better than most individuals here. The immobilize isn’t the end-all in the matchup if the Druid understands proper posturing and reset mechanics. Axe gets out-traded and out-ranged pretty handily by Staff and Longbow, your heal is on a longer cooldown than theirs, and they have more ways to open gaps than you have to close them.

First of all: I don’t fight Bunker-Druids in open field. That’s really not worth mentioning because these are game mechanical basics. If we have to clearify this before we start build discussions, then we are not at the same skill level.

If he is bunker his damage is so low, that I have plenty of time to reposition to a non open field environment.

If he is glassy, I kill him in less than 10 seconds (maybe 15, if he runs stone signet) even in open field and even if he is using stealth combo when in melee for repositioning. Shroud swap aoe power proc burst doesn’t need a target and wrecks him anyway. And did I mention that Axe2 channels through stealth?

Your outrange argument is also strange. Did you notice that focus5 chills on a 1200 range? -66% speed – pretty helpful to close the range gap to 900. You also ignore that I have a 5/7 second CD 600 range leap and that swiftness is corrupted to cripple (-50% movement speed). What do you think why I said “focus” and “corrupt boon” are key parts of a counter build? Might be because of the 1200 range and the debuff/slowdown capabilities…

Btw.: Yes, a druid can always run away from me. That’s another thing not worth mentioning as every class can do that. On necro you have to learn how to deal with kiting attempts. Either slow your enemy or if it does not work (bunker druids, thieves, longbow DHs…), go to a place where he can’t port to or hit you with ranged attacks. Basics…