Guild Wars 2

Ranger

We’ll be looking into some of the ranger’s less used traits and increasing both defensive and offensive options while giving a few specialized traits a bit more allure. In the first quarterly update, we’ll also be improving the ranger’s shout utility category, giving them more unique utility. In the future, we’ll continue to explore ways to improve on the ranger’s ties to both their pets and nature. We’re still looking at the druid’s viability in group scenarios and will continue to monitor its overall effectiveness, making changes where necessary.

In light of the 2016 Wintersday Balance Update announcement, I would like to make a list of what I think are the most needed changes for Ranger. Below are the list of Traits and Utilities without suggestions:

• Utilities
  • Water Spirit
  • Storm Spirit
  • Frost Spirit
  • Stone Spirit
  • Sun Spirit
  • “Sick em!”
  • “Guard!”
  • “Protect Me!”
  • “Search and Rescue!”
  • Spirit of Nature

• Traits
  • Predator’s Instinct
  • Clarion Bond (Match CD to Pet Swap CD)
  • Brutish Seals
  • Predator’s Onslaught
  • Tail Wind (Change to outside combat like Engi’s kit swap)
  • Strider’s Defense
  • Light on your Feet
  • Most Dangerous Game
  • Expertise Training
  • Refined Toxins
  • Empathetic Bond
  • Bountiful Hunter
  • Invigorating Bond
  • Natural Healing
  • Honed Axes

This next section are the weapon skills along with my suggestions:

• Greatsword
  • Hilt Bash: Increase this skills range slightly so we can combo off of Counterattack

• Shortbow Increase range to 1200 baseline
  • Quick Shot: Chain Skill: Change to a forward leap toward your enemy striking them with the hilt of your bow causing Confusion. If landed, Quick Shot turns into Retreat Shot: Firing three rapid arrows at your enemy while leaping backwards.

• Staff
  • Vine Surge: Decrease the casting time of this skill. It misses so much because of the long casting time.
  • Sublime Conversion: Instead of the wall being in the shape of a ‘line’, make it in the shape of a ‘U’ around the caster.

• Axe Mainhand Either make this a pure raw damage weapon or pure condition weapon. Not hybrid.
  • Ricochet: Take the raw damage away and add Torment on hit.

• Axe Offhand
  • Whirling Defense: Allow us to move while channeling this skill.

• Warhorn This weapon needs a complete redesign.
  • Hunters Call: Add more damage, cripple, and blindness. Also make it a “Ground Targeted AOE.”

• Celestial Avatar Form
  • Cosmic Ray: Add a burn effect to this skill. Also make the skill land quicker.
  • Rejuvenating Tides: Give it a 2 second Stability like Natural Convergence.

I don’t agree on some of the proposals.
Frost and Sun spirits are both viable options for high-end content. I don’t want them nerfed. Also, Clarion Bond is fine.
If you want to change anything, change the ability that is cast. Not the trait.

And frankly… I don’t really understand… Like a lot of what you want to see changed. What’s wrong with Predator’s Onslaught? Bountiful Hunter? Natural Healing?

Why exactly do you think the most used traits and the most powerful ones need a change?

Tragic Positive.9356:

I don’t agree on some of the proposals.
Frost and Sun spirits are both viable options for high-end content. I don’t want them nerfed. Also, Clarion Bond is fine.
If you want to change anything, change the ability that is cast. Not the trait.

And frankly… I don’t really understand… Like a lot of what you want to see changed. What’s wrong with Predator’s Onslaught? Bountiful Hunter? Natural Healing?

Why exactly do you think the most used traits and the most powerful ones need a change?

I feel like Predator’s Onslaught is too conditional for a gm trait. It is a good damage boost though. Bountiful Hunter is ok I guess. Natural Healing would be meh if it didn’t interact with Druid.

Edit: onslaught is great pve wise, but too conditional for pvp imo.

Tragic Positive.9356:

I don’t agree on some of the proposals.
Frost and Sun spirits are both viable options for high-end content. I don’t want them nerfed. Also, Clarion Bond is fine.
If you want to change anything, change the ability that is cast. Not the trait.

And frankly… I don’t really understand… Like a lot of what you want to see changed. What’s wrong with Predator’s Onslaught? Bountiful Hunter? Natural Healing?

Why exactly do you think the most used traits and the most powerful ones need a change?

I’m looking at it from a PvP perspective. I am also taking into consideration the other two options in each tier. Like Predator’s Onslaught, theirs no reason I would take this trait over the other two options unless it was brought up to the level of the other two.

With the introduction of Druid, a lot of the Healing traits have become redundant. Like Natural Healing or even Natures Spirit.

It’s the redundancy of some of these healing traits that makes druid so strong in pvp as a bunker right now, multiple sources of healing to keep us alive.

spirit actives need a change, none of them are worth the death of the spirit right now. frost and sun are ok for pve but sun could use at least 1 more stack of burning or more duration to make it good.

2 things will probably never change, sword AA and shortbow range. Anet has set them to where they want them and we need to work within that system. shortbow could use some love though as it is subpar as both a condi and power weapon at the moment.

AF generation from damage needs to be increased or damage from staff needs to be increased. either of these will keep us from being as locked into staff just to charge AF.

staff NEEDS to be a hybrid weapon if those changes will not be made, as it is now we’re locked into power-type builds only when really condi healing builds would be much better.

Of the traits you posted I agree these could use some changes:

Strider’s Defense
Light on your Feet
Most Dangerous Game
Invigorating Bond
Honed Axes

and add Nature’s Vengeance to the list

How the heck did Sharpening Stone NOT make that list?

Edit:

ItIsFinished.9462:

• Greatsword
  • Hilt Bash: Increase this skills range slightly so we can combo off of Counterattack

The knockback from Counterattack & range from Hilt Bash are both 300. Hilt Bash’s range was also corrected a month or two ago in a patch that allowed it to travel the actual 300 distance when before it was only 220.

Wondrouswall.7169:

How the heck did Sharpening Stone NOT make that list?

Edit:

ItIsFinished.9462:

• Greatsword
  • Hilt Bash: Increase this skills range slightly so we can combo off of Counterattack

The knockback from Counterattack & range from Hilt Bash are both 300. Hilt Bash’s range was also corrected a month or two ago in a patch that allowed it to travel the actual 300 distance when before it was only 220.

I was thinking about putting Sharpening Stone on the list but you can set up some nasty combos with it. Splitblade and Poison Volley just to name a few. It’s not the best utility, but definitely not terrible.

As for Hilt Bash, even though they corrected the distance, it still doesn’t reach your opponent after Counterattack if used immediately after. I think whats happening is Counterattack is knocking back foes around 350-360 distance.

Wondrouswall.7169:

How the heck did Sharpening Stone NOT make that list?

Edit:

ItIsFinished.9462:

• Greatsword
  • Hilt Bash: Increase this skills range slightly so we can combo off of Counterattack

The knockback from Counterattack & range from Hilt Bash are both 300. Hilt Bash’s range was also corrected a month or two ago in a patch that allowed it to travel the actual 300 distance when before it was only 220.

Still can’t land it on people running away from you and can’t combo it off counterattack, which I think is what Slanger is trying to get at.

ItIsFinished.9462:

I was thinking about putting Sharpening Stine on the list but you can set up some nasty combos with. Splitblade and Poison Volley just to name a few. It’s not the best skill, but definitely not terrible.

The skill itself can only put at most 5 bleeds at once on a target. 5 bleeds then a 45 second cd. Yeah, the skill is terrible.

I agree with the above mentioned skill and trait list and would like to add that the HoT release and subsequent update have removed our high damage build options completely. SB, LB, zerker, rabid and carrion builds just can’t compete in a meaningful way anymore. I think Druid is in a decent spot as a medium damage hybrid healer or bunker, but that’s about it. We lost our other options and that is a little sad.

Spirits, at the very least, need to have the cast time on the active effects removed and the recharge time reduced. Ideally we would have a major trait that reduces the recharge if the active effect was used. Since they lack mobility, they need to have a relatively short recharge to compensate.

Shouts have always been in a weird place. Resounding Timbre is great, but the base effects of the utility shouts have always been kind of kludged together. I’d like to see more support abilities here – i.e. effect allies near you or your pet, rather than beastmaster centric abilities.

On the Druid side, I’d like to see a little bit of condition damage on Staff AA, and maybe on wisp as well. Lingering Light and Celestial Shadow could use some tweaking, and it would be nice if Grace wasn’t as gated on CAF.

ItIsFinished.9462:

I think whats happening is Counterattack is knocking back foes around 350-360 distance.

Curiosity peaked. I never thought of the actual distance being greater than listed. I’ll check this out.

ItIsFinished.9462:

I’m looking at it from a PvP perspective. I am also taking into consideration the other two options in each tier. Like Predator’s Onslaught, theirs no reason I would take this trait over the other two options unless it was brought up to the level of the other two.

With the introduction of Druid, a lot of the Healing traits have become redundant. Like Natural Healing or even Natures Spirit.

You can’t really say that PvE traits are bad for PvP …
… There are usually obvious choices for different content.

But then I remembered that everything is balanced around PvP. Your point is valid.

So, a bit of testing seems the knockback is 300, but then counting the distance between the player and the target adds into that making Hilt Bash out of range (since the Counterattack kick itself has a 120-150 kick range).

That said, I’m now in favor of extending Hilt Bash’s range. Maybe to 400.