Guild Wars 2

As we all know the the longbow skill 1 is just rubbish most longbow users like me probably tend to switch weapon when they’ve used up all the other skills the longbow has. The main problems the longbow has with it’s skill 1 is low DPS and ability to hit.

My idea for the longbow skill 1 is first increase the fire rate, yes this has been said before, and secondly the further the arrow goes the faster it gets this would make the longbow more useful at longer ranges than a simple side step.

So, what do you guys think

Pretty sure there is something like that already, with fast fire rate, stable, but not high damage, arrows reaches their targets pretty fast. But hmm how was it called? Something like short… shortriftle? Ah, it’s Shortbow.

I’m not saying it needs a fast fire rate as the short-bow. According to the wiki the activation time for shortbow is half a second whereas the activation time for the longbow is 1.25 seconds, maybe just make it a bit faster activation time for example the warrior longbow 1 skill activation time is 0.75 seconds. Plus i’m trying to help give the longbow a better chance at being more efficient at longer distances.

For starters they should look at removing the range differential in damage. Unless you’re just spamming “3, 2, 5, Swap” the longbow is useless for anything other than an easily controllable boss fight. Past that, I think that longbow should simply do a little more reliable damage than shortbow, and shortbow should pull even or ahead if flanking and spec’ed for condition damage.

Chaosgyro.6023:

For starters they should look at removing the range differential in damage. Unless you’re just spamming “3, 2, 5, Swap” the longbow is useless for anything other than an easily controllable boss fight. Past that, I think that longbow should simply do a little more reliable damage than shortbow, and shortbow should pull even or ahead if flanking and spec’ed for condition damage.

Exactly, the other 4 skills are great. I personally don’t mind the range differential if they increased the damage after short range because the longbow isn’t for short range, hence the name but at mid to long range it needs to do more damage than it does now. The other problem is hitting at long range hence why i said for the arrow to increase in speed the further it goes.

I agree that something needs to be done about LB #1, but I don’t know what exactly. I do open with 3, 2 and 5 if there’s a group, then swap to my axe. It’s sad that I can burn down targets (and aoe with bounces) so much faster with my axe than my LB.

I say merge tier 1 & 2 of the damage:distance and make that all max damage. This way we’ll swap to something else if the target is really close (range tier 3) but we aren’t kitten so severely if they’re in that middle 2nd tier.

Just remove distance difference from LB#1 - let it will do the same damage everywhere

Remove distance req, change dmg… do what you want. But DON’T touch fire rate. I like full animation, when character moves hand to quiver. It’s (should be) slow firing and hard hitting weapon, so don’t make it 2nd shortbow.

Terkov.4138:

Remove distance req, change dmg… do what you want. But DON’T touch fire rate. I like full animation, when character moves hand to quiver. It’s (should be) slow firing and hard hitting weapon, so don’t make it 2nd shortbow.

Yes actually, the firing rate is fine. The other difference this gives with the short bow is less use of combo fields. Unless you’re popping #2 you just aren’t getting much out of them with longbow; which is fine. Let short bow machine gun through fields, but let longbow #1 hit like a truck (even an unloaded mid-sized pickup) to compensate.

I’d like to see the #1 skill changed to a “charge” skill, IE you can spam it an get a bunch of really weak shots off (I mean REALLY weak as weak as shooting someone point blank ATM) but then make it have a few different power Lvs in charge each one upping the damage and the arrow speed, charging it all the way should take as long as it takes to fire a shot now, firing as fast as possible should take ~ .75s, I feel like this would make the longbow a lot stronger as a weapon and not completely bone us if we gut stuck in close quarters.

I like longbow as it is but it could use a litle buff in dmg. Its not a close range weapon and you shouldnt use it for that. I like the diference in dmg with #1. I think charged shot would fit as new elite skill.

Terkov.4138:

Remove distance req, change dmg… do what you want. But DON’T touch fire rate. I like full animation, when character moves hand to quiver. It’s (should be) slow firing and hard hitting weapon, so don’t make it 2nd shortbow.

You’re right, i was getting jealous of the warrior’s longbow i think, i like the idea of increased damage at longer distances as i think this also distinguishes it from the short-bow in long range battles, at the same time i don’t think it should be as handicapped as it is at shorter distances. I’m not saying it should be on par with the short bow at shorter distances but it should at least keep the mid range base damage as it looses out at fire rate. But at long range having increased damage for the longbow is great but if it can’t hit at long range reliably then the long bow is useless hence increasing arrow speed as distance increases.

Increase base damage by 10%

Only penalize the damage if it’s sub 600 range.

Add chance cripple on LB1. Your crit percentage should affect landing rate and conditional duration should affect duration of the cripple.

Make it a chain attack.

You could do something like:
Chain 1: Shoot an arrow that does more damage the further away your are
Chain 2: Shoot two arrows in quick succession
Chain 3: Charge a shot, if range is greater than set amount, it cannot be blocked

You could make Chain 3 have a longer charge time than basic attack, kind of like Guardians hammer Chain 3. These are just thoughts though, you could make Chain 2 involve the pet somehow, like how sword gives pet might, you could make it grant the pet some boon or inflict a condition.

Finn.7243:

Make it a chain attack.

You could do something like:
Chain 1: Shoot an arrow that does more damage the further away your are
Chain 2: Shoot two arrows in quick succession
Chain 3: Charge a shot, if range is greater than set amount, it cannot be blocked

You could make Chain 3 have a longer charge time than basic attack, kind of like Guardians hammer Chain 3. These are just thoughts though, you could make Chain 2 involve the pet somehow, like how sword gives pet might, you could make it grant the pet some boon or inflict a condition.

Actually, I like this idea very much. Since our SB is just a standard shot, I like having LB#1 being a chain attack. Especially since we should be using it at range.

(remove base distance requirement)
Chain 1: Shoot arrow that cripples for 1s
Chain 2: Shoot 2 arrows that deal more damage the further away the target is
Chain 3: Charged shot that deals big damage & grants pet’s next attack to deal +10% damage

I dunno…that seems overly complex. But we need something that let’s us attack at long range effectively (buff damage at range instead of slashing it at close range). Giving the 1st attack a 1s cripple would help keep that range. And having a charged shot would feel like an epic sniper. Let it synergize with our pets so that at close range even if we can’t deal optimal damage w/ our bows our pets still gain a bonus to be more effective.

^ I would love this!!

Seras.5702:

Finn.7243:

Make it a chain attack.

You could do something like:
Chain 1: Shoot an arrow that does more damage the further away your are
Chain 2: Shoot two arrows in quick succession
Chain 3: Charge a shot, if range is greater than set amount, it cannot be blocked

You could make Chain 3 have a longer charge time than basic attack, kind of like Guardians hammer Chain 3. These are just thoughts though, you could make Chain 2 involve the pet somehow, like how sword gives pet might, you could make it grant the pet some boon or inflict a condition.

Actually, I like this idea very much. Since our SB is just a standard shot, I like having LB#1 being a chain attack. Especially since we should be using it at range.

(remove base distance requirement)
Chain 1: Shoot arrow that cripples for 1s
Chain 2: Shoot 2 arrows that deal more damage the further away the target is
Chain 3: Charged shot that deals big damage & grants pet’s next attack to deal +10% damage

I dunno…that seems overly complex. But we need something that let’s us attack at long range effectively (buff damage at range instead of slashing it at close range). Giving the 1st attack a 1s cripple would help keep that range. And having a charged shot would feel like an epic sniper. Let it synergize with our pets so that at close range even if we can’t deal optimal damage w/ our bows our pets still gain a bonus to be more effective.

I don’t know about having a different effect on all 3 shots, but I would love a chain with 2 different effects on it. Having 1 be a chain would give it some flavor compared to Shortbow.

I don’t know,I like the longbow atm anyway,the long range=more damage is a concept I like.
I keep a sword and torch for people who get to close for me :P

a simple 20% damage increase to the skill itself, Crit damage + pr range, in addition to a fixed +x crit chance and you got a good attack

Example;
Longbow 1;
Damage; 750
Range; 1500 basic range, 1700 traited. (so stupid that a longbow should EVER have the same basic reach as a shortbow. its a LONGbow, it is meant to shoot FAR AWAY)
Critical Damage;
750 – +5%
900 – +10%
1200 – +15%
1700 – +20% (traited)
Critical chance increased by 15%
0,45 second re-fire (same as today)

Chain would be cool, but afaik there is no chained ranged attack, so I don’t think they’d make exception for us.

Terkov.4138:

Chain would be cool, but afaik there is no chained ranged attack, so I don’t think they’d make exception for us.

You’re wrong on that. Mesmer Scepter and Necro Scepter both are both ranged and chained.

There are no bow chains (I don’t think) but that would only make it more unique.

Although I agree the Longbow needs some help I disagree completely with your opinion.

The reason I disagree is because I don’t want a FAST longbow I want a strong longbow, the main reason I hate the short bow is actually how fast it shoots, because it looks rediculus. I do Archery in real life as a hobby and I’m very attached to Bow’s and Archery. The last thing I want is my Longbow to shoot faster cause it looks ugly as hell.

However, I would like to see it do a lot more damage, have a Range of 1500 by default and change the trait which increase the Range to something more useful that the Ranger can use. and to remove the whole damage more the further the target is. I understand the Range-Damage thing is to balance and promote long range tactics but really, from real life experiences I can tell you a Longbow in reality is the complete opposite, and will do more damage the closer you are

True, why the range of the longbow is the same as that of the short bow i don’t know it’s like we we can only pull the bow string all the way back if we’re traited for it.

DancinPuppeh.8421:

I understand the Range-Damage thing is to balance and promote long range tactics but really, from real life experiences I can tell you a Longbow in reality is the complete opposite, and will do more damage the closer you are

This.

In my opinion, there is a lot of talk here on how useless the longbow is period and accorded to the OP it’s largely put on the longbows low auto attack dps. If that is all you’re concerned with, an auto attack, you’ve largely failed your profession and the intended use of that weapon.

The longbow will always be used for a secondary weapon period. But with any weapons in this game, their intention is not for you to only use your auto attack to burn down targets and do nothing else. This game is not designed to accommodate for lazy wow raider mages, running arcane spamming one ability. There are a few points I think suit this weapon for good reason and all are extremely useful. But I do not think the setup for the bows auto attack should be adjusted, here is why the bow should remain exactly like it is.

First, if you were going to use it at all as an “Auto-Attack” weapon, because it is slower it can and will help you drop the focus of a boss. That is if you currently have it for their attention. Agro tables are hard to manage in this game, however every boss does seem to love Fire Ele over any other class based on damage output. High condition rangers can, like myself often times gain focus easily from a boss especially when running Shortbow. If the Longbow was any faster, it’d likely not allow for us to switch and use it as a means to decrease that focus from a boss. Using the auto attack, lowers damage output and decreases that threat ratio. Quite useful as a means to survive an encounter.

Second, when you actually do have a mob or boss in your face Point Blank shot is there to push the target back at a distance. Following this immediately with a barrage, forces that target through a rain cloud of arrows and cripples them. This is also in my opinion extremely useful even as a lead attack in conjunction with traps, sharpening stone for waves of enemies headed your way. Although, this can be extremely risky as you are going to make good friends with every enemy in the wave. Still depending on levels, often times entire waves can be taken out this way. It’s both offensive and defensively used.

Third, Hunters Shot. Probably your lead attack always before using Rapid Fire or Barrage, why? Because this skill puts 10 stacks of vulnerability on the target. This can also be amplified with the 5 points into opening strikes. If used at all not as a lead, you’re not increasing your bonus on your traits. This ability also allows your pet to gain swiftness as a lead into other rotations. The faster your pet gets there, the higher your overall damage.

Fourth, Rapid Fire is the skill that lets the Longbow shine closely to the Shortbow. This ability being as its very out output sequentially on any target has a much longer range than a Shortbow. Fleeing mobs, and greater distances on bosses are easily damaged allowing you to be in the safe zone.

In closing I think the Longbow, if it were any faster in any auto attack situation, it would greatly kitten the Shortbow and nobody would have any need other than poison for them anymore. Longbows were intended to shoot at longer range and take longer to send arrows down range. That is why they are Long-Bows. And really, damage per second in this game holds little weight. It’s all based on Damage output in the end. There is a reason a system isn’t there for people to flex about how fast their damage is. It’s all based on overall damage output. Which can change drastically in a duration of any extended fight.

I think the unfortunate category that Rangers fall into is the easy mode category. Rangers are very self sustaining and easily solo played in nearly every situation. Because of pets, people want to just sit back and pew pew arrows naturally, not move, not use any other abilities and kill the targets with the same efficiency as others. I think, this is why it is in any game, you have far superior players that do far greater damage, because they are willing to capitalize on all abilities given to them for their profession.

If I had a choice for three more usable abilities over a natural attack. I’d be bending, breaking and cramping fingers to use those over aimlessly staring at a health-bar on a boss and hoping to get 85% splashes on auto attacks.

Best,
Vancien

Vancien.1980:

The longbow will always be used for a secondary weapon period.

I stopped reading right there.

When you force someone to spec a certain way to play, that’s a design failure. Especially for a game with no trinity. That is not a valid argument.

I honestly love how Longbow is now. The damage on LB#1 could maybe use a bit of tweaking, maybe increase it at mid and long range but keep it where it is short-range that way it is more beneficial. However, I am still comfortable with where it is now.

Having used longbow since launch, in everything (dungeons, pve, etc.) except sPvP, I actually prefer it to shortbow. Throwing 20 stacks of vulnerability on a target via opening strikes and LB#3 and then popping quickness for LB#2 and then a quick LB#5 before the quickness runs out (I did not think it was possible at first while actually in the heat of combat, but I’ve managed to get the timing down), I do massive damage. Even without the quickness it does a lot. I also actually don’t mind the LB#1 so much, perhaps because I always try to sit at max range.

Certainly there are times you can’t get very far from your target and need to switch to something else (in this case I use shortbow in dungeons and GS in PvE) to maximize damage output, but why is this such a terrible thing? Not every weapon can do everything. If you can’t reach you target because you’re wielding a GS and it is too far away/something is keeping you from melee range, are you going to complain that the GS#1 is broken and needs an extended range? No, you’re going to keep a ranged secondary or else make the best of your situation.

Longbow is great in many ways, and I firmly believe that those who think it is inferior are either unaware of how best to utilize it, just want a different play style, or are just the kinds of people who like to complain about everything. =P

@Vacien
First off, you really didn’t need to explain the other four skills the ranger has and how to use them, they’re pretty obvious.
Anyway, i never said that the longbow is useless, i use it myself as a secondary, always have, always will. In fact i don’t think anyone on this topic has said that the longbow is useless, the problem we have with it is just the effectiveness of skill 1, that’s all this topic is about, hence the title.
I’m sure most of us just burn through skills 2-5 and then want to swap but that will not take up the full ten seconds before the next weapon swap, at some point or another you will have to use skill 1 which as we all know is fundamentally flawed as it does not do enough damage per hit, i have already rejected the idea of increasing activation speed. The skill increases in damage the further you are from your target. The problem is, at the range that it is most effective it is also the easiest to dodge and when i say dodge i mean just a matter of strafing right or left a bit due to the distance the projectile has to travel to hit the target and the speed it is going at. This is why i proposed to make the arrow increase in speed the further it went as well, this would hopefully increase the reliability of the arrow hitting it’s target at long range.

Are you talking specifically about PvP at this point? If so, I could see it being an issue. But it’s hardly the weapon with the largest issue at that point.

Aridia.3042:

Increase base damage by 10%

Only penalize the damage if it’s sub 600 range.

Add chance cripple on LB1. Your crit percentage should affect landing rate and conditional duration should affect duration of the cripple.

The funny thing is that this would be really powerful with a cripple and yet seems perfectly reasonable when you consider what an Elemental or Thief can do smashing their heads on their keyboards.

Oolune.4357:

Are you talking specifically about PvP at this point? If so, I could see it being an issue. But it’s hardly the weapon with the largest issue at that point.

yes i am and yes you’re probably right, just out of curiosity what ranger weapon/s do you think have the largest issue?

Gelltor.3015:

I don’t know,I like the longbow atm anyway,the long range=more damage is a concept I like.

Me too. Unfortunately, as it stands now it’s more akin to “less damage the closer you are” as opposed to “more damage the farther you are.” Does that make sense lol?

What I mean is that instead of being rewarded for dealing damage at long range, we’re penalized for shooting at close range. The damage output inside of the farthest tier is too low. I like the idea, forcing us to use LB as a true ranged weapon. But it falls flat in execution. Hence why I think a chain would work better. Maintain the LB slow rate of fire but give it an attack chain that could include the distance:damage aspect in 1 chain-link.

Samitan.6192:

Oolune.4357:

Are you talking specifically about PvP at this point? If so, I could see it being an issue. But it’s hardly the weapon with the largest issue at that point.

yes i am and yes you’re probably right, just out of curiosity what ranger weapon/s do you think have the largest issue?

In PvP, I honestly find axe and 1h sword useless. Maybe I just don’t understand how to use them or something, but if you want to talk about issues with weapons in PvP I don’t think LB is the one suffering the most for Ranger.

I can’t imagine not using a sword in PVP, it’s devastating. Be it the constant evades, the disengage or horn Hunters Call and number 1 skill target lock on lump of burst plus a pet swap quickness at the right moment.

I use the long bow and it makes me cry. The range is ok, not great even traited. But watching the warrior next to me walk a few feet in front of me, and using kill shot out damage me by 700% or more.

Oolune.4357:

Samitan.6192:

Oolune.4357:

Are you talking specifically about PvP at this point? If so, I could see it being an issue. But it’s hardly the weapon with the largest issue at that point.

yes i am and yes you’re probably right, just out of curiosity what ranger weapon/s do you think have the largest issue?

In PvP, I honestly find axe and 1h sword useless. Maybe I just don’t understand how to use them or something, but if you want to talk about issues with weapons in PvP I don’t think LB is the one suffering the most for Ranger.

I can’t say much for the axe as i haven’t used it much in the game as a whole, it just doesn’t appeal to me. The one handed sword on the other hand probably accounts for around 80% of my pvp kills, i love it. It takes some getting used to and turning off auto attack helped me a lot in terms of dodging. However there are discussions on this and it seems that half of the ranger community love it and the other half hate it.

Anyway going a bit off topic there, i agree that we should not be penalized for attacking at short range with the longbow. In my opinion, we should have a set damage for short to mid range about 250 and then at long range make it about 350 as well as the increasing arrow speed aspect the i mentioned in an earlier post. Also at the risk of repeating my self, increased untraited bow range.

capuchinseven.8395:

Aridia.3042:

Increase base damage by 10%

Only penalize the damage if it’s sub 600 range.

Add chance cripple on LB1. Your crit percentage should affect landing rate and conditional duration should affect duration of the cripple.

The funny thing is that this would be really powerful with a cripple and yet seems perfectly reasonable when you consider what an Elemental or Thief can do smashing their heads on their keyboards.

Cripple makes sense because every class has gap closers and range choices unlike other MMOs. It’s literally impossible to kite indefinitely.

If they expect people to snipe at the 1k+ range killzone, they need to give the means for the ranger to take effective subsequent shots aside from zerg surfing. Having the chance to only fire 1 or 2 shots which might or might not crit with anemic damage doesn’t cut it. LB4 doesn’t cut it, too long of a cool down and no range. Barrage refresh is too long and it’s wasted on single target.

You can run cripple on it right now with the MS1 trait and by using Roasted Artichokes at night and even then it’s lacking. So i don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to ask for that as a default. Again, very easy to see if it’s overpowered just look at the warrior. Rifle cripple has 3x faster refresh than barrage and they can trait it to immobilize. Last I heard Anet was fine with warriors being where they are….we’re not asking for the moon here. Just want something that’s actually viable when compared with other classes.

If you’re playing sPvP with a glass canon longbow build you want to fulfill the role of ranged harasser, you run around the map harassing from as far away from the point as possible, call out targets to focus, and destroy from ranged. You can weaken bunkers with 0 threat to yourself, capture/steal secondaries, and scout.

It does NOT work well in PUGs but in a solid tPvP team with VOIP a longbow gc ranger is absolutely devastating, the ONLY map I felt like I would’ve been better in a different role was Forest, but even then sniping chieftain and Svanir and making their bunkers waste all their CDs to not die is always useful!

Durzlla.6295:

If you’re playing sPvP with a glass canon longbow build you want to fulfill the role of ranged harasser, you run around the map harassing from as far away from the point as possible, call out targets to focus, and destroy from ranged. You can weaken bunkers with 0 threat to yourself, capture/steal secondaries, and scout.

It does NOT work well in PUGs but in a solid tPvP team with VOIP a longbow gc ranger is absolutely devastating, the ONLY map I felt like I would’ve been better in a different role was Forest, but even then sniping chieftain and Svanir and making their bunkers waste all their CDs to not die is always useful!

LB ranger in spvp is a liability. In order to maximize damage, I have to be away from the nodes I’m suppose to help cap and further lessen the damage even more by making the pet take a scenic route?

This is why spvp cap and hold is flawed and why I don’t play that mode. Even when I test builds in that mode I at least have the common courtesy to run SB to not be completely worthless to my team.

Lert.6287:

Pretty sure there is something like that already, with fast fire rate, stable, but not high damage, arrows reaches their targets pretty fast. But hmm how was it called? Something like short… shortriftle? Ah, it’s Shortbow.

This doesn’t contribute to the thread. It’s off-topic. We’re talking about Longbow, not Shortbow. Another thing, have the common courtesy to give an idea if you’re going to poke holes in his.

Aridia.3042:

Durzlla.6295:

If you’re playing sPvP with a glass canon longbow build you want to fulfill the role of ranged harasser, you run around the map harassing from as far away from the point as possible, call out targets to focus, and destroy from ranged. You can weaken bunkers with 0 threat to yourself, capture/steal secondaries, and scout.

It does NOT work well in PUGs but in a solid tPvP team with VOIP a longbow gc ranger is absolutely devastating, the ONLY map I felt like I would’ve been better in a different role was Forest, but even then sniping chieftain and Svanir and making their bunkers waste all their CDs to not die is always useful!

LB ranger in spvp is a liability. In order to maximize damage, I have to be away from the nodes I’m suppose to help cap and further lessen the damage even more by making the pet take a scenic route?

This is why spvp cap and hold is flawed and why I don’t play that mode. Even when I test builds in that mode I at least have the common courtesy to run SB to not be completely worthless to my team.

Um, you are helping, you’re spiking down high threat targets and if they want to kill you they have to leave the point, which no bunker will do, and no enemies will be willing to do in a 2v1 or a 2v2 leaving you to sit there at full health and endurance and reap the rewards of +20% damage increase because of it.

And if they -do- break off the point to get you, you’ll likely cap the point.

Incase you’re wondering, no, you won’t be in a 1v1 very often if at all because that’s not what a ranged harasser does, they’ll “1v1” a bunker or another point guard for a brief amount of time before the melee ranged capper shows up to finish of the bunker/point guard and take the point, but that’s about it.

give longbow the 1000+ range dmg at any range.

there i fixed it.

Durzlla.6295:

Aridia.3042:

Durzlla.6295:

If you’re playing sPvP with a glass canon longbow build you want to fulfill the role of ranged harasser, you run around the map harassing from as far away from the point as possible, call out targets to focus, and destroy from ranged. You can weaken bunkers with 0 threat to yourself, capture/steal secondaries, and scout.

It does NOT work well in PUGs but in a solid tPvP team with VOIP a longbow gc ranger is absolutely devastating, the ONLY map I felt like I would’ve been better in a different role was Forest, but even then sniping chieftain and Svanir and making their bunkers waste all their CDs to not die is always useful!

LB ranger in spvp is a liability. In order to maximize damage, I have to be away from the nodes I’m suppose to help cap and further lessen the damage even more by making the pet take a scenic route?

This is why spvp cap and hold is flawed and why I don’t play that mode. Even when I test builds in that mode I at least have the common courtesy to run SB to not be completely worthless to my team.

Um, you are helping, you’re spiking down high threat targets and if they want to kill you they have to leave the point, which no bunker will do, and no enemies will be willing to do in a 2v1 or a 2v2 leaving you to sit there at full health and endurance and reap the rewards of +20% damage increase because of it.

And if they -do- break off the point to get you, you’ll likely cap the point.

Incase you’re wondering, no, you won’t be in a 1v1 very often if at all because that’s not what a ranged harasser does, they’ll “1v1” a bunker or another point guard for a brief amount of time before the melee ranged capper shows up to finish of the bunker/point guard and take the point, but that’s about it.

Interesting theory, except spvp is basically full of dd ellies, thieves and mesmers, all of which have better burst and mobility. A GC ranger will fold faster than a cheap chinese lawn chair. And LB with no full marksmanship and skirmish is pointless. If people can’t kite in an open wvw map, there’s no way to keep the distance in an spvp one. They don’t even need to chase you, someone who’s capped another point and on his way to another node will run into you and make you feed his team.

Aridia.3042:

Durzlla.6295:

Aridia.3042:

Durzlla.6295:

If you’re playing sPvP with a glass canon longbow build you want to fulfill the role of ranged harasser, you run around the map harassing from as far away from the point as possible, call out targets to focus, and destroy from ranged. You can weaken bunkers with 0 threat to yourself, capture/steal secondaries, and scout.

It does NOT work well in PUGs but in a solid tPvP team with VOIP a longbow gc ranger is absolutely devastating, the ONLY map I felt like I would’ve been better in a different role was Forest, but even then sniping chieftain and Svanir and making their bunkers waste all their CDs to not die is always useful!

LB ranger in spvp is a liability. In order to maximize damage, I have to be away from the nodes I’m suppose to help cap and further lessen the damage even more by making the pet take a scenic route?

This is why spvp cap and hold is flawed and why I don’t play that mode. Even when I test builds in that mode I at least have the common courtesy to run SB to not be completely worthless to my team.

Um, you are helping, you’re spiking down high threat targets and if they want to kill you they have to leave the point, which no bunker will do, and no enemies will be willing to do in a 2v1 or a 2v2 leaving you to sit there at full health and endurance and reap the rewards of +20% damage increase because of it.

And if they -do- break off the point to get you, you’ll likely cap the point.

Incase you’re wondering, no, you won’t be in a 1v1 very often if at all because that’s not what a ranged harasser does, they’ll “1v1” a bunker or another point guard for a brief amount of time before the melee ranged capper shows up to finish of the bunker/point guard and take the point, but that’s about it.

Interesting theory, except spvp is basically full of dd ellies, thieves and mesmers, all of which have better burst and mobility. A GC ranger will fold faster than a cheap chinese lawn chair. And LB with no full marksmanship and skirmish is pointless. If people can’t kite in an open wvw map, there’s no way to keep the distance in an spvp one. They don’t even need to chase you, someone who’s capped another point and on his way to another node will run into you and make you feed his team.

Maybe you should try it out in tPvP before trying to poke holes into it? D/D eles and mesmers are hardly more mobile than me, thieves are the only thing that can close a 2k range gap at a reasonable speed, and even then it requires them to use a few utility skills or burn a bit of initiative to do so.

As for LB rangers that aren’t gc being worthless, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, LB is one of our best support weapons with the short CD KB, vuln, and AoE cripple.

PS: it’s not some “theory” it’s how the build works, I’ve used it in a LOT of tPvP games lately, the only one ive lost was against a freaking premade of shark ranks, that was an absolute blood bath.

EDIT: the best way to think of GC longbow ranger is as an AD carry, if you’re left alone you can wreck constantly because almost all your damage comes from your auto attack (you have some burst on short CD but your auto is your main damage) however you will go down faster than a snowflake in a blast furnace if you get caught out of position which is why you need to rely on mobility, immobs and evades to escape if they start to focus you an only come back if your team calls for you/you see a few quick kills you can deal.

Durzlla.6295:

Maybe you should try it out in tPvP before trying to poke holes into it? D/D eles and mesmers are hardly more mobile than me, thieves are the only thing that can close a 2k range gap at a reasonable speed, and even then it requires them to use a few utility skills or burn a bit of initiative to do so.

As for LB rangers that aren’t gc being worthless, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, LB is one of our best support weapons with the short CD KB, vuln, and AoE cripple.

PS: it’s not some “theory” it’s how the build works, I’ve used it in a LOT of tPvP games lately, the only one ive lost was against a freaking premade of shark ranks, that was an absolute blood bath.

I’ve ran a pure GC ranger since BWE2. Yes, I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work to the point I refuse to waste my own time and my teammates’ time in running it in spvp. Vids please if you’re successful at it in spvp.

Not sure if you’re playing 5 vs 5 but I only played in pubs. Not like that would matter because no one sane will let you sit back to snipe if they know you’re GC. Not to mention there’s the lack of sniper nests in the game aside from the ledge over looking the Keep and Graveyard…nothing that won’t be fixed quickly by a quick yank, from tada, your friendly neighbourhood spvp thieves and mesmers again.

And a 5 vs 5 “organized” spvp squad should not be the metric to use in measuring balance. God help us if that’s what Anet is thinking. (but that would explain a lot wouldn’t it?) That’s like saying I’m a great soccer player when I’m playing with Messi and Iniesta cuz they managed to bounce balls off my sorry kitten into the net. That’s what I feel a GC ranger is currently; it’s a one trick pony on wvw, which is the expert zerg surfer, where my efficacy depends solely on leeching off from the presence of others.

Aridia.3042:

Durzlla.6295:

Maybe you should try it out in tPvP before trying to poke holes into it? D/D eles and mesmers are hardly more mobile than me, thieves are the only thing that can close a 2k range gap at a reasonable speed, and even then it requires them to use a few utility skills or burn a bit of initiative to do so.

As for LB rangers that aren’t gc being worthless, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, LB is one of our best support weapons with the short CD KB, vuln, and AoE cripple.

PS: it’s not some “theory” it’s how the build works, I’ve used it in a LOT of tPvP games lately, the only one ive lost was against a freaking premade of shark ranks, that was an absolute blood bath.

I’ve ran a pure GC ranger since BWE2. Yes, I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work to the point I refuse to waste my own time and my teammates’ time in running it in spvp. Vids please if you’re successful at it in spvp.

Not sure if you’re playing 5 vs 5 but I only played in pubs. Not like that would matter because no one sane will let you sit back to snipe if they know you’re GC. Not to mention there’s the lack of sniper nests in the game aside from the ledge over looking the Keep and Graveyard…nothing that won’t be fixed quickly by a quick yank, from tada, your friendly neighbourhood spvp thieves and mesmers again.

And a 5 vs 5 “organized” spvp squad should not be the metric to use in measuring balance. God help us if that’s what Anet is thinking. (but that would explain a lot wouldn’t it?) That’s like saying I’m a great soccer player when I’m playing with Messi and Iniesta cuz they managed to bounce balls off my sorry kitten into the net. That’s what I feel a GC ranger is currently; it’s a one trick pony on wvw, which is the expert zerg surfer, where my efficacy depends solely on leeching off from the presence of others.

I wouldn’t touch a ranger GC build in pugs because no one cares about winning in those just getting a ton of kills. In a tourney game it’s so much better because they all want to win so they go for the points, not the guy standing 2k away from the point. And you don’t seem to understand how much further you can stand with a LB than everyone else, you can shoot WELL BEYOND the range it says (red bar appears) due to the arc.

And structured teams -are- how the balance it, not 1v1s, this is no way a skirmishing or 1v1 build and the ledge on the keep I’d THE WORST place for you to stand because you’ll be dealing close range damage. And there’s plenty of sniper nests…

Sniper Nests:
1) commune buffs overlooking gate in temple
2) just about everywhere on spirits watch
3) clock tower gives you access to both shooting the enemy treb and the point for long range dmg.
4) ledges all around graveyard and near the side cap points.

PS: I normally only PvP with 2 other people and pug the other 2, still tryin to get ahold of 2 more people for a tourney team.

Aridia.3042:

Vancien.1980:

The longbow will always be used for a secondary weapon period.

I stopped reading right there.

When you force someone to spec a certain way to play, that’s a design failure. Especially for a game with no trinity. That is not a valid argument.

Then why do you think they designed us to have two weapons? There is no design flaw here at all. Nor is their a failure to a player by forcing them to do anything or play a certain cookie cutter way. You missed my point but that’s because you also failed to read the entire post anyway. The point is, it is a “LONG-BOW”. By virtue the weapon is going to take “LONGER” to shoot an arrow and it is by design given a proper set of skills which make it a totally viable “Secondary” weapon. Now lets not forget people, this is only my opinion. More power to anyone wanting to use a Long-Bow as their primary weapon and force lower dps.

Let’s face it, mobs as well as players in this game are going to be encountered in close quarters combat more often than not. Then you don’t need to auto attack with a Longbow and expect higher damage per second. The natural skill is slow but does “more” damage the further the arrow travels. Again, used properly, this is extremely useful in both PvP and PvE. The skills given for the Long-Bow, and the auto attack to me is fine as it is. It’s for certain use situations that really only apply. Not a constant full time use. (Again, that is my opinion.)

You think dodge is also a design flaw? Because I can tell you right now. People that choose not to dodge in this game will find themselves far less successful in the game. This is not a stand around auto attacking game. Knowing your abilities and when to use them can also drastically change an outcome in PvP or PvE encounters. I think Arena Net paints a pretty crystal clear picture about what combat is in this game.

“Combat in Guild Wars 2 is flexible, fast-paced, and dynamic. You’ll achieve victory through timing, dodging, and quick thinking, *not immobile number-crunching.”*

“Use your surroundings for maximum effect. Your position on the battlefield is vitally important, as many attacks in Guild Wars 2 reward tactical player movement. "

So yeah, if all you intend to do is stand around auto attacking, I’d say you are fundamentally doing it wrong. And the fact that you found the first thing in my post that you didn’t agree with and commented on it, makes you nothing more than a forum troll seeking your own agenda for the outcome of the topic. Which also somewhat explains why all you keep going back to is sPvP type topics.

Let me ask you something, did you play Guildwars? Because it has always been something you can count on for Arena Net, to keep PvP and PvE separate in the game. It doesn’t mean a weapon won’t be useful, it just means they are used very differently in situations to make them even usable. Which is why, PvP gear and weapons remain completely separate from the PvE aspect of the game.

Vancien.1980:

Aridia.3042:

Vancien.1980:

The longbow will always be used for a secondary weapon period.

I stopped reading right there.

When you force someone to spec a certain way to play, that’s a design failure. Especially for a game with no trinity. That is not a valid argument.

Then why do you think they designed us to have two weapons? There is no design flaw here at all. Nor is their a failure to a player by forcing them to do anything or play a certain cookie cutter way. You missed my point but that’s because you also failed to read the entire post anyway. The point is, it is a “LONG-BOW”. By virtue the weapon is going to take “LONGER” to shoot an arrow and it is by design given a proper set of skills which make it a totally viable “Secondary” weapon. Now lets not forget people, this is only my opinion. More power to anyone wanting to use a Long-Bow as their primary weapon and force lower dps.

Let’s face it, mobs as well as players in this game are going to be encountered in close quarters combat more often than not. Then you don’t need to auto attack with a Longbow and expect higher damage per second. The natural skill is slow but does “more” damage the further the arrow travels. Again, used properly, this is extremely useful in both PvP and PvE. The skills given for the Long-Bow, and the auto attack to me is fine as it is. It’s for certain use situations that really only apply. Not a constant full time use. (Again, that is my opinion.)

You think dodge is also a design flaw? Because I can tell you right now. People that choose not to dodge in this game will find themselves far less successful in the game. This is not a stand around auto attacking game. Knowing your abilities and when to use them can also drastically change an outcome in PvP or PvE encounters. I think Arena Net paints a pretty crystal clear picture about what combat is in this game.

“Combat in Guild Wars 2 is flexible, fast-paced, and dynamic. You’ll achieve victory through timing, dodging, and quick thinking, *not immobile number-crunching.”*

“Use your surroundings for maximum effect. Your position on the battlefield is vitally important, as many attacks in Guild Wars 2 reward tactical player movement. "

So yeah, if all you intend to do is stand around auto attacking, I’d say you are fundamentally doing it wrong. And the fact that you found the first thing in my post that you didn’t agree with and commented on it, makes you nothing more than a forum troll seeking your own agenda for the outcome of the topic. Which also somewhat explains why all you keep going back to is sPvP type topics.

Let me ask you something, did you play Guildwars? Because it has always been something you can count on for Arena Net, to keep PvP and PvE separate in the game. It doesn’t mean a weapon won’t be useful, it just means they are used very differently in situations to make them even usable. Which is why, PvP gear and weapons remain completely separate from the PvE aspect of the game.

You realize a warrior rifle could be used exclusively right? Yes, it’s that good. When i feel like going into pew pew mode in spvp, I don’t even switch.

And you realize making a weapon’s default attack crappy so that it makes you want to switch weapons is not the same as changing weapons when it’s necessary right?

There goes your whole argument. Thanks for playing though.

Aridia.3042:

When i feel like going into pew pew mode in spvp, I don’t even switch.

There goes your whole argument. Thanks for playing though.

lol.

Love getting attacked by Rifle warriors. Easy kill.

Knowing the duel was coming would be even easier as I’d swap my off hand.

That would be kind of a boring fix and not change the core problem. What about “successful max range LB autoattack hits give 1 second of quickness”. lol