Guild Wars 2

i’ve played a ranger since the first online game i ever played. in almost all of the games i’ve played the ranger has been maligned, misunderstood, and hated. and yet i’ve played the ranger, and enjoyed making a viable fun butt-kicking build, despite the naysayers.

rangers are pretty much always a utility class, and highly sensitive to tactics. if you want an easy class, don’t play a ranger. this holds true across every game i’ve ever played.

my ranger is currently level 27 and climbing fast. and i’m having fun. both PvE and WvW. as annoying as it can be sometimes, it brings me a bit of perverse pleasure when i’m the one who gets singled out in a pack of WvW people… because i’m bombarding the tower with a longbow barrage. can hear em in my head “get that d*** ranger!” lol

@Jazenn.7526

Because it would add tactical and dynamic options. Its stupid to have half our dps be killable and not able to path properly. Giving us the option to fight without it wouldnt hurt anyone who likes pets, they can fight with them. And it allows those who hate pets to fight without them but still have the OPTION to whip it out. Its all about options chump.

katz.8376:

i’ve played a ranger since the first online game i ever played. in almost all of the games i’ve played the ranger has been maligned, misunderstood, and hated. and yet i’ve played the ranger, and enjoyed making a viable fun butt-kicking build, despite the naysayers.

rangers are pretty much always a utility class, and highly sensitive to tactics. if you want an easy class, don’t play a ranger. this holds true across every game i’ve ever played.

my ranger is currently level 27 and climbing fast. and i’m having fun. both PvE and WvW. as annoying as it can be sometimes, it brings me a bit of perverse pleasure when i’m the one who gets singled out in a pack of WvW people… because i’m bombarding the tower with a longbow barrage. can hear em in my head “get that d*** ranger!” lol

Oh…lvl27….you ar5e in for a fun time. Enjoy!.

Dante Dragonhand.2538:

Oh…lvl27….you ar5e in for a fun time. Enjoy!.

i figured as much. i am up to the challenge!

I chose to become a ranger in Guild Wars 2 because I love animals, and incorporating them into my love of archery in one somewhat stealthy damage dealer sounded amazing to me. I’ve hit level 80 and I still love being a ranger as much as I did when I first began, and I feel that having a pet offers some kind of moral support.
Rangers are never really alone, as their pets are always by their sides, almost like a second (albeit somewhat brainless) player.
I want to become a beserker based ranger and do crazy damage with my longbow/shortbow combination. I understand that the class has problems, and I understand that it’s a long road ahead of me, but I’m proud to be someone who didn’t pick their class based on what was ‘most effective’, and instead picked so that I could play a character design that I love.

It’s all well and good that you have so much fun playing the Ranger, but please don’t act like it doesn’t need help. It needs it, it needs it badly.

Since the only way to get the dev’s attention on issues (they don’t play the class themselves so don’t expect them to figure anything out on their own unless all you want is pointless underwater buffs) is to kitten and complain, that is all we can do until it stops being the worst pvp class and we stop having 1/3 of our damage die at the drop of a hat in any lvl 80+ content.

And, no one is here because they hate the class. We wouldn’t have picked it if we did and we sure as hell wouldn’t give a kitten about it being on par with everyone else if we didn’t like it. We’d probably just roll a thief if we hated it so much.

Been playing ranger for 1,900+ hours and I love the ranger and proud to be a ranger but rangers still suck lol…only reason i haven’t went to a more easy to kill somone class is because I have legendary on ranger. Play a thief, guardian, or mesmer and then try and go back to your ranger and if you think those 3 are not better for your team or think ranger is still better then them…then you clearly haven’t played those classes right.

Edit: Also all these videos you guys keep posting about all the kills your getting in WvW don’t prove anything. You make a montage of yourself beating people who don’t play hardcore and aren’t even lvl 80s…..

I’m level 22, usually running a sylvan hound and either a bear or alpine wolf (havn’t gotten the other pets yet but working on it), and I really enjoy it. I tried out a ranged warrior, but it felt off not having a pet.

I played a Hunter in WoW since day 1 until I got this game (week and a half ago). I see the issues, even at this level, but Hunters in WoW also had a lot of issues as well when WoW started. I have hope that the devs read and understand what the issues are, but in a lot of games, the developers simply do not care what the players say. 90% of the time, the player base and community is completely ignored. I hope ANet is not like that, because I’ve really fallin in love in GW2.

I don’t have much experience playing ANet games, but I do with NCSoft. I’m not holding my breath for any fixes for the Ranger, simply because I just don’t know anything about ANet’s development team. This way, at least I will be surprised or not depending on what happens.

As it stands now, even at 22, I am having a blast with the class. Really enjoy it, even with the bugs.

i have 2 80 rangers and i’d rather play either of them than my other 3 alts i have to level.
ranger and pet play style has always been my favorite way to play.
if necro and eli pets where better i’d play them more also.

DancinPuppeh.8421:

I’m a Ranger and I have no problem with it at all… I take pride in being a Ranger. Because unlike thieves and warriors you don’t see 100’s of Rangers running around. I feel more unique. I enjoy pets, just the companionship not their effectiveness. I love bows. And most of all I don’t for one second believe it’s “Broken”. And if you feel it is broken then you should play a different profession.

I probably like it so much because I love bows in real life too, and I’ve done archery for the passed 9 years of my life so I have a strong passion for Archery. But Ranger is a lot of fun to me =]

It’s exactly this kind of mind-numbing complacency which is ruining gaming and allowing publishers to get away with murder, exactly the kind of attitude that led to Diablo 3 shudder.

Just because you’re happy with it so far, not from a position of effectiveness but because you’re obsessed with bows and arrows, doesn’t mean the class isn’t broken. Those of us who enjoy the class but see where it has flaws which desperately need to be addressed so we can enjoy all aspects of the game with this class, will continue to bring attention to these issues. And if you actually loved the class, instead of seeing it as a mobile archery set, you’d want them fixed too.

The Ranger should be fantastic, it should be my favorite class.
In reality it’s dissapointing. Open world PvE is freakishly easy with dull, uninteresting, seriously lacklustre utils. In dungeons it’s the last kid to be picked on the school football pitch.

I can’t help but think rampage as one should be a long duration merging of pet and master. Shorter cooldown for dungoen utility.

I love the class, and I think we are close to being balanced. We have upsides, we have downsides, but with a few bug fixes we’d be close to perfect.

racta.4250:

I love the class, and I think we are close to being balanced. We have upsides, we have downsides, but with a few bug fixes we’d be close to perfect.

A few bug fixes isn’t going to fix the ranger…are spirits are worthless, pet is worthless, our damage output is worthless….theres alot more then just bugs they need to fix

racta.4250:

I love the class, and I think we are close to being balanced. We have upsides, we have downsides, but with a – FEW – bug fixes we’d be close to perfect.

67 bugs on the ranger bug list (yeah I counted lol) those did not include spirit trait line or dungeon pet issues.

I played though all the BWEs and I have played and decently level most of the professions except ranger and necro. I finally tried a ranger before the holidays and it was absolutely the most fun I’d had on a profession. I started scouring forums for ranger info and was shocked at the level of antagonism player had toward the class. It has is issues, but the game has only been out since September, it will take time to normalize. Regardless, I rock and roll in WvWvW! I’m not superman, I know I can’t take 5v1 but even at a level 33 I can hold my own against 2v1 running as close as I can to Xsorus’ pain inverter build.

I love the long bow, I love the sword, and I love pets and I LOVE RANGERS!

p.s. I love engineers too but that’s another story

Dante Dragonhand.2538:

@Jazenn.7526

Because it would add tactical and dynamic options. Its stupid to have half our dps be killable and not able to path properly. Giving us the option to fight without it wouldnt hurt anyone who likes pets, they can fight with them. And it allows those who hate pets to fight without them but still have the OPTION to whip it out. Its all about options chump.

i do agree with this perma pet stow thing in exchange for their dps
in arah exp mode, the pet can be a real nuisance pulling agro.. for the most part its fine when i’m careful but at times i just want it to stay hidden since i cant control its positioning
would be nice to have that option in wvw too

Dante Dragonhand.2538:

@Jazenn.7526

Because it would add tactical and dynamic options. Its stupid to have half our dps be killable and not able to path properly. Giving us the option to fight without it wouldnt hurt anyone who likes pets, they can fight with them. And it allows those who hate pets to fight without them but still have the OPTION to whip it out. Its all about options chump.

I love options too, but there is a limit. If you want to perma-stow pet and hit 10k+, then re-roll into warrior, that’s always an option. It is an integral part of the profession design, it is the class mechanic, it is what makes rangers rangers. It ain’t goin away dude, but you can dream lol.

People keep assuming having a pet robs us of some stats. Where is this stated as fact?

No. You are two different characters that work together, having seperate stats. They do supplement your damage, yes, but they are are not part of your damage, they are their own damage. Just because we don’t hit like thieves and warriors doesn’t mean we are being leeched by pets.

You think of pets are taking away your damage. Well they are actually supplementing your damage, taking target off of you, essentially being an extra health bar, giving you extra utility, rezzing, buffing, and tanking.

The best rangers I know recognize and utilize pets. The frustrated ragers are the ones who don’t and then blame the pets. Lol correlation maybe?

By the way, I ain’t a chump.

Kellnor.5428:

In all honesty, if you’re looking for a 3-button win class, Ranger isn’t for you. However if you’re willing to get over the "I don’t have an obvious “obliterate” button" and get down to really figuring out your class, you can do amazingly well with a Ranger.

I agree, ranger is a one-button class that does not have any “obliterate” button".

Quote: You think of pets are taking away your damage. Well they are actually supplementing your damage, taking target off of you, essentially being an extra health bar, giving you extra utility, rezzing, buffing, and tanking.

Not in wvw. supplementing damage? doesn’t work from on top of walls or firing up at walls (unless you use lots of slots for a buggy guard. Taking target off me? not very likely, extra HP bar? How does that work? I don’t take damage until my pet’s HP bar is gone? Love to see how having a pet is ‘an extra hp bar’ in wvw- I can see what you are trying to say for basic pve, try it in any dungeon without micro managing your pet and see how long that hp bar lasts, rezzing, only if you have equipped the pet before battle commences or can take the time to swop off cooldown in the middle of a battle, buffs generally take so long to cast the fight is over by the time the pet STOPS MOVING, begins 3 second cast time, finally finishes, etc and yes they can tank in map pve but against anything that matters they are about as good as tanking as a 800 toughness necro who uses no skills at all.

Oh, and run into aoe fields and die or be crippled or fail to recall or run back when you try, and have a stupidly long cool down if dead and for swopping.

If they want to make pets useful, then eliminate the swopping time and down time on death- that would mean that we could actually fit into ANet’s definition of the ranger class of ALWAYS having a pet with them.

Pets get no benefit from your gears- maybe if they want us to utilise pets properly, they should look at the pet system in Rappelz and take a few pointers from that- like pets being able to equip weap/armor and affect the stats, pets that heal/buff effectively, etc.

Pets are pathetic at hitting anything that moves, especially with the F2 fail skill- I’m going to root a player with a 3 second cast time skill that stops the pet moving, whilst chasing said player? Ranged pets miss so often it’s not even funny. Want to make them miss? Step left one step. Miss. Step left. Miss. The only ‘ranged’ pets that work are birds, and they are ranged melee meaning they run through all that rubbish to reach the target (if they make it after being crippled, etc).

Try it. Get a ranger friend to equip a pet, and then duel him with the ranged pet trying to hit you

It’s been stated that pets are 30-40% of your damage, so they need to either fix pets so they work in dungeons/wvw/fractals or incorporate the ‘no pet, automatic +20% damage to BOW skills’.

Do I hate the mechanics of the class? Yes. Do I still play it more than any other class. yes. Do i wish they would fix the many problems. yes.

People rangers are great in mobility and evasion yes thieves can spam their skills of CD, warriors can burst people down, and ect. Every class has its own feature, and for rangers this feature is pets. As for responce to Victory, im using devourer and spider, they both hit their targets unless the player dodges. As for bosses that spam high dmg aoes just use comand “to me” and it will stay alive. I personally dont see problems with this class, if Anet wants to improve Rangers im really happy, because they will be better that they are now, not that bad as everybody saying, imho.

I have a level 80 Warrior.

I have a level 80 Guardian.

I have a level 40 Thief.

I have a level 80 Ranger and this is my main character.

I enjoy my Warrior and Guardian very much (I dislike my Thief the most), but I always find myself coming back to my Ranger because I love it the most!

With that said, however, the Ranger profession is far from perfect. It suffers from lackluster utilities, etc, etc (the forums are filled with these issues; won’t rehash them here). Unlike the Ranger, a Warrior has a wide variety of utilities it can use regardless of spec. Run with three Shouts? Sure. Swap out a Shout for a Banner? Okay. Their utilities are very versatile.

Guardians are a bit more restricted concerning the versatility of their utilities, but all are still quite viable in certain situations. The Ranger, however, suffers from a complete lack of choice in regards to their utility selection. Signets are so poor that many never use them or outright ignore their Activate ability (Signet of the Hunt). Shouts are sometimes used. Protect Me is the most common Shout because it gives the Ranger immunity to Damage for a period of time; however, the others are rarely used because they don’t directly affect the Ranger or the group (Search and Rescue is hit or miss and has a costly cooldown if you “miss”).

I love my Ranger, but as its been said before, I’m not blind to its flaws.

Meanwhile, on a Rifle Warrior: 21k crits!

Victory.2879:

Quote: You think of pets are taking away your damage. Well they are actually supplementing your damage, taking target off of you, essentially being an extra health bar, giving you extra utility, rezzing, buffing, and tanking.

Not in wvw. supplementing damage? doesn’t work from on top of walls or firing up at walls (unless you use lots of slots for a buggy guard. Taking target off me? not very likely, extra HP bar? How does that work? I don’t take damage until my pet’s HP bar is gone? Love to see how having a pet is ‘an extra hp bar’ in wvw- I can see what you are trying to say for basic pve, try it in any dungeon without micro managing your pet and see how long that hp bar lasts, rezzing, only if you have equipped the pet before battle commences or can take the time to swop off cooldown in the middle of a battle, buffs generally take so long to cast the fight is over by the time the pet STOPS MOVING, begins 3 second cast time, finally finishes, etc and yes they can tank in map pve but against anything that matters they are about as good as tanking as a 800 toughness necro who uses no skills at all.

Oh, and run into aoe fields and die or be crippled or fail to recall or run back when you try, and have a stupidly long cool down if dead and for swopping.

If they want to make pets useful, then eliminate the swopping time and down time on death- that would mean that we could actually fit into ANet’s definition of the ranger class of ALWAYS having a pet with them.

Pets get no benefit from your gears- maybe if they want us to utilise pets properly, they should look at the pet system in Rappelz and take a few pointers from that- like pets being able to equip weap/armor and affect the stats, pets that heal/buff effectively, etc.

Pets are pathetic at hitting anything that moves, especially with the F2 fail skill- I’m going to root a player with a 3 second cast time skill that stops the pet moving, whilst chasing said player? Ranged pets miss so often it’s not even funny. Want to make them miss? Step left one step. Miss. Step left. Miss. The only ‘ranged’ pets that work are birds, and they are ranged melee meaning they run through all that rubbish to reach the target (if they make it after being crippled, etc).

Try it. Get a ranger friend to equip a pet, and then duel him with the ranged pet trying to hit you

It’s been stated that pets are 30-40% of your damage, so they need to either fix pets so they work in dungeons/wvw/fractals or incorporate the ‘no pet, automatic +20% damage to BOW skills’.

Do I hate the mechanics of the class? Yes. Do I still play it more than any other class. yes. Do i wish they would fix the many problems. yes.

It does supplement damage despite not hitting from the top of a wall. Most skills don’t hit from the top of a wall. Melee does not hit from the top of a wall. My pet’s 8k was a nice supplement to my damage, I don’t know what you call that. There are skills that let you utilize a pets HP to your advantage and they stay alive on down. Not an actual health bar, but can be used as a shield. If you don’t manage your pet, expect it to die. If you can’t last long enough to get buffed I dont know what to say to you. Try buffing initially? With the right traits they can be tankier than some players. When I had my pet fully specced I witnessed someone attacking it and it was just healing away all the damage, they never got it past half health.

Why would you run into aoe? I agree they are an issue when it comes to pets, one of the few legitimate gripes. Still, not that bad. Cooldowns shouldn’t be reduced because you should be keeping your pet alive anyway, if it dies you get a penalty, not just another pet. All class mechanics have cooldowns.

Pets shouldn’t get benefit from our gear. They aren’t wearing our gear. No minions in the game receive stats based on the player’s. My pet hits high and often, maybe you should work on your strategy more. That’s based on your experience not everyone has that.

Find the quotes that say rangers have nerfed stats because they have pets. Again, if you want no pet and 10k hits, re-roll warrior.

I would answer no, yes, and yes(though not that many problems honestly).

EDIT: I agree the class is not perfect. The pet could definitely be improved option-wise. But it is far from broken.

The only hate I get is cause I have a big kitten.

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because people like the possibilities and style of the Ranger. They like the name, the nature attachment, the weapon styles and combinations. Some people think of characters like Aragorn, are inspired by them and enjot their theme. They just don’t like to be reliant on an npc which hinders as often as it helps and they have very, very little control over.
A skill mechanic which has even less uitility or survival without sacrificing traits and utility slots and therfore other build possibilities. Most classes get to choose how and when they use their unique mechanic or skill for it.
Rangers are forced to use it at all times, even when it’s a massive inconvenience, and divide their combat between their own survival and the survival of this half/half ball and chain. What’s more, other classes can choose whether or not to skill into and trait their class mechanic or how they go about it. In many cases improvements for the mechanic are included in other skills and trait lines.
Rangers are the only class which are forced to squander 15 trait points at the very least, into a mechanic specific trait-line if they want to make sure that their mandetory, unavoidable mechanic is at least viable.

Having a stowed pet/ stat boost mechanic would provided rangers with the choice that other classes already enjoy, throughout the entire game.

wolfyrik.2017:

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because people like the possibilities and style of the Ranger. They like the name, the nature attachment, the weapon styles and combinations. Some people think of characters like Aragorn, are inspired by them and enjot their theme. They just don’t like to be reliant on an npc which hinders as often as it helps and they have very, very little control over.
A skill mechanic which has even less uitility or survival without sacrificing traits and utility slots and therfore other build possibilities. Most classes get to choose how and when they use their unique mechanic or skill for it.
Rangers are forced to use it at all times, even when it’s a massive inconvenience, and divide their combat between their own survival and the survival of this half/half ball and chain. What’s more, other classes can choose whether or not to skill into and trait their class mechanic or how they go about it. In many cases improvements for the mechanic are included in other skills and trait lines.
Rangers are the only class which are forced to squander 15 trait points at the very least, into a mechanic specific trait-line if they want to make sure that their mandetory, unavoidable mechanic is at least viable.

Having a stowed pet/ stat boost mechanic would provided rangers with the choice that other classes already enjoy, throughout the entire game.

Well the profession isn’t your assumed concept. Its tragic that so many people’s view of what they wanted in a ranger hasn’t come to pass. Honestly, A-net’s ranger wasn’t what I expected either, I just happen to enjoy it though. All I can suggest is re-roll, because the pets are here to stay. And on traits and pets: you get what you put in. You honestly don’t have to spec the class mechanic to be able to use them, they will just be weaker. This applies to all professions. I would assume the pet is more integral to the class than with others such as warrior and guardian, but then again I haven’t played those nearly as much, so I won’t. It sucks to see so many disappointed.

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because some of us played a ranger for 7 years in GW1 without ever using the pet for anything more than a minion factory meatshield (before they nerfed that). It worked just fine. The problem is that they made every class viable at long range and our sole unique mechanic is so kitten buggy and hard to use that it actually slows the whole class down rather than help us like the other classes. You never hear warriors complain about issues with adrenaline skills or thieves over initiative because those work and help the class. All the pet does is cause us to share dps/utility with a really stupid npc that just loves to grab mobs like a dust mop and can’t be effective without me mashing F1 and F3 constantly.

I have no problem with the pet from a conceptual point and was even excited when they said it would be a core element of the class rather than a build option because that meant that it might be helpful but it just doesn’t work and they have shown that they either don’t care or are unable to make it work so the only real alternative is to ask for a play mode without the pet entirely.

Substance E.4852:

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because some of us played a ranger for 7 years in GW1 without ever using the pet for anything more than a minion factory meatshield (before they nerfed that). It worked just fine. The problem is that they made every class viable at long range and our sole unique mechanic is so kitten buggy and hard to use that it actually slows the whole class down rather than help us like the other classes. You never hear warriors complain about issues with adrenaline skills or thieves over initiative because those work and help the class. All the pet does is cause us to share dps/utility with a really stupid npc that just loves to grab mobs like a dust mop and can’t be effective without me mashing F1 and F3 constantly.

I have no problem with the pet from a conceptual point and was even excited when they said it would be a core element of the class rather than a build option because that meant that it might be helpful but it just doesn’t work and they have shown that they either don’t care or are unable to make it work so the only real alternative is to ask for a play mode without the pet entirely.

It’s a lot different for me, personally. During GW1 I waited a long time for them to buff pet skills, and when they did, I had a straight beastmaster build using a staff and HaO as my elite.

It was amazing in PVP modes like fort aspenwood. My pet was literally a tank, it tore through people like paper. And it helped that I had gotten to People Know Me, so it was great fun watching a giant rainbow phoenix shred people and siege turtles to bits.

I expected from the start that this would be a pet class. If you treat it as such, put 30 points in beastmastery, you’ll have a great time. It’s what I’ve done, and I’m having fun. (Drake buff makes me smile, too.)

I had a ranger as my first character and i still love the class – lots of pets for all kinds of stuff (at the very least, something that might distract an enemy from you and allow you to escape), good ranged damaged and moderately useful melee abilities.
It’s very much a Jack-of-all-trades class in my eyes; it doesn’t really excel at anything, but it’s not useless either. I like that. It gives me more choices.

Ryoki Hokishami.2756:

Substance E.4852:

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because some of us played a ranger for 7 years in GW1 without ever using the pet for anything more than a minion factory meatshield (before they nerfed that). It worked just fine. The problem is that they made every class viable at long range and our sole unique mechanic is so kitten buggy and hard to use that it actually slows the whole class down rather than help us like the other classes. You never hear warriors complain about issues with adrenaline skills or thieves over initiative because those work and help the class. All the pet does is cause us to share dps/utility with a really stupid npc that just loves to grab mobs like a dust mop and can’t be effective without me mashing F1 and F3 constantly.

I have no problem with the pet from a conceptual point and was even excited when they said it would be a core element of the class rather than a build option because that meant that it might be helpful but it just doesn’t work and they have shown that they either don’t care or are unable to make it work so the only real alternative is to ask for a play mode without the pet entirely.

It’s a lot different for me, personally. During GW1 I waited a long time for them to buff pet skills, and when they did, I had a straight beastmaster build using a staff and HaO as my elite.

It was amazing in PVP modes like fort aspenwood. My pet was literally a tank, it tore through people like paper. And it helped that I had gotten to People Know Me, so it was great fun watching a giant rainbow phoenix shred people and siege turtles to bits.

I expected from the start that this would be a pet class. If you treat it as such, put 30 points in beastmastery, you’ll have a great time. It’s what I’ve done, and I’m having fun. (Drake buff makes me smile, too.)

I’ve been mostly running a 20/20/20/10/0. I wouldn’t have a problem shifting around points and making up the difference with more focused stat bonuses from accessories, but the pet traits just don’t offset losing things like bow range+/pierce arrows and weapon cool down reductions.

Letting off a piercing point blank shot into a zerg and watching 12 people fly back is just not worth parting with lol.

Substance E.4852:

Ashelotte.7195:

Can someone please explain this to me as I’ve seen it a lot on this thread?
I’ve seen a lot of people saying they don’t want their pet out at all and instead want increased damage, but to me pets are a part of the class that you have to learn to work around. So when people say they don’t want pets at all it kinda seems like they are trying to change the class into something that it’s not. That’s just the impression I’m getting anyway.
Rangers have both melee and ranged options so why not opt for a Warrior or Thief. They both have melee and ranged from what I’ve heard. So why play a class with a mechanic you dislike instead of going to another class that you might like better?
I’m not trying to insult anyone or start an arguement, I’m just curious as to why. I see it being said a lot and I can never understand it. I can understand stowing your pet to skip mobs or something, but it seems like most people just don’t want a pet at all.

Because some of us played a ranger for 7 years in GW1 without ever using the pet for anything more than a minion factory meatshield (before they nerfed that). It worked just fine. The problem is that they made every class viable at long range and our sole unique mechanic is so kitten buggy and hard to use that it actually slows the whole class down rather than help us like the other classes. You never hear warriors complain about issues with adrenaline skills or thieves over initiative because those work and help the class. All the pet does is cause us to share dps/utility with a really stupid npc that just loves to grab mobs like a dust mop and can’t be effective without me mashing F1 and F3 constantly.

I have no problem with the pet from a conceptual point and was even excited when they said it would be a core element of the class rather than a build option because that meant that it might be helpful but it just doesn’t work and they have shown that they either don’t care or are unable to make it work so the only real alternative is to ask for a play mode without the pet entirely.

I didn’t really think of it like that. I’m use to MMOs were playing as this type of class meant having a pet. I’ve only played one class with a ranger that didn’t have a pet, but then again no classes in that MMO had minions of any sort. I’ve never played GW1 either so I had no idea what the class was like then.
I guess I’ve become to use to pets in a majority of MMOs I’ve played other the years that I don’t really think about the possibility of not using one or that since they don’t give us that option of begin with that’s just how it’s suppose to be.
Thank you for answering my question though.

Jazenn.7526:

Well the profession isn’t your assumed concept. Its tragic that so many people’s view of what they wanted in a ranger hasn’t come to pass. Honestly, A-net’s ranger wasn’t what I expected either, I just happen to enjoy it though. All I can suggest is re-roll, because the pets are here to stay. And on traits and pets: you get what you put in. You honestly don’t have to spec the class mechanic to be able to use them, they will just be weaker. This applies to all professions. I would assume the pet is more integral to the class than with others such as warrior and guardian, but then again I haven’t played those nearly as much, so I won’t. It sucks to see so many disappointed.

Well exactly, that the problem. They are weaker, so much weaker that unless you provide undivided attention and micromanagement, they will die in any significant encounter. Since the pet is a mandetory combat feature, that means you lose a lot of dps and take more damage. Speccing into beast mastery really is the only option in too many game modes.

You also misunderstood my post. I wasn’t expecting to play without pets, quite the contrary, I was looking forward to fern hounds in particular. My post was mostly in response to your question of why not reroll to another class?
My problem is the amount of time and effort you have to invest in them, whether you want to or not.
Before I picked up the game, I had no idea that pets would be just so unbelieavbly bad. This dissapointment only increasde on realising that there was no way to avoid using them in every situation. This is the only pet race in any game I’ve played (I’ve been gaming since the acorn electron, no not many pet games in those days. Around none I’d say) where the pet was a mandetory, permenant feature that you have to specc into to make them even remotely viable at the expense of other class abilities.

In most games, speccing into pets or using them at all is a choice. And a choice I usually like making. In GW2 it’s a chore. I honestly believe that this would be massively alleviated by allowing people, either temporarily or permenantly, to stow their pets in exchange for increased stats.
Too much AoE in a drawn-out fight , stow pet. Release pet when AoE dies down.
Have to make way across a lot of terrain but don’t want your pet to attack or agro every single mob on your path, stow pet safe in the knowledge that it wont come out if you get hit by a random mob or fall and take a slight injury.
etc.

It would eliminate so many of the pets hinderences in one stroke, without harming the class or Anet’s concept.

Glad to see this thread. I primarily play overworld PvE and I’m not really into PvP or WvW. With that scope in mind, I’ve found my Ranger to be a very strong profession. True there are a lot of bug fixes needed and I’m not downplaying those. But for me the important thing is having fun (this is a game after all) and playing the Ranger for me has been a ton of fun. Others may argue that anything the Ranger can do another class can do better. I won’t argue that either way since for me playing overworld PvE, the Ranger fits my style and is the most fun to play.

yeah it seems like the ranger got hosed again on this last update. Arena Net still needs to fix the Crossfire and Quickening zephyr combo. Rangers are still underpowered, and this needs to be fixed asap

Orion Templar.4589:

Glad to see this thread. I primarily play overworld PvE and I’m not really into PvP or WvW. With that scope in mind, I’ve found my Ranger to be a very strong profession. True there are a lot of bug fixes needed and I’m not downplaying those. But for me the important thing is having fun (this is a game after all) and playing the Ranger for me has been a ton of fun. Others may argue that anything the Ranger can do another class can do better. I won’t argue that either way since for me playing overworld PvE, the Ranger fits my style and is the most fun to play.

Bizarrely that’s exactly what’s been the last straw for my ranger days in GW2. The only place ranger doesn’t have problems is open world, and there it’s such a cake walk that it’s incredibly boring. Most of the utils are useless or just dull/tedious, so you find a few that don’t bore you early into the game, then never find a reason to change. Proceed to solo champions and faceroll entire maps. Repeat.
Since you’ve already got the mandatory BM skills you can shift pets without worry, so you don’t have to concentrate on making them dodge as much. Let them die or not, the battle will be over quicly so it doesn’t matter.

I can’t work out why Anet would make pets so good in open world that they do half of your work taking the challenge and fun away from the player, then cripple them with dungeon mechanics, so as to be utterly useless when it actually matters.

wolfyrik.2017:

Jazenn.7526:

Well the profession isn’t your assumed concept. Its tragic that so many people’s view of what they wanted in a ranger hasn’t come to pass. Honestly, A-net’s ranger wasn’t what I expected either, I just happen to enjoy it though. All I can suggest is re-roll, because the pets are here to stay. And on traits and pets: you get what you put in. You honestly don’t have to spec the class mechanic to be able to use them, they will just be weaker. This applies to all professions. I would assume the pet is more integral to the class than with others such as warrior and guardian, but then again I haven’t played those nearly as much, so I won’t. It sucks to see so many disappointed.

Well exactly, that the problem. They are weaker, so much weaker that unless you provide undivided attention and micromanagement, they will die in any significant encounter. Since the pet is a mandetory combat feature, that means you lose a lot of dps and take more damage. Speccing into beast mastery really is the only option in too many game modes.

You also misunderstood my post. I wasn’t expecting to play without pets, quite the contrary, I was looking forward to fern hounds in particular. My post was mostly in response to your question of why not reroll to another class?
My problem is the amount of time and effort you have to invest in them, whether you want to or not.
Before I picked up the game, I had no idea that pets would be just so unbelieavbly bad. This dissapointment only increasde on realising that there was no way to avoid using them in every situation. This is the only pet race in any game I’ve played (I’ve been gaming since the acorn electron, no not many pet games in those days. Around none I’d say) where the pet was a mandetory, permenant feature that you have to specc into to make them even remotely viable at the expense of other class abilities.

In most games, speccing into pets or using them at all is a choice. And a choice I usually like making. In GW2 it’s a chore. I honestly believe that this would be massively alleviated by allowing people, either temporarily or permenantly, to stow their pets in exchange for increased stats.
Too much AoE in a drawn-out fight , stow pet. Release pet when AoE dies down.
Have to make way across a lot of terrain but don’t want your pet to attack or agro every single mob on your path, stow pet safe in the knowledge that it wont come out if you get hit by a random mob or fall and take a slight injury.
etc.

It would eliminate so many of the pets hinderences in one stroke, without harming the class or Anet’s concept.

Well this is where we disagree. I do not think the pets are bad or weak, even with no traits. If you don’t invest at all in them, don’t expect them to do much lol. At the same time, they still will attack and give you an extra utility skill, as well as take mob attention away from you at times. The skills that affect it can still make them somewhat useful. I spec 15 points into BM and my build relies more than 50% on my pet hitting. I don’t know my success rate but I definitely win more than I lose.

On other topics, its too bad that you don’t like A-net’s ranger, like I said before, it’s a tragedy. I on the other hand applaud them for encouraging diversity from traditional MMO’s with the class mechanics, causing each class to play differently even among builds, for instance guardian tank is much different from ranger tank. It isn’t like other games, and I like that.

On pet-stow, I don’t agree with some kind of stat boost for perma-stow. If you want to perma-stow for a damage boost, I will still recommend re-rolling. If you want to play with pets, good, you are smart and doing what should be done to succeed. If not, re-roll. As I have said before, the successful ranger use the pet as a supplement to their build, the ragers who can’t find enough success for satisfaction don’t. On temporary stow, we already have this. When they come out as you take damage, the game is giving you an advantage and taking away the micro-management you so desperately hate in that you don’t have to waste time clicking to activate the pet, since the pet buttons are too far and too complicated to use for some, apparently. My suggestion is that if you don’t want them out, stay out of combat. If they are causing you to die from coming out to protect you when you aggro a mob and fail to avoid getting hit (even though passive and f3 are still available) or if they come out when you fall, don’t fall or get hit in the first place. And a stow option during a fight would be ridiculous, its basically invulnerability at will for the pet.

Ben K.6238:

Mesmer has more utility in a siege situation

This is not true. Mesmer has feedback and Timewarp if doing golems other than that they are kinda meh in sieges. Ranger on other hand can attack siege and people on wall that no other class can attack. Rangers are much more valuable in sieges.

Expiatus.4210:

I I’m not superman, I know I can’t take 5v1 but even at a level 33 I can hold my own against 2v1 running as close as I can to Xsorus’ pain inverter build.

See key here is pain inverter which is not a ranger skill but a racial one. So in fact you are using a racial to subliment the lacking of ranger class. A say norn ranger does not have this advantage as worm and owl really are not nearly useful as PI. Why do think they don’t allow racials in sPvP, because they were never balanced race to race.

Kellnor.5428:

Over the last couple of months we’ve all seen an increasing number of complaints….

“Ranger’s are so useless in wvw! OMG Rangers need to be totally rebuilt! Traps! Spirits! WvW! F2 skill! Axes!” We’ve all heard it. We know what the common complaints are….

This isn’t to say there aren’t problems, of course there are. But there are problems with every class.

So what I’m wondering….are there any other rangers out there who take pride in the fact that they are Rangers? Are there any other Rangers out there who dont just coast by in sPvP or WvW, but who feel they excel?

If you’re a Ranger’s who really does know your class and want you want to shout out “IM A RANGER AND LOVE IT!!!” Or if you’re new to the class and but still realize you picked the BEST class…..

This thread is for you

Rangers do need to be rebuilt, its not like they were in GW1 they are more like Druids now then a ranger. Pets shouldn’t be passive. And I’ve been a Ranger since GW1, and you?

quote=1311345;Jazenn.7526:]
Well this is where we disagree. I do not think the pets are bad or weak, even with no traits. If you don’t invest at all in them, don’t expect them to do much lol. At the same time, they still will attack and give you an extra utility skill, as well as take mob attention away from you at times. The skills that affect it can still make them somewhat useful. I spec 15 points into BM and my build relies more than 50% on my pet hitting. I don’t know my success rate but I definitely win more than I lose.

On other topics, its too bad that you don’t like A-net’s ranger, like I said before, it’s a tragedy. I on the other hand applaud them for encouraging diversity from traditional MMO’s with the class mechanics, causing each class to play differently even among builds, for instance guardian tank is much different from ranger tank. It isn’t like other games, and I like that.

On pet-stow, I don’t agree with some kind of stat boost for perma-stow. If you want to perma-stow for a damage boost, I will still recommend re-rolling. If you want to play with pets, good, you are smart and doing what should be done to succeed. If not, re-roll. As I have said before, the successful ranger use the pet as a supplement to their build, the ragers who can’t find enough success for satisfaction don’t. On temporary stow, we already have this. When they come out as you take damage, the game is giving you an advantage and taking away the micro-management you so desperately hate in that you don’t have to waste time clicking to activate the pet, since the pet buttons are too far and too complicated to use for some, apparently. My suggestion is that if you don’t want them out, stay out of combat. If they are causing you to die from coming out to protect you when you aggro a mob and fail to avoid getting hit (even though passive and f3 are still available) or if they come out when you fall, don’t fall or get hit in the first place. And a stow option during a fight would be ridiculous, its basically invulnerability at will for the pet.
[/quote]

And this is where I disagree. You’ve not debated my arguments, you’ve just tried to claim that I and others don’t like ranger cos it’s too hard complicated. “Success for satisfaction”. Seriously? There’s more to whether a class is good or fun, to whether or not it’s easy. If you only choose classes because you can win with them, then I pity you.

Quite the contrary in fact, as I’ve stated in other posts, the ones you ignored, I’ve ultimately gotten bored of playing ranger in Open world PvE, where I find it too easy, unchallenging. I know how to play rnager but I don’t want to have to reroll cos I like the concept. Sadly the realisation of the concept is severely lacking. I don’t want to perma-stow pets out of the game, I want to use them but I want them to be better. Until then periods of stow which are temporary but controlled or permentant, as I said in the post you quoted, would alleviate some of the issues people have with them.

You idea to just “stay out of combat” is unrealistic given mob density and terrain variation acorss all areas. Unless you’re also suggest that people avoid pet problems by just not fighting? Why assume that it’s causing my toon to die? I never said that this was happening. It’s a false assertion and misses the point. As for the temp stow auto-release, the game isn’t giving advantage, it’s creating a burden. If the adjustment was only made to unstow once we’ve actually attacked, that would be an improvement.
My, and a lot of people’s problem, is that it there’s no way of avoiding it. There are too many occasions when lack of pet control is a hinderence or just plain annoying.

“Well this is where we disagree. I do not think the pets are bad or weak, even with no traits. If you don’t invest at all in them, don’t expect them to do much lol.” Here you just plum contradict yourself and in the same sentence, that’s pretty impressive lol.
Rangers are forced to use pets, so having them “not do very much” without speccing is forcing people to specc BM.
No other class is forced to do this for their mechanic. Pet boosts should be integrated into other trees or just added to the pets. People should only ever have to specc BM if they want their pet do most of the work. Of course this would require changes to the pet controls which at the moment are just too simplistic and vague. Class mechanics for other classes are there when they need them. Thieves don’t spontaneously steal from a mob they have no interest in attacking, forcing them into combat. Engineer tools don’t just randomly go off for no reason while they are running or cause turrets to just pop out of nowhere. What’s more, these mechanics get upgrades without investment directly into their traitlines.
Ranger should be ace in the Anet style. It just isn’t. It’s lacklustre, dull, easy and then irritating. And half of the problem is the pet.

@wolf

Well I am sorry for assuming things about you and your post. I see so many posts about the same thing I assume things about people. I’ll try to answer your post better.

I don’t want to come across as a person who plays to win btw. I am faaaar from that. I try to win, but my fun comes from the journey and progression with my friends, not necessarily the win.

I agree the ranger is easy in PvE, and most seem to agree, but I’m not clear what your point about it is and what the pet has to do with that. Do you advocate a nerf? Where we disagree mainly is the effectiveness of the pet, but I think I have already said enough about that. The suggestions I gave about pet stow were aimed toward common player problems. What are you experiencing specifically that is so hindering? The annoyance of having your pet pop out, especially when you don’t suffer from it or have any repercussions is not enough to warrant a change. If your pet aggros (again, a general statement) what is stopping you from continuing to run or killing the mob. These pet problems I’m referring to are related to stow, so by not entering combat, that fixes the problem. Im not saying don’t ever fight, i’m saying if you don’t want you pet to come out of stow, don’t take damage. I can see a possible improvement to unstow on our attack, but what would our attack be? Would using the 5 skill of horn qualify? The 3 on greatsword?

Now I am not the only one misreading a post, reffering to your last paragraphs. First, that’s two sentences, second, the next sentence you ommitted makes that make a bit more sense. A ranger pet will attack, draw aggro, and perform skills that will benefit the ranger regardless of what it is specced for. I could still find use for an unspecced pet, I just wouldn’t expect it to do as much as fully specced. Every class has a trait line where they can spec into their class mechanic. We aren’t forced to do so in order for our pet to be useful, it just won’t be as effective. I said what I meant the wrong way, putting those sentences in succession caused you to assume I was associating what I thought personally with what I think is a priniciple. You aren’t forced to spec BM, there are multiple traits in EVERY line that buff the pet in some way, so no matter what you spec you can still help out your pet. I guess I will go ahead and assume again because I really don’t want to go into another pet debate right now, but for your sake I will discard my personal opinion for my general opinion:

Yes, pets will suck if you are willing to do nothing in order to utilize them or work with them, whether it be with traits, managment, or even simple button pushing. The rangers who expect the pet to do well without being paid attention to will be dissappointed, as it takes “serious” effort. You can switch ranger with any profession and pet with any class mechanic for that last statment.

If you claim it’s too hard or too annoying, I’m sorry but I don’t think that will stop you from playing. Gripe about the playstyle all you want, and if it’s too much then re-roll. If not, and you love the concept but hate the execution, then get your rant out on the forums, open the game tab back up, and wish on a star for a class overhaul. Just know there will be those who disagree with you.

The problem isn’t difficulty, it is exactly because it’s annoying. The lack of control over the pet, it’s total lack dodge, or other mitigations. When you’re taking on enemies which are actually a challange, dungeons etc, the pet becomes a massive hinderance because of these problems. You can’t play the other aspects of your roles, to full potential because you can’t take your eyes off the kitten pet for long enough. They’re simply not reliable.
If you blink it could be off drawing more agro and actually lead to wipes which otherwise wouldn’t have happened. Possibly one of the reasons people do hate having rangers in their parties.
I’ve read the argument that pets can supposedly tank for you, while you do other tasks, but against any enemy more difficult than Open World trash, it simply isn’t true. We should be great at support with our various pets, spirits, traps and healing spring, essentially allowing us to CC, heal and continue to damage at the same time. In reality most of the traps are useless, with overly long CD, the pets, if not already dead, are taking vaulable attention away from other actions, and the spirits if not already dead are immobile without crippling point investment into a mostly useless tree. Points we might have available if we already weren’t already investing in BM.

You’re right though, I will kep trying my ranger. I maintain that it is the most beautiful toon I’ve ever created. I just wish it were more fun to play and more useful to groups.
Til then I’m going to keep playing my Engi. That one’s a blast

Jazenn.7526:

@wolf

Yes, pets will suck if you are willing to do nothing in order to utilize them or work with them, whether it be with traits, managment, or even simple button pushing. The rangers who expect the pet to do well without being paid attention to will be dissappointed, as it takes “serious” effort. You can switch ranger with any profession and pet with any class mechanic for that last statment.

If you claim it’s too hard or too annoying, I’m sorry but I don’t think that will stop you from playing.

It isn’t that it is too hard, but at times it is impossible. If you’re destracted because you have to concentrate on your own PvP actions in WvWvW, then you can’t be concentrating on your pet, well at least I can’t. Plus even when you do concentrate, a minor slip up with your UI can send the pet 1/2 way accross the map. Tab Target should give you nearest to farthest agressors, this doesn’t work as intended, two night ago killing 3 skritts within AoE distance from me, in JQ Boarderland, I tab targetted and watch my pet run off to near Clip distance to pull a 4th Skritt. Seriously? Was something wrong with the other 2 standing right beside me? This kind of Kitten, is what messes up this class and its mechanics.

Ranger forever. People who think they are bad don’t play them right. I have fun, I know my weaknesses and try to avoid them, like theives. But, I generally do awesome. Plus with my guild, a few friends of mine mostly, Our combination is awesome. I love being a ranger, I use a LB/SB and I only change for jade shards in jade maw fractal.

But yeah, I love rangers, I am pompous about it because rangers are awesome.

Like I said, it being too annoying isn’t a real gripe about the class. I don’t believe it is impossible to succeed with pets. It is just either too hard or too “annoying” for some people. You have to play two characters at once, managing both. That is the way the class is meant to be. Not anyone’s fault that you can’t.

Trashing traps and spirits in the NM tree is also a “too bad so sad”. The cooldown on traps is not very long at all actually. Utilities aren’t meant to be spammable. When it comes to spirits, they are fragile, yes very. The answer? Keep them alive or use their abilities. Its a challenge and some rangers can do it. Some can’t. Asking for them to have full benefits without traiting is once again unrealistic. Its starting to seem like you want to have it all without having to use trait points. Can’t have everything.

Jazenn.7526:

When it comes to spirits, they are fragile, yes very. The answer? Keep them alive or use their abilities. Its a challenge and some rangers can do it. Some can’t.

I’m trying to wrap my head around that statement. I can’t even recall the last time I saw a successful, confident Spirit Ranger roaming around, especially in Dungeons. Or maybe I have but his Spirits were off somewhere being dead.

The problem with the logic “it’s just because you need to learn to play” is that it doesn’t really apply here. Being an experienced and excellent Gamer does slightly help with their survival in sticky situations, which usually consists of calling your pet back, keeping it on passive, swapping and praying to the AOE Gods every 20 seconds, playing babysitter, etc. However there is a very noticeable, blatant, in-your-face flaw with Spirits and Pets, regardless of the player’s skill.

The current Pet/Spirit mechanics just don’t mesh well with the rest of the game’s Dungeon/Fractal/WvW combat. The challenge is not because it has an intentionally High Skill Cap gameplay, the challenge is because it is flawed. We’re using all the duct tape we can to get through it but something needs to be done on Anets end without a doubt.

Nurse.1085:

Jazenn.7526:

When it comes to spirits, they are fragile, yes very. The answer? Keep them alive or use their abilities. Its a challenge and some rangers can do it. Some can’t.

I’m trying to wrap my head around that statement. I can’t even recall the last time I saw a successful, confident Spirit Ranger roaming around, especially in Dungeons. Or maybe I have but his Spirits were off somewhere being dead.

The problem with the logic “it’s just because you need to learn to play” is that it doesn’t really apply here. Being an experienced and excellent Gamer does slightly help with their survival in sticky situations, which usually consists of calling your pet back, keeping it on passive, swapping and praying to the AOE Gods every 20 seconds, playing babysitter, etc. However there is a very noticeable, blatant, in-your-face flaw with Spirits and Pets, regardless of the player’s skill.

The current Pet/Spirit mechanics just don’t mesh well with the rest of the game’s Dungeon/Fractal/WvW combat. The challenge is not because it has an intentionally High Skill Cap gameplay, the challenge is because it is flawed. We’re using all the duct tape we can to get through it but something needs to be done on Anets end without a doubt.

Yea, minions are harder to keep alive in fractal/dungeon for any class, and not just minions or rangers, but many dungeons or WvW require you to play a bit differently. I still won’t agree with you though, because it isn’t impossible. Just harder. I can agree that spirit ranger is not common. Maybe the common ranger has been turned off of it by the hate it receives online. I’m not a master ranger, but I can still run a spirit build when I want to.

EDIT: And I don’t think they are as flawed as you do. Point blank.

After levelling an l80 ele & war, I saw those nature’s ninja vids and decided to give it a try. Around lvl 16 I finally got enough skill points to equip guard, and from there I went into WvW.

While I wasn’t as effective as the guy in the vid, I did fine with the pet. I killed people in keeps, I killed siege. I was much more active in a siege than my warrrior, and much safer than an elementalist (who’s great in siege, but can get caught).

I have really no clue why all the pet hate. The pet works, you just have to use the buttons.

You gonna get bored soon, maybe even faster than heartseeker spamming thief.
We play game for fun, if a class lack of versatile, it deserves the hate.

jaif.3518:

After levelling an l80 ele & war, I saw those nature’s ninja vids and decided to give it a try. Around lvl 16 I finally got enough skill points to equip guard, and from there I went into WvW.

While I wasn’t as effective as the guy in the vid, I did fine with the pet. I killed people in keeps, I killed siege. I was much more active in a siege than my warrrior, and much safer than an elementalist (who’s great in siege, but can get caught).

I have really no clue why all the pet hate. The pet works, you just have to use the buttons.

About pets. some people like them other rangers want that damage for themselves instead of having to micromanage an npc. Why can’t the player have the choice of what they would like to play through trait lines? I don’t think it would be such a big deal to give them the option of playing a ranger how you see fit as a player. (ex. a staff ele and I are in a tower trying to kill rams outside) they start using their skills. If I want full 100% of my characters dps i need to put guard on my toolbar send the pet down, then attack with my own skills. But the aoe is harsh so i have to pull them back, then send them back. Meanwhile ele is using 100% dps power np. ) Whats wrong with having the option to stow pets for buffs to self?

loopi.7913:

About pets. some people like them other rangers want that damage for themselves instead of having to micromanage an npc. Why can’t the player have the choice of what they would like to play through trait lines? I don’t think it would be such a big deal to give them the option of playing a ranger how you see fit as a player. (ex. a staff ele and I are in a tower trying to kill rams outside) they start using their skills. If I want full 100% of my characters dps i need to put guard on my toolbar send the pet down, then attack with my own skills. But the aoe is harsh so i have to pull them back, then send them back. Meanwhile ele is using 100% dps power np. ) Whats wrong with having the option to stow pets for buffs to self?

Because then you essentially become a warrior, not a ranger. If you want that, re-roll to warrior and you can have it.