Guild Wars 2

With a few modifications, this could work.

Make pets immune to damage when they are on Avoid Combat Mode.

IDEA: Pets only are at risk when you send them into combat. You can protect them from dying with a safe retreat BUT you lose their ability to fight for a period of time (cool down).

ISSUES/RESOLUTIONS:
1) Pets should no longer be able to “Attack My Target” when in “Avoid Combat” mode. This action should immediately place them into combat mode. In short, the journey to the character or mob you want Fluffy to attack should put pet in danger UNLESS you as the ranger are traveling to the mob/character and Fluffy is just following along. THEN, I think it is ok for the pet to get close without taking damage. They can just focus on killing you.

2) Pets could be switched to “Avoid Combat” to avoid dying. Ok with me. They won’t be doing damage. There should be a cooldown between modes of say 5-10 seconds to avoid rapid back and forth switching. Cool down should be linked to pet swapping time.

3) In PvE, you have to make sure the pet doesn’t stay aggroed when in immune mode. That would be game busting (even though I hate PvE). So “Avoid Combat” would need to make the mob completely ignore the pet and attack YOU. I’ll let PvEers add any potential exploits that need fixed.

4) F2 skills. You either say “ok to allowing F2 skills to be used while pet is immune”, OR “F2 skills can’t be used in Avoid Combat Mode” OR “Only if an F2 skill damages an enemy does it put the pet into Guard mode”. Remember, you can’t send the pet in (unless it is following you) in “Avoid Combat” mode (see rule #1). I fully support making F2 skills usable while in immune mode (if doable from coding). The enemy would have to come to me or I would have to go to it. Fluffy can’t “Attack My Target” without going into “Guard” mode.

Thoughts?

How about making “Stow Pet” ACTUALLY STOW THE PET?

One reason I don’t like roaming with ranger is because thieves can easily CnD off my pet for free stealth. The pet becomes a liability. It is also the reason why I see all rangers in WvW as free kills while roaming on my thief.

It’s too bad ranger is such a bad profession.