Guild Wars 2

Barrage is one of the few AoE attacks that ranger has, but it’s on too high of a cooldown to be effective in team fights. Sure, it has it’s moments but for the large part is easy enough to walk away from. So here is where my suggestion comes in.

• Move it from the #5 skill to the #2 skill
• Adjust the hits from 12 to 2 (1/6)
• Adjust the cooldown 5 seconds (1/6)
• Adjust the cast time to 1/2 second (~1/4)
• Remove the rooted effect, compensates for slightly longer overall cast times

As it is now, only a few hits usually get in unless you’ve got your target knocked down with wolf or immobilized. What is gained instead in this reworked version is much more control on the AoE. Also, the cripple will be spread out on smaller shots instead of on one larger attack, making it easier to kite.

Thoughts?

Shanks.2907:

• Move it from the #5 skill to the #2 skill

Why?

OGDeadHead.8326:

Shanks.2907:

• Move it from the #5 skill to the #2 skill

Why?

The only weaponset I can think of with cooldowns out of order in length of cooldown is elementalist offhand dagger on earth. Other than that they’re all in order, so it would only make sense to move it down the skill bar with such a lower cooldown.

Either way though. It just doesn’t make sense to have a five second cooldown on the #5 skill.

The lb is primarily a single target weapon. Barrage works well in keeping targets at range. Trying to make Lb more of an aoe weapon really isn’t the greatest of ideals.

While being mobile is key at time for a ranger sometimes it’s better to stand still (traking for rp works better).

Rather than making these changes it would be simpler to use Axe main hand (capable of out damaging Lb aa).

OP.

Why any of this? That’s not what barrage is intended to do. It’s supposed to be reminiscent of guild wars 1’s barrage.

It’s a pretty good skill as is, imo. I wish the cripple, was say, a half second longer, but whatever.

How about not bursting up skills again? I like the delayed ‘lenghty’ cripple area. Ranger used to be full of long-lasting effects, but we already got Muddy Terrain, Healing Spring and Entangle turned into burstier variants. What’s next, TU healing for 60% but over 5s?

I think barrage is fine as it is now.
The only QoL change needed is that it should ignore retaliation because the number of hits is too many…

Also it is not really a reliable cripple tool for LB, so I think one more QoL change is needed. The first 2 second of pulses should cause cripple for 5 seconds, following by the remaining 8 seconds cripple for 2 seconds per hit. This is to ensure enemies will stay inside the AOE field longer, and make LB a more reliable weapon to snare.

you realize it will hit like 10k if they stay in it? Meteor on ele hits harder but hits less. maybe if it worked more like that?

FrownyClown.8402:

you realize it will hit like 10k if they stay in it? Meteor on ele hits harder but hits less. maybe if it worked more like that?

Meteor Shower also hits wider thanks to each meteor counts as one big aoe. Meteor Shower takes less damage from retal but hit like 3 times harder than barrage, that’s a known fact. For barrage’s 5 second initial cripple, dodge roll doesn’t get affected by cripple, so you can still dodge out of barrage instantly after the initial hit, that’s why I suggest an initial 5 second cripple for first few pulses, so the cripple is not completely useless on mobile foes.

I’d like to see the channel removed and fewer but higher damage arrows falling, because the retal damage in WVW is nearly as high as the skill damage.

Honestly, I like it how it is. Great skill and it brings a different angle to the LB.

I think they need to allow movement, but at X% reduced speed during the cast.

I would also love to see the return of preparations so I think that barrage could become a stealth prep, ie while stealthed (ala thief AA), Barrage becomes “Ignite Arrows”. Which would be…

Preparation. Your next X arrows explode on hit, applying Burning and Blindness for Xs to foes in a 180 radius. You are revealed. 60s CD. Targets: 5

You forget one aspect of barrage: Area Denial

If you’re playing with a somewhat high power build, leading up a knockback or stealth with barrage on yourself or between you and the enemy so much that the enemy is barely in the barrage you can force them to either go around or just come to you through the aoe field.

On a lb glass zerker, the way the player uses barrage can easily determine the skill level of the player. It can be used for massive damage, or defensively to keep people away.

More to the point maybe if enough people word the complaint as “We want to play ranger, but the game favors AoE too much and that make it feel that Ranger can’t compete.”

That kind of phrasing was basically how warrior got adjustments healing signet and cleansing ire.

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

I would also love to see the return of preparations so I think that barrage could become a stealth prep, ie while stealthed (ala thief AA), Barrage becomes “Ignite Arrows”. Which would be…

Preparation. Your next X arrows explode on hit, applying Burning and Blindness for Xs to foes in a 180 radius. You are revealed. 60s CD. Targets: 5

This, i miss this from ranger the most, wish 2nd specialization would bring exactly this or even sooner, there were so many awesome things that we need them back from GW1…