Guild Wars 2

Build diversity for pve rangers has narrowed insanely since last preview, unfortunately.

Instead of having options to go into Wilderness Survival (with the +10% damage when over 90% health), or any competitors for Quick Draw in Skirmishing in the form of a +10% damage when using sword, we lost both of those.

This means that pve rangers will have to take Quick Draw, and then decide between remorseless or predator’s onslaught.

This is really disappointing. I thought PvE ranger was getting some love from the previous preview, but no.

Instead, PvE ranger gets a difficult to manage dps burst build that will just extend the gap between good and bad rangers that is already way too wide.

Please consider giving back Strider’s Defense with +10% damage on sword instead of Light on Your Feet.

After all, I thought ranger was supposed to be sustained damage, not burst.

They design classes in this game with PvP and open world PvE farm as a priority, it’s that simple.

We lost damage modifiers, and the biggest issue of PvE ranger, the only viable PvE weapon (mainhand sword) being a liability in lv50 fractal bosses and other challenging content went without fix.

As did pets and spirits being AoE fodder. Now I’m not even hopeful for my mesmer since they refused to fix mechanical changes.

And what’s up with shouts? The utilities in most need of fixing were completely ignored while a functional class like Engineer gets and entire revamp for no reason.

Yeah, PVE Rangers will be taking Quick Draw, as it is now the only viable trait in the GM slot of Skirmishing. Even if the +10% damage bonus was added back, it’s competing with Spotter, which is the Ranger go-to unique group buff.

At that point, Strider’s Defense will be again shunned unless there are multiple Rangers in a group. Only way to make it work is add back the +10% damage bonus, then swap places with Most Dangerous Game.

Oh wow, I didn’t even think of that problem. Double ranger has no beneficial options now. This really sucks. :/

Like, before, you would swap off spotter for some damage, and swap off traited frost spirit for untraited, but now, you can’t do any of that.

Well, apparently PvE ranger got nerfed even more, losing 10% damage from flanking into 10% crit chance. This basicalyl means if you want to PvE ranger, Predator’s onslaught is no longer viable. You have to go remorseless and quick draw and micro your fury procs or you’re going to lose out on SO much damage.

I’m not even mad anymore, I’m sad and confused.

I still believe Predator’s Onslaught would be the go-to PvE trait over Remorseless. The +25% burst on a single hit is shoddy at best vs +10% damage uptime for us and our pet.

The other half of Remorseless is rendered useless in above average groups since vulnerability will be easy to retain the cap due to class trait changes. Dragon Hunter alone is a beast with “Big Game Hunter” and even a “Bitter Chill” Reaper with the right food will be able to sustain the cap without effort.

PvE Rangers got shafted on this one.

Remorseless is good if you can micromanage your Fury appications, or use Rampage as One, if whatever they turned it into still gives pulsing Fury. I’d like to use Predator’s Onslaught, but you just lose out on so much damage potential by taking it, which is even more necessary now with all the other nerfs.

Frost Spirit gets 5 secs longer cooldown, Rejuvenation procs at 50% instead of 75%, heck, even Natural Vigor got hit from 25% to 20%, in case you were even thinking of going wilderness survival without Peak Strength. Bountiful Hunter is now much less consistent.

If you take Predator’s Onslaught, you’re going to be doing barely any more damage than rangers do right now in game, while every other class gets power creeped out the window.

This is even worse, because I guarantee you, no average Ranger player is going to be able to micro Remorseless procs well enough to be better than PO. So the class itself, already with the huge divide between good and “bad” is going to stratify even more, and to what end? A well played Ranger with these traits is still going to be miserably outclassed outside of frost spirit and Spotter. Which leaves us at the same place we were an entire meta ago.

Sadly, that’s what it seems to be. We’re at a catch 22 at the moment and forced to take Quick Draw. Micromanage Fury sources and have higher burst at the right moments or do consistent damage on everything with a bit less micromanaging, but lose out on higher bursts.

Until testing can be done, WS and BM seem to be a toss up as well. Is Peak Strength enough to offset the extra stat and damage increase from the pet, and 3 seconds of Quickness every 16 seconds?

Companion’s Might is the current trait PvE Rangers take now in Skirmishing. Since Nature Magic is a bust with the new traits, we’ll lose Fortifying Bond. If we take WS, we lose out on Companion’s Might as well.

Peak Strength no longer exists. It’s not an option.

Companion’s might is okay, but you lose out on Fortifying Bond. We don’t need companion’s might if we have fortifying bond because any might we get will go to the pet too, along with other stats.

The quickness requires you to swap pets constantly which removes their buffs, and you also have pet spawn lag where they stand around confused for a while before attacking, so you lose dps there.

Just now reading over the changes again. Didn’t even notice Peak Strength gone. Looks like they moved that bonus into Loud Whistle but only for the pet? Oh, kittens.

Edit: Feeling even worse looking over NM for PvE. I don’t see any redeeming traits outside of Fortifying Bond and Nature’s Bounty. I have a feeling I might take BM regardless, even if my pet does lose out on buffs.

The thing about buffs on the pet is that because the pet has lower base stats, might is much more effective on it than normal. So they’re VERY important.

Or you could simply remove the damage portion of the pet and you wouldn’t have to deal with balancing that kitten thing anymore (see my thread further down in the subforum as example)!