Guild Wars 2

As far as we all know – the specialization trait-lines and abilities are purposely made to improve the class at places where they currently lack.

Just like Necros were made better at PvE with the Reaper announcement.

So I’m just wondering, it would be awesome to make us a wanted pick for WvW. And also PvE where we are pushed out of the meta. And maybe we will be desired for sPvP where we lack.
And we might get some team support at last. And yes, burst damage and pet control is something we really need.

Don’t you guyz think that Druid is going to be an elementalist if they want to be the men of their word? =D

I haven’t preordered so I didn’t get a chance to play reaper but from what I have seen reapers are pretty lack luster. The ones I went up against in PvP and WvW I completely manhandled, and from what I’ve read about their performance in PvE they are doing even less damage because their attacks are so slow.

I don’t think anet is really trying to improve on a classes weaknesses, I think they are coming up with a name that sounds like it thematically fits with the class and adding things that look cool whether they are useful or not.

reapers lack damage modifiers just like ranger does currently. Those modifiers are what makes mesmers, ele and warrior hit so kitten hard. reaper and revenant need a damage buff. If they want to keep ranger in the top middle tier of dps that’s fine by me but i’d love to see some major group buffing added.

I have a feeling Druids going to be a mid range team support type. we already have long range and melee range dps. I really doubt we’re going to see any direct damage increase from Druid. Hopefully they don’t force it into a role where it pairs with NM and we have to choose between BM and Skirm for our power builds.

edit: what I mean is not that we don’t have ANY modifiers but less than the “dps” classes. Warrior can get 55% in dmg modifiers and ele can get 80%!

@Prophet

Just wait a few moments till Warriors and Eles come argue about their DPS (because you know, they still want it higher).
It’s true, though. We currently have the nice 30-40% (depending on number of buffs or traitlines), but that’s not even close to being on par with Warriors.

The truth is, we still have better DPS than warriors. Not by much, but we do. The downside is that we have like 10% of their team boosts.

EDIT: On the other hand, we get 10% on full endurance, 10% if enemy has hindered movement speed, 10% crit if flanking (11% dps boost in full zerk), 7,5% from Spirit (Party), 7,5% crit from spotter (8% dps boost in full zerk) (Party), 0-12% from boons.
And Signet of the Wild for another boost of 25%.
10+10+11+7,5+8+(0-12)+25=
=82,5% peak (75,5%)
and passive 16% boost to party DPS.
I mean … That’s not bad either.
It’s just that not everything is passed onto our pet.

@Tragic – i’m not one of the math wizards on the forums but i’d assume that our damage coefficients are higher than warriors since we’ve always been fairly close to their dps without all the bundled modifiers. It would be really nice if more buffs where passed to our pet passively and without a really limiting range but then we’d be “OP” lol.

i’d really like Druid to bring party buffs beyond 1s spirit buffs from a GM(LOL are you serious anet??) frost or spotter. we really need a way to stack might well, if we had that plus the ability we currently have for so much party wide fury I think we’d be in a decent place.

resistance and party quickness would be nice too but i think revenant got that?

Edit: it’s just that the majority of our buffs are situational. we must keep endurance up, we must keep health up, we must keep cc on the enemy, we must keep boons on and SoTW is a one shot boost. i’m not complaining, it works, but with all the power creep anet keeps introducing we’re gonna get left far behind eventually.

I played each class a fair enough amount and have to say, at least from my PvP standpoint, starting with weapons:

• Dragonhunter LB is good
• Mesmer Shield is Great
• Tempest Warhorn was pretty meh, like it didn’t do much of anything to compete with just taking staff over x/warhorn
• Reaper Greatsword was terribad. Outside of hitting stationary mobs, it isn’t even functionally effective, let alone not being a very great effective weapon either.

Specs themselves:

• Dragonhunter was pretty average. It didn’t add much to the guardian class and it only slightly changes the way guardians play.
• Mesmers don’t feel too changed mechanically, but at the same time, lots of depth and complexity with rewarding functionality to match was added, creating various new ways of going about engagements without making the mesmer feel like a class outside of itself.
• Tempest Ele probably loses a lot from trading one of its other traitlines for tempest, but functionality wise just gains more skills and more ways of playing, and even to some degree more survivability (as though that was warranted). Tempest pretty much takes the master of all trades, lackluster at none elementalist class and specializes them at being ever more masters of everything.
• Reaper shroud was pretty great. It was definitely strong, it has amazing combos (that “forever” whirl finisher and it’s damage could be put to great effect in the right fields), and really emphasized to me what an elite spec should be, aka a different but equally effective way to play the same class (once number and trait tweaks are in line).

Outside of that, I’d say really the biggest letdown across the board was the utilities. I couldn’t really justify slotting much of any of them personally. The seemed almost disconnected from the rest of the utilities the class had, and their wasn’t much depth you could build for into builds the way other classes can (common example being eles getting regen on cantrips and then traiting for gaining regen removing conditions). You really only got to use the one trait that makes each of the utilities tick and outside of making those utilities better, they still didn’t really mesh well in most cases (the BEST utility I think I played around with was the Reaper should that gave Might and Stability).

So, now, where does this leave Druid in the future in my mind?
Well, the utilities are arguably of equal importance to whatever the mechanic alterations are. Self support, group support, really, anything. Even offensive AoE utility, but basically as is, we have Survival, Signets…. and that’s really it as far as generic utilities go for PvP. I mean, Traps on condition builds still work but condition builds don’t exactly work in all areas of the game, and outside of Frost Spirit and MAYBE Sun Spirit, and those niche times when people ACTUALLY use shouts, we are pretty lacking in the utility functionality area, and what I experienced did not leave my very hopeful for the quality of life of the utilities being introduced, although I guess in my opinion, it would be hard to make any new utilities we get much worse than some of the existing ones.

The mechanic experience for me was hit or miss. None of them were really bad, but certain classes like I pointed weren’t exactly groundbreaking changes to the class, and my own preference and I think the overall tone of the majority of ranger players is that we would like that “groundbreaking” change more than just minor alterations to the existing mechanic.

Lastly, the weapon. Well, again, the weapons were hit or miss, but personally I think that this is comparatively the least important change we can get. Not that it won’t be valued, but that I’d rather the quality of the other 2 categories be staggering, and at that point I could live with getting a lackluster staff. However, what I experienced gave me hope for the weapon regardless, but we just have to hope that it’s a hit and not a miss (looking at you condi heavy staff. Don’t you dare be a condi pure weapon).

I’m looking forward to druid utilities being minion based, since AI is the Ranger’s greatest strength.

Tragic Positive.9356:

…It’s just that not everything is passed onto our pet.

That is my real issue with these things, hardly any of the traits that affect us also affect our pet. There is no symbiosis between us, we are two separate entities.

Because total Ranger damage is with both of us attacking, if the trait or buff does not affect the pet, it is only (about) 70% effective on us. If this was addressed, Ranger would be in a much better spot imo.

Puck.9612:

I haven’t preordered so I didn’t get a chance to play reaper but from what I have seen reapers are pretty lack luster. The ones I went up against in PvP and WvW I completely manhandled, and from what I’ve read about their performance in PvE they are doing even less damage because their attacks are so slow.

I don’t think anet is really trying to improve on a classes weaknesses, I think they are coming up with a name that sounds like it thematically fits with the class and adding things that look cool whether they are useful or not.

Unless you play a Necro often, and have played with the Reaper class, then I really think you should reserve judgement here. This is the beta stage, and if the improvements made to the Revenant, after the first go around of player feedback, are anything to go by, then I think Reaper has a LOT of potential once they make some adjustments. I can tell you first hand, that Reaper is a LOT of fun to play. I don’t do PvP, but i have read reports from players that do, and did well in PvP once they got a good build figured out.

I think a lot of the problems that people are having with the new specs is that they are still trying to play with current builds and gear, instead of being creative and trying out new ways to do things, while taking the spec traits into consideration for synergy with other traits. Yes, there are some problems that need solving, but that is what these BWEs are for. Please don’t make judgements based on your own preconceptions.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do for Druid, as I play my ranger just as much as I play my Necro.

I wish they would get to it already. Druid or RIOT!!!

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

Puck.9612:

I haven’t preordered so I didn’t get a chance to play reaper but from what I have seen reapers are pretty lack luster. The ones I went up against in PvP and WvW I completely manhandled, and from what I’ve read about their performance in PvE they are doing even less damage because their attacks are so slow.

I don’t think anet is really trying to improve on a classes weaknesses, I think they are coming up with a name that sounds like it thematically fits with the class and adding things that look cool whether they are useful or not.

Unless you play a Necro often, and have played with the Reaper class, then I really think you should reserve judgement here. This is the beta stage, and if the improvements made to the Revenant, after the first go around of player feedback, are anything to go by, then I think Reaper has a LOT of potential once they make some adjustments. I can tell you first hand, that Reaper is a LOT of fun to play. I don’t do PvP, but i have read reports from players that do, and did well in PvP once they got a good build figured out.

I think a lot of the problems that people are having with the new specs is that they are still trying to play with current builds and gear, instead of being creative and trying out new ways to do things, while taking the spec traits into consideration for synergy with other traits. Yes, there are some problems that need solving, but that is what these BWEs are for. Please don’t make judgements based on your own preconceptions.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do for Druid, as I play my ranger just as much as I play my Necro.

You might want to take your own advice since you don’t play pvp.

I play my necro quite a bit in pvp and WvW. Reaper does nothing to make up for the areas where we are lacking, and if they do less damage in pve than a regular necro what’s the point in using them there?

Puck.9612:

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

Puck.9612:

I haven’t preordered so I didn’t get a chance to play reaper but from what I have seen reapers are pretty lack luster. The ones I went up against in PvP and WvW I completely manhandled, and from what I’ve read about their performance in PvE they are doing even less damage because their attacks are so slow.

I don’t think anet is really trying to improve on a classes weaknesses, I think they are coming up with a name that sounds like it thematically fits with the class and adding things that look cool whether they are useful or not.

Unless you play a Necro often, and have played with the Reaper class, then I really think you should reserve judgement here. This is the beta stage, and if the improvements made to the Revenant, after the first go around of player feedback, are anything to go by, then I think Reaper has a LOT of potential once they make some adjustments. I can tell you first hand, that Reaper is a LOT of fun to play. I don’t do PvP, but i have read reports from players that do, and did well in PvP once they got a good build figured out.

I think a lot of the problems that people are having with the new specs is that they are still trying to play with current builds and gear, instead of being creative and trying out new ways to do things, while taking the spec traits into consideration for synergy with other traits. Yes, there are some problems that need solving, but that is what these BWEs are for. Please don’t make judgements based on your own preconceptions.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do for Druid, as I play my ranger just as much as I play my Necro.

You might want to take your own advice since you don’t play pvp.

I play my necro quite a bit in pvp and WvW. Reaper does nothing to make up for the areas where we are lacking, and if they do less damage in pve than a regular necro what’s the point in using them there?

With the spec as it currently is, I would have to agree with you, but as I said, this is still in beta, and it looks to me as though the devs really are listening to the players.

Where you see futility, I see potential, especially when folks can loosen the death grip they have on all things Berzerker, and start to get creative with their builds.

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

With the spec as it currently is, I would have to agree with you, but as I said, this is still in beta, and it looks to me as though the devs really are listening to the players.

Where you see futility, I see potential, especially when folks can loosen the death grip they have on all things Berzerker, and start to get creative with their builds.

I never said it was unfixable, I only spoke about its current incarnation. The entire game is full of potential, it has been for years, unfortunately that potential has been wasted and I don’t see any indication that anet is doing anything to change that.

Puck.9612:

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

With the spec as it currently is, I would have to agree with you, but as I said, this is still in beta, and it looks to me as though the devs really are listening to the players.

Where you see futility, I see potential, especially when folks can loosen the death grip they have on all things Berzerker, and start to get creative with their builds.

I never said it was unfixable, I only spoke about its current incarnation. The entire game is full of potential, it has been for years, unfortunately that potential has been wasted and I don’t see any indication that anet is doing anything to change that.

I guess my quota for pessimism has already been filled this week. I’m just in too good a mood after having so much fun playing my Reaper over the weekend. I really feel like the new spec also brought new life into the class for me, especially with so much potential for “Rise” to give the MM a new lease on life (or death, however you want to think of it, lol)

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

Puck.9612:

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

With the spec as it currently is, I would have to agree with you, but as I said, this is still in beta, and it looks to me as though the devs really are listening to the players.

Where you see futility, I see potential, especially when folks can loosen the death grip they have on all things Berzerker, and start to get creative with their builds.

I never said it was unfixable, I only spoke about its current incarnation. The entire game is full of potential, it has been for years, unfortunately that potential has been wasted and I don’t see any indication that anet is doing anything to change that.

I guess my quota for pessimism has already been filled this week. I’m just in too good a mood after having so much fun playing my Reaper over the weekend. I really feel like the new spec also brought new life into the class for me, especially with so much potential for “Rise” to give the MM a new lease on life (or death, however you want to think of it, lol)

Like I said, I haven’t played it. But since I WvW/PvP 99% of the time I am judging it on how effective it is instead of how fun it is to play. It was so easy fighting them on ranged characters that it almost felt like cheating. It won’t be any good for roaming, maybe they can build tanky and try to frontline in zergs but they still don’t really have the stability for it, plus I still think they would be much more useful as a wellomancer .

If I was an open world PvE player I’m sure I would love it, the animations look awesome.

Puck.9612:

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

Puck.9612:

Kitty La Boom Boom.4065:

With the spec as it currently is, I would have to agree with you, but as I said, this is still in beta, and it looks to me as though the devs really are listening to the players.

Where you see futility, I see potential, especially when folks can loosen the death grip they have on all things Berzerker, and start to get creative with their builds.

I never said it was unfixable, I only spoke about its current incarnation. The entire game is full of potential, it has been for years, unfortunately that potential has been wasted and I don’t see any indication that anet is doing anything to change that.

I guess my quota for pessimism has already been filled this week. I’m just in too good a mood after having so much fun playing my Reaper over the weekend. I really feel like the new spec also brought new life into the class for me, especially with so much potential for “Rise” to give the MM a new lease on life (or death, however you want to think of it, lol)

Like I said, I haven’t played it. But since I WvW/PvP 99% of the time I am judging it on how effective it is instead of how fun it is to play. It was so easy fighting them on ranged characters that it almost felt like cheating. It won’t be any good for roaming, maybe they can build tanky and try to frontline in zergs but they still don’t really have the stability for it, plus I still think they would be much more useful as a wellomancer .

If I was an open world PvE player I’m sure I would love it, the animations look awesome.

I do love it for PvE. Consider, however, that you were going up against players that are still unfamiliar with the traits and (my head hurts just thinking about this) SO MANY players that think they can just keep doing the same thing they have been, with just switching out one trait for a new one and keeping the same playstyle and stats. So many people are so stuck on whatever the flavor of the month cookie cutter build is, that they neglect to think outside the box, and really look at the tools they have on hand. Then they complain because what has worked for them in the past no longer works, even though it’s a different thing they are trying to build.

Ex: I do this thing. I’m pretty good at it, and I have the right tools for the job.
I just got a promotion, where I’m doing sort of the same thing, but in a more specialized way, and if I try to use the same tools I’ve always used, in the same way I’ve always used them, they are not going to do as good a job. (given: the new hardware still needs some work.) Do I kitten and moan about how this job sucks, or do I look at the brand new box of software, and a varied selection of uniforms, and see if I can find something that works well for me?

1. Just because you have the Reaper trait applied, does not mean you are required to use the GS (which, indeed, needs a LOT of work.) Most of the time I stuck with D/WH (I’ve tried all the other weapons, and outside of Staff, when I need range and support capability, nothing else compares for making quick work of things)
What I DID like about the GS, was that if I ended up at the bottom of a pig pile, I had better survivability because I could hit more at once, and slow them down enough to get out and regroup. Otherwise, as it is now, it looks badkitten, but is far too cumbersome to be a main weapon.

2. There are armor stats that work much better for Reaper than Berzerker. (which a lot of people seem to be stuck on)
I really liked Valkerie, but I think Cavalier may have been an even better choice. I’m finding I prefer toughness to vitality, especially around the mushroom thingies (hate those things almost as much as I hate the Smokescales shudders )
Personally, I prefer to put any condi damage/duration in my upgrade components and utilities/food

Regarding Stability..100% agreed. The stability we get from some of the new stuff is laughable. Hit “X” for the stability factor and immediately get knocked down. Wonder WTKitten? Look at skill and see that the stability factor lasted less time than the kitten skill took to finish casting.

All that said (and if you’re still reading, ty for your patience with my wordiness ),
I am hopeful that many of these things will be improved by the next beta. I base this hope on the fact that the Devs DID listen and take suggestions from the players regarding the Revenant class, which was sorely lacking in the first go around.

Considering all of the other things that were shown to us in this BWE, it really looks like they went all out for this expansion. I see no reason to believe that they would not do as well for the new Specs. Patience, Padawan , I have every reason to believe we will be rewarded ;-D

I honestly wouldn’t mind something like Backline support/CC.

The niche could be aiding allies in bigger radius. So far, many Support builds after the Spec patch, weather upcoming or in game already, seem to be rather range-restricted. 300 range or less. Druid could fill up the niche.

As for support itself… I wouldn’t mind some good Healing over Time unique heals. I mean, so far main supports cover:

- Gaurd – Boons and Boons and Boons, condi cleansing
- Ele – almighty God of everything and water/fire fields
- Engineer – Renamed swiss knife with tons of blasts
- Thief – Uh…Stealth, I guess?
- Mesmer – Boon sharing and reflects on reflects cuz PvE loves reflects
- Necromancer – Debuff, okay heals and rezz hero
- Warrior – offensive support, condi cleansing (more or less)
- Revenant – “hard” heals, possibly empowerment for Boonspammers.

The only support we really lack is one based around strong Heals over Time (HoTs). And maybe more access to on-demand Combo Fields.

For the pet – no idea. I guess untill some Dinohunter elite spec is revealed, we’re stuck with rather meh shouts for Pet-damage oriented builds. Maybe Pet acting a little bit like a wildcard Revenant’s Tablet.

Staff – We know that there’s some root, so I guess CC. Maybe pet empowerment, Protection Boon. Possibly some Blast finishers.

There’s one niche Ranger could use some stuff and that’s Boon Stripping, but I don’t think the Druid will have it. Though AoE ranged Boonstrip would certainly make Rangers more desireable in WvW, competing a bit with Wellspam Necros.

I would like – Long range support with some decent AoE on the Staff. Utilities could be nature themed consecrations or mantras. Not sure about the new mechanic.

Not being a disappointment would be a goal in itself.

cafard.8953:

Not being a disappointment would be a goal in itself.

My goal is to set myself that goal.

Ranger community will be upset for the druid reveal.
Since ranger class was left behind..for years now…I presume that druid ( which is just a trait line ) won’ t move the ranger from its bad spot.
There are no more rangers around in wvw. Anet should ask herself why

Darkness.9732:

Ranger community will be upset for the druid reveal.
Since ranger class was left behind..for years now…I presume that druid ( which is just a trait line ) won’ t move the ranger from its bad spot.
There are no more rangers around in wvw. Anet should ask herself why

Darkness.9732:

Ranger community will be upset for the druid reveal.
Since ranger class was left behind..for years now…I presume that druid ( which is just a trait line ) won’ t move the ranger from its bad spot.
There are no more rangers around in wvw. Anet should ask herself why

winner