Guild Wars 2

Adding to the countless wish threads for the rangers, here are a couple of modifications that I would like to see (mostly from a wvw perspective).

• Predator’s instinct: remove the cooldown.
• Signet of the beastmaster: change to “passive effects of signets are applied to nearby allies”.
• Moment of clarity: add “attack of opportunity has 100% crit chance”.
• Trap potency: pet is stowed and replaced by traps.
• Whirling defense: can be cast on the move.
• Call of the wild: will now give 3x might stacks instead of 1.
• Guard: is now insta cast.
• Search and rescue: Renamed to Tormenting strike. Pets next attack applies torment. Anything besides this absolutely useless shout.

The above will allow for a nice role as a ranger for crowd control, which will greatly help vs blobs and reward coordination with other professions. Whirling axe and the change to signets give the ranger a very nice manner in which to assist the melee groups. Predator instinct will give the ranged ranger some nice crowd control in larger fights, without it being OP in small scale.

The strength of the ranger should lie in its ability to manage crowds and keep them contained within a certain perimeter. No other class really has this role. Though the current ranger does hint at being so, it lacks the toolset to really perform this task effectively. The change to predator’s instinct will provide a nice buff to keep enemy players within a kill zone, along side the ability to throw down traps by stowing pet. The nice tradeoff here is that the pet stow requires speccing into a damage tree, rather than survivability and thus will offset the marginal buffs since these rangers will effectively miss out on +300 toughness or vitality. Similarly, it also applies if you spec for the Signet of Beastmaster.

Call of the wild buff is minor but provides the skill with a little more umph. Search and rescue is just a plain terrible skill, any improvement to it would be welcome.

I have started to think that a great move on Anets part would be to make Shouts a big part of Beastmaster builds. I know they are now, but make them stronger for beast masters and move the healing trait to beast mastery.

Make it so Sic’ Ems a 20 second CD for beast masters.
Make it so Search and Rescue applies group toughness and rejuvenation
Make Guard replace Protect Me, so that the pet takes the damage of all people in a target area. (~30%)
Turn Protect me into a move like “Rampage”, where the pet grants buffs and conditions depending on the pet.

nothing… just make pet scale to zerg. other than that… e.e’ nothing….

Orodret.8230:

I like suggestions, especialy traps replaceing pet skills. After WAR and white lion, and now GW2 with even worse pet mechanic in large scale pvp, i started to belive that pet classes cant be made properly in games. Just too much problems to handle, its much easier to give viable option like suggesion you made. Also i realy like how they sorted mesmer mechanic with phantasms (they are there but doesnt metter if they die and proffesion is not entirely relaying on them).
Sorry for bad English.

A fellow WL player! What server did you play on?

After WAR I was determined not to play a pet class as my main and had opted for thief. However upon launch of GW2 the guild was lacking in ranger players and I decided to play ranger just for class balance. For solo play its a great class, but for guild raiding its painfully lacking. My guardian and ele get a lot more miles than my ranger in wvw.

Doubt they will ever really make this class viable for wvw, for reasons unknown. The role is there, they just need to dot the i’s to make it so…

“pet is stowed and replaced by traps”
Really, people, you don’t stop to impress me how ignorant you are. You want to destroy class mechanic, all related traits and get another mechanic via one trait…
Get use to your pet for kitten sake, or roll another class

Same here, also on AG

Rym.1469:

“pet is stowed and replaced by traps”
Really, people, you don’t stop to impress me how ignorant you are. You want to destroy class mechanic, all related traits and get another mechanic via one trait…
Get use to your pet for kitten sake, or roll another class

Rym, please rage less, a grand master trait to stow pet is hardly going to destroy a class mechanic. Providing a means to stow the pet in wvw is about tailoring it to fit the various game modes.

I don’t rage often, but things like “hey,let’s perma-stow the pet” et me sad. Pets are class mechanic. We have many traits, utilities (how would you make SoR active or Emphatic Bond work, huh?) and skills (Winter’s Bite. You literally get rid of that weakness by stowing pet. Sword AA third attack giving might to…nobody?) to get rid of our pet. Perma-stowing pet isn’t the way at all and we all know it, yet people want to roll a Warrior named differently. I do agree pets are somewhat useless sometimes, but use your brain. Even in zerg, using Dog’s AoE immobilize on short cooldown will help everyone landing their AoEs, including your Barrage or traps. Porcines can knockback multiple people in line with their racial 3 sec knockdown. Spiders can be very useful when trying to focus fire certain targets, rooting then for a long time. Bears can use condition remival/AoE weakness and save your kitten in zerg with Protect Me!. Wolf can AoE fear/ single knockdown.
While I agree these mentioned above still lack very much, we have many unsolved problems with themand they need changes, I can’t see why you should ignore all ranger mechanics, weapons and traits to get your beloved vision. Most people are just too lazy and want to switch pet on attack, push them into fight and forget. e do have less damage because our pets can’t stand in zerg frontline, but that’s only one aspect of the game, which I believe will get fix sooner or later.
You may say “hey, but but that’s optional!” – you really do think that ArenaNet would make another balance around Ranger for one trait when they haven’t fixed obvious things like naming the pet for over a year period?
On a side note : Okay, so you place the traps as class mechanic. What with missing utilities then ?

Rym.1469:

I don’t rage often, but things like “hey,let’s perma-stow the pet” et me sad. Pets are class mechanic. We have many traits, utilities (how would you make SoR active or Emphatic Bond work, huh?)

It wouldn’t since you don’t have a pet. By stowing it, you lose the ability to use the pet. So its a conscience choice whether you run one, or not. Can’t have everything…

Rym.1469:

and skills (Winter’s Bite. You literally get rid of that weakness by stowing pet. Sword AA third attack giving might to…nobody?)

Same as before, no pet to give buffs to. Not that it matters, in wvw the pet is pretty much instagibbed anyways.

Rym.1469:

to get rid of our pet. Perma-stowing pet isn’t the way at all and we all know it, yet people want to roll a Warrior named differently.

Judging by the number of people that would like a stow ability, it seems that most people want to play the ranger, without the pet, but with a little buff in return. In WAR there was a flat damage buff to compensate for stowing pet. Warrior is an entirely different type of class, and in no way similar to a ranger without a pet.

Rym.1469:

I do agree pets are somewhat useless sometimes, but use your brain. Even in zerg, using Dog’s AoE immobilize on short cooldown will help everyone landing their AoEs, including your Barrage or traps. Porcines can knockback multiple people in line with their racial 3 sec knockdown. Spiders can be very useful when trying to focus fire certain targets, rooting then for a long time. Bears can use condition remival/AoE weakness and save your kitten in zerg with Protect Me!. Wolf can AoE fear/ single knockdown.

The examples you post here demonstrate why the ranger has limited use for a pet in wvw.

Rym.1469:

While I agree these mentioned above still lack very much, we have many unsolved problems with themand they need changes, I can’t see why you should ignore all ranger mechanics, weapons and traits to get your beloved vision. Most people are just too lazy and want to switch pet on attack, push them into fight and forget. e do have less damage because our pets can’t stand in zerg frontline, but that’s only one aspect of the game, which I believe will get fix sooner or later.

Ranger is pretty balanced as it is at the moment. It is a wonderful roaming class and is decent in pve. Yet in wvw it is definitely lacking. Providing the class with a grandmaster trait is a far cry from what you call ignoring all ranger mechanics, weapons and traits. Its not even remotely the same… Out of interest, why would you want a pet to stand in the middle of a zerg frontline? Heavy kitted warriors and guardians cannot even do that, so creating a pet which has that kind of survivability sounds ridiculous. Not in a million years should something like that be implemented.

Rym.1469:

You may say “hey, but but that’s optional!” – you really do think that ArenaNet would make another balance around Ranger for one trait when they haven’t fixed obvious things like naming the pet for over a year period?
On a side note : Okay, so you place the traps as class mechanic. What with missing utilities then ?

Who says that naming a pet is broken? Sounds pretty logical to me that if you choose a new pet, you give it a new name.

By stowing pet with trait, I would say that you forfeit taking traps as utilities but have to choose out of the others.

Rym.1469:

I don’t rage often, but things like “hey,let’s perma-stow the pet” et me sad. Pets are class mechanic.

The class mechanic is sub-par. That’s why people want an alternative.

Since Warhammer was brought up Ill use it as an example. I only played White Lion a bit…..because I played Squig Herder. BOTH pet classes. Both had a pet mechanic…..BUT…. they also had a trait that gave you a bonus to dps by NOT using a pet. For the Squig Herder that meant if you didn’t have your pet out, you missed out on the utilities such as knockdown, poison, AoE, etc. etc. but gained a bonus in the players dps output. This worked very well in all situations. You could choose to use the pet, or not. Either way you went, you didn’t lose effectiveness.

In GW2 you lose your pet, you lose dps, and utility.

Point being, if the pet mechanic in GW2 was not so underwhelming you would not see threads like this. If Anet actually made the pet a real threat (such as a White Lion pet in WH) you would not see threads like this. If they showed they at least are trying to find a way to improve the Ranger class, you would not see threads like this. The fact that Ranger pets cant keep names, or cant be customized, dont grow with levels, shows how far at the bottom pets are on Anets list, imo.

Yeah…Id rather have more pet control than no pet. I understand its an option, but the ranger mechanic that makes it a ranger is the pet. Otherwise we’re just a thief with a broadsword.

Now, for example could we lower the pet stats and up the ranger damage? Make it so the pet is a utility. Yeah, Id be about that. Make it so the beast master tree really makes you a beast master. All about it.

Make it so the pet scales off your gear, and that the beast master points increase the percentage of your stats it takes as its own. Make Shouts a beast master utility, and make it so the shouts are more useful. Done.

Remove it entirely? Sounds like a balance nightmare.

Hedgehog in the fog.1053:

Remove it entirely? Sounds like a balance nightmare.

Nobody said remove it entirely.

How is making a 10% or so dps increase on Ranger with no pet a balance nightmare? Really?

Anet devs want rangers to work with the pet. If you want to stow it, then you are a ranger who isn’t maximizing potential because rather than use your profession bonus, you let it die or flat out ignore it.

Chopps.5047:

Anet devs want rangers to work with the pet. If you want to stow it, then you are a ranger who isn’t maximizing potential because rather than use your profession bonus, you let it die or flat out ignore it.

Ok, then work with your pet, good job! IF you want to.

If you don’t want to work with generic, underwhelming, no decent control of, non customizable, cant hit a moving target, dies in a good size WvW fight, sub-par pet mechanic , it would be nice to get a bonus for doing so.

It wouldn’t change all the “pets are great” cheerleaders. It wouldn’t stop anyone from using them, or having to change builds. Nope, all it would do is give the people who can actually see how crappy the mechanic is a reason to play the way they want.

Trying to force people to play with a broken mechanic, just because you do, its rather amusing.

I never said it was great. It’s surely not broken. And I’m not a cheerleader. You ever ran beastmaster, bro? Didn’t think so. I have. Half of what you do is give the pet commands, especially if you run shouts.

Chopps.5047:

I never said it was great. It’s surely not broken. And I’m not a cheerleader. You ever ran beastmaster, bro? Didn’t think so. I have. Half of what you do is give the pet commands, especially if you run shouts.

Which is great. Should just make shouts…better and better from beast master tree.

Orodret.8230:

Pet is broken, and that both ways. Weak in big scale fights in wvw, and OP in open world PvE. Im curently rebuilding my ranger, and from lvls 50-60 i easily killed few champs that were around 5 lvls above me, and all of them being grp events. When i go afk, i just make sure to go in middle of some mobs, so my pet can colect me loot when i come back. I wont die since pet will take agro.
On other heand, in wvw, when two masive forces clash, that OP pet just goes splat. There is a reason why good wvw guilds dont bring rangers.
WvW should be balanced separatly from PvE, PvP. Yes. But inside of WvW there is entire new world with numerous variations on encounters, everything from 1v1, 1vx, small scale, big scale, zerging, camp takeing (this goes under pve i guess), etc…Imagine what heapens if devs make pets able to stand in zerg bomb. How would that impact on all other aspects of WvW? Pet solo takeing keeps, or 3-5 players, it would result in Pet Wars 2 (or 1).
Thinking of it as a fine line betwean stats, that have to be hit perfectly to work is pointless, again, if they keep playing with pets HP it will resoult with OP pets.
For pets to work, pets have to be -as smart as players-. Tell me, how would you program NPC to think?
Id also just like to point out on all other proffesions that have NPCs as option, but no one use them in WvW when numbers are greater. There are no minion necros, shater mesmers, spirit guardians, turret engies, simply becouse all those NPCs cant be developed to intelectualy behave depending on enviroment that is never the same (thinking on combination of red circles on ground that is infinit, and then going in right friendly field, while also atacking enemy players, buffing allies and useing terein). Imposible, unless they make 2 players playing 1 proffesion (one for character and one for pet-now that would be something:D)…
Curent meta (i hate this word) in wvw are, staff+hammer/GS guardians, hammer+sword/WH warriors, staff and D/D eles, well necros, SB thiefs and mesmers for there fotm utilities. No NPCs, no conditions(since confusion nerff), pure phisical AoE dmg, fast acting skills, insta cleanses(shouts), lots of healing. Ranger as a proffesion fails in all of this. Its been like this since relese, and meta will not change unless they make GW3.

Pets in World of Warcraft get 90% damage reduction from all AoEs/Cleaves etc if they’re not the main target. It works, everyone is happy and I haven’t seen a single complaint about it. If you target the pet, it should take whole damage. But if you don’t and you strike a pet with AoE, 50-75% reduction. Fixed

Orodret.8230:

Pet is broken, and that both ways. Weak in big scale fights in wvw, and OP in open world PvE. Im curently rebuilding my ranger, and from lvls 50-60 i easily killed few champs that were around 5 lvls above me, and all of them being grp events. When i go afk, i just make sure to go in middle of some mobs, so my pet can colect me loot when i come back. I wont die since pet will take agro.
On other heand, in wvw, when two masive forces clash, that OP pet just goes splat. There is a reason why good wvw guilds dont bring rangers.
WvW should be balanced separatly from PvE, PvP. Yes. But inside of WvW there is entire new world with numerous variations on encounters, everything from 1v1, 1vx, small scale, big scale, zerging, camp takeing (this goes under pve i guess), etc…Imagine what heapens if devs make pets able to stand in zerg bomb. How would that impact on all other aspects of WvW? Pet solo takeing keeps, or 3-5 players, it would result in Pet Wars 2 (or 1).
Thinking of it as a fine line betwean stats, that have to be hit perfectly to work is pointless, again, if they keep playing with pets HP it will resoult with OP pets.
For pets to work, pets have to be -as smart as players-. Tell me, how would you program NPC to think?
Id also just like to point out on all other proffesions that have NPCs as option, but no one use them in WvW when numbers are greater. There are no minion necros, shater mesmers, spirit guardians, turret engies, simply becouse all those NPCs cant be developed to intelectualy behave depending on enviroment that is never the same (thinking on combination of red circles on ground that is infinit, and then going in right friendly field, while also atacking enemy players, buffing allies and useing terein). Imposible, unless they make 2 players playing 1 proffesion (one for character and one for pet-now that would be something:D)…
Curent meta (i hate this word) in wvw are, staff+hammer/GS guardians, hammer+sword/WH warriors, staff and D/D eles, well necros, SB thiefs and mesmers for there fotm utilities. No NPCs, no conditions(since confusion nerff), pure phisical AoE dmg, fast acting skills, insta cleanses(shouts), lots of healing. Ranger as a proffesion fails in all of this. Its been like this since relese, and meta will not change unless they make GW3.

Your “return” key is broken too.

Chopps.5047:

Orodret.8230:

Pet is broken, and that both ways. Weak in big scale fights in wvw, and OP in open world PvE. Im curently rebuilding my ranger, and from lvls 50-60 i easily killed few champs that were around 5 lvls above me, and all of them being grp events. When i go afk, i just make sure to go in middle of some mobs, so my pet can colect me loot when i come back. I wont die since pet will take agro.
On other heand, in wvw, when two masive forces clash, that OP pet just goes splat. There is a reason why good wvw guilds dont bring rangers.
WvW should be balanced separatly from PvE, PvP. Yes. But inside of WvW there is entire new world with numerous variations on encounters, everything from 1v1, 1vx, small scale, big scale, zerging, camp takeing (this goes under pve i guess), etc…Imagine what heapens if devs make pets able to stand in zerg bomb. How would that impact on all other aspects of WvW? Pet solo takeing keeps, or 3-5 players, it would result in Pet Wars 2 (or 1).
Thinking of it as a fine line betwean stats, that have to be hit perfectly to work is pointless, again, if they keep playing with pets HP it will resoult with OP pets.
For pets to work, pets have to be -as smart as players-. Tell me, how would you program NPC to think?
Id also just like to point out on all other proffesions that have NPCs as option, but no one use them in WvW when numbers are greater. There are no minion necros, shater mesmers, spirit guardians, turret engies, simply becouse all those NPCs cant be developed to intelectualy behave depending on enviroment that is never the same (thinking on combination of red circles on ground that is infinit, and then going in right friendly field, while also atacking enemy players, buffing allies and useing terein). Imposible, unless they make 2 players playing 1 proffesion (one for character and one for pet-now that would be something:D)…
Curent meta (i hate this word) in wvw are, staff+hammer/GS guardians, hammer+sword/WH warriors, staff and D/D eles, well necros, SB thiefs and mesmers for there fotm utilities. No NPCs, no conditions(since confusion nerff), pure phisical AoE dmg, fast acting skills, insta cleanses(shouts), lots of healing. Ranger as a proffesion fails in all of this. Its been like this since relese, and meta will not change unless they make GW3.

Your “return” key is broken too.

Chopps.5047:

I never said it was great. It’s surely not broken. And I’m not a cheerleader. You ever ran beastmaster, bro? Didn’t think so. I have. Half of what you do is give the pet commands, especially if you run shouts.

Half of what any Ranger does is give commands to the pet because it doesn’t avoid AoE, dies constantly, and no one with a brain would run the pet on attack mode in a pvp setting or even a lot of pve areas. The only time it’s ever advisable to pretend the thing doesn’t exist at all and let it just go full autopilot right into the ground is in a WvW zerg fight where they are worth absolutely nothing and supreme skill lag means you don’t lose tremendous utility or damage because all you can do is dodge and auto attack.