Guild Wars 2

Is anyone else having a kitten hard time this season? I am having huge sustain issues versus the Heavy-CC-Bash your face meta that is arising. I keep finding myself rendered the weak link in team fights against Combinations of DH, Warrior, and Revanant. The Menders Druid build is failing miserably to focus fire with all the CC. I eat through my 2-3 stun breaks in seconds and get tossed around like a beach volleyball in the olympics, complete with the 8k spike from who knows where to seal the deal. I can’t even use my skills half the time.

I had to say “screw it” and resort to all out conditions and traps to contribute in a meaningful way.

Things we can and need to do:

1)Post on necro fofum bagging them to come back the lack of necros making warriors and revs roam free.

2)Move alot, we got great mobility, not so much tanking abilities.

3)Try the shoutbow, now that sustain has been droped across the board and they’r less scrappers, shooting with LB/healing rotation, may be he way to go.

Druids can get focused quite easily in teamfights. Druids shine better in 1v1s and 2v2s.

Archon.6480:

Is anyone else having a kitten hard time this season? I am having huge sustain issues versus the Heavy-CC-Bash your face meta that is arising. I keep finding myself rendered the weak link in team fights against Combinations of DH, Warrior, and Revanant. The Menders Druid build is failing miserably to focus fire with all the CC. I eat through my 2-3 stun breaks in seconds and get tossed around like a beach volleyball in the olympics, complete with the 8k spike from who knows where to seal the deal. I can’t even use my skills half the time.

I had to say “screw it” and resort to all out conditions and traps to contribute in a meaningful way.

CC application has been, and still is, out of control. You are fighting a broken CC system that needs to be fixed.

We have asked a really long time for the devs to revisit this in wvw and spvp, but nothing has been done.

LughLongArm.5460:

Things we can and need to do:

1)Post on necro fofum bagging them to come back the lack of necros making warriors and revs roam free.

2)Move alot, we got great mobility, not so much tanking abilities.

3)Try the shoutbow, now that sustain has been droped across the board and they’r less scrappers, shooting with LB/healing rotation, may be he way to go.

Moving a lot is great advice for www combat, but not for spvp.

Moving also doesn’t deal with the broken CC system in pvp combat.

LB is an awful weapon for spvp.

Uhh no, pretty much don’t be in the middle of the fight where warriors,revs scrappers, and dragonhunters duke it out, You have have great mobility and escapes with staff sword/dagger take advantage of that, and if you choose to use longbow in place of sword/dagger you gain access to stealth with #3 without using smokescales f2leap or blast combo. Make sure you have celestial shadows traited as it gives group stealth and superspeed when you leave CA try not to use all of your CA energy in one sitting unless absolutely necessary. Between Protect me or the Daze/CC break glyph the full condi team cleanse signet and signet of stone and lastly strength of the pack druids have a great deal to prevent cc and escaping cc.

From what it seems like either you might be in the thick of fights far to much and taking unnecessary cleave, getting trained that hard and the ppl you’re facing are literally that good, and your teammates being outright selfish to not support you under such focus or the most common one just playing with very inexperienced ppl. Support druids suffer the same issues as support eles do but to a lesser extent in terms of mobility and damage and that’s that you’re really only going to be as good as your team.

Swagger.1459:

LughLongArm.5460:

Things we can and need to do:

1)Post on necro fofum bagging them to come back the lack of necros making warriors and revs roam free.

2)Move alot, we got great mobility, not so much tanking abilities.

3)Try the shoutbow, now that sustain has been droped across the board and they’r less scrappers, shooting with LB/healing rotation, may be he way to go.

Moving a lot is great advice for www combat, but not for spvp.

Moving also doesn’t deal with the broken CC system in pvp combat.

LB is an awful weapon for spvp.

Moving is very good advise always. Druids cant tank for ****

LB is not optimal but its better this season compared to last.

LughLongArm.5460:

Swagger.1459:

LughLongArm.5460:

Things we can and need to do:

1)Post on necro fofum bagging them to come back the lack of necros making warriors and revs roam free.

2)Move alot, we got great mobility, not so much tanking abilities.

3)Try the shoutbow, now that sustain has been droped across the board and they’r less scrappers, shooting with LB/healing rotation, may be he way to go.

Moving a lot is great advice for www combat, but not for spvp.

Moving also doesn’t deal with the broken CC system in pvp combat.

LB is an awful weapon for spvp.

Moving is very good advise always. Druids cant tank for ****

LB is not optimal but its better this season compared to last.

I do understand, but we are talking about spvp where we capture and defend circles from players.

LB is an awful weapon for any serious spvp because you will be in pushed into melee a lot.

Your advice definitely works better in wvw, but doesn’t address the CC issues facing pvp (spvp and wvw) modes.

LB druid plays more like a thief than a tank. Reasonably high mobility, easy decaps, easy +1s.

By the way, there have been LB druids in the pro leagues.

Swagger.1459:

I do understand, but we are talking about spvp where we capture and defend circles from players.

LB is an awful weapon for any serious spvp because you will be in pushed into melee a lot.

Your advice definitely works better in wvw, but doesn’t address the CC issues facing pvp (spvp and wvw) modes.

Don’t get upset, some ppl simply talk about other game modes although they never played it.

the nerf in druid sustain wasn’t that grave, 3 seconds in the NM GM.. The problem is every other single class got somehow buffed.

You have to think that after the nerf in the ranger and buffs in the rest of the classes we are the weak link. The free bag.

So they will gank on you or at least try. You have to show them you are not easily gankeable so they switch targets.

LB is a great suggestion. You have to think you are not a tank but now you have access to more mobility. Your priority here is survival so build with that in mind.

Probably they will try to lock you down and gank you. If you get stunned but nobody is dpsing you just wait it out, your pet is doing your work now. save the stunbreaks for when it’s really necessary.

Dont use glassy pets, my advise it smokescale and wolf because of the extra cc.

Do not get in the middle, dont wear GS. stay and range CCing and healing your party, while dpsing them with condis if possible.

Think that right now Anet put you in the free bags category. The druid is a class that is meant to play bunker as it doesn’t have any dps improvement over the ranger but Anet nerfed our tankiness (in healing and damage mitigation). So build in consequence.

Thanks for all the great advice, guys. I think I am in the middle of the fight too often. I am going to swap out bristleback for wolf or lightning wyvern and re-slot offhand dagger so I can escape better. Keep moving, stay outside, etc.

Happy hunting all! Good luck this season.

Yes, playing a Druid will be tough this season unless the enemy team has no idea how to focus one. And with the ridiculously high CC from DH/Zerker combo, it’s hard to stay on point long enough to heal anyone. Still, they’re easily the best healing support and if played well and positioned right, you can maintain high CAF uptime and then you should be able to heal and peel well enough. Druids have great peeling ability. Glyph of Equality, 10 second CD root, CAF 3, Staff 4. And if all else fails, Staff 5 into 3 is a great heal.

And look on the bright side, you may be pressured easily, but at least you can actually escape on a short CD without relying on a minion. You also have multiple ways to stealth.

Zintrothen.1056:

Yes, playing a Druid will be tough this season unless the enemy team has no idea how to focus one. And with the ridiculously high CC from DH/Zerker combo, it’s hard to stay on point long enough to heal anyone.

Isn’t “Strength of the Pack!” able to mitigate some of this weakness? I haven’t played PvP this season yet though. The Stability from SotP should be able to counter warrior/DH to some extent.

Just activate SotP before engaging (or being engaged), hopefully the warrior/DH will blow their CC abilities. Keep stacking might with SotP and use “We Heal as One!” to get max might stacks + fury and start doing some real damage.

Barry Moonfang.6897:

Isn’t “Strength of the Pack!” able to mitigate some of this weakness? I haven’t played PvP this season yet though. The Stability from SotP should be able to counter warrior/DH to some extent.

Just activate SotP before engaging (or being engaged), hopefully the warrior/DH will blow their CC abilities. Keep stacking might with SotP and use “We Heal as One!” to get max might stacks + fury and start doing some real damage.

In a 1v1 situation you can precast it or wait for a opportune moment to use it, but I have been having problems in 2v2 and greater situations. If you precast it, you risk not having it when you need it, and if you wait for the right moment you can get caught under focus, and not have the time to cast it under pressure. The 1 second channel can spell death. It is easily interrupted, then you will be used as a substitute volleyball.

I think the other posters hit the nail on the head about us having to be very mobile/slippery. Gone are the days we can burn the person(s) who decides to face tank us. We really to kite like a mongoose fighting a cobra. This season is going to be much more difficult for us, I think.

Barry Moonfang.6897:

Zintrothen.1056:

Yes, playing a Druid will be tough this season unless the enemy team has no idea how to focus one. And with the ridiculously high CC from DH/Zerker combo, it’s hard to stay on point long enough to heal anyone.

Isn’t “Strength of the Pack!” able to mitigate some of this weakness? I haven’t played PvP this season yet though. The Stability from SotP should be able to counter warrior/DH to some extent.

Just activate SotP before engaging (or being engaged), hopefully the warrior/DH will blow their CC abilities. Keep stacking might with SotP and use “We Heal as One!” to get max might stacks + fury and start doing some real damage.

SotP is 60 Cd for 10 seconds stab\might\fury

i think for skirmish is better to equip more stunbreakers and entangle as elite. Rune of the surging or sunless have some nice synergy with that skill.

It’s 12s stab on 48s cd if traited (with 0 boon duration) – and every meta druid runs traited shouts. SotP is by far ranger’s best elite for most PvP/WvW builds.

May have to go to a more double melee build in order to survive the current game. Most people are finally catching on that once you CC the druid they are dead.

I’ve seen a few skilled players manage very well but they are just better and don’t over react or panic. Even then, CC is so borked along with every other PvP format of play.

UmbraNoctis.1907:

It’s 12s stab on 48s cd if traited (with 0 boon duration) – and every meta druid runs traited shouts. SotP is by far ranger’s best elite for most PvP/WvW builds.

12 seconds every 48 with an hyperteleghaped cast isn’t really that useful when combat usually don’t last that long. In any case if you run shouts with trooper, yeah that’s the only choice you have.

I still think is better entangle and run WS just because is better cleanse and helps you to pin baddies which is very needed with the Dreamer. But mostly because i kinda dislike the runes of the trooper, it’s a personal thing. They are meant to be tanky but in wvw the only thing that works is the boon protection.

i don’t know how is in pvp but if the hamrev can gank you with 12K coalescence of ruin and 4.5k autos then is the same situation.