I’m doing a full review of each class’s Elite Specializations here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/All-Elite-Specializations-Analysis/first#post5574892
The following is my analysis of the Druid.
I’ll be covering the following things in this review…
01) General Descriptions
02) New Traits Analysis
03) New Weapon Analysis
04) New Skills Analysis
05) Gearing Options
06) Rune/Sigil Synergies
07) PvE Usefulness
08) PvP Usefulness
09) WvW Usefulness
10) Overall Opinion
Ranger – Druid
General Description
The Ranger has always been seen as a class that is attuned to the forest using bows, skirmishing with wildlife, setting traps, and taming beasts. The Ranger in this game has seen 3 main versions: A Ranged Burster, A Condition Trapper, and A Skirmishing Shouter. With the Druid we take a whole new spin on things. The Druid is all about healing and in more ways than one. You gain incredible mastery over conditions allowing you to apply, remove, and mitigate their effects at will. Or, you can focus on healing your allies as much as possible. There is a lot of CC that comes with the Druid allowing you to create a window to heal your allies or go on the offensive for awhile before going back to playing defense. The Druid will get a lot of slack right now, but perhaps with the new Raids we’ll see why the Devs decided to give us this class.
New Traits Analysis
Minor Traits
Celestial Being
Grants access to Staves, Glyphs, and the Celestial Form.
Your Celestial Form meter is your [F5] and increases based on how much Healing and Damage you do. This will maintain itself out of combat and deplete entirely if you enter and leave at any point – so get your use out of it while you can. It also grants access to the flip skills of your Glyphs and contains some of your most powerful healing and control skills.
Live Vicariously
When you heal an ally, you are also healed.
This healing will seem low, but when you start to see how often you’re “healing allies” you’ll understand why.
Natural Mender
Increases outgoing healing whenever you heal another ally
Can reach up to +20% outgoing healing effectiveness without even trying.
Adept Traits
Druidic Clarity
Entering Celestial Form removes all conditions on you.
This can be a very powerful condi-cleansing option depending on how fast you can recharge your Celestial Form bar.
Cultivated Synergy
Using a heal skill heals allies around you and your pet.
This triggers at both locations and can have good synergy with other traits causing for a pretty massive burst of healing.
Primal Echoes
Reduces staff recharge 20% and causes Daze to nearby foes when you swap
to staff. — 8s ICD
Has many great uses and interestingly has good synergy with Warrior Runes.
Master Traits
Celestial Shadow
Grant Superspeed and Stealth to nearby allies when Celestial Form ends.
This is a good way to get the jump on people and spread out during a fight.
Seed of Life
Reduces Glyph recharge by 20%. Activating a Glyph summons a seed that heals and cleanses nearby allies of conditions when it blooms.
Very powerful synergy with Glyphs.
Natural Stride
Reduces Immob, Cripple, Chill durations by 33%. Increase your movement speed when not affected by those conditions by 33%.
Great alternative to Signet of the Hunt.
~!~ BUG: Doesn’t give the +33% movement speed ~!~
Grandmaster Traits
Grace of the Land
While you are in Celestial Form your allies gain -33% incoming condition damage.
Very good support skill.
Lingering Light
Healing an ally creats a wisp that orbits you and heals allies it touches. -- 6s ICD
The wisp lasts for 5s thereby making it an almost constant addition to your net healing if you are in close range of your allies.
Ancient Seeds
Striking a Stunned, Dazed, KD’d, or KB’d foe summons roots to
entangle them. — 10s ICD
Lasts for 5s and is a good way to spread condi and immob.
New Weapon Analysis
The Druid gains access to the Staff.
Solar Beam
Fire a beam at your target damaging them and healing allies inside the beam.
Positioning is everything to making this skill shine. Quickness doesn’t hurt either.
Astral Wisp — 8s ICD
Send a wisp to attach to your foe. While attached it will circle the foe healing allies it passes through
Great way to heal your allies without having to get in the fray.
Ancestral Grace — 15s ICD
Become a wisp of natural energy, traveling to the target location healing allies nearby target location.
Great gap closer. Fantastic healing. Decent recharge. Blast finisher. Just freaking good.
Vine Surge — 20s ICD
Send forth vines that Immob enemies and cleanse Immob, Cripple, Chill from allies.
The narrow line makes this a bit tricky to use, but it has a very good payoff.
Sublime Conversion — 25s ICD
Create a wall that causes enemy projectiles that pass through it to heal you.
Rather unique, but with such a small wall size and short duration it’s very hard to use against players. Against enemies it’s easier to use if you know their attack patterns and how to manipulate them.
New Skills Analysis
The Druid gains access to Glyphs and Celestial Form.
Celestial Form [F5]:
Cosmic Ray
Heal targeted area.
Just a fast 1/2 cast ground target heal.
Seed of Life — 1s ICD
Summon a seed that heals and cleanses nearby allies of conditions when it blooms.
Powerful healing and condi-cleanse.
Lunar Impact --- 5s ICD
Call down a massive lunar beam to heal allies and daze foes.
Massive Healing. Good Daze. Blast Finisher. The Jesus Beam is real.
Rejuvenating Tides — 8s ICD
Gather tidal force to rapidly heal nearby allies.
Channel is a bit long and since other skills aren’t instant cast may disrupt your healing sequence, but the Water Field and Healing is good.
Natural Convergence — 10s ICD
Channel your celestial powers, pulsing cripple and slow. Once the channel ends, any foes still within its radius will be Immobed.
Decent damage and good control skill.
Glyph of Rejuvenation — 24s ICD
Apply significant healing to yourself and minor healing to your allies.
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Celestial Version — 24s ICD
Apply significant healing to your allies and minor healing to yourself.
Glyph of Alignment — 20s ICD
Damage and apply Cripple and Weakness to nearby foes.
Weakness duration is rather low, but works for minor damage mitigation.
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Celestial Version — 20s ICD
Heal and remove conditions from nearby allies
Good support skill.
Glyph of Equality — 30s ICD
Daze nearby foes.
Instant cast = good daze.
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Celestial Version — 30s ICD
Break Stun for nearby allies.
Also removes 2 conditions.
Glyph of the Tides — 25s ICD
Push nearby enemies away from you.
Great CC.
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Celestial Version — 25s ICD
Pulls enemies toward you.
Great for team-play damage bursts.
Glyph of Empowerment — 20s ICD
Increases outgoing damage of allies +10%.
Good for bursting.
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Celestial Version — 20s ICD
Increases outgoing healing of nearby allies +25%.
Good for recovery.
Glyph of Unity — 20s ICD
Tether yourself to nearby foes. Whenever you take damage, deal damage to the foes tethered to you.
Interesting way to dish out additional damage. Especially if you can out-heal it.
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Celestial Version — 20s ICD
Tether yourself to nearby allies. Whenever you’re healed, heal the tethered allies as well.
Great support skill.
Gearing Options
The following are acceptable gearing types to consider for a Druid.
NOTE: These are types that can work depending on the overall goal of your build. They are not all equal as some are much better than others.
Power: Berserker’s, Zealot’s, Soldier’s
Precision: Rampager’s
Toughness: Knight’s, Settler’s, Nomad’s
Vitality: Sentinel’s, Shaman’s
Condition: Sinister, Carrion, Rabid, Dire
Healing: Cleric’s, Apothecary’s
Rune/Sigil Synergies
NOTE: These are types that can work depending on the overall goal of your build. They are not all equal as some are much better than others.
Superior Rune of (the)…
Power: Brawler, Hoelbrak, Mad King, Mesmer, Ogre, Pack, Strength
Precision: Eagle, Lyssa, Ranger, Thief
Toughness: Dolyak, Earth, Forgeman, Melandru
Vitality: Exuberance, Lich, Trooper (Soldier)
Condition: Adventurer, Aristocracy, Krait, Nightmare, Perplexity, Scavenging, Torment, Trapper, Undead
Healing: Dwayna, Grove, Monk, Water
Superior Sigil of…
Attribute Bonus: Malice
Duration Bonus: Agony, Paralyzation, Smoldering, Venom
Chance on Hit: Water, Purity
Chance on Crit: Air, Blood, Earth, Fire, Generosity, Nullification, Rage, Strength, Torment
On Kill: Luck, Restoration, Benevolence, Bloodlust, Corruption, Life, Momentum
On Swap: Battle, Cleansing, Doom, Geomancy, Leeching, Renewal
PvE Usefulness
This class will be useful anywhere that high healing support is required. It will certainly have a place in high level Fractals and Raids.
PvP Usefulness
This class will be a bit bizarre in PvP, but if played well may be the difference of your team wiping your winning a group fight. It will not be the greatest in 1v1 fights, but should be able to hold its own fairly well.
WvW Usefulness
This class will shine in Zerg fights and defending objectives due to being able to heal so well. Roaming may be a bit difficult, but if you’re with a small group you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Overall Opinion
I find the Druid a bit strange – yet slightly refreshing. It takes an interesting Hybrid approach to make it useful to the point where you’re not banging your head against a wall killing veteran level or higher creatures solo due to the lack of damage, but it can be done! I think this class will provide a very interesting dynamic in the upcoming content.