Guild Wars 2

Anyone else think this is a bit odd? Every other MH weapon has an ability that affects pets in some way except the staff. Maybe something like having pets apply a blind when using staff 3, or gaining a light aura on staff 5, or swiftness on staff 4 would work?

Yeah, I did too, raised that concern in my feedback thread in my sig, if you have more suggestions for staff skills, please post them there and I’ll add them

It really does need some pet synergy.

it has pet synergy, though. If you’re casting from range, every time your beam passes through your pet, it gets a bit of HP back. the spinning wisp benefits every melee pet. The entangling vines cleanse conditions.

every support skill can be used on your pet. Just because it doesn’t specify the pet doesn’t mean it’s not useful to Beast Master setups.

Sure, it does work and is useful, but that is hardly synergy.

Synergy would be your pet dealing additional damage or crippling foes with the wisp attached, or shadow stepping to your target when you use Vine Surge.

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Sure, it does work and is useful, but that is hardly synergy.

Synergy would be your pet dealing additional damage or crippling foes with the wisp attached, or shadow stepping to your target when you use Vine Surge.

That’s just using your version of the word.

Technically one can argue that the staff has enhanced synergy as it synergizes with not just the pet but other allies as well, so the pet synergy is still there… and then some!

I suggest that after using that #3 wispcharge, your pet shadowsteps to be in range for it’s next attack.

Or next Pet’s attack is instant and unblockable.

Harnel.6810:

it has pet synergy, though. If you’re casting from range, every time your beam passes through your pet, it gets a bit of HP back. the spinning wisp benefits every melee pet. The entangling vines cleanse conditions.

every support skill can be used on your pet. Just because it doesn’t specify the pet doesn’t mean it’s not useful to Beast Master setups.

I would argue that is base functionality not really pet support. Perhaps if a skill triggered the pets next attack to do a splash heal/cleanse around the pet or created that Cosmic Wisp effect on the pets next attack.

the whole druid skill look a lot like “plan B” to be honest

I would assume that the core mechanics of the ranger profession was pets?
Now the only trait from the druid specialization that supports this is
Cultivated Synergy – Using a heal skill heal allies around you and your pet. You can double up this ability if you stand next to your pet.
Neither the staff skills nor the celestial form have any direct influence on the pet, yes all the healing affects allies but they have no real influence on the ranger core design.
Another problem is that there is only one trait synergy and that’s with marksmanship predator’s onslaught and Ancient Seeds, Almost all traits previously and in the druid don’t really aid each other, especially from other trait lines. (Except Remorseless, two hand training and wilderness knowledge being the only notable synergistic traits)

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Sure, it does work and is useful, but that is hardly synergy.

Synergy would be your pet dealing additional damage or crippling foes with the wisp attached, or shadow stepping to your target when you use Vine Surge.

healing your pet also builds up astral energy doesn’t (APPARENTLY “DOESN’T” AND “IT” CANNOT BE NEAR EACH OTHER OR IT GETS CENSORED SO I PUT THIS HERE TO MAKE SURE THE FORUM DOES NOT CHANGE MY WORDS INTO KITTENS) it? So by catching your pet in a Solar Beam you are both restoring the pet’s health and building up your astral energy so you can enter the Avatar State.

I feel this counts as synergy. What you describe isn’t so much synergy between unrelated skills as it is extra skill effects.

Though I would like to see a pet skill on staff.

i did to notice lack of synergy with the pet on druid skills and traits.. there wasn’t anything that amazing that i could say “i have to use this”.. and the glyphs are not bad but i think if they could put the glyph mastery as a grandmaster and instead of condi cleanse your pet repeat the glyph you use with 5sec cd for instance to prevent to much dmg..

or give glyphs some way to apply boons to the pet.. but i think having the pet doing the glyph at the same time would give a fun gameplay in pvp and WvW..

just my idea

This was my biggest issue with Druid. The pet just seems to be plastered on. They need to make up their mind to either go full celestial form (by getting rid of the pet) or integrate the pet more into Druid mechanic. It just feels odd have both cele form and pet. Should be one or the other to have a more defined mechanic.

I do agree it’s strange that the staff lacks a “pet” skill that directly applies something to the pet. Every mainhand weapon for the Ranger has a direct pet skill somewhere
Sword: Last hit in the auto chain grants the pet might.
Greatsword: Hilt Bash gives the pet an attack of opportunity.
Shortbow: Crip shot causes the pets’ attacks to inflict bleeding.
Longbow: Hunter’s Shot grants swiftness.
Axe: Frostbite – pet’s next attack inflicts weakness.
Harpoongun: Feeding Frenzy grants fury to the pet.
Spear: It’s not listed in the tooltip, Dart grants your pet swiftness.

The staff is a really cool weapon, but for it to feel complete as a Ranger mainhand weapon it needs have a skill applying a buff to the pet directly. It was mentioned that one of the Life Shroud skills felt a little weak, so why not have hit provide the pet specifcally with a buff? Life Shroud is technically just a change of weapon after all and that makes it a Ranger weapon too. However, I’m fairly certain the intention is that the weapon is about providing support to a party, providing a support effect to just the pet blurs that design intent.

I could definitely get behind a secondary effect on Staff to benefit the pet in order to bring it in line with most other weapons.

I mean, healing DOES benefit the pet, rather significantly so in fact. So its not like the weapon exists in a void with no pet benefit whatsoever. But even still, some sort of direct secondary pet effect on one of the staff skills would be appreciated.

I was originally thinking something on Astral Wisp, but on further thinking I’m now leaning towards Vine Surge. It seems a lot of the pet effects are tied to skills that CC foes in some way (either soft or hard CC), which makes sense since it sets the enemy up for an attack from the pet.

As for what effect specifically… Druid seems to avoid boons, so probably not a boon. Since Druid has so many unique mechanics, I kind of feel like it should play off one of those. A simple damage bonus would fit considering Glyph of Empowerment, but Greatsword already does that same thing, so that’d be a bit boring. So I was thinking maybe something like…

“The first enemy hit by your pet Vine Surge becomes tethered to the pet for 5 seconds (ala Glyph of Unity) and takes damage every time your pet is hit”.

i know people wanted a ranger class without pet – and altough i dont think there should be one, thats ok but then MAKE the class without pets – if you still keep the pets there should be some synergies with it…

Maybe a wisp like effect being cast on the pet as well?