Guild Wars 2

I am curious to see what people would like a.net to get done with the ranger. I see alot of useless feedback lately like “this wont work” or “this is dumb” without providing any constructive criticism, or opinions on what WOULD work.

So, in your opinion what would make the ranger viable and WANTED in groups across all forms of play (wvw, pvp, 5mans, raids).

In PvE we are very viable, especially with ice bow nerf. In raids specifically, we’ll have to see.

In PvP Druid could be the solution. We’ll have to see.

In WvW Druid will most likely be the solution. We’ll have to see.

Here is the major things I would like to see addressed, that have been issues for a long time now.

Pets:
-Increase the hit rate of pets, this means improving AI, right now it is easy to dodge 70% of pet attacks.
-Increase the survival of pets, either by limiting damage done by cleaves and aoe to it or increase health pool and toughness.
-Increase pet responsiveness, give us more control. Not sure how many times a pet wasted a skill or took so long to get a F2 skill off.
-Allow us to properly stow pets, don’t auto pull the pet out after we stowed them. In some fights having a pet is a negative thing, such as in Jade Maw.

Spirits:
-Increase spirit survival, as of right now in most encounters they die way to fast.
-Allow us to have mobile spirits again!

Utility Skills:
-Change up shouts and make them unique. “Protect Me!” Is really redundant with Signet of Stone.
“Sic ’Em!” is probably the best shout and it is very niche useful only against thief and PU Mesmers. “Guard!” and “Search and Rescue!” are very subpar skills.
-Sharpening Stone is on a 45 second CD, only applies 5 stacks of bleeding over 5 attacks. Compare that to say Spike Trap that does 6 stacks, is unblockable, damages and had a KD and you see how bad this skill is.
-Muddy Terrain increase the animation speed so this is faster
-Quickening Zephyr decrease the CD from 60 sec to 45 sec to be in line with other skills that do similar
-Signets for the most part are pretty good, though the CD or active can do for minor improvementes.
-Traps seem fine for now

Elite Skills:
-Spirit of Nature is just really bad, its healing is really not noticeable, and the revive is very slow, and its a spirit so it suffers.
-Entangle the animation on this is so slow that it is very easy to dodge, this is probably one of the easiest elites to negate in the game due to that.

Weapons:
-Longbow animations are very easy to predict making most of the skills easily mitigated compared to other skills
-Longbow has a 2000 range when it should be 1725 with the 15% buffer zone on projectiles
-Sword is very unresponsive with attacks
-Shortbow make the auto attack always apply bleeding
-Increase Greatsword’s damage, as of right now it is a weapon take for its defensive capabilities

Traits:
-Stead Focus is very niche, we should gain vigor when endurance isn’t full with ICD
-Predator’s Instinct lower the ICD from 30 to 15
-Vigorous Training feels under whelming for a T2 trait, maybe swiftness or another buff alongside to bring it in line with other traits of the same level
-Invigorating Bond why does this have an ICD? F2s already have a cool down it is also a grandmaster trait
-Nature’s Vengeance the increase health doesn’t help spirits much
-Natural Healing doesn’t do much for pets in almost any instance of the game, seems a pretty bad trait, even more so at the slot you have to take it
-Major Master with the slot and how many disables there are in the game why is this on a 60 ICD?

Kitty.1502:

Here is the major things I would like to see addressed, that have been issues for a long time now.
-Quickening Zephyr decrease the CD from 60 sec to 45 sec to be in line with other skills that do similar

The other skills that do similar (Frenzy and Haste) are on 60s cd too.

I agree with most of your points generally though.

@OP Ranger is viable in all forms. Viable =/= Optimal though. As someone mentioned, druid may address some of these but we’ll have to wait and see.

Terra.8571:

Kitty.1502:

Here is the major things I would like to see addressed, that have been issues for a long time now.
-Quickening Zephyr decrease the CD from 60 sec to 45 sec to be in line with other skills that do similar

The other skills that do similar (Frenzy and Haste) are on 60s cd too.

I agree with most of your points generally though.

@OP Ranger is viable in all forms. Viable =/= Optimal though. As someone mentioned, druid may address some of these but we’ll have to wait and see.

The ones with 60 CD are paired with strong buffs like fury, the ones that are lower are with weaker buffs.

turn spirits into auras whose actives and passives are centered on either the pet or ranger.

spirits with healthbars = spirits that are useless in raids, many dungeon fights and any real group wvw.
Spirits that cant move with the fight = spirits that are useless in wvw.

Pretty much everything else that Kitty said.

Kitty.1502:

Terra.8571:

Kitty.1502:

Here is the major things I would like to see addressed, that have been issues for a long time now.
-Quickening Zephyr decrease the CD from 60 sec to 45 sec to be in line with other skills that do similar

The other skills that do similar (Frenzy and Haste) are on 60s cd too.

I agree with most of your points generally though.

@OP Ranger is viable in all forms. Viable =/= Optimal though. As someone mentioned, druid may address some of these but we’ll have to wait and see.

The ones with 60 CD are paired with strong buffs like fury, the ones that are lower are with weaker buffs.

There aren’t really any weaker ones, there are 4 skills which add 6s of quickness. The 2 I mentioned plus the engineer’s elixir U (on a 50s cd).

With regards to “strong buffs”, many thieve’s will argue 6s fury is useless as No Quarter provides perma fury whilst most warriors will have 25 stacks might without frenzy so again isn’t necessary.

What I wanted to clarify is Quickening Zephyr is not an outlier in terms of it’s cd as it gets 6s of super speed. Whether or not you think super speed is useful is a different matter.

Terra.8571:

Kitty.1502:

Terra.8571:

Kitty.1502:

Here is the major things I would like to see addressed, that have been issues for a long time now.
-Quickening Zephyr decrease the CD from 60 sec to 45 sec to be in line with other skills that do similar

The other skills that do similar (Frenzy and Haste) are on 60s cd too.

I agree with most of your points generally though.

@OP Ranger is viable in all forms. Viable =/= Optimal though. As someone mentioned, druid may address some of these but we’ll have to wait and see.

The ones with 60 CD are paired with strong buffs like fury, the ones that are lower are with weaker buffs.

There aren’t really any weaker ones, there are 4 skills which add 6s of quickness. The 2 I mentioned plus the engineer’s elixir U (on a 50s cd).

With regards to “strong buffs”, many thieve’s will argue 6s fury is useless as No Quarter provides perma fury whilst most warriors will have 25 stacks might without frenzy so again isn’t necessary.

What I wanted to clarify is Quickening Zephyr is not an outlier in terms of it’s cd as it gets 6s of super speed. Whether or not you think super speed is useful is a different matter.

fair enough

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

oh, okay. guess we’re done here.

Raven.9603:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

oh, okay. guess we’re done here.

OP asked how to make Ranger viable. Druid makes it viable in wvw. We will see how it works out in other game modes, but for sure it is viable in wvw now. Nice job trying to derail and bait with sarcasm.

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tidal_Surge_

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tidal_Surge_

ele does it without having to give up anything. There are plenty of water fields in this game, meaning that druid wouldn’t be needed.

Mcrocha.3891:

Raven.9603:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

oh, okay. guess we’re done here.

OP asked how to make Ranger viable. Druid makes it viable in wvw. We will see how it works out in other game modes, but for sure it is viable in wvw now. Nice job trying to derail and bait with sarcasm.

1 specialization being mandatory for viability is pigeonholed.

OP said across all game modes and clearly left the floor open to lots of areas that might need some improvement.

Its pretty clear that being literally a moving water field will be useful in zergs (assuming we can do it on demand, which we dont know until we see resource generation in action), so much so that non druid rangers likely will be looked at with even more disdain than they are now should they opt not to spec for that. thats not really a good thing for the ranger class as a whole.

Its pretty clear that druid healers have no place in any existing pve content.

Its speculation that druids will be needed in HoT. The way developers intend for encounters to go is not usually the way they go (see every single cheesed fight / skipped pack of trash mobs / glitched dungeon path / zerker gear used in 50 fractals).

its speculation that they will be needed in spvp. we’ll have to see. could be great new bunker. could be that heals dont actually keep pace with damage and we are better off being offensive.

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tidal_Surge_

ele does it without having to give up anything. There are plenty of water fields in this game, meaning that druid wouldn’t be needed.

What does the Ranger give up in order to use Tidal Surge? You’re right, there are plenty of water fields in the game, and it just so happens that Rangers now have a mobile one that also heals for ~5k baseline(we arguably have the best two water fields in the game now).

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tidal_Surge_

ele does it without having to give up anything. There are plenty of water fields in this game, meaning that druid wouldn’t be needed.

What does the Ranger give up in order to use Tidal Surge? You’re right, there are plenty of water fields in the game, and it just so happens that Rangers now have a mobile one that also heals for ~5k baseline(we arguably have the best two water fields in the game now).

Have to spec into druid losing dps/usefulness from other traitlines.

Raven.9603:

Mcrocha.3891:

Raven.9603:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

oh, okay. guess we’re done here.

OP asked how to make Ranger viable. Druid makes it viable in wvw. We will see how it works out in other game modes, but for sure it is viable in wvw now. Nice job trying to derail and bait with sarcasm.

1 specialization being mandatory for viability is referred too as pigeonholed.

OP said across all game modes and clearly left the floor open to lots of areas that might need some improvement.

Its pretty clear that being literally a moving water field will be useful in zergs (assuming we can do it on demand, which we dont know until we see resource generation in action), so much so that non druid rangers likely will be looked at with even more disdain than they are now should they opt not to spec for that. thats not really a good thing for the ranger class as a whole.

Its pretty clear that druid healers have no place in any existing pve content.

Its speculation that druids will be needed in HoT. The way developers intend for encounters to go is not usually the way they go (see every single cheesed fight / skipped pack of trash mobs / glitched dungeon path / zerker gear used in 50 fractals).

its speculation that they will be needed in spvp. we’ll have to see. could be great new bunker. could be that heals dont actually keep pace with damage and we are better off being offensive.

Do you mean kind of like how Rangers were pigeonholed into WS for condition clear? What class doesn’t have one of its trait lines as mandatory for meta builds? I don’t get your point. Druid makes Ranger extremely viable in WvW whilst allowing you to pick whichever other two trait lines you want.

No class as a healer has a place in existing pve, once again I don’t see your point. If you’re claiming that Rangers don’t have a place in pve then I disagree. Just because it doesn’t provide the most optimal output as compared to other classes doesnt mean it has no place. Both zerk and sinister builds are very viable right now. Unless you’re running speed clears or something and trying to break records, Rangers are viable.

In pvp, it opens up bunker builds and probably will be strong on offensive builds as well.

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Kitty.1502:

Mcrocha.3891:

Druid gives Ranger an instant spot in WvW raids.

Not really, its usefulness in WvW might not be that good. WvW is high spike damage, so often healing isn’t fast enough to be worthwhile, and when you need to heal water fields can heal the raid to full.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tidal_Surge_

ele does it without having to give up anything. There are plenty of water fields in this game, meaning that druid wouldn’t be needed.

What does the Ranger give up in order to use Tidal Surge? You’re right, there are plenty of water fields in the game, and it just so happens that Rangers now have a mobile one that also heals for ~5k baseline(we arguably have the best two water fields in the game now).

Have to spec into druid losing dps/usefulness from other traitlines.

Examples? I don’t see what usefulness we have to give up in order to go Druid.

in my signature you have 2 link s to different approach one for the pet and another one for the traits to bring the ranger to the strength of the other classes in game.
OP is right there s a lot of comments that do not give anything but also there a lo of feedback with how we would solve the problems that plague the ranger.