Guild Wars 2

I won’t be explaining why Longbow and Power builds are not viable, I will simply be stating what I think should be changed in order to provide as balanced a fix as I can.

First for utilities, I think it would be helpful (and cool) if shouts were changed or had a trait added that would provide an effect to the ranger himself. This should open up more utility choices and can add some needed methods of survival, like if stand guard also stealthed the ranger for a few seconds (a cooldown would need to be added to the skill ofc). At the moment, shouts are never used, I don’t believe any one runs them even in pve, so they definitely need to be changed and allowing the ranger to share in the benefits would certainly increase their use.

Then for tackling the longbow itself. Adding stealth to hunter’s shot was a great step towards making it more effective. But it’s not enough alone. I think the cast time on point blank shot needs to be reduced or even removed. I have often tried using it in point blank range, only to have it fail because they are running around me (as melee always do). Even a dodge roll followed by it more often than not doesn’t help. For how long it takes to cast Barrage, the effect is insignificant. Change the cripple to a short immobilize (2 seconds I think would be about right maybe 3). It is roughly half the damage in the longbow’s skill set, which is lost if you cut it short just for the immobilize in melee, so I think it balances out well. I think rapid fire works fine, though having so much damage focused in one attack is irritating because if it is dodged or mitigated, especially if you pop a quickness, you are in very bad shape. Anyway, I think with the above, longbow would make leaps and bounds into becoming more viable.

If other utilities become viable enough to pull longbow power out of the niche zephyr/lightning reflexes/signet of stone, such as shouts, even more trait lines would open up, like trading precision and crit damage for the utilities that come with beast mastery.

PB Shot with no cooldown would be overpowered. Lower I could see.
My biggest complaint with LB is the timing of the auto attack. For SB, there should be more benefit for position.

LB: The closer you are the faster the attack should be. After all, it does less damage.

For short bow, you should change the duration of the bleed. In front X seconds. Flank 1.5X. Rear 2X.

Longbow #1: 0-900 does the same damage as the midrange now. 900+ either does the added bonus damage or gives a crit damage bonus.

Longbow #2: Channel time decreased from 4.5 seconds down to 3.5 seconds.

Longbow #3: Stealth regardless if the attack hits or not. If it hits, your pet gains openning strike and 5 stacks of might.

Longbow #4: It’s fine.

Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.

Make openning strike and alpha training a single minor trait. Make precise strike the 15pt minor. Make spotter the 25pt minor.

Change fortifying bond to the reverse of what it does now. Any boons your pet gets, we gain instead. This way we no longer need Signet of the Beastmaster as a 30pt trait. Alternatively, just make the signets affect the ranger and not the pet and require fortifying bond so the signets would also affect the pet. Or you know what… just make the signets work for both regardless!

Pick a trap… frost, spike, mud… we don’t need 3 traps that do effectively the same thing. Replace the one you drop with barrage. Increase barrage damage and make the openning strike immobalize and all future shots either cripple or chill (depends if you really want the chill that frost trap provided as frost is the one I’d drop).

That’s how I’d approach it.

[QUOTE]Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.
[/QUOTE]
== warrior rifle

Shoe.5821:

[QUOTE]Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.
[/QUOTE]
== warrior rifle

That’s the plan, yes.

Though not as high damage.

Take away the range damage restrictions on auto attack. Or make the auto attack faster. Basically…. fix the auto attack.

Atherakhia.4086:

Shoe.5821:

[QUOTE]Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.
[/QUOTE]
== warrior rifle

That’s the plan, yes.

Though not as high damage.

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

Barrage: remove restriction on number of targets, Boost damage by 150%, remove 1 boon/cure 1 condition on allies pr wave. +12 sec increased cooldown.

Prysin.8542:

Atherakhia.4086:

Shoe.5821:

[QUOTE]Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.
[/QUOTE]
== warrior rifle

That’s the plan, yes.

Though not as high damage.

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

Barrage: remove restriction on number of targets, Boost damage by 150%, remove 1 boon/cure 1 condition on allies pr wave. +12 sec increased cooldown.

I moved it to a skill… It’s now an even stronger AE with a chill and an immobalize component.

if they add to the shout trait an affect the ranger that should be good. ok, they need to nerf them at the same time but it doesnt matter.
and we have a stealth on lb. what if skill 1 change to a stealth attack? a rifle like kill shot maybe.
barrage is only need a less ticks. noone stand in barrage for 12 ticks. after one or two they walk or dodge out. compress the ticks in the casting time and it will be ok.
point blank is totaly ok. 1100 range while traited.

Atherakhia.4086:

Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.

nononononononono

McWolfy.5924:

barrage is only need a less ticks. noone stand in barrage for 12 ticks. after one or two they walk or dodge out. compress the ticks in the casting time and it will be ok.
point blank is totaly ok. 1100 range while traited.

then it serves as area denial(or you could combo it with something like spider immob)

Prysin.8542:

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

Barrage: remove restriction on number of targets, Boost damage by 150%, remove 1 boon/cure 1 condition on allies pr wave. +12 sec increased cooldown.

…

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

…

+12 sec increased cooldown.

nonononono
(also i dont logically see why it should cleanse and boonstrip)

Linguistically Inept.6583:

Atherakhia.4086:

Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.

nononononononono

McWolfy.5924:

barrage is only need a less ticks. noone stand in barrage for 12 ticks. after one or two they walk or dodge out. compress the ticks in the casting time and it will be ok.
point blank is totaly ok. 1100 range while traited.

then it serves as area denial(or you could combo it with something like spider immob)

Prysin.8542:

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

Barrage: remove restriction on number of targets, Boost damage by 150%, remove 1 boon/cure 1 condition on allies pr wave. +12 sec increased cooldown.

…

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

…

+12 sec increased cooldown.

nonononono
(also i dont logically see why it should cleanse and boonstrip)

NR1 pain in the kitten when using barrage: Retaliation
What is retaliation? a boon
Do you still not want boon strip?

Don’t touch my barrage! ;<

One might argue that LB range trait + piercing arrows is better then LB range trait+ remorseless or piercing arrows + remorseless. Our 15 trait in power is uterrly useless, the opening strike is not applied to pet when going stealth in remorseless and even when pet gains stealth like jaguar. Only when you kill a foe, talk about useless its why you buffed remorseless in the first place. Barrage is nice but cd is too long even with shortened CD.

retaliation should be melee only anyway

Prysin.8542:

Linguistically Inept.6583:

Atherakhia.4086:

Longbow #5: Barrage replaced with Aimed shot. 1.5-1.75 channel time that does high damage.

nononononononono

McWolfy.5924:

barrage is only need a less ticks. noone stand in barrage for 12 ticks. after one or two they walk or dodge out. compress the ticks in the casting time and it will be ok.
point blank is totaly ok. 1100 range while traited.

then it serves as area denial(or you could combo it with something like spider immob)

Prysin.8542:

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

Barrage: remove restriction on number of targets, Boost damage by 150%, remove 1 boon/cure 1 condition on allies pr wave. +12 sec increased cooldown.

…

Without barrage, we dont have ANY aoe… which means, we are screwd in WvW.

…

+12 sec increased cooldown.

nonononono
(also i dont logically see why it should cleanse and boonstrip)

NR1 pain in the kitten when using barrage: Retaliation
What is retaliation? a boon
Do you still not want boon strip?

i didnt say i didnt want boonstrip, i said (or typed) that i dont see why (in its current implementation) it would cause boonstrip or cleanse

- if rangers ever got boonstrip id like to see it on a trait or pet active ability (like http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Paralyzing_Venom)… except… that probably wouldnt work well with zergs unless it was an ranger/aoe buff… but then what kind of pet could do that (and would it be OP?… probably)

1. Range requirement removed. If hits the target at +1000 range, strips 1 boon from target (2 seconds cooldown). In stealth, renamed to Aimed Shot.
   Aimed Shot(1.25 sec cast)- Does 2x normal #1 damage if casted on move or 3x normal #1 damage if casted stationary(not moving for cast duration).
2. Reduce firing time by one second.
3. Good as it is
4. Good as it is, but make skill instant cast
5. Rework. 1/2 second cast, 10 second cooldown(8 if hit more than 1 target). Fire salva of arrows, hitting two times,decent damage and crippling with each hit for 2 seconds.

As for traits – I’d like to see some trait in WS tree that increases your speed in stealth by 50%, removes cripple/chill/immobilize on stealth and improves all healing effects while in stealth by 25%.
All.

I always liked the idea me and my friend came up with, we said to drop rapid fire and replace it with a skill called “Snipers Shot” you charge up the shot and fire it, at full charge it is a guaranteed crit and applies 10 vuln, half charge is 5 vuln (can’t fire before half) stationary while using it.

If its cast while in stealth it also causes bleeding to the target and is an AoE fear (sniper panic) for .5s.

ITT: People who should never be given a job as a game designer. Ever.

They are still too slow. The wind-up takes ages. The arrows fly to slow. They are clunky and sluggish and remind me of flatbows from GW1, only with flatbows you could actually could hit your target reliably on 10 meters.
They could hit like Kill Shot with every autoattack and still few (or atleast, not me) would play it.
I don’t know what ANet thought when they designed an autoattack that is exactly the same as another, Mesmer GS, only with a built-in high probability that it won’t hit.

Also skill 2 being plain vanilla DPS (with some vulnerability on top) is outdated design, an obvious relic that needs to be turned into a valuable combat asset and not something spammed on recharge.

Step 1. Make Shortbow 1200 Range Again

Step 2. Make Longbow our AOE weapon

Step 3. Profit.

I’d like our bows to behave more like in GW1 where each skill was essentially a different type of arrow/shot in our arsenal IE: crip shot, barbed arrow, poison tip sig, BA, etc etc etc. it seems like in GW2 they tried too hard to make the LB have a sort of “combo”, SB is fine, each shot has its purpose and your damage is from your auto (I like that style I just don’t like the SB as a weapon), they should scrap the LB skills and turn it into something more like Burning Arrow build fr Gw1

Durzlla.6295:

I’d like our bows to behave more like in GW1 where each skill was essentially a different type of arrow/shot in our arsenal IE: crip shot, barbed arrow, poison tip sig, BA, etc etc etc. it seems like in GW2 they tried too hard to make the LB have a sort of “combo”, SB is fine, each shot has its purpose and your damage is from your auto (I like that style I just don’t like the SB as a weapon), they should scrap the LB skills and turn it into something more like Burning Arrow build fr Gw1

Warriors stole all of our fire arrows.

Quarktastic.1027:

Durzlla.6295:

I’d like our bows to behave more like in GW1 where each skill was essentially a different type of arrow/shot in our arsenal IE: crip shot, barbed arrow, poison tip sig, BA, etc etc etc. it seems like in GW2 they tried too hard to make the LB have a sort of “combo”, SB is fine, each shot has its purpose and your damage is from your auto (I like that style I just don’t like the SB as a weapon), they should scrap the LB skills and turn it into something more like Burning Arrow build fr Gw1

Warriors stole all of our fire arrows.

We need to steal them back!!

I neglected to mention I was looking mostly from a PvP perspective, though the title hints at it. The reason why I think PB Shot needed its cast time cut is because, even though it has range, most people aren’t going to just run at you. Every class has a gap closing skill and once they use thakittens basically impossible to get PB shot off. I’ve gone to the cannon in Skyhammer and I can never use my knockback because it takes too long to cast in POINT BLANK range.

I also thought Rapid Fire should be changed but I didn’t have many ideas on what to do with it since its longbow’s main DPS.

I like the idea of buffed shouts a lot as have a few other rangers I’ve mentioned the idea to. As it stands, no one ever uses shouts except for protect me (the only one that affects the ranger!). I think both Guard and Search and Rescue need to be changed. There is no benefit to choosing either as they are. I have nothing on search and rescue, but I thought to keep the stealth effect guard could be changed to something like “on the hunt” and you can gain stealth for 5 seconds and maybe 3 stacks of might for roughly the same or slightly longer at something like a 30/40 second CD. Protect me can give you protection/regeneration, sic em swiftness and fury, and no ideas for the last shout.

Either way, either signets should automatically provide their effect and shouts traited or vice versa. If shouts were buffed I could see myself happily going BM for the pet swap quickness.

Longbow is a LONG range weapon, hence the range requirement for additional damage. If you don’t like it, why not just stick to Shortbow? Personally I’ve been running Longbow/shortbow with traps and survival for a time now and find the combination remarkable.

Really, there is nothing wrong with Longbow from what I have experienced. Even Barrage is one of my favorite AoEs. So, there is my 2 coppers. I like it and see no issues with it.