Guild Wars 2

If the Ranger Profession was to be Replaced, which Guild 1 Professions if any, including other mmo’s Profession, would you like in its place?
It’s not easy to write this because no Professions will ever Replaced Ranger. I’m only throwing this question out there if Anet decides to scrap this profession entirely from this game. Obviously from the Direction they are going, most likely they will.

ANet scrapping an entire profession from the game, although technically not outside of the realm of possibility, is in my opinion highly, highly unlikely. However, if only to entertain this topic, I think ANet should replace the Ranger with… (drumroll) the Ranger from GW1.

I’m not rose-tintedly saying the GW1 Ranger was perfect or would be viable in all circumstances in GW2. In fact, I would say it had a lot of the same issues, or at least suffered from some pretty similar things as the GW2 Ranger, like not being able to find groups for certain content, getting kicked from groups, not outputting enough dps, getting outdone even with stuff it’s good at (e.g. interrupting), being a jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none, etc. With much of GW2’s PvE content being dps-centric, it would still probably get outdone by most of the other professions, and it would still probably not be able to find a place on CoF speed runs. However, it has one advantage the GW2 Ranger does not have, one advantage that makes it a GODLIKE class in comparison, shortcomings and all: the ability to choose whether or not to have a pet and not get punished for it one way or another.

It is of my opinion that that one thing, that one option we no longer have, kittens our class over more than any other broken mechanic we have. Spirits are more broken and/or useless, you say? We can totally just not summon/use/trait for them. Pets kittening us over because of their lackluster AI, getting instagibbed by things they can’t dodge or block, and/or wandering off (far off) to aggro things they have no business aggroing, all while accounting for 30-40% of our total dps and making us lose that much when they inevitably get nuked, regardless of whether or not we traited for them? Shrug

Pets can be awesome. Pets can be useful. They’re just, in my opinion, not awesome or useful enough to warrant them being a permanent, “always-on” extension of our class. We should be able to choose whether or not to have them out… much like we did before.

Okay, I’m done. :|

Then I would quit GW2 and buy League of Legends that very day. What was the question again?

Ill take the rogue class from rift as a replacement. That game wasnt that good imo but that class was fun with all the build options available.

Oooh, I would replace it with the Ranger class from Age of Conan (pre revamp) . That ranger was fun to play and had some cool build options.

Actually, I agree with achensherd, if only the beginning of his post.

I picked ranger for my first class because, in GW1, my favorite class was ranger. Unfortunately, it is FAR less useful in this game than in the previous; whereas, in the previous, a few interrupts and conditions, I could take on any one target in PvP… in GW2, I struggle to find a build that can solo anything at all.

I understand it’s mostly because of mechanics (lack of seeing skill the enemy is using, inclusion of traits, inclusion of dodging, etc.), but it really does make me sad that my favorite profession, while decent at support, is mostly outshone by basically every other profession.

In short – I’d want to replace GW2 ranger for GW1, though I know it’s usefulness with the new mechanics would be highly diminished.

I’m in agreement with those who would like their GW1 ranger back. I didn’t find the GW1 ranger particularly powerful but I preferred it in terms of gameplay. It felt more interesting to play, interrupts were great and the spirits were actually worth using. I liked the fact that if I used different bows I’d get different speed/trajectory – recurve for interrupts, flatbow on hills or with favourable winds for barrage spam, shortbow for quick fast damage.

I played BM sometimes out of choice, but when it wasn’t appropriate or useful I could get rid of the pet.

The one thing I didn’t like was that traps had a cast time and I prefer the way they are now.

SilencedScream.2167:

In short – I’d want to replace GW2 ranger for GW1, though I know it’s usefulness with the new mechanics would be highly diminished.

GW2’s gameplay, at least as it stands now, just doesn’t reward the types of utilities either Ranger has. Interrupting was one of the first things I tried to do as a GW2 Ranger, and although it can be nice at times, it’s just not as necessary anymore. Mobs and bosses generally don’t heal, and what interruptible attacks they have can just be dodged.

AFAIK there’s only one instance where interrupting/stunning is absolutely critical, and that’s to prevent the Legendary Rampaging Ice Elemental from healing in the Underground Facility Fractal. Upon learning of that mechanic on my first time fighting it, I giddily swapped to my longbow (for the first time in a long time) and was all “I have purpose!”

If my prof had to be scrapped for w/e reason and replaced with something else I’d say give me Dervish(from GW1) or a Druid like prof, it’d be close enough in theme I wouldn’t rage quit GW2, but I’d still be furious….

We’d be furious if Anet deletes the ranger class. But at its current state, enough of us wouldn’t miss it either.

Dervish, obviously.

DND 3.5 Scout. Want me to keep mobile? Give me Skirmish.