I know most longbow berserker rangers are really happy with the new bark skin, but I’m going to miss the current bark skin. One of my rangers has a tanky melee/survival build for WvW skirmishes, and using dragonfish candy and oils/stones made me have quite a burst as well. I loved how being under 25% of HP as a ranger tended to aggro half the thief population from my group to me and yet still be unable to kill me, only to have me switch to GS and instagib them.
My longbow berserker ranger will most likely use the new bark skin in PvE, but sadly my melee ranger’s build will disappear. I wish we’d get an alternative for the current bark skin so tanky rangers wouldn’t lose interesting options.
No, I’m with you. I prefer the Barkskin to work when I’m at 25% or less HP than only when I’m at more than 90% hp. There’s a much larger range there where it can be active and it synergizes well with builds that have good sustain (ex: Cleric/Apoth builds).
It’s a hit to Barkskin (imo), but it’s also becoming a minor trait so no longer consuming a Grandmaster trait. So it’s a bit of “out with the old, in with the new”.
We are getting some alternatives that could help our survivability … so we’ll have to wait and see.
Christian. Husband. Father. Friend. Developer. Gamer.
Try your best to not make mistakes, but, when you do make mistakes, learn from them.
Better yourself.
The thing about new Bark Skin is that it can’t be exploited.
The old Bark Skin worked clunky (but still worked).
If you got hit by a hard-hitting ability at 26% HP, you usually ended up downed, because the damage begins to be negated only when at, or below 25%.
That being said – there’s no way to exploit it at HoT. You’ll always get the full or higher benefit of the trait.
It’s going to be beautiful against getting backstabbed out of nowhere though, and going down the nature path you’ll be able to build increadibly tanky in HoT aswell.
It’s going to be beautiful against getting backstabbed out of nowhere though, and going down the nature path you’ll be able to build increadibly tanky in HoT aswell.
Aye. Ive actually been intending not to go into Marksmanship at all and just roll a longbow+BM+NM+SW build. Picking up multipliers and benefits that make me extremely gank resistant. Would go along way towards letting both me and my pet chase people into formerly lethal areas.
The thing about new Bark Skin is that it can’t be exploited.
The old Bark Skin worked clunky (but still worked).
If you got hit by a hard-hitting ability at 26% HP, you usually ended up downed, because the damage begins to be negated only when at, or below 25%.
That being said – there’s no way to exploit it at HoT. You’ll always get the full or higher benefit of the trait.
I’d say the newer version is much easier to exploit than the old ones. just like the current diamond skin. Trait for wilderness survival so you can upkeep Troll Ungeant, stack up healing power for higher and permenant regen through shout regen or newly traited war horn 5, eat Dry Top version of regen food (130hp/sec), add as much toughness and vitality as possible, and you’ll have an unkillable tanky ranger at your disposal.
For the older version, it’s much likely that you “overheal” above 25% through Troll Ungeant. With the new version, you can stack regen/TU before the opponent actually hits you.
@Toxsa
What I meant was that your enemies could exploit it easier to negate most of it’s effect.
Mechanic abuse is what we’ll have easier with this change. I think it’s differed this way.
You’ll have much easier time using the potential of this trait without worrying that your enemies could “exploit it” since they can’t avoid hitting you Above 90% 1st.
I really enjoy the current bark skin. One of my favorite ranger builds is going away with this change. I don’t mind trying the new builds, but I’ll miss the feeling of my opponents getting me to 25% hp and suddenly, they can’t get down those last few thousand hp. So much fun to watch all the mistakes ppl will make trying to down someone with 3k hp, who just wont die.
Some of the new ranger builds will be very survivable as well, but I don’t think they will match the current possibilities. However, it should be easier to make a good build that can actually down enemies whilst being very tanky.
I’m actually stuck for this expac between ranger, guardian and engineer. (I may consider warrior if the shadow warrior from the warrior forums is true)
Toxsa makes a good point … though I’m not sure the Vitality is as necessary … I’d like to have at least one damaging trait :-p
With apothecary stats (Healing w/ Condi & Toughness), you can make use of your evades to buy time for your Healing to get you back above 90%. You might be able to oscillate between >= 90% and <= 90% as you take a hit and then evade the next one while your healing is ticking away.
Hmmm … much theorycrafting to do for this one.
Christian. Husband. Father. Friend. Developer. Gamer.
Try your best to not make mistakes, but, when you do make mistakes, learn from them.
Better yourself.
Toxsa makes a good point … though I’m not sure the Vitality is as necessary … I’d like to have at least one damaging trait :-p
With apothecary stats (Healing w/ Condi & Toughness), you can make use of your evades to buy time for your Healing to get you back above 90%. You might be able to oscillate between >= 90% and <= 90% as you take a hit and then evade the next one while your healing is ticking away.
Hmmm … much theorycrafting to do for this one.
Yeah, maybe less vitality would actually be helpful when considering less HP= easier to regain 10% HP back, but it’s arguable XD
Larger HP means bigger range of 10% HP .
(16K HP = 1.6K HP margin, meaning foe need to hit 3.2k damage to break bark skin
24k HP = 2.4k HP margin, = 4.8k damage to break Bark Skin.)
Aye Toxsa, a larger health pool might mean it takes them more hits just to get you below 90% … especially with the damage reduction.
This has me looking at the traited shouts now since Regen + Oakheart Salve gives 5% reduction (w/ regen), Bark skin gives 50% reduction, and then the Regen can help us maintain/regain … the swiftness will just be a nice bonus.
Christian. Husband. Father. Friend. Developer. Gamer.
Try your best to not make mistakes, but, when you do make mistakes, learn from them.
Better yourself.
Rangers have many passive healing options, TU, SotW, the BM trait (forgot the name), and some traits that gives us regen and also pets that can apply regen, and if you top it with food like mango pie and sigil like of blood you have a really good chance to keep the 55% damage reduction with a really small reduction of the DPS.
Above all that healing ticking, we also have plenty of dodges if you go full melee, so the few attacks that hits you will be reduced and while you evade you heal back to over 90% if needed.
Charter Vanguard [CV] – HoD Bardy Belzebuson – Ranger Sir Belzebu – Herald
(and the other 8 elite specs maxed too)
@Belzebu:
Natural Healing is the trait
… and precisely what we’re looking at.
Please see my thread somewhere on here about “The Terminator” build … can do a form of it with the current game actually.
Christian. Husband. Father. Friend. Developer. Gamer.
Try your best to not make mistakes, but, when you do make mistakes, learn from them.
Better yourself.
Aye Toxsa, a larger health pool might mean it takes them more hits just to get you below 90% … especially with the damage reduction.
This has me looking at the traited shouts now since Regen + Oakheart Salve gives 5% reduction (w/ regen), Bark skin gives 50% reduction, and then the Regen can help us maintain/regain … the swiftness will just be a nice bonus.
Add protective ward to this and it’s getting harder and harder to just break that 10% at all a full dire build with this will be brutal to face .
