Guild Wars 2

Okay, disclaimer first. I don’t totally hate pets and I appreciate that if you don’t want to have them, then perhaps playing a ranger isn’t for you.

That said, here’s an idea (may have been suggested before, I don’t know, haven’t really checked)

Spirit Shaman elite spec.

Instead of choosing a pet to accompany you, you gain a spirit companion based on the root pet type e.g. Canine, Feline, Drake etc.

Your pet no longer accompanies you but instead you gain a large passive buff to your stats leaning towards different stats and/or damage depending on which spirit companion you choose. You also gain a one shot ability on a cool down that manifests the spirit and creates an effect as a class mechanic, a bit like your pets original active ability.

Gain access to either..
Spirit Weapons – In the form of spirit animals with relevantly themed command abilities
-or-
Spectral Skills – Again based around spectral animals (think of the way skills like swoop and maul project an eagle and bear.)

Not sure what I’d personally prefer on this one, I think I’m leaning towards spectral as spirit weapon skills are vastly underappreciated and are too reminiscent of a pet class which won’t sit well with people looking to play a ranger that moves away from this.

Gain access to Scepters as a power based alternative to the condition damage shortbow and hybrid main-hand axe.

The skills and utilities could give the ranger more reliable direct DPS options. Just a bit of fun theory crafting and would be interesting to hear what people think.

Lore is not the problem. Pets weren’t mendatory for GW1 rangers either. Gameplay is the problem. The Ranger has so many skills and traits that simply do not work without a pet, that it would take a lot of work to make an elite spec that functions with those skills and traits. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it won’t be easy.

There are a couple problems with a specialization idea that remove pets. We have 29 traits that effect our pets, and there is not modification that could be done to make all of them work efficiently, which would mean 29 individual changes to fix all of our traits. That’s alot of busywork for one specialization.

In addition it breaks all of our shouts, makes our signets less effective, makes our downed state significantly weaker, and it is a slight nerf to all of our mainhand weapons that have a skill that effects our pet, specifically mainhand axe with its permanent weakness uptime.

Because of these reasons, i dont think a specialization that completely removes our pet will ever really work.

I’m sorry but there is 1 tiny thing that prevent them to remove pet and that’s not “lore”. That’s called :

Traits

All in all to prevent some traits to become useless with an elite spec, the pet need to remain. I’m not saying that they can’t change form or whatever but there are traits that :

- Directly buff the pet : Alpha training, expertise training, Fortifying bond, Pack alpha, Companion’s might, Natural healing, Pet prowess

- Use the [F2] command (which need an active pet) : Invigorating bond, Go for the eyes, Wilting strike, Beastly warden

- Use the pet to take some comdition outa you : shared anguish, Empathic bond

Those are mainly the 14 traits that would make a spec without pet impossible sinc you basically need a pet alive and kicking to make use of them. Well, I guess the F2 use could be bypass but that’s all.

Beside, there is not only traits, there is also a whole skill family that need the pet, It’s called Shout but they are more command at the moment. Without pet, this skill family have little to no use. Without pet, no sick’em, Protect me or guard!. Without pet no strengh of the pack, well at least, no might on this shout.

The core ranger is designed to have something with him that have an health bar, that can hit a target (well that point is in theory though), have an [F2] skill and that you can swap.

Your idea in the hand of the developpers would probably end up keeping the pet and giving the ranger an [F5] that would become either :

- A burst skill à la warrior.
or
- A temporary buff.

NB.: note that traits that I don’t think that traits that affect both the master and the pet prevent this idea. I just list those who directly prevent it.

Some very good points about conflicts with current functionality of skills. I hadn’t really thought about all of those to be honest.

A crude workaround for some of them at least, could be to have your pet still exist but as a sort of invisible puppet that does not attack or take damage but simply takes on the effects of the pet transferring any boons it gains directly to the ranger and absorbing conditions or CC as per the traits. It wouldn’t be a perfect solution as it could be both underpowered and overpowered in different situations mechanically.

I guess an easier way to make those that don’t like the pet but want to be a ranger happy would be to fix the AI of the existing pets or perhaps create a way to make them “heel” and always stick very close to you, kind of like the scrapper function gyro does while still being a separate entity rather than a visual effect, charging out to use skills. It’d be a good way to utilize pets when you are using melee weapons so they always attack as you do?

It’s not impossible, most traits requiring pet are choice traits.
People wouldn’t take Lead the Wind without a longbow right?

As for the utility skills, there are many that don’t require pet and the elite spec would no doubt bring a skill line-up with that in mind.

Justine.6351:

It’s not impossible, most traits requiring pet are choice traits.
People wouldn’t take Lead the Wind without a longbow right?

(non-Druid) Traits which involve pets that aren’t optional:
1. Alpha Training (and thus, to some extent, Precise Strike)
2. Companion’s Defense
3. Bark Skin
4. Fortifying Bond
5. Lingering Magic
6. Pack Alpha
7. Loud Whistle
8. Pet’s Prowess

That’s 8 (or 9) of your 15 (non-Druid) minor traits i.e. the majority. There is only 1 specialization (Skirmishing) that has no minor traits involving pets.

As for the utility skills, there are many that don’t require pet and the elite spec would no doubt bring a skill line-up with that in mind.

1. It’s not just utility skills. It’s also weapon skills such as Hilt Bash (Greatsword), Hunter’s Shot (Longbow), Crippling Shot (Shortbow), Precision Swipe (Sword), Winter’s Bite (Axe) and Freeding Frenzy (Harpoon Gun).

2. No other elite spec limits you in what core utility skills (or core traits) you can take. How is it fun or good design to have a ranger elite spec that does that?

I still think they should convert one traitline on each class into an Elite spec and make that the “What class mechanic do I want?” line. Converting would give each class 2 choices currently.

Ranger would be the easiest to convert, make Beastmastery an Elite, moving pet specific traits there and people can choose between useful(please) pets with extra damage and utility and a defensive/supportive spec (Druid).

But this idea comes with quite a few hurdles. Some classes would be difficult to adjust, Ranger damage would need to be buffed since the pet would be optional, potentially less build diversity to begin with, lots of developer time required to implement and probably more.

Either way, I hope they start pumping out Elite specs soon since we need a little more variety in the game. I definitely like the idea of a spirit weapon spec.

I do enjoy the ideas, they’re creative and sound fun.

That said, I would honestly drop the profession if they removed pets. They’re not the reason I play Ranger but they are absolutely a big part of it, despite their many flaws. I love my pets and I love even more when they land the killing blow. Just gives me a massive grin of satisfaction. Like that time I was starting to lose the battle against a Thief I had been fighting for 5 minutes and I saw him about to initiate the final Backstab. He Pistol #5’d and got caught mid Dagger #2 animation by a might-stacked F2 crit from my Tiger which hit him for 9k. Frigging best kill ever.

psizone.8437:

I still think they should convert one traitline on each class into an Elite spec and make that the “What class mechanic do I want?” line. Converting would give each class 2 choices currently.

Ranger would be the easiest to convert, make Beastmastery an Elite, moving pet specific traits there and people can choose between useful(please) pets with extra damage and utility and a defensive/supportive spec (Druid).

But this idea comes with quite a few hurdles. Some classes would be difficult to adjust, Ranger damage would need to be buffed since the pet would be optional, potentially less build diversity to begin with, lots of developer time required to implement and probably more.

Either way, I hope they start pumping out Elite specs soon since we need a little more variety in the game. I definitely like the idea of a spirit weapon spec.

yes if 3 guild wars wasn’t 3years old bm would have been great elite spec. the crying from people who got their pet “stolen” (druid) from them would have been insane though. I probably would have been one of them because I like my pets ;-(

and lol at the guy posting stuff as non-optionals that affect pets…that also affect the player directly. as for any of them that only affect pet, well obviously add something to them that affect player aswell….boom done, gimme my paycheck anet.

Not only traits but anet has also taken into consideration that pets contribute to the ranger’s total dps, and unless they adjusted all the weapon skills to account for dropping a pet, it wouldn’t work.

psizone.8437:

I still think they should convert one traitline on each class into an Elite spec and make that the “What class mechanic do I want?” line. Converting would give each class 2 choices currently.

Ranger would be the easiest to convert, make Beastmastery an Elite, moving pet specific traits there and people can choose between useful(please) pets with extra damage and utility and a defensive/supportive spec (Druid).

But this idea comes with quite a few hurdles. Some classes would be difficult to adjust, Ranger damage would need to be buffed since the pet would be optional, potentially less build diversity to begin with, lots of developer time required to implement and probably more.

Either way, I hope they start pumping out Elite specs soon since we need a little more variety in the game. I definitely like the idea of a spirit weapon spec.

I’ve said something similiar to this multiple times on the Forums and yes, that should happen.
It would make a lot of the balancing issues easier to solve and give the core classes a bigger Impact.