Guild Wars 2

I just got GW a couple months ago and I play a ranger, but I’m not an 80 yet. (I’m a colossal newb still at 66, I’ll admit it.) I just have a silly question. If it is widely known that in dungeons people will just go “lol ranger gtfo”, then what in god’s name is ANet thinking with nerfing rangers even more?

I’ve read a lot of comments about “ANet just hates rangers” but that seems too petty. I’d love to hear real reasons from a dev or someone who understands this better about why they would do this. If rangers are nearing the point of uselessness, why nerfs and not buffs? Is it really as simple as them NOT liking the class?

It doesn’t make any sense to me, and I refuse to stop playing my ranger kitten it. She’s grown on me.

They do not hate rangers. They just don’t know how to balance the game correctly. Please do not misjudge them for something they didn’t do.

A ranger will always be a ranger. Stay true to yourself, and you can accomplish anything, young Ajajane. >=)

It’s a conspiracy theory. Everyone loves rangers these days except for the bellyacher’s on these forums and a few elitist players who have mostly quit the game.

Also, I do dungeon pick up groups every single day. I have yet to be kicked out of a run in high level FOTM for being a ranger. In fact, I usually get “thank god we don’t have 4 zerk warriors, 1 guardian, 1 ranger, and 3 warriors is fine”. That’s the common opinion.

The only thing you can’t do is a warrior/mesmer cof 1 speed run. Big deal, I’d rather play than farm my life away anyways in Baelfire’s prison. On gw2lfg.com, you can still join groups for COF runs, just make sure you don’t try to join a speed farm group because they won’t let you play.

Source: Myself

2000 hours in PvE/dungeons, 36 FOTM, highest completed level 48, personal AR 45 and a full set of dungeon armor for my ranger from the following dungeons: Caudecus Manor (Magi), Twilight Arbor (Rabid), Citadel of Flame (Carrion set and a berserker set), Crucible of Eternity (rampager’s), and Arah (knight’s). I’d have HOTW gear too (soldier’s) but I always end up using the tokens to buy HOTW rares and then salvage them for ecto. All of this was done on ranger. To this day I have high level FOTM players telling me they’d rather have a ranger in high level FOTM than a bunch of warriors. Those aren’t my words and I can’t back them up but it’s what people tell me. Personally, I just love playing ranger and after the patch I feel more powerful. Some things had to go down for other things to go up. Read the notes carefully: there’s several massive buffs in there.

Simon here is an optimist. For the rest of us, we say such things because Ranger is a Jack of All, Master of None class. We can do almost everything, but despite our skills, we’re just not good enough at anything.

No, young Millian, I am not an optimist… -_- I am Simon the Wise, aka of Many Colors. Rangers are in a very bad position at the moment. Rangers have no “specialties” in anything. Any other class can outperform us in any duties. But ignore all of those for now and look inside ourselves! We are Rangers! We’ll die as one if we have to! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!!

They probably don’t hate them, but they just don’t understand them and are unable to make decent pet ai.

They also seem to insist on balancing classes based on sPvP, not understanding how big of a hit that can have on those classes in WvW and PvE.

Haha, I love people with good sense of humour XD

What I was saying, Ajajane, is that you shouldn’t stop playing a ranger because of this awful update. You have 2 choices at the moment:
1) Quit being a ranger
2) Continue onwards
You said you have grown attached to your ranger, so I am telling you to keep moving forward like I am. >=)

Thank you! Ranger Theglados! Finally. someone who speaks my language. Exactly! They do NOT know how to balance the ranger class. They don’t hate rangers.

I’ve been playing since Beta. I started on Guardian and those got watered down, switched to Ranger and now the fun has been sucked out of that too.

Every ‘balancing’ hurts. Every patch takes something away from the feeling of epic fun that was, if I’m honest, kindled in Beta.

So… I’m out. Just a quick note to say bye and thanks to all my friends. We can scream all we want about the injustice of it all, but the only thing that speaks loud enough is coin. I gave you a second chance aNet, re-rolling instead of ditching you. You let me down again.

Thank you for the memories of what was. It’s gone now. The magic is gone. You’re just another MMO among many choices… better choices.

That’s is all I have to say about that.

I recently bought GW1 Trilogy. Please tell me I made a good choice…? I hear Rangers in GW1 are pretty balanaced…

I main the ranger of gw1. Love that class. >=) And if you made a good choice? It depends if there are still people playing it or not. During the time when I was playing it, it was the best time of my life. I sold myself as a free mercenary and helped people on runs (missions, towns, etc). The one I was known for (people forget of course) was the Tomb run, and Prophecy last mission run.

It’s always more fun if you have people to play with of course. I actually ran through NF and EOTN with just heroes and henchies (this was before you can have 7 heroes in your team)

I’ve always known the vocal ones in a group aren’t necessarily good indicators of the way the majority feels. They’re just louder. Regardless of that though, it’s nice to hear that everyone isn’t all doom and gloom about the profession.

Oh, and I wasn’t planning on quitting, I was just trying to understand the situation better. I’m committed now dang it! Maybe someday ANet will actually learn how to balance the profession. That leaves me with more hope than just thinking they outright hate rangers!

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Exactly my point, GW1 is completely soloable right? Also, if you can give tips, which of the 3 trilogy should I start with?

You’re very welcome, my dear ranger, Ajajane.

ehhh….. I started with Proph, though it gets boring at “Old Ascalon” and “Crystal Desert”… that’s just me though. But NF was by far my favorite. =) If I had to do it again, I’ll start at Proph, but that’s just me.

And GW1 isn’t soloable…. I only managed to do it because I got most of the good professions skills to set up my heroes skillbars. GW1 is all about teamwork, which is what GW2 happens to lack. Gw1 also have something that Gw2 doesn’t, I knew this since beta, but I could never put my finger on it. Overall, my experience in GW1 is way better than GW2. I felt like a real “hero” in GW1. Gw2, i’m just helping some dude name Thackery out to fight a cliche dragon.

Thanks for the tips!

If you start in any other than Proph, you can come to Proph starting in Lion Arch, which is in the middle of the map, which means you have to walk yourself way to the low level areas of Ascalon, and then back over to the high level area of Magumma, Kryta, etc.

If you do start at Proph, I suggest that when you reach Lion Arch, take a ship to Nightfall and obtain your first three/four heroes, then come back to Proph and finish it, since I bet it must be impossible/low-chance to find a team to do mission in GW1 now.

ps: Try not to die and get survival title =) It was one of my unachieve goals

Rangers are like gas prices in reverse. We get nerfed for months on end and everyone is enraged. Then we get a buff and everyone is happy for a little while but know it can’t last. Then it’s back to the constant nerfs.

Simon.3106:

They do not hate rangers. They just don’t know how to balance the game correctly. Please do not misjudge them for something they didn’t do.

A ranger will always be a ranger. Stay true to yourself, and you can accomplish anything, young Ajajane. >=)

Ha ha! My useless trivia knowledge comes in handy again. Hanlon’s Razor – Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Maybe trade stupidity out for not knowing how to balance the game, but the point still stands.

Simon.3106:

They do not hate rangers. They just don’t know how to balance the game correctly. Please do not misjudge them for something they didn’t do.

A ranger will always be a ranger. Stay true to yourself, and you can accomplish anything, young Ajajane. >=)

They do seem to be struggling with the ranger, and it’s been going on since before the first BWE. They just can’t seem to get the class’s foundation – it’s class mechanic, pets – to a spot where they can make the tightly focused changes the class probably needs.

That said, I still enjoy the class. And if you do too, TC, then keep doing what you’re doing.

gracemillian.1908:

I recently bought GW1 Trilogy. Please tell me I made a good choice…? I hear Rangers in GW1 are pretty balanaced…

Rangers in GW1 were gods. Plain and Simple.
Not always easy, but always effective.

Chopps.5047:

It’s a conspiracy theory.

Also, I do dungeon pick up groups every single day. I have yet to be kicked out of a run in high level FOTM for being a ranger. In fact, I usually get “thank god we don’t have 4 zerk warriors, 1 guardian, 1 ranger, and 3 warriors is fine”. That’s the common opinion.

The only thing you can’t do is a warrior/mesmer cof 1 speed run. Big deal, I’d rather play than farm my life away anyways in Baelfire’s prison.

This.

I’ve only seen threats of kicking zerkers. Never seen threats or actual kicking of rangers or anyone else (well, I have seen and kicked DC’d people, but that’s different).

What I -DO- see is that the latest patch is a shakeup for a lot of people’s comfort zones. Many builds will require radical rethinking and may or may not be able to find viable results without a playstyle change.

My own playstyle change got a buff. A bow ranger I regularly speak with also noticed a buff to her abilities. But I don’t think either of us plays in a ‘common’ way.

ArenaNet nerfed the ‘popular builds’, left some unpopular ones alone, and buffed some others. But when you nerf the choice the majority uses, it can look like the sky is falling.

I think they needed the nerf for pvp balance, it’s pretty annoying to see a ranger on the other team and know that you pretty much have a 1% chance of beating them in a 1v1 on a build that is very forgiving for the ranger. I’m sorry to hear that rangers are being discriminated against for pve. They made other pvp only changes so I don’t understand why rangers didn’t get the same treatment.