Guild Wars 2

So the new trait/specialisation changes are announced, and something seems off to me.
For a class that is thematically based around interacting with nature, and having beast as pets, the Nature Magic and Beastmastery lines seem like utter trash with these changes.

Aside from the one specific reason of a Spirit build, I see no reason why either of those lines would be taken over the others. If anyone has a good reason why those would be taken, please share.

Annoyingly, Resounding Timbre is stuck down in Beastmastery. A trait which wasn’t necessarily deserving of being a Grandmaster as is, sure. A buffed up version of it with some additional effect would fit perfectly in the seemingly boon-oriented Nature Magic line, especially since removing the cast time on Guard!, and making you cast Search and Rescue on reviving an ally would maybe give shout Ranger a reason to come back stronger.

But with the specialisations requiring you to take 3 full lines, I don’t see any reason why (apart from the spirit niche) for people to take the very rangery Nature and Beast lines all the way to Grandmaster, it is simply a waste.

Suggestions:

• Merge Resounding Timbre into Protective Ward. When you cast a shout, your pet casts Swiftness (15s) Regen (10s) and Protection (5s) to 5 allies, gains Aegis (5s) on itself and weakness (6s) on enemies. 15s ICD.
• Honed Axes. Remove it, make it Baseline. Take Empathic Bond, and put it as a Beast Mastery grandmaster instead.
• Consider a replacement Wildnerness Survival grandmaster that buffs Natural Vigor. Endurance regeneration up to 33-50% and gain Signet of the Wild passive for 6 seconds on dodge (15s ICD)
• Reconsider what on earth Two-Handed Training is doing in Beastmastery. Merge with Strider’s Defense, linking the melee weapons together, to make an easy and viable choice.
• Create some more interesting Pet traits. Things that happen when your pet meets certain requirements. When struck below 25% health your pet automatically casts its F2 skill. When your pet interrupts a foe, the skill it just used is cooled down 50% faster.

With the traits as they are, most rangers across all game modes are going to be in Marksmanship, Skirmishing and Wilderness Survival, regardless of weapon choice, gear and build.

- No thanks, like RT where it is.
- Honed is pretty lame, but they aint gonna make it base.
- I don’t like your idea for WS GM, it would never compete with WK.
- I like the placement of 2HT.

I think I’ll be using Skirmishing and Nature Magic the least actually.

1) I’m okay with where RT and PW are. Not sure how I would feel if shout recharge was in Nature Magic when it fits in Beastmastery.

2) Only thing about Honed Axes that could be made baseline would be the AOE Winter’s Bite. After seeing the updates in store, Anet seems dead set to keep it there as the defining feature to make Honed Axes a GM status trait.

3) Natural Vigor shouldn’t require a trait to make it better, period. Also, what if a Ranger slots in Signet of the Wild and dodges? Don’t think double stacking a passive health regen would be allowed (even tho it’s rather weak). I would suggest something like Super Speed, but QZ pretty much has that covered now.

4) With how they backtracked in Strider’s Defense, 2HT seems better off on its own and in BM to me. Plus, GS will most likely become a thing in PvE with Quick Draw. If it’s lumped in with Strider’s Defense, it will never see the light of day since PvE Rangers would rather slot Spotter for group support over it.

Ideas seem like they come from a good place though. They just need a bit more refinement. Cheers.

PW is a decent trait on its own. The change idea for RT is mostly out of the inconvenience of having to take 3 tracks to GM. The potential for synergy with Ranger shouts with boons and Trooper runes has been there a long time, but was always clunky. Annoying to have to be pushed all the way into BM to get the shout trait. This coming from a WvW zerging perspective, where pets turn useless, so the majority of the BM line is redundant, but the non-pet effects have some synergy. The other option would be to go the other way. Make the shouts more pet centric, make RT give pets addition specific buffs. Sic ‘Em giving fury and might, Search and Rescue giving Quickness, Protect Me giving Protection and Resistance.
I miss the time when Natural Vigor was a full 50% endurance regen. It shouldn’t need another trait to buff it, but it needs buffing back up. Looking closely the notes take it down to 20% from 25%. Suggestion comes out of needing a trait that fits that line, that does something different (choosing between condi removal and condi removal), and it sits in line other changes Anet has with Soothing Mist on Ele and the move of Battle Presence on guard. Perhaps giving Signet of the Wild passive to allies would be more appropriate. I maintain that EB should be in BM perhaps reducing it to 1 condition each 5s, but your pet gains a boon or heals as well each time.
It might be better to have 2HT and Strider’s separate, but for theme, just a GS trait doesn’t fit in BM, with no connection to a pet, same with Honed Axes. I get the impression that those are stuck in there to try and incentivize people to take BM for non-pet reasons.

I’m with you there about Natural Vigor. I missed it when it was 50% endurance regeneration, too. I agree that it should be looked at again, but I’m also weary of that since they did look at it again and nerfed it.

This is going to be a stretch on Anet’s reasoning why 2HT and Honed Axes are in BM, so bear with me a bit. Both of those weapons have a skill that affects the pet, Hilt Bash and Winter’s Bite, respectively. Not saying that’s the actual reason, it’s just a guess on why those traits are there.

As for sharing Signet of the Wild passive with allies, it’s a good start on the idea. Would probably remove the ICD and on dodge at that point and keep it a constant.

Wondrouswall.7169:

This is going to be a stretch on Anet’s reasoning why 2HT and Honed Axes are in BM, so bear with me a bit. Both of those weapons have a skill that affects the pet, Hilt Bash and Winter’s Bite, respectively. Not saying that’s the actual reason, it’s just a guess on why those traits are there.

All weapon sets have a skill that applies a buff to your pet. Sword Auto, LB3, SB4, Axe3, GS5. Offhands are of no concern here since you’ll have the mainhand attack that buffs pets.

Sevans.4619:

Wondrouswall.7169:

This is going to be a stretch on Anet’s reasoning why 2HT and Honed Axes are in BM, so bear with me a bit. Both of those weapons have a skill that affects the pet, Hilt Bash and Winter’s Bite, respectively. Not saying that’s the actual reason, it’s just a guess on why those traits are there.

All weapon sets have a skill that applies a buff to your pet. Sword Auto, LB3, SB4, Axe3, GS5. Offhands are of no concern here since you’ll have the mainhand attack that buffs pets.

Dont forget the axe #1 with the minor in nature magic that give your boons to your pets! Especially after the patch it will be huge!