Guild Wars 2

So, as we all know so far, we aren’t gonna get rid of our pets for quite some time. Anet decided pets are an important aspect of both Rangers and Druids and their unique thing.

This isn’t a post in which I’d cry for ability to remove my pet when in combat because I kinda like my pets.

This is a post in which, if pets really are that important aspect of this profession, they need to be more interactive.

Some of us choose our pets to be efficent, others use them for pure aestethics.

However, pets currently just seem to be there rather than actually doing anything. You have canine pets that provide interrupt on F1, drakes that provide blast and that’s pretty much it as far as the useful ones go (maybe I missed some? Don’t really play around with pets too much, only use effective ones to my needs). Then there’s this F2 skill that’s pretty much a 4th utility skill that requires queuing.

Personally, I’d love to choose a pet that I like for looks and would still be able to effectively use it.

For example, Eir’s Garm looks absolutely stunning and really gives her that unique feeling for her character.

Our pets on the other hand seem kinda small, not too impressive, certanly not a real threat in PvP content.

So my idea of how we could improve this, is to have an option to evolve our pets, be it through a course of story or a progression as we level or a simple unlock.

Things I would love to do with my pet:

• Invest points into certain attributes – Power, Precision, Ferocity, Vitality, … (Would let me build my pet to fit my needs)

• Select pet’s abilities – Complete rework to F-skill system for rangers. Instead of F1 being “Attack my target” there could be a skill that I’d want to use (such as interrupts for canine pets currently – keeping your pet passive, activating it only when needed). F2 being 2nd skill, the way it is now, maybe with a selection of different skills – depending how you build your pet. F3 perhaps being another pet skill, maybe used to tactically position your pet – and finally, F4 being a skill to change pet’s stance (Engage – Disengage).

• As I progress through content with my character, I want the pet of choice to become stronger, unlocking new pet traits/abilities, growing my pet larger (at least 33% larger if not 50% – I want it to look as majestic as Garm does). This could be achieved by giving the pet a separate progression, maybe a leveling system of a sort (Many MMOs have that – usually in a way where you “train” your skills to make them stronger).

• Be able to help my pet once it dies/goes down, I don’t care if this removes the ability to switch through different pets as you could build one to provide utility for both, I just want it to feel unique and a good part of a class, not a liablity.

What impact would these changes make?

• Provide Rangers with more interaction with their pets

• Make pets feel like a really unique profession mechanic (Currently, they feel just like an extra utility skill and a liability in many situations – If they weren’t visible, no one would probably even notice it)

• Let people who use pets for aesthetic purposes still feel effective, with ability to build their pet

I mean … There are 2 other professions that also use a similar unique mechanics;

Engineers have turrets and mesmers have phantasms and clones. Both turrets and phantasms look fearsome and you always want to destroy them, sadly, that’s not the case for Rangers … The pets just seem to be there.

Well … just my idea, I know it might be too much to ask but hey, it’s either this or ability to remove our pets from combat for me, before I am satisfied with Ranger mechanics.

I’m all for more pet customization.

I disagree with removing the F-keys for attack/come_here … those simple commands are necessary for better control of your pet … as is passive/active.

I disagree with requiring content to make the pet stronger. I’m happy that it keeps up with me since it is essentially a part of my character.

I disliked having to level any new pet I got in GW1. That was quite annoying.

I’d be satisfied with more fine-tuned control, and pets gaining some scaling with EQ.
Now, OTOH, additional pets or skins for pets? Nothing I’d complain about, whatsoever.

Maybe I didn’t explain it well enough.

For F-keys, you’d still have your attack/come here, just with different skill – I called it changing stance (engage/disengage). The one that makes pet passive/active I wouldn’t even consider an F skill but rather an option.

For making pet stronger, I don’t mean to give it more HP pool or anything like that. I want to be able to play with 1 pet, eg. Wolf, since as a norn, that pet is majestic and looks stunning (if it only was 50% bigger model size) – so making that single pet a bit stronger wouldn’t be a bad idea. What I meant however, is being able to choose pet’s attributes and skills.

If you were to play with 1 pet, you should be able to choose from different attribute builds (tanky, DPSy, etc.) and same goes for pet utility.

As far as leveling pet, you could level it as you level your ranger – or instantly unlock all once you hit level 80. Doesn’t really matter. I just want the pet to progress instead of staying juvenile for ever.