Hello all, im new to the ranger class and im abit confused about the Piercing arrow talent.
How do it realy work?
Do it Pierc 100% of the time or only when the targeted player is behind a pet/player?
How many times do it pierc? If there is 5 players on a birgde, do it pierc all 5?
Do the dmg get reduced on the pierc?
It works 100% of the time, our arrows don’t receive damage penalty however warrior’s rifle for example is 50% damage for each pierced target.
About the targets, you can hit 5 targets at once with piercing but I never really tested how many is the limit, probably 5. The targets need to be in the arrow pathing.
It hits the enemies behind the target you hit. I can’t tell you the range of it, that’s something you need to test but yes, it happens to hit many enemies (maybe more than 5) if they stand right behind your target. I used to use it alot in the past but now I play more with the beastmaster talent, cuz I use signets a lot and the Signet of Stone is really a must for me.
Biggest tip I can give for Piercing Arrows is to aim for the furthest target in a line from you. This is because the arrow shoots towards the middle of the hitbox of your target and arcs down after. If you target the front enemy, the arrow may hit the ground before it reaches the last target, but if you target the end enemy, it will hit all of them.
Also, if you fight a really tall enemy, like a giant in Orr, then you may need to be close to any enemies between you and the giant. The middle of the giant’s hitbox is really high up and enemies between you and the giant may be too short to be hit by the trajectory. Getting closer will make sure the arrow pierces before it travels high enough to go over their head.
Piercing arrows takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get the feel for it, you’ll be amazed at how much you can improve your damage output.
If you ever want to see a fight where piercing really shines, do the Butcher path in Honor of the Waves. You can simultaneously take out two of the bosses totem or you can take out a totem while dpsing the boss.
Either take the furthest target or have no target (while having no auto targeting on) and it’ll pierce all the way until it hits the floor, it recieves NO damage reduction and it’ll apply effects to ALL it hits.
IE: if your next attack applies burning and it’s piercing everyone hit by that arrow will be burned.
Very nice trait, highly worth the point!!
They sing dark, delicious notes about power and family.
As their mother, I have to grant them their wish. – Forever Fyonna
Piercing arrows is proably the single most important skill you can have as a bow user. Target something in the back and shoot, hits everything in the way. Makes every shot an AoE.
It’s an amazing trait that works really well when fighting big groups. So great for WvW and PvE.
For WvW I tend to pick 1500 longbow range and the grandmaster signet trait instead, but I sometimes switch to 1500 range and piercing arrows if I’m at the back of a big group and fighting another big group in a stalemate.
Pretty much established now, but once more; It is amazing.
I played for so long without it… gah.. the difference is outstanding. Suddenly your vulnerability and rapid fire are kicking out kitten loads of damage. It is surprisingly easy to line up players in wvwvw
The knockback from longbow on multiple people is hilarious.
