Guild Wars 2

So, I want to bring up half of the functionality of this trait. I would like to believe the increased Poison damage for us and our pet is fine, so the discussion on the pet applying Poison on its first strike after swapping pets is what I would like to hear from Rangers.

I, for one, am not a huge fan of this particular pet swap trait and feel that it should become a trait much like Wilting Strike. In that sense, the Poison should be applied when a pet executes their F2 and be applied to any target affected by a pet’s F2.

This would limit having an ICD on it like Go For The Eyes, Beastly Warden, or even Invigorating Bond since it would not be an AoE trait. One benefit to think of is low cooldown pets such as the Hawk & Eagle could benefit from this on a single-target application since their F2 can only strike one target.

Would do you all think? Is the Poison application for the pet good with you all on a pet swap, or would anyone else like to see this be applied to a Pet’s F2? If it were to be applied on a Pet’s F2, should the duration or the amount of Poison stacks be reduced due to a few low cooldown pets such as Birds and the Bristleback?

Discuss.

Would this work on non-damaging F2’s like the Smokescale’s Smokefield upon being used near an opponent, or those like the Fire-Wyvern’s Firefield?

Otherwise, I’d agree wholeheartedly if we could at least choose our Pet’s F2, but I dont really mind it as it is, seeing that all pets can use it properly in its current form.

I agree in some degree Poison Master is not a trait to be in the “GM” tier. In my book poison was never about damage but more about duration and capacity to reapply it.

Also i don’t like the “swap the pet as much a possible”. Although it seems Anet has the idea of the pet being like a hammer or axe, another weapon swap with no personality.

I at least choose the pets for the strategical uses i can get from them. Swapping them all the time just brings a really unnecessary layer of micromanaging and complexity that achieves almost nothing. And also cold mean that when you really need the swap it’s not available.

I’d like the pets to be useful instead just another ranged attack with very high chances of miss and that affects negatively (for at least a 40%) the damage output from the ranger. Pets should bring more utility with their DPS.

If i would be in charge of the ranger i would, for example:

• Refined toxins moved to GM, they are applied while over 50% health. Increase duration to 8 seconds. ICD 10 seconds.
• Poison master goes in place of Refined Toxins, it buffs its duration instead: +25% duration to poison application. Pet apply 1 stack of 3 seconds every 10.

Make the effect apply to the pet when you press F2, much like it would if you were to pet swap. Better control, avoids making it useless on pets without an offensive F2 etc.

Either that or replace that part of the trait with a balanced version of Refined Toxins. Opens up a trait slot for whatever.

Lastly, either buff the damage modifier up to 33 % (50 % -> 25 % was an overnerf), or replace it with better poison duration.

Good point on bringing up non-damaging F2 skills. I would assume so, as this is shown by the Fern Hound and Brown Bear’s F2 working with Wilting Strike. Granted, Smokescale’s F2 is currently bugged with Wilting Strike, even though it was posted on an update patch to be corrected.

Edit: Interesting on increasing Poison duration applied, as well as buffing the Poison damage since it was formerly 50% before. Was the Thief Poison trait a factor in the reduction since theirs is +33% damage & duration?

All speculation, of course. Keep the discussion going!

I think most of Pet Swap traits feel wrong.
If we think about Beast Mastery’s Quickness … You potentially trade 25 might, fury and the quickness already in effect on the pet for 3 more seconds of quickness and some random might for yourselves.

The same goes for Poison Master. Having to sacrifice all the buffs and boons from a pet for a single application of poison just feels wrong.
I also think the whole trait could be polished a bit more. 25% dmg increase doesn’t feel enough. It still doesn’t make us feel like poison masters.
“If the target is not poisoned, apply 1 stack of poison for 3 seconds. 5 sec ICD.”
Anything of this matter to become the anti-healing trait would be cool. It doesn’t have to become broken DPS-wise and yet be efficient. It competes with our only non-druid cleanse after all.

I’d like for the trait to increase the effectiveness on the heal reduction. -50% to heals when you inflict poison would really be effective for teams that have things like tempest.

That’s one of those traits/skills/sigils/runes that feel like a remnant of the past when burn and poison weren’t stackable. imo, another thing that the dev need to look at.

As others have mentioned, pet swap traits just feel wrong to me also, I want my pet to be on the target, not constantly swapping it and watch it start its run all over again, I wish they would remove every pet swap trait we have and rework them.

Wondrouswall.7169:

Was the Thief Poison trait a factor in the reduction since theirs is +33% damage & duration?!

They nerfed it in the July patch when they made poison stack, due to, according to the devs, it being “too strong now that poison stacks”. I’d personally like to see how they came to that conclusion. A ranger needs to waste utility slots and the sword/dagger evades and potential pick up the subpar shortbow to stack up enough poison for a 50 % trait to be so op they that they felt the need to nerf it instead of closely monitoring it.

My bet is that it would never be nerfed if they just had kept it at 50 %, because no one would ever complain about it. Thief’s Potent Poison didn’t even exist before the July patch. One year after coming up with something to go along with all the poison access the ranger has, they just copied it over to the thief. A more potent version of it even, true to its name..