Guild Wars 2

Using Swords as a Ranger doesn’t seem to be a good idea. The skill 1 combo of Slash-Kick-Pounce doesn’t allow you to dodge nor does it allow you to sidestep. Once you’re in Kick or Pounce animation while an enemy’s in the middle of an insta-down skill you’re basically screwed.

Now before anyone starts to tell me to use another weapon, I kinda like using the Sword+Dagger combo for melee. I particularly like Serpent’s Strike and Stalker’s Strike. True I can use them to cancel Kick or Pounce to evade, but what if those skills and Hornet Sting are on cool down?

Anyways, I hope this gets fixed and at least allow Rangers to cancel the skills and evade.

The “problem” with the 1-skill chain is because the second and third parts are leaps, which keep you glued to a moving target. If your target isn’t moving, they keep you glued to a stationary target.

Just like any other leap in the game, they come at the cost of not being able to dodge or control your character directly during their animations.

As people will start flooding this thread with, I’ll let you know the work around for it:

Turn off auto-attack.

It takes some getting used to, and no, it’s not something any other class has to do to use any of their weapons properly, but it gives you the control to stop the chain at any point and dodge / reposition yourself as needed.

This isn’t something that is ever going to be fixed, unless they change how leaps work. It’s a mechanic of the weapon that we just have to live with (for now).

~ edited for spelling.

I see. I’m just wondering what ANet is doing about this or are they actually gonna do something about this. Honestly, I hate having to spam 1 just to maintain damage on a target, that’s what auto-attack’s for.

wulfheart.8206:

I see. I’m just wondering what ANet is doing about this or are they actually gonna do something about this. Honestly, I hate having to spam 1 just to maintain damage on a target, that’s what auto-attack’s for.

I very much doubt that they are doing anything about it, since it’s working as intended. You’re not alone in not liking it, but if you want to use the sword effectively, that’s what you have to do.

As a side note, it’s also recommended that you turn off auto-targetting on attack. It allows you to move from enemy to enemy better with the sword, which is one of the benefits of having the two leaps.

The skill in early development used to do this

Slash- Current effect
Kick- Knockback
Pounce- Leap at foe.

That was obviously way too strong so instead of going, “We should probably redesign these few skills so this weapon doesn’t become a liability.” they said, “What’s an easy way to fix this?”

Pure and Simple neglect. A whole year later and one of the 3 major reasons I cannot stand my Ranger; The sword remains unchanged.

Every skill on it is “Oh, you wanted to control your character? Lol Silly, that’s not what you do in GW2, trust me.” The entire weapons needs to be redone to be perfectly honest but I never see that happening.

Welcome to the Ranger forums.

Yes, just take off auto attack and you wont be stuck on a target. Your auto attack does also put a cripple on your target which makes it easy for you to stick to it too. The number 2 leap skill is very useful for getting out of combat quickly, getting into combat, or even switching targets. You can leap backwards away from your target, turn around then leap forwards again away from your target, or the reverse if you are trying to catch your target. Use lightning reflexes, leap back, turn around leap forward then use your GS leap and you can cover distance pretty quickly. You basically can have 4 leaps.

The weapon doesn’t ‘need’ the leap though. It has a cripple. that alone is enough to ensure there’s no issue staying in melee range for the ranger. No other class in the game needs this handicap… was it done because Rangers are supposed to be played by the kiddies and mentally handicapped?

It’s simply too much on the auto-attack. If we’re really supposed to be a noob friendly class, then increase the cripple duration.

I just started using sword again in PvE. Way back at game launch, I created my ranger and one the first weapons I had was a sword. I unlocked all the skills then immediately salvaged it. I did not like it one bit.

I never had another sword until last weekend, when I decided to give it another go. Now, I do not find it so bad, but it is far from an every occasion weapon. When running with a sword, my secondary weapons are either axe/axe or shortbow.

For single targets in open space, sword/dagger works very well. However, once the target is close to environmental objects like trees, rocks, small ledges, or worse, large cliffs, it is nigh useless. Serpent’s Strike will more often put you behind a tree or rock, thus blocking you off your target, and Hornet’s Sting can easily kill you if you are already at low health and ‘leap’ off a small cliff.

As for the auto-attack, if I am going into melee on a target, I plan to be there for long haul and stick to my target. I have #3 and dagger #4 for evades and it is more about timing these, your healing, and using #2 as a last resort than about trying to dodge during the auto-attack animations.

Last week i started playing a ranger with a sword and warhorn. It was a pain in the a**.
I am literally unable to dodge most attacks from champions on time. The second and third skill also activate with delay sometimes, since the first skills animation holds them back from activating. I am scared of even thinking to try doing CoE p2 or p3.

The root effect doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t mind not being able to move, but not being able to dodge is unacceptable to me. I play other classes which have no dodge problems with any of their weapons even when they are doing 1st skill animations.
So i don’t understand why Anet Doesn’t do something about it.

For all people out there saying that i should use 2nd and 3rd skill to dodge i will say this: 2nd and 3rd skill sometimes trigger with a delay, because of the 1st skill, put lattency into play and you won’t be able to dodge half of any champions/boss attacks in time.

If other classes with their weapons can dodge and rangers with a sword (even with 2nd and 3rd skill) can’t dodge in time, then from my point of view the mechanic of the sword is broken. The problem exists and must therefore be fixed.

Telling me to use GS or other weapons is also unacceptable. Isn’t gw all about how i want to play? At least that’s what Anet are telling everybody all the time! So Anet, i want to play with the sword, but u made it unplayable? Realy?

Until it is fixed i’m a liability to others and am therefore unable to do any harder dungeons which require the dodge mechanics. I was really excited to play a ranger when i started, before this. But now the only solution i currently see is to put my ranger on indefinite hold until this gets fixed, you let me no other choices.