Guild Wars 2

Intro – I’ve played ranger since the first beta week-end and I’m still playing it even in tPvP (even if it’s less useful compared with other professions).

Cons – It has been said a lot of negative things about rangers, and as I’m going deeper in this profession (and as I’m learning deeper others), a lot of other silly things pop out.

Examples:
Thief Signets of Power tier 1 major trait – when activating a signet, gain 5 stacks of might for 5 seconds;
Necromancer Signet Power tier 2 major trait – when activating a signet, gain 3 stacks of might for 10 seconds;
Ranger Beastmaster’s Might tier 2 major trait – when activating a signet, gain 1 stack of might.
(not to mention Ele’s Spell Slinger, War’s Short Temper, etc… but these traits are a little bit different)

Necromancer Signet of Undeath utility (traitable with Signet Mastery) – 180-s cd, cast 2-s, revive permanentely 3 downed allies (imo, this is the most OP ress utility considering cd, cast time, number of ressed allies, permanently or not… check ress utility for guardian and mesmer, for example);
Ranger Search and rescue utility (traitable with Shout Mastery) – the most silly ranger utility: the pet will act exactly as a player, so it isn’t an “istant” ress (and often, if pet has been knocked back, stunned or whatever, it doesn’t continue to ress);
Ranger Spirit of Nature elite (non traitable) – 240-s cd, revive permanentely nearby downed allies (it means that if your spirit doesn’t move thanks to Spirits Unbound, you can’t move it where needed; moreover, the spirit can be killed).

Etc, etc, etc…

I’m mostly disappointed by the spirit build, since even with Vigorous Spirits trait they survive only up to four-non-critted hits or up to two-critted-hits with auto attacks (half attacks are required if they aren’t traited).

Suggestions – since the spirits don’t provide that OP buffs (except, maybe, for Frost Spirit), it would be cool if they were similar to guardian spirit weapons: they would have a shorter duration, but they would be invulnerable, so a buffer ranger would have more sense than now has.

Good suggestion and for the search and rescue ability I think it should be an instant rez.

restoration.2806:

Good suggestion and for the search and rescue ability I think it should be an instant rez.

Of course it should. Also, the cooldown of the ability shouldn’t be triggered until an actual res did take place. Currently, this skill is not only rather poor, but it also bugs out at least half the time, wasting a long cd on nothing. Poor game design – again.

I like suggestion about spirit, guardian have their spirit weapons that damage us, ranger can have spirit that buff him and don’t damage us but why we have to kill them in 3 hit?

And for ress yeah, give rangers usefull ress or leave/replace that useless skill.

-Thief

Spirits should be completely removed, they are basically useless, I would rather have access to more condition removal, mobility, stability (is there any other way to get this aside from the elite? not counting signet because it requires a trait -.-).

BUT if you really really REALLY want spirits I would like something like the Warrior banners, something that can’t be killed and has an effect in all party members or mobs close to it.

Ex:
Frost spirit, mobs near frost spirit have chill effect 2 secs every 5 secs
Sun spirit, allies next attack inflicts burn for 1 sec every 4 secs
Storm spirit, allies have quickness 2 secs every 12 secs
Stone spirit, allies near it gain a shield that reflects projectiles 3 secs every X secs
Spirit of nature, heals nearby allies and removes 1 condition every 3 secs

Spirits can’t be killed they last almost the same as theirs CD (unless you kill them for a bigger effect).

Spirits are actually tremendously useful in and of themselves, especially with that 50% buff in the last set of changes (stone spirit activates protection near-constantly with 50%, it’s amazing). But they’re too fragile, and unless you can heal them with a spring or regen via dwayna runes, 9 times out of 10, they’re dead or close to dying before they can be of any use to your party. It doesn’t matter if it’s PVP or PVE, either way, they rarely last long enough to do what they’re meant to do.

After trying spirits over and over again, trying to make them work in every possible way, I’ve come to the conclusion that until they’re either a) given more health & toughness, or b) made invulnerable like spirit weapons, they’re not worth the pain and frustration.

I recommend the following:

1) Give them either a lot more health & toughness, innate self-healing, or invulnerability. If invulnerability, could give the spirits a bigger cooldown.

2) Remove the idea of spirits being bound completely. It’s asinine to waste an entire grandmaster trait just to let them follow you. (Instead, maybe the grandmaster trait could be reducing cooldown if they’re invulnerable, or perhaps the trait itself giving them invulnerability… maybe on a critical hit, if that’s too OP. I’d happily spend 30 points for this either way).

3) Allow Natures Vengeance and the additional the 15% buff to be used at the same time in addition to the grand master trait if not using the other suggestions. Since spirits are fragile and Vigorous Spirits is near-worthless, Nature’s Vengeance seems the only viable alternative in most situations as this trait makes killing the spirit a tactic in itself, without sacrificing a buff to boons, which is 90% of the reason for summoning them in the first place.

4) Either shorten the cooldown on the elite (spirit of nature), or buff its secondary ability so it has a shorter cast time / larger aoe. SoN’s healing over time is amazing—you can’t argue with a 480 hot to everyone in the area—but it’s res ability and condition cure is difficult to manage because the aoe is small, the cast time is long, and while SoN has more health than the other spirits, it’ll still down quickly under fire, which is exactly what’s happening if allies are downed in the first place. Then again, this could be a nitpick…