Guild Wars 2

Although i find em really fun i have found some major weakness that make em not viable atm.

1. They getting countered by AI. Mesmers, Necros and even other Rangers send their AI on them and they trigger leaving you with a skillslot on a 36sec cd

2. Range. Good Mesmers that realize that you are a trap Ranger tend to stay away from you. Other classes that have a strong range dmg can beat you easily if the play clever. Being melee and throwing traps feels a little clunky cause of the casting time, even so its nearly imposible to keep a steady flow in your rotations.

3. The lack of synergize with more traits. We need more traits imo. A single trait giving just some increases doesnt feels right. It either will make em OP or it wont help much. We need some kind of utility on them. Some cond removal, some stun break

4. Pets. They dont seem to synergize well with our pets. The soft cc that they provide may make pets hit more reliably the target but still i believe that more interaction is needed.
Something like giving some boons on pet, something like pet gains Sic em when a foe steps to a trap. Its seems logic that your pet is ambushing with you for a foe to step on the trap and hunt him down..

What do you think?

Just make them an elite kit.

I am going to get some hate for this but I have always thought Traps needed a Trap Launcher ala WoW. it would make them more fun and would provide for more counter play.

Maybe a trait that would temporarily increase 20% projectile finisher to 50% ?
I mean, Light on Your Feet could give this benefit instead of the 10% damage increase.

I can imagine myself playing a hybrid longbow build where I used Rapid Fire for the burning/chill/poison projectile finisher and not raw damage as such.

Just a thought, though.

Tragic Positive.9356:

Maybe a trait that would temporarily increase 20% projectile finisher to 50% ?
I mean, Light on Your Feet could give this benefit instead of the 10% damage increase.

I can imagine myself playing a hybrid longbow build where I used Rapid Fire for the burning/chill/poison projectile finisher and not raw damage as such.

Just a thought, though.

If it is only temporary buff, you could make it 100%, since the durations are only 1s on projectile finishers. Maybe even make dodges a blast finisher and movement skills (ie Stalkers/Serpents strike) leap finishers. We have enough fields, just hardly any way to finish them, a trait like this would give massive synergy.

Dardamaniac.1295:

Although i find em really fun i have found some major weakness that make em not viable atm.

Sounds like you are talking about some format of PvP – which one? WvW or sPvP? If this in regards to WvW continue on. If not, stop here. Personally, I feel they are fine and I’ve even stated they are OP with trap runes. Others disagree but we’re still friends.

1. They getting countered by AI. Mesmers, Necros and even other Rangers send their AI on them and they trigger leaving you with a skillslot on a 36sec cd

Ambient creatures, sentries, and other moving non-combative NPC’s trigger them. I’ve had the Champ by Speldan trigger one. I’ve also had one trigger and was able to finish and get a rally. Honestly, this isn’t a big deal and in some cases great because in turn it also triggers their clones and stuff.

2. Range. Good Mesmers that realize that you are a trap Ranger tend to stay away from you. Other classes that have a strong range dmg can beat you easily if the play clever. Being melee and throwing traps feels a little clunky cause of the casting time, even so its nearly imposible to keep a steady flow in your rotations.

I’m glad they do. I stay away from them so this is a win win for both parties. At some point they are going to have to engage. Only time I’ve found this to be an issue is when I have my Short Bow out rather than Long Bow.

Dropping traps isn’t an issue that I’ve found unless a Zerg runs up on me and I’m CC’d. I actually prefer the post patch way of dropping traps. It is just a different play style and encourages some thought process behind placement if you start the engagement. If you are reacting then it is another story but you still have time to disengage and reset if you want or run away.

3. The lack of synergize with more traits. We need more traits imo. A single trait giving just some increases doesnt feels right. It either will make em OP or it wont help much. We need some kind of utility on them. Some cond removal, some stun break

Can’t have it all – so every class has to choose. Maybe some have it better, maybe not. Personally I find they work fine but I’m running spike, flame, and vipers nest. Healing spring also. For solo roaming, flipping NPC’s and camps it is enough. Also small fights it works well with my standard setup of SB, axe, torch. If I’m in a party (2 – 5) I just swap out short bow for long bow. Traps haven’t hurt any of my group play and they actually have learned to kite people into it or know where I place healing spring for that quick heal.

4. Pets. They dont seem to synergize well with our pets. The soft cc that they provide may make pets hit more reliably the target but still i believe that more interaction is needed.
Something like giving some boons on pet, something like pet gains Sic em when a foe steps to a trap. Its seems logic that your pet is ambushing with you for a foe to step on the trap and hunt him down..

What do you think?

I don’t know much about pets other than post patch they seem to require a bit more management and selection/choice. There are players who do well at pet management and others like me who don’t like them and want them to be optional or traited out.

I’m in the small camp that believe traps and trapper runes are OP in the small scale WvW meta of play. Doesn’t mean I’m right by any means but they work for me.

Crapgame.6519:

I’m in the small camp that believe traps and trapper runes are OP in the small scale WvW meta of play. Doesn’t mean I’m right by any means but they work for me.

They aren’t OP unless your opponent is an idiot. The only time I would argue that they are strong is if you are running with a small group that can draw your opponents attention.

In any other situation running traps leaves you with crappy condi removal, leaves you extremely vulnerable to cc, and the fact that the pet doesn’t stealth when using stealth runes makes the runes mediocre at best.

I agree with Heimskarl, traps should become an elite kit. If they do wise up and make it a kit they should revert healing spring back to normal.

Dardamaniac.1295:

Although i find em really fun i have found some major weakness that make em not viable atm.

1. They getting countered by AI. Mesmers, Necros and even other Rangers send their AI on them and they trigger leaving you with a skillslot on a 36sec cd

2. Range. Good Mesmers that realize that you are a trap Ranger tend to stay away from you. Other classes that have a strong range dmg can beat you easily if the play clever. Being melee and throwing traps feels a little clunky cause of the casting time, even so its nearly imposible to keep a steady flow in your rotations.

3. The lack of synergize with more traits. We need more traits imo. A single trait giving just some increases doesnt feels right. It either will make em OP or it wont help much. We need some kind of utility on them. Some cond removal, some stun break

4. Pets. They dont seem to synergize well with our pets. The soft cc that they provide may make pets hit more reliably the target but still i believe that more interaction is needed.
Something like giving some boons on pet, something like pet gains Sic em when a foe steps to a trap. Its seems logic that your pet is ambushing with you for a foe to step on the trap and hunt him down..

What do you think?

i don’t have to worry about that to much i always put the trap down has i am fighting to get my combo going.

I believe that the only thing the traps need is move more of their power into initial trigger and leave it less powerful over time.

Because traps now still have that tiny bit of a problem where … They don’t really feel like traps apart from Ice and Spike ones. I mean really. A trap that does it’s job only if the enemy stands in it for 3 whole seconds is bad. Really bad.

If Fire Trap and Viper’s nest had better power at initial trigger and lower condi duration on further ticks – things would work just much better.
If it was made so, people would be punished for trespassing and Rangers rewarded for smart tactics and placement.

Right now it only punishes idiots who stand in them (and I don’t really feel rewarded fighting idiots).

Puck.9612:

Crapgame.6519:

I’m in the small camp that believe traps and trapper runes are OP in the small scale WvW meta of play. Doesn’t mean I’m right by any means but they work for me.

They aren’t OP unless your opponent is an idiot. The only time I would argue that they are strong is if you are running with a small group that can draw your opponents attention.

In any other situation running traps leaves you with crappy condi removal, leaves you extremely vulnerable to cc, and the fact that the pet doesn’t stealth when using stealth runes makes the runes mediocre at best.

I agree with Heimskarl, traps should become an elite kit. If they do wise up and make it a kit they should revert healing spring back to normal.

Must be a lot of idiots then. Then again, it is probably the fact they can’t see them so it is only a matter of time before they run over them. I do agree with you in regards to lack of pet stealth when placed. I find myself constantly hiding my pets but it is what it is. Won’t get changed anytime soon with expansion being top priority and it may never otherwise.

Like I said – just my opinion. I really don’t see any loss of condition clearing or breaking of CC. I’ll even go a step further that I can live longer playing the same way with traps than on my guardian. Not as lazy play, that is for sure.

Traps are all about the set-up. If you are predictable, and always put your traps where mesmers, necros and rangers can range you while their pets trigger your traps, then yes, you will be easy pickings. Dont just plop traps on a point, stand on top of them, and expect every class to rush you and melt.
I place traps out in the field around the point where range classes like to stand. Once they engage, I stay on them and move around dropping traps as they refresh. Some longbow pressure keeps them hopping around right into your traps.
As someone metioned, you have very little condi removal and stun breakers so you have to play smart and let your traps and the element of surprise make up for the lack of survival utilities.
Yes, traps are OP against some classes/builds but takes some skill to beat anti-condi builds. They are far from being “not viable”. Again, it’s how you prepare and how you play verses the opponent.
It’s a fun build that I’m enjoying and having a lot of sucess with in sPVP atm.

Karnac.2574:

Traps are all about the set-up. If you are predictable, and always put your traps where mesmers, necros and rangers can range you while their pets trigger your traps, then yes, you will be easy pickings. Dont just plop traps on a point, stand on top of them, and expect every class to rush you and melt.
I place traps out in the field around the point where range classes like to stand. Once they engage, I stay on them and move around dropping traps as they refresh. Some longbow pressure keeps them hopping around right into your traps.
As someone metioned, you have very little condi removal and stun breakers so you have to play smart and let your traps and the element of surprise make up for the lack of survival utilities.
Yes, traps are OP against some classes/builds but takes some skill to beat anti-condi builds. They are far from being “not viable”. Again, it’s how you prepare and how you play verses the opponent.
It’s a fun build that I’m enjoying and having a lot of sucess with in sPVP atm.

Yeah they work differently then other skills people are used to. In a way they could be moved from core skills to an elite spec but dragon hunter is already incoming.

Honestly, they should just remove all but spike trap and change it to a different skill type. Then buff spike trap so its deadly.

30sec cd
Maul dmg
5stacks bleed
5stacks poison
2sec immobilize
Triggers when a foes is leaving its radius.
3 spike traps placeable ata time

I still wish traps were a baseline class mechanic on F buttons, I would love it so much.

Not gonna happen.

Devs want pets as a class mechanic. Just as I do.
I just wish they had an idea of how to handle the class. But well, as long as “Invigorating Bond is a pretty powerful trait” we won’t get any real love.

Tragic Positive.9356:

Not gonna happen.

Devs want pets as a class mechanic. Just as I do.
I just wish they had an idea of how to handle the class. But well, as long as “Invigorating Bond is a pretty powerful trait” we won’t get any real love.

I know and I love pets too I might add but I would still love a trapper functioning in this way, one can dream right? and one thing in it’s favor it would be a lot easier to handle that as a mechanic (for the developers) than pets are, from experience I think we can all agree wether we love pets or not.

:)

Well that one I can only agree on Manekk

But I already have terrible experience with more difficult and tangled coding. And bringing pets into “automatic” state is the worst I can ever possibly imagine.

I’d rather not them change the F skills. Healing Spring is still not okay, if you know what I mean.

Tragic Positive.9356:

Well that one I can only agree on Manekk

But I already have terrible experience with more difficult and tangled coding. And bringing pets into “automatic” state is the worst I can ever possibly imagine.

I’d rather not them change the F skills. Healing Spring is still not okay, if you know what I mean.

What if traps were an F5 bundle/kit eh eh eh :o