Spirits are not very strong. Nobody uses them. I have some ideas about improvement of the spirits for using them with traits and without.
1. Frost spirit is more powerful then the others and many rangers or group members love him. But I think every spirit should give a boon instead of a constant bonus. The ranger can improve his spirits by higher boon duration and without using any traits.
water spirit: regeneration
frost spirit: might or fury
stone spirit: protection
storm spirit: vigor
sun spirit: retaliation
spirit of nature: stability
2. the active skill of the spirits is nearly useless. It has affects against foes. But you should protect your spirit against foes. Most of the time the spirits die faster than you can activate the active skill. And then the enemy is rooted or slowed near the spirit.
My idea for the active skill is teleporting the spirit to your position and give a small buff to allies near the position.
water: small amount of heal
frost: short frost aura
stone spirit: condition cleanse
storm spirit: lightning aura
sun: short fire aura
spirit of nature: resurrection
With these two changes the spirits are more powerful, they can easily get a buff or nerf by shorten or elong the boon duration and they are mobile without traits by the active skill.
Ideas for traits are following:
adept: spirits follow the ranger and/or lower recasttime of active skill
master: better chance for boon
grandmaster: more Lp for spirits and don’t die after time. Just die by damage.
Some other topic is the retrieving of the spirit buff.
The spirit can only target 5 person with his buff.
First target should be the ranger himself.
Second target group allies. Then Ally player, then ally npcs.
The pet also should get the buff, when the ranger gets it. But the pet should not count to the 5 targets.
Summon creatures should never get the buff.
Another topic is the vanishing of the spirits while entering or leaving water.
They should not vanish!
What do you think?
Guild Wars balancing concept: Never change a ruined system!
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