Guild Wars 2

Since the Suggenstion Subforum was closed it’s time to open up a new thread to collect all sugestion related to the ranger weapons.

I will start off with my own suggestions, feel free to comment and expand my thoughts, I hope you can enhance my ideas.

Sword

The sword is a very mobile weapon with 4 leaps and 1 evade on 3 attacks.
However the gameplay feels very clunky due to the long cast-/aftercast times and the uninterruptible leaps on the autoattack chain.
I want to keep the mobility of this weapon but also make all of its spells on demand.
So here are my suggestions:

Sword #1:
Remove the leaps on the 2. and 3. autoattack and replace it with some thing else.
I don’t want to have a simple 3hit combo, but I don’t know what would fit to the kit – room for suggestions!
Sword #2:
Hornet Sting is neither instant nor predictable where you will land in the heat of battle.
I would rework this to a double leap, same as the 2. and 3. autoattack now is, which cripples your enemy if you hit him and turns into a tripple leap if you hit an enemy once. This skill would get a long uptime of 10 seconds, so you don’t have to leap immediately after your first leap to use all your charges, and a mediocre long cooldown of 20 seconds, starting after the first leap.
Sword #3:
Serpent’s Strike got an evade and is an instant ability, which is both nice. However the animation is too long. So either the evade time has to increase to match the animation time or the animation time has to be cut to match the evade time.
Alternatively, the animation could be changed, so you wont dodge around your target but through your target, just like a normal dodgeroll.

Axe

The axe is a short range ranged weapon which can do lots of things but outshines no other weapon. It got a pull, a reflect, a slow, pseudo AoE and lots of finishers.
However the damage is rather pitiful.
So here are my suggestions:

Axe #1:
Change the autoattack to melee with higher damage output
Axe #2:
Combine old Axe #2 and #4, so you got an AoE pull which pulls all enemies hit.
Axe #3:
I’m kinda ok with this attack.
Axe #4:
This will be the old axe #1. So you can choose between melee and ranged attacks.
Axe #5:
It’s ok, but it could be stronger. The reflected damage could be doubled, the cooldown lowered or the range increased.

If you don’t like the suggstion of the mainhand melee axe, you could switch axe #1 and axe #4.

Longbow
The Longbow has one of the longest ranges ingame but due to the damageloss of the pet and the range combined with the fact that most classes in PvP or WvW can simply blink to you, the weapon is nearly useless.
My suggestions are focussed around durability, so you can atleast hold your distance to your target.

Longbow #1:
This should be an attackchain like any other melee weapon autoattack.
The 3. attack should cripple your enemy, so you can maintain your distance.
Longbow #2:
Should be a channeling shot. As longer you channel, as further the arrow flies, as more damgae it deals and roots or knockbacks the enemy.
Longbow #3:
This needs a massive damage increase. Since stealth is pretty useless in PvE and the damage is below the weakest autoattack, there is no point where you want to press 3.
Longbow #4:
I’m debating wether it should be a root or a knockback.
The knockback is a nice way to get rid of defiant stacks. However the root would synergise more with other weapons. Should have the opposite effect of the LB #2.
Longbow #5:
This attack is ok but it would be nice if you could cast it while running.
Another nice idea is that you can cast barrage without groundtargeting, so you can shoot it over walls in WvW.

Torch

Noone has aver talked about the torch. Why? Because noone uses it.
This doesn’t have to mean the torch is bad, it just means that there are much more vialbe offhand weapons. This wont change. Therefore my suggestion is:

Make the torch to a mainhand weapon.
Torch #1:
Simply like every other autoattackchain.
It could inflict burning, though.
Torch #2:
I’ve got two ideas so far:
Either you hit one enemy which will cause him to stack burning like warrior sword #4 stacks tornment and leave a firetrail
or this attack will be an explofinisher.
Torch #3:
This one will be a firefield wich either stacks burning or deals a flat amount of damage to enemies within the radius.

Longbow:

#1: Remove the min and max damage shots so the weapon has the same DPS as the shortbow. Make any shots over 900 have a 30% crit damage bonus. Any flanking shot has a 10% crit chance bonus.

#2: Same damage over a shorter period of time. Reduction by 1 second would probably be ideal.

#3: It should always stealth regardless of if it hits or not. If it hits, daze the target.

#4: No problems with this skill.

#5: Remove barrage and replace it with a Kill Shot style attack similar to the Warrior’s burst skill.

Spike Trap removed and replaced with Barrage

Barrage: Does more damage now that it’s a utility skill. It does a bleed for each wave of damage and immobilizes every target for 2 seconds on the first wave of damage. Has a .75 second cast and you no lonoger need to be stationary to use it.

Honestly that’s all I want. A burst skill on longbow and I’d still be playing this game and class. A trait to reduce the cooldown on weapon swap by 50% would also have been nice. If all of the above was implemented we’d be beyond overpowered, but a year of being awful makes me not care.

Knock target back to beyond 900 range and flank them for the 30% crit damage and 10% crit chance bonus. Hunter’s Shot hits so you reset openning strikes and daze them which triggers moment of clarity. Kill Shot with 100% crit chance. If you pop trinkets, it may hit as hard as a warrior’s :/

Atherakhia.4086:

Knock target back to beyond 900 range and flank them for the 30% crit damage and 10% crit chance bonus. Hunter’s Shot hits so you reset openning strikes and daze them which triggers moment of clarity. Kill Shot with 100% crit chance. If you pop trinkets, it may hit as hard as a warrior’s :/

hunters shot like killshot!?
WTF

Bambula.3649:

Atherakhia.4086:

Knock target back to beyond 900 range and flank them for the 30% crit damage and 10% crit chance bonus. Hunter’s Shot hits so you reset openning strikes and daze them which triggers moment of clarity. Kill Shot with 100% crit chance. If you pop trinkets, it may hit as hard as a warrior’s :/

hunters shot like killshot!?
WTF

“#5: Remove barrage and replace it with a Kill Shot style attack similar to the Warrior’s burst skill.

Spike Trap removed and replaced with Barrage"

Sorry, but you have to read his whole post

Main hand :
Sword is ok for small scale, but hard to do the chain without target, so I feel like it’s more a small-scale weapon…
Axe. 3 targets on AA? makes it bad for 1v1, not so good in big scale. We do need a somewhat ranged main hand… maybe instead of having it bounce we can have it explode on target fo AOE damage? or make it so it can bounce on us to give us and advantage? (I’d say swiftness for speed of movement, or fury to augment damage).
I’m fine with 2.
I’d like 3 to have some area damage, or reduced CD.

Proposal:
Add dagger as main hand – give it swords actual attacks.
Change all current swords abilities :
1- (3 AA chain) AA1 (1/2 second)- Slash at your foes (like from left to right) (max 5 targets), 50 % chance to cripple them for 1 second; AA2 (1/2 second)- backslash (from right to left) (max 5 targets)(more damage that AA1); AA3 (3/4 seconds) (evade) (spin to damage multiple foes) (just one turn – max 5 targets)(same damage as AA2, or just a little more) (one second max between each if not on auto cast)
2- (3/4 seconds) (10 sec cd) plant your sword in the ground to freeze ennemies (2 seconds) and deal some damage.
3 – (depending on second hand)
- dagger : jumps at target (jump combo) (15 sec CD) (maybe with an evade, but I guess CD would then need to be increased)
- axe : Off hand axe already have a pull and some defense… so I see a melee attack there, with no CC, but not sure what would make sense
- Warhorn : definitively a group buff, maybe with a defensive skill? Like warhorn’s magic heats up you blade for 2 seconds. reflects damages you would take and each hit you take gives X advantage to allies?
- Torch : Whirling attack (2 sec) (up to 5 targets in range per second hitted with fire damage) (no gap closer on that combo)

Off hand
The only off hand I have a problem with is the axe. We need to move on the whirlwind…

Both hands
Greatsword – I like it, though a little bit more damage, or it being a little bit faster would be nice.

For bows – first, make it easier to trait… Like piercing arrow at lower tier…

Longbow should make a little bit more AA damage, skill 2 lasts way too long for the damages it makes, maybe change it for another AoE control/damage skill (or take off LB control, and the obligation to be at max range for LB to be half good).
Pets AND ranger’s swifness on #3

Shortbow : 4 – apply cripple in AoE around the target (arrow explodes on target (explsion combo). Make it an arcing shot so that it’s not exploding on anything between the player and the target. Exchange SB skills #4 and 5, so that concussion shot (actually skill #5) has 12 sec CD and the new # 5 (crippling shot, the old #4) gets a 30 sec. CD (SB actually has 25 sec CD, which is short for and explosion and AoE cripple)

Side note : I feel we mostly need another main hand weapon. Sword and axe are okay (not perfect, but not awful either), but they hardly apply to group fight… a new main hand melee weapon would allow to alleviate the problem. We have many pretty good skills on 2nd hand weapons, but sword and axes each apply to different context (axe being bad in 1v1 (unless it starts bouncing back on us, sword in 1vX (because of targetting)
And why change sword’s actual attacks to put then on dagger?
Because of lore Dagger is more a single target weapon that sword, so it seemed to make sense…

Jocksy.3415:

Main hand :
Sword is ok for small scale, but hard to do the chain without target, so I feel like it’s more a small-scale weapon…
Axe. 3 targets on AA? makes it bad for 1v1, not so good in big scale. We do need a somewhat ranged main hand… maybe instead of having it bounce we can have it explode on target fo AOE damage? or make it so it can bounce on us to give us and advantage? (I’d say swiftness for speed of movement, or fury to augment damage).
I’m fine with 2.
I’d like 3 to have some area damage, or reduced CD.

My initial idea was to have 2 autoattacks on one weapon, so you can choose between ranged low dps and melee high dps autoattacks.
The current axe #2 and #4 are both nice gimmicks, the #2 as an AoE projectile finisher and #4 as pull but both skills are clunky and not very effective. However if you combine both skills you got a reliable pull with projectile finisher.

I would kill for axe to have a melee option. The first time I read ranger was going to get mainhand axe I was so excited to setup an axe/dagger melee ranger. Instead I was only allowed to throw my axes away

I don’t feel that current Ranger weapons are in a very bad spot right now, because while some are bad for PvE, they are at the same time amazing for uses in WvW or vice versa. so I’m not going to make any suggestions to our current weapons. However, I will copy from several of my past posts to make suggestions for Future weapons. I’ll only do one at a time though, instead of throwing a 20 post wall of text at you guys.

First off, I did think of a Mainhand Torch around 5-6 months ago… Here is the Direct Quote :::

Mainhand Torch
Why?

• Ranger’s need another Mainhand weapon, but it shouldn’t be a retread of other Class weapons, as that would only serve to cheapen the class.
• Lots of Condition Potential, which is sort of the Ranger’s thing. (…sort of…)

What makes it unique?

• Mostly Skill #3, which puts out your torch (two if dual wielded), and it changes all of your attacks for a short time into causing Blindness instead of Burning.
• Skill #1 applies specific effects only if your target is moving, which makes it great for chasing down enemies that like to run away, but it also doesn’t have any wierd rooting that sometimes doesn’t work reliably, (but this also means that those effects don’t apply to stationary enemies)

Skills
Skill #1 : Chain Attack : Autoattack (Mainhand Torch Skill)

• Throw (1)
  Throw your torch at foe. Cripples if target is moving.
  -> Swing (2)
  Swing your torch at foe. Applies Torment if target is moving.
  -> Stab (3)
  Stab foe with your torch. Applies Burning.
  -> Smother (3)
  Stab foe with your torch, Blinding them.

Skill #2 : (Mainhand Torch Skill)

• Salamander’s Ring
  Evade in a circle around your foe, applying vulnerability. Also applies Burning to foes that enter this area.
  Salamander’s Breath
  Evade in a circle around your foe, applying vulnerability. Also applies Blindness to foes that enter this area.

Skill #3 : (Mainhand Torch Skill)

• Extinguish
  Douse your Torch’s flames. All Torch attacks that cause burning cause Blindness instead. (Note: New skills are in Italic text that are changed)
  -> Ignite (2)
  Re-Ignite your Torches early, surprising surrounding foes and applying Vulnerability. Your Pet’s next attack also applies Vulnerability.

Skill #4 : (Offhand Torch Skill)

• Throw Torch
  Throw your Torch and Burn your foe.
  Throw Torch
  Throw your Torch and Blind your foe.

Skill #5 : (Offhand Torch Skill)

• Bonfire
  Set a fire around you, Burning foes. (combo field : Fire)
  Ashcloud
  Kick up a cloud of ash and dust, Blinding foes. (combo field : Smoke)

Other Ideas, Thoughts, and Considerations

• I was thinking that Skill 3, could give you and your pet stealth instead of changing all your skills to causing blindness, but it wouldn’t make much sense in broad daylight, but this is a game, and it would be kind of interesting to think of that possiblility as well…(If we go with this, then the Ignite skill in the sequence would still be there, its just used to cut off your stealth early, and apply extra conditon and damage!)

Also, I highly suggest that you guys make a post in one of the CDI threads in General Discussion at some point in time to voice your opinions on what you want changed (the current topic is Horizontal Discussion, not a thread for changes though, but you should keep an eye out for future threads). I did make a post in the most recent thread talking about getting Alternate weapon skills after completing a task, and you would be able to switch your Axe skills for a melee option (without forcing other players to do the same). (That three part post starts Here::: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/CDI-Character-Progression-Horizontal/3446995)
(also, those posts use shortbow as an example, not the axe, but you could see how it would work with all weapons…)

Chrispy.5641:

Also, I highly suggest that you guys make a post in one of the CDI threads in General Discussion at some point in time to voice your opinions on what you want changed (the current topic is Horizontal Discussion, not a thread for changes though, but you should keep an eye out for future threads).

Thanks for your input Chrispy, I’ve already made a post in the current CDI thread, I hope I get some response.

xXxOrcaxXx.9328:

Chrispy.5641:

Also, I highly suggest that you guys make a post in one of the CDI threads in General Discussion at some point in time to voice your opinions on what you want changed (the current topic is Horizontal Discussion, not a thread for changes though, but you should keep an eye out for future threads).

Thanks for your input Chrispy, I’ve already made a post in the current CDI thread, I hope I get some response.

That post was what lead me to this thread!

Its actually more than likely that instead of someone replying to this thread specifically, they will create their own thread to suggest on tiny change or other to a specific aspect of the Ranger. So, instead of getting everything in one place for the devs to read through, it becomes a jumbled mess scattered throughout the forums. (I mean, there has to be atleast one other thread in the last week, maybe more in the Ranger Forums trying to do the same thing as you, or something similar. I’ve tried in the past too, but also failed after about a week, and failed multiple times, and that was after I staggered a dozen posts apart so that way the thread stays near the top of the forum).

The only way we’re going to get everything in (this or another) one Thread and better organized is if we get some red up in here, or the developers create a CDI-Ranger thread(a CDI specific to each profession is Preferred).

Black Scoutsman.5830:

I would kill for axe to have a melee option. The first time I read ranger was going to get mainhand axe I was so excited to setup an axe/dagger melee ranger. Instead I was only allowed to throw my axes away

So much this…… I wish we could throw them at range and then chop them in melee

Chrispy.5641:

The only way we’re going to get everything in (this or another) one Thread and better organized is if we get some red up in here, or the developers create a CDI-Ranger thread(a CDI specific to each profession is Preferred).

Devs, listen to this man, he speaks the truth!

Durzlla.6295:

Black Scoutsman.5830:

I would kill for axe to have a melee option. The first time I read ranger was going to get mainhand axe I was so excited to setup an axe/dagger melee ranger. Instead I was only allowed to throw my axes away

So much this…… I wish we could throw them at range and then chop them in melee

That was kinda the idea behind the double melee/ranged autoattack.

infantrydiv.1620, Thank you for proving my point with the topic you created here ::: Ranger Shortbow – Suggestions

That’s what I’m talking about, and it is part of the reason why the Ranger forums are in such a mess. All those weapon suggestions that were just had to have a new topic created to justify their existence, could just as easily fit into this thread, which is titled The Weapon Suggestion Thread!

I’m not trying to beat on you Infantry, I’m just saying that it would be almost infinitely better if all of our suggestions for weapons were in a single weapon suggestion thread. It makes it easier to read, and it prevents smaller threads from fading from view within a day or two.

Also….An idea for Rangers using Gauntlets as a Weapon from this thread:::
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/archive/suggestions/NEW-weapon-idea-Gauntlets/2648410

(when I mean Gauntlets, I mean Gloves, Claws, a Cestus, etc, anything you can hold in your hand and punch or strike with, for the visual variety)

RANGER

• Pretty much a Wild Style.

Skill 1 : Autoattack : Chain Attack
Savage Strike
Strike out at your foe
(1/2 second Activation)
-> Twin Strikes
Strike your foe two more times.
(1/2 Second Activation)
->->Brutal Strike
Strike at your foe again, Inflicting Vulnerability.
(1/2 Second Activation)

Skill 2
Throw Dirt
Damage Target Foe and Inflict Blindness to that Foe and all surrounding Foes.
(Blindness Duration is 3 seconds)
(1/2 Second Activation)(8 Second Recharge)
(Needs a name change since there is already a skill called Throw dirt. Suggestions?)

Skill 3
Maiming Strike
Strike out at foes, Crippling each foe you hit.
(1/2 Second activation)(12 second Recharge)

Skill 4
Feral Lunge
Leap Towards Target Foe, Inflicting Bleeding and Weakness. Your Pet’s next attack also inflicts Bleeding and Weakness.
(Bleeding Duration : 15 Seconds)(Weakness Duration : 6 Seconds)
(1 Second Activation)(900 Range)(15 second Recharge)
(Combo : Leap)

Skill 5 (Channel Skill)
Bestial Fury
Gain Stability (3 seconds), and Strike at your Foe multiple times, striking 10% faster each time you hit.
(6 second activation/channel)(35 second Recharge)
(6 Second Channel – 6 Attacks Total – 1 Attack each second)
(Note : If all attacks hit, your 1st attack will take 1 second, 2nd attack will take 0.9 seconds, 3rd attack will take 0.8 seconds, 4th attack will take 0.7 seconds, 5th attack will take 0.6 seconds, 6th attack will take 0.5 seconds, making the total channel time actually 4.5 seconds)
-> Bestial Pounce
End Bestial Fury early and Leap at foe, Knocking them down.
(900 Range)(Combo : Leap)

I think removing the damage from Longbow Hunter’s Shot and replacing it with a condition/CC would be good. Then the stealth can be applied on skill-use instead of on-hit.

1. the stealth has to be changed to on-use to make it reliable
2. therefore the damage has to be removed, or it breaks its own stealth on-hit
3. therefore the arrow has to do something else if it doesn’t do damage
4. therefore it should apply a condition/CC.

Conditions don’t remove stealth, even if they do damage. However, since this is a power-based weapon, it should probably be a non-damaging skill, like:
immobilize, blind, chilled, cripple, weakness, vulnerability, stun or daze. However, poison seems to fit as well, considering it’s mostly a healing-debuff.

@Holland

I think that Immobilize would be the best choice since the Longbow already seems like a Controlling weapon because of Point Blank Shot and Barrage. Unless the cooldown gets increased though, there wont be any more than a 1.5-2 second immobilize so it stays balanced with what other weapons can do (even with no damage, not to mention the stealth it gives pluss the swiftness for your pet). An immobilize would also be another option to prevent players from closing the gap on you too fast, so it would also help out your Long Range Shot in the end by keeping your overall damage higher than if you applied poison or a similar condition.

Shortbow

The shortbow is a weapon prioritized on kiting and susateined damage.
However the weapon got some PvP related hits.
So here are my suggestions:

Shortbow #1:
Bleeding should be always applied.
Damage should be reverted to the initial amount.
Shortbow #2-5:
I am fine with the skills but it would be nice if they would deal more damage than the autoattack.
Traitlines
“Eagle Eye” should also apply to the shortbow giving him 1200 range and +5% damage.

Warhorn

The Warhorn is one of the more usefull weapons of the ranger, yet it could be better.
So here are my suggestions:

Warhorn #4:
Applies additional blind per hit.
(OPTIONAL: could be also turned into an Explosion Finisher)
Warhorn #5:
Should give 3 stacks might. Durration should be 1/3 shorter, cooldown should be 1/2 shorter.

Greatsword

The Greatsword has an acceptable damageoutput and kitingability. However, it could still use some tweaks to get on the same level damagewise as the sword is currently .
So here are my suggestions:

Greatsword #1-3:
Should hit 5 instead of 3 targets at the same time. I mean, wtf, it’s a Greatsword.
Greatsword #3:
It was suggested in an earlier CDI thread that the evade from GS #1 should be moved to GS #3. However, there are different opinions about this:
Pros:

• On-demand evade
• Autoattack chain could be quickened to increase the damageoutput

Cons:

• GS #3 already serves as closeup/getaway. You had to decide if you want to use Swoop either to evade or to stick to/flee from your target.

Greatsword #4
Should be tweaked, so your character will block until either the skill expires after 3 seconds or you activate the skill a second time after you blocked an attack to knock the enemy back. No more autoknockback, which could root you unintentionally while performing the animation.