Guild Wars 2

I love traps, and as all things in GW2, traps will have to grow along with everything else as the game matures. So what new spin on traps might we see going forward? Some aspects might be simply to add “flavor” as the general utilities are well-represented (i.e. bleed, burn, poison, freeze, etc). But I wanted to toss in one idea – what if Rangers could combine the flavor of taming wild animals with the idea of a trap. Here is my example:

Trap Door Spider (which really do exist)
Sets like a normal trap making a circle on the ground. As a player passes the upper half of the spider bursts out grabbing the target. You’d have a bit of the “Entangle” mechanic in that you gotta kill the spider to get free, and the spider is biting / poisoning in the meantime. In real life these suckers pop up in the blink of an eye and I’d have to think you’d get an OMG moment when that popped up and grabbed you.

11 second vid here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySXCdcnKBgg&list=LP9u1gsNWMgU0&index=2&feature=plcp

The Beehive
Looks innocuous on the ground but when bumped releases a swarm of stinging bees that will follow the target, producing a different effect than a trap that simply sits in one place. Nice trade-off might be that the target diving in water will dispell the swarm.

Shark Bait (the chum trap)
Underwater item or bubble that contains blood n such; if you pass through the trap it chums the water, drawing a passle of modest-level sharks that will frenzy on anybody in the area, i.e. a bit of an AOE aspect to a trap. (I recognize the dimensionality of water – just tossing ideas here.) A variation on this theme is a more universal “chum” – i.e. any scent-based attractor that does not spawn critters, but draws any nearby critters to the target like a magnet. A smart Ranger could drop those in NPC-crowded areas to pretty horrific effect.

The Skunk trap
On the idea of scents – what about a trap that coats an enemy with something that actually induces harm on his friendlies if he gets close? Tactically interesting if you are suddenly left alone by your buddies who have to keep a distance for some period of time. Trying to rez a stinky player could transfer the effect. I could see a limited condition impact (like the skill-slowing efect of Chill) from the disgusting distraction known to anybody who has gotten skunked. That’d be a great one to drop at a gate in WvW and watch massed attackers scatter covered in funk!

The Yappy Dog
Funny idea but what about a trap meant to detect and reveal sneaks and stealthers? Trap is set, maybe with a longer duration, and anything passing opens the cage releasing a pissy chihuaha that simply goes ape-crazy yapping at the target and moving really really fast (ergo hard to target/kill) – not attacking but raising the alarm. Nice to drop in that back alley when you are facing foreward. Funny as hell anyway.

Just thinking out loud, but I love the idea that our “animal mastery” manifests in things other than just pets, and likewise that traps expand into other nature-related representations. Love to hear anybody’s thoughts…

Love these, especially the idea of the pet-based traps.

awsome ideas

Octopus trap could be a hoot – not big at all, it simply latches onto the target’s face like an Alien face-hugger spraying ink and blinding the target to some degree until it is killed. That’d be great for those tail-hauling getaways or getting a breather to throw a heal.

More combo field options are needed with future traps. Lightning? Water? Dark? Anything new would be fun.

Oooh, that is some good thinking and might give us some interesting utility options to support / enhance other classes (who of course struggle with looking pale in comparison with the awe and majesty of Rangers!) ;D Great idea.

First lightning-related nature trap that comes to mind is…

Lightning Rod.
Trap springs a vertical metal bar like a golf flag and lightning comes down from the sky hitting it, ricocheting out to anybody in radius and can leap a given distance – SO if bad guys were grouped no more than X distance apart between any two guys, you could get a very extended “leapfrog” of chain lightning. Visually cool and gives a trap a more amorphous / shapeless area of effect but only if enemy tactics facilitate it so it would be somewhat balanced.

Water… hm most ideas that come to mind right away run too close to our Healing Spring skill.

Darkness is cool but I am grappling with what would produce that as well. (lol “Ranger arrows will blot out the sun” might be a tad OP… but cool. So very very cool.)

The idea about the spider makes me cringe… So horrifying, but it would be such a gruesome way to fight. I love it.

I like some of these ideas, though I have to point out that flavor wise “Viper’s Nest” is already a “pet” based trap. I suppose the “Guard” skill is also technically a pet based trap since it also gives your pet stealth.

@Riot – true true, this was just indulging in some idea-storming.

@Nova – yeah, that’d give me the willies to be sure. Might well become a contender for one of the visually freakiest elements in the game!

I really liked a lot of the ideas that were getting thrown around I hope Anet keeps them in mind when they decide to expand the utility skills

Awesome ideas! Trapdoor spider… <3 You’d get rave reviews.

I really like these ideas, they sound very cool, and I like the idea of water traps too, I think we need water traps ingame.

I love Traps in this game, In GW1 traps were more of an issue than a solution in battle.

I especially love how strategic all traps are, depending on which I have equipped, my other utility skills change as well.

I love the ideas! Less “snare” type hunter traps, more “animal/nature” type traps. Some of them really increase the overall utility of a profession that is a little lacking in that area anyway.

Well GW2 has done such a marvelous job setting the stage for this kind of creativity. The warhorn hawk attack is a brilliant example of using animals to affect an attack. I just took that idea and played “what if…”. I’d love to see any thoughts others might have. Thanks for all the love!

@ ErkiB – y’know, that sparks another interesting idea. What about a signet that directly compliments our trapping in some new way? Ideas…?

Graevarg.4871:

The Yappy Dog
Funny idea but what about a trap meant to detect and reveal sneaks and stealthers? Trap is set, maybe with a longer duration, and anything passing opens the cage releasing a pissy chihuaha that simply goes ape-crazy yapping at the target and moving really really fast (ergo hard to target/kill) – not attacking but raising the alarm. Nice to drop in that back alley when you are facing foreward. Funny as hell anyway.

It would be hilarious if it would hump your leg.

Under Water traps please!

Well we could have the electric eel trap for underwater for a good shock wrap.

And how about a hermit crab trap looks like a rock but pops out when they near which it then grabs and walks off with them thus dragging them away.

For land there’s always for fun the monkey trap, getting things thrown at you hurts and could stun or confuses the person.

@Mestev – Hermit crab trap idea is priceless; pretty much a very durable “anchor” hanging onto your leg. Electric Eel effect could be terrifif underwater AOE.

@Eddard – that would be freakin hysterical, so much about the yappy dog being an annoyance that would be a hoot.

Another cool idea would be something that bursts out a swarm of flesh-eating scarab beetles like they had in the Mummy. Omnomnomnom….