Guild Wars 2

This is how I’ve been reading the changes. I’ve included a little sentence after each change describing it, if it was combined with others and the exact changes to each. I don’t know if this helps anyone understand some of the changes, but it didn’t hurt to post it. Have fun everyone!

Ranger Trait Changes

Marksmanship:
Minors:
Opening Strike: Cause 5 stacks of vulnerability for 5 seconds with your first strike on entering combat.
No change, but has synergy with grandmaster.

Alpha Training: Your pets gains Opening Strike.
No change.

Precise Strike: Your opening strike always critically hits.
No change.

Adept:
Enlargement: When your health drops below 50%, you cast Signet of the Wild.
Moved from Nature Magic and threshold increased 25% to 50%.

Predator’s Instinct: Apply 10 seconds of Cripple to foes below 50% when you strike them. This trait has a 30 second internal cooldown.
Cripple duration decreased by 3s.

Clarion Bond: Cast Call of the Wild when you swap pets.
New. Duration and cooldown unclear. Warhorn’s CotW has 30s CD and 15s duration. Pet swap has a CD of 20s.

Master:
Brutish Seals: Activating a signet grants 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds to you and your pet. Your signets gain 20% recharge reduction.
Combination of Beastmaster’s Might and Signet Mastery.

Steady Focus: Deal 10% increased damage when at full endurance.
No change.

Moment of Clarity: When you interrupt a foe, you and your pets’ next attack deal 50% more damage. Your daze and stun durations are increased by 100%.
Moved from Skirmishing.

Grandmaster:
Predator’s Onslaught: You and your pet deal 10% increased damage to foes affected by disables or movement impairing abilities.
Pet’s damage increased from 5% to 10%. Encompasses new movement impairing conditions.

Remorseless: Regain opening strike whenever you gain fury. Your opening strike deals 25% more damage.
Changed from “…kill a foe…” to “…gain fury”. Additional 25% more damage. Synergizes well with clarion bond (pet swap); skirmishing minor, Furious Grip (weapon swap); Beastmastery master, Two-Handed Training (50% chance 3s on hit, ICD 10s); and Wilderness Survival grandmaster, Wilderness Knowledge (6s on survival skill use).

Lead the Wind: While wielding a longbow your attack speed is increased by 10% and your arrows pierce. Longbow and Harpoon gun skills recharge 20% faster.
Encompasses current Read the Wind (10% attack speed); Piercing Arrows; and Skirmishing master, Quick Draw (-20%recharge).

Skirmishing:
Minor:
Tail Wind: Gain 9s of swiftness by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD.

Furious Grip: Gain 5s of fury by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD. Note: normal weapon swap has a CD of 10s.

Hunter’s Tactics: Increase your chance to critically strike by 10% when attacking from behind or the side.
Functionality changed from +10% damage to +10% crit chance.

Adept:
Sharpened Edges: You and your pet have a 66% chance to cause 3s of bleeding when you critically strike.
Duration increased from 2s to 3s.

Primal Reflexes: When you successfully evade an attack gain 5s of Vigor. This trait has a 8 second internal cooldown.
Functionality changed from “…hit by critical hit” to “…successfully evade…”. ICD reduced from 15s to 8s.

Trapper’s Expertise: Boons and conditions caused by your traps last 60% longer. Your traps recharge 20% faster and your offensive traps cause 2s of cripple.
Duration decreased from 100% to 60% and added boons and 2s cripple to functionality.

Master:
Spotter: Nearby allies gain up to 150 precision.
Moved from Marksmanship.

Strider’s Defense: Your melee attacks have a 25% chance to destroy projectiles. Your sword skills recharge 20% faster.
Increased from 20% to 25%. Added -20% sword recharge functionality.

Hidden Barbs: Bleeding you cause deals 33% more damage.
New.

Grandmaster:
Quick Draw: Combat only. Upon swapping weapons, your next ranger weapon skill used has 66% reduced recharge. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
New.

Light on your Feet: After dodging your damage and condition duration is increased by 5% for the next 4 seconds. Short bow skills recharge 20% faster and pierce.
New. Combined functionality of Quick Draw and Piercing Arrows.

Most Dangerous Game: While your health is below 50% you gain a stack might for 8 seconds every second.
New.

Wilderness Survival:
Minor:
Natural Vigor: Increases your endurance regeneration by 20%.
Decreased from 25% to 20%.

Companion’s Defense: Combat Only. You and your pet gain 2s of protection when you dodge roll.
No change.

Bark Skin: You take 33% less damage and your pet takes 50% less damage while your health is above 90%.
Moved from grandmaster to minor. Changed functionality from -50% damage when below 25% health to -50% damage when above 90% health.

Adept:
Soften the Fall: You take 50% less damage from falling. When you take falling damage create muddy ground.
No change.

Oakheart Salve: Gain 5s of regeneration when you suffer from bleeding, poison or burning. While under the effects of regeneration you take 5% less damage. This trait has a 10 second internal cooldown.
Added -5% damage functionality. Decreased ICD from 15s to 10s.

Expertise Training: Your pet gains up to 300 condition damage, based on level and their conditions last 20% longer.
Decreased condition damage from 350 to 300. Added +20% condition duration functionality.

Master:
Ambidexterity: Gain up to 150 condition damage when wielding a torch or dagger. Your torch and dagger skills recharge 20% faster.
New. Some functionality similar to Off-Hand Training (-20% recharge) excluding axe.

Refined Toxins: While you are above 90% health your strikes inflict 6s of poison. While your pet’s health is above 90% its strikes inflict 6s of poison. This trait has a 10 second internal cooldown.
New.

Shared Anguish: Incoming disables (Stun, Taunt, Daze, Knockdown, Knockback, Pull, Sink, Float, Fear or Launch) are transferred to your pet. This trait has a 60 second internal cooldown.
Added new conditions.

Grandmaster:
Empathic Bond: Pets take 3 conditions from you every 10 seconds.
No change.

Wilderness Knowledge: Survival skills have 20% reduced recharge, grant 6s of fury and remove 2 conditions.
Combination of Survival of the Fittest (-2 conditions and fury) and Wilderness Knowledge (-20% recharge).

Poison Master: When you swap pets your pet’s next attack will inflict 2 stacks of poison for 8 seconds. Your poison damage is increased by 25%.
Poison damage decreased from 50% to 25%. Pet’s poison changed from 7s to two stacks for 8s.

Nature Magic:
Minor:
Rejuvenation: When you receive damage while below 50%, gain 6s of regeneration. This trait has a 18 second internal cooldown.
Regeneration increased from 5s to 6s. ICD reduced from 30s to 18s. Threshold reduced from 75% to 50%.

Fortifying Bond: Any boon you gain is shared with your pet.
No change.

Lingering Magic: Boons you apply last 20% longer. Boons your pet apply last 50% longer.
New. Some functionality acquired from Concentration Training (+50% pet boons).

Adept:
Bountiful Hunter: You and your pet deal 1% more damage per boon on you. New.
Instinctive Reaction: When your health drops below 50% gain 3s of quickness. Gain 7% of your Healing Power as Power.
New. Some functionality acquired from Nature’s Wrath (10% to 7%).

Allies’ Aid: When you begin reviving an ally cast search and rescue on them. You gain 10% increased revive speed.
New. Some functionality acquired from Healer’s Celerity (+10% revive speed).

Master:
Evasive Purity: Dodging removes blindness, crippling and poison from you. This trait has a 10 second internal cooldown.
Added cripple.

Vigorous Training: Your pets grant 6s of vigor to allies near them when you swap pets.
Moved from Beastmastery. Vigor increased from 5s to 6s.

Windborne Notes: Call of the wild also grants 10s of regeneration. Your warhorn skills recharge 20% faster.
New. Some functionality similar to Off-Hand Training (-20% recharge).

Grandmaster:
Nature’s Vengeance: Each of your spirits pulses 1s of a particular boon every 3s. Your spirits gain 100% increased health. The range of spirit activated abilities is increased by 50%.
New.

Protective Ward: When you receive damage inflict 6s of weakness on foes near you and you gain 4s of protection. This trait has a 15 second internal cooldown.
New.

Invigorating Bond: Your pet heals allies in an area around them. This trait has a 20 second internal cooldown.
Moved from Beastmastery.

Beastmastery:
Minor:
Pack Alpha: Your pet gains up to 150 power, precision, toughness and vitality and their skills recharge 20% faster.
New.

Loud Whistle: While your health is above 90% your pet deals 10% more damage. Your pet swap recharges 20% faster.
Added damage to functionality.

Pet’s Prowess: Your pets move 30 faster and gain up to 300 ferocity.
New. Functionality acquired from Agility Training (move 30% faster).

Adept:
Go For The Eyes: Your pet gains up to 300 toughness. Your pet’s command [[f2]] ability causes 5s of blindness to foes around it.
New.

Companion’s Might: Your critical hits grant 5s of might to your pet. Critical strikes from your pet’s basic attack cause 6s of bleeding.
Moved from Skirmishing and combined with Rending Attacks.

Resounding Timbre: Your shouts apply 10s of Regeneration and 10s of Swiftness to nearby allies. You shouts recharge 20% faster.
Moved from Nature Magic, added -20% recharge, and name change (Nature’s Voice > Resounding Timbre).

Master:
Wilting Strike: Your pet inflicts 4s weakness when you activate its command [[f2]] ability.
New.

Two-Handed Training: Greatsword and spear damage is increased by 5% and those skills recharge 20% faster. Greatsword and spear hits have a 50% chance to gain 3s of fury. This trait has a 10 second internal cooldown.
Moved from Nature Magic. Added -20% recharge functionality.

Natural Regeneration: Your pet gains natural health recovery and their healing power is increased by up to 450.
Added +450 healing power.

Grandmaster:
Beastly Warden: Your pet’s command [[f2]] ability causes 2s of taunt to foes around it. This trait has a 15 second internal cooldown.
New.

Zephyr’s Speed: Combat Only. When you swap pets you and your pet gain 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds and 3 seconds of quickness.
Added might.

Honed Axes: Gain up to 150 ferocity while wielding an axe in your main hand. Winter’s Bite is now inflicts its effects in an area at your target’s location.
Moved from Skirmishing and added aoe Winter’s Bite functionality.

Tail Wind: Gain 9s of swiftness by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD. Note: normal weapon swap has a CD of 10s. Use with Rune of the Warrior to guarantee every time.

Furious Grip: Gain 5s of fury by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD. Note: normal weapon swap has a CD of 10s. Use with Rune of the Warrior to guarantee every time.

If you use the warrior rune, you can actually miss the CD by 1 second, meaning you have to wait a further 8s to get it. Since the CD of the trait is 1s shorter than the CD of the weapon swap, you do not want to reduce the CD of the weapon swap at all to take advantage of this. They both always had a 9s ICD.

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Tail Wind: Gain 9s of swiftness by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD. Note: normal weapon swap has a CD of 10s. Use with Rune of the Warrior to guarantee every time.

Furious Grip: Gain 5s of fury by switching your weapons in combat. This trait has a 9 second internal cooldown.
Increased duration 5s to 9s. Added 9s ICD. Note: normal weapon swap has a CD of 10s. Use with Rune of the Warrior to guarantee every time.

If you use the warrior rune, you can actually miss the CD by 1 second, meaning you have to wait a further 8s to get it. Since the CD of the trait is 1s shorter than the CD of the weapon swap, you do not want to reduce the CD of the weapon swap at all to take advantage of this. They both always had a 9s ICD.

Ah, I see what your saying. I was thinking the below.

weapon swap = 10s CD
6th tier of Superior Rune of the Warrior = -20% weapon swap recharge
10s-20%=8s.
8s <9s

But, you’re right. If you spam weapon swap, this will trigger every other time.