Guild Wars 2

I play ranger now for 5 years and i think that our weapon skills are sometimes really flavorless or just not fitting the weapon design. Plus i would like to adress some of the weapon designs themself. I do not address if tge dmg is to low (i.e. Greatsword AA), just if the skills are wonky or could use some improvements mechanically wise.

Dagger OH: Crippling Talon is as i mentioned in another zopic a top candidate for ammunition mechanic and it would improve this skill heavily without any other changes.

Torch:
Throw torch, the same as crippling talon.
Bonfire: The skill is goos and strong, but making bondire ground targeted would give ranged condis more options and could give some tactical use in zerks without dying upfront. Other changes are in the sword section.

Ambidexterity trait: Improve it please. I would love something that give the weapon fitting Condition some special role, like improved crit chance while targeted is effected, or you apply burning/poison respectively with every third hit etc. etc. , just some function instead of just stats. It could even tie into ammunition use if this would be implemented.

Axe: Wintersbite AoE baseline and improve the axe trait. While wielding an axe you get an increased crit chance per stack. Works like vicious laceration from rev.
Wintersbite could also get a good use of the ammunition mechanic.
AA is very wonky and needs a better aftercast. Splitblades needs a narrower cone for more mid range gameplay and it should be unsplit from PvP and get the dmg increase for better mid range power dmg.

Whirling defences: Hitting 5 targets, the radius should be increased to match the animation and you should be able to move while casting it.

Sword: Needs a better weapon identity. I would say swap serpent strike with stalkers strike and give stalkers strike a pure power character. Do dmg, evade and maybe get stealth on strike (could be interesting, but this just popped up as i wrote it).
Make hornet sting the standalone #3 skill and monarchsleap and stalker strike are the second skill chain in this order.
Give all of the AA attacks a Target cap of 3 for better cleave.
The sword trait should trigger quickness when you evade even if you do not wieöd a sword.

Longbow: Huntershot could use ammunition mechanic.

Shortbow: Crippling shot has an odd mechanic IMO and i would like to see a similar mechanic to the sword 4 of warrior. You shoot an arrow in your enemy and apply torment every second for 4s. You have a swap skill that lets your pet rip out the arrow stopping the application of torment stacks per second but 2stacks and some spike dmg instead. Both hots apply cripple of course.

Thats about it. Everything else is welcome as feedback.

I heard somebody say that Soulbeast dagger has the same power coefficents as Sword. If so then Sword desperatly needs something happening to it otherwise it will be screwed.

I’m still waiting for sword auto’s crippling thrust to cleave 3 targets.

With respect to Path of Scars, it already does as you suggest.

As for Sword being the go-to power DPS weapon, which sacrificial altar would you like me to use?

Any alter except the one that’s used on Necros. It’s rancid with all that blood and minion corpses.

I still just miss the original sword animations…they were amazing and had more skill potential with detargetting to pull off 2-3 pounces in a row for chasing/kiting/leaping through a zerg.

Diak Atoli.2085:

With respect to Path of Scars, it already does as you suggest.

As for Sword being the go-to power DPS weapon, which sacrificial altar would you like me to use?

I only saw that they fixed the projectile. Is it ground targeted now?

Wondrouswall.7169:

I’m still waiting for sword auto’s crippling thrust to cleave 3 targets.

I’ll put this on the list.

InsaneQR.7412:

Diak Atoli.2085:

With respect to Path of Scars, it already does as you suggest.

As for Sword being the go-to power DPS weapon, which sacrificial altar would you like me to use?

I only saw that they fixed the projectile. Is it ground targeted now?

It’s ground targeted for a few years now, but the Radius is more than just meh.

Hepatolith.6389:

InsaneQR.7412:

Diak Atoli.2085:

With respect to Path of Scars, it already does as you suggest.

As for Sword being the go-to power DPS weapon, which sacrificial altar would you like me to use?

I only saw that they fixed the projectile. Is it ground targeted now?

It’s ground targeted for a few years now, but the Radius is more than just meh.

I removed the path of scars suggestion but added improvements on the sword trait.

Can someone explain to me the sudden fascination with swapping dagger 4 and sword 3? They’re already practically the same skill, why should they be swapped?

I’m not sure on the sudden fascination myself.

As a side note, add that Splitblade be… unsplit (couldn’t help it) from the PvP version so the increased damage per axe is applied to all game modes. That extra ‘oomph’ would be swell in other modes for shotgunning it.

Wondrouswall.7169:

I’m not sure on the sudden fascination myself.

As a side note, add that Splitblade be… unsplit (couldn’t help it) from the PvP version so the increased damage per axe is applied to all game modes. That extra ‘oomph’ would be swell in other modes for shotgunning it.

Adding back the removed bounce, making skill 2 hit as hard as in PvP and making skill 3 aoe without the trait would give axe a use as a mid range aoe/tagging weapon which would be nice as its about to lose its use as a makeshift melee condi weapon.

Levetty.1279:

Wondrouswall.7169:

I’m not sure on the sudden fascination myself.

As a side note, add that Splitblade be… unsplit (couldn’t help it) from the PvP version so the increased damage per axe is applied to all game modes. That extra ‘oomph’ would be swell in other modes for shotgunning it.

Adding back the removed bounce, making skill 2 hit as hard as in PvP and making skill 3 aoe without the trait would give axe a use as a mid range aoe/tagging weapon which would be nice as its about to lose its use as a makeshift melee condi weapon.

I’ll put it on the list.

Durzlla.6295:

Can someone explain to me the sudden fascination with swapping dagger 4 and sword 3? They’re already practically the same skill, why should they be swapped?

Personally myself I find the skill a more reliable dodge. You move in a very specific path and forward.

Sword 3 can do all kinds of weird kitten if the ground is uneven and isn’t as reliable for dodging through an aoe circle as dagger 4 is because you often end up in a spot you don’t want to be in either stuck on terrain or moving into another skill

Stalker’s Strike is also a longer evade on a 30% shorter cooldown.

It’s probably not a good idea moving forward anyway though since it would just make D/D worse to swap them.

Durzlla.6295:

Can someone explain to me the sudden fascination with swapping dagger 4 and sword 3? They’re already practically the same skill, why should they be swapped?

First there is the snake animation which basically implies condi and i wanted to remove condi from sword. Second: The stalker strike has a shorter animation and thus further fitting as a chain skill.
In addition to that is that serpent strike travels a short distance arround your enemy. This could synergize with monarchsleap and the dagger 3 of soulbeast.
So you can gap close and get behind your target immediately afterwards.

Serpent strike itself should hit more targets and the dodge animation should be improved. I would also consider a block-counter mechanic similar to riposte but i doubt other people will.
Serpent strike on dagger and stalker strike on sword would improve sword in PvP and PvE and it wouldn’t change the functionality of dagger OH. As long you dodge for the whole animation it is a longer evade as before and it has increased range.

serpent strike is terrible to hitting other players, i only use it when i’m immobilisized so i can evade the damage incoming. That skill needs a redesign so it can hit moving targets more reliably or bring another kind of utility instead just an extra evade.

Dagger what needs is a gap closer and an stun with the effects already in place. A gap closer in dagger 5 because otherwise the melee ranger lacks the mobility compared other classes like warrior, guard or almost anything. A ground target leap would be the best, we all like the staff exclusively because the reliable and precise mobility it gives.

It needs the stun because the melee ranger needs an stun as active deffense due to lack of blocks and very limited access to damage immunity. GS has it, LB has it, Axe OH almost has it.

anduriell.6280:

serpent strike is terrible to hitting other players, i only use it when i’m immobilisized so i can evade the damage incoming. That skill needs a redesign so it can hit moving targets more reliably or bring another kind of utility instead just an extra evade.

Dagger what needs is a gap closer and an stun with the effects already in place. A gap closer in dagger 5 because otherwise the melee ranger lacks the mobility compared other classes like warrior, guard or almost anything. A ground target leap would be the best, we all like the staff exclusively because the reliable and precise mobility it gives.

It needs the stun because the melee ranger needs an stun as active deffense due to lack of blocks and very limited access to damage immunity. GS has it, LB has it, Axe OH almost has it.

Yes the targeting should be improved heaviliy. With my skill swapping design there would be a direct gap closer with monarchsleap, but i actually thought of a shadowstep on dagger 5 i thought it would be a little bit to much maybe so i wasnt sure about it.

The time between Hornet Sting and Monarchs Leap is only 2.5s, imo, that should be indefinite. So I can pre-cast Hornets and have Monarchs as a gap closer if I so wish, or use Hornets in combat to evade, but save Monarchs for when it is needed. Just have it flip over and stay on the next skill until it is used.

Would be fun if they altered off-hand dagger so the two moves had some interaction.

Crippling Talon has a 2-ammo count and applies a brief, unique debuff on a target. Stalker’s Strike removes 1 stack of the Crippling Talon debuff on a successful hit; doing so refreshes Stalker’s Strike and inflicts additional direct damage.