Guild Wars 2

A few days ago I started a ‘What is the overall developmental theme or direction of the Ranger profession?’ thread (link at the bottom) in the off chance we could get a developer to reveal the what kind of place/feel they are working with for ranger. Kind of like they stated that necromancer is an attrition profession and how thief and mesmer are slippery/evasive.

So far not gotten a bite from the devs so I thought what does being a ranger mean to the ranger community?

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/What-is-the-overall-developmental-theme-or-direction-of-the-Ranger-And-it-s-place-in-GW2/first#post651531

To me being a ranger means having a broken class mechanic that probably won’t be fixed any time soon, which makes me wonder why I play it..

That new thread was pointless because devs made a thread themselfs saying what they would fix on 15th November.

To me ranger means the most fun and enjoyable class.

I have always played a Ranger, throughout the 6 or so years I played GW1, and I will continue to play a Ranger on GW2.

It does feel like a broken class, and I feel it’s weak and feeble and does very little damage.

Rangers should be able to use the terrain to gain an advantage, it’s what Rangers do huh ? No not allowed “Invulnerable” because we are stood on a stone.

And then if it’s not invulnerable it’s “obstructed”, so what little damage a Ranger does do is only about 50% anyway.

to me it mean that i have to wait on 15 November to see if i can properly start to play the class and have some fun.

It means having to play a class twice as well to get half the results.

“What does being a Ranger mean to you?”
Beating the snot out of something with a melee weapon while my pet uses it’s leg as a chew-toy.

It means when I get old I can tell my grandson “I mained a ranger in Guild Wars 2” with a face full of proud and sadness mixed together.

Playing a ranger in GW2 means I miss my ranger from GW1. They took out all of the complexity of the different bows and using height for an advantage. They took out all of the cool spirits, and weighting its advantage for your team over the advantage it gave your enemies your opponents. They took away all of the elemental damage types and armor selection. They also took away being able to grow your pet the way you wanted to.

But hey, we got a big open world and dynamic events in this game, so it was worth it, right?

“I like animals. I can have animals. Sweet.”

It means that everything I’ve loved about an archery class has been ruined. And yes, I said archery. I chose Ranger wanting to play an archer. Bows…arrows…being able to take advantage of terrain and snipe. The whole reason to have a pet. To help control mobs when the situation is not optimal. To double team powerful enemies.

This is what I exchanged the sheer power of the scholar classes and the staying power of the soldier classes to achieve. The situational tactics and versatility other classes in this tier share. Thieves are made to be in and out. Engineers have a gadget for everything. Rangers are supposed to be masters of…omg… RANGE.

/headdesk

I agree with Nymshi. Every MMORPG I’ve ever played had an archer class, and I think it’s hard to deny that the Ranger in GW2 is supposed to be able to fulfill that niche. Despite being the only class that can use both the short bow and the longbow, however, it seems that the Ranger is master of neither. The Thief short bow is probably my favorite skillbar in the game – there are just so many ways you can play it – and the Warrior’s longbow is undeniably more complex (combo fields, etc.) than the Ranger’s. At minimum, surely being a Ranger ought to mean having the capacity to be a top-notch archer. Hopefully the next patch makes this a reality.

xev.9476:

it’s hard to deny that the Ranger in GW2 is supposed to be able to fulfill that niche.

Proof plz.

Go read GW2’s official Ranger class description. This argument has been hashed out so many times that there’s hardly a reason to repeat it here. Here’s a highlight, though: They’re referred to as “unparalleled archers.”

It’s irrelevant whatever the dictionary or any other outside source has to say on the definition of a ranger. Game worlds create and refashion the meaning of various classes, and the bottom line is that the official ranger description doesn’t quite match up with the reality of the class.

To me being a ranger means prowling and ranging. Hiding in bushes and trees and stalking your pray. Delivering precise and powerful shots when the situation arrives. Being fair with swords and daggers in close combat. Having a faithful pet companion that aids you without hesitation.

I sure didn’t imagine being a short-bow machine gun, that’s sort of what I expected Thief short bow to be. Or having my choice of pet limited to how their skills fit into my build…

xev.9476:

Go read GW2’s official Ranger class description. This argument has been hashed out so many times that there’s hardly a reason to repeat it here. Here’s a highlight, though: They’re referred to as “unparalleled archers.”

It’s irrelevant whatever the dictionary or any other outside source has to say on the definition of a ranger. Game worlds create and refashion the meaning of various classes, and the bottom line is that the official ranger description doesn’t quite match up with the reality of the class.

It says it’s an unmatched archer, not the archer class. Very important difference, because the former means it’s better at it, and the latter means specifically focuses on it. Must admit I’m surprised by that, since last I saw it said (with a different layout) back in the day said “The Ranger is a jack of all trades and a master of them all”.

Anyway, back to what it says now. There’s the crux of “what does unparalleled mean”? Because if it’s simply damage per hit then no, they’re not but that’s exactly what the warrior is supposed to be best at: raw damage.
On the other hand, the ranger’s got more general purpose stuff: beyond a snare the warrior doesn’t really have much for crowd control. Rangers can cripple, and knockback, the ranger’s short-bow can pin and doesn’t restrict mobility nearly as much as the longbow does for either class. So on the balance of things, the ranger is (in my opinion) the better archer, purely because you can do more. The warrior is a one-trick-pony in comparison. This incarnation of the Ranger is clearly more rounded than most ranger designs (including Guildwars 1 where you often ended up focusing explusively on one thing with classes) in terms of weapons (melee is just as good) and very much more pet-focused.

To me a Ranger means playing a class that is able to range well. When I say range I mean in the historical sense of the word. Rangers were people who were able to cover large distances in the wilds and who were able to survive in a harsh environment. In gw1 the elite skill Melandru’s Resilience was my favorite skill, rather than having insane damage I was able to thrive when covered in conditions, maybe even escaping into lava with relative safety in pvp. I don’t mean tanking, I mean surviving under very specific adverse conditions. Perhaps gw2 has captured this idea to a certain degree, rangers have very decent healing skills and some wilderness survival traits are fun to play with.
When I say range I also mean distance fighting. This is different to following somebody around as best you can as you bash them in the face with a blunt object. It involves paying close attention to your surroundings in order to maximize damage by maximizing line of sight. Cripshot has always been an epic skill for this strategy and being able to dodgeroll often helps a lot too. Having your pet or friendly players obstruct your arrows – although realistic – does suck, do other classes suffer from this mechanic?

Anyways, I love playing my ranger, the pet system adds so much to to the class, the only things I dislike about it is how the F2 key seems to not activate properly when you click on it instead and how pets don’t always listen to you when you ask them to F3 return. How cool would it be if there was a weapon combination like a warhorn/whistle that made your pet perform some kind of attack on your behalf – just like in gw1 where you could fill your skillbar with pet abilities…

@ Loki:
Your distinction between an “unmatched archer” and “the archer class” seems bizarre and flimsy. If a class is the best archer, then doesn’t it also clearly focus on it to some degree, if in no other way than class concept/design? Even in earlier iterations the Ranger was still highlighted as the “master of ranged combat,” not just the “jack of all trades” – so your surprise is surprising. And since the Ranger is the only class able to use both types of bows, and given GW2’s explicit emphasis on the Ranger’s ranged combat, what isn’t obvious about the link between the Ranger and archery?

Let’s be clear about what I originally said for that matter. I said that the Ranger is pretty obviously “supposed to be able to fulfill that niche,” not that it is or ought to be perma-locked into that role.

I disagree with your assessment of Warrior and Ranger longbow skillbars as well. Warrior longbow has far more utility; you can actually do more with a warrior’s longbow than a ranger’s. For instance, a warrior’s longbow has combo fields, AoE might, blast finisher, immobilize, and both condition and direct damage. If nothing else, a warrior’s longbow is more engaging and interactive than the ranger’s. The ranger’s longbow is centered around direct damage, and it doesn’t even excel at it!

Well, I wanted to shot arrowz and have a pet that dosent afraid of anything.

A master of nature, and the earth itself. A Primal hunter and his loyal Flock/Pack/Whatever. Who not only Works as a team with his pet but also knows the land and uses it to his advantage. Oh, and a Archer archtype.

alot of people saying ranger is broken, its definatly not broken but its not as fun as i thought it would be. i play a ranger in every rpg or mmo possible and its my highest character right now at 60. at first i had trouble in pvp but now i rarely die especially if i get the jump on them so the class isnt broken some of you need to learn to swap pets not just when they die but depending on the situation at hand. with that being said the fun factor is missing for me been trying to role another class but i love the ranger ganna try to stick it through or at least get to 80 first

xev.9476:

@ Loki:
Your distinction between an “unmatched archer” and “the archer class” seems bizarre and flimsy.

Hardly; you seem to equate ‘master of archery’ as ‘Best for raw damage’ only. The ranger can do much more than that, able to stun, while the warrior is more limited in terms of cripple/blind for control. There were two classes called the Warden and, iirc, Archer, but they got merged into one and formed the Ranger. Which only supports my argument that they can do it, but they’re not dedicated to it.
I’m glad you’re not one of those fools that automatically assume the ranger is exclusively ranged combat, and I won’t lie; I interpreted your post as saying that.
My point about the masters of archery is essentially this: the warrior ‘just’ belts out damage, and from a single bow only. Rangers can do more than that, they can knockback, get swiftness use both the shortbow and the longbow. I do archery IRL, and while the fundamentals are obviously the same, it takes time to get used to a weapon, let alone fire a bow on the move like a ranger can with a shortbow. Just being able to do that alone is hard, let alone actually firing it accurately at a target. Then there’s skills such as skill III, being able to fire an arrow behind you. These are all mobility based skills on a mobile bow, you need to be good to be able to do this sort of thing. The way I interpret the ranger’s bows is simply that the shortbow is very mobile (which requires skill to be able to do) and in the longbow’s case, has more range than the Warriors (which again, takes skill to accurately hit without a sight-I assure you, even with a sight, it can be a hit to hard a stationary target)
In the end, I’ve already said it and I’ll say it again; the ranger should not match/exceed the warrior in terms of raw damage with any weapon, because that in turn undermines the point of playing a warrior. It’s my impression you want it to beat the warrior in ranged combat, which is simply not what should imo happen.

Obviously, being a ranger is about masochism. For those of still here after 11/15 and aren’t complaining or voicing the resignation, the only logical reason would be that we like being mediocre and stomped everywhere outside of normal PvE.

I for one am a masochist and thus will probably continue to play. Though to be honest I’m going to split my time between my Ele, Thief, Mesmer, and Warrior.

Wow, this forum is getting insufferable. So much negativity in every single topic…

Personally, for me being a Ranger is all about the pet. Having an animal companion is what drew me to this profession above others. I’ve always been a fan of pet classes, and the Ranger in GW2 really focuses on the pet well, making it a vital part of the class. I really like the way its handled, the way the pet is so important.

And I truely hope it remains that way. I know the class has problems and balancing a class like that may be difficult, but I shudder every time someone makes a suggestion like removing the pets damage / tanking potential and just making them follow you to passively buff you or use the odd special ability, essentially turning them into a walking turret more than a companion. A change like that would completely remove what made me like the class to begin with.

@ Loki:

First, the very line you quoted in your first response precludes reading anything I wrote as promoting the ranger as master of bow damage and nothing else; I even went on to bold-text the word “capacity”. Second, I have no idea how you could possibly get the idea that I equate “master of archery” with “raw damage only.” I explicitly praised the warrior’s longbow and explained why I think it’s better – it’s more complex and has greater utility, and it certainly doesn’t just “belt out damage.” Again, it comes with condition damage, direct damage, immobilize, blind, a combo field, a blast finisher, and can stack AoE might all on its own. How does praising utility get twisted into an obsession with “raw damage?”

Finally, I think the idea that a warrior ought to do the most “raw damage” is silly, and I’m not aware of the devs ever articulating that that is how they want things to be. In order for the ranger to be an “unparalleled archer” the longbow surely should excel at something; your claim that it excels because it has a knockback and a cripple is unconvincing since the warrior’s longbow has similar control and clearly excels in utility, if not damage.

Loki.4871:

xev.9476:

it’s hard to deny that the Ranger in GW2 is supposed to be able to fulfill that niche.

Proof plz.

Anet’s description of the Ranger is all the proof that you need.

off topic.. where is this thread bout the updates for 11/15 ?

Rangers to me mean an animal companion (often, not always), leather armour and most of all, mastery of the bow. The fact that thieves and warriors can also use some kind of bow undermines this somewhat, although of course this version of ranger can melee, which isn’t something I bother with often.

I preferred my GW1 ranger overall, although their damage in recent times wasn’t great either. The satisfaction of a well-timed interrupt was immense. That said, I hardly bothered with trapping in GW1 because of the slower cast time and I enjoy using them more here.

Ranger is pretty decent. Needs a little work and probably won’t ever be top tier, but its not bad. I like to play classes that are not overpowered.

For a long time I really loved the skillset of the shortbow.
To be honest, I still do.
It’s just that the current numbers are incredibly inferior to Thief (Pistol/Shortbow), Warriors (Rifle) and Mesmer (Greatsword).
While the Shortbow does have a better mobility (Warrior/Pistol Thief/Mesmer) it still offers less powerful utility than any of those above.
W. Rifle = Root, Cripple, Armor reduction, Knockback
M. GS= Boon Remove, AoE Knockback, Might, Clone, Phantasm, Cripple
T.P= Combo field smoke, vulnerability, interrupt (3100%combo finishers)
T. Bow= Spammable dodge+cripple, spammable combofield poison, AoE blind.

Plus:
It became boring to always run:
Quickening Zephyr
Muddy Terrain /Signet of Renewal
and Lightning reflexes
-only.

Especially when I started playing other classes and saw their utility spells….

Dieing like a kitten, and my dps is a really piece of kitten

The ranger profession to me is like a thief with no stealth….. nor the killing power of what you expect from a expert marksmen in archery.

Oh and companions are like the animals no one wanted because they fight like they have downs. (not meaning to be offensive or insult people with the actual illness don’t make my statement into some hate remark, thanks)

For me, being a ranger means wield dual scimitars, having a black panther as a companion and worship Mielikki as my goddess… ohh.. and a hatred towards all kind of spiders plus a weakness for red-haired women.

Official Site Ranger:
Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation.

Wiki Ranger:
Rangers are masters of their natural surroundings, and use a multitude of skills designed to track down and hunt their enemies. The rangers are also accompanied by their trusted pets, fighting in unison with their own set of skills to pick off their enemies one by one. Their unique attribute provides a Pet Attribute Bonus.

So, what do I want my Ranger to be you ask? Why not what we were promised?
I want to roam, “use a multitude of skills designed to track down and hunt” my enemies with my pet at my side. I want to be feared when I’m seen roaming. Being a “master of my natural surroundings” nothing can stand alone against the combined might of my companion and I. I want to be able to “adapt to any situation” with my “traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets”. I want to feel like an “Unparalleled archer” who is “capable of bringing down foes from a distance with my bow.” I want my “trusted pets” to “fight in unison” with me as we “rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself” to demolish our foes.

Currently it’s more like:
“use a multitude of skills designed to track down and hunt” – What skills?

“master of my natural surroundings” – But I can’t even do something basic like attack from any sort of elevation change (even underwater).

“adapt to any situation” – As long as that situation doesn’t involve conditions or CC.

“traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets” – Well at least we have traps amirite?

“Unparalleled archer” – Who is out-shined in not only damage but utility of those weapons.

“capable of bringing down foes from a distance with my bow.” – So long as they are AFK.

“trusted pets” – So long as the foe does not move and you’re not using a F2 ability or Drake pet.

“fight in unison” – With my multitude of skills that sacrifice my pet for myself, thus not solving any problem.

“rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself” – “Keen eye”? For that extra long range we have that’s absolutely limited to only our profession? “A steady Hand”? To pray our target does not move? “Power of Nature”? Those OP spirits that buff our allies and force our foes to deem them as a threat and focus their fire to bring them down?

Means shooting muppets from range while everyone else lets warriors stand toe to toe and cry about the class being broken..

Means not having to smell the Risens breath.

luchifer.6401:

For me, being a ranger means wield dual scimitars, .

This, D&D.

Just change the scimitars for rapiers.

To me, being a ranger is to be a cunning survivalist, capable of being evasive when cornered and deadly from afar. I feel as far as mechanics and concept, the pet aspect of the ranger is primarily the melee while the ranger stays at mid and long range; thereby pinning their target between a rock and a hard place.

I rolled a ranger because, in the description, it described a ranged class and I like ranged, non-magic classes (particle effects are overrated). I feel that a melee ranger is one who finds themselves backed against a wall. I feel that a ranger fighting in melee should act like a cornered animal and strike viciously in order to escape and return to the safety of fighting at range.

I will say to the “Rangers don’t mean ‘ranged’” haters reading this that I rolled a Ranger over a Thief because I liked the look and feel of the melee weapons the most. In fact, I really want to use a Sword as a weapon because I feel it could be a fun weapon – but I will still opt for a ranged weapon, especially in PvP and Dungeons.

Being a Ranger to me means, in no particular order:

-Climbing the environment and find vantage points to shoot from (So pleeaassseee cut that “invulnerable” crap!!!) Cause I’m a fricking Archer!!!!!!! not a melee class!!!! the whole point of a longbow is to shoot from AFAR!!!

-Be able to survive on my own, because rangers are supposed to be solo survivalist. I don’t go IN the group, I stay NEXT TO the group, always keeping an eye out for vantage point where I can scout ahead, and which will allow me to shoot my arrows without getting a blade’s edge right in my face…that’s the melee’s classes role.

-Being STEALTHY!!! because a ranger is supposed to be a hunter!!! hunter’s blends in and wait for their prey (so where the kitten is my camouflage?!!!) or put traps and lure them in (I can’t go invisible to set up traps, I can only put them down when the guy with the sword is running straight for me, or put them randomly hoping and idiot hasn’t seen me placing them…)

-Yes….sight rangers are animal lovers…but why the kitten should my damage be split with it? Cat goes in for the kill Cat gets kicked in the face and goes down Ranger looks like an idiot…
Don’t get me wrong, I love pets, but why the hell should I have to use a freeky spider or a dumb chocobo-looking bird when my favorite animals are felines? (idk, make a transmutation stone that works on pets or something…)
Or why should I have to use a pet AT ALL? who says my Ranger wants a pets?
WHAT IF the reason I like rangers in the first place is because I imagine them as stealtily walking in the shade to find a good shooting angle and prepping an ambush while is sword-wielding partner go play decoy and lead the enemy into the ambush…and then comes that kitten DOG walking leisurely in the middle of the battlefield, giving out my position, and bringing a few aggroed friend with him while he’s at it…. WTF!???
I love the pet “CONCEPT”, but seriously…if it sucks that much, just let us alleviate that thing’s suffering…
I WANT a pet, that’s one of the reason I like rangers in the first place…but not if not only is it useless, but it’s actually dangerous to my OWN survival…
Rex, do NOT go lick that Champion’s butt…I said NO…NOOOO! COME BACK HERE YOU *("%%/+(%/("!!!!*

I think that’s it…for now

Oh, and if I let loose above, it’s just cuz I needed it…I mean, despite all that, I’m STILL playing my ranger… Although after reading myself, I wonder why…?
…scratching head… -_- ?

Is it that it’s one of the few mmo that actually works on mac?
Is it that I love the customizations option?
Is it that despite all it’s flaws and dumb AI and it’s inaccurate shape and textures, I just love that kitten snow-leopard (I mean, a game where I actually get to play with my favorite animal!)
Is it that I just love to immerse myself in the game, pretending to be a lone ranger with her trusty Snowblind, walking the world for the beauty of it…?
Or maybe…it’s the completionist within me that just can’t let go… yeah, that one might have a higher impact than the others >_<’

I LOVE GW2, and I never considered using another class than ranger as my main, but by the time that completionist within me sees “100% world map” on his screen, those rangers better be fixed, cuz I have no particular interest in other classes, and I won’t have any more reason to stay if by then Rangers are still useless for anything else other than PvE…

P.S: I forgot that I also wanted to say:
the official description of the ranger as nothing to do with the actual rangers…sad

Edit:
I just realized why I see the word “kitten” everywhere on the forum… come on…I don’t write the whole word, I just put an F and a few stars XD