Guild Wars 2

I have been playing guild wars 2 ever since Autumn 2012. Since then my main character has been a ranger and each and every day I regret that decision more and more, not because I dislike the class but every month Anet finds a new and annoying way to nerf the class.

But I think that the sb range is the last straw for me, what was once one of the rangers most favoured weapon which had a fair range of 1200 was nerfed to disappointing 900 and why well it’s apparently mean’t to balance the game but it seems it’s more like to balance spvp rather than the game as a whole. For instance since the ranger’s can’t afford to get hit by condition damage (since they have very few skills to heal from condition damage) they need to be able to keep a large distance between them and the enemy, 1200 range it’s fine you can keep a good distance whilst supporting your allies but 900 and it becomes unnecessarily difficult.

Now this definitely annoyed me more than any other nerf because it makes no sense, why is a ranger a class which is meant to have superior skill in long ranged combat (hence his name) nerfed in the shortbow where he now has less range then a thief, that is embarrassing.

The worst part about it is why did Anet decided after 10 months since guild wars 2 was released to change an entire weapon set range. Why has this change been made. I could understand after 2-3 months of the games initial release you would see it as a problem but 10 months seriously its all of a sudden become such a big problem.

I also have to point out that it seems that Anet are trying to force rangers into using their pets more, here is the thing about pets, there broken they don’t always respond to commands, they are painfully weak in dungeons frankly all the pets are really useful for is drawing agro away from yourself and becoming a handy decoy. If your ranger just think about all the times your pet has screwed you over, could being doing a run through a dungeon and your pet pulls an enemy or when your downed and your pet doesn’t heal you.

You hit the nail on the head. It’s to balance sPvP. To the best of my knowledge, no one else has ever complained (without just trolling) that Rangers are overpowered since the beta.

Also, people will say that Ranger doesn’t mean they use ranged weapons but instead that they roam around. As if archery doesn’t matter to the class. However, the official site disagrees

“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.” (https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/ranger/)

So in my mind, anyone who says Rangers aren’t suppose to be “unparallel archers” is an ANet apologist.

It was nerfed for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to force Rangers to use LB…

Force players to stop using a weapon they liked to use a weapon they hated…

In Anet world it makes perfect sense…

They have done this tactic loads of times in the past and will continue to do it in the future…god knows how many players have quit GW1 and now GW2 over this type of attitude to balancing…

Psst, theive’s SB has been nerfed to the same distance, and I disagree that we have poor condition removal.

Aside from those two points though, I agree whole heartedly. I stuck an axe and warhorn on my ranger… she is much stronger without sacrificing…. well, anything. 1 hit of the axe does more damage than the SB, but it can also hit up to 3x making it 3x more powerful, but then there’s also the warhorn’s 5 which boosts you damage for 20 seconds, making you significantly more powerful with only a slight change in attack speed. And you don’t need to trait for piercing arrows, and instead can have the new +150 precision to self and allies…

But it’s not as FUN as the SB. :/ I’m using it, because it’d be just dumb not to, but…. I want my 1200 SB back.

Just as the first sb nerf, It’s the best thing for the class. The ranger class made great progress after the sb nerf. Yes the short bow is use alot by rangers. In fact it’s over used. It really made no sense for a long bow and the sb to have the same distance it’s inherent in thier names. The short bow has been given a range reduction but a boost in damage.

Ranger are still able to kill at range in fact they can kill faster now. If you were using the short bow at a range of 1000 + you were doing less damage then if you used the Lb.

Rangers have been given a bad name because they auto attack to win. It isnt the most effective use of the class and just plan lazy. Now you are force to really consider your weapons option. It’s best for the class as a whole.

We made great builts after the first sb nerf and I am sure we will make even more with this nerf/buff.

Rangers are still unparalled archers more so now than ever.

Meglobob.8620:

It was nerfed for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to force Rangers to use LB…

Force players to stop using a weapon they liked to use a weapon they hated…

In Anet world it makes perfect sense…

They have done this tactic loads of times in the past and will continue to do it in the future…god knows how many players have quit GW1 and now GW2 over this type of attitude to balancing…

The big problem for the ranger is it doesn’t have anything going for it anymore, all their weapons are rubbish (since each weapon the ranger can wield another class can utilize it better expect the longbow which isn’t an amazing weapon and the warhorn), they have no skills which can be used as there trump card (for instance Thief’s have stealth to disappear, Mesmer’s have shatter abilities), there stats are painfully average, pets is buggy at times, rangers die if they catch a cold.

There really is no reason to be one since there now useless and have no redeeming factors anymore. It seems like Anet are trying to get there player base to avoid being the class altogether.

It’s also perfectly anet that they destroy a class and will go on destroying because in ine specific PVP section they were strong. Just look at the paragon from gw 1. We actually should all delete our rangers cuz it’s gonna get worse.

SafiMoyo.5130:

Psst, theive’s SB has been nerfed to the same distance, and I disagree that we have poor condition removal.

Aside from those two points though, I agree whole heartedly. I stuck an axe and warhorn on my ranger… she is much stronger without sacrificing…. well, anything. 1 hit of the axe does more damage than the SB, but it can also hit up to 3x making it 3x more powerful, but then there’s also the warhorn’s 5 which boosts you damage for 20 seconds, making you significantly more powerful with only a slight change in attack speed. And you don’t need to trait for piercing arrows, and instead can have the new +150 precision to self and allies…

But it’s not as FUN as the SB. :/ I’m using it, because it’d be just dumb not to, but…. I want my 1200 SB back.

Is the theif range 900 with the Power Shots trait or without?

Serraphin Storm.2369:

Just as the first sb nerf, It’s the best thing for the class. The ranger class made great progress after the sb nerf. Yes the short bow is use alot by rangers. In fact it’s over used. It really made no sense for a long bow and the sb to have the same distance it’s inherent in thier names. The short bow has been given a range reduction but a boost in damage.

Ranger are still able to kill at range in fact they can kill faster now. If you were using the short bow at a range of 1000 + you were doing less damage then if you used the Lb.

Rangers have been given a bad name because they auto attack to win. It isnt the most effective use of the class and just plan lazy. Now you are force to really consider your weapons option. It’s best for the class as a whole.

We made great builts after the first sb nerf and I am sure we will make even more with this nerf/buff.

Rangers are still unparalled archers more so now than ever.

That doesn’t really answer the post, it is true that a long bow does a lot more damage further away but I can’t see how it’s relevant to the Rangers sb range.

Also the notion that Rangers auto attack to win just seems silly, you could say that about a number of different classes on the game such as Engineers, Memers, Elementist’s, Necromancers etc. Every time I’m on wvw or spvp I use my weapon skill effectively, I switch weapons when I see the right opportunity to use my secondary weapon effectively.

Also rangers have skills/traits which effect there evasion forcing the player to time his skills just right in order to evade the opponent. So I can’t really see how there a lazy class to play as :/

coyboy.8591:

Serraphin Storm.2369:

Just as the first sb nerf, It’s the best thing for the class. The ranger class made great progress after the sb nerf. Yes the short bow is use alot by rangers. In fact it’s over used. It really made no sense for a long bow and the sb to have the same distance it’s inherent in thier names. The short bow has been given a range reduction but a boost in damage.

Ranger are still able to kill at range in fact they can kill faster now. If you were using the short bow at a range of 1000 + you were doing less damage then if you used the Lb.

Rangers have been given a bad name because they auto attack to win. It isnt the most effective use of the class and just plan lazy. Now you are force to really consider your weapons option. It’s best for the class as a whole.

We made great builts after the first sb nerf and I am sure we will make even more with this nerf/buff.

Rangers are still unparalled archers more so now than ever.

That doesn’t really answer the post, it is true that a long bow does a lot more damage further away but I can’t see how it’s relevant to the Rangers sb range.

Also the notion that Rangers auto attack to win just seems silly, you could say that about a number of different classes on the game such as Engineers, Memers, Elementist’s, Necromancers etc. Every time I’m on wvw or spvp I use my weapon skill effectively, I switch weapons when I see the right opportunity to use my secondary weapon effectively.

Also rangers have skills/traits which effect there evasion forcing the player to time his skills just right in order to evade the opponent. So I can’t really see how there a lazy class to play as :/

If rangers do autoattack to win, I think it says as much about the shortbow 2-5 as it does about the shortbow 1.

at the very less most classess use thier #2 skill as thier main attack thieves and warrior are prime examples.

Also like many have said 900 was the range during beta and was intended to be the range until anet neft the long bow and increase the shortbow to compenstate. Now that the Long bow has recieved its buff. The short bow reverted back to it’s orignal range of 900.

SafiMoyo.5130:

Psst, theive’s SB has been nerfed to the same distance

Thief SB was always 900 range. There was one skill which could go to 1200 which was reduce to 900. (Well, technically, the bounces can still go further than 900. But the same is true for ranger axe.)

Serraphin Storm.2369:

It really made no sense for a long bow and the sb to have the same distance it’s inherent in thier names.

The “long” and “short” in longbow and shortbow have nothing to do with range. The range of a simple bow is (for a fixed weight arrow) determined by its draw weight – how much force you have to use to pull the bowstring. In ancient tech, the only way to increase the draw weight was to increase the size of the bow. This culminated in the longbow which was about as tall as a man and required more than 100 lbs of force to fully draw, perhaps as much as 150 lbs.

The design became obsolete with the advent of the recurve bow. A longbow imparts the most energy when first released, and less energy the further along the arrow moves. As the arrow is moving faster the further it goes in its release phase, that means there’s very little energy transferred to it in the latter half of the release phase.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_shape#Recurve_bow
A recurve bow is shaped so the energy transfer is more gradual during the release of the arrow, allowing for a more efficient energy transfer. This has the side bonus of having a lower draw weight, especially when fully drawn (it’s less fatiguing to hold it while you’re aiming). And it also allowed bows to be built smaller without compromising effectiveness nor range. Hence the short bow.

Edit: That said, I’m ok with the nerf to SB’s range. From my tests, it was nearly as effective as melee weapons (more effective if you were a condition build). Which is just nuts for something with 1200 range.

The short bow has been given a range reduction but a boost in damage.

The SB’s damage boost is inconsequential since they’re on relatively long cooldowns compared to the autoattack. What’s more significant is that LB’s DPS was increased by reducing the animation delay on the autoattack.

Rangers are still unparalled archers more so now than ever.

I dunno. If the game had less mobility or the ranges on weapons were more realistic, maybe. A real bow will be effective (accurately) out to about 100 meters. An athlete can cover that distance in about 10 seconds. Ranges in the game are much smaller than that though, and someone at your max longbow range can close to melee distance in just a few seconds. From the run tests I did, you can cover Swoop’s distance (1100) in about 4 seconds. 3 seconds if I had a 25% or 33% swiftness buff.

That means longbow’s damage reduction at closer range really hurts unless you’re up against a dumb AI or zerg who’s ignoring you and staying at max range. Frankly, to make LB a more well-rounded weapon, I think what they need to do is reduce the cooldowns on rapid fire, point blank, and hunter’s shot. Heck, something like SB’s quick shot (evade backwards) added to point blank shot would help too. That’ll give you more options for things to do with the LB if the target closes range with you, instead of continuing to flail away with a wet noodle.

Or better yet, now that SB has been distinguished from LB with a range difference, maybe they can just drop the entire “LB autoattack damage decreases at shorter range” mechanic entirely. If longbow were exceptional among weapons at range, I could see a rationale for the mechanic. But compared to something like warrior rifle, it’s actually pretty mediocre.

coyboy.8591:

SafiMoyo.5130:

Psst, theive’s SB has been nerfed to the same distance, and I disagree that we have poor condition removal.

Aside from those two points though, I agree whole heartedly. I stuck an axe and warhorn on my ranger… she is much stronger without sacrificing…. well, anything. 1 hit of the axe does more damage than the SB, but it can also hit up to 3x making it 3x more powerful, but then there’s also the warhorn’s 5 which boosts you damage for 20 seconds, making you significantly more powerful with only a slight change in attack speed. And you don’t need to trait for piercing arrows, and instead can have the new +150 precision to self and allies…

But it’s not as FUN as the SB. :/ I’m using it, because it’d be just dumb not to, but…. I want my 1200 SB back.

Is the theif range 900 with the Power Shots trait or without?

I don’t know, but based on the way you asked that question, you do. I was agreeing with you; I’m not sure why you have to be a jerk to me :/

Serraphin Storm.2369:

at the very less most classess use thier #2 skill as thier main attack thieves and warrior are prime examples.

Also like many have said 900 was the range during beta and was intended to be the range until anet neft the long bow and increase the shortbow to compenstate. Now that the Long bow has recieved its buff. The short bow reverted back to it’s orignal range of 900.

Despite it being 900 in the beta, beta is beta whilst at the time it was intended to be 900 when the game was officially released it was 1200 so it’s not a very relevant statement since the game technically wasn’t released.

Furthermore like I said above if they did intend on changing the range to 900 why did it take 10 months in order to do so. Why wasn’t in the first few months of the games initial release.

Also whilst the longbow may receive buffs it doesn’t mean the weapon is especially good in the rangers hands, whilst they may be better then a warrior that doesn’t mean the weapon itself is any good.

SafiMoyo.5130:

coyboy.8591:

SafiMoyo.5130:

Psst, theive’s SB has been nerfed to the same distance, and I disagree that we have poor condition removal.

Aside from those two points though, I agree whole heartedly. I stuck an axe and warhorn on my ranger… she is much stronger without sacrificing…. well, anything. 1 hit of the axe does more damage than the SB, but it can also hit up to 3x making it 3x more powerful, but then there’s also the warhorn’s 5 which boosts you damage for 20 seconds, making you significantly more powerful with only a slight change in attack speed. And you don’t need to trait for piercing arrows, and instead can have the new +150 precision to self and allies…

But it’s not as FUN as the SB. :/ I’m using it, because it’d be just dumb not to, but…. I want my 1200 SB back.

Is the theif range 900 with the Power Shots trait or without?

I don’t know, but based on the way you asked that question, you do. I was agreeing with you; I’m not sure why you have to be a jerk to me :/

Ahh with the trait it is 1000 that what I mean’t by the thief having more range I was just making sure you where aware of that factor

Serraphin Storm.2369:

Just as the first sb nerf, It’s the best thing for the class. The ranger class made great progress after the sb nerf. Yes the short bow is use alot by rangers. In fact it’s over used. It really made no sense for a long bow and the sb to have the same distance it’s inherent in thier names. The short bow has been given a range reduction but a boost in damage.

Ranger are still able to kill at range in fact they can kill faster now. If you were using the short bow at a range of 1000 + you were doing less damage then if you used the Lb.

Rangers have been given a bad name because they auto attack to win. It isnt the most effective use of the class and just plan lazy. Now you are force to really consider your weapons option. It’s best for the class as a whole.

We made great builts after the first sb nerf and I am sure we will make even more with this nerf/buff.

Rangers are still unparalled archers more so now than ever.

epic fail of so many reasons. It’s only forcing Ranger to use long bows.