The debate goes something like this:
Rangerbase: A-net, can you PLEASE introduce a perma-stow option for the Ranger? The pet & AI behaves broken half the time, and in many situations, the pet is more of a handi-cap than a mechanic.
A-net: Sorry, but we can’t do that. We want the Ranger to fight in unison with their pet. Adding a perma-stow option would invalidate that ideal.
Rangerbase: that sounds nice and all, but I can’t “fight in unison” with a dead pet. Other professions can simply ignore (for the most part) their mechanic, why are we the only profession who suffers from a handi-cap for balance? Do Guardians get a healing de-scale because they come with a built in regen? Do Necromancers have to invest into deathshroud to not lose out on their viability? No.
A-net: if your worried about your pet dying, run with a divourer or spider.
Rangerbase: In dungeon encounters like Null, Frizz, Mai Trin, and Liadri; open-world AoE kitten storms like WvW, temple zergs, and the Queen’s Gauntlet, our pets are too dumb and under-tooled to do anything else than die — ranged or not. Adding a perma stow option would infact add more diversified build diversity for Rangers, while not making the pet completely worthless. In many fights the pet dies instantly, in others it acts as damage/aggro mitigater. The key is situation. No matter what you do special to the pet, in a game about movement, situational awareness, and enviornment hazards, the mechanic simply fails. While in others, it acts as a lifesaver. I’ll beg if I have to A-net. I’ll make my somehow still juvenile alpine wolf (Tahu), suffering from name amnesia whenever I trade out pets, to blast you with puppy eyes. I’ll do my part. I pray to the spirits that you will yours.
A-net: …
made my day