Guild Wars 2

Seriously, it was funny at first, but now it’s starting to get really annoying.

Every ranged class picks up my banner and runs off with it, triggering speed boosts and charges, before I can get back from melee range to pick it back up.

I mean come on, it’s on a 96 second cooldown, traited, it’s not like you can just put down a new one.

I need my banner to be effective, but if everyone and their pet picks it off and runs off with it then what’s the point? I understand in dungeons, everyone should be able to pick it up, hence I say only party members should be allowed to pick it up, but in the world when you’re killing stuff or getting back to your banner only to have it stolen in front of your face, it’s kind of annoying!

I put it down two times and two times it was taken and ran off with. It wasn’t even a looting issue, just someone who took it for the speed boosts. It was placed far away from killing an event centaur, and the ranger just picked it up, nowhere near the corpse, triggered the speed boost and just ran off!

Meanwhile, I’m looking at them running off with my banner just as I was getting back from melee to pick it up. I was sad.

The second was a miner who just picked it and didn’t drop it, and ended up sitting on a cliff with it while I waited for them to drop it.

I just…. I’ve had it with banner thieves!

This is the most fun ability of the class and also the most griefing.

I’ve pretty much stopped using banners except for the war banner because of that… and even then, only when I know people aren’t gonna run off with it (i.e. during champion attack or super event like dragon).

At least shouts are good too.

I totally agree with you OP. Let party members pick it up, no one else.

The buff is applied when it is dropped, what is the problem? I realize it can be frustrating but it really doesn’t matter that much. Pick up the banner after you drop it rather than waiting. If you feel that they are so important and you cannot play the class without them, drop them on top of yourself while standing next to the mob and pick it up. You have the advantage in picking it up because you are the one casting it.

I hate it though when warriors put them down right in the middle of a huge group of mobs during an event causing it to interfere with my loot pickup.

I often pick them up and set them off to the side.

First world problems eh Zin?

Now to the point, I’d like to agree with the OP, the buff is applied when its dropped, that’s correct but as far as i know it keep refreshing the buff untill you are either out of range of the banner or it runs out. It is silly that everyone can pick it up and run of with your banner!

Over & out!

Zin.6170:

I hate it though when warriors put them down right in the middle of a huge group of mobs during an event causing it to interfere with my loot pickup.

I often pick them up and set them off to the side.

I agree.

I understand how frustrating it is for someone else to pick up your banner, but it is no more frustrating than accidentally picking up someone else’s banner.

I’d actually like to see a different change: Keep the banners as they are, but change the skill to a “Summon to my location” skill while the banner is up. This way, if someone runs off with it, you can hit the utility again to pull the banner back on top of you. Additionally, this would let you move between packs of enemies without having to pick up and re-plant the banners all the time.

That said, I’m sure this has tons of balance issues where warriors could just drop three banners and march forward, summoning them every time they leave the effective range.

It would be awesome if we had an option in the options menu for something like:

“Summoned objects can only be picked up by party members” or something to that effect.

You could turn it on/off as desired.

Decided not to use banners anymore for above reason. Also i noticed banners are pretty difficult to use in dungeons as fight speed is fast and banner handling takes a lot of time.

How about when you use a banner it puts it on your back and your skill chances to a new skill that is a combination of inspire (the speed buff) and the banners 2 skill. (does anyone ever actually attack with the banner or use the charge in combat?)

Yeah, we would lose a blast finisher, and I imagine multiple banners sticking out of you would look funny but it solves a lot of problems and is pretty practical.

I also suppose battle standard would have to turn into a PBAoE which is annoying. But it is the best idea I can come up with.

lol what is wrong with you guys. I’m a banner support warrior most of the time and I personally LOVE it when people run off with my banners.

These things are supposed to support other players. It makes me far more sad when I get away from my banner and discover that it’s been left behind. When people pick it up I realize that they know it can be useful and want that banner around.

I swear there’s even been times when I have dropped a banner of tactics and found some kind player had picked it up and blasted off a few AoE heals for everyone around. Public events and public questing mean just that. Everyone is in your group.

Stop being antisocial. I want my banners useable by all.

DUDE, where’s my.. banner!
xD

Garnod.4085:

I’d actually like to see a different change: Keep the banners as they are, but change the skill to a “Summon to my location” skill while the banner is up. This way, if someone runs off with it, you can hit the utility again to pull the banner back on top of you.

^ This! I support this idea.

Pirate.4631:

How about when you use a banner it puts it on your back and your skill chances to a new skill that is a combination of inspire (the speed buff) and the banners 2 skill. (does anyone ever actually attack with the banner or use the charge in combat?)

Yeah, we would lose a blast finisher, and I imagine multiple banners sticking out of you would look funny but it solves a lot of problems and is pretty practical.

I also suppose battle standard would have to turn into a PBAoE which is annoying. But it is the best idea I can come up with.

I’m building for shouts instead of banners (partly) because of the control issue. I do like it when others use my banners appropriately and trigger off group buffs and set them down again but when a player just picks it up and runs off for their own personal speed boost it gets annoying.

I really like this suggestion of having banners on your back. Very feudal Japanese style even if you had several sticking out your back. While carrying them on your back you are limited to the innate banner buffs but the Summon Banner skill now changes to Plant Banner which allows you to drop it and let others use it.

This should then provide players with both options of being more social or more protective of their banners / buffs

I agree with Garnod. Let us just do the ‘summon’ animation again and bring it back to our position without being refreshed, while it’s active.

As an added bonus, it would be hilarious to sit outside a camp/town dropping banners and doing this when people ran off with it.