Guild Wars 2

Photinous.4628:

Right now it offers nothing more than the auto attack does and this would really help a lot against reapers which kind of own us right now.

Just wanted to say that Reapers aren’t giving me any problems =)

It’s not territorial, it’s just honest feedback on a forum question. It’s obvious you hadn’t used Zealot’s gear, or else you wouldn’t be so set on trying to discredit it’s viability. I’ve already explained how well it works out, and frankly the healing benefit far outweighs the CC. Also, losing some Ferocity isn’t “lacking damage to kill things”. Damage is still very good, which is why Zealot’s is some of the best gear for a Druid. The only option that will do more damage than Zealot’s is going to be full Berserker’s, and if you are running full zerk gear still spec’d into Druid you are doing it wrong. Completely ignoring the new elite spec mechanic and offering no heal output at all isn’t really what Druid is for. Good luck running the raid content only using CC’s.

I’ll just agree to disagree, since like all builds and gear combos some people can play them and some can’t. You shouldn’t be so quick to make a judgement on something you hadn’t tried yourself personally. The reason I expressed my opinion is because the question was raised about something that I personally have experience with.

You should probably be less territorial about me giving a response about something I actually have experience with putting into practice.

OMGimAnoobLOLOL.4730:

Poke Bird.5847:

Would u consider zealot as a viable choice for Druid pve?

For Story modes and fractals, no. Any HoT stuff less than Dragon’s Stand, no. Even Dragon’s Stand is a maybe at best.

In a 5man you won’t be spending much time healing or in Staff. This is largely about dealing damage and instant breaks instead of healing and doing little/no damage. The Druid version was actually an variation/improvement to the “Break Ranger” DPS variant I was working on.

A variant of a variant and bringing some Druid synergies to the rest of Ranger is what this post is about. This isn’t a completely alien build just because of the Elite spec.

I actually answered this question much more accurately earlier in the thread, as a player with experience using Zealot’s gear since HoT released. This answer is not accurate, because Zealot’s is actually very viable in all pve. I have had excellent success with Zealot’s in dungeons, fractals, open world, you name it. This question isn’t about the viability of your build using Zealot’s.

In general, using Zealot’s gear the only thing you give up from a full zerker’s gear set is the ferocity(extra damage on crits). In exchange, you are able to still hop into Avatar and heal very adequately. In fractals or dungeons, this is extremely helpful because you can focus on dps as per the usual and if things heat up you can heal up the party very quickly. I’ve had good feedback from many parties(especially in fractals) for the heals. It’s not necessary, it wasn’t necessary before, but just having the heals as a backup plan is extremely helpful. Using Zealot’s you actually have the option. Carry on as usual and if the damage starts adding up you have a way to counter it.

Additionally, especially in Dragon’s Stand the Druid heals are useful. I have literally watched ppl drop left and right during the lane pushes without heals going out. With a quick swap to staff, it’s fun to keep all those downs from happening. Events overall just go smoother, you have people barely losing health and as a direct result they aren’t dodge rolling or avoiding things. Instead they are dealing steady dps without worry.

Anyways, not trying to steal your thunder around your personal build. Just pointing out that your opinion regarding Zealot’s as a viable gear set was incorrect. As a matter of fact, in my opinion Zealot’s is probably the best gear available to a Druid.

Poke Bird.5847:

Would u consider zealot as a viable choice for Druid pve?

Have been running ascended Zealot’s since HoT released. In a word: yes. It is extremely viable. Even prior to the nerf to the Hero Points, I was 2 manning the champs! I ran with an Engineer teammate, while able to still dish out great dps I would hop into Avatar form and heal when needed then right back to the damage again!

Bear in mind I have all ascended everything, 2 legendary weapons, etc. I wouldn’t expect an ‘average’ Druid to be met with exactly the same success. This being said, however, I’ve found Zealot’s to be fantastic for Druid!

To the OP
I am still experimenting with weapon combinations, glyphs, the list goes on. But man I’ll tell ya, yes sir, Glyph of Equality is a new must have for me. It really depends on what your goals are in the build you are using, but one synergy I found with GoE is the trait ‘Ancient Seeds’ with an Axe weapon. Pop the glyph when surrounded by enemies, they are dazed, follow up with a toss of the axe and delight as they are all additionally rooted in place since the axe bounces to each target! This all being said, imo Axe always has been and still is in a weird place. Using Zealot’s stuff as I have been doing, I prefer other weapons

Chicho Gosho.6507:

Deity.5170:

I had a great time with the druid specialization personally. I have played a Berserker ranger since headstart and the additional build options felt great.

In this thread I see a lot of un-informed viewpoints (for lack of a better word). The ranger currently fulfills a dps role, and it fulfills it optimally. If a skillful player uses a ranger now, they can pull major dps. For example, as a solo ranger I can absolutely always get tags in events on all my targets and gold on world boss events. No group required to succeed 100% of the time.

What druid has brought to the table for me, though, is something I have wanted for a very long time: versatility. This beta weekend has been the most fun I’ve had in GW2 in a long time, due to the thrill of building something new. Unlike most of the posts here, I found the druid to be in a good place as it is and was also able to come up with some great builds that would fulfill healing and great burst dps. Thanks ANet! Been a blast!

I did have to agree on one thing people brought up: The druid holding the staff like a hammer was pretty silly. Changing those poses to suit a caster would be ideal.

Can you provide more feedback, especially on that great burst dps build, so the 3 years ranger veterans could get an informed viewpoint?

Ah, yes, of course! My ranger had evolved into a dps beast over the course of playing GW2 so long. I ran Sword/WH and LB. Much of the build is up to personal preference but the absolute necessity in that weapon combo for me was Quickening Zephyr. Send in the pet, and with the quickness from that skill you could easily melt enemies with sword in hand (using warhorn might buff as well). Quickening Zephyr + Sword has long been a favorite of mine.

This being said, using the above doesn’t come without penalties. You are a ranger, after all, and have to take the proper precautions when going toe to toe with some of the more dangerous enemies. Enter the druid! Personally I opted to drop the LB completely and replace it with the staff. So, Staff and Sword/WH. This makes you very useful as a support due to the healing of the staff abilities and also the WH team buff. If you take Healing Spring you can also use the WH buff inside the circle for a water combo blast! Also, you’d notice the aoe heal while in celestial form stays around the druid so using a melee weapon keeps you in range of your guys ‘up front’ taking the damage. With all the healing you are capable of dishing out, it’s much more feasible to be in the thick of things using a sword. Love it!

About the burst dps, it’s the same as it’s always been but with an even better addition! So what was before Quickening Zephyr + Sword can be augmented by the druid’s Glyph of Empowerment. I’ve seen some people claim that the radius isn’t large enough, but this isn’t the case. The druid needs to be able to reposition to get into the middle of the fight at times to use this, the WH buff, and throw out some burst dps with the Sword! If it gets heavy, guess what? You’ve got a wisp ability that will take you right out of the fray.

This playstyle obviously isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely fell in love with it. Over years of play, I’ve found that I’m able to maximize ranger’s dps not by standing back in the corner someplace plinking arrows. It’s when you embrace the power of both weapon sets, which includes repositioning and using proper caution in certain battles, that you will have a complete understanding of the ranger. Druid is no exception, in fact I would argue that positioning and using the correct skills at the right times is more important than before. Anyways, hoping this helps give a solid review from the viewpoint of a long time ranger player! If you are interested in more details about building or traits I’d be happy to help, just find me in-game!

I had a great time with the druid specialization personally. I have played a Berserker ranger since headstart and the additional build options felt great.

In this thread I see a lot of un-informed viewpoints (for lack of a better word). The ranger currently fulfills a dps role, and it fulfills it optimally. If a skillful player uses a ranger now, they can pull major dps. For example, as a solo ranger I can absolutely always get tags in events on all my targets and gold on world boss events. No group required to succeed 100% of the time.

What druid has brought to the table for me, though, is something I have wanted for a very long time: versatility. This beta weekend has been the most fun I’ve had in GW2 in a long time, due to the thrill of building something new. Unlike most of the posts here, I found the druid to be in a good place as it is and was also able to come up with some great builds that would fulfill healing and great burst dps. Thanks ANet! Been a blast!

I did have to agree on one thing people brought up: The druid holding the staff like a hammer was pretty silly. Changing those poses to suit a caster would be ideal.

This update made me do a first post on the boards, cheers! Just wanted to say that changes are definately welcomed, and of course please keep the legendaries not super easy to obtain.

I had a couple of suggestions that I hear across the general public in the game a lot:

1- More variety on Legendary skins, so that for example a rough-looking Norn Ranger wouldn’t have to settle for a pink flowery bow
2- One thing that can really take away the fun while working towards a legendary is the really insanely low drop chance on Lodestones.
3- The precursor RNG is not well recieved by most, although this point is probably pretty obvious at this point.

Thanks for listening, and looking forward to seeing some changes!