Guild Wars 2

Ariurotl.3718:

If anything, Smokescale and Snipers are a far greater annoyance.

Snipers – if you screw up and get downed, you stay down. x.x

Not to mention all the annoying parts like stealthing.

As everyone else has said, “Ranger” is not derivative of “ranged attack”. Rangers are people that patrol a “range” – a large area. Rangers are not, by definition, ranged specialists. As a Druid main, I can say unequivocally that we don’t need damage buffs – we more than make up for our lack in maximum damage with group support and “effective” DPS via group buffs. And solo, we’re so survivable that the lack in damage doesn’t matter.

Agemnon.4608:

Personally, based on the information we know I’m expecting it to be something like a one-two punch of Jormag and Bubbles.

I think with Jormag and Kralk since the Wiki says that Jormag is making his way south so he might be in the Crystal Desert now:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Jormag

Since its awakening, Jormag has steadily pushed south.

This should be enough time for him to be in the Crystal Desert or maybe even Elona.

As far as we know, Jormag is still north of Frostgorge Sound. We have never spotted any of his minions south of the Shiverpeaks, his lieutenant has only traveled as far south as Frostgorge, and the Brand hasn’t been frozen, which is presumably what would happen if Jormag were to pass through it. Plus, in the Quarterly update, they say strange disturbances to the North – this suggests either Jormag is still in the north or some other unknown threat is in the north.

Personally, based on the information we know I’m expecting it to be something like a one-two punch of Jormag and Bubbles. From the Quarterly update they talk about LWS 3 and how the heroes investigate a strange disturbance in the North, and Bubbles is long overdue to make an appearance.

I have a feeling we’ll end up screwing everything up going too deep North, inciting Jormag’s wrath and then while we’re dealing with the aftermath and taking on Jormag, Bubbles goes and drowns Lion’s Arch. Bonus points if it’s a 3 or 4-way pincer attack between the remaining elder dragons. It does seem possible given a few of the lines in the quarterly update about how the dragons react and Glint’s egg hatching.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does end up being at least a 3-way cluster between a Bubbles surprise attack, us encountering Jormag, and Glint’s hatchling being a servant to Kralkatorrik.

Sandpit.3467:

Only that two liner comes from ANet, the rest of the page is player content, opinion and discussing the features put in the game, I was using the description provided by ANet and archery is a very central aspect of that description. Also agreeing with you in so much that a very common complaint amongst rangers is that ranger archer is actually pretty poor in the game. The Elite spec was a wasted opportunity to fix a central mechanic of rangers that was poorly implemented (they could have done a lot more with beastmastery too which is poor) but instead they went with healer. Not something any ranger would have rolled ranger for in the first place.

Druid was a wasted opportunity and I regard it as somewhat of an insult as ANet chose to ignore 3 years of criticism about how poor the ranger class is, they chose to re-introduce monk as a poor attempt to deflect ranger criticism. I want them to address rangers properly next time. I know they won’t get rid of druid, that ship has sailed but boy do they OWE rangers big after that slap in the face (on top of all the other ranger hate they peddle).

Ha! Let’s take this in small portions here…
1) Presuming for even a second that Anet did not provide the pages for each class – which they did – Even within that single paragraph Archery is one third of what a Ranger is. The rest? One third Nature and one third precision. Druid fits the theme of Ranger just as much an archery-based specialization – even more so when taking the entire page into context.
2) Druids are now the single most useful specialization in the game. No other class – after Chronomancers’ nerf – can provide such a raw amount of damage to a group. Arenanet “owes” Rangers? Hah.
3) Rangers were never meant to be entirely reliant on their pets as beastmasters would be, and we all knew that within 5 minutes of looking at the UI for companions. Rangers were never meant to be solely archery-based either, again when looking at the skills provided to Rangers, the weaponsets available, and the specializations possible…There is absolutely no doubt that if you’d spent 5 minutes looking at the class you would know that the class is clearly nature-based.

There is no reason, whatsoever, when looking either at the available webpage on Ranger or the in-game resources that you should have held any inkling of a notion that archery was the Ranger’s main selling point.

Sandpit.3467:

Metherlance.9204:

I present to you:
“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.”

None of the bolded stuff has anything to do with archery. Archery is just one part of what a Ranger is.

Yes, and my point being it would be nice if rangers had an elite spec that DID revolve around that central point. There is not a lot in there stating that rangers are meant to remove conditions and provide healing support for their allies. You might find things like that in other professions descriptions but not in the rangers’.

As has been suggested, swap Guardian Dragonhunter and Ranger Druid and the world starts to make a lot more sense for the people who chose those professions based on the described design philosophy.

“Central point”? What central point?! Did you actually read the entire Ranger page? Archery is mentioned once. The majority of the Ranger page focuses on nature – wildlife companions, nature spirits, and traps are brought to attention – given full paragraphs and images, and you feel that the central point of the Ranger class as proposed by Anet is the single sentence about archery? …What? The central point of the Ranger class has always been it’s close ties to nature. If Archery were it’s central focal point, why would Ranger have so many melee weapons? If archery were it’s central focal point, why is there an utter lack of arrow-based utility skills and elites? Look at what elites Ranger has available – Vines, a healing nature spirit, and a shout for its companion. Archery where??

So tell me, why is a single line and two weapons (LB and SB) somehow the defining feature of a class with so much more?

Emiko.3217:

Here’s my take..

I think they should have came out with a rifle-toting ranger/sniper with the following skills:

#1: normal shot, but apply torment.
#2: standard rapid shot – applies 5 shots
#3: chill shot which also applies weakness
#4: mow ’em down shot – shoot up do 10 targets using bleeds, almost a cone-shaped aoe. Also give it a machinegun sound effect.
#5: long-range deathblow (sniper shot) which would do massive damage as well apply bleeds and weakness.
or #5: “Cloak of Death” would cloak you and your pet for 6-7 seconds which allows you to fight while cloaked.

Healing – healing salve that applies might or a condition remover to you and your pet
Another skill could be “Tracking your quarry” which would allow you to stealth to your target.
“Hunter’s Blind” would be another skill, which would be like a shadow/refuge that could grant healing/condition removal.

Sorry but that just sounds dull – no offense, you just aren’t a class designer. Again, like the OP, it sounds like you just want Thief with some of the Ranger flavor mixed in. “Stealth and damage” does not an Elite Specialization make. As Anet posted when they first started revealing the elite specs, they’re supposed to be something that allows the respective class to do something different from what it normally did. Necros got to be melee bruisers. Guardians got to be long-range nukers. Engineers got to be in-your-face damage dealers. You get the picture – so realistically, how is what you suggested any different from a combination of Axe MH and Longbow, with some stealth skills?

Hell, Druid even has a stealth.

Sandpit.3467:

It would be nice if ANet returned rangers to the original design philosophy

Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows.

and gave us a true marksman elite spec rather than monk. I couldn’t comment on how powerful or versatile a druid is, I just know it was never in my thinking to be a monk when I rolled a ranger.

I present to you:
“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.”

None of the bolded stuff has anything to do with archery. Archery is just one part of what a Ranger is.

Stajan.4581:

It is self centered because it is what I want them to do for the druid I want them to make it more fun a better spec, everyone is just looking at the one thing and the one thing only how great a support class this is , well guess what I do a crap load of things solo and druid has one of the best mobility skills in the game this I support fully, after that is is all about help me help me save me I am hurt save me, I get it is a MMO but 99.999999999% of the time people are running solo and doing their own thing. This is where natural strider comes in and is perfect but using that an d switching back and forth to do something is crap. Anet did not think about the ppl who like to do this kind of stuff solo and that fact that PVE is almost done solo to the point all the time. The focused on heal heal heal and ppl think that the ranger did not have good heals well they did, but now we have a monk that runs around in medium armor shooting a bow or a staff, the skills the druid has to not combine with anything the ranger has the druids only attribute not skill that has a coni on it is a master level and the person has to be dazed knocked back or the such and this is done mostly with the LB. and then with the ote rclasses coming out with higher level condi then the ranger the ranger is now useless which most ppl though any ways and I liked to prove them wrong but now I can not do that because of all these specializations. so is is self centered yeah I want the game to play the way I want because I am the one playing it. Truly look at wha the druid dose and look at what everything else dose and you will see that there is no way the druid was even though about correctly anet threw it together to get the ranger something quick this is why it was last they new that they had nothing good for the ranger

Typical DPS mentality. Cursing inwardly here…

!!!1121211!!!My class doesn’t do super large damages, therefore it sucks.

Fact: Druid(and Ranger by extension) is one of the best – if not the best – solo classes in the game. Off the top of my head, only Reaper comes close to the same combination of damage, survivability, and CC – and it lacks the mobility that Druid boasts, to boot. It is bar none the best support/healer available. It is not the best damage dealer – but that is okay, because it gains so much it doesn’t matter.

Your problem is entirely on your lack of understanding of how to play a solo Druid. So listen up and listen well, because you either need to learn to play your class or choose one that actually suits you.

You don’t stay in Celestial Avatar form the entire time you use Druid solo – it is purely a utility for healing when necessary. For the love of god if you solo Druid, do not use staff. Staff is entirely for healing Druid, just as you do not use Greatsword when you want to play a DoT Reaper or Staff when you want to play bunker Tempest. You don’t use all your utilities and traits on healing.

You build a mostly standard power or condi ranger, but swap out a spec – in my case Beastmastery – for Druid. You have 3 clear choices for the druid traits – mobility, survivability (Healing/self healing makes you sturdier), or damage. You only slot 2 spirits+%damage glyph when you want to support, and you don’t support solo. Otherwise, use other utilities – the only necessary one is the %damage one. Playing solo Druid does mean you’ll lost a bit of damage compared to a normal Power or Condi ranger – but this is amply made up for by the massive boost in survivability Druid provides.

Druid is one of the most versatile elite specs – it offers healing, mobility, damage, and support! The only ones that offer the same versatility I can think of are Herald and Tempest. The next time you deem it necessary to demand changes to a spec or class, at least learn how it works in the situation you’re complaining about it in.

Sandpit.3467:

I agree with OP, Druid is horrible, it feels like every profession got an massive upgrade and ranger got junk. Give ranger a new elite spec because druid is so NOT ranger. What sort of a person would create a ranger and then be happy with what ANet turned it into? It’s like signing up at university to study astro-physics but the course tutors decide that you need to pass astrology and basic tarot reading!

When I chose to make Ranger my main (After maining Ele/Tempest since launch), it was due in large part to Druid.

Say what you will, some of us enjoy stuff other than spamming DPS nonstop.

Another thing to keep in mind – do you have enough of the items in question? For example, some recipes require multiple of one item, and while the recipe will show up as available you won’t be able to craft it without the full number.

So from the way you described what you wish Druid was…You want a Thief, but with pets, and no real theme to it. Let’s be clear – some of us enjoy Druid for what it is. I LOVE being able to build in such a way that I lose barely any damage but gain the option to heal when necessary.

Traps were never the defining feature of rangers – pets and the nature theme are. If you don’t like that, there are other classes you can play. But please don’t presume that just because you like the class one way that everyone else will appreciate the same changes you want.

And classes having specializations that already compliment what they did? HAH! I present to you:
Scrapper (Completely different from base Engi. Melee-based bruiser was nowhere near base Engi)
Reaper (Same as Scrapper)
Herald (Nowhere near same as base Rev – pushes it towards super support)
And you already agree DH and Druid don’t.

So of the 9 specializations, 5 out 9 don’t compliment what classes already did.

Considering that MF is easily obtained via normal gameplay and has no cap (That I know of?), it would be gamebreaking to have MF affect meta rewards, chests, etc. As it stands, meta rewards already throw stuff at you like candy, and with the way MF currently works newer players would stand no chance of catching up to veteran players in terms of sheer efficiency. It would require a full rework of event/chest reward rates and rebalancing of how MF scales.

Dibaryon.7469:

Easy buddy! I don’t want the game to change, just a light saber themed weapon. One weapon skin won’t break GW2, it will be OK. Besides it’s very possible to have a similar weapon with Asura technology

The point is that we already have similar weapons – the plasma weaponset. Why retrod the same ground purely because one person wants to roleplay a Sith in a game that has nothing to do with Star Wars?

Not to even touch on the fact that if the weapons (I highly doubt Anet will ever release just a single weapon skin for a single weapon type) are too similar to Star Wars ones, there’s the entire issue of copyright infringement.

So why waste time making colored or slightly different variations of already-made weapons when we could get different weaponsets that haven’t been done yet?

Why MUST you make a Star Wars-like character in a game that has absolutely nothing space-related? There is, keep in mind, a Star Wars-based MMO out there. If you want a Sith, go play that. I’m all for adding cool weapon skins to the gem store, but we already have the plasma weapons and a few other beam-like weapons. GW2 is GW2. If you don’t like the setting, that’s okay – but don’t expect the game to change just for you.

Fractals.
Achievement gathering.
Legendary Crafting.
Ascended Crafting.
Raiding (New).
All of HoT content (New).
PvP/WvW.
Dungeon sets.
Map Completion (+Jumping Puzzles)
Living Story, whenever it starts back up.