Guild Wars 2

achensherd.2735:

The problem I have with it is its tendency to “HI-YA!” me off ledges. I would blame that on auto-targeting, but I have launched off cliffs towards nothing before, so -shrug-. As such, I dare not bring the sword on Fractal runs, what with some of the fights happening near ledges.

That’s the main problem I have with sword #1. I love the weapon, but it’s so situational depending on the current environment and terrain around me. It constantly leaps off ledges in the direction of nothing at all. It’s completely random.

I’m quite familiar with the wolf’s knowckdown, but he was using multiple knockdowns while in the downed state. He only had one wolf, so he could only have completed one knockdown. He was also able to teleport.

Also, the stealth was much more often than 30 or 90 seconds. He was stealthing at will.

I use all of those tactics as well, so I am familiar with them. That’s why I’m so perplexed by this.

Quick question… How are rangers stealthing in WvW?

Yesterday, I fought two different rangers (both using great sword and short bow, wolf and jaguar/lynx). They were solo with no chance of anyone else being around. They were continuously stealthing. Disappear and, two seconds later, reappear in another location. There was absolutely no lag. I get 40+ FPS in WvW.

After I killed one of the rangers, he waypointed and came back to fight me about 10 more times (I was tucked away outside of his waypoint keep). This particular ranger was also able to teleport and use more than one knockdown while in the downed state.

I’m a ranger main and have no clue how this would even be possible under these circumstances. Am I completely missing something?

I’m praying it’s just a bug. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. Your weapons don’t share cooldown times on swap, so pets shouldn’t either. There’s already a pet swap cooldown in place, just like the weapon cooldown swap.

deepwinter.9015:

Frankly I’m not surprised. Didn’t seem right to have a long cooldown, like 40 seconds, reduced to 15 or 20 seconds (for each swap). Perhaps now I’ll look at those two traits in the Beastmaster tree with a bit more consideration.

I’m guessing this is true for the non-F2 abilities as well?

Has anyone tested the cooldown on other abilities when swapping pets? Specifically, the insta-knockdown from the wolf?

I just died a little inside.

My jaw just dropped. That’s insanity if it’s true.

Fjandi.2516:

There’s no “best build” m8. Depends on your playstyle. But yea as a ranger if you are not using 1h sword you are doing it wrong.

/sigh

You’re arguing with yourself, Kasama. You realize that, don’t you? Or you’re backtracking because you’ve decided what you have said isn’t exactly true. I have neither the time nor energy to point out all your conflicted statements. Let alone your laughable take on management.

In any event, you’re making excuse, after excuse, after excuse. Ultimately though, you’re settling on our exact point – the inherently flawed pet AI and aggro rules. As I said before (and you quoted), who cares if we get perma-stow? Our point is we want a solution to the problem. You freely admit you want one too, so stop being so stubborn for the sake of stubborn. If you don’t want to support this idea, come up with your own, or go away.

In the end, if Anet does decide to chisel away at their stone and offer a version of perma-stow, their solution isn’t going to affect you in any way because you won’t want to use the option they’ve given you. And then you’ve just argued your way into a moot point.

Durzlla.6295:

Taruvoyant.4318:

I don’t know if this will ever be implemented, but I like the idea of it. We are rangers after all – masters of hunting prey. And our pets are animals that hunt. I don’t think every pet should get the ability to do this, but a select few make sense. Drakehounds for example are bred to sniff out prey. Pets that would rely on sight for hunting, like an owl, would obviously not get this trait.

Actually, an Owl may be better at it because their vision puts ours to shame, so whose to say they aren’t capable of seeing what others aren’t?

True. They do have incredible sight. I was thinking very basic senses. Overall though, I like the idea.

I don’t know if this will ever be implemented, but I like the idea of it. We are rangers after all – masters of hunting prey. And our pets are animals that hunt. I don’t think every pet should get the ability to do this, but a select few make sense. Drakehounds for example are bred to sniff out prey. Pets that would rely on sight for hunting, like an owl, would obviously not get this trait.

Durzlla.6295:

Taruvoyant.4318:

Durzlla.6295:

skittlebob.4850:

Stow? You mean put the pet on peace mode right? That actually works sorta alright with the grawl, praying that the pet does not wander too far from you as you move through the boulders.

But it is so terrible with the unknown fractal. You have very little wiggling room for mistakes during the obstacle course, and if your pet happens to be near you when he gets hit, you both go down. It’s very frustrating. I wish you could really “stow” and make your pet disappear for that area.

No, I mean stow, we do have a stow button, and if you’re not awful at the puzzles you won’t get hit more than once, another option is telling your pet to “Guard” somewhere and then just swap pets (or stow+ recall) boom no issues, geez you people need to think a little more before screaming about how it’s broken and blah blah blah.

Again, it’s not the player’s ability in question here. It’s the development flaw in the pet. We shouldn’t have to waste spaces on our utility bar, waste a pet swap cooldown, or think of creative workarounds to play our profession as it was meant to be played. Does an elementalist have to break his staff in half, set one half down on the ground, walk where he wants to go, and then swap out to a new staff? God forbid the elementalist falls down 10’ and takes damage along the way. Then the other half of his staff runs back, aggros everything along the way, and pops every trap possible. That would make absolutely no sense. See what we’re talking about here? It’s an inherent development problem.

You’re making excuses for a development flaw that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Are you serious? You’re talking about the kittening boulders and lightning lines, you put your pet away/ put it somewhere for all 30s that’s needed to get up to the top then you just swap him back out, swap out the utility skill (if you don’t use guard) and keep going on! We have swapable utilities for a reason, and you think -you- can complain? Poor minion masters don’t even have a way to put their pets away, they have to sit at the bottom of the ramp and cry until 3 people can make it up to the top or have to get bonned utility skill wise and start the next fight at a disadvantage.

We’re not pinpointing only isolated incidences here. Nor are we talking about necromancers (so no side tracking). We’re giving examples of ranger pet AI and aggro rules – and nothing else. Of course we can change utilities, of course we can put our pet away for 30 seconds, of course other professions have issues. Why is it so difficult to see the point we’re trying to make? Stop finding excuses and random defenses.

Durzlla.6295:

skittlebob.4850:

Stow? You mean put the pet on peace mode right? That actually works sorta alright with the grawl, praying that the pet does not wander too far from you as you move through the boulders.

But it is so terrible with the unknown fractal. You have very little wiggling room for mistakes during the obstacle course, and if your pet happens to be near you when he gets hit, you both go down. It’s very frustrating. I wish you could really “stow” and make your pet disappear for that area.

No, I mean stow, we do have a stow button, and if you’re not awful at the puzzles you won’t get hit more than once, another option is telling your pet to “Guard” somewhere and then just swap pets (or stow+ recall) boom no issues, geez you people need to think a little more before screaming about how it’s broken and blah blah blah.

Again, it’s not the player’s ability in question here. It’s the development flaw in the pet. We shouldn’t have to waste spaces on our utility bar, waste a pet swap cooldown, or think of creative workarounds to play our profession as it was meant to be played. Does an elementalist have to break his staff in half, set one half down on the ground, walk where he wants to go, and then swap out to a new staff? God forbid the elementalist falls down 10’ and takes damage along the way. Then the other half of his staff runs back, aggros everything along the way, and pops every trap possible. That would make absolutely no sense. See what we’re talking about here? It’s an inherent development problem.

You’re making excuses for a development flaw that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Kasama.8941:

So instead of hating your pet, it makes a lot more sense if you take the time to learn how to manage it.

I cannot describe how tiresome it is to hear this over and over and over again. I don’t understand how people are still not comprehending the point here.

Who cares if we get perma-stow? Who cares if we don’t? It’s at Anet’s discretion. We just want a solution.

The bottom line is, the problem isn’t the player’s ability to manage the pet, it’s the pet’s AI and aggro rules. You can be the best pet micromanager in the entire gaming universe and your pet will still screw something up because it’s inherently flawed.

Agadar.4931:

Arpheus, the leap finisher only heals the leaper. It is the blast finisher which also heals allies.

This always makes me sad when I sword #2 through healing spring. I see that glittery flash of white light, but realize that it’s not helping my party at all.

TooBz.3065:

Flubble.8093:

that’s because there is no direct way for the pet to get to them as they cant run through doors

the only work around is using “guard” to throw your pet down there or use a ranged pet (that will probably fire at the floor instead)

If only we could have pets that could fly. In all seriousness, it’s a little ridiculous that the raven / eagle can’t fly off of walls or fly up to them.

My favorite is when I fall off a ledge and take damage, then look over at my eagle and see that he fell off and took damage as well. Silly bird, you can fly.

deepwinter.9015:

Ben Delat.8415:

Thx dude, so many views and you’re the only to reply, so cheers for that…

I think I have more of an Idea for what I want to do

I’m not too bothered about the Sword Auto so i’ll opt for that main with a torch in the off hand, as it has a Leap Finisher and Combo Field which seems nifty

Thx Again

Sword has no Leap to combo with your Torch’s field, so I’d recommend a Dagger instead.

I use Sword + Dagger in a condition/toughness build and it is extremely powerful and synergetic. Agadar hits all the points spot-on, so I won’t restate them here.

If you wish to use Torch, consider Axe mainhand. Axe 2 will combo with the Fire field.

Yes, sword does have a leap combo with torch. And a pretty good one at that.

Torch #5 > Sword #2 > Sword #2 = Fire Aura

Kasama.8941:

It is a design choice. Therefor, permanent stow is not going to happen. I’m just telling you like it is.

• Ranger
• The ranger class combines its own innate abilities with the skills of their pets. We’ve balanced the class around the idea that you always have a pet with you to aid in any fight. The fact that the ranger can have multiple pets allows them to combine their pets in ways that most impact the current fight. We want the Ranger to have some of the evasion enjoyed by the Thief, as well as the mobility other classes employ. The class is able to deal physical or condition damage, and it can do this in melee or at range.

I don’t recognize any of the problems that you list, though. Ithink your arguments are a little thin. If my pet aggros a bunch of mobs, I consider it a good thing, because it means they aren’t attacking me. I simply just run ahead, out of aggro reach, and then switch pet, making the mobs that attacked my pet reset. I have also never had a problem running the fractals lighting way with my pet stowed. And the times I failed it, it certainly wasn’t because of my pet, but because I didn’t dodge fast enough.

The problems with the pet AI are not part of the design choice of ranger. Why do people keep trying to defend such an obvious flaw to the profession?

You just quoted the developers’ statement, “We’ve balanced the class around the idea that you always have a pet with you to aid in any fight.” I’m fine with my pet fighting in every fight, that’s what it’s supposed to do. If I don’t want it fighting, I already have the option to call it back to me or put it on passive. This statement has nothing to do with the problems we’re talking about. We’re talking about the atrocious AI pathing and aggro.

(Side note: On the topic of pets in every fight, my pet does not fight with me 100% of the time to begin with, so Anet’s design is already inherently flawed. If I walk off the edge of a ramp, my pet takes a two mile scenic route thus leaving me to kill the mob by myself. My pet also won’t attack mobs across breaks in terrain [i.e. a jumpable gap], on higher elevation, lower elevation, etc. So you’re proving our point of poor pet AI with the “the devs wanted it this way” argument.)

People are just just making excuses for design flaws. I shouldn’t have to dodge XX% more often than other professions, or take the long route around something, or avoid water, or not fall down hills just because the developers can’t implement adequate pet AI.

Again, a simple solution: Make pets aggro-less, neutral NPCs (along with improved AI pathing). The only time my pet should get aggro or enter combat is when I aggro something. If the developers choose to make the solution more convoluted than this, then so be it. All we’re asking for is a solution to the problem.

Serraphin Storm.2369:

This is how rangers work. I just realized that I never really had a problem with this because I dont tend to run through mobs. The only time I may skip mobs is in wvw. But its really not hard to bypass mobs there.

I think a ranger should know better than running through a pack of wolves and expect nothing to happen or expect to outrun them.

So what I think is the really problem is is your play style. Alot of you skip alot of content in pve for what ever reason. I dont think the Dev should support or be pressured into getting behind this idea for that reason. Choose a different class and be done with it.

It has nothing to do with the ranger’s play style. We don’t skip content or run through packs of wolves expecting not to get aggro. But for the record, we can run through anything we want and outrun it.

The point we’re making is the terrible AI pathing. You obviously haven’t played ranger in depth or else you would know what we’re talking about.

We can take one step around a small pebble and our pet will walk 1600’ around it. And while in the process of taking that ridiculous route, he will train 8 mobs with him. Or when we are avoiding traps, our pet’s AI decides it wants to walk through 10 red circles and blow up our whole party. Stowing the pet isn’t effective either because he pops back out anytime we’re deemed “in combat,” (i.e. falling off a hill, walking through water, etc.).

It’s a complete and total oversight on the dev’s part, not just “how rangers work.” It will eventually be addressed in some fashion because the game’s still in its infancy. So, go grab a beer and get ready to wash down your words.

DaisyRogers.6837:

Taruvoyant.4318:

I completely agree, and it’s horribly annoying!! I have no control over where my pet goes and what it aggros. Its idiotic pathing aggros everything in sight, pops traps, and causes me to take damage that I’ve otherwise already avoided. At times it makes me nerd-rage.

Why not just make the pet aggro-less like in every other game? Simple solution.

I would laugh if they made the pets agrro-less… all the QQ rage from short bow rangers no longer able to get their flanking bonus bleeds. All the Glass Cannon Bow Rangers going sploot because the kitten pets they are always complaining about are no longer taking the beating for them… oh I can taste the tears already… yum yum yum yum

No, you misunderstood me. Pets can still take and hold aggro, they just don’t initially aggro idle mobs while walking through a map. They would be treated as neutral NPCs. Most games do this already. I should be aggroing mobs, not my pet.

I completely agree, and it’s horribly annoying!! I have no control over where my pet goes and what it aggros. Its idiotic pathing aggros everything in sight, pops traps, and causes me to take damage that I’ve otherwise already avoided. At times it makes me nerd-rage.

Why not just make the pet aggro-less like in every other game? Simple solution.

Ursan.7846:

Taruvoyant.4318:

The bottom line is it’s a niche skill. In an incredibly small niche at that. Is it a good skill? Sure. Is it perfect? No. Is it worth a spot on your utility bar over other skills? Most likely not.

Yes, it’s a niche skill. Yea, it’s also quite a small niche.

But would you NOT take this skill when the situation calls for it?

I don’t slot in this skill 90% of the time. However, in specific fractals (Dredge, Grawl boss, Colossal, just off the top of my head) I carry it with me, because I find it invaluable because people are very likely to die there.

I guess my point is, I have a problem with people (like you, I suppose) saying “It’s not worth a spot in my utility bar.”

What is this spot? Are you only allowed to use 3 utilities for every situations? You’re given the ability to swap out utilities whenever not in combat. You agree that it has its uses. So why not slot in this skill, when the situation calls for it?

Forgive me for my mini off-topic rant, but I feel adaptability is of a huge importance in this game and it’s something that lot of people do not take advantage of.

No worries about the rant. That’s what forums are for.

You said, “I always use in dungeons.” I’m simply saying that it’s such an incredibly small niche that it isn’t warranted in 99% of the game. Especially with its atrocious cooldown. The majority of the time I can utilize that utility spot to support my party in a more beneficial manner.

I also never said I would never use it. I have used it both before and after the update to it. However, I’ve found better ways to optimize my support role in a party.

Edit:

Sorry, Ursan, I got you mixed up with the original poster. I realize you didn’t say, “I always use in dungeons.”

In any event, I still stand by my other points.

Ursan.7846:

Dante Dragonhand.2538:

My Sweet Lily.1952:

Believe me, it doesn’t work if the pet is dead.
1.Many times I have accidentally used SnR, while my pet is dead, only to see my pet run to the ally, but doesn’t do anything.
2.I have been ressed by a pet of my ally, but as soon as the pet died, while trying to ress me, the pet stopped. It stayed on top of my body, but didn’t do anything.

Is the skill worth taking over other skills tho? Even if it works.

In certain situations, a definite yes. Especially in fractals, where if one party member gets defeated (not downed) you greatly increase the chances of your party wiping and having to re-do something.

EDIT: On a somewhat off-topic rant, I feel players should really get out of a static mindset and really learn to be able to adapt to situations. Instead of running 2 weapons and 3 utility/1 elite for every situation, swapping out weaps/changing out utilities depending on the situation.

I feel like asking “is skill A better than skill B” is a misleading question. Sure, in most situations, A can be better than B. But there’s still going to be some specific situations in which B is just more handy to have. And I think SnR really falls under this category.

The bottom line is it’s a niche skill. In an incredibly small niche at that. Is it a good skill? Sure. Is it perfect? No. Is it worth a spot on your utility bar over other skills? Most likely not.

In all seriousness though, I’ve never minded the bow sound. I actually quite like it.

I’ll keep the bow sound over necro and mesmer sound effects. In fact, I’d rather stab an ice pick in my ears than listen to those every time I play.

Kasama.8941:

Dahkeus.8243:

Yea, this really is one of the most underestimated skills. However, the one thing that keeps me from using it very often is the cooldown, which is pretty brutal.

Compare it to other revive skills, and you will see that the recharge time is very forgiving.

Agadar.4931:

Wasn’t it bugged? I recall the range being very small. I also recall the healing done being incredibly little.

The range of the skill is 600. So your pet needs to be at a maximum range of 600 to a downed/defeated ally, for the skill to work. I can’t remember how much the healing was before, but it is defiantly a considerable amount now. There was some problems before with the skill not working, no matter how close you were to an ally. But ever since I’ve started using it a lot, I have never had a moment where the skill didn’t work (unless if I was out of the 600 range of curse). It is very reliable now.

Personally, I find the 600 range much too small to even consider having S&R take up a space on my bar. If it were around 1200, then I would maybe begin to think about adding it. But, honestly, I find it much easier to have my pet tank/distract the enemy while I raise, if need be. Plus, there are so many other utilities that would benefit my party, my pet, and myself so much more than S&R. It’s pretty much just a fluff skill that only fits very small niches.

Voltar.8574:

Ranger suits my playstyle. I’ve had him camped here:

http://i.imgur.com/jCN76.jpg

because of the cake nature of 2-bear tanking. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and brought him out (even though my replacement is only lvl71) because I was tired of not playing him. I dig my guardian for dungeons, my ele for the light Orr farming and my engy for throwing down pressure on keep/tower walls but there’s nothing that feels quite as right as tearing things up with my ranger.

edit: I can’t figure out embedding images in this beast.

What is this armor setup?

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

This description is what is tripping up Anet. The absolute core of their version of ranger is an unparalleled archer. For all intents and purposes, no other definition of ranger matters.

As of now, ranger can be proficient with bows (though not unparalleled), but you need to spec traits and sacrifice other aspects of the profession to do so. By Anet’s definition, bows should be the foundation of all ranger builds (with other weapons to be viable alternatives if wanted). Any build you make should be capable of using bows. You should not need to constantly re-spec traits to be just “effective.”

If, however, Anet wants to change their definition of ranger to be more aligned with a historical definition, then that’s fine. But, they can’t claim ranger to be one way, and then design it to be another.

I have been playing GW2 on a 2-year-old gaming laptop. It has served me well, but I am looking to upgrade to a desktop in order to crank up the settings to the max.

I have never built a computer, and I am kind of a tech noob, but I have been doing some research and this is what I came up with on ibuypower.com:

Processor – Intel® Core™ i5-3570K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling – Corsair Hydro Series H60 Liquid CPU Cooling System – ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory – 16 GB [8 GB x2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module – Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB EVGA Superclocked – Single Card
Motherboard – ASUS P8Z77-V LX
Power Supply – 750 Watt – Corsair CX750
Primary Hard Drive – 120 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD – Single Drive
Data Hard Drive – 1 TB HARD DRIVE — 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s – Single Drive
Optical Drive – 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive – Black )
Case – CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer Gaming Case – Black
Operating System – Windows 8 – 64-bit

Cost: $1352 (+ $75 shipping)

I compared the price to buying parts and building on my own, and I did not see much of a difference. I would rather pay a few extra dollars and have it come assembled.

I am wondering if this would be enough to run GW2 on max settings with consistent FPS of 40+. Or on the flip side, is it a bit overkill?

GW2 is currently the only game I play, but I am planning on dabbling in the re-release of FFXIV as well.

Critiques, suggestions, personal experiences welcomed!

Forgive my naivety, but what are the WvW pants?

I feel like the devs definitely dropped the ball on ranger. The concept is excellent, but poorly executed. I’m not even talking about the damage, pet AI, etc. Just the concept itself. The simple fact is that a ranger is supposed to be one with nature. Extreme camouflage, optimal evasion, swift animal-like movements, spiritually tuned to mother nature, masters of organic healing, debilitating ranged attacks.

“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.”

I don’t feel like any of those things. Every build I try feels lackluster and leaves more to be desired. I still love the profession, but I’m tired of not living up to its intended potential.

Full disclosure: I’ve only been in WvW twice. Once to get my wolf, and once by accident when I clicked the wrong button and was warped there. So, I’m still unsure as to how well this build will stand up there. With that said, I’ve got the itch to try it out and I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of time there soon enough. Does everyone just run ranged DPS builds?

Also, I’m not dead set on only me tanking. I don’t mind if my pet tanks as well. I’m just looking for extreme survivability and support in a group setting.

Or must you always rename them when you switch them out?

Just looking for some feedback on my current build. PvE and WvWvW. Not really into PvP.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fMAQNAV8fjEV11JWCWo2Bi2jMJJM9ek+13eXhRVxUVA;T4AZXCukcp6SxF1NmbE3Yvxdj8mlIDR2WA

Armor – Apothecary (H/t/c) (Sigil of Dwayna x6)
Trinkets – Carrion (C/p/t)
Weapons – Apothecary
- Shortbow (Sigil of Battle)
- Sword (Sigil of Battle)
- Torch/Warhorn (Sigil of Fire)

Traits:
0/0/30/10/30
- Shared Anguish, Hide in Plain Sight, Empathic Bond
- Nature’s Bounty
- Mighty Swap, Intimidation Training, Natural Healing

Utility Skills:
They change depending on my situation and mood. Mostly use:
- Healing Spring (never change this out)
- Signet of the Hunt
- Signet of the Wild
- Flame/Spike Trap
- Sick ’Em
- Rage as One/Entangle

Pets:
I normally run with wolf, drakehound, or a feline. This is where I’m at a bit of a loss. I know I need to rely on my pet for the bulk of my damage with this build.

I’m all about critique, so feel free to tear me apart. I came here looking to better myself. I had been a shortbow/axe-warhorn trapper ranger for quite some time. I just recently switched to sword-torch healing/bunker and I’m loving it so far.

My goal is to be able to tank anything (within reason) while letting my pet and condition damage handle a lot of the damage while playing solo. In group play, I’d like to be pure support for my party, without really worrying about direct damage as much. I’d love to be a complete healing machine in dungeons, etc.

Any feedback, similar builds, or success/failure stories would be great!