Since all the QQ posts have gotten stale, I’ve been thinking about the possible new combos for the new patch. These are all theoretical since we can’t test them yet, but some of these look pretty interesting. I’m pretty sure these are not the only ones and I would love to have discussions with the other creative ideas that people can come up with![](/include/images/smilies/smile.png)
1. Storm Spirit Bomb
- Call Lightning: Increased damage by 150%. (new)
- Nature’s Vengeance – Activated skills of spirits are larger and trigger when the spirit is killed. (existing)
The storm spirit can now do 1500-2000 damage in a 360 aoe. If it is able to use the skill and killed shortly after, thats a 3000-4000 damage nuke. The skill is used as a damage skill and not used for the buff. This can also work with sun spirit for a blind bomb.
Viability: not sure how well 3k~ damage would translate to, but it is in a 360 AoE
2. Do A Kholer
- Path of Scars: Now pulls enemies on the return flight. (new)
- Entangle (existing)
- Whirling Defense (existing)
Use Path of Scars to pull, use entangle as they get close and use Whirling Defense and make them eat the entire channel while they are bleeding from the roots.
Viability: We don’t really know how entangle and the pull interacts with each other (we might entangle them and the pull will make them leave the roots). If it works, you can switch whirling defense with any melee combo as well. (Like QZ + Sword#1 spam)
3. Ranger BURST+! :O
- Beastmasters Might: This trait now grants 3 stacks of might for 15 seconds. (new)
While running a full signet build, pop 3 signets (Wild, Stone and Hunt) before executing the tried and tested Swoop-Hilt Bash-Maul combo, but now you get 9 stacks of might![](/include/images/smilies/colondee.png)
Viability: Ok, popping Stone might not be such a good idea as it is a panic button, but 6 stacks of might is still better than absolutely nothing before![](/include/images/smilies/smile.png)
4. I bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
- Keen Edge: This trait now activates when you strike a target that is below 50% health, instead of when your health reaches 75%. (new)
Additional bleeds for 10 points in Marksmanship sounds really good. Now all we need to know if it has decent internal cooldown so we can gauge how useful it will be.
Viability: depends on the internal cooldown. Its activation condition is so much better than what it was before![](/include/images/smilies/smile.png)
5. Evasive Purity
- Evasive Purity: This trait has been moved to the Master tier. (new)
Ok this has been ignored mostly because its a GM trait but it doesn’t have that wow factor that GM traits are supposed to have. I see this mostly as an effective way to remove poison which is the direct way to counter (or at the very least hamper) regen builds.
Viability: It’s much better than what it was before, but I really wish that it removed 1 condition on dodge instead of just poison and blind.
6. Perma Regen/Swiftness
- New Grandmaster trait – Nature’s Voice: Shouts apply 10 seconds of regeneration and swiftness to allies in a 360 radius. (new)
- Shout Mastery (existing)
This new GM trait is in the NM tree which means you get +30% boon duration with it. That means the swiftness and regen on you is actually 13 seconds. Adding shoutmastery to it, you can lower Guard’s cd to 12 seconds. Perma regen/swiftness yo.
Viability: Rangers can remove SotH from their bar and get near perma protection on pets and perma regen/swiftness on yourself and any allies within 360 AoE. The only thing limiting it is the x/x/x/30/10 requirement. With Faux already thinking of switching to 0/0/30/30/10 for an after patch RRR build, it might be a really good thing. (especially in small group WvW)
7. 12 seconds of no direct damage
- “Protect Me”: This ability now breaks stuns. (new)
With traited Signet of Stone and Protect Me, rangers now have 12 seconds of immunity from direct damage (provided pets survive the spike). Adding a stun breaker to it just further adds ranger survivability which is always good.
Viability: As pets are now being sent(forced?) towards utility instead of damage, they could serve rangers better as literal meat shields without minding the loss of damage too much. Pets surviving 6 seconds is a separate topic of discussion.
8. Mighty Pets
- Companion’s Might: This trait now grants 5 seconds of might to your pet, up from 1 second. (new)
- Barrage: Increased cripple duration by 50%. (new)
Barrage is a much better control tool which hits 5 people every 0.6 seconds. That means a potential 5 stacks of might on your pet every wave, for a potential 25 stacks of might if everything crits. Groovy.
Viability: With the pet nerf, 25 stacks of Might might not be a lot of damage, but pet condition damage wasn’t touched, so condition based pet damage will get quite a boost for the 5 seconds that they have it.