Guild Wars 2

Gorath.5076:

When playing as a guild group we try not to play a pain-train but try to out-maneuver the enemy. so we play something linke a ‘flanking’ tactic, but condensed.

My build is all about this type of gameplay

Gorath.5076:

@AydenStar
like your build but cant other classes do much better CC with less effort?

My build is a little of everything which plays on the strengths of the Ranger and this build probably makes the Ranger the 2 best bunker zerger in WvW next to a Guardian. If Rangers had access to there pet skills in zerg warfare, I think the Ranger would be the best controller in WvW, but that is just my honest option.

Warriors hammer is really good for AoE damage and CC, but there CC can be countered to stability which is on most organized zergs all the time. I think Rangers being the Jack of all Trades is super undervalued in WvW.

TBH, I have played many different builds in WvW. Trap builds vs zergs is not difficult, it just lackluster because of the MASSIVE condition removal; therefore, damage from traps becomes nil, yet I use Spike Trap and Frost Trap more for there CC affects.

My showcase WvW build:
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-F;4wEVx-e2kDF-0;9F3I;1TJJ;036A38-56;5_VH8-NV06TsW6TsWGokKN435-V_u7XVaWfXk2r3x_97WAN-5V8;0V5P;1kc1;9;9;9;9;9-4k3T

This is a true frontline build:

Ranger’s Defense:

Signets of the Beastmaster with Signet of the Wild active (48 sec CD) and Signet of Stone active (64 sec CD) are the best defensive CDs versus large zergs.

Greatsword – Power Stab (auto attack 3) evade attacks, Swoop (12 sec CD) for gap closing or disengaging fights, Counterattack (15 sec CD) block range abilities.
edit: (3 or maybe 5 stacks of Vulnerability)

Axe (off hand) – Whirling Defense (20 sec CD) – blocks projectiles, 12 stacks of Vulnerability, Retaliation (4 sec) Whirl Combo Finisher.

Group support
Healing Spring (30 sec CD) – Water field, condition cleansing, regeneration.

Spotter (trait) – Increase precision of nearby allies by up to 150 points.

Axe (off hand) – Whirling Defense (20 sec CD) – blocks projectiles and Whirl Finisher[use when healing is called for(or stacking)] protects group from projectiles and healing bolts to surrounding players because it’s a Whirl Finisher.

Ranger’s damage abilities (cleaves or AoE damage) :
Greatsword: Auto attack (1) ability & Maul (2) ability

Axe/Axe: Ricochet (1) ability, Path of Scars (4) ability, Whirling Defense (5) ability

Stacking Weapon sigil: Perception

Crowd Control:

Muddy Terrain (20 sec CD) – Immobilized (2sec at creation) – Crippled (2sec per pulse) and stays on the ground for 10 seconds.

Entangle (120 sec CD) – Foe’s are immobiled until the vines are destroyed.

Path of Scars (12 sec CD) Pull back targets of the return flight of the Axe

It takes sometime to get used to but once you do, you are a silent monster.

Imagine if our pet skills where a factor with this build too

Off Hand Axe is a very underrated weapon that is really good for both sPvP and WvW

They need to added dueling to the Mist and to the Open PvE worlds. Even though there are CA’s with dueling rooms, being able to duel in open world or in the Mists would create a lively and entertaining atmosphere for players of all skill levels. Also, a causal way to test builds, learn other profession mechanics and learn/practice how to counter them, meeting new players that can become future teammates, or just testing your own skills.

Don’t having an easy dueling option is a major reason why a lot of PvP oriented players frown at this game.

If these are the only changes for the Oct. 1 patch, this is like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. I really think Anet has a major problem/issue attempting to fix our core profession mechanics.

Is this for the Sept. 17 patch or Oct. 1?

Every profession has the ability to use there F-functionally vs a zerg of 50+ with little to no issue or nothing that leeching stability from “Stand your Ground” couldn’t help. Rangers on the other hand has to use utilities skills or Rampage as One to gain stability and other defensive abilities for our pets.
Also, for most of our utility skills to be useful, we have to go:

30 points in Marksman to get use the actives of our Signets on ourselves
30 points in Skrimishing to maximize Traps
30 points in Wilderness Survival to get Entropic Bond for pet condition removal or Barkskin for damage reduction at 25% health
30 points in Nature Magic to get Nature’s Voice for pet shouts or to have Spirits to move with the Ranger
30 points in Beastmastery to get Natural Healing for passive healing or Zephyr Speed for 3 seconds quickness on pet sweeps.

We are screwed by design IMHO….

One problem with pet survivability come for a lack of anti CC mechanics such as stability or passive condition removal. Even if you spec the Ranger to have Entropic bond, Signet of the Wild(for pet Stability), Signet of Stone, Guard(with Nature’s Voice), and Rampage as One, that pet is still going to die a meaningless death from all of the splash damage and CC when running in and out of zergs. You have to pop Guard—→ than Signet of the Wild (or Rampage as One) —→ than Signet of Stone-—→ so our pets can live through the first clash of a zerg battle. And the funny thing is: you have to spec 30 points into Signets of the Beastmaster to get the Signets actives to affect the Ranger too and in order to have passive pet condition removal; the Ranger needs to go 30 points into Wilderness Survival; furthermore, if you want the regen and swiftness from Guard, you have to go 30 points into Nature Magic.

Even with all of this effort to keep a pet alive, the pet will not cast is F2 properly because its responsiveness is all based on luck or you tab targeted a player or its minion that is 1200 range away from you in the complete different direction you are running towards.

As a Ranger in a competitive WvW guild, trying to fight the megablob of pugs/organized guilds, I can only worry more about all of the AoE ground affects and the where the head’s of the enemy zergs is going; more than, my poor pet that is lagging behind from all of the CC he/she HAS to ran through How in the world are we going to be able to use our pet’s mechanics such as: F2, Guard, Sic’em, Search and rescue, and protect me when the pet is dead within seconds after rolling through an enemy zerg of 50+?

In WvW zergs, the Ranger mechanic is completely obliterated. How do you (Anet) plan to fix Rangers so the pet can live and fight verse large amount of enemy players (40+ open field combat) without making the pet mechanic much different or broken for sPvP?

Thanks

As a Ranger in a competitive WvW guild, trying to fight the megablob of pugs/organized guilds, I can only worry more about all of the AoE ground affects and the where the head’s of the enemy zergs is going; more than, my poor pet that is lagging behind from all of the CC he/she HAS to ran through How in the world are we going to be able to use our pet’s mechanics such as: F2, Guard, Sic’em, Search and rescue, and protect me when the pet is dead within seconds after rolling through an enemy zerg of 50+?

In WvW zergs, the Ranger mechanic is completely obliterated. How do you (Anet) plan to fix Rangers so the pet can live and fight verse large amount of enemy players (40+ open field combat) without making the pet mechanic much different or broken for sPvP?

Thanks

Gorath.5076:

Whats the problem with MT if I might ask?

Muddy Terrain used to hit 5 targets and now its 3, which is a bug or stealth nerf. This is one of the only skills in WvW that make Rangers useful and not fixing or talking us the deal with this skill just puts us in a worst position we are already in for WvW.

Veteran Oakheart.4035:

Real question is, if you are boss in WvW, what would you gain doing GvG ? Nothing but feeling skillful is probably the answer

LOL, most players need a sense of accomplishment.

LilMcGinley.3890:

I’m not in [EP].. so… umm 7? It’s not about how many, you say they are “pigeonholed” into being there strictly for veil and timewarp which isn’t true.

What I am saying is that a hardcore guild based on optimizing there group make-up only needs a (1) Mesmer for a few skills and that is it.

In this video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bdq0WBHVhg

You realize why a groups want necros for the AoE damage, dark field and fears yet I don’t see much phantasms or glamor fields in that play although the EP commander called for Timewarp a few times.

LilMcGinley.3890:

AydenStar.4216:

LilMcGinley.3890:

You should talk to the mesmer from [EP] and tell him he/she is just there for Veil and Time warp.. see how that goes over.

LOL, its like asking me what a Ranger brings to a zerg, I’ll chew your ear off but I know what our limits are compared to our professions. Its the truth, what is the point of the Mesmer in a GvG other than Veil or Timewarp? A GvG group will only need one Mesmer, hell a zerg of 40+ only really need one/two Mesmers. I play a Mesmer and I understand there group mechanics and the are very limited and pigeonhole to a few gimmicky skills in WvW large group play.

Like I said go talk to them. That mesmer helped [EP] destroy casters during the fights I watched. they aren’t there for “just veil and timewarp”…

And how many Mesmers do they bring?

LilMcGinley.3890:

You should talk to the mesmer from [EP] and tell him he/she is just there for Veil and Time warp.. see how that goes over.

LOL, its like asking me what a Ranger brings to a zerg, I’ll chew your ear off but I know what our limits are compared to our professions. Its the truth, what is the point of the Mesmer in a GvG other than Veil or Timewarp? A GvG group will only need one Mesmer, hell a zerg of 40+ only really need one/two Mesmers. I play a Mesmer and I understand there group mechanics and the are very limited and pigeonhole to a few gimmicky skills in WvW large group play.

The best way to defend from CC is:

Stun break skills
Superior Runes of Melandru
Lemongrass poultry Soup (-40 condi duration)
Stability from your profession skills or (leech off the many shout Guardians making love to their keyboards)
Profession abilities that remove conditions
And stay away from the pretty red circles on the groun.

Xsorus.2507:

The meta has always been Hammer Warriors/Guardians/Necro’s with a few Elementalist.

The meta is basically this. There will be a Mesmer there for Veil & Timewarp depending on the groups meta but this is pretty much it. Depending on the size of the GvG, some guilds might use Thieves, D/D Elementalists or Sniper Warriors to either help the group buff or help burst down single targets. The GvG meta will never change much because Guardians are the pillar of group support and trumps every profession in this regard and Staff Elementalists will provide 2 waters for the group to heal on not including the other tools such as: AoE damage and CC.

I love how everyone is like give us a F3 skill to press when we can hardly control F2. Before ANet can allows us to use an additional pet skill, they need to fix the functionally of F2 first. Most of our pets have AoE abilities as F2 skills, yet why aren’t they ground targeted rather than player targeted? I rather have more control of my current F2 skills before having a second skill.
F2 is so broken ATM and you guys really want a broken F3 ability before they figure out a way to fix F2?

F2 responsiveness needs to be fixed

Pets with AoE skills F2s: Canines. Moas, Drakes (only 2 have AoE) and some other pets with AoE skills, all of their F2’s should be ground targeted

What I don’t understand is why the utility skill "Guard’ is not on the F-function? Why does the Ranger have to spend 1 utility slot to have semi control of their pet (12-15 second)? And 30 points into Nature’s Voice to have regen and swiftness!

I am all for the use of a 2 pet skill but I think Anet’s priority should be to fix the current issues with pet pathing (pets need a condition removal, sprinting or stability mechanic), F2 responsiveness and F2 control with AoE ground targeting before we get an additional pet skill or we are just going to have 2 broken F-functions.

mistsim.2748:

i tried playing ranger as support before, even made a top-rated reddit guide about it. but unlike staff ele and cleric guard, i didnt find my support abilities mattered at all. no stability/protection/might, no big on-demand heals, and no hard cc =(

I feel the same way in zergs but in small teams I feel a bit more useful

off-topic: check out my valkyrie build im working on. if youre gonna hang out with zergs, might as well do a load of damage and kinda live most of the time.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fMAQNAT8XjEVJ2FWSWs2Bi1DCFoB1KwJ2D+zoFB-jUyAYLBZySgSfFRjtsWENW9CmqUQWZmUvhgsPRZVKgIGGB-w

I would run this spec if I wasn’t having to deal with the megablobs of tier 1

Yet, I made a similar build late month using Valkyrie pieces as well:

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-F;4wEVx-e2kDF-0;9V2E;1TJJ;036A38-56;5_VH8-NV0;6GokLc455-V_ucW-a0f1kYq3w_97WAN-5V8;0V5P;1kc1;9;9;9;1777777;9;0V8k3M

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fMAQNBHhF6koiGL7rwLIWLDItHcilcevCzi7h/BKhYKHJEq9A-jECBoNCiEDBiaAM7pIaslRFRjVNjIqWZDzeuIa1SBwmyI-w

This is a Ranger Tank/Support build. Not a loot bag machine but makes the Ranger tanky and supportive to both large and small groups.

This is a good spec for small teams that are protecting spawn supply camps and maybe the new buff nodes coming in Sep. 17 patch.

Guard and Nature’s Voice

Try to use Guard as a way to position your pet to do there F2 if you can at first and mirco manage as best as you can before the pet(s) die. Once the pet is dead, just use Guard as the Regen/Swiftness spamming until you get the pet back. Remember that Guard+Nature’s Voice buffs that pet very well and it should be harder for it to die in fights involving 5-10 player so casting Guard into the group (That is why I have drakes for AoE and blast).

I have only been testing it to get more used to using Guard as a way to control the pet more but I feel guard as a utility skill should be more of a F-function but I have to work with what we got ATM.

Do you guys think it is time for the Ranger to get the active abilities from our signets without traited Signets of the Beastmaster and rework the trait to give either the passive or active abilities to surrounding players or would that be too OP?

Pets dying is a huge problem in WvW when our main profession mechanic is centered around the pet. We have some the the best F2-functions that can make us super useful if we can land them just like other professions F-functions versus large groups.

F2 functions that are AoE base need to be ground targets.

Reduce the pet revival to 30 second

Optional:
Make a new F-function to position the pet just like “Guard”

Reedited quote:

Unholy Pillager.3791:

’Let’s make a combat system all about dodging, AoE damage and crowd control spamming, then balance one class around an AI companion that can’t dodge, can’t regeneration well enough, can’t remove conditions fast enough or absorb AoE damage well!’

Kilger.5490:

I’m a young’un ranger, played necro primarily for last year and just need a change. So many of these posts help a lot. I’m enjoying my build quite a bit (somewhat hybrid but mostly power, with gs and axe/torch) so it seems like rangers do have a fair amount to be enjoyed. WvW is once again addictive.

Rangers are super fun in WvW. But are they super useful to a group? That is debatable at this point.

I have my fingers crossed for Anet to give us a true QoL and F2 improves in Oct. 1 patch

We need 3v3 and 5v5 Deathmatches (fun now, for rating later)
Capture the Flag game modes
Access to dueling in the Mist and some where in PvE land (this would encourage players to go into the Mist to look for fights!)

Playing conquest over and over and over and over and I forget over again is like watching paint on the wall dry after a while.

Anet why are you holding back?

Solid Gold.9310:

Just please NO, are Rangers that desperate !

Just like men dressing up like women on Santa Monica Blvd…

Its a no brainer. If Warriors can ground target their Hammer F1, why can’t we have this for our pets that do AoE with their F2? Then utility skills like Signets of the Wild be worth using untraited.

10% damage is nothing special but if you transformed into the pet with 100% of normal damages would you consider it?

edit:

This reason I started this new F skill is in order to be able to use your F2 skill if needed after your pet dies.

Once the pet is dead and goes on the 60 sec revival time. F2 can become a new skill that transforms the Ranger into its dead pet for a limited time allow the Ranger to use the pet skills as the 1-4 keys until the time is up.

I bet I wasn’t the first to think about this but it might not be a bad idea. What do you all think?

I just feel that the Ranger and its pet are not united. By having this careless developed F-functionally, this is only going to hurt use until Rangers are fully barred in the eyes of the GW2 community which is happening now.

When I was playing spvp and tpvp in beta, I know PvP wasn’t close to being ready so I haven’t gotten myself involved in it much. I found WvW and PvE to be more rewarding and that spvp was going to take some time to develop so I decided not to waste my time grinding ranks that meant little or nothing. Now its a year later and I still wouldn’t do tpvp because the meta is just awful with the AoE spamming on the control nodes and just the spamming of all skills in general.

So during my first year of playing GW2, I have many been doing WvW because open world combat>spvp IMHO. But now with the introduction of WvW leagues and the 5 control nodes around the lake, I think WvW is going to have serious profession balancing issues.

For example:
Most groups that are 15 to 50+ have to stack Shout Guardians so they can keep stability on everyone in the zerg. Also, they massive condition remove with Shouts and passsive traits and Superior Runes of the Soldier. After a group has 50 to 60% of their frontline as Guardians, the group will need Staff Elementalists for water and Static fields rotations. Necro & Warriors tend to be more on the DPS side of the zerg but always have some useful utilities and finally a few (1-3) Mesmers for, Veil, Portal and Timewarp or Moa form depending on the groups meta. After that, there is not reason to include Thieves, Engineers or Rangers into the main groups because these profession provide little to nothing the 5 profession I state can do if not better.

If WvW becomes hyper competitive because of the WvW league, I think Anet will have more problems on their hands trying to fix and balance the medium armor profession to synergy better in larger group play. As a Ranger (I don’t play spirits) this can kill the game for me as well.

I have been testing the utility skill: “Guard” since they added “Nature’s Voice” to the Grandmaster tier in Nature Magic and what I don’t understand is why most of our pets F2 skill that are AoE base not ground targeting in the same manner?

As a hardcore WvW, I have been testing Guard as a way to micro the pet to the locations I want the pet to be in to cast their F2 abilities:

1. Guard takes 1 second to cast in order for the pet to get the buffs from the skill (Stealth & Protection) plus (Swiftness and Regeneration with Nature’s Voice)

2. The pet has to move into the exact location the Ranger cast Guard at first in order to cast the pet’s F2. If the Ranger cast the F2 any sooner the pet will return to the Ranger and Guard will be on CD. So what happens here is that if you hit F2 too soon before the pet get to the exact position the Ranger cast Guard at, the Guard buff is now gone; therefore, the pet will return to the Ranger.

3. If you cast Guard in a different location while the pet is currently attacking another player, the pet will continue attacking the same target because Guard has a 1200 radius range; therefore, the Ranger needs to hit F3 first than cast Guard in the desired location yet sometimes this doesn’t always work.

4. Ranger needs to wait for the pet to cast the F2 ability

5. In WvW zerg fighting, in order to get your pet into a good position to cast their F2 skill on a zerg, the Ranger needs to anticipate 5 to 8 seconds in advances in order to maybe get a successful F2 AoE ability off.

The reason I bring this up is because in order for a Ranger to use his pet’s F2 successfully, the Ranger needs to have Guard as a utility skill, then 30 points into Nature’s Magic to get the swiftness for Guard, anticipate 5 to 8 seconds in advance vs a highly mobile zerg.

I have played a Mesmer and a Guardian and their F-functions are so much easier to use vs the Ranger’s F2. Also, A Hammer Warrior has a ground targeted AoE stun/damage on a 10 sec CD

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Earthshaker
(No Brainer)
One of the main reasons zergs like warriors over Rangers in WvW.

You might ask yourself why don’t you select a target within the zerg then cast F2? Because without stability, rapid condition removal or swiftness the pet will not get into the position in time to cast its F2 properly or it will return because the target ran out of leash range.

This is why Anet needs to revamp the F-functionally.

F1 should work as Guard does with the ground targeting placement of the pet.

All F2 AoE skills should have ground targeting with a range of 1200

Revamp traits or make passive abilities so pet have buffs like stability, swiftness and condition removal

Introduce a F5 function that allows us to keybind passive/guard function

Also, the Guard skill should have never been a utility skill in the first place

mistsim.2748:

we’ve been hearing about skill splits for 6 months now, but we’ve yet to see any significant ones in WvW vs. spvp.

most of your pvpers are in WvW actually, and there the ranger is bottom of the barrel. weak utility, weak damage, pets that melt instantly. the spirit ranger caused this stir in the spvp community, but was entirely useless in WvW, as before. so when the nerf hit today, it made no diff for WvW rangers. this is just one example.

all i hear is talk about balancing profs in spvp. is anyone even looking at balance in WvW? again, this is where most pvpers go to have fun. id say 80% of people who like to pvp in GW2 are in WvW, not spvp.

You forgot most buggies profession, awful F-functionality, long pet revival CD and the most rotten trait tree in the game.

Quite honestly the spirit change does nothing beneficial at all in WvW and now I have guildies asking me when I am going to reroll to another profession besides the Ranger. This is a huge problem that I feel Anet has ignore for long enough.

It all depends. In WvW I like power bunker builds so I am torn between Berserkers, Soldiers or Knights. And it really depends how the meta changes for a Ranger so I have been hoarding my laurels and commendations until the day I need to spend them.

I love Healing Spring with our Weapon Finishers and troll urgent for self/pet healing

We have concrete problems with this profession when it comes to F-functionally. When you are leveling you might not notice it but once you start doing dungeons, fractals, world zerg fights, end game content like WvW zerging you will encounter these problems with your pets and F2 functionally.

As for the boards, if you enjoy playing the Ranger now continue doing so. Its a fun, very fun profession but when it comes to end game at level 80 our pets might be more trouble than good.

Just my opinion.

Yesterday, I was in the Mists testing the utility skill "Guard’ to help position the hounds to use their F2.

If you DON’T let the pet get into the position you cast Guard at, and hit F2, the pet returns to you immediately, Guard goes on CD and no F2 skill doesn’t goes off.

Ranger the only nemesis you got is your pet…..

Anet has no clue…..

Kasama.8941:

I don’t mean any disrespect here, but to me, it doesn’t seem like you know the limitations of the Ranger. Because you simply aren’t playing the Ranger to its strengths.

Kas,

At least I have the balls to show my game. I am far from the best player but I know the strengths of this profession very well, especally when it come to WvW zerging. I might not be the best 1v1 but I only have time to focus one aspect of this game ATM. And yes in spvp I use the pets f2 a lot more often because its in a less zerging atmosphere compared to WvW when the pet is dead most of the time. Yet when you are in a WvW mind set(Open field Combat): its all about group positioning and AoE but how can you position your pet to do anything with out using Guard (a utility skill: useless unless traited into Nature’s Voice)

Example:

If I used Guard to only to position the pet in a massive, organized zerg battle:

1. It takes 1 second to cast Guard
2. Waiting for the pet to get into position
3. Waiting for the pet cast his abilities.

All of this to get your F2 ability to land on a highly responsive organized zergs is pointless because even with the protection and stealth boons from Guards is not going to save your pet from massive enemy AoE.

What I am trying to say here is that the Ranger F2 and pets need a massive changes or some love because they are not on the level of the other professions F-functionally in WvW.

Kasama.8941:

I’m pretty sure the three player limit on some AoE skills are a bug.

I hope so!

Kasama.8941:

In your WvW Ranger gameplay video, I only think I saw you use an F2 skill once, despite the fact that it was obvious to use in plenty of situations. And you didn’t reapply targets for your pet, or even seem to be aware of where your pet were. So it’s not really strange that you think your pet is useless. You don’t seem to take advantage of it.

Its easy to be a judge watching a video then it being there at the moment.

Kasama.8941:

I’m wondering why you are running around, waving your greatsword, like you’re a hammer Warrior? Is that your idea of “massive group combat”? You don’t have any greatsword skills as Ranger that makes you useful playing like that.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Power_Stab

You need to live in order to be useful. I try not to mindless spam my utilities skills.

Kasama.8941:

You’d be better off using axe/axe, as you would hit more targets. But if you know the Ranger is better in small group play, and the pet dies easily to AoE, then why are you running straight into the middle of the opponents zerg, dragging your pet across all the AoE?

Most of this game play is from a few months ago before the buff to off hand axe. Read the comments in the video

Yes i run axe/axe for a while now. Just look at my anook.com blog about zerging builds I post a month ago.

Kasama.8941:

That just seems self-destructive. Just because the Ranger fits better in small group play, it doesn’t mean that the Ranger doesn’t work in large group combat. These two playstyles aren’t opposite to each other. It’s all about how you play. Instead of running directly into all the players, you should be running around the zerg, and take out stranglers in 3v1 situations.

Obviously you don’t play in Zerg vs Zerg or know GvGs meta well.

I am the only Ranger in that video. I am in all blue with holographic dragon wings and Dragon helmet. And please notice I have spotter on the guardian in this video not in my group and big brown spots on the floor is me.

Or shoot into the zerg with piercing arrows or axe/axe, while dropping those snare skills to make sure opponents stay on AoE areas. Playing this way also allows you to use your pet to much greater effect, as you avoid AoE damage, and can keep it focused on single targets.

Start reading some of my post about current WvW zerging meta

Kasama.8941:

Also, talking about playing as an effective Ranger, I noticed two obvious situations in the video, where you neither used the right weapon, or used your pets F2 skill to help yourself. At 2.15, when chasing the Guardian at mill, you use all your greatsword melee skills before finally using Crippling Throw, and you never switch back to longbow, despite the fact that it would have been a lot more useful to you when chasing the Guardian. You didn’t take advantage of the drakehound’s F2 immobilize either, which could have helped you catch up to the Guardian, or have helped you hit with your greatsword.

I thought the same thing after watching the video that is why I record it from time to time to learn.

Kasama.8941:

At 5.05, when falling down the cliffside, you switch out your greatsword for your longbow, even though you’re in a confined area, where the greatsword would have been ideal to use. You also didn’t see the obvious option there, which was to use your wolf’s F2 fear, to run your opponent off the cliffside.

I could have done a number of things right, I was lucky the thief wasn’t that good.

Serraphin Storm.2369:

What are rangers we are the resource that people don’t think they need until they don’t have it.

I agree with this 100% but not having a good F-functionally is preventing us from being more resourceful. If our pets did not die all the time and had a good ground targeting cursor to land our pet’s F2 regardless if its a damage skill, AoE boon or condition and land it on exactly the area you want the pet to cast it. Isn’t that being more resourceful?

Chopps, honestly I think its a good idea but selling it a zerg leaders is harder than it looks

Chopps.5047:

Has anyone tried playing a resurrection role in a zerg? Why or why not?

In my guild, you died, you run back. There is no rezzing because my guild focuses on wiping large zergs and doesn’t have the time to rez the fallen.

My rank on my Ranger in WvW is 125 which isn’t that high. My Guardian I leveled in late May is already rank 55 and I hardly play it. The Guardian ranks 3 times faster than a Ranger in WvW because of all the tagging and survivability the profession has.

Kasama.8941:

The problem is not so much the Ranger, as it is the community. And ArenaNet can’t change peoples state of mind, only we as Ranger players can, by making the best of what we got. When guild leaders analyze the current meta, they judge it based on how professions are played, not how their skills work. If something is great, no one cares why it is great, only that it works. And the Ranger does work on some level. But like most other professions, it can’t do everything.

Kas,

Look at the videos in my sign. I play WvW everyday in a hardcore WvW guild. I know the limitations of the Ranger vs professions like Guardians, Elementalists, Warriors and Necromancers and honestly we bring nothing. Why? because our AoE skills only hit 3 targets where the other professions hit 5. I wouldn’t mind this if our pets were useful but they are not. Our pet mechanics are balanced around 5v5 play and not tailored for massive group combat. F-functions, the bread and butter of our profession is useless vs massive groups because of so many factors. Plus 40% of our damage potential is lost the second you roll through massive AoE from the enemy. I respect your attitude toward trying to prove ourselves and quite honestly a lot of us already have but its not enough to break the mind sets of leaders that are looking for results and optimization.

The Ranger profession needs some necessary love and it has for some time now.

My Ranger will be benched for sure.

Why?

We bring almost nothing to the table in large group combat such as Guardian, Necromancers, Elementalists, Warriors, and Mesmers do. I have cheerleadered this profession in WvW to the point that I realize now the limited potential this profession brings to the table. It is sad that Anet is going to start this hardcore play mode in WvW and doesn’t have a clue of the current zerging meta. I mean WOW! Now I have to level a Warrior as my main toon in WvW because of the APATHY Anet has towards this profession.

This is just not a Ranger issue, this is going to be an issue for the Thieves and Engineers too because these professions don’t synergy well in the current WvW zerging meta. Yes, we might fit in a havoc squads or scouts but all of the reward in WvW is from zerging keeps and killing massive zergs in open field fights. Us players that like playing Rangers, Thieves and Engineers are already 3rd class citizens in the current WvW meta and this WvW season league thing hasn’t even started yet

As a hardcore Ranger and WvWer, I don’t think Anet understands these issues at all.

What I state in this post a few days ago is only the beginning of helping our profession:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Improving-pet-s-F2-a-WvW-Zerg-PoV

Our F2 functions are super broken in massive group combat and it needs an overhaul, Desperately! Most of the Rangers F2 pet skills are AoEs bases but need a single target to position the cast and not having the abilities to ground target these abilities makes them USELESS vs massive organized groups and not worth using.

Please Anet, lets have a discussion about this because this has been an issue I have been warning about for sometime and now you will see the profession full discrimination once the WvW league starts to coming closer.

Thank you

Mr Pin,

From my prospective in WvW, I find Hard CCs to be fine only because I have stability up 99% of the time and if I do get stunned, I have defensive utilities Lemongrass poultry soup, Superior Runes of Melandru on so the effect doesn’t even last long and not including 3k armor and 21k Health. Also soft CCs like cripple, Immobilize and slow just roll right off the second it is on me. I feel in large scale battles in WvW really come down to how many Hammer/shout Guardians you have and how many Staff Elementalists you have to heal, boon, cleanse and provide perma stability to the group; whereas, many of the other professions are just add-on with little to no purpose other than to support those 2 professions.

Back in beta just before launch, Rangers where a very strong and popular; especially for botting. Then they where hit with several nerfs to counter the botting. As you can see from their chart, the 2 most heavy botted professions are on top of the list.

I come from the WvW side of the fence where stability and condition removal is so abused that the meta is just awful with three 40+ man groups running right over CC affects trying to bit each other on the tail.

In Tpvp, I can understand the need to keep CC under control, but in WvW and PvE (It seems) that CCs are just too underpowered especially Soft CC.