a nerf to base healing is necessary. Whilst I agree the Ranger, now, should be a hybrid class (either going full DPS or going Healing), in my eyes you shouldn’t be able to do both at the same time. Nerf base healing, increase how much healing you do if you gear for that than what it was at BWE3 if you geared for it, and it’s all happy. Unfortunately anet, you HAVE to buff core ranger for this to be a viable payoff. Otherwise you’ve kittened off the Ranger community YET AGAIN.
Point being what do we get when we give up the base healing?
As Druid we do not get any good damage at all!
It’s not like we give-up base healing and go full zerk, and suddenly staff hits as hard as LB. If you just going to nerf healing while leaving the damage subpar even with the best offensive set-up, then this is not hybrid, this is one dimensional crap (spec healing or you’re useless in both healing and dps)
Thats precisely it, no you don’t get mad damage by speccing druid and going with zerker. Thats like saying you want to be the biggest planet but also the smallest at the same time. Druids not gonna be a dps class and you will be a hindrance to your team by going druid with zerker.
Instead, if you want to be DPS, stick with core ranger. You can’t be Druid and have the choice of heavy healing or heavy dps. In other words, you can’t be a hybrid with just one specialisation.
We need to start ignoring that word “elite” thats attached to these specs and Anet should never have called them that in the first place as it makes us feel like thats the next goal of advancing the character. Its not, it’s just another option.
Don’t you understand the word HYBRID means?
Druid cannot be Hybrid post nerf because it’d only shine in heal. Even with best offensive gear, the damage is still subpar. It also has no condition damage whatsoever on everything Druid offers.
The ONLY option you get is spec for more healing, making your damage NON-EXISTENT (DONT use the word subpar, hitting less than1k with staff AA is outright worthless)There’s nothing Hybrid about it. No damage, no condition, no boons, but only healing.
Druid is MERELY a healer post nerf. You either spec for inferior damage and giving up the whole healing things, or spec for healing to be a great healer and do next to no damage.Other support classes NEVER have to go through this trade-off and still can keep all their options. (Damage or Condition, pick one) That’s what I called Hybrid.
You’ve hit the nail in the head yet again.
I’m well aware what hybrid means. You don’t seem to understand that what you’re saying is exactly what it is. the druid is NOT a hybrid spec. It’s a healing spec. what gives the Ranger the option TO hybrid is that is has the Druid option to spec into, or not.
Also, you used the word subpar, then told us not to use the word subpar.
I’m seeing a lot of salty Rangers here (I know because I am one) who can’t seem to look beyond the fact that there class is “bad”. Talk to Heimskarl if you think the Ranger is as bad as you lot make it out to be.
Read it again. If you spec for healing on a subpar damage class (Yes, even go full zerk, if you use staff your damage is “subpar”), your damage become “non-existent”. That’s what I meant.
You continue to fail to see my point. We shouldn’t get an Elite spec just for one dimensional use with no other choice but healing. Druid shouldn’t be something that bound to only healing. It should add options to our play-style, not pigeon-hole us into one play-style.
You said you’re able to pick on other specs of ranger to be Hybrid for Druid, but your logic is flawed because without the stats, other ranger specs aren’t going to save your dps. You pick healing, and your damage is nothing, simple as that. There’s nothing hybrid about it. This game is so reliant on stats and Amulets.
Okay again you’ve nailed the bullseye. There’s nothing hybrid about it. Correct. It’s a healing spec. It’s not meant to be a hybrid. (Unless Irenio + devs change their mind)
The ranger however IS hybrid because at its core, it’s DPS orientated. Yes, other ranger specs won’t save your DPS and as I said, the core ranger still needs a lot of work to make the class work as a hybrid (which is what it looks like they’re trying to do).
What I think you’re trying to say is that the Ranger either goes full dps, or full healing, and as such, whilst in play, cannot be a hybrid. The thing is, it appears that anet are trying to avoid just that, because thats what the Elementalist is and everyone cries “OP!”.
Also, why shouldn’t it be one-dimensional? take Rift for example, you have one class that specs into individual, one dimensional roles depending on whats needed of it. This is just something, that the Rangers have declared, shouldn’t be a thing and so therefore must have negativity hurled towards it.
Having this additional option actually OPENS the play of the Ranger. albeit it in an uncreative way (I’m not a massive fan of druid and I believe they could have done it differently, but I’ll put that in a separate post if asked because its off-topic otherwise)
This isn’t Rift. Any other elite spec has multiple build paths; there is no single stat that they need. The same should be true of druid. Forcing healing power on every druid in order for them to be effective is bad design.
That’s a matter of opinion, really.
There are quite a few types of gear that have healing on it. And with the ability to mix and match to get your desired stats it’s all about us choosing to make it a GOOD design for ourselves.
Even if I wanted to grab extra ascended gear when no other profession needs healing power at all (literally any other stat can be useful to every profession, it’s just healing power that’s worthless), just try doing that in PvP.
You’re joking right?
I don’t even wanna continue from here.


. I take heart in the fact that so many Rangers are invested in wanting to play druid, and that they feel so passionate about it! There are a lot of people clamoring to be heard, but I have faith that the devs can sort through it all.
