Hey guys , a bit of an introduction first . I am a long time ranger player, since the first time i installed the game and I dedicate my time equally among all 3 game mods , so in no shape or form do i consider myself expert when it comes to PvP .
However , i have been following the topics here and on most other profession forums for months now and I would like to offer a few suggestions and/or tweaks for the ranger class to make it more engaging in PvP , without hitting it in other 2 modes , which has been the case with previous patches .
My focus will be on a few traits and some weapon and utility skills that I , and many others from what I have seen , think are lacking .
THE TRAITS
companions defense – This trait is amazing, simply amazing .. for the ranger . It does absolutely nothing for the pet however . 2 seconds of protection is pretty meh in PvP and utterly useless in any other game mode . My suggestion would be to/other have suggested as well/ keep the ranger part the same and give the pet a 10 second aegis on dodge . I do not think it would be too much , in PvP it would not be noticable like protection on dodge is , however it would be huge in PvE .
Instinctual bond – This trait , wtf , this is the biggest offender when it comes to useless things in any game…ever . Seriously , does it have any use ?? I could possibly imagine being downed and perhaps having a wolf pet with howl ready and perhaps quick interrupting a stomp … but that is way too many iffs in a game that should give more control into the hands of a player .
My suggestion would be to rework it in a fairly simple manner : Ranger lacks active condition removal , correct? Instinctual bond removes 1-2 conditions on pet swap
All master BM major traits * – This is a major wall when it comes to versatility in bet use , the family restrictions . I simply do not see the point of it . Suggestion : remove pet family restrictions , rending attacks have a chance to proc on attack and not on critical hit , stability training grants 2-3 seconds of stability in an AOE on pet swap
THE UTILITIES
Heal as One – This heal is pretty bad and it gets overshadowed by the other two heals by a large margin . Not only that , it has no interesting characteristics and its cast time is the longest . Suggestion : lower cast time to 3/4 seconds and make it remove 2 conditions from the ranger, those 2 conditions are then changed into 2 boons for the pet *
Lightning reflexes – To keep it short here : LR clears immobilize and cripple , it works with evasive purity
Protect me * – Ugh , where to begin . I love this ability in concept , the pet comes running to your rescue and throws itself in front of the bullet meant for you … but there is a problem , it is buggy and it often wont work if the pet dies for some reason or it can kill it if its alive.
Solution : protect me makes it so the pet does not take any damage , the fact that it is running back to you and not attacking is a big trade off in itself . Perhaps it can be given a modest amount of condition clear as well * As for it not working when the pet is dead, perhaps the devs can make it so that the pet revives itself briefly for the duration … i do not know
THE TORCH
-I love the torch , i love fire and burning , hell I even made Rodgort for my ranger . But gameplay wise i feel as if it is pretty bland and too strait forward . Honestly , something interesting could be done to its spells . Perhaps give a blind effect for the no. 4 . Maybe no. 5 clears weakness and frozen , seeing how its a bonfire .
Ok , ty guys for reading through my stuff . My concern is not about balance here per se , but about pointing out at some holes and perhaps suggest ideas for possible fixes .
Ty
