The only change to survival skills that I would like is for the pets to be cleansed of conditions and to gain fury. Thatis it tbh.
Never MM in PvP. Worthless tree.
Everything other then DD is much worse because DD is over powered. It is over powered compared to both other ele builds and other classes builds.
Wow, really?
First off, they did not buff pets. Every class specific line bonus was devided 50-50. Half of it was made basic and half of it a minor trait boost if you took that line.
For rangers that was the pet stat buff.
Before if you went into BM fully you would get 300 to the 4 basic stats which are power, vitality, toughness and precision. Therefore 150 of that was made baseline.
When the big patch came out they forgot to add the other 150 as a boost if you went into BM and that was fixed with a patch. IT WAS A BUG/OVERSIGHT!!
Secondly, the only way you are getting hit by 6k slashes is if you are running glass and the pet is buffed by might. The birds have a solid burst but very low actual DPS because they attack slowly and the pet itself is easily kited not to mention the fact that they have an ability that actually roots the bird therefore allowing you to move away. Also the bird is a glass pet that can be easily killed and CCed even if you go BM.
Furthermore, even now, there are far more builds that can simply ignore the pet, and even though the bird will deal damage, the primary use is taunt that goes well with other roots and stuns to chain lock someone in a team fight. And it is the most reliable way to deliver a taunt due to its attack nature.
It is simply sad that people are actually complaining about pets because there is no reason to.
It depends on the game mode.
For PvE if you are going power, which you should, usually you take Predators and sometimes if you need to keep up vulnerability you take Remorseless.
Lead the Wind is a must in WvW zerg fights if you are playing LB ranger, however. The BM line is less then stellar here as you do not want your pet to be anywhere near the zerg fight so you would usually go MM instead of BM.
Some people like going MM but for PvP or WvW roaming, considering WS and BM are usually a must due to the dueling nature of the game play, you want either Skirmishing or NM.
Both are equal in utility and power, but one is defensive the other offensive.
I wish that I could have a trait that gives one extra dodge or a new F ability any day. You need to understand that adept level traits are usually gain 5s of regeneration when you drop under x% of health or some such crap.
I have not pre-purchased HoT. I am not sure that I will even buy it. It all depends on whether Druid is a good spec or not and whether they fix Ranger core issues.
So far I feel that all of the elites other then DH and Reaper are crap design. There is no trade off, they are just upgrades to the core classes.
I take it you would rather be +1 by a thief?
Not only will it be last, but the POI will be the shortest one. And the devs will rush it all the while joking about bear bows and talking random nonsense.
Yes there is a stigma on rangers in all 3 game modes.
In PvE you usually have 2 Elementalists. They are one of the 4 main classes in organised WvW.
And in PvP, DD ele is not only the meta, it dictates what else is meta, across every class.
Every time anyone calls for a nerf on DD eles, an ele reponds that its only natural that you die to them because they are 1000000 times better players then you. So sick of it TBH. The class is over represented in all 3 game modes.
What about core Ranger ?
Guys, who cares? They will release HoT with many promises they do not intent to keep and we will be back to the 2 balance patches per year cycle.
There are very real reasons as to why it is so but I am afraid that any mention of this would probably result in a ban. Quite honestly I am rooting for an engaging and bug less expansion, balance be kitten ed.
It is so sad that the game is entirely defined by DD elementalists. It is also true that thieves are invaluable for map control as well.
I find it quite funny that A-net will announce the changes when they are finalized because, as we have all learned by now, they are usually far removed from those that actually need to happen.
@Grouch:
-please consider that Ele is not only OP in PvP but that it is also over represented in PvE as well. Every dungeon run usually has 2 Eles.
It will probably be necessary until proper balancing happens, but in the long run i think its bad for the game.
While it might open up the competitive scene a bit, the issue will still prevail in ranked PvP, especially in the HoT release with the ladders.
Also, keep in mind that the goal should not be to limit ele to every team having 1 or 2. The goal should be that its possible for every team to NOT run ele. 5 slots, 9 classes, how many builds?? And 3-4 slots out of 10 in a game are filled with eles.
Well, I think that making whirling defense a moving skill might be difficult. Alternatively the ranger could get 5s of protection and 2 stacks of stability during the channel.
What was the exact build ROM used in the latest tournament? I thought I saw sword/shield and longbow and I suppose celestial with trooper runes. But what are the sigils and the traits?
Ty in advance
They will nerf ele by buffing it!!!
You all know that they will not nerf Ele. They will probably buff it though.
Cele buff and marauder nerf inc.
I think that every pet should get 300 condition damage, healing power and ferocity by default., and another 150 of each if you spec into BM line. I would move the condition duration to wilting strike and remove expertise training altogether. Replace it with another trait.
Also rejuvenation is pretty bad. 5s of regeneration is just so bad. Perhaps it adds regeneration and your regeneration heals allies for x% more could be a good thing. Or even, % of your vitality is converted into healing power, and remove the buff from instinctual reaction* and instead of it, you get 5 might as well as quickness when you drop below the threshold.
I like what you did to the MM line.
Honed axes change is simply brilliant as it plays to both condition and power builds.
Windbourne notes change also is very good, except that I woud make blind on hit baseline for the WH 4. I would also buff the might stacks for the baseline ability from 1 to 3.
The spirit trait change also makes spirits relevant but also forces opponents to counterplay them by killing them.
Also I love it how you moved fortifying bond to BM and what you did to natures healing and how you implemented predatory bond, except I dislike the name. There is no bond in it, why not just name it carnivorous appetite?? Also is the +300 stats for pets a mistake? Because at the moment we gain 150 baseline and 150 while going into BM. Do you mean to make the total change to pet stats +450 ?
I actually love these, perhaps MoC is a bit OTT.
Balance is simple. You have class representation and win rates. And you have win rates for lines,skills traits etc. If its above 50% then it nerf material.
Ele is overrepresented in all 3 modes.
If they have 1 DD cele you can win, if they 2 just leave the game.
This game will never be even close to balance because they refuse the nerf the DD ele cancer.
Everything revolves around DD Cele now, I am sick of it.
Different concepts all together between skirmishing and NM.
NM is defensive and utility based, while skirmishing is an offensive based trait line. If you want defense you combo NM and WS, if not you go something else. NM is not mandatory and I feel as if that, for the first time in a long time, we have a solid internal balance between our trait lines.
I do not think any elite spec should get something extra. They should get something different. For example if Mesmer gets one of its shatters replaced by that time lapse thingy its fine, but if it keeps all 4 and gets another one, that is utter BS!!
I have an issue with elite specs in general, at least the ones that are getting an OH weapon. Because they think that getting an OH weapon is a handicap compared to two hand weapons, they felt the need to compensate the classes by giving something extra on top of what is already there.
Necro and Guardian get their class mechanics replaced by different class mechanics. Mesmers, Warriors and Revenants get another F ability. It does not turn them into a different spec, it turns them into a spec++. This is fundamentally flawed.
I just had a game where the guy simply spammed clones and dodges. I think the only attack he actually used on me was the scepter auto and the confusion channel. I simply could not keep up with the cleanses. OFC I was not on a DD ele or bunk guard, i was on a 00666 WS marauder ranger. Having said that, I faced a similar problem with my warrior. Conditions just come out so fast and seemingly without any effort on the mesmers part. Also, I cant seem to counter pressure due to blinds and the defensive boons/disengage options the mesmer normally has.
I know that the actual counter is to rotate better and/or be near a natural cleanser like a bunker guard or DD Cele and unless we see Condi mesmers be on competitive teams the spec is not considered top tier, but considering the effectiveness of what seems to be very safe and passive play, I am of the opinion that it should receive a balance pass, if only the PU trait.
I just wanted to ask you guys about this. What are your thoughts on condi mesmers?
I know the focus of OP is on DD Cele at the moment, and rightly so, but this is one hell of a braindead spec right here.
Super safe to play, and even thought may not be that great in high level coordinated pvp, its utter cancer mode in WvW.
There is no tank/sustain meta. There is only DD Cele meta. Everything revolves around having 1-2 on every team having builds that can sustain against them while not losing a point.
If you knock out DD Cele, the meta will shift considerably. We might see even specialized roles within a team instead of get 2 DD Cele and spam skills.
The Ele is seriously just spamming abilities and LOSing when low on HP. It is kitten build and it needs to be nuked out of the game. Tanking 2-3 people on point and forcing every team to have at least 1 DD Cele is the bane of this game that is soon to have 9 classes.
The issue with pistol whip is that the evade frame duration does not match the cast time, or something like that. I have not been able to taunt a shelter from a guardian for example.
Does taunt still go through evades, distorts or blocks? Because I am trying to do it on purpose and it will not work.
The issue with burns is not that the damage from each stack is too much, its that some of the skills on some of the classes are over the top.
For example, Rangers throw torch will apply 2 stacks of burning, which is the same as the previous burning application. On the other hand, cleansing flames will apply 3 stacks instant cast and will also remove conditions.
Bonfire will apply 1 stack for 3 seconds and will stack up to 3-4 stacks if you have balthazar runes. On the other hand, Ring of fire will apply 3 stacks when you cross it instantly.
There is a disparity between classes when it comes to burn application because some have been over tuned.
If you want to go high burning, its fine, but you have to spec for it. While I have no opinion on whether the Burn guard is OP or not, I do know that they:
- go Carrion
- go Balthazar runes
- go Radiance line that buffs burning specifically with all their traits
- have ok but not OTT sustain
- have clear weaknesses
- have zero disengage
On the other hand, the Ele:
- goes Celestial
- does not need burn duration runes
- stacks might hence increasing both condition and regular damage
- has insane sustain and escape options
- has a lot of passive proc defensive mechanisms
- has far more team fight potential
- has a lot more mobility.
Quite honestly, if you want to burn stuff, you should need burning runes to apply more then 4-5 stacks for more then 3-4 seconds. Or build your character heavily into burning with multiple weapon and utility skills. The burn guardian does this. The trapper burning ranger does this. For the Ele, its an afterthought and it comes naturally even if you build for sustain and might stacking. It is silly.
Knock down DD Cele a bit and the meta will shift. This class/build has been dictating everything for the last 2 years,
Bark skin is good now.. why would you want to revert it?
You are forgetting the passive procs from the trait lines. Also, aside from the shatter spike the Mesmer has sustained damage and more utility.
While the thief will always have a role in high level organised play due to extreme mobility, it is not really OP. Annoying yes, OP no.
Mesmer on the other hand, does everything a thief can do, even if in a bit of a different way due to Portal but also provides more team utility and far more survivability.
Aside from stealth and dodges, the mesmer has great defensive boons via PU and a lot of hard invulnerabilities. Also, a lot of blinds and damage components come from passive trait procs like blinding dissipation, suggestions etc…
The main issue however is that, compared to thief, the mesmer is far safer in doing its combos and can repeat them within 15 seconds. Not only does it dictate the tempo, but it can also sustain very well against counter pressure.
Actually, the mesmer can spike far harder then the thief, and has more survivability. This is why PU is OTT.
Except its is very relevant as it gives the Mesmer the same advantage as the Thief used to have, complete initiative in a fight. The issue is that the Mesmer is much better in a team fight.
Granted, the Thief will always have a role in Conquest due to obscene mobility and stealth for back caps, the Mesmer PU trait is completely overbudged with very long stealth duration and boons to boot.
The pets did not get a 150 attribute boost twice. They have always had a possible 300 stat boost when going into BM, now as with all classes half of it is made baseline and half of it is with the BM line.
The issue was that before the bug fix, the baseline part did not exist. So you would only upgrade your pet with 150 points if you went into BM. Now the baseline stat bug was fixed so you have the max 300 possible again.
PU is surely OP, not only does it gives huge stealth up time but also a lot of sustain through the boons.
Ranger changes needed..
Base changes
-Ranger is made a high HP class, like the warrior and necromancer
-Pet HP in WvW and PvP is buffed to PvE levels, there is no reason to keep the split anymore considering that pets are god kitten awful in WvW and there was a big power creep in PvP
-Pets gain 300 healing power, 300 condition damage and 300 ferocity baseline
-Another F ability is introduced that allows the players to control abilities such as dog knockback, bird swiftness, moa AOE heal and so on. There is no reason not to seeing how they gave the engi an F5
Trait changes:
-Pets gain another 150 healing power, 150 condition damage and 150 ferocity from the alpha minor BM trait that also buffs the core stats
-Emphatic bonds converts 3 conditions from ranger into boons for pet on proc, or give 3 seconds of resistance to the pet on condition transfer.
-BM trait that gives movement speed to the pet does so to the ranger as well, no longer gives the 300 ferocity, -33% on the slowing conditions as well similar to dodged march
-Opening strike will be baseline reset when killing an enemy, this used to be the old Remorseless trait
-Brutish seals also given a kitten of resistance on use, should not be a problem seeing how big the signet CDs are for the ranger
Utility changes:
-Signet of renewal no longer transfers conditions to the pet, it just clears conditions from the ranger and the pet
-Protect me no longer kills the pet but will last 4 seconds instead of 6
-Sick em has a 30s CD down from 40s and removes 3 boons from the target
One of many possible ways the Ranger could be tweaked.
Celestial amulet gives almost 30% extra stats over 3 stat amulets and around 20% over 4 stat ones.
I think that it would hardly be the end of the world if the Ele even fell out of the meta for a while, and by that I do not mean never used, but I mean not being a sure slot and sometimes two on every PvP team or dungeon run.