Guild Wars 2

This needs to be fixed. Timing is crucial in this game, and when you press that Wolfs F2 fear, many times you need it to go off like NOW.

They really need to fix the activated abilities of our pets once and for all. Since half our class consists of the pet, they better make kitten sure it works when we need it to work.

It will be interesting to see how they will have adressed the following in the coming patch:

- Pets responsiveness
- Pets survivability
- Ability to actually HIT, kitten – yes moving targets as well
- Their ability to rush back attacking that stealth abusing thief the moment the come out of stealth
- When fighting thieves, we should swing around in the air when they stealth, hopefully landing one attack or two. Pets don’t do that – how do you plan solving this, devs?
- The awfully long windup of F2 skills in general, drakes in particular, making their special attacks hopelessly ineffective in pvp 90% of the time (only good for attacking doors, trebs and already downed targets)
- Quickness swap activated F2 on most attacks will make the pet attack in the air, missing the selected target. Pretty much the only pet that will work right when doing this is the jaguar. 2 seconds of nerfed quickness is way to short time to be useful for our pets.
- The clumsy mechanic of pigs F2 needs to change – it shouldn’t replace our weapon set
- Abuse of cloak and dagger on our pets. You do know that pets can’t, you know, dodge to avoid that?

Argh. There are so many more issues, I just don’t feel like repeating them all over again, since we’ve talked about them for months and months.
Apparently the devs feels its actually ok for a thief to burst us down in 1-2 seconds flat, they don’t see any issues with that, but to fix our pets so that they actually work the way they should – nooo, can’t have that can we?

Celtus.8456:

Just had a problem with this too. Just calling out strategies, incs, etc as needed. Then suppressed for over a minute, unable to communicate with the team. This is ridiculous and unacceptable for a “competitive” pvp game.

---

Also related to team communication. Something needs to be done about the party UI and players disappearing from it when too far away on the map. And furthermore, we should be able to see all of our team mates on the map at all times AND they should have their names labeled somehow on map (or mouseover names popup). Too many things common-sense that need to be done to make communication more feasible, especially with pugs.

QFT!

Let me tell you the best kept little secret about deselecting targets, that noone seems to know about.

Under “Control options” → “Targeting”, there’s an option named “Lock Autotarget”.

Bind a key to that one (I use my Alt key) and voila – there you have your deselect target key.

By far the best and fastest method to deselect a target.

Fritz.5026:

just for an example watch this guys video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCWywAXmVP4

this was just the first video i clicked on, i did not even have to try

please explain to me how another class, such as a ranger or necromancer, could pull off the same things.

edit – the guys commentary is so funny though. “Well I noticed things were not going my way so I stealthed” … for the 100th time in less than 10 minutes.

That exact video is not one of the best to show how OP the thief class is. Those players are totally clueless, letting a single thief take them all down one by one.

That crap can only happen in wvw…

It’s a very OP build, enjoy it while it lasts.

Bryzy.2719:

problem is that the balance team will look at that and think (given their track record), ‘hmm, Rangers shouldn’t be able to do that, let’s nerf it’.

Tbh, if they’re that stupid, they can frankly GTH.

Leo G.4501:

replicacloned.2809:

Leo G.4501:

Jabronee.9465:

The reality.
A) 3 Mesmers Phantasms could hit 3k Each vs 1 Pet could that could hit about the same.
B) Illusions could be created over and over again. Pets? 2 Pets,1 Pet Active. Thats it.
C) Stealth make opponent lose target. A million Dodge wont.

Listen to Swagger.1459 Comet. He’s absolutely right there.
No point sPvping with a broken class where you could do way better with others.

C) A Ranger can stealth which is a lot more than most classes are capable of.

If you mean the one trait in the WS line that only goes off when cc’ed then yeah, sure, they can stealth every thirty seconds as long as you spend 20 points in that line.

Not exactly something to brag about, unless you happen to be into conditions/tank builds.

…and that is a lot more than most other professions are capable of.

Let’s see, thieves, mesmers and engineers can also stealth. Not only that, they can do it on demand as well, something rangers can’t except for the randomly foraged item that pigs can give you – not reliable and not even worth mentioning imho.

So, out of 8 classes, 4 have access to stealth in some form, so your argument “most other professions” aren’t true.

One small tip vs mesmers, bring a drake pet. Their AOE attacks is your friend, and even if it’s a small help it’s at least something.

I normally run with one drake pet and then the jaguar for burst.

I hope that they will allow a separate skillset to be used in wvw / pve. That’s something that should have been implemented from the start.

They also need to get rid of any costs associated with changing specs, that’s one goldsink this game doesn’t need, and for sure it doesn’t encourage players to try out different builds.

Classes that abuses the actual gameplay mechanic, as in dropping targets, are all broken by design.

Coming from GW1 and see the royal kittened up class balance in this game brings tears to my eyes. Yes, the pvp here can be fun at times, but the fact remains – if players are of the same skill, there is no class balance.

I will never accept the argument that this is a team game – balance the freakin classes for 1vs1 – simple as that.

Raine.1394:

Some great tips here but no mention of the biggest potential loss of DPS largely caused by the Ranger class.

The use of gratuitous knockbacks.

Many rangers in groups seem to use a knockback on cool-down. This is a huge problem in group play and it causes a large loss of group DPS.

Ah yes. Have done that myself a couple of times during my early dungeon running days, much to the dismay of my fellow group member and to my own big shame!

Sebrent.3625:

OGDeadHead.8326:

Sebrent.3625:

yes, this would make the trait actually worth taking.

Aye, and that’s exactly why it won’t happen.

I don’t follow your logic, but okay.

The reason I’d see it not happening for a while is an insufficient number of developers to turn out class fixes quicker, it being replaced, or an alternative fix being implemented.

Sorry, that was an atempt at some irony

Sebrent.3625:

yes, this would make the trait actually worth taking.

Aye, and that’s exactly why it won’t happen.

jcbroe.4329:

Exactly. I still can’t believe we haven’t seen an implementation of pets dodging when we dodge yet. It’s a little more than ridiculous.

That’s not the solution. I would never want that – ever. They need to come up with something else.

As for the cnd specific issue, of course they could solve this in a number of ways to not so severely punish one single class, but it’s like talking to a wall when trying to mention stuff like this.

The best games in pvp, or should I say most fun, are by far the ones without that cheap mechanic profession that doesn’t bring any fun to anyone but themselves. I’ll stand by my opinion about thieves – their class mechanic is broken to the core. I simply cannot fathom what the hell Anet were thinking when they released the thief profession like that.

It’s not so much about being able to beat them or not anymore for me, it’s just that they ruin the fun in pvp.

I should probably take a long break from this game and return in another year or so, considering the baby steps the devs keep taking when it comes to class balancing and fixing the most broken aspect of the game by far – ranger pets.

xHoudinix.4523:

Pretty much how I lose to a thief almost everytime spec’d this way. Seriously can get them to 1/4 health then gone. Then the thief comes back with the stacks of might and almost full health, while I’m hanging somewhere between and quarter and half.

Perfectly balanced in Anet’s view. They seriously don’t understand the huge advantage thieves have over rangers because of how they can abuse cnd on our pets. It truly boggles the mind when you think about it.

A totally broken game mechanic.

Yeah, it’s a strange type of lag. But they never acknowledge any flaws with their servers, so don’t sweat it.

Sebrent.3625:

Even worse … the pet provides the thief with an easy target to spam Cloak & Dagger on. If they are specced heavily in shadow arts they can be gaining 600+ hp per second while stealthed as well as stacks of might … this results in the thief being able to soft reset the fight continually through chain Cloak & Dagger and restart it with several stacks of Might … it’s dumb and a horrible oversight in my opinion.

Indeed, as are so many things with the thief class.

Sylvar.8512:

http://www.twitch.tv/saetiasc/c/1827679

Watch it and cry. You can figtht with 10+ ppl and you don’t go in stealth even once. ;D

Gaaaawd, I hate ppl recording their keyboard mashing – sounds so moronic it’s not even funny.

Spirits Unbound needs to go, spirits should follow by default.

As someone who plays both pve and pvp (but mostly the latter), I appreciate the change from a selfish pov.

Also, don’t forget that this can bring new blood to the pvp scene, ppl that might never ever have thought to try this game mode out now might get hooked.

Could keep it to hotjoin only though…

Jax.5261:

Should definitely turn the screen upside-down!

Lol yeah, and blindness should of course turn the screen black!

jubskie.3152:

OGDeadHead.8326:

There already is a stickied build thread, and even though I like and appreciate the effort, “Good” Build is a subjective state of mind, that may very well differ between different people, so why do you think this thread is needed instead of in addition to the other one we already have?

Because that other thread is limited to just builds. That doesn’t include articles and videos. Also, it’s not a “quick links” type of thread. You have to sift through different pages to find one you like. Most people don’t have patience for that.

This was originally “Compilation of Good Builds/Posts/Videos”, but I had to remove some text because I had to put that [STICKY PLS] tag.

I see. I do however think that a far better solution for the community would be something like http://pvx.wikia.com that was made for GW1. It used to be quite popular back in the day, with the option to vote for different builds.

GW2 isn’t anywhere near the versatility of GW1 when it comes to different builds, but that’s another story…

It’s good to see you around here Robert!

There already is a stickied build thread, and even though I like and appreciate the effort, “Good” Build is a subjective state of mind, that may very well differ between different people, so why do you think this thread is needed instead of in addition to the other one we already have?

Yes its an old tip, but good to remind ppl of from time to time. Think it can be found in the wonderful Ranger Tips thread (which should be stickied and read by all).

Tuluum.9638:

Be prepared to have your MIND BLOWN!!!

Well, not really.. I just like to make an entrance.

Targeting has always been an issue of mine in this game, and it is at its worst using my current Bandit build (sword/dagger and GS). After a bit of messing around with settings, I have found a pretty decent solution in the targeting options.

I figure that many already know about this, but thats ok, I sure didnt and it has almost turned it into a completely new game for me. I have finally found the functionality I was looking for. Go to Options->Control Options->then the last option in the targeting sub menu (I havent been able to run the game today due to corrupted data, thanks Anet!). If I am able to get back into the game, Ill post the exact wording (or if maybe someone else could?). The name of the option is not particularly clear, something like “Auto-Target Lock.”

Try putting it on a key that is easy to press constantly, as well as hold down for varying amounts of time. This allows you to target the highlighted mob in the center of your screen, ONLY for as long as you hold the button down. To make it even better, it can be used to deselect your current target without clicking on some “open” space on the screen (in wvw, this can be a real problem).

Try it out! Dont be discouraged because it says “auto” and “lock,” as it doesnt really do either of those things! It also appears to be more reliable in targeting who you want to target, as it will just be the enemy that is in the center of your screen, with a “highlighted” name.

Maybe not Ranger specific, but I no longer have as many issues with targeting, thats for sure!

I think this tip is a really good one, but I seem to use this a little different – I use the key bound to this function to instantly drop a target. Yes, what so many of us asked for was pretty much there all the time (I know about ESC, but that’s one crappy key to use for this).

Makes “sword-jumping” a LOT easier – try it out! Thanks for a really great tip Tuluum!

BlackhawkSOM.6401:

This really needs to have an increased duration. Two seconds being cut by 50% = one second. So they really need to increase its duration to AT LEAST 3 seconds to compensate.

Tbh, we shouldn’t settle for anything less than 4 seconds. They wanted to reduce burst, fine, but did they also mean to cut our dps by so much? Don’t really think so, and it looks like an oversight. So now this trait should be 4 seconds instead, that’s just pure logic.

I wish the devs would understand the simple logic you put up there Solandri – well written.

roadkill.3749:

they’ve fixed the 3rd downed skill after 7 months of the game being released.

From early reports, apparently not.

mursie.3681:

I totally agree Jon. Or is it Karl? I always get your account confused.

Lol!

Tuluum.9638:

I dunno, I thought it was pretty obvious the cooldown thing was a bug too..

I couldnt imagine that switching between my two pigs, constantly spawning things like elixir of heroes and AoE ethereal fields could be intended, with no CD whatsoever. To the extent that I avoided using it in combat (for WvW). Felt like cheating.

We’re talking about different things here. The one you’re [probably] thinking about is out of combat swapping, grabbing tons of stuff from pigs or boon building. That I agree on.

However, when it comes to attacks from F2 skills, then this is a major nerf again to our class. I’m sure they can fix this somehow, but the way things seems to be done around here is nerf first and don’t think all aspects through before implementing said nerf.

Nice number crunching, but a bit misleading imho. Quickness is for burst damage (or for quicker use of ressing, stomping, whatever) – it’s what it did during the 4 seconds it was running that that mattered – in short double damage (or should’ve been) during those 4 seconds from direct damage (not really in the case of the shortbow due to other things that’s already been discussed). You can’t really compare damage during the course of a minute, it’s really not of any interest when talking about abilities of this kind.
Not only have the direct damage part been nerfed, but also the ability to stack bleeds if we’re talking shortbow, the ability to stack might if talking about sword… the list affected by this goes on and on.

Nabrok.9023:

Are you serious? The cooldown thing was obviously a bug. Nice while it lasted, but I never expected it to stay.

Yeah obviously? I thought that swapping pets would, you know, reset them or something? Like give them back full health and such, and if they’re reset then perhaps their skills should reset just as well? Maybe?

Come to think of it, that must be a bug as well, so by that logic, here’s what we can expect with pets in patch soon to be released:

When you swap pets:

- They will return with what little health they had when the got swapped in
- All conditions they had, will still be there when they get swapped in again
- All boons they had will remain when swapped
- Hm, scrap that with the boons, that would be OP. It’s probably better to not allowing any boons on pets at all

Again they didn’t think things through with the consequences for the ranger. They meant to fix thief/warrior burst, saw that “heck, rangers are affected by this as well, let’s give them something in return”.

Only thing is that we got more nerfed again:

• Only 50% speedboost (affects all quickness using classes) <- Nerf
• 5 seconds of not being able to heal instead of 4 seconds <- Nerf
• Breaks stun <- Fix, bringing it up to par on how it works for other classes
• Using it as a stunbreaker means you can’t heal for 5 seconds, an eternity in pvp <- Poorly thought through and implementation
• Zephyr’s Speed now only boosts speed by 50%, same duration as before <- Nerf
• Zephyr’s Speed and Quickness affecting both ranger and pet, both got nerfed through this <- The nerf hits us harder than other classes, as usual

naphack.9346:

well, before, that one minor trait was capable of up to 13.33% overall damage increase (or 10% untraited) while also giving boosts to a ton of other actions.
I actually don’t see that much of a need to bring this 5 point(!) minor trait back to what it used to be. HOWEVER, there should be some sort of compensation for it. And I do not mean greatsword.

Buff spirits, fix sick ’em queue issues, fix some quirky pet ai behaviors, buff longbow #1 or the whole weapon while we are at it.
Then we are talking.

Zephyr’s Speed wasn’t only for damage, it was perhaps even more used for quickness stomping and quick ressing, at least for me. I’ll miss the speed for those actions more than the actual damage increase tbh.

Wonderful post Lyndis!

Lyndis.2584:

Uh…my time as a full bunker ranger never had ‘extreme physical damage pressure’ at any time whatsoever. My greatsword hit like a wet noodle. People with half a brain learned fast to kill my pet first, which made me effectively damageless and out of options as switching out from a downed pet is a minute long operation.

QFT!

Yeah they didn’t really think things through what this general nerf would mean to rangers. Even with the old version we couldn’t burst ppl down like a thief or a warrior could, not even close. Yet we get hit by the big nerfhammer (again) for something that only affected other classes.

They added 1 second and a stun breaking ability to compensate. That didn’t compensate anything.

They left our BM 5 point trait in the dirt, not even adding to the already very short duration of it. We got nerfed harder than other classes because of this.

All in all, this patch was again primarily a nerf to rangers (pet’s F2 not resetting on pet swap, why the Fxxx did they found that necessary in the first place?).

Balance team needs new blood, time to switch staff around.

This thread really should be ‘stickied’!

Leuca.5732:

Instead of gut-reacting to tell them to increase the duration, we should try playing with it as is for a few weeks.

You mean “we should try playing with it as is for a few months”?

(and then we forget how it used to be, problem solved!)

Chopps.5047:

Geez, Bri, by “fixed” I meant “invariant” or “constant”. I didn’t mean re-implemented by ANET. And it’s only changeable in the sense that ANET is considering a rework of the mechanic. Right now, as the cliche goes, it is what it is so you must conform to how the pets behave.

Regarding your point about distracting the point of the post, no I’m not. This post clearly asks about defeating mesmers. If you want to start another QQ post about pets go ahead I won’t stop you. But that’s not going to help you beat any partiular profession. You will only beat yourself.

Seriously, I shouldn’t reply to your trolling anymore, but honestly – are you for real?!?

Sol, don’t feed the troll anymore (Chopps), since (s)he’s clueless. I will start reporting his/her posts, since they’re classic trolling posts that kitten es people off by going off topic and trying to imply people don’t know anything.

It’s annoying and tiresome.

ChillyChinaman.6057:

2) Learn and adapt. Trapper weren’t discovered until recently even though they haven’t been touched since beta.

Lol what?!?

Electro.4173:

And it even kind of makes sense, if Sic’Em is sending your pet into a rage then I guess giving them another command snaps them out of it.

Hm, not sure what you mean by this, but using F2, different buffs and so on and thereby canceling the Sic’Em effect is nothing more than a yet another very annoying bug that plagues the ranger class.

Apparently, you didn’t read the first post since it was I that posted that one.

The issue wasn’t about winning or loosing to a mesmer, the issue was that our pets miss most of their attacks, while mesmer “pets” hits with theirs. Reread first post, thank you.

I’ve played several hundreds if not thousands of pvp matches, and I know this is a very real issue with our pets.

I don’t know what my keybindings has to do with anything in this regard, but for the record yes I’ve setup a custom key/mousebind, as have most likely the majority of pvp players at least.

Chopps, give me a break. You post a lot but nothing of what you posted is either new or of any use here, since nothing helps sorting out the main issue – my pet misses most of its attacks vs a moving mesmer, while his clones on the other hand have a far easier time damaging me. And don’t come here insinuating bad pet management plz.

Geshque.1326:

I can disappoint you, but there will be no significant changes to ranger just as always. Though many will be glad about the AR res which I BELIEVE will be implemented at last, but it is so obvious, that such bug should have never even existed.

Still, a lot will claim that particular bugfix to be another buff for rangers!

Entangle is pretty much only useful vs other rangers!

Well not really, but almost. This elite is so easy to completly avoid/get out of for many classes it’s not even funny. Especially thieves and eles step right out of it. For an elite with 150 seconds cd, you’d hoped for a little more bang for the buck.

A bunch of games today once again confirmed how incredibly flawed the pet system is. Me vs mesmer, I lock my pet onto him, and he spawns a bunch of clones and illusions. They hit me constantly for severe damage, I do my best to dodge and avoid them but they’re in my face all the time, all this while I’m trying to keep track of the real mesmer.

Meanwhile, my pet has yet to land even a single attack. This is despite me trying to cripple the real mesmer (too short duration) and my pet running faster thanks to signet of the hunt. It’s simply too easy to kite our pets for a player that know what (s)he’s doing. I can easily kite other rangers pets, but mesmers spammable “pets” it’s a lot harder to avoid.

This little button always tends to send me to one of the following:

1. A server with 2-3 players on it

2. A map where people only duel

Any chance you can fix this, Anet?

Jaguar blows the lynx out of the water if used in melee range, and using quickness swap activated F2, since it’s one of very few pets that you can actually do that with.

All leap attacks will miss their target if using swap+F2 instantly.

Other than that, all felines should be identical when not counting the F2. Snow leopard vs lynx (F2) = cc vs dmg.