Guild Wars 2

I would like to start a healthy discourse about improving tpvp. I believe these suggestions could improve WVW as well. This is not a troll and feel free to disagree but please post your “better” suggestions.

1. Burst from the most bursty specs or professions need to be capped at something more reasonable. Give me a number. I suggest no more than 6k damage on 2k toughness within 2 seconds. Right now we’re seeing 10k+ by a few specs. This change would allow profs to diversify into their power/crit or utility specs.

2. Decrease stealth uptime for thieves. They should not be near-perma stealthed and they should always be fighting a timer before they have to disengage. Cd’s should not reset so quickly and the thief needs to be punished for failing to burst someone down.

3. Mesmers are awesome and shatter needs to be nerfed until other builds are just as appealing. This recent blunder is a great opportunity to make shatter less of a necessity.

4. D/d ele needs to be less good so we see staff and s/d again. Reduce tank by reducing boon (and stability) uptime.

5. Reduce bunker effectiveness. Hit the guard with the nerf bat one more time. In the knee cap. Engie, ranger and necro are in a decent spot.

6. Team DM.

Agree or disagree but please be constructive.

Yeah this thread is a nice attempt but until the current meta’s best builds are nerfed we wont be seeing any diversity in tpvp. Shatter mesmer, d/d ele and bunker guard need a swift whack with the nerfbat. BS damage needs to be reduced by 20% straight up, and stealth abilities cds need to be increased. Aoe damage needs heavy nerfing.

Warrior, ranger, engie, necro are balanced between each other imo.

No im not failing to take that into account. I run a beastmaster in tpvp. Gs does nothing to improve your pet. It does aoe in a wide arc so it’s great for facerolling through PvE but in pvp it’s just a tanking/utility weapon.

Aveneo.2068:

Khenzy.9348:

Zenith.7301:

PvP split, please….

No, You can stack an absurd amount of crit damage in PvE gear, if anything, this is too much (for WvW) too (and even worse).

So the Thief can still roam free as the undisputed living god in WvW, spiking people where they like from stealth; but a Mesmer (that needs to build himself up to that level first and can be countered easily) needs a nerf? Funny…

I hope they realize how ridiculous thieves are in wvw.theyre bearable in spvp but the infinite stealth and evasion, and godly burst are just getting silly

SoW active is amazing with SoB trait

very nice build l use something similar in tpvp. l go 30 in wilderness and 30 in BM. Also why no jaguar?

Thanks J for the quick response, lots of love.

just another thief, nothin to see here folks. move along.

XiL.4318:

Instead of finding a solution to the problems they have with player retention they should turn the Mists into Trial Island and focus on volume?

This is why developers should ignore 99.9837427586234758962% of all player feedback.

they will learn this eventually.

i think signets should give both the pet and the player the effects by default, without SoB trait.

i tested the kitten out of GS. it’s only good for bunkering. utility weapons dont have much of a role in this game. swords just hit like wet noodles, you’ll never kill anyone who has some skill. even for bunkering, it’s better to go offensive and just do a lot of condition damage.

if they buffed GS #1 damage by about 150% then it might be a useful weapon. as things stand now, it’s just pointless to use it.

they still havent addressed the viability of shouts. there is still no reason to put any of them on my bar. wastes sigil/trap/survival slots.

thieves and mesmers are causing 50% of the grief for most casuals. the other half is caused by the game mode and lack of balance for it.

i really like the downed state. it adds an additional layer of strategy to the game. if anything, they need to nerf things like stealth/mist stomps, stealth rezzing, crap like that.

not really feeling the current pace of balance changes. there are glaring issues that needed to be nipped in the bud STAT, yet it’s taking months now to address things like build stagnancy, major bugs, thief and mesmer burst, aoe damage, and bunkers. on top of this, we’re forced to play this control point mode which should have been introduced later.

yea thats pretty much what i do, except i trade off undead runes for lich to get more vitality. in utilities i always have Lightning Reflexes and SoW, third being whatever i need (SoH for roaming, sometimes muddy terrain). i dont use Protect Me as I prefer my pets alive at all times for dps and regen.

in theory, dolyak runes/sword/dagger/GS/dogs would give most survivability, hands down. but i prefer to be a threat by stacking bleeds with axe/dagger/SB and cats. two different styles.

i thought about trying some power bunker builds with signets, but they just dont seem as good, even on paper.

that ranger “bunker” build isnt a bunker. for a true bunker build u need Vigorous Renewal and 900+ healing. due to investment in wilderness, it makes sense to equip shaman’s and just go conditions along with the vigor regen bunker. and your pet hits like a truck too.

as for the GS, it’s a great utility weapon but hits like a wet noodle and doesnt synergize too well with conditions. the condi bunker can actually kill, so in a sense, you have less people to tank.

i see what youre trying to do though, it’s appreciated.

Raytek.6193:

Unfortunately there is a huge lack of viable builds in PvP. Pretty much your only viable options are:

Ranger: Traps, Double invulnerability glass cannon

traps suck. the bleed stacking bunker beastmaster is a better roamer, bunker and duelist, bringing more utility to the table.

i thought about this setup. is it effective? whats your role? i see you as being way too squishy, and not having a role outside of keep defense and maybe chasing down runners in smaller engagements.

you brought up a good point. gearing up for wvw is a major pain, for the ranger anyway. builds that are effective in pvp arent that effective in pve and vice versa. i roll a glass cannon guardian and he excels in both with one set of gear.

i will likely stick to a tanky condition build as i can stomp pve in it and do well in wvw at the same time.

i just dont understand how they could let such a ridiculous thing go live in the first place. they can still redeem themselves by acting swiftly, but i doubt this is gonna happen.

Dante Dragonhand.2538:

nerva.7940:

lol. each to their own i guess but ranger is anything but weak. i find ranger bunker the funnest bunker in the game. bleed stacking tanky builds are way superior to traps and you bring a ton of utility for your team. that being said, i dont touch LB.

Anet made it so rangers can bunker quite well now, but that and condi are about it. Idc about those builds, rangers ranged combat is weak as kitten, and thats where it gets me. Even if they buffed ranger damage idk if Ill go back, they would probably have to rework the longbow or shortbow to be worth using. Otherwise Ill get my sniper kicks from rifle warrior who can do it without needing to be reliant on a kitten kitten pet.

power burst signet builds are quite strong as well i believe. havent tested yet because theyre sort of gimmicky, and CD-dependent. but SB is a very strong weapon, for both condi, survivability and power builds. marks/BM regen pet build is something i wanted to play with.

agreed, kiting 6 people in WvW contributes nothing. im looking for effective builds that can down people. i like the idea of building a duelist, or a lockdown skirmisher for those pesky eles and thieves.

unfortunately JSharp has informed us that we have to put up with this silliness for an undisclosed period of time while they “watch it very closely”. /end thread.

thanks guys. i think im just gonna stick with small skirmishes and chasing down runners. maybe a power/BM build might work. wvw is a totally different game for the ranger.

i tried LB out in the mists and it’s just so weak (compared to rifle lets say). i might do something like SB/GS for the mobility.

lol. each to their own i guess but ranger is anything but weak. i find ranger bunker the funnest bunker in the game. bleed stacking tanky builds are way superior to traps and you bring a ton of utility for your team. that being said, i dont touch LB.

the other two heals pale in comparison with HS. TU sucks because it doesnt help you when youre being burst down, whereas HS does. i would pick HaO over TU.

Healing spring:
-scales incredibly well with +healing
-removes all cond on application
-each pulse generates regen, and vigor via Vigorous Renewal
-anything that improves boon duration improves your healing output

the only limitation is you have to stay within the skill’s boundary, but it’s large and ive never had issues. with two energy sigils, lightning reflexes, and protection on dodge roll, you have near perma rolling and protection for like 30 seconds.

so imagine just adding empathic bond to this. you’ll hardly ever have conditions on you, unless youre being focused. if youre going full bunker, SoR basically seals the deal. but i find it unnecessary.

I run a tanky condi/BM build in tpvp and i love it. it’s highly effective. however, when i look at wvw, i just dont see the ranger doing all that well. my GS/hammer meditation guardian is a beast and can literally jump into a crowd of 20, down 5 people and jump out. i dont see myself doing that on the ranger, who is a great duelist.

what is the ranger’s role in wvw and what are some effective builds? i can only see the ranger exceling in three areas: small gang skirmishes, chasing down runners, and keep defense. the latter i dont care for. are power builds effective? i see them as being really gimmicky.

even though GW2’s pvp isnt perfect, and wont be for a while, it is hands down the best pvp any MMo has ever offered, so we should be thankful for that.

It will get worse if they keeping pushing out ludicrous changes like shattered strength

Lol mirror blade? Most if not all mesmers in tpvp use sword/pistol/staff because there is no reason to use anything else. People are complaining because they made an op build broken. But youre right, the build itself is problematic. Might stacking just makes it stupid.

I think it’s time for devs to explain the thought process behind this change and what the plan is to remedy the problem. Everyone is hating this. Even mesmers.

Levetty, do you play tpvp? What prof and spec? What would you recommend to some of the top tpvpers to deal with shatter mesmers? Khamal clearly explained why it’s not really possible to avoid or mitigate most of the shatterer’s burst.

I dont think this guy did any tpvp

build was already strong, if not too strong. no one wanted or asked for 20 might stacks. no thank you sirs.

people wanted some build diversity. yes please.

so i guess by now we know that the Shattered Strength buff that gives 3 stacks of might per illusion shatter is not a bug, which is unfortunate. this buff to the best dueling build in the game was completely uncalled for, and is causing many of us to question the direction of spvp development. not that there were many (if any) other viable mesmer builds at high level of play…this buff totally crushes everything else.

why did mesmers get this buff, and are there any plans to make any other builds viable at high end tpvp? players want diversity. mesmers in tpvp dont want to be overpowered.

free tourney queues are still good, so i think the spvp community has sort of leveled off. but expect a huge influx once ratings and custom arenas are out. GW2 would be money if it had team DM format.

i run a 0/0/30/10/30 build with shaman’s in tpvp. healing power 944. with SoW, compassion training and Natural Healing, your pet will heal for about 480HPS. you will regen at 119/s from the signet and roughly 60/s from Natural Healing. so assuming you go 30 into BM, you’ll be regening at ~180hps. over a 20 second engagement, thats an extra 3600 health. with 2100 toughness, thats a lot of mitigated damage.

SoW is only worth it if stacked with other healing effects on a vigor/regen bunker build. the beautiful part is when SoW, Natural Healing, regen, and Spirit of Nature all tick at the same time. it adds up to about 900HPS.

so on a bunker, you might as well equip the signet. anything else, not worth it.

Powerr.3649:

Engineer bunkers like nerva mentioned are strong and we are thinking about running one ourselves potentially once people catch on how to counter us.

ahh i was actually talking about ranger bunkers. i run a versatile 0/0/30/10/30 regen/vigor build with almost 1k condition damage. havent had issues holding a point against two people (yet). it’s highly mobile and has tons of survivability in large fights, all the while stacking bleeds like a champ.

Powerr.3649:

-deathmatch and moba game modes

and yus plz

GS doesnt do terrible damage. it’s a power/precision weapon that does aoe damage in an arc. use it accordingly.

HappinessFactory.4910:

But khalifa lots of classes have bugs and useless traits, i mean i play ranger and the only build i can convince myself to play is traps.

traps is meh and brings no utility for your team. 0/0/30/10/30 condi regen vigor bunker is ridiculous good and imo every team should have one. can be played as roamer, or bunker. does some serious damage and cant die in 1v1.

Klazmaunt.2591:

nerva.7940:

Klazmaunt.2591:

As a ranger, we aren’t labeled as beastmasters.

my beastmaster would like to disagree with you. 30 in BM is ridiculously good.

Did you read my post at all?

Move along.

maybe i did and i found it so ridiculous that i decided to ignore most of the information in it?

a condition bunker ranger can wipe the floor with just about any prof/spec, 1v1. can even kill other bunkers with correct timing. i dont have any issues with shatter facerollers in tpvp.

Klazmaunt.2591:

As a ranger, we aren’t labeled as beastmasters.

my beastmaster would like to disagree with you. 30 in BM is ridiculously good.

empathic bond and healing spring, you dont need anything else. with SoR, youre basically immune to conditions.

Bellocchi.4593:

Alad QB.8904:

So, what happened after the patch? Do melee pets really hit moving targets now?

No.

uh yes, theyre doing quite well, as long as they have some sort of movements buff (traited, or SoH). it’s a lot harder to juke them, but it requires more work for sure.

mine’s working. getting 177 with compassion training.

KansasFF.9410:

So I disagree with selected answer. I think ELE is UP if you consider the ‘skill’ to play the class (maybe a bit OP on some D/D specs). I think Ranger is now very powerful, but haven’t seen enough to call them OP. All I know is in paids I sure see a lot of rangers now. I also think Necro is pretty insane because of DS regen being so damn high.

tanky condi ranger can easily be added to any tpvp comp now, as either a roamer or bunker. this patch has made bleed stacking a lot more effective without relying on utilities. pets are overall significantly more reliable.

the one mistake they keep on making is keeping some builds too strong relative to others of the same prof. condi wellmancer, d/d thief/ele and shatter mesmer are kept status quo. for the 4 profs, these builds so effective that other builds are simply dismissed. the margin musnt be so large that people notice one build totally overpowering others. id like to see other builds brought up to the same level, without nerfing these necessarily.

imagine…banner warriors, dagger power/siphon necros, sword/sword mesmers, etc., all being viable in tpvp. when i see a ranger in tpvp, i know hes gonna be condi. when i see a necro, i know he’s gonna be wellmancer/staff. when i see mesmer i know hes gonna be shatter. we need more to play with, and these changes are just taking so long. luckily, my ranger (originally main) will be keeping me occupied indefinitely.

my suggestion is SB/double axe, traps, conditions and BM.

good for tanky builds for vitality and boon duration. there are two traits that are useful (prot on hit doing >10% of health, and increased regen duration).

i would have said mesmer as well, but i destroyed a bunch of shatter kitten in tpvp on my tanky condi ranger. hm. i guess they needs moar might stackz. kill illusions. stack conditions. stay out of storm. profit.

2 stacks per shatter is a lot more reasonable. shatter mesmers did not require any buffs