Guild Wars 2

No point in running a Condi build when there’s a necro or engi in the party. I can’t apply those conditions better than the engi. Of there’s a necro or engi I switch traits and gear to DPS as the priority. Until they remove Condi caps might as well go DPS since other classes do Condi better… Man, that sounds familiar.

Great to me as we would get to doll out 100% of our damage vs splitting it with the AI controlled pet. I’d be quite happy with it.

I can’t believe the amount of QQ’ing from PvPers that caused the pet nerf in the first place.

I use red Moa on passive for fury. That’s it as far as birds go.

jmatb.6307:

At this point after 1400 tournament games and 3 champion class titles I am completely sick of passive benefits from traits and “skills” that give people an advantage by doing nothing but activate or not activate a skill.

I think traits need to be a series of active choices to choose from. More like Improvisation (steal recharges utilities) than Dagger Training (5% damage from daggers).

Signets, Spirits, Minions, and all other set and forget utilities ought to be reworked to be viable only in PvE.

I believe that the person who knows how to position, use active skills, and win through proper use of team work and tactics without riding passive bonuses ought to be the winner.

When two spirit rangers, two aoe spammers, and a guardian dominate matches that is complete garbage. They are not good players – they have lazy but strong builds.

I want active traits and utilities for every profession in PvP and all the passive junk put into PvE, where that kind of thing is needed to scale with enemy mobs.

Shove that thinking, that believing, and that wanting right back up your bum where it came from. My ranger has been nerfed enough in PVE and WvW because you and other Pvpers QQ’ing like jackwagons. That it is kitten ing me off that you QQ for nerfs like a Whiney bee with a bad itch instead of adapting and getting better. L2P or GTFO.

Zerker gear isn’t the problem. It is a game mechanic problem. That’s been stated more than a few times. Your hate for zerkers is misplaced. You should be hating Anet for making DPS king if anything.

It’s account bound until you equip it. Once you equip it, it is soulbound.

Sedoks.3576:

no Largos! WE NEED KODAN RACE!

That’s what I’m hoping for.

Then they’d lose out on selling gems for people to spend on opening up bank space.

I’m not going to lie. That made me laugh.

I’m doing something similar. I am making the celestial gear set w/ascended trinkets matching set. Going to run scholar runes and zerker weapons. Zerker SB, LB, sword+horn or axe+horn depending on the situation. 20/25/5/20/0. My marksman and skirmish traits are the same as above. I am also running concentration training and something else I can’t remember at the moment. This is a new build for me.

1. COF
2. COE
3. AC
4. All the rest

That’s how popularity falls for most of the people I run with on a consistant basis.

Wow. Those twits really néed … This is a legit L2P issue. I swear if rangers get nerfed again because some jackwagons can’t get their stupid shaaaaat together because they can’t be bothered to figure out how to win against a build. Just might have to give it up after Anet double-fists with the nerf bats. Which will surely happen since they cater to PvP above all else.

Whats funny is that my Wife mains a mesmer. She pugged COF P1 with four engis and she said it was as fast as running it with four wars (in terms of PuGs anyway).

I enjoy the warrior, and I’ve tried 6 of the other classes… but I still end up coming back to my ranger in the end despite the uber we-todd-ed AI controlled pet.

You’re going to be changing gear a lot. I usually keep two sets on me at all times. PPCondi and PPMF or PPCondi or PPT. Eventually I’ll have a set of Celestial and stop switching and settle into the Jack of All Trades — Master of None roll the ranger fills nicely.

Now-a-days I switch weapons and pets a lot. Usually I’m running a sword/horn or axe/horn or gs in combo with a shortbow or longbow with either ppMF gear or ppcondi gear. My traits I have settled on 20/30/20/0/0. With most of it concentrating on upping DPS. I don’t have the game infront of me but I know I use the cool down traits for bows and swords. I will switch out to the trappers expertise when I need to do some tagging (like @ Claw of Jormag). I use QZ, Sharpen Edges (the one with the bleed for the next five hits), and the condi removing signet or the speed increasing signet both of which I only use for the passive. I use entangle or roa depending situation as well. It’s not like my warrior that I have kitted up for dungeons and that’s pretty much where he stays traits and equipment wise. For my ranger, the jack of all trades and master of none, I’m going all celestial so my weapons and traits determine the build type. I think it’s going to work out well in most situations since being melee gets the most DPS gotta have some survivability… but doing that with traits I give up too much DPS. Of course, I may end up being wrong or I may end up really loving it. Don’t know until I get there I guess. Then again I am one of those that wants a perma-stow then gain buff option from pets. If I got that I’d be too busy playing the game to ever get on the forums again. Speaking of pets, I normally run with stalker, jag, red moa, or devourers. Stalker and moa usually stay on passive as I just need them for those F2 abilities.

And I really don’t like the condition build. I’ve been testing it out the past few weeks and overall it takes longer to kill things than direct damage. I just can’t get the numbers pour off. I guess it goes back to the jack of all trades and master of none deal. Well, I guess would could be considered the masters of regen??? For whatever that is worth.

One pet wish? Perma-stow.

If you don’t want the chest from AP then don’t do them. This isn’t 3rd grade. Don’t punish everyone for the one.

Vayne.8563:

aspirine.6852:

Vayne.8563:

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

Bartas.4908:

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

With the pvp reqs for monthlies, I’ve never completed one. Oh well I guess….

Uh what? Since when we must do pvp/wvw to finish monthly?

There used to always be a ‘get x kills in wvw’ req in the monthlies. Although, perhaps not now since they changed them a bit. I’ve stopped paying attention to them, since WvW wasn’t really my thing.

You only have to do four of the monthlies to complete your monthly. I think it’s been like that since February. The monthlies have been pretty easy since then. I usually get them on like day 3 or 4.

day 3 or day 4? Ok they are not hard but you need another hobby..

This month someone got the monthly on day 1. Seriously it really hasn’t been that hard. If you WvWed last month you’d have the player kills, the veteran kills and the events easily over a weekend.

Yeah. I completed them on day one of the month by running 8 dungeons. I didn’t even know I was doing it until the achievement popped up.

Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t spam AA on any weapon. It must be a minority that does this. AA is just a get-me-by between skills on all my weapons. I know from experience it takes a considerable amount of time longer to take things down on a CC ranger than it does a Zerker Warrior in PVE.

The spcific issue is that it was nerfed because of one specific pvp build. Instead of splitting pets from pvp/pve-wvw which would solved the problem, they nerfed pets on both sides of the field. Any DPS nerf hurts in a game where DPS is king.

It’d be nice if they’d stop being lazy and just split pvp/pve pets…. or just pvp and pve in general.

Chopps.5047:

The pet/player relationship is likely close to where they like it.

If that’s true, then it is a very very sad day for Rangers indeed.

I can’t fathom a ranger’s shout build being fantastic for anything other than map completion where you have to run so much from place to place. Guard is a waste in WVW when a cc trapper is so much more effective. I’d go with a bunker BM before I went with a shout build. Sure, with a shout build you might stay alive longer, but if you’re doing crap damage, then it doesn’t matter cause you’re not going to bring anyone down.

Hope in one hand and **** in the other and see which one fills up first.

I like running dungeons and the ranger isn’t the best at that because PVE and Dungeons really are about the DPS. The more damage you can put out the better. It really is that simple. That being said, I still enjoy playing my ranger the most in PVE. I enjoy the mechanics of the weapons and skills the most. Sucks it seems to take so much longer to kill things than with my zerker warrior, but hey, it’s more enjoyable to me. There’s still faults with the pets that kitten me off with severe regularity almost to the point of deleting my ranger, but I already invested so much time/gold into it I couldn’t bring myself to delete. I’ll cling to the hope that the current balance team is fired and a new one brought in that actually likes the ranger and wants to make it better. That a new balance team will balance PVE around PVE. That a new balance team will balance PVP around PVP. That a new balance team will balance WvW around WvW… I’ll hope in one hand and **** in the other and see which one fills up first, though.

On 2nd thought, I am going to run either dwayna or dolyak runes. Although, I like the idea of the grove runes with that immob but I dunno. I am starting to get the celestial ascended trinkets. Already got all the crystals I need so now it’s a matter of making all the charged crystals to make the armor.

Shiren.9532:

Leave it alone. Last time ArenaNet did an animation fix they nerfed the DPS of the best ranger weapon. Leave it alone.

Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing

I’ll be getting a set. It’ll be replacing my current magic find gear set.

Laiboch.4380:

Best way to resolve the issues with pets…

Allow rangers to put them away and get a damage bonus equal to what the pet is supposed to provide.

Problem solved.

Perma-stow for damage buff, you say!? Sign me the phark up!!!!

hyjaxxx.1584:

i just turned off my auto attack , then set a macro to my naga so when i hold down the button as opposed to pressing it , it runs through the attack steps like auto. so you have the best of both worlds and no animation lag or lock up.

I thought of that a few weeks ago and just haven’t gotten around to putting it on my nostromo as my naga is all utilities and menus. What delay are you using?

I don’t think I’d play such games.

And yeah, I want to run dungeons as efficiently as possible. Time vs Reward.

I just don’t want to feel bad for bringing my ranger into a dungeon. And the balance team doesn’t seem to want to help with that.

Sol.4310:

This was a very good SOTG, the recent patch has put the ranger in a very good place.

Pet nerf why would they need to speak about that when it was one of best things they done.

SB nerf I could agree with that, SB on thief is 900 why isn’t ours 900.

What I got out of this SOTG was the ranger is only going to get better. Just allot of players here seem to jump on the negative bandwaggon.

If we as rangers spent more time thinking and putting forward good idea’s like most of the other forums we might just get listened to.

Not sure if serious….

Totally didn’t get the sarcasm at first. Had to watch it again.

bezim bezec.8635:

4. Having more than one controllable skill for a pet would be too hard for new players
This is true.. but there are other reasons why aswell

Like what? What other reasons? Please, enlighten me. I can’t think of any. If they are too lazy/stupid to figure out the classes core mechanic they can play another class. I hate the fact that we are being held back for an artificially created BS reason.

Shiren.9532:

SynfulChaot.3169:

So no, I disagree that the LB is more powerful. It has gotten more powerful, but not yet as powerful as the SB.

I tested as I want more reason to use my longbow, but it’s still not the weapon du jour for rangers until it receives more positive attention.

Or until the shortbow receives more negative attention. Cause that’s how you balance a game, right?

Didn’t Jon Sharp say in one of those STOG videos thakittens a matter of changing perceptions than actually balancing things… or something to that effect? Basically (what I remember) is some BS about it is easier to change the way people view things than to actually fix the friggin problem. That kitten ed me off. Of course, Jon Sharp seems to know NOTHING when it comes to the ranger anyway. Who is over class balance anyway?

If they would do in GW2 what they did in GW1 then I wouldn’t care about STOG. Only because they HAVE NOT split them 100% do I care whats going on in the PvP side of things. I watch to know what nerfs are coming the ranger way in PVE/Dungeons more than anything.

planetarian.9154:

Currently when I run with fellow rangers they do not bother to Target/Return/Stow and sometimes even swap pets unless its dead, if a few people have problems with managing their basic f1-f4 skill. Giving them full control of their pets would be chaotic, but It would be nice if they gave us more control our pets with the ranger being able to turn it on or off. I would have way more DPS if my hawk just slashed all day long(PVE)

On the other hand giving rangers more control of their pets in TPVP/PVP would be amazing but as it is right now other classes complain that we have a over powered downed skill/ we can use our pets while downed, So why can “I” not use my minions/my phantoms/ my f1-f4 skill while i am down.

Yes, lets hold everyone back because a few people can’t be bothered to learn to micro manage the core mechanic of the class. Yes. YES! That makes fantastic sense! Like in grade school. Punish the class because one idiot decided to act up.

You know what would solve this? Let me perma-stow my pet. Then I, or any new comer to the class, won’t have to worry about micro-managing it.

I can dig it! I’d be happy with that. Extremely happy as a matter of fact.

Here’s a good suggestions thread on it:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Improving-Ranger-Pet-Mechanics

Chopps.5047:

obal.3218:

It doesn’t matter in the long run. Rangers have terrible skills to choose from and offer so little utility value. All they can bring is dps which is out classed by other professions. Unless there is an expansion in which new skills and such are introduced they will always be bad in comparison to other classes.

You should just cut your losses and raise a better profession for pve. I loved ranger in gw1 during prophecies but after that they were a bad class and thankfully it swayed me from making this class last in gw2.

No dude you’re completely wrong. The way you slam rangers makes me regret every playing with you before. As far as I can tell, you’re completely uninformed and just another elitist.

Ranger is better in dungeons now with boon sharing in companion’s might insane buff. I don’t know how you “experts” overlooked that but you’d puke if you knew how much damage ranger can do now. But instead you will thrust your fingers into your ears and say LA LA LA. You know why? Because you live in LA LA land.

Moving from last place to 2nd to last place still sucks.

Good luck keeping your pet alive in the new dungeon @ the laser room lulz

Unless they improve they loot tables making it worth the time/effort to kill them, I’ll skip those mobs too.

Kal Spiro.9745:

thefantasticg.3984:

Yeah, Kal… That’d be nice if the mechanic was worth a kitten , but it isn’t. Just an NPC running will keep a pet from hitting it. Die so quickly to AOE that it is stupid. I love the ranger play style but I hate being tied to a broken mechanic. That’s the difference between the Ranger and the other classes. If they refuse to fix the pathing, ai, no dodges, and lack of aoe reduction give me the option not to use the broken mechanic.

I hear this a lot, but don’t experience it. So I can’t help but attribute it to poor ability of the player rather than a real problem with the game or mechanic. Your pet IS an NPC, as such they have the same flaws that all NPCs have. Incidentally, hitting moving targets are a consistent problem. At the same time, there are plenty that can hit. I’ve never seen my eagle have difficulty dropping a fleeing flow, and at least one of the Devourers is a ranged attacker. In most cases this is only a problem in PvP and I support different rules for PvP as long as they are actually different and not effecting me.

Lack of dodging and AoE resistance is only really relevant when fighting bosses, and that is more a problem with how bosses are designed. But I wouldn’t be averse to some way to get my pet to dodge. At the same time, it should be an either or. Either you can make them dodge, OR they have a way to handle the damage better, but honestly since the update just before the Southsun events my Brown Bear has a very hard time getting himself killed, even in the middle of a ring of fire that used to kill him the week before.

So again, it seems more a problem with the player not using the pets that are needed for the situation, and then getting upset when those pets they are using are not working out.

In any case, I’d rather a pet randomly running around doing whatever it needs to do, to a kit that makes me either using my pet as if it were a weapon, as I’m reading this suggestion, or not have a pet at all. I know how to control my pet, as it is. I’ve been very successful at it. Just because (pronoun) haven’t does not mean the mechanic is bad. Try getting better, or try a different class that will probably suit you better, like Warrior. And for those who want to play Ranger over Warrior for visual asthetics, you have no place complaining about how it plays.

I would also like to throw in there that pets don’t aggro anymore. Hell, they barely manage to pull aggro on the things they’re fighting, like they’re supposed to, but they absolutely don’t pull aggro on anything that isn’t already aggroing on you. This is tested and confirmed multiple times.

I want my pets to do damage. Devourers and spiders have terribad damage compared to cats and birds. That swoop though just kills me on how long the animation takes. In PVE/Dungeons, DPS is king. That is fact. So, 95-99% of situations will require DPS’ing down targets. So, to do more DPS with our broken mechanic, it has to be melee thus in the way of aoe. For calling it back to work properly (I was forced to make a dodge macro since the devs, like Jon Sharp, have said we shouldn’t have too much control over our pets) I have to be ranged, that means I’m doing less damage. Devs have said melee will always do greater damage than ranged. The pet needs to be able to dodge AOE on its’ own or give me the command to make it dodge when needed. On that same point, why hasn’t peace/attack been given a keybind? Much faster than hitting it with the mouse cursor. And yes, we know about pets and aggro. That was a step in the right direction. One of the few things that was done right with pets, but it shouldn’t end there.

I have a warrior and I like the style of play. I just don’t like it as much as I like the ranger and it’s weapon sets/skills. I know how to use my ranger and pets for what I want to do. Ask anyone in my guild or the circle of friends I constantly play with. I am limited by the NPC Ai the pet has and its’ abilities. If I didn’t want my pets to die yet still do something I’d have to use a ranged pet, but damage is one thing they would be doing very little of.

The new dungeon…. Man, if I want to torture my pet or group I’d bring my ranger. Without being able to permanetly stow my pet the laser room would consistantly be eating the pet (until it comes to the minute that both would be dead and unable to be swapped). The last boss and the random circles of death from the cannon pirates would also eat the pets. This is a very good case, albeit specific situation, where stowing a pet for battle would be incredibly useful… Then again you were just talking about using pets for specific situations, right? Sometimes it is just as important NOT having a pet.

Happy for you that you don’t experience the vast amount of difficulties that many of us other rangers have.

Not so much a video of how OP rangers are, but how bad other players can be.

Still doesn’t warrant a nerf.

After playing the new dungeon on my warrior I wouldn’t torture my pet or my group by bringing my ranger in there…

Said no one ever

Chopps.5047:

thefantasticg.3984:

Chopps.5047:

Aden Celeste.3650:

hyjaxxx.1584:

I dont think thats what he is saying at all. he was just letting people that were previously playing a BM bunker that it is still a viable choice.

this patch has the ranger community in an uproar..and in all reality..it took me 20min to discover a new build that is even better then pre patch.

for those who have a Chub for Short Bow, this is a small setback. so its time to think outside the box. find new ways to close and open gaps..new ways to snare and root..pull..push ect.

We can figure this out..together!

Jaxx

Hey Jaxx, I would love to agree with you. And while you were able to search for your perfect build, can you tell me with all honestly that rangers weren’t hit hard by this patch? You are not disappointed at all in some of our traits that go unnoticed? I mean, what kind of purpose would a trait that creates a healing spring on death have? If my pet is my other half of my damage… why the uncompensated nerf? Why did the vigor regeneration trait be moved to a grand master trait?

I use circle of life in havoc because I’m the healer. I try to get aggro and I try to take pressure off my team mates in our small roaming squad. In the event I get focused down, I still heal my allies. By the way, the extra healing spring appears when you down not when you die. So it’s actually really good. In small fights—especially tpvp—downing a player is only half the battle. Stomping and resurrection plays a huge part in the meta.

How many professions immediately penalize your team for downing them? Circle of life, hakuna matata, it’s a wonderful phrase.

Expand your mind, consider the team dynamic. You’re a ranger but you don’t have to be alone anymore. Rangers got a massive buff and a few more excellent builds to work with. The wilderness survival/beastmastery ball and chain is gone. Now bears are something worth taking (they got no damage nerf at all). ANET dealt with several problems at once using traits that already exist while giving us a new grandmaster that’s also obscene for wvw in nature’s voice in havoc. No need to waste air fields or blasts anymore, save them for battle.

Finally: natural vigor is still 5 points in WS and still one of the best 5 point traits in the game. Engi’s have to spend 30 and take a grandmaster for the exact same thing. I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of zephyr’s speed.

I read this and I can’t help but think “Chopps is obviously thinking from a WvW/PVP point of view. That is the only reason that he could possibly not see the overall damage nerf with the Ranger. Or he is just the eternal optimist and refuses to see anything that he precieves as negative.” Cause when DPS is king in 99.99% of PVE/Dungeons, this patch was not a good thing. I really see it the made other things better by brining something’s down.

Ranger DPS is higher in dungeons now due to:

1) piercing arrows
2) insane buff to companion’s might that we got
3) high crit chance

Which leads to almost instant 25 stack might on pets. I think maneck described it as always on rampage as one for the pet. And it basically is. It’s sick. I’m still use drake and that drake is now a cold blooded killer. Have you lightening breathed a boss with 25 stack might from crit’ing adds? You can visually see the health bar drop faster. It’s nuts.

See my Mighty Ranger High Level FOTM thread for more information.

I don’t want to play a Beastmaster. I want to play a ranger. A DPS ranger at that. It’s sad that the highest DPS build I have used is built around buffing the crap out of cats. When my main damage source relies on a broken AI that is a red flag to me. Sadly, I didn’t read up before I picked the class and just have into the hope that eventually the pet would be able to be perma-stowed and ranger buffed. Sadly, I’ve given up that hope. It takes a lot longer to kill things with my bows than my swords. Can’t call the pet back to a safe distance if I’m right there meleeing. I’m tired of working around a broken mechanic (and until it can dodge an aoe attack it will remain in the broken status). Why should I have to work twice to four times as kitten my ranger than I do on my warrior to get the same reward? It will always be this way until the PVE/dungeon mechanic of DPS is king is no longer the core.

One thing is true: RNG loves my ranger. Two precursors in two months from the forge? Nah. I will keep him as long as the same RNG machine is running. Right now I’m on my ranger maybe 30% of the time, if that.

Chopps.5047:

Deus.7238:

JonathanSharp.7094:

We also care about all the classes equally.

Nonsense.

So you basically call a game designer (who is nice enough to post) a fool by that comment while also implying that they put in professions they don’t want to balance? Seriously? Why would they do that? Time is money and I am willing to bet all my gold that ANET devs/employees are time and money limited. And yet you say they would waste time on a profession they don’t care about? So disrespectful and short sighted.

Actions speak louder than words. And from the words that came for rangers in most patches, I can understand why he used the word, “nonsense.”

Chopps.5047:

Aden Celeste.3650:

hyjaxxx.1584:

I dont think thats what he is saying at all. he was just letting people that were previously playing a BM bunker that it is still a viable choice.

this patch has the ranger community in an uproar..and in all reality..it took me 20min to discover a new build that is even better then pre patch.

for those who have a Chub for Short Bow, this is a small setback. so its time to think outside the box. find new ways to close and open gaps..new ways to snare and root..pull..push ect.

We can figure this out..together!

Jaxx

Hey Jaxx, I would love to agree with you. And while you were able to search for your perfect build, can you tell me with all honestly that rangers weren’t hit hard by this patch? You are not disappointed at all in some of our traits that go unnoticed? I mean, what kind of purpose would a trait that creates a healing spring on death have? If my pet is my other half of my damage… why the uncompensated nerf? Why did the vigor regeneration trait be moved to a grand master trait?

I use circle of life in havoc because I’m the healer. I try to get aggro and I try to take pressure off my team mates in our small roaming squad. In the event I get focused down, I still heal my allies. By the way, the extra healing spring appears when you down not when you die. So it’s actually really good. In small fights—especially tpvp—downing a player is only half the battle. Stomping and resurrection plays a huge part in the meta.

How many professions immediately penalize your team for downing them? Circle of life, hakuna matata, it’s a wonderful phrase.

Expand your mind, consider the team dynamic. You’re a ranger but you don’t have to be alone anymore. Rangers got a massive buff and a few more excellent builds to work with. The wilderness survival/beastmastery ball and chain is gone. Now bears are something worth taking (they got no damage nerf at all). ANET dealt with several problems at once using traits that already exist while giving us a new grandmaster that’s also obscene for wvw in nature’s voice in havoc. No need to waste air fields or blasts anymore, save them for battle.

Finally: natural vigor is still 5 points in WS and still one of the best 5 point traits in the game. Engi’s have to spend 30 and take a grandmaster for the exact same thing. I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of zephyr’s speed.

I read this and I can’t help but think “Chopps is obviously thinking from a WvW/PVP point of view. That is the only reason that he could possibly not see the overall damage nerf with the Ranger. Or he is just the eternal optimist and refuses to see anything that he precieves as negative.” Cause when DPS is king in 99.99% of PVE/Dungeons, this patch was not a good thing. I really see it the made other things better by brining something’s down.

Then please show it with the next balance patch, Mr Sharp. Actions speak 1000x louder than words.

Khayoss is right. It’s just about all close quarters. And SB is good for #1 only while you’re waiting to heal to get back into melee.

I like running dungeons and I like running a ranger. Unfortunately those two don’t go together very well.

Try a warrior. Much more rewarding in terms of being able to kill things in a timely manner.