Current state of Dragonhunter

DH is my main and my love but since the latest patch, so many other power classes outclassed him, so i wonder how well he is doing atm on PvE, PvP and WvW Roam and Zerg

DH is still viable and fun but it's most definitely outclassed right now.

In wvw (roaming)/pvp, DH should be in a decent spot after the upcoming wvw and pvp balance patch. A lot of the more low risk, high reward classes that present a large threat to DH (druid/soulbeast, holosmith, spellbreaker) are getting specific nerfs that should make them more manageable meanwhile DH isn't getting any nerfs (none have been revealed yet).

In PvE, DH is in an OK spot. Its dps could use a slight buff, but burst, utility and its availability of CC still make the spec worthwhile.

If we're talking meta, it's a little outclassed at the moment but still relevant. However, it's still one of the best overall PVE classes in the game with huge amounts of cleave and utility to boot. Those Guardian profession abilities getting a straight buff with Dragonhunter doesn't help that at all either.

Im sPvP with the trap heal skill less effective, the other ones and longbow2 damage lowered it is outclassed by other professions, but if played right it is a nice build.

In WvW as a roamer or small scale it is still a pretty good solo profession, the damage is pretty good and running full marauder with some soldier gear you won't get immediately 1shot by those cheesy professions around.

The only eternal problem with dh is mobility, in wvw im using the always good durability runes to help survivability, but without traveler's runes you will feel yourself like an old man walking xD

I really hope with the upcoming nerfes to powercreep professions dh can finally shine.

Right now is one of the most balanced profession of the game, not completely useless but not this crazy killing machine too. And to be played at it's fullest requires an insane knowledge of the profession because right now people got used to dh and knows how to counter it, so you have to play smarter to counter the counters xD

@Arcaedus.7290 said:

(druid/soulbeast, holosmith, spellbreaker) are getting specific nerfs that should make them more manageable meanwhile DH isn't getting any nerfs

To be fair, if they'd nerfed true shot further a pair of autoattacks would be more effective.I really don't think pairity has been reached yet with PoF classes, DH is a redshirt atm.

imo True Shot should return to its former PvE glory and keep it Split PvE/PvPim having a blast playing Meditrapper on PvP but i do realise that i have to make much more effort than other classes

@"CptAurellian.9537" said:In PvE, DH is in an OK spot. Its dps could use a slight buff, but burst, utility and its availability of CC still make the spec worthwhile.

Its DPS in PvE is quite alright, actually. Doesn't need buffing, it's in top tier PvE DPS.

I don't know how an "out-classed build" is viable. Either it performs well or it doesn't and right now DH is struggling to retain Platinum, let alone Plat2+. FB is eons better in comparison.

im so confused right now. Because numbers dont lie: Theres a lot of other classes dealing bigger numbers than DH, but yet many ppl are telling me that the class in good

@KeoLegend.5132 said:im so confused right now. Because numbers dont lie: Theres a lot of other classes dealing bigger numbers than DH, but yet many ppl are telling me that the class in good

It can score kills and it can sustain focused pressure for a significant amount of time, so it's considered viable but is not the best option out there for the role it's supposed to fulfil (+1 fighter/roamer).

After the upcoming wvw/pvp balance split, DH might actually be in a pretty decent spot. Many of its hard and soft counters are receiving significant nerfs.

DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

@LetoII.3782 said:DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

Every profession is good at killing bad players.Problem with dh right now apart from being powercreeped by other professions is that the main burst combo comes from test of faith and knockbacks and pull. So people know how to counter it after long time, but a good dh will play smarter and counter the counters. Like waiting a bit to pull to don't make it obvious, or teleport to you, insta test of faith plus knockback.In wvw you can still achieve pretty good results and 1vs1 as a solo or small scale roamer.

In spvp the trap heal is nerfed, f2 is nerfed, test of faith damage nerfed, trueshot damage nerfed.. it is just harder to compete.

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@"LetoII.3782" said:DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

Anet cant do much about DH besides powercreep on / off, with the current class design based on heavy gimmick rotations empowering the players rather than be players empowering the class (PoFspecs mostly ) and some other's that dev's think it is sane to be powercreeped on spvp....t create gameplay and farm easy players with poor ratations.Bsides DH killing targets alone?? only by powercreeping or killing bad players...

DH is past it was initially bad designed (the traps were a bad ideia.....)has a 1 pony trick to carry players, all that needs to be fixed and powercreeped is the next guardian elite trait lol.. that how Anet "fix" the atention...

DH is a one trick pony, and the trick was nerfed multiple times. It still can be decent with strong support, but it is severely lacking and damage and has no mobility. It also serves no purpose. Scourge is much better cleave anyway, and far more effective. So does holo. And DH is meh bruiser and cannot tank.

Honestly, without radiance line and retaliation, all guardian dps builds are pathetic. And without either virtues or zeal, you cannot get much retaliation.

@otto.5684 said:DH is a one trick pony, and the trick was nerfed multiple times. It still can be decent with strong support, but it is severely lacking and damage and has no mobility. It also serves no purpose. Scourge is much better cleave anyway, and far more effective. So does holo. And DH is meh bruiser and cannot tank.

Honestly, without radiance line and retaliation, all guardian dps builds are pathetic. And without either virtues or zeal, you cannot get much retaliation.

@Aeolus.3615 said:

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@"LetoII.3782" said:DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

I dunno but on wvw with my meditrapper dh I win many 1vs1 even against spellbreakers and holos and not footman rank, but gold or above, so I bet not that unexperienced players.This because in wvw the trap heal is not nerfed by 1k or more like in spvp, same for F2, I think in spvp the healing is way lower than in wvw, longbow2 and test of faith do really high damage because of the gear and pve base damage; in spvp the damage is lowered by a lot and that is why dh cannot find a space in the meta.But in wvw you can still play it effectively in solo or small scale roaming.

With the upcoming nerfs to spellbreaker, holo, scourge etc. and dh untouched, it could become viable, not overpowered of course, but able to handle the other professions without being so powercreeped by the other ones.

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@otto.5684 said:DH is a one trick pony, and the trick was nerfed multiple times. It still can be decent with strong support, but it is severely lacking and damage and has no mobility. It also serves no purpose. Scourge is much better cleave anyway, and far more effective. So does holo. And DH is meh bruiser and cannot tank.

Honestly, without radiance line and retaliation, all guardian dps builds are pathetic. And without either virtues or zeal, you cannot get much retaliation.

@Aeolus.3615 said:

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@"LetoII.3782" said:DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

My post was primarily regarding sPvP. I know that DH in WvW performs better. Even with the upcoming nerfs, I do not think DH will be in a good spot in sPvP. It was not in a good spot before PoF release for a while.

Again it is not absolutely terrible, but it also severely lacking. And as long as Anet keep thinking that its effectiveness comes from the traps (it does not, and it is not a concept that works), it will continue to be mediocre.

@otto.5684 said:

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@otto.5684 said:DH is a one trick pony, and the trick was nerfed multiple times. It still can be decent with strong support, but it is severely lacking and damage and has no mobility. It also serves no purpose. Scourge is much better cleave anyway, and far more effective. So does holo. And DH is meh bruiser and cannot tank.

Honestly, without radiance line and retaliation, all guardian dps builds are pathetic. And without either virtues or zeal, you cannot get much retaliation.

@Aeolus.3615 said:

@whoknocks.4935 said:

@"LetoII.3782" said:DH is great at killing noobs and bad players. It's flaws quickly surface when facing a more competent opponent.

Unfortunately professions who were nerfed will never become good again, people complained for so long about dh, it got nerfed everywhere, so it is unlikely they will buff it somehow, in the next patch it won't get touched (only for the passive proc as any other class), but for personal dh skills all remains the same. So probably will be able to do better against spellbreakers and holos and scourge but I don't think it will be enough to be viable. The damage and sustain remains the same so. We will see.

@Vagrant.7206 said:

@"CptAurellian.9537" said:In PvE, DH is in an OK spot. Its dps could use a slight buff, but burst, utility and its availability of CC still make the spec worthwhile.

I know quite well what the benchmarks tell us. When six other classes have one or several builds that score (substantially) higher than DH, calling DH "top tier DPS" is a bit far-fetched. A slight buff to an average dps of ~33k would be the reasonable thing, especially since some of the stronger builds (e.g. berserker or holo) bring quite strong CC as well.

@CptAurellian.9537 said:

@Vagrant.7206 said:

@CptAurellian.9537 said:In PvE, DH is in an OK spot. Its dps could use a slight buff, but burst, utility and its availability of CC still make the spec worthwhile.

1. Several of the classes are way outperforming/powercreeped. With the exception of a specific warrior build, the ones above D/D and holo are PoF specs which have been overperforming.
2. Holo is a purely selfish DPS spec, providing no team support, and yet its DPS is on par with DH. The fact that its DPS is lower than a non-selfish spec (Firebrand) is kind of ridiculous.
3. Since when was 32-33k considered bad? That's the top of the line for a long time, until PoF dropped.

I won't disagree with the overperforming/powercreep part. Yet when it's obvious that the "balance" team is unwilling to bring the PoF specs in line, they become the new normal, to which HoT specs should be adjusted.

@CptAurellian.9537 that probably would make some specs better than Anet want them to behave against the PoF stuff.

DH adjusted to PoF would be back to a class that is super easy to play.... cause Anet would only see damage in front of their eyes... or boons spam on trap trigger, they have a limited view and design on balance and class design ideas.

So at the end it would result on change some part of the elite trait to something that Anet and players felt it was to easy to overperform against targets, while PoF classes need to have its highlight spot.

Atm DH does not feel like and elite traitline, it feels just some CORE traitline and weapon that is unlocked by $$$, wonder where DH could be improved to feel like and elite traitline???IMO the trap design is what extreme limited the possible ways to tweak/balance the class itself, everything that ends with easy access to damage on this game cuts the risk on getting killed on some builds to how easy is to powercreep on targets (wich was what DH was originally made for... but that game is no more due how broken it can become and how players dont want to deal with it while they want theyre favourtire class to be broken, one of the reason DH got shafted over time).Should Aenet improve some DH traitlines and virrtues and keep traps the same???Should traps be discarded to get bow a better design?Should traps on guard get its powercreep momentum back?

/sorry if the english ended a bit to confuse ._.

Its pretty fucking embarrassing how hard even a core thief counters DH now.

they literally counter everything DH can do with basilik venom and auto attacks.

Problem isn't even PoF specs, its that every single other "meta" spec got buffed while DH has either been nerfed or untouched for the last 2 years.

Dh have some problems... serius problem , but arenanet is too lazy to find a solution... longbow in pve was useless , completely useless since day1, some core guardian traits need to be probablt moved to other lines or reworked, removed daze from traps for slow in pve was stupid...DH have the luck to have a scepter that do a lot of dmg on big hoitbox and the gs that do a good dmg , but have a lot of problems and some skill and trait thta were never touched....