Soulbeast + Shortbow?

A Ranger I currently play that I would want to get to level 80 has been using the Shortbow as their main weapon, mostly because it feels good (I've always liked both bows, but I choose SB or LB depending on my character). My question is, do the stat benefits of Soulbeast give any noticeable edge to using one weapon over another? I tested Soulbeast out in the PvP lobby, and saw that there is a trait that makes bleeding last longer, as well as increasing damage to enemies with health under 50%.

What are your thoughts on using the Soulbeast trait line for weapons other than the main hand Dagger? And is Soulbeast useful even if I have no interest in the pet-melding ability? Otherwise, I'll end up just sticking to Marksmanship, Skirmishing, and Beastmastery for my solo PvE adventures.

If you have no intention of using the pet melding I wouldn't waste your time with Soulbeast.

However, if you decide you do want to beast mode shortbow should totally work with it.

@Durzlla.6295 said:If you have no intention of using the pet melding I wouldn't waste your time with Soulbeast.

However, if you decide you do want to beast mode shortbow should totally work with it.

It's such a shame that Ranger is one of my favorite classes, but I have no desire to use either of its Elite Specs. Necromancer used to be one of my least favorite classes until I unlocked the Greatsword with Reaper - now my Reaper is my main. I feel that a lot of the Elite Specs in general are extremely niche, or force you to use abilities that do very particular things (Druid makes you a healer for the most part, and Soulbeast is for melding with pets in combat). It's hard to feel excited about getting to level 80 with some of my characters due to Elite Specs that don't interest me. :/

@Moyayuki.3619 said:

@Durzlla.6295 said:If you have no intention of using the pet melding I wouldn't waste your time with Soulbeast.

However, if you decide you do want to beast mode shortbow should totally work with it.

To be honest, I kinda like that the elite specs are niche since it makes it so that you're only really playing them due to the playstyle change rather than because it's stronger across the board than the base class.

I know when chrono came out I just avoided it like the plague because I'm not a huge fan of its playstyle. But I enjoyed base Mesmer still so stuck with it as an alt/PvP character.

I would say if you enjoy base ranger still just keep on playing, especially since core condi ranger is still very good.

I love play base Ranger and Druid, but Soulbeast feels all wrong. I don't like the dagger, I don't like not having a pet, and I don't like the stance skills. I tried to get used to it, but I don't think it's going to happen. But give Soulbeast a try with the shortbow. Maybe you'll like it. When adjusting to a new spec, I like to play in an area I know well, with foes I also know well. If you still don't like it after playing for a bit, go back to base Ranger. Good luck!

@"Sanguina X.8301" said:I love play base Ranger and Druid, but Soulbeast feels all wrong. I don't like the dagger, I don't like not having a pet, and I don't like the stance skills.

That's why I haven't posted in like a month. I have nothing to say on this e-spec. I hate it. Still playing and enjoying the expac, but good god... The entire point of being a ranger is to have a pet. And as far as quality of life while ignore the "purpose" of the elite spec, druid is way better.

@Fluffball.8307 said:That's why I haven't posted in like a month. I have nothing to say on this e-spec. I hate it. Still playing and enjoying the expac, but good god... The entire point of being a ranger is to have a pet. And as far as quality of life while ignore the "purpose" of the elite spec, druid is way better.

For 5 years a few players were clamoring for petless rangers, and this was Anet's response. Now that they've given a petless option, we get the reverse.If anyone ever says you can make everyone happy, they're lying.

Other than thematically, whatever that's worth, I don't see how soulbeast is anything but a really terrible thief. The people who yelled about not wanting a pet were mostly not ranger players, else why in god's name would you pick a pet profession. =)

Theres a lot of people who started playing Ranger when Druid came out because 'OMG I can finally be a healer now', those people are now hating Soulbeast and claiming it doesn't feel like a Ranger.

i don't understand any hate for Soul Beast. it gives Ranger a raw flexibility that no other GW2 class has and fixes some of the worst issues that pet classes have in every mmo. if you play pet classes in enough games you realize that either all the devs of all mmos are super lazy OR pets and their AIs are really hard to do well. i give ANet mad props for finding interesting solutions to issues that no other mmo devs have even addressed yet. is Soul Beast perfect? no. but you reach a certain age and you stop expecting things to fulfill your every expectation.as for your question about Soul Beast and shortbow: yes, absolutely. though you might find yourself using a pet you normally wouldn't.

@EntropyJones.9312 said:i don't understand any hate for Soul Beast. it gives Ranger a raw flexibility that no other GW2 class has and fixes some of the worst issues that pet classes have in every mmo.

I don't necessarily hate SB; I appreciate it exists and hopefully it shuts up the once a month whining that "I want to play warrior by perma stowing my pet" threads.

I'm annoyed that it took up an elite spec immediately after druid came out. Both of those elite specs are prettttttty annoying for someone who chose ranger as their main. Neither are at all desirable playstyle-wise. It reminds me of people who chose guardian to be a big tanky heal bot and then get an elite spec that is absolute shit at anything tanky or healy.

Edit: We can swear now!

Edit2: We can still not swear, nevermind.

Naive question here. I mainly play Necro, but sometimes really, really enjoy Ranger. I tried to like Druid -- a chance for the Ranger to be less selfish -- but it really seemed to need a group to accomplish anything. ANet experimented with a few things to help when you had to stow your pet, but I never thought anything worked. Seems like SB is actually a great option when you sometimes need to stow your pet. And I'm wondering if there will be a strategy to alternating SB as there is alternating pets -- or perhaps weaving all three. Not a fan of dagger, but...

@Druitt.7629 said:I tried to like Druid -- a chance for the Ranger to be less selfish -- but it really seemed to need a group to accomplish anything.

You can play a Druid power build, it's really fun. You do not need to play the Druid as a healer/supporter only.

@Moyayuki.3619 said:A Ranger I currently play that I would want to get to level 80 has been using the Shortbow as their main weapon, mostly because it feels good

The best build for Ranger currently is Dagger/Torch and Shortbow. :) It's basically like the old, powerful Viper's condition build, with one trait line exchanged for Soulbeast. The damage is marvelous, much better than the old build:

I actually did not care for druid, and switched from maining ranger to guardian when HoT came out. I also used to run zerk 1h and sb back when sb actually did better power damage than longbow for those of you that remember that. I hate the new 1h sword animation, I never had the issue with the 3rd attack in the old chain that others did. I actually am having a lot of fun with dagger/torch and traps, and I've never enjoyed condi ranger before.

@Moyayuki.3619 said:A Ranger I currently play that I would want to get to level 80 has been using the Shortbow as their main weapon, mostly because it feels good (I've always liked both bows, but I choose SB or LB depending on my character). My question is, do the stat benefits of Soulbeast give any noticeable edge to using one weapon over another? I tested Soulbeast out in the PvP lobby, and saw that there is a trait that makes bleeding last longer, as well as increasing damage to enemies with health under 50%.

What are your thoughts on using the Soulbeast trait line for weapons other than the main hand Dagger? And is Soulbeast useful even if I have no interest in the pet-melding ability? Otherwise, I'll end up just sticking to Marksmanship, Skirmishing, and Beastmastery for my solo PvE adventures.

From what I've read, the pet melding is not intended to be used for long periods but as a very temporary stance. So you could still use it if you like pets.

What im digging is that my main in GW1 was ranger/Assassin, and soulbeast plays like that character. I like being able to use the pet to tank, or get all the extra damage as soulbeast when melded. Works well for most content, but I think soulbeast is strong because it keeps the characteristics of base ranger, then adds a but more condi and AI management. Dagger is fun for now, but axe has it's pluses too... I agree it's niche, but it's nice to be able to swap around specs depending on what I need.

The only thing that makes me nervous about using Dagger (if I was to unlock and equip the Soulbeast Spec) is that my experience with other Dagger-wielding classes shows that Daggers are horrible for fighting a group of enemies. You slash one enemy and are lucky to hit another at the same time. That's why I keep using Greatsword on Ranger because I can injure up to three enemies with a single swipe. Crowd control is definitely important in HoT and PoF due to greater mob density. But, as I mentioned in my OP, it is some of the passive traits/boons from Soulbeast that sound useful for my current Shortbow playstyle.

Soulbeast offers alot of possibilities.You can go power/swiftness and pewpew with a longbow.You can use the 25 might pet-kill-everything-survival-build.You can be condi with the dagger and traps with sword or shortbow as 2nd weapon-set.

beastmode is a big minus when it comes to buffed pets when sharing boons, need alot of practice with the might-pet-build,but its good for extra dmg or if you are in need of more survivability or cc in other builds.

SB is great just need to learn its a condi dmg weapon from its set of skills. For all those the complain oh I want a pet and don't want to merge there are those that wanted the ability to make the pet disappear and going SLB did just that.

soulbeast is kinda meh, barely passible, bik's sniper build can work.

i also play condi soulbeast simply for me able to merge with iboga. the torment and confusion spam in beast mode does a massive amount of condi damage.

so far it seems soulbeast really only allows for massive damage spikes with sustain lacking. well actually u can protection stack with nature magic, but then your damage takes a big dive. u'd better of not even playing power builds with nature magic. u can still play condi and do the attrition game but don't expect any pressure aside from iboga while melded.

D/t , SB nature , skirmish and soulbeast , trapper build optional