The Next Ranger Elite Specialization: The (Bunny) Thumper

The next Ranger Elite Specialization - THE THUMPER

“Thumpers are rangers who focus on strengthening their pet and its abilities. These skillful beastmasters fight side-by-side with their companion, combining pet-oriented and physical abilities to apply constant and massive pressure to their enemies.”

Thumper is an elite specialization for the ranger that focuses on Rampage abilities, Physical skills, and replaces the Pet Swap mechanic with the Comfort Animal skill. It also allows the use of the Hammer.

PET APPEARANCEThumper’s companion is no longer considered jouvenile. Visually, they are bigger and have increased attributes (15% more Power,Precision, Thougness and Vitality).

PROFESSION MECHANIC

Thumpers lose access to their secondary pet and the Pet Swap mechanic in favor of getting access to the Comfort Animal and Rampage skills.

Comfort Animal (F4) replaces the Pet Swap mechanic. This skill fully heal your animal companion and purge all conditions from him. If the pet is dead, it is resurrected with 50% health. Using this skill also teleport your pet to you, procs Pet Swap traits and refreshes you pet’s Beast skill.

FEROCITY AND RAMPAGE BAR

Rampage is a skill type related to the pet. They are the F5 on the Thumper’s mechanic bar, unique to each pet family.Ferocity is the Thumper's resource that fuels the Rampage bar. Ferocity is gained, with a few exceptions, through instances of disables and direct damage the player and their pet applies. The majority of Ferocity generation is generally from disables, not damage. Ferocity is consumed when a Rampage skill is used.The rate at which Ferocity is generated is 20% of the bar from disables done by the player, 20% from disables done by the pet, 3% from damage done by the player and 3% from damage done by the pet. Disabling or damaging multiple targets at once will charge Ferocity accordingly, so disabling 4 targets at once will charge 80% of the bar. Condition damage do not generate Ferocity.The player's progress towards activating Rampage Skills can be tracked in a special bar above the player's health bar. Rampage skills cannot be activated unless the bar has been filled to 100%. Rampage skills have a base cooldown of 10s.

RAMPAGE SKILLS

Rampage skills are pet's special attacks that expend all built-up ferocity. Each pet family have one different skill. The Rampage skill does not take a skill slot, being activated by using the F5 key and is located just above the Rampage bar, and is automatically chosen according to your active pet.

Armored Fish – Swirling Torpedo: Swim in circles, granting barrier to nearby allies while evading attacks.

Bear – Savage Roar: Gain significant barrier and taunt nearby foes.

Bird – Sharpened Talons: Unleash attacks to nearby foes from above. Each foe struck is afflicted by Vulnerability.

Bristleback – Deadly Barrage: Barrage the targeted area with a rain of spikes that inflicts cripple and bleeding.

Canine – Frenzied Howl: Howl at foes to immobilize and reveal them. Nearby allies gain swiftness and fury.

Devourer – Tunnel: Tunnels, evading attacks and causing knock down when emerging from the ground.

Drake – Voracious Bite: Inflicts Eaten and Daze on your target. Foe is expelled after short time. Regurgitating creates a ground targeted AoE that deals damage and inflicts random conditions once per second.

Feline – Predator Strike: Dash at foes while evading attacks, then knock them down with a powerful pounce. Enemies in downed state are Finished.

Iboga – Illusion Spores: Spit a glob of confusing spores at the targeted location, removing boons and inflicting Slow and Confusion for each pulse.

Jacaranda – Lightning Surge: Calls lightning to a large area. Foes struck are dazed for 1s.

Jellyfish – Whirlpool: Repeatedly pulls nearby foes with a spinning attack.

Moa – Primal Screech: Share boons on yourself to nearby allies with a powerful screech. Nearby foes are dazed.

Porcine – Gore: Charge at foes twice, knocking back and bleeding them with each hit.

Rock Gazelle – Rockfall Rush: Rush forward, knocking down enemies. Gain might on each hit.

Shark – Bloodbath: Inflicts Eaten, Daze and pulsing bleeding on your target. Foe is expelled after short time.

Smokescale – Mist Assault: Unleash fierce attacks while shadowstepping to nearby foes. Each foe struck is knocked down. (Note: this skill does not knockdown the same enemy multiple times.) Gain might each time you damage a foe.

Spider – Web Spit: Cocoons nearby foes. Cocooned enemies are petrified for 2 seconds.

Wyvern – Blazing Shower: Breathes fire/electric fire in front of itself and in several rows while airborne. Leave a pulsing field that inflicts burning/vulnerability to enemies.

WEAPON SKILLS

Hammer1) Autoattack Chain

• Hammer Swing: Swing your hammer, damaging foes in front of you while empowering yourself.-Might (8s)-Number of targets: 3-Range: 130

• Hammer Bash: Swing your hammer to your foe. Your pet gains might.-Might (8s)-Number of targets: 3-Range: 130

• Pack Blow: Swing your hammer downwards, releasing a shockwave that pierces through enemies.Your pet’s next attack release an AoE burst of primal energy.-Radius: 240-Number of Targets: 5

2) Crushing Blow: Damage nearby foes with a mighty ground slam, crippling enemies upon impact. If an attack is blocked, this skill becomes unblockable.-Cripple (4s)-Number of Targets: 5-Radius: 180-Combo Finisher: Blast-Range: 300

3) Bunny Leap: Pounce at your target while evading attacks and daze enemies upon impact.-Daze (½ s)-Number of Targets: 5-Radius: 180-Combo Finisher: Leap-Number of Leap Finishers: 2-Evade: ½ s-Range: 600

4) Shockwave: Smash down the ground with your hammer, releasing a shockwave that stun nearby foes and destroys incoming projectiles.-Stun (1s)-Number of Targets: 5-Radius: 300

5) Earthbreaker: Jump to the targeted location and slam your hammer down, damaging and crippling foes. After a short delay, primal energy erupts at the target area and launch enemies still within.-Launch: 0-Number of Targets: 5-Combo Finisher: Blast-Range: 600-Radius: 240

UTILITY SKILLS

Thumper’s Physical skills are utility skills that involve controlling foes and causing direct physical damage. Some of these skills can also grant additional effects to your pet’s next attack.

(Healing Skill) Channeled Strenght: You and your pet heal youselves and absorb all incoming strikes for a period of time.-Duration: 4s

Disrupting Lunge: Deliver an unblockable attack to you foe. If this attack strikes a foe using a skill, that skill is interrupted and disabled for 10 seconds. Your pet’s next attack is Disrupting Lunge.

• Ammo skill: 2 charges

Melandru’s Assault: Leap at your target, damaging them and knocking them down. Deal more damage for each boon on your target. Your pet’s next attack is Melandru’s Assault.

• Number of Targets: 5
• Combo Finisher: Leap
• Radius: 240
• Range: 600
• Damage Increased x boon: 5%

Scavenger Strike: Deliver an attack to your foe, stealing boons and health from them. Deal more damage and steal more boons if your foe is disabled. Your pet’s next attack is Scavenger Strike.

• Range: 400
• Combo Finisher: Leap
• 20% more damage if your target is disabled
• Boons Stolen: 2 (3 if your target is disabled)
• Ammo skill: 2 charges

Sharpened Armor: Envelop yourself and your pet with a thorny and coriaceous armor, blocking incoming attacks. Gain access to Eject Sharpened Spines while blocking.Eject Sharpened Spines: Eject spines, damaging nearby foes.

• Breaks Stun
• Block Duration: 3s
• Number of Targets: 5
• 6 Bleeding (8s)

(Elite Skill) Rampage as One: Fuel your Rampage bar by 25%. You and your pet become larger, and gain Quickness, Stability and Superspeed.-Quickness (6s)-3 Stability (6s)-Superspeed (6)-Ammo Skill: 2 charges

TRAITS

Minor Proficiency - Hammer Proficiency: You can wield an hammer.

Minor Adept – Thumper’s Training: Gain access to Physical Skills. Comfort animal replaces Pet swap, and you do not have a secondary pet. Your pet has grown and gain access to Rampage skills.

Major Adept – Primordial Rage: Rampage Skills gain reduced recharge and deal more damage.Major Adept - Oppression: Disables you inflict last longer, and disabling an enemy cause cripple.Major Adept – Pinnacle of Survival: Beast abilities grant 4s resistance around your pet.

Minor Master – Shared Istinct: When you evade attacks, your pet does too (only if the pet is not attacking).

Major Master – Furious Presence: Pet swap grants Ferocity (20%) and release an AoE burst of primal energy from your pet.Major Master – Law of the Fittest: Hammer skills gain reduced recharge. Critical hits while wielding an hammer remove stability.Major Master – Rescue Companion: Your pet is partially revived when you use an healing skill. Your pet cast Lesser Channeled Strenght when their health reach 20%.

Minor Grandmaster – Symbiotic Bond: A percentage of the healing you receive is shared with your pet. (50%)

Major Grandmaster - Releasing the Pain: Comfort Animal deals unblockable damage to foes nearby your pet. Transfer conditions from your pet to foes struck by this attack.Major Grandmaster - Edge of Extinction: Physical skills grant Ferocity (25%) on use. You and your pet gain 2s Unblockable when activating a physical skill.Major Grandmaster – Healing Wounds: Before cleansing conditions, Comfort Animal pull all conditions from nearby allies to himself.

This is meant to be a theoretical design for the 3rd elite spec of the ranger profession. I took inspiration from the Bunny Thumper build from GW1. Any feedback is appreciated :)

I was thinking about this just last night. I feel like something akin to this is likely for a next specialization. We need something kinda tankier imo that is more immobile but face tankier. Bunny thumper is a solid plan.

I like the one pet idea. But hear this. I could see the specialization somehow making the pet mechanic change to be your pet No longer activates its pet skills but waits for weapon skills to do them. Like auto = auto, 2 = 2, so on.

I like the class mechanic idea you have. It'd have nice flavor to have large pets like from GW1 back and the "adrenaline" bar on pets is a pretty cool idea too.

Nice ideas with the physical skills and bringing back rampage as one!

Well done.

The only sad part about bringing in a bunny thumper is the death of touch ranger. I don't think we are getting a 4th specialization ever

got as far as the F4: no, that's dumb

I commend the effort you put into this but it needs more work. As is, it would be way to powerful. Getting AoE chain stunned is probably the absolute worst thing I could think of adding to the game. It's like hammer warrior on steroids if they had a second hammer with a mind of its own.

This is good, not for me but really good. Now do a shapeshifter elite spec! I am still hoping to shapeshift in this game someday :)

This probably needs some serious balance tweaks (that F4) but this is a great foundation you laid here. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. I especially like the idea of the pet "maturing" for the spec (I miss my large bristleback from HoT beta).

Maybe replace their F2 with a new 'sync' attack that triggers when you land an attack in melee range is something I brainstormed a while back that allows for a powerful CC/Knockdown chain on demand with a good CD to balance it.

@Eurantien.4632 said:I like the one pet idea. But hear this. I could see the specialization somehow making the pet mechanic change to be your pet No longer activates its pet skills but waits for weapon skills to do them. Like auto = auto, 2 = 2, so on.

This could be a cool idea, but i don't think it can work. Pets always struggle to follow moving targets. Adding this type of mechanic will:1) Will require a lot of work in terms of animation for each pet;2) Will create a lot of bugs or stuck-in-objectives pets;3) Probably the majority of the attacks against mobile targets will fail since pets can't follow properly.

Thanks for the feedback anyway, really appreciated :)

@derd.6413 said:got as far as the F4: no, that's dumb

Dumb like your feedback, basically :) What you don't like about it? The name? The function?

@Zexanima.7851 said:I commend the effort you put into this but it needs more work. As is, it would be way to powerful. Getting AoE chain stunned is probably the absolute worst thing I could think of adding to the game. It's like hammer warrior on steroids if they had a second hammer with a mind of its own.

Well, hammer on warrior have 3 cc's. This hammer have 3 cc's. Warrior have full counter, this spec have a special skill which can be interrupted if you cc the pet, and it is also not unblockable (unblockable only if you use warhorn #5, or a Physical skill). Warriors have physical skills with a lot of cc's, this specialization too. So why you think this is a warrior on steroids? And also, wasn't the GW1 Thumper a Ranger/Warrior build basically? :) Also, keep in mind these are ONLY IDEAS. Don't take numbers of effects too seriously. Just look at the concept overall!

@alain.1659 said:This is good, not for me but really good. Now do a shapeshifter elite spec! I am still hoping to shapeshift in this game someday :)

I'm already writing a shapeshifter specialization, i think it will be ready in few days! :)It's not easy to create tho. There are so much skills, abilities or traits that involve pets! And personally, i don't want a shapeshifter with pets. It will not make sense. What's the point on transforming into an animal if you already own animals? You will see btw :)

@"CETheLucid.3964" said:This probably needs some serious balance tweaks (that F4) but this is a great foundation you laid here. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. I especially like the idea of the pet "maturing" for the spec (I miss my large bristleback from HoT beta).

Maybe replace their F2 with a new 'sync' attack that triggers when you land an attack in melee range is something I brainstormed a while back that allows for a powerful CC/Knockdown chain on demand with a good CD to balance it.

Well, the F4 have the same effects of a normal Pet Swap.When you swap pets, your new pet have 100% health and no conditions, right? Comfort Animal does the same.When you swap pets, your new pet is near you, right? Comfort Animal does the same.The pet resurrection and Beast ability refresh instead of having two pets available seems a good tradeoff to me. Think about this, we lose a lot of versatility by choosing only one pet.

@kappa.2036 said:

@derd.6413 said:got as far as the F4: no, that's dumb

the fact that it's stupid overpowered

Feel like an F4 like that is totally reasonable and also necessary for a one pet specialization. Pets being so easy to kill and how detrimental that is to ranger makes core and druid practically unable to take glassy pets in PvP.