mount question

Hey Guys. Just got POF expansion around a month. i was working on skyscale at the moment.

Just got Jackal with not choice. (need to finish JP later on)

Just wondering you guys still use raptor if you got Jackal. if feel like raptor can go faster with Jump x 2.

also will you guys still going to get Griffon after had skyscale.

feel like Griffon can dive / fly much faster then skyscale.

Yes, yes and yes; though, I rarely use anything other than Skyscale.

I only use Jackal for POF map specific portals. You’ll need it for some achievements. I use both Griffon and Skyscale. Griffon allows you to dive to the target faster. Also Griffon has the ability to drift down and land on a specific target, useful for points of interest and hard to reach hero challenges. I use Raptor and Beatle on the original maps since they were made for pedestrians. If I end up at a high point on a classic map then I will fly down

thanks guys. so it is true Jackal is really no use for me. but only need for unlock skyscale. which is really pain in the....in this case i may need to get a griffon after i finished work on the skyscale. another 250g. need to start save up the money.

The Jackal has the fastest unboosted run speed of all the mounts. In terrain where the Raptor can't Leap effectively and Rollerbeetle can't build up steam, such as the inclines and rough terrain around Orr, Jackal is the quickest ride.

I prefer the jackal because my raptor seems to be really clumsy and trips over every small pebble on it's way... It's easier to normally jump over stuf on jackal for me. The raptor just "does the mega jump" but actually stays on the spot because stuck.

To sum up mounts:

If you got the skyscale you dont need the griffon.If you got the griffon you dont need the skyscale.All other mounts are situational.

I would also say that I spend most of my time split between Jackal and Griffon. The Jackal is also the only mount that can pull off an instant180, which is very fun and useful when farming Transmutation Charges in the cities.

I use my skyscale the most, but that's also because it's the only one I have a skin for. The default mounts tend to spawn in the ground for me, leaving me snarling for a good 30-45 seconds. That is something I almost wonder if it isn't on purpose. Buy a skin and no more buggy spawn! Fix it, Anet.

I find Skyscale absolutely superior to griffon. You dont have to break your spacebar to flap to stay in the air every few seconds. Plus its extremely stronger at map exploration, in particular in maps with complicated geometry such as Verdant Brink or Tangled Depts.

@whoeverxwins.1279 said:I use my skyscale the most, but that's also because it's the only one I have a skin for. The default mounts tend to spawn in the ground for me, leaving me snarling for a good 30-45 seconds. That is something I almost wonder if it isn't on purpose. Buy a skin and no more buggy spawn! Fix it, Anet.

I have skins and still get buggy spawns.

I basically only use raptor, skyscale and skimmer.

I love the skyscale and use it even when raptor or bunny is probably a better choice.

I'm not bothered going for the griffon, from what I've seen, the mount moves too fast for me anyway

TBH the Skyscale is the only mount with an absolutely dramatic impact on your QoL. All others help, but not nearly as much as this one.

Griffon does not even come close to the utility of the Skyscale. The only thing it's truly good for is for areas where you can dive and use its huge airspeed.

On the ground, all mounts are situational. If the terrain is rocky and uphill, then definitely Jackal over Raptor, but also Skyscale over Jackal, since you get very good speed boosts from the V skill dodge, which you can chain 4-of if you have the regeneration stamina mastery.

Raptor VS JackalRaptor is faster.Jackal doesn't lose speed going up inclines.Raptor great dismount skill.Jackal steers easier.Raptor maxed out leep is <3Jackal very few portals but it's dodge is sure fun.

Op i need to warn you, if you just got pof a month ago, you cant complete the skyscale without owning all of the season 4 living world stories. So before you get all into getting the skyscale make sure you have those stories. You have to buy them separate.

@JUN YANG.4328 said:thanks guys. so it is true Jackal is really no use for me. but only need for unlock skyscale. which is really pain in the....in this case i may need to get a griffon after i finished work on the skyscale. another 250g. need to start save up the money.

Here's a quick, possibly subjective summary of each mount's strengths and weaknesses:

Raptor - Faster over flat ground/downhill than the jackal and easier to control than the roller beetle. Some risk of overshooting your goal/missing turnings when going fast and can be frustrating when there isn't space to make use of the leap (without this it's noticably slower)

Jackal - Can be faster than the raptor on rough terrain and uphill. Easier to control as well - it turns better and the teleport skill is split into 3 short jumps. But noticably slower on open terrain.

Roller beetle - Fastest land mount, but only in long straight lines (or with wide turns) but can be tricky to control and especially to stop accurately so there's a high probability of overshooting your target or missing things along the way. Also doesn't do well going uphill.

Springer - highest vertical jump (possibly equal to skyscale?) but slow going horizontally.

Skimmer - Only mount which can go over water. Occasionally useful for crossing gaps where the raptor/jackal might overshoot but this is quite tricky to get right and rarely useful if you're not trying to get into places you're not supposed to be.

Griffon - Fastest aerial mount. With the 'double flap' speed boost it can beat the raptor, but there is no opportunity to stop or go slower without landing.

Skyscale - Slower than the griffon but can hover in mid air, making it easier to control and more useful if you're not sure where you're going or want an aerial view. Better at gaining height too.

Warclaw - Only useful in WvW. In PvE it's purely a novelty.

If I was looking for maximum movement options with the minimum number of mounts I'd get the raptor, springer, skimmer and either the griffon (if speed is a priority) OR skyscale (if control is a priority). Although the main reason for recommending the raptor over the other land mounts is you have to have it to progress in PoF, personally I prefer using the jackal.

I actually prefer jackal to raptor /shrug it can go more places

On Reddit and the forums, there seems to be three points of view:

• Some mounts are so superior that other mounts are useless.
• All mounts have a niche in which they are superior; no mount is useless.
• Yeah, yeah, whatever: I don't care; some mounts are just plain fun and I use them all the time despite any "best practices."

All are perfectly valid ways to approach the game, since we're all here for our own enjoyment; the OP just has to decide which philosophy appeals.

If I may bounce off of Danikat's assessments with my own possibly subjective opinions:

With no endurance, jackal is faster than raptor, but with leaps and teleports raptor is faster.

Raptor can leap over short obstacles that jackals can't teleport past without jumping.

Roller beetle is, in general, not really made for most places because small obstacles can hinder or entirely stop the roller beetle and you'll have to wait until the endurance is full again to go speeding, so not really useful when you're unsure of your destination. Fun going down hills with though.

Springer is great for going up shorter walls faster than skyscale. Going straight up doesn't reach the same height as a skyscale flying straight up without wall jumping, though it'll be a rare occurance when you'd fly the skyscale straight up while travelling.

I don't have the stats for it but I think with water shallow enough to use your raptor on, the raptor is still faster than skimmer.

You need height to be able to get the high speeds with the griffon. the griffon is a good all-terrain mount if you don't care much for speed, and second to only the skyscale in those terms. Best mount if you have a high enough vantage point to start with.

Skyscale is, by far, the best exploratory mount and best all-terrain (besides water) mount if you don't care for speed. If you're patient enough, and there aren't invisible walls, you can get to practically anywhere you desire.

Warclaw is such a novelty that it doesn't even have the springers fortified descent mastery active. I'm starting to think it may be intentional because they probab;y don't want to accidentally let springer owners get to players with a warclaw that can fall farther in wvw. Great for WvW though.

@Danikat.8537 said:Here's a quick, possibly subjective summary of each mount's strengths and weaknesses:

Griffon - Fastest aerial mount. With the 'double flap' speed boost it can beat the raptor, but there is no opportunity to stop or go slower without landing.

Minor point: You can 'pull up' to slow down and stop (start drop down). Its not a real elegant way to do it, but it works.

For those fuzzy on the various mount speeds; Redditor u/TheBandicoot summed it up nicely: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/7381g5/research_indepth_mount_speed_tests/https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/brbrlw/the_skyscale_speedtests_and_intel/

TL;DR, in order of fastest base move speed on land (i.e., not including unique abilities):

1. Jackal
2. Beetle
3. Raptor
4. Springer
5. Skimmer
6. Warclaw
7. Griffon
8. Skyscale

Raptor is the most convenient mount for short distances. The leap has excellent precise control on where you want to land. OTOH Jackal teleport is hard to predict where you end up.Raptor attack skill is arguably the best of all mounts for entering combat. It rounds up nearby mobs and disables them.

@Danikat.8537 said:Raptor -Some risk of overshooting your goalraptor might overshoot

How can you overshoot with Raptor? just release the leap key when you are above the target area. In fact Raptor has the most precise landing of all mounts.

Quite the opposite, Raptor may undershoot when you run out of endurance. That's where Jackal's three endurance bars trumps the raptor. But that's only during long distance travel. Which would be replaced by beetles or flyers anyway.

Overall Jackal doesn't do any job good enough. So its only role now is sand portals.

The raptor runs out of stamina too fast, compared to the Jackal. Which I find much more precise and better to use compared to the Raptor.So no, I do not agree. The jackal is just superior in rapidly avoiding foes. Especially since they dont activate if you rapidly blink between them. A limitation of the mob AI i think. The raptor have far less evade uptime because of only having two stamina bars that takes too long to recharge. I give that its engage is great, but overall the jackal is just superior.

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:On Reddit and the forums, there seems to be three points of view:

• Some mounts are so superior that other mounts are useless.
• All mounts have a niche in which they are superior; no mount is useless.
• Yeah, yeah, whatever: I don't care; some mounts are just plain fun and I use them all the time despite any "best practices."

All are perfectly valid ways to approach the game, since we're all here for our own enjoyment; the OP just has to decide which philosophy appeals.

I use both the second and third points of view. I think every mount has a niche where it's the best choice and sometimes I'll use the one I know isn't the best because it's more fun. Sometimes I even deliberately go over land on the skimmer, knowing it's slower, because I like the animations.

@Shena Fu.5792 said:Raptor is the most convenient mount for short distances. The leap has excellent precise control on where you want to land. OTOH Jackal teleport is hard to predict where you end up.Raptor attack skill is arguably the best of all mounts for entering combat. It rounds up nearby mobs and disables them.

@Danikat.8537 said:

Raptor

-Some risk of overshooting your goalraptor might overshoot

I mean overshoot in the sense of going past your destination, not necessarily jumping too far and missing a small platform. For example if you're on your way to the entrance to a story instance and you don't already know exactly where it is it's easier to run too far and have to go back, or hit the leap skill too late and leap over it. You're right that it will stop as soon as you release the jump button, but even so in the time it takes you to notice and release the button (only about a second) you could go past your destination.

Also I find it just as easy to judge how far the jackal will go, maybe because I use it a lot so I get used to it. It's probably the land mount I use most often.

I have to echo that the raptor has a far too easy tendency in overshooting. And its not imune to fall damage like the jackal, whom just can sand portal to arrest momentum.

I still use the Raptor as it's sort of the go-to for ground travel and the attack is fast to do. I only use the Jackal for portals on rare occasions. I also don't use the Roller Beetle or Springer much anymore. The Skimmer and Griffon still get used a fair amount.