Can Dragonhunter Longbow get some buffs?

It really has been underperforming in practically all game modes. The only time you’d really take it is for sPVP, but even that is fairly overshadowed past gold tier. Now, with the recent scepter nerfs, it seems as if Anet doesn’t really want Guardian to have viable long range. Hopefully this can be fixed with the next balance patch.

For LB 5, the cooldown is atrociously long for what it does and how easy it is to counter the barrier effect. The weapon also REQUIRES using a grandmaster trait to be even remotely viable.

People have been requesting Anet for ages for longbow buffs, and there are numerous threads that outline specifically how to do. So please, can DH longbow get some buffs?

Long overdo actually lol

Longbow has buffs every 15 months, then DH will be Meta in 2030 :p

Yeah not sure what the devs have against certain weapon sets and dh lb is definitely one of the weapons they seem to dislike lol

LB 5 should be casted while moving or the skill it self while being cast should be able to be ground target to where we want until the cast time ends.LB 4 bigger are to coverLB 2 more damage and increase the cd by 2sLB auto should be faster or have 1500 range just like ranger LB

Since it is impossible to increase LB2 damage for dev (they unlikely to revert what they did previously, when DH was released initially LB 2 can 1 shot glass canon) I would reckon to increase the area of LB2 or decrease CD or remove root. LB5 is a bit suicidal in PvP unless they reduce casting time (like LB 5 for ranger) / remove root. LB 3 if possible, make it travel slower so it has higher chance to block more projectile. Of course, if they can make knockback as base it would be awesome but since dev has no intention to do so since this has been asked for many years and no change has been seen.

Only changes i would like on DH for wvw is LB5 cast while moving or able to change location during the cast time so it can follow the enemy (i prefer this one) evade on f2 and reduce cast time on f3. thats all

LB5 use to cage enemies hit by every single pulse, not just the last one, revert it back to that, increase the auto attack speed by a bit and LB will be at least somewhat viable in sPvP again.

@Darknicrofia.2604 said:LB5 use to cage enemies hit by every single pulse, not just the last one, revert it back to that, increase the auto attack speed by a bit and LB will be at least somewhat viable in sPvP again.

As a DH main, not sure I am ok with that, as far as area CC with dmg, CC on every hit would be very strong, yes it would probably see more DH in zergs then, as that was a thing back when #5 was really good.

The first hits do....Well, almost nothing, the last hit that CCs is the only one that does any real dmg, and since it's rooted, long cast, with big effects before the final hit, it almost never lands. I think the first hits should be stronger and over all cast time faster, leave it rooted etc. and fix some of the LOS issues. Then add knock back by default for #3, no stab however, that still needs to be traited. I would rather see ranger range reduced, the 1800+ range is annoying, #2 for DH is 1500 range, yet LB auto on DH reaches further even though it's only 1,200 range, this needs to be fixed, really annoying to be hitting someone with auto that has a shorter range, then go to use #2 and it doesn't reach....

It would be nice if #3 knock back area was actually as large as the animation cone as I see people get hit with the edges all the time and nothing, same with blocking attacks, it seems actual area is smaller than the visual tell.

i. LB Auto should get 15% increase damage if it hit only one target.ii. LB 2 beam should be divided into like 3 consecutive piercing beams.iii. The symbol ..i don't particularly hate anything but the boon choice is kinda useless outside of group play, the effect is marginal at best. I prefer might.iv. LB5 the cooldown is harsh. I know the effect is strong, but already paid by the long channeling and rooting and the susceptibility to interrupt/spikes. Doesn't hurt to reduce by like 5 second, no more , no less.

Auto needs speeding up.2 is fine3 is fine4 needs some change, have it fire a mini trap that burns on activation which can proc the traits- would fit the theme of the weapon.5 just needs a shorter cast time and it’s fine

This is for PvP and WvW purposes. I cannot speak for PvP.

Some suggested based on my experiences:

• The #2 skill rooting and damage is okay, the knockback trait for #3 should be changed to make this skill should knock back instead, like a ballista.
• The #3 skill should be changed to: Gravity orb that sucks enemies into it as it travels, Blinding them (like Stavemaster Adryn's attacks from Heart of Thorns meta events). Only once per target, though, or it'd be too OP.
• The #4 skill is just, absurdly weak, so much that its not even worth casting, add Vulnerability to every pulse.
• The #5 skill should inflict 1s of Slow on every hit, the ward isn't enough to warrant lacking a soft CC.

Basically the problem is that the weapon underperforms compared to Ranger LB on literally every skill, despite the similarities, but it could easily be made an even stronger soft and hard CC weapon without increasing its damage.

If u think Lb needs buffs, go play wvw

Make AA faster.Make Deflecting Shot's traited Knockback baseline.Make all skills useable while moving.

@Safandula.8723 said:If u think Lb needs buffs, go play wvw

Why do not you play sPvP and tell me how it works? Also, you know we can split damage per game mode, right?

@otto.5684 said:

@Safandula.8723 said:If u think Lb needs buffs, go play wvw

It works great

@Tharan.9085 said:

@otto.5684 said:

@Safandula.8723 said:If u think Lb needs buffs, go play wvw

Right. I guess I am imagining that there are 3 threads on guardian first related to bow or DH.

no, it can't. maybe true shot to 2k range but that's it.

@otto.5684 said:

@Tharan.9085 said:

@otto.5684 said:

@Safandula.8723 said:If u think Lb needs buffs, go play wvw

Tharan just to let you know Otto is being outrageously conservative on the number of DH longbow threads that have been posted( admirably he is only counting the posts within the past week considering this topic has come up multiple times almost every month) and also considering the nerf to so much of the DH was done during a time when they decided to remove skill diffences between PvE/PvP/WvW and the overall changes were strictly in response to a preceived over powered damage capability in PvP , since then they repeatedly introduced more skill splits between PvE/PvP/WvW but they barely done anything to reevaluate those skills impacted (before the argument is brought up that they will not reconsider or rework previous balance work look at Eternal Armory. They added an additional burn stack to it but in the very next balance they took it away, in only about a months time in between.) Please bare in mind I'm not asking for the moon here just on honest evaluation ( either remove some the skill rooting or increase the benefits for the risk, lower the time a little of the channel required LB5 as it stands it's to long and possibly make the knockback a baseline to LB3 and as a possible replacement on that trait give it a 20% CD reduction to LB skills wouldn't be unreasonable or overpowering).

DH Longbow is really underwhelming. (speaking moreso for PvP) I feel like it should be up to par with Ranger's Longbow. Starting with it's range. Ranger's bow can also knockback without needing a trait. Can stealth a Ranger. Has multiple hits in it's 2nd burst-skill rather than having it all frontloaded into one casted easily blocked/dodged hit. And none of it's skills fire slowly like our Symbol skill does. I really hope they're giving DH Longbow some love in the next balance patch. It's what made me want to play DH to begin with (outside of the overall theme of guardians).

Try Warrior power LB, now that's slow and weak.

I agree it is way overdue for some buffs.They nerfed the Longbow 3and half years ago... and just left it.

Last year they said "we are going to review and redo all of guardian's weapons"The longbow is only weapon that still has been NOT touched or revamped and its been months since they finished the last one weapon.You know its bad they touch up and redo the underwater weapons and not even look a longbow.They dont even want to touch this weapon, or acknowledge it exists.

@"crazyhusky.2985" said:I agree it is way overdue for some buffs.They nerfed the Longbow 3and half years ago... and just left it.

Last year they said "we are going to review and redo all of guardian's weapons"The longbow is only weapon that still has been NOT touched or revamped and its been months since they finished the last one weapon.You know its bad they touch up and redo the underwater weapons and not even look a longbow.They dont even want to touch this weapon, or acknowledge it exists.

Did they say they will look into all guardian weapons? As far as I am aware over the last 18 month: mace got slight buff. Sword slight buff, PvE only. Axe got buffed. And hammer viability completely removed. Beside that, weapons are effectively the same.

There were some changes to torch too. But it was more bug fixes than anything.

@otto.5684 said:

@"crazyhusky.2985" said:I agree it is way overdue for some buffs.They nerfed the Longbow 3and half years ago... and just left it.

Last year they said "we are going to review and redo all of guardian's weapons"The longbow is only weapon that still has been NOT touched or revamped and its been months since they finished the last one weapon.You know its bad they touch up and redo the underwater weapons and not even look a longbow.They dont even want to touch this weapon, or acknowledge it exists.

Yes. I can't remember when they said it, but I do recall they did they say were going across the whole of guardian and retuning every weapon.It's a while but every weapon had some change/revamp to it now, Either minor or greatly, except the longbow.You forgot Staff got a new auto-attack changing back to 1200 range while making it combo based, and 2 skill was changed completely.Focus got that new 4 skill, ray of jugement and CD of the focus 5 was reduced by 1 sec. heheheone of the Torch skill was changed to an ammo skill and they fixed things from what i recall.The underwater weapons got slight tweaks actually buffing them, and also 1 of the skills on each of the underwater weapon was changed to be a symbol. So they now benefit from symbol related traits.

Still no love from Longbow. Come this April it would been 4 years since the longbow nerf.

@crazyhusky.2985 said:

@otto.5684 said:

@crazyhusky.2985 said:I agree it is way overdue for some buffs.They nerfed the Longbow 3and half years ago... and just left it.

Last year they said "we are going to review and redo all of guardian's weapons"The longbow is only weapon that still has been NOT touched or revamped and its been months since they finished the last one weapon.You know its bad they touch up and redo the underwater weapons and not even look a longbow.They dont even want to touch this weapon, or acknowledge it exists.

Was not the staff and focus 2018? Ya LB is surely one that barely got touched in 4 years. Honestly, I would rather Anet leave it alone than fuck with it like they did with hammer.