Lead the wind: Projectile combos become unblockable

instead the swiftness, what about that option.

Also would be too much to ask all projectiles from the ranger to has a 100% to trigger a combo as baseline?Ranger does not have access on demand combo areas. And for a class with the vast majority of the weapons being projectiles it makes no much sense to have such a limited access to trigger combo fields

How about: whenever a projectile is reflected, it's destroyed instead.

If warrior has a trait that makes blocks into reflects, it makes sense for ranger to have a trait that makes reflect into destroy.

I've made this suggestion many years ago and still stand by it. At least only in WvW.

I'd also like to see displayed on screen when my projectiles are destroyed or reflected, not only when evaded, blocked or obstructed. I'd also like to see when my reflected projectiles are dealing damage to friendly targets and how much damage is done.

I would prefer something like this:

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Splinter_Shothttps://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Sundering_Attack

Would be considered massively OPed to have traited longbow with 100% unblockable projectile finishers by meta classes and thieves...

But, yes, it would be nice to have that.

@"Revolution.5409" said:I would prefer something like this:

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Splinter_Shothttps://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Sundering_Attack

I like splintershot a lot, if it also includes reflect.

Just replace remorseless with this new trait and add remorseless into any of the 3 minor traits.

I dislike anything that makes smokescale even more mandatory.

@"Revolution.5409" said:I would prefer something like this:

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Splinter_Shothttps://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Sundering_Attack

Splinter shot should be something baseline to the shortbow with 1200 range, if the arrow hits it splinters like the arpoon gun.The GM could increase the radius and the targets instead the piercing. It fits better the condi weapon.

The second one is basicaly unblockable effect.

@anduriell.6280 said:

@"Revolution.5409" said:I would prefer something like this:

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Splinter_Shot

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Sundering_Attack

I would argue against the AOE bleed being baseline for 2 reasons. First, given Poison Volley is Piercing within the skill, and end up with a Splinter Barrage exponential effect on damage (I also remember removing Piercing from Engie Pistol because of Fragmentation shot). Second, not only is it similar Rev Shattershot, Crossfire is around 15% faster. Fragmentation shot is slower then both, but more of its damage is loaded into the bleeds. You also have to consider that making all the SB attacks AOE bleeds creates an issue where it has the potential to become stupidly effective in target rich modes, but does absolutely nothing for it in single target fights like Raids and sPvP.

The whole short bow skill set needs retooling, since its effects are based heavily on Flanking. Increasing it to 1200 is also a major no-no given what a ranger is capable of, as seen back when it was 1200 around Launch (in hindsight it was easily abused, but condi also sucked back then).

If anything, I would add the splinter effect to Sharpened edges and retool the stack count for better control over the burst potential (both for balance, and expanding the skills utility with other weapons). Replace "Light on your Feet" with "Obsidian Arrows" - Inflicts Bleed and Blind to 2 nearby enemies (other then blocker) when projectiles from skills 2-5 are Blocked, Skills 3, 4 and 5 change and gain Piecing, gain "Called Shot" when your shortbow attacks are blocked (next 3 Cross fire attacks are unblockable) 18 ICD.

Cross fire Bleed last longer, and inflicts 3 additional stacks of bleed when Unblockable.

Poison Volley reduced to 3 arrows, but inflicts 2 stacks per hit and lasts 8 seconds each.Crippling Shot is changed to Pin Down and always Immobilizes on first hitConcussion shot is changed to Screaming Shot (because thats already insanely strong with piercing)Quick shot I'm up in the air with, since its a rather unique skill.

This is first draft napkin math, so I haven't bothered to scale up for Raid conditions to see what the DPS is like. For PvP (and WvW?) its rolls all the damage bonuses of "light on your feet" into the skill's normal effects to make them less of a hassle.

@starlinvf.1358 said:

@anduriell.6280 said:

@"Revolution.5409" said:I would prefer something like this:

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Splinter_Shot

https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Sundering_Attack

Well there you have it, then it's already done and should be easy enough.

Comparing diferent classes and say "it's the same let's not do it" it's not a good argument, the weapon could be the same and still to feel different becasue the mechanics of the classes are different. I'm sure you can understand that.

The range of the Shortbow was reduced from 1200 because roleplay. Just that, at the time some dev didn't want both bows have the same range. Now that's not a problem anymore,and with the total lack of utility that weapon has it needs the range to have any use in competitive.

The rate of fire is the same between crossfire and shattershot.

Poison voley doesn't need to pierce anymore. Just shatter for each poyectile.

You may not see it from a PvE point of view, but this changes are needed for the shortbow to have any use in PvP and by extension to bring an actual condi build to competitive (with more changes to traps, survival utilities and condi traitlines but baby steps). In PvE it would be an improvement but it would not bring a mayor change.

A total rework would be good but why not try first with the easiest and less time consuming option. If that one doesn't work they can always tryt the total retooling.

And at last, ranger is a ranged class as such would be good to make the class feel like it is. It is said so in the character creation screen already.

I am against adding passive power creep. Lb is a very powerfull weapon since the buff to barrage.

@"anduriell.6280" said:instead the swiftness, what about that option.

Also would be too much to ask all projectiles from the ranger to has a 100% to trigger a combo as baseline?Ranger does not have access on demand combo areas. And for a class with the vast majority of the weapons being projectiles it makes no much sense to have such a limited access to trigger combo fields

So when you run in a group all your shots will be unblock-able?

Rangers can produce “fields” to create “combos”. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo

@Swagger.1459 said:

@"anduriell.6280" said:instead the swiftness, what about that option.

Also would be too much to ask all projectiles from the ranger to has a 100% to trigger a combo as baseline?Ranger does not have access on demand combo areas. And for a class with the vast majority of the weapons being projectiles it makes no much sense to have such a limited access to trigger combo fields

• Ranger has to sacrifice WS or BM for a marksmanship or go with core and not use soulbeast.
• Ranger has to locate and position correctly to be able to use the combo field and hit the target at the same time, as such is not passive trait.
• It will benefit greatly the ranger weapons as all use projectiles (except GS and Sword)
• The trait is more effective the more ppl is involved with the combat. The more friendly fields there are the easier to trigger the trait.
• Which means is an smart way to balance the ranger for group combat without any powercreep in small scale or roaming.

Now we can discuss you hate pewpews and whatnot but thats your personal feelings and it is not related to balance and improve ranger mechanics.

Right now with all the reflect spam there is in game piercing arrows will reflect any attack you do 100% of the time. This improvement will mitigate some of it.

• LB is not used in any PvE build, that should be enough to prove is not a "powerfull" weapon. It is used because of its utility not the damage potential. Even barrage is nothing to be amazed unless you stay afk for a full 12 seconds .

@Swagger.1459 said:

Translation- “I want all my longbow shots unblock-able in wvw”

And I have 7 rangers, so don’t go there with the “hate pewpews” comments.

Thank you very much for your very intelligently insightful input.

@anduriell.6280 said:

@Swagger.1459 said:

Translation- “I want all my longbow shots unblock-able in wvw”

And I have 7 rangers, so don’t go there with the “hate pewpews” comments.

You are very welcome!

Unblockable is a little bir problematic. Some professions got many projectile hate skills but some got none. So balancing that would be a little bit hard in my opinion. Although your idea is really good, I think rangers do not have that many fields and forcing us to use smokescale more is not something I want.

But you are spot on! Lead the wind really needs a chance. Maybe it can make opening strike unblockable?

LOL

Don’t ask for it, because if they do implement unblockable projectiles then LB will be nerfed across the board. With quickness, skill 2 on LB and demolisher’s amulet + quickness and sic ‘em I’m dealing 12-20k damage in 2 seconds with my custom SPvP build that brought me easily into high plat league.

I would rather keep it that way. If they added unblockable projectiles, then that would be super OP and everyone would eventually figure out my build.

BTW you want to trade most useless boon on SB (swiftness) for such powerful trait? And I thought that thief-mains are delusional...

On demand combo areas?..You mean combo fields right?

Ranger does have access to those, quite a lot of them actually.(Core)Bonfire (Fire Field, Torch)Flame Trap (Fire Field)Frost Trap (Ice Field)Viper Nest (Poison Field)Healing Spring (Water Field)(Druid)Sublime Conversion (Water Field, Staff)Lesser Seed of Life (Light Field, Celestial Avatar, Traited)Seed of Life (Light Field, Celestial Avatar)Glyph of the Stars (Light Field, Celestial Avatar)Rejuvenating Tides (Water Field, Celestial Avatar)(Pets)Poison Cloud (Poison Field, Murrellow, Marsh Drake)Poisonous Cloud (Poison Field, Carrion Devourer)Poison Gas (Poison Field, Spiders, Soulbeast)Consuming Flame (Fire Field, Fire Wyvern)Lightning Assault (Lightning Field, Lightning Wyvern)Sonic Barrier (Etherial Field, Reef Drake)Smoke Cloud (Smoke Field, Smokescale)Dark Water (Smoke Field, Jellyfish, Soulbeast)Healing Cloud (Water Field, Jellyfish, Soulbeast)

Not all of them are on demand as you say but Ranger still has access to a pretty decent amount of different fields.. the only one they can't create is Dark I think.

Most of the Rangers combo finishers are projectiles though you are right about that, but as someone who runs a Sword/Warhorn combo as backup to a Longbow I can assure you there is easy access to Leap and Blast finishers along with Projectile with that setup.

Our unblock-able effects were just toned down, but the OP wants to run around in a wvw zerg, where hundreds of potential combo fields are all over, and have completely unblock-able longbow shots. That’s basically it.

“Projectile combos become unblockable”.

The above statement means you desire to have completely unblock-able shots, with this trait active, for every group fight. And considering we recently had a toning down in this area, it would be excessive.

We need the devs to focus on the underperforming aspects of Ranger, not constantly tweak the great performing longbow over and over and over.

@Swagger.1459 said:“Projectile combos become unblockable”.

The above statement means you desire to have completely unblock-able shots, with this trait active, for every group fight. And considering we recently had a toning down in this area, it would be excessive.

We need the devs to focus on the underperforming aspects of Ranger, not constantly tweak the great performing longbow over and over and over.

Currently there is a massive spike in projectile hate with the rework to auras and the auramancer and the inclusion of the Firebrand the amount of reflections this game have in place. It makes impossible to use longbow/axe/shortbow for anything else than Barrage.

One single Firebrand can maintain a reflections up for very long time.

This rework would make ranged weapons (as it would impact all the projectiles, no just longbow) usable in big fights and during specific moments when the commander ask for the heavy attacks to take place, being less effective the less allies involved. It is true the ranger have access to some fields but all those are static and very situational being some traps, torch #5 or the smoke field from the pet.As you probably already know out of the 5 main hand weapons 3 are projectile based. All the offhand weapons have some projectile attack as well.

As resume: This change would benefit almost nothing to roaming/small scale and it could help the ranger to have some use for the weapons in big fights without a deep rework. Also it would make the zerg rangers less tanky as they would be using a dps traitline.

I personally don't see any potential balance issues with this implementation. I would go as far as to say most would not even realize, even in zergs.

I understand where yu are coming from, but it is utterly wrong to assume Ranger has no on demand Combo fields.The most used pet, Smokescale, has Smokefield.

And with such a powerful interaction like this, Smokefield is more than enough, allowing the Ranger to Stealth, and immediately counter attack with a barrage of unblockable longbow shots.

@Yasai.3549 said:And with such a powerful interaction like this, Smokefield is more than enough, allowing the Ranger to Stealth, and immediately counter attack with a barrage of unblockable longbow shots.

Which will reveal the ranger with the first impact. What's your point?

@anduriell.6280 said:Which will reveal the ranger with the first impact. What's your point?

Who cares if it reveals the ranger when yur Rapid Fire has 100% chance to Blind.

@Yasai.3549 said:

@anduriell.6280 said:Which will reveal the ranger with the first impact. What's your point?