Upcoming PvP Ranger Changes

Eurantien.4632 · January 31, 2020

EDIT: General Changes I missed:Ranger:

Soulbeasts, long standing without a tradeoff, are now receiving theirs - they lose combat access to a second pet and must choose carefully which pet they are going to be bonded with in battle.

Soulbeast: Soulbeasts can no longer swap pets while in combat. Merging and unmerging with your pet now counts as a pet swap for the purposes of the Clarion Bond and Zephyr's Speed traits.

Lightning Assault (Electric Wyvern): Added a 500ms warmup before the dash occurs.

Glyph of the Stars: Reduced the cooldown of this skill to 60 seconds from 90 seconds.

Call of the Wild: This skill now uses the new unblockable buff (see General section for more details).

Throw Torch: This skill now applies its effects in a 180 radius around the target struck by the torch.

Winter's Bite: This skill is now always AoE even when not traited with Honed Axes. Increased bleeding stacks in PvE from 2 to 3 and increased bleeding duration in PvE from 8 seconds to 12 seconds to match PvP/WvW version.

Honed Axes: Baseline ferocity is now also applied to your pet. No longer causes Winter's Bite to strike AoE.

Hunter's Tactics: This trait now increases damage when attacking from the side or behind by 10% in addition to its previous effects.

Lead the Wind: No longer grants swiftness when performing a projectile combo. Instead grants swiftness for 10 seconds and quickness for 5 seconds (2.5 seconds in PvP and WvW) when striking with an attack from beyond 1200 range. This effect has a 15 second cooldown.

Druidic Clarity: This trait no longer causes entering Celestial Avatar to stunbreak.

Unstoppable Union: This trait no longer causes entering Beastmode to stunbreak. Entering Beastmode now grants protection and vigor in addition to removing movement-impairing conditions.

Beastly Warden: This trait now has a 1 second delay before your pet taunts nearby enemies. Fixed a bug that could prevent this trait from working with underwater pets.

Clarion Bond: This trait now uses the new unblockable buff (see General section for more details).

Twice as Vicious: Increased the damage and condition damage bonuses granted by this trait from 5% to 10% in PvE only.\

PVP ADDITIONAL CHANGES

Link to full thread: https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/96744

Remember all professions have been similarly adjusted. There is a lot to process here.

Ranger

Profession Mechanics

Celestial Avatar

Cosmic Ray: Reduced heal coefficient from 0.469 to 0.25Seed of Life: Reduced heal coefficient from 0.4745 to 0.2. Increased number of conditions cleansed from 1 to 2. Increased cooldown from 3 seconds to 4 secondsLunar Impact: Reduced base heal from 1620 to 1215. Reduced heal coefficient from 1.44 to 0.72. Increased daze duration from 1.5 seconds to 2 secondsRejuvenating Tides: Reduced pulse heal coefficient from 0.3 to 0.15

Soulbeast Merge Skills

Swoop (Bird): Increased cooldown from 10 seconds to 18 secondsBrutal Charge (Canine): Reduced power coefficient from 0.64 to 0.01Tail Lash (Devourer): Reduced power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.01Call Lightning (Jacaranda): Reduced power coefficient per hit from 0.5 to 0.4Maul (Porcine): Increased cooldown from 12 seconds to 15 secondsBrutal Charge (Porcine): Reduced power coefficient from 0.67 to 0.01Takedown (Smokescale): Reduced power coefficient from 0.7 to 0.01Smoke Assault (Smokescale): Reduced might duration from 8 seconds to 6 seconds. Reduced power coefficient per hit from 0.5 to 0.35Wing Buffet (Wyvern): Reduced power coefficient from 0.3 to 0.01

Beast Skills

Unflinching Fortitude: Increased cooldown from 35 seconds to 50 secondsWorldly Impact: Reduced power coefficient from 1.89 to 1.512

Pet Skills

Pig Family

Brutal Charge: Reduced power coefficient from 0.67 to 0.01

Canine Family

Brutal Charge: Reduced power coefficient from 0.67 to 0.01

Wolf

Terrifying Howl (F2): Reduced power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.01

Devourer

Tail Lash: Reduced power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.01

Iboga

Fang Grapple (F2): Reduced power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.01

Bristleback

Spike Barrage: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.22 to 0.165

Rock Gazelle

Head Toss (F2): Reduced power coefficient from 1.11 to 0.01Charge: Reduced power coefficient from 1.1 to 0.825

Smokescale

Takedown: Reduced power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.01Smoke Assault: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.25 to 0.2

Wyvern Family

Wing Buffet: Reduced power coefficient from 0.3 to 0.01

Lightning Wyvern

Lightning Assault (F2): Reduced power coefficient from 0.6 to 0.01

Weapons

Greatsword

Autoattack Chain: Reduced power coefficients from 0.64/0.8/1.3 to 0.45/0.6/0.866Maul: Reduced power coefficient from 1.75 to 1.5. Reduced vulnerability duration from 8 seconds to 6 seconds. Increased cooldown from 4 seconds to 6 secondsSwoop: Reduced power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.91. Increased cooldown from 12 seconds to 15 secondsCounterattack: Increased cooldown from 15 seconds to 25 seconds.    Counterattack Kick (from Counterattack): Reduced power coefficient from 1.3 to 0.01Hilt Bash: Reduced power coefficient from 0.72 to 0.01. Reduced cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds

Longbow

Long Range Shot: Reduced maximum power coefficient from 0.9 to 0.6. Reduced minimum power coefficient from 0.7 to 0.466Rapid Fire: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.375 to 0.275. Reduced vulnerability duration from 10 seconds to 6 secondsPoint Blank Shot: Reduced power coefficient from 0.8 to 0.01Barrage: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.5 to 0.381

Short Bow

Crossfire: Reduced power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.266Quick Shot: Increased cooldown from 8 seconds to 12 secondsConcussion Shot: Reduced power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.01

Sword

Autoattack Chain: Reduced power coefficients from 0.7/0.7/0.96 to 0.466/0.466/0.64Monarch's Leap: Reduced power coefficient from 1.25 to 0.75

Axe MH

Ricochet: Reduced power coefficient from 0.8 to 0.533. Reduced might duration from 10 seconds to 5 secondsSplitblade: Reduced power coefficient per axe from 0.4 to 0.1. Increased bleeding duration from 6 seconds to 12 seconds. Increased cooldown from 6 seconds to 8 secondsWinter's Bite: Reduced power coefficient from 1.5 to 1.0. Increased bleeding stacks from 2 to 3.

Axe OH

Path of Scars: Reduced power coefficient from 1.2 to 0.01Whirling Defense: reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.66 to 0.44. Reduced vulnerability duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds

Dagger OH

Stalker's Strike: Increased cooldown from 10 seconds to 15 secondsCrippling Talon: Reduced power coefficient from 0.75 to 0.5

Warhorn

Hunter's Call: Reduced power coefficient per strike from 0.15 to 0.1Call of the Wild: Reduced might duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds

Staff

Solar Beam: Reduced base heal per pulse from 66 to 30Ancestral Grace: Reduced healing coefficient from 1.0 to 0.5

Dagger MH

Autoattack Chain: Reduced power coefficients from 0.4/0.42/0.44/0.88 to 0.32/0.336/0.352/0.704Double Arc: Adjusted bleeding per hit from 3 stacks for 6 seconds to 2 stacks for 9 secondsInstinctive Engage: Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds

Heal

We Heal As One: Increased cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 secondsTroll Unguent: Increased cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 secondsGlyph of Rejuvenation:Non-Celestial: Reduced self heal coefficient from 1.708 to 1.25. Reduced ally heal coefficient from 1.4 to 1.0Celestial: Reduced self heal coefficient from 1.4 to 1.0. Reduced ally heal coefficient from 1.708 to 1.25Bear Stance: Increased cooldown from 25 seconds to 30 seconds

Utility

Lightning Reflexes: Reduced power coefficient from 1.0 to 0.1Quickening Zephyr: Reduced quickness and superspeed duration from 6 seconds to 4 seconds. Reduced cooldown from 45 seconds to 40 secondsGlyph of Alignment: Increased cooldown from 20 seconds to 25 secondsGlyph of the Tides: Reduced power coefficient from 1.5 to 0.01. Reduced cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 secondsDolyak Stance: Increased cooldown from 40 seconds to 60 secondsGriffon Stance: Reduced might duration from 8 seconds to 6 secondsMoa Stance: Reduced bonus boon duration from 66% to 20%Glyph of Equality (non-celestial): Reduced power coefficient from 1.5 to 0.01Spike Trap: Reduced power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.01. Adjusted bleeding from 6 stacks from 6.25 seconds to 1 stack for 1 second. Reduced cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds

Elite

Strength of the Pack: Reduced might duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds. Reduced stability duration from 8 seconds to 6 seconds

Traits

Marksmanship

Stoneform: Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 300 secondsLesser Call of the Wild (from Clarion Bond): Reduced boon durations from 15 seconds to 6 seconds

Skirmishing

Sharpened Edges: Reduced bleeding duration from 3 seconds to 1 secondPrimal Reflexes: Reduced vigor duration from 8 seconds to 4 secondsStrider's Defense: Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds

Wilderness Survival

Rugged Growth: Reduced base heal from 259 to 155Lesser Muddy Terrain (from Child of Earth): Reduced duration from 10 seconds to 4 secondsTaste for Danger: Reduced vitality to expertise conversion from 7% to 4%Refined Toxins: Reduced poison duration from 6 seconds to 4 secondsShared Anguish: Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 300 seconds

Nature Magic

Rejuvenation: Reduced regeneration duration from 5 seconds to 3 secondsLingering Magic: Reduced concentration from 240 to 120Instinctive Reaction: Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 2 secondsWindborne Notes: Reduced regeneration duration from 6 seconds to 4 secondsProtective Ward: Reduced weakness duration from 6 seconds to 4 seconds

Beastmastery

Wilting Strike: Reduced weakness duration from 4 seconds to 3 secondsLesser Quickening Zephyr (from Zephyr's Speed): Reduced quickness and superspeed durations from 3 seconds to 2 seconds

Druid

Live Vicariously: Reduced base healing from 207 to 144Natural Mender: Reduced bonus outgoing healing per stack from 2% to 1%Celestial Shadow: Reduced stealth duration from 3 seconds to 2 secondsGrace of the Land: Reduced might duration from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. Reduced target cap from 10 to 5

Soulbeast

Live Fast: Reduced quickness duration from 3 seconds to 2 secondsEternal Bond: Increased cooldown from 90 seconds to 300 seconds

anduriell.6280 · January 31, 2020

Hi you forgot: Soulbeast can not swap pets while in combat and merging\unmerging will trigger the swap traits.Unstopable union does notmbreak stun but provides protection and vigor.

Which means:lesser clarion bond + lesser quickening zephir = welcome back the unblockable quickness pewpew. Doesn't mean much because of the nerf to LB damage (around 30%)

Axe OH is shit now. The skills will not do any damage, path of scars is still clunky as hell, whirling defense will do no damage to be useful. Nobody can use that skill as reflect because of the stunlock on channelling.

Reduced condis from traits (taste from danger, sharpened edges) is reduced which already make the condi build even more irrelevant.

Dagger mainhand will do as much POWER damage as sword.

The only actual stability for the soulbeast is nerfed to 40s CD, i would remove the Damage reduction and leave the cooldown as it is.

Heal as one is nerfed with a 50% CD increase (from 20 to 30s).

Still no wvw zerg build available.Depending how the other classes are nerfed we can go from keep our irrelevancy to be considered deleted in game.

They really really need to talk to ppl in this subforum.

Ah they didn't really nerf condi damage in this balance which means the condi meta is coming back.

Abyssisis.3971 · February 1, 2020

When Anet are nerfing already weak and unused weapons, skills and trait, you know it’s time to move to another class.

aymnad.9023 · February 1, 2020

Quick look after midnight and barely looking at other professions. So please keep in mind this is not reliable and I am trying to guess.

Overall :

For every professions :

Every skill that is has a cc has no more damage, even if this skill is bad.
Nerf on boon sources.
Nerf on every defense skill / utility
Nerf on damage / healing

This is very very hard for me to see how the meta will evolve and how those changes are good or bad since I do not have the big picture. It is also very hard to like a patch where you only see nerf without understanding how everything else is impacted.

What I do not get :

No rework on druid or changes on cd / astral force so I have a hard time seeing it played. Also less healing and less damage means you build life force slower. Great job there.
300s on some passives. This is the 1st of april right ? Why not have something new ? Why not delete them at this point? They were already weak, I already was not using them. If anyone uses them after the patch well I do not know how we can help him/her.

What I do not mind

Most of the boons changes.

What I am not sure of :

Huge nerf on power based weapons and few changes on our condi. This might be an attempt to bring those on the same level.
Nerfing damage, healing and cd. Some people have asked for "a slower gameplay" but I like the current one and nerfing all around does not mean it will make the game more fun to play.
I feel like ranger still does not have a direction / goal… I am scared that we lose too much and then even solo queue becomes hard.

Details :

Soulbeast merged skills :

Longer swoop cd is fine
Less might on smokescale is fine.

Beast skills :
Fine changes

Pets :No updates on core pets outside of the cc losing damage.

GS :

Massive hit on survivability. Maybe too much but if other professions hit less who knows. (but I am really scared, it is not like ranger can really fight a long time on a node...)
Less frequent maul should be fine and make this bear sound less annoying :smirk:.
More frequent hilt bash is ok with all those nerfs.

Lb :Probably fine for skills but I find the auto sad… Wait and see.

SB :Nothing to see.

Sword :
Do not know. Looks rough for the auto but I stopped playing sword. Only a utility weapon now.

Axe :Fine changes.

Dagger :Barely changed

Staff ::lol:

Healing :Some professions got coefficient nerf, we got cd nerfs.

Utility

Lightning Reflexes: Just remove the damage at this point please !!!!!!! It is only a trap that makes you vulnerable to some effects (protect me, shocking aura, triggers full counter)
Glyph of alignment: Seriously? Nerfing the only true utility glyph ?
Dolyak : ouch?
Moa Stance: Reduced bonus boon duration from 66% to 20%. Then decreasing the cd could have been nice.
Spike Trap : I like it and will try it. I loved the old version, more frequent and less damage. It helped you to set up your traps/combo more often.

Traits :I think most of them are fine. Outside of those cd. I mean… why?Sharpened Edges : not sure whyNatural Mender: well it is not like druid already has issues healing allies.

sevenDEADLY.5281 · February 1, 2020

This entire thread is missing the "general changes" section of changes that apply to all game modes and is listing only the pvp/wvw specific changes. In context some of the bigger changes are missing because this section was left out.

Edit: these are the general gamewide changes.Ranger: