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**Is Druid Back?


mistsim.2748

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The oldschool druid is back (BM/WS/D), sans the might stacking. I'm doing really well with Demolisher + Scholar runes. Jakaranda, Gazelle, Ancient Seeds. LB/Staff. But I'm sure it has multiple viable variations.

Nothing was done directly but somehow with the steady shaving of the power creep, this spec has become very high impact. It outputs insane CC and good damage. Where's Trevor?

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I ran a 54 minute test with the Axe/Axe-Staff build that I've ran for years. Three games are played in this time. 1st tests Destroyer, 2nd tests Avatar, 3rd tests Demolisher. I would also agree that Demolisher seemed to have the highest impact in performance.

There was no AT play here, just unranked for a quick test tonight. I'll try to get around to testing some different stuff in ATs when I can.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/978279557

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@Kuma.1503 said:The addition of transferrence sigil is unironically the best change we've recieved since Feburary 2020

It wouldn't matter on Druid. Watch the video, even with Avatar on the healing is ridiculously small to where transference would barely effect the whole number being given to team mates. And aside from that, Druid can't afford to use those heals on anything other than itself unless the people happen to be right there next to him when he needs to cycle CA for survival.

These heals are... lol barely present anymore. @mistsim.2748 was right, it's just about Demolisher stacking power mitigation and the cleanses now. The healing is nearly completely negligent in 2021.

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@Bazsi.2734 said:

@mistsim.2748 said:The
oldschool
druid is back...
Jakaranda, Gazelle
...

Ah yes, those oldschool pets. It's kinda sad how literally every build uses the new pets and nothing else sees play.

You're lucky they don't....imagine the tears if drakes could actually hit something with their cleave attacks if Anet could address the 4s cast time and rooting.

Anet has officially stated that buffing core pets would mean upgrading all pet families in Pve too....I mean can you imagine if those drakes in the pve starter area could actually kill new players?

Using different mechanics with new pets is far easier than reworking entire core game. New pets can keep track of enemies...after all the mobility powercreep this game received since launch

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@Bazsi.2734 said:

@mistsim.2748 said:The
oldschool
druid is back...
Jakaranda, Gazelle
...

Ah yes, those oldschool pets. It's kinda sad how literally every build uses the new pets and nothing else sees play.

Old school build. Those pets weren't used back then. It was usually Smokescale with the wyvern. Smokescale would get u 25 stacks of might easily.

I was really just referring to the 3 talent trees.

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@"mistsim.2748" said:Also I wish Sage was viable but they completely gutted the healing coefficients. So 500HP is super negligible. Honestly, they might as well take out Avatar and Sage also.

Yeah it's somehow really really bad. The healing from CA Kit feels like it barely changes between 0 and +500 heal stat.

They very seriously need to undo "-20% to pet attributes" on Druid. It needs some of its DPS back after removing Mender/Marshal.

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@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:

@Kuma.1503 said:The addition of transferrence sigil is unironically the best change we've recieved since Feburary 2020

It wouldn't matter on Druid. Watch the video, even with Avatar on the healing is ridiculously small to where transference would barely effect the whole number being given to team mates. And aside from that, Druid can't afford to use those heals on anything other than itself unless the people happen to be right there next to him when he needs to cycle CA for survival.

These heals are... lol barely present anymore. @mistsim.2748 was right, it's just about Demolisher stacking power mitigation and the cleanses now. The healing is nearly completely negligent in 2021.

That's unfortunate. I will look for any excuse to play support druid in PvP tbh. Maybe next patch.

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This type of build reminds of when people where playing something like a longbow bleed druid… I never understood this and never will.For me using damage stats on staff is a complete heresy + it does not bring anything outside of an annoying auto.I would rather use core which is more fun to fight and play or, instead of playing on the side, make a variation to use mid and bring some utilities / cc to the team.

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@aymnad.9023 said:This type of build reminds of when people where playing something like a longbow bleed druid… I never understood this and never will.For me using damage stats on staff is a complete heresy + it does not bring anything outside of an annoying auto.I would rather use core which is more fun to fight and play or, instead of playing on the side, make a variation to use mid and bring some utilities / cc to the team.

Yeah, I mean it doesn't have to be staff but it's just there for resetting fights, projectile hate, and additional immob. I delete pew pew Soulbeast with this.

Druid is good now because CC is king, and the spec has a lot of sustain with Demolisher.

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@mistsim.2748 said:

@aymnad.9023 said:This type of build reminds of when people where playing something like a longbow bleed druid… I never understood this and never will.For me using damage stats on staff is a complete heresy + it does not bring anything outside of an annoying auto.I would rather use core which is more fun to fight and play or, instead of playing on the side, make a variation to use mid and bring some utilities / cc to the team.

Yeah, I mean it doesn't have to be staff but it's just there for resetting fights, projectile hate, and additional immob. I delete pew pew Soulbeast with this.

Druid is good now because CC is king, and the spec has a lot of sustain with Demolisher.

I do believe you. I tried core ranger with demo amulet, frost trap, healing spring on the mid node during this off season and was surprised to see how long I could last (it was also easier because I was in unranked).It is just that damage stats with a healing spec can trigger me (especially because I have been trying to play support with said spec for a while :angry: ) but I might try it mid later.

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@Stand The Wall.6987 said:

@Stand The Wall.6987 said:how hard does the final pulse of natural convergence hit with demolishers?

It's rarely worth using regardless of damage output. It's just too slow and it makes you a sitting duck.

what if the cripple was replaced with weakness? would that be enough damage reduction to make it safe enough?

Not even close. Weakness only works in this game with either two methods:

  1. Repetitive reapplication like Elixir Gun spam, Thief spamming Cluster Bomb blast in Choke Gas field, or a Necro boon into condi conversion battering.
  2. Or pinpoint precise application with a quick attack to be able to mitigate a single dangerous attack or two before someone cleanses.

Natural Convergence wouldn't be able to benefit either of these effects and the weak application would be rather useless.

At THIS point in the game's patching, Druid CA Kit has been seriously neglected in terms of keeping it on par with the kinds of things other classes are doing. Not only has it been neglected but it has been nerfed waaay too much. I mean really watch that video I posted and notice how ridiculously small the heals are from CA Kit even when I am blasting in water fields while wearing Avatar. Then consider how much other classes/builds are casually healing themselves constantly with nearly double or triple the heal value while not wearing heal stats at all.

For Natural Convergence to be useful in light of the types of things other classes can do, they'd need to do something like this:

  1. Skill Rework - Natural Convergence should be like a well that is laid down with a 1/2s cast and then it finishes its pulse on its own. This would actually apply pressure to the opponents near the Druid and allow the Druid more ease to use its CA Kit without needing to kite away off node and position away from opponents so it isn't interrupted when trying to wield a full active skill use kit that barely heals anything at all.
  2. Quick Fix - Natural Convergence should be only a 1s cast time.

And you know what? Even if one of those two fixes were to happen, I'd still never use the skill because it just isn't worth it. CA Kit really is good for nothing outside of the condi cleanse, go in and pop CA #3 on a water field, and leave to get stealth super speed disengage. I mean seriously any other option you have on your weapon skills or normal utility bar is twice as better or more than everything in the CA Kit. Truthfully Natural Convergence as an attack could use some seriously heavy buffs. Like it could afford to become 1s cast time, pulse stab to entire party, pull all opponents in from a 600 radius, and do a 2s normal immob "not roots" on everyone after it ends. <- Now something like that would be worth using and it would open doors for the Druid to be able to deal damage again, and also have a reason to actually go and wade into a team fight in the same way a Prot Holo or anything else would.

People who read this who may only play middle tier stuff probably already think "ha that's an absurd buff suggestion" but if they ever had tried to use Natural Convergence in the final round of an AT or an MAT in the middle of a bunch of high tier players, they'd realize the cast time is way way way too long for the absolutely flimsy effects that skill has. You'll never hit any of those high tier players with that skill and it puts you in this very high risk low reward position where you're just asking for all the Heralds and Thieves to immediately teleport to you and burst you down while trying to cast it, and that is exactly what happens in high tier games.

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Yeah agreed, CA is super rough to use due to long animations. I pretty much do #3 with Quickdraw proc, pulse NC once to proc seeds, cancel animation, #3 again, and drop the Avatar. Reset fight.

If people wanna play it for side node, LB/GS is better than Staff/LB. It's pretty good, but yeah CA can get u killed.

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@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:Not even close. Weakness only works in this game with either two methods:

  1. Repetitive reapplication like Elixir Gun spam, Thief spamming Cluster Bomb blast in Choke Gas field, or a Necro boon into condi conversion battering.

that would fit natural convergences pulsing nature. imo with slow and weakness pulses plus the stab it would be fine vs power builds. prob still risky in a team fight tho.

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@mistsim.2748 said:Yeah agreed, CA is super rough to use due to long animations. I pretty much do #3 with Quickdraw proc, pulse NC once to proc seeds, cancel animation, #3 again, and drop the Avatar. Reset fight.

If people wanna play it for side node, LB/GS is better than Staff/LB. It's pretty good, but yeah CA can get u killed.

I tried playing druid and honestly even generating CA is stupid, you are forced into passive ticks of healing to get anything done.forced to get dolyak/regeneration/renewal to actually get it really limits the options

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@Leonidrex.5649 said:

@mistsim.2748 said:Yeah agreed, CA is super rough to use due to long animations. I pretty much do #3 with Quickdraw proc, pulse NC once to proc seeds, cancel animation, #3 again, and drop the Avatar. Reset fight.

If people wanna play it for side node, LB/GS is better than Staff/LB. It's pretty good, but yeah CA can get u killed.

I tried playing druid and honestly even generating CA is stupid, you are forced into passive ticks of healing to get anything done.forced to get dolyak/regeneration/renewal to actually get it really limits the options

I find running any form of AoE regen also fixes the Avatar juice problem, I remember running more into the nerfed CD than anything.

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The real question isn’t going to be is this demo druid going to be good the question is will it be better than other ranger stuff? I could just play demo dolyack on soulbeast with 1v1 traits. Would it be worth playing over builds like that, that is the question you need to ask before you know if druid is back

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