Cufufalating.8479

The soulbeast changes seem a bit out of the blue, but are probably the first time I've been excited for updates in over a year. You could have a bird and gazzelle for mobilty, canine and pig for endless CC, Prelude Lash > Worldly Impact, I might actually use Spiritual Reprieve as I can still have another, this is interesting. What's even more interesting is you could play soulbeast without ever really merging, if that's your thing. You get both pets back, you can trigger any affects you want via swapping now, a non-merge SB is entirely possible (although I am not sure why you would).

Having now seen the Untamed I cannot help but think that Rangers have 2 potentially great e-specs hidden away by mashing up the UT and SLB. This is more of an interesting thought experiment than a serious suggestion but it does contains my thoughts on how to improve the UT traits and skills in the second proposed spec. We’d create 2 new e-specs from the components of SLB and UT, and slightly adjust the core ranger. The first epec is pet based and is a pet spec designed for PvP and smaller scale WvW. The second spec is the bruiser spec. Core Ranger changes All rangers gain access to their pets skills whilst keeping their old pet commands as well. The pet now dodge rolls whenever the ranger dodge rolls. The Pet Spec (PS) Headlines: PS takes an updated UT class mechanic of swapping unleaded power between the pet and ranger. PS takes stances with one pet orientated tweek. PS takes SLB traitline. PS takes dagger. Updated mechanics: - The unleashed mechanic would be changed and would no longer alter the ranger’s weapon skills or the pet skills (unleashed pet skills are moved to second e-spec later). - The new unleashed mechanic would allow the pet or ranger, whichever was unleashed, to be affected by traits that usually affected the other entity. Traits that already affect both pet and ranger will buff the unleashed entity by an increased amount, balance allowing (e.g. Predator's Onslaught would increase the unleashed entity's damage by more than the usual 15%, or Companion's Defence would give more the 2s protection to the unleashed, but probably not double). - Traits that currently trigger on merge now work on becoming unleashed (whichever entity becomes unleashed gets the buff) - While unleashed, the pet would always be affected by stances for their full duration regardless of how far the pet was from the ranger. This is true with or without Leader of the Pack. What this does: There are loads of new synergies to be found with this mechanic, all of them based around the pet and ranger working together. You could use Griffon Stance + Evasive Purity to help your pet get to targets with the new pet dodge roll, buff pet damage with Vicious Quarry + Furious Strength, use Moment of Clarity to buff canines, make easier and better use of stances to aid your pet, etc. I also envisage lots of traits being updated to work with this new mechanic, such as the pet should also trigger Child of the Earth and create a lesser muddy terrain when the ranger uses a healing skill and the pet is unleashed, and pet F2 and F3 skills would be classed as weapon skills for the sake of Quick Draw. Overall this lets you build a powerful pet that works for you and your build, without boring stat buffs or new pet skills. It also alows the ranger to improve their self buff ability when unleasehed. This is a self sufficient, pet orientated, spec. The Bruiser Spec (BS) Headline: BS takes the SLB mechanic of pet merging, unchanged from now it currently is. BS takes the UT trait with with party buff tweeks. BS takes cantrips with old unleashed pet skills added in and Perilous Gift re-imagined. BS takes an updated hammer with only 1 skill set. Updated mechanics: - This UT traitline is altered to focus more on party support. Affects that are currently for the ranger are party wide (e.g. instead of disabling a foe granting you a boon, it grants nearby allies the boon. Instead of damage healing you 10%, it heals nearby allies 4%). Vow of the Untamed is completely changed. - Nature’s Binding gains the boon rip and slow from Rending Vines. - Mutate Conditions is replaced with Enveloping Haze and the haze now pulses condi cleanse inside it. - Unnatural Traversal now shadow steps the pet along with the ranger and is now a stun breaker, even with no target. - Perilous Gift is replaced. When unmerged the new heal heals for around 12k, split equally between the pet and ranger. If one entity reaches full health becasue of the heal then the other entity gets 50% of the "excess healing". (e.g. both ranger and pet should be healed 6k, but if the ranger has only taken 4k damage then the pet will get healed an additional 1k as that is 50% of the excess 2k healing from the ranger). When merged the heal will act simularly but the excess healing will be applied to nearby allies instead of the pet. - The hammer is updated to only have one set of skills, including 2 AoE high damage skills, 2 AoE hard CC skills and 1 leaping skill. What this does: Builds a proper e-spec to go in the front lines with lots of party support traits, good CC, anti-projectile bubble, more AoE cleanse, and NO PET. The spec also have access to all the merged pet skills which are generally great for WvW zergs. TL;DR- Swapping the UT and SLB class mechanics around and fiddling with the UT traits, skills and unleashed mechanic makes way more sense.

They won't re-do it but I still voted for that given my dislike for it. I'm not a very pet-ish player anyway so a pet spec was never going to be my thing, but even so I was hoping for a really buffed up pet simular to what the mech is. What we got was a pet that is virtually unchanged. I'm not sure I even consider this a pet spec, frankly. It's a hammer spec, and not a very good one.

I run a variation on the theme - it works well for me in 1v1s and can add some good bursts in team fights. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POwAUxjlFwkYdsHmJWcPlP3BEB-z1QY1o+DvE0RhEYBUaE0bK460wgRLA-w There are loads of ways to play on the theme as well: - Firebrand runes + striders defence + rage sigil + essence of speed can be a fun combo. - If you are taking shortbow it's easy to sub in trappers expertise, sigil of doom and vipers nest for a fun poison / life steal set up. - If you drop the SB and take axe+ instead you can swap out skirmshing for BM. - You can build incredibly tanky with unstoppable union, second skin, earth runes or antitoxin runes, etc. I'd try it if I were you. A celestial soulbeast with WS can be built into so many things with just a change of runes and a few traits. It keeps me endlessly entertained.

I tried untamed for WvW roaming / small scale and did not find much enjoyment. Positives: - Having an anti-projectile bubble is great. - Boon rip is great. - Some of the utilities are pretty good. Negatives: - If you don't use hammer the whole traitline feels a little pointless. This annoys me the most. - Hammer has no mobility making it hard to use. - New pet controls are... not as good as it sounded. You gain some control but lose other control buttons and end up with a different set of pet problems but no overall improvement. - Who thought that heal was a good idea on a pet spec? For real. - The elite is awfully undertuned outside of a large battle where you can cleave. - Even in the above case, the elite is very boring. It's just a mashup of RaO and dolyak stance. - The condi clease is poor so you still rely on WS or HS. - Controlling untamed swap, pet swap and weapon swap felt a bit much to me. - I just didn't enjoy it. I'd probably play core over Untamed. Bonus negative: - Seeing the mechs is a bit of a kick in the teeth. They are heavily range and support based and have a ton of health and a break bar. All this together means they don't suffer as many issues as ranger pets, and it sucks.