the future of long-range combat

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

In the past, fighting in greater distance was at least considered an option. We have traits and passive effects like Pure of Sight (Dragonhunter), which promote having a little distance between you and your target. Rewarding you with bonus damage. 

On the other hand, the stack-meta is more powerful than ever. Healing, reviving, buffing and damage-mitigation only works in closer range, sometimes even melee-range. Even combos require players to stand together. Looking at stationary buffs (e. g. spirits or banners), the range is rather limited as well. You can split up, but they are not designed to promote ranged-combat. If you try to get the maximum damage enhancement from the range-multiplier, you always end up leaving the support-zone. That is a risk not many are willing to take nowadays. 

With End of Dragons, we finally get an elite specialization (Virtuoso), that utilizes a long-range weapon with 1,200 units again. But the damage-multiplier trait Mental Focus, works between 0 and 600 range.

This does not look very promising to me. Does long-range combat even have a future in GW2? Or should ANet use the Virtuoso as an example and adjust the old range-based damage-modifiers to the same level, to give every profession equal chances? What are your thoughts on this? 

Edited February 23, 2022 by HnRkLnXqZ.1870
small mistake with FT range

[Mell.4873]

5 hours ago, HnRkLnXqZ.1870 said:

In the past, fighting in greater distance was at least considered an option. We have traits and passive effects like Pure of Sight (Dragonhunter), which promote having a little distance between you and your target. Rewarding you with bonus damage. 

On the other hand, the stack-meta is more powerful than ever. Healing, reviving, buffing and damage-mitigation only works in closer range, sometimes even melee-range. Even combos require players to stand together. Looking at stationary buffs (e. g. spirits or banners), the range is rather limited as well. You can split up, but they are not designed to promote ranged-combat. If you try to get the maximum damage enhancement from the range-multiplier, you always end up leaving the support-zone. That is a risk not many are willing to take nowadays. 

With End of Dragons, we finally get an elite specialization (Virtuoso), that utilizes a long-range weapon with 1,200 units again. But the damage-multiplier trait Mental Focus, works between 0 and 600 range.

This does not look very promising to me. Does long-range combat even have a future in GW2? Or should ANet use the Virtuoso as an example and adjust the old range-based damage-modifiers to the same level, to give every profession equal chances? What are your thoughts on this? 

The stack meta had been their since the start, it was always more advantages to stack in dungeons and hence why warrior was one of the best classes to bring until we got healers.

Whenever i take newbies into fractals my biggest tip is to stack, if for nothing else than to be healed.

 

I believe the truly viable ranged classes of the game are ones that can preform excellent in melee and okay at ranged which makes them the best of both worlds. Most of my open world builds rely on at least one ranged weapon and has many survival and buffing traits or skills.

 

A good example is ranger, greatsword and longbow

Edited February 24, 2022 by Mell.4873

[draxynnic.3719]

The real problem here is mechanics, or possibly more accurately, the fact that most mechanics that ArenaNet have tried to use in raids/fractals/strikes to encourage ranged have been damage-based which players can just heal through (such as VG greens and Boneskinner torches).

There are mechanics such as phasing in open world bosses that do force ranged because you just won't be able to damage them at all if you ignore them. If they start introducing those to so-called endgame content as well, that would likely demand some shifts in tactics.

[xXxNikiGoesWildxXx.3678]

Naturally ranged attacks should be solo target and melee should be multi target but there are so many range and massive aoe spells which breaks the game(wvw for example). if we think about pvp, standing on node and shooting guy that is away from node is so good instead of chasing it in melee, leaving the node etc