Untamed: Improving Squad Viability

[Soilder.3607]

Untamed: Improving WvW Squad Viability

 

Currently, the Untamed is not seen as squad viable by the majority of WvW guilds. While I do share this view, I believe that there exists potential for the Untamed to be improved in a way that makes it viable for use in organized squads.

 

The Untamed has an emphasis on melee area damage and is also the only Ranger specialization to feature boon stripping. Boon stripping is a highly valued aspect of squad play, and it's something that I think can be focused on in order to improve the untamed.

 

List of Suggestions:

 

1. Rending Vines - Currently, this skill has a radius of 180 and removes 2 boons from up to 5 targets. Increasing the radius to 240 would allow it to more consistently affect 5 enemy targets.

 

2. Savage Slash - This skill, when traited with Corrupting Vines, is the single strongest source of boon ripping available to the Untamed, as it removes 4 boons from up to 5 enemies with a mere 15 second recharge. To improve its effectiveness, I suggest that the skill be made unblockable, that way it may more reliably strike targets. Adding unblockability to boon stripping is not at all unprecedented as can be seen through skills like Break Enchantments and Banish Enchantment

 

3. Exploding Spores - I am suggesting a mild redesign to this skill. Instead of summoning 6 spores with a 120 radius each, I suggest that it summons a single spore with a 300 radius. This spore, when detonating, will no longer knockdown foes but will instead remove 2 boons from up to 5 foes while retaining its damage and boon application. The time needed for the spore to detonate will be reduced by 50% (similar to the change to Seed of Life in the October patch). Lastly, reducing the recharge to 20 seconds would be of good benefit.

 

Solving the pet issue

 

Unique amongst ranger elite specializations, the Untamed is much more reliant on its pet as compared to the Soulbeast or Druid. Soulbeasts in WvW squads tend to stay merged with their pets in order to benefit from stat increases, as well as to gain access to new skills, most notably the immob and pull from Prelude Lash. In regard to the Druid, the pet is essentially unneeded in order for that specialization to fulfill its role as a healer and cleanser.

 

So, for the Untamed to reach viability in WvW squads, there need to be changes made that allow the pet to survive and activate their class mechanic skills with consistentcy. This isn't an easy thing to do, but I will put forth some suggestions that may work.

 

1. Shared Healing - Pets have a lower priority than players in a squad to be healed. This means that they often miss out on healing that would otherwise stop them from dying. My suggestion is to add shared healing to one of the Minor Untamed traits. It could read something like this: Healing you receive is shared with your pet (100%). This could be balanced by adjusting the percentage of healing that is shared: Healing you receive is shared with your pet (75%)

 

2. Shared Dodges - Pets cannot dodge, which means they are unable to avoid bombs and other sources of damage. We could again adjust one of the minor Untamed traits to remedy this. Here's an example : Vow of the Untamed - Your outgoing strike damage is increased while you are unleashed. You take reduced damage from strikes while your pet is unleashed. Whenever you dodge, your pet gains evasion (1s). This could also be balanced by adjusting the duration of evasion that the pet gains.

 

Thanks for reading.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Soilder.3607

[Flow.2947]

The issue i see is that untainted is actually not so easy to play. but the value of it is extremity high already

Pets get doge when you do is interesting.

Shared healing i would say no you have healing skills for this. You can have passive heal  about 500/s on your pet there must be a downside to have 1 object more for dmg mitigation due to target cap. 

[Gotejjeken.1267]

They just need to fix hammer (already being worked on from looks of it) and add some kind of scaling damage reduction to pets proportional to number of enemies in area (like keep lords have).  

The boon rip itself I think is separate matter; Rending Vines just needs an overhaul as its pretty useless against the boon reapplication potential in the game, and ambush skills removing boons should just be baseline.  

Making Savage Slash unblockable is a slippery slope as then you'd probably have to make all of them unblockable, and the axe one in particular would definitely cause mountains of salt should that happen.  

[Infusion.7149]

I fail to see the value over a greatsword soulbeast with a sigil of absorption or sigil of nullification. Hammer would need to do huge amounts of damage in order to be more attractive now that soulbeast can share stability in 600 radius with Leader of the Pack and Dolyak Stance. An untamed is inherently playing with a 300 ferocity deficit due to an unmerged state. Moreover, if the boon rip is in melee it always begs the question why aren't you playing spellbreaker instead?

Maybe if the new siege turtle (which is ranged) that has a projectile barrier as an active skill were able to stick to you more closely that would be good pick. Offensively it does close to nothing since the damage is quite poor.

Of course due to scrapper nerfs the pet stealthing problem isn't as prominent. Also druid pet stow still isn't implemented?

Edited November 15, 2022 by Infusion.7149

[Flow.2947]

1 hour ago, Infusion.7149 said:

I fail to see the value over a greatsword soulbeast with a sigil of absorption or sigil of nullification. Hammer would need to do huge amounts of damage in order to be more attractive now that soulbeast can share stability in 600 radius with Leader of the Pack and Dolyak Stance. An untamed is inherently playing with a 300 ferocity deficit due to an unmerged state. Moreover, if the boon rip is in melee it always begs the question why aren't you playing spellbreaker instead?

Maybe if the new siege turtle (which is ranged) that has a projectile barrier as an active skill were able to stick to you more closely that would be good pick. Offensively it does close to nothing since the damage is quite poor.

Of course due to scrapper nerfs the pet stealthing problem isn't as prominent. Also druid pet stow still isn't implemented?

Untaimed would play either hammer gs or axe gs. It doesnt have much boon strip but when you are coordinating it you are able to strip 6 boons 5 targets at once which is very strong. And now you will be able to invulnerably back to your group, it needs followup cc but w8 there is xD. It is such an awesome engaging class ❤️ awesome for coordinated group play. But when not coordinated then it falls off very quickly

[Biermeister.4678]

They need to make hammer 5 ignore stability and give the class a hard cc when pet is on cool down, 

And for exploding spores cut cast time to trap speed or thief trap speed since it is one of the main CC's for the class