Untamed WvW Beast

[Mell.4873]

I have recently swapped out both my Druid build which I used for Zergs and Soulbeast build which i used for Roaming with this.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POxEcEWpsUWHrlxyOxS7ZN6Wy4SD-z1QY1o72fHiQZEVGERZ55HIk/V+NA-w

It is the best of both worlds, there is plenty of Immobilization to fill the same role as Druid (minus the healing) and has enough burst damage to be a good Roamer.
It really excels at bother chasing people down and really disrupting a Zerg by teleporting in and Immobilization 5 of them.

The added bonus with this is the Sustain you get from Restorative Strikes really means you can trade very well, even in a Zerg clash. You can also remove up to 5 boons from 5 players very quickly with your unleashed Pet F2 + Ambush Unleashed Axe.

[Johje Holan.4607]

Wish I'd have seen this yesterday before spending 200 hero points on a Soulbeast 😀.   I went with Soulbeast because I tried Druid and didn't really like it.  I'm not sure I'm liking SB either though.  And Untamed looks hard to play.  But also, I would want to use the hammer if I went Untamed.  I was thinking of trying to find a LB/Hammer build.  Can I ask a few questions.

• Why go condi?  Is it because of the axes?  I thought Condi wasn't the best in large scale WvW.
• Most of the Untamed builds seem to use axes not the hammer, can you tell me why this is? 
• Would a LB/Hammer build be at all viable in WvW?
• Is Untamed as hard as it seems?  The pet management seems a lot harder.

I recently returned to the game and have been trying to find a build that would allow me to both roam and help out in a zerg when the time came.  All the "meta" builds either seem too hard or kind of boring or I don't have that profession.  I played Ele for a long time in the early years so I'd rather not play that.  But Ranger is one of my mains along with Mes so I was hoping the expacs finally made Ranger worth using in large scale WvW.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Johje Holan.4607

[Zyreva.1078]

32 minutes ago, Johje Holan.4607 said:

Wish I'd have seen this yesterday before spending 200 hero points on a Soulbeast 😀. 

Slb is the better spec in WvW anyway, so don't worry. The build posted here in particular is pretty useless, don't bother with that.

For zerg play with soulbeast you basically have two options: Immob melee soulbeast or double longbow quickdraw barrage spam.

Immob slb brings good soft and hard cc as well as melee burst on top of stance share, but requires support and a squad that actually pushes. For pug zergs that tend to poke each other from range, the longbow build is easier and safer to play and will allow you to tag a lot of bodies, but it is less impactfull overall.

Builds would look something like that. Zerk/mara gear, pack, dura or scholar rune (for the lb build replace Vicious Quarry with Quick Draw and Two-Handed Training with Natural Healing, can also run different pets and defensive utility skills if needed).

Regarding untamed - neither longbow nor hammer offers much defense or mobility, so i'd not recommend running both of those weapons (tho for casual zerging it would still be fine). For organised! large scale hammer + gs would be the best (similar role as  melee slb with cc and burst, also the added benefit of boon strip, but harder to play and with the upcoming nerfs to the teleport probably not worth running anymore). For small scale/solo roaming lb+gs, gs+hammer or some sort of cele/condi build can work, but soulbeast still remains the superior spec.

Edited February 12, 2023 by UmbraNoctis.1907

[Mell.4873]

4 hours ago, Johje Holan.4607 said:

Wish I'd have seen this yesterday before spending 200 hero points on a Soulbeast 😀.   I went with Soulbeast because I tried Druid and didn't really like it.  I'm not sure I'm liking SB either though.  And Untamed looks hard to play.  But also, I would want to use the hammer if I went Untamed.  I was thinking of trying to find a LB/Hammer build.  Can I ask a few questions.

• Why go condi?  Is it because of the axes?  I thought Condi wasn't the best in large scale WvW.
• Most of the Untamed builds seem to use axes not the hammer, can you tell me why this is? 
• Would a LB/Hammer build be at all viable in WvW?
• Is Untamed as hard as it seems?  The pet management seems a lot harder.

I recently returned to the game and have been trying to find a build that would allow me to both roam and help out in a zerg when the time came.  All the "meta" builds either seem too hard or kind of boring or I don't have that profession.  I played Ele for a long time in the early years so I'd rather not play that.  But Ranger is one of my mains along with Mes so I was hoping the expacs finally made Ranger worth using in large scale WvW.

• The Condition for us is only to capitalise on the Celestial stats and to extend the duration of the immobilization. You normally don't want to rush into a Zerg much like Soulbeast. You want to go after the tail or the people on the edge of the Zerg.
• Axe has better hybrid potential that most other weapon and it's ambush is another immobilization
• If you played power that would definitely be the better combination.
• You don't really use your pet at all outside of Smokescale stealth or Fanged Iboga Pull

 

3 hours ago, UmbraNoctis.1907 said:

Slb is the better spec in WvW anyway, so don't worry. The build posted here in particular is pretty useless, don't bother with that.

For zerg play with soulbeast you basically have two options: Immob melee soulbeast or double longbow quickdraw barrage spam.

Immob slb brings good soft and hard cc as well as melee burst on top of stance share, but requires support and a squad that actually pushes. For pug zergs that tend to poke each other from range, the longbow build is easier and safer to play and will allow you to tag a lot of bodies, but it is less impactfull overall.

Builds would look something like that. Zerk/mara gear, pack, dura or scholar rune (for the lb build replace Vicious Quarry with Quick Draw and Two-Handed Training with Natural Healing, can also run different pets and defensive utility skills if needed).

Regarding untamed - neither longbow nor hammer offers much defense or mobility, so i'd not recommend running both of those weapons (tho for casual zerging it would still be fine). For organised! large scale hammer + gs would be the best (similar role as  melee slb with cc and burst, also the added benefit of boon strip, but harder to play and with the upcoming nerfs to the teleport probably not worth running anymore). For small scale/solo roaming lb+gs, gs+hammer or some sort of cele/condi build can work, but soulbeast still remains the superior spec.

Isn't this what I'm suggesting from Untamed, its primarily focused on Immobilization. Otherwise, all good suggestions 🙂

Saying that Dual Longbow is amazing on Soulbeast. I rarely have to switch off it in a Siege defense since it's so reliable for downing people with its many stances to boost damage.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Mell.4873

[Zaret.1450]

If you use untamed i dont think hammer / longbow is a bad combo for zergs, but untamed itself is in a.... strange spot for zergs.

First would be pets, right now theyre not powerfull enought to be a huge help, and i mean that they die too fast, cant get boons unless you have nature magic and its controls are a bit lacking for zerg strategies.

But on the other side untamed is pretty good on certain things too, lb is good for sieges with lb5, smokescale gives access to smoke fields, you have entangle, the cage, and tons of melee cc with untamed, hammer is a good aoe weapon, and traps do decent dmg, you can also trait to boon rip/corrupt, pet has projectile block.

Thing is... necro and mesmer have an easier time ripping boons and rip more boons, as ambushes are a bit clunky, with leashing, unleashing, icd, etc its just better to bring a necro and place a well at range.

Dh has better dmg, it also has traps, but his do more dmg as far as i have seen, and it has pulls and posibility for stab too, syg.

the projectiles block os good but guard, mesmer, spellbreaker.

Also as i said, pets die far too fast, need nature magic for boons, and its a bit cluncky to use.

Now i like ranger ok? it only needs a couple chanhes to be better, ambushes being permanent on unleashed, like hammer skills for example, and pets having boon share somewere else that left you with a wider trait choice, be it a passive skill or moving the trait to beastmastery maybe.

For roaming its good, and on small scale i think it goes gs/hammer? or more like for gvg and that stuff, again on big zergs its usable, but others outshine you.

[Mell.4873]

On 2/14/2023 at 4:42 AM, zaswer.5246 said:

If you use untamed i dont think hammer / longbow is a bad combo for zergs, but untamed itself is in a.... strange spot for zergs.

First would be pets, right now theyre not powerfull enought to be a huge help, and i mean that they die too fast, cant get boons unless you have nature magic and its controls are a bit lacking for zerg strategies.

But on the other side untamed is pretty good on certain things too, lb is good for sieges with lb5, smokescale gives access to smoke fields, you have entangle, the cage, and tons of melee cc with untamed, hammer is a good aoe weapon, and traps do decent dmg, you can also trait to boon rip/corrupt, pet has projectile block.

Thing is... necro and mesmer have an easier time ripping boons and rip more boons, as ambushes are a bit clunky, with leashing, unleashing, icd, etc its just better to bring a necro and place a well at range.

Dh has better dmg, it also has traps, but his do more dmg as far as i have seen, and it has pulls and posibility for stab too, syg.

the projectiles block os good but guard, mesmer, spellbreaker.

Also as i said, pets die far too fast, need nature magic for boons, and its a bit cluncky to use.

Now i like ranger ok? it only needs a couple chanhes to be better, ambushes being permanent on unleashed, like hammer skills for example, and pets having boon share somewere else that left you with a wider trait choice, be it a passive skill or moving the trait to beastmastery maybe.

For roaming its good, and on small scale i think it goes gs/hammer? or more like for gvg and that stuff, again on big zergs its usable, but others outshine you.

I use Soulbeast as my go to Longbow user but I find it can be to slow or stationary while chasing or engaging multiple people on Untamed. 

Using both Axe+Warhorn and Shortbow means I can play a little bit defensive while I focusing someone. 

[Gotejjeken.1267]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:42 AM, zaswer.5246 said:

If you use untamed i dont think hammer / longbow is a bad combo for zergs, but untamed itself is in a.... strange spot for zergs.

 

Yes, you'd do 1000% better on hammer than this.  It does require knowing the class pretty well however.  

I don't know what we're considering 'zerg fight' here, but you can't beat melee soulbeast for anything over 10-15 people.  Untamed's problem is the pet, you lose it instantly when you are harassing a zerg.  

[Grand Marshal.4098]

I had recommended in the past for a couple of changes to Untamed that might make it a better option:

1) Pets (either via a minor trait or with a rework) gain 80% damage reduction when 5 or more enemies are within 180 radius around them (numbers can change but the concept remains. make the pet mega tanky with many enemies and it doesn't make it a nightmare for 1v1 or smallscale)

2) Ambushes are gain an 8 sec ICD and are weapon-bound (So you can more or less unleash every weapon swap and chain your ambush, but with the added ability of delivering both ambushes back to back if you so choose, as that would b an excellent buff to large scale)

Some lesser ideas I had where: Cage of Nature and the knockdown Spores remove a boon each on hit on top of their previous effects and Untamed pet skills baseline remove a boon per foe affected (rending vines can stay as is tho). 

[reddie.5861]

pet in gw2 WvW zerg is useless and untamed pet is quite good if it wouldnt insta die.
u better off on SLB in WvW.

i dont rly zerg anymore but from time to time i join a tag if theres open slots left.
tbh i just run this build i know its a bit off from "normal" SLB but i prefer pet swap 😄
cus i use gazelle to dash away together with great sword i can close or make a huge gap very fast (u can use birds also)
smokescale i use when kitten hits the fan i got a a second or 2 evades, this why i love the swap on SLB.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POgAMFlFw8YPsO2JeaXqPtS+WaA-zRRYBRFTM4RQ9AA-e

thats what i run out of top of my head its not amazing but it does the job for me, so dont be sad for spending points who ever said that cus untamed is rly not that great in WvW

if u rly want a zerg build use pets that have pull on SLB think hyena has it and axe/axe + GS or longbow whatever u prefer this can do some sick dmg but ur still not much wanted in zergs 😉

[Zaret.1450]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:36 PM, Grand Marshal.4098 said:

I had recommended in the past for a couple of changes to Untamed that might make it a better option:

1) Pets (either via a minor trait or with a rework) gain 80% damage reduction when 5 or more enemies are within 180 radius around them (numbers can change but the concept remains. make the pet mega tanky with many enemies and it doesn't make it a nightmare for 1v1 or smallscale)

2) Ambushes are gain an 8 sec ICD and are weapon-bound (So you can more or less unleash every weapon swap and chain your ambush, but with the added ability of delivering both ambushes back to back if you so choose, as that would b an excellent buff to large scale)

Some lesser ideas I had where: Cage of Nature and the knockdown Spores remove a boon each on hit on top of their previous effects and Untamed pet skills baseline remove a boon per foe affected (rending vines can stay as is tho). 

For the pet side theres several little problems it has right now, first would be boons, a pet with regen, protection, swiftness etc, is able to survive decently well, if they alao lessened the health pool nerf on wvw then you woudnt need a huge dmg reduction, just making unleash affect pet, give it 5% more dmg while pet unleashed and 5%dmg reduction on leashed, that with prot and regen and pets wont die on zergs that fast, at least it will take hits instead of someone else effectively.

For ambushes and rips, id like ambushes being default, like hammer, i know they said they wanted hammer being unique, but it already is, having one unleashed skill per weapon, substituing skill2 of the weapon, then make the boon rip have icd 8 seconds might be good, paired with pet, just imagine, longbow looses rapid fire but you get more aoe, axes also loose a bit dmg id say but has rips, sb gets a big aoe ground targeted, and gs looses maul and gets corrupt and a huge aoe, id say its fair.

With this untamed could be like another boonrip class, good for melee focused scuads and lb5 is allwais great for sieges, pet has bubbles too.