Weaponmaster Training Beta Feedback: Ranger

[Sorasnobody.9350]

Swinging on by to leave some thoughts based on the notes I made. Keep in mind these are mainly from a solo-play perspective, but I did also experiment with a Heal Quickness build, but sadly it was stamped on because of a bug, but I'll cover that later!

Druid:

Dagger/warhorn & shortbow -

Since the balance patch, Druid has gained so much damage, and it as easily become one of my favourite solo builds. Good boon coverage, great damage, amazing soft and hard crowd control and some pseudo healing from your Celestial Avatar Rotation. I devised a way to get a lot of quickness with Sigil of Celerity > "We Heal As One!" on live so you could have permanent alacrity and a decent chunk of quickness, and I really tried to push further with this in beta. Dagger 3 gives quickness. The methodology I have when I can play dagger on live is dagger 3 > warhorn 5 (Sigil of Celerity) > "We Heal As One!" This should give easily 11+ seconds of quickness which is really nice considering you have alacrity as well!

• Dagger 3 should really help with getting more quickness uptime on this build which is very effective when solo. This can let you get combos of abilities off faster, especially in Celestial Avatar so you can get them all cast and drop out asap to get your weapon abilities used again.
• What I tried was less damage than my live build, but I didn't have some key elements of the build on my beta character such as strength/celerity sigils.

Untamed:

Dagger/warhorn & shortbow -

This would play exactly the same as the build above. I need to see if axe would be better but I still wanted to try dagger on this build to make use of the beta. It will help on the opener to use dagger 3 > warhorn 5 > other boon abilities > "We Heal As One!" to get the boons rolling on this build for solo play. Again, this was doing lower damage than my Untamed build on my live character, but again, I was missing a few key components to make this work fully. As I say, dagger 3 I was running to get quickness up-time, but Untamed has free quickness without even thinking about keeping it up so dagger might not be that important for it honestly. I've got no other points to make on this as they're pretty much the same as the Druid build above.

 

Heal Quickness Untamed - sword/warhorn & staff

It didn't even occur to me until I thought about it again last Thursday, Untamed is getting staff!! I yelled! When I saw the Unleashed ability as well I LOST MY MIND. The animation and visuals are crazily well down, kudos to whoever made that! The moving field around the caster is huge so I don't see it being a problem of it affecting allies. I'm so sad though! It was bugged and wasn't granting quickness! I really wanted to give it a go as well, but I am more eager for Secrets of the Obscure to try this out now!

• Quickness will be super easy. You can unleash your sword attack, swap to staff, unleash instantly and then you camp on staff and then ambush staff again before you weapon swap. All your quickness comes from your weapon skills so you have a lot of utility choice.
• I am still working out might and protection generation, but initial theories are Jungle Stalker, pet swapping, warhorn 5 with either quickdraw or trying to use Clarion Bond, need to see which is better! Sun Spirit will be mandatory and maybe Stone Spirit specifically for protection so the aegis might be wasted.
• You do have a free slot to bring something else though. You have no inate stability, so "Protect Me!" might be mandatory to break-stun allies. You have nature spirit for reviving as well.
• You can go Water Spirit and use it as a burst heal on sword/warhorn as that could be an issue where healing will be a lot lower when you are not on staff. I kid you not though, I am REALLY going to give this build a go!
• The unleashed staff heal could potentially have more healing on it? If not base value, make it specifically scale heavier with healing power to open it up more so as a healing unleashed.

 

Overall, despite being an Elementalist main, I really, really enjoyed trying out builds on Ranger and the prospects of heal quickness Untamed! I will make it work to literally just use the staff unleashed, it is stunning!

 

Bug(s):

• Solar Brilliance (staff Unleashed) is not giving quickness with Let Loose traited.

[China.5268]

Well i didnt tried rang coz in my opinion.. IT IS STILL LACKING PISTOL OR RIFLE.. giving the tittle of Weapon Master to this update and not giving ranger PISTOL or RIFLE in my opinion is trolling.

If warrior is the master of melee ranger should be the master of ranged weapons. This is wat i think.. they should give at least one diff. weapon for each class, beside the ones they already can use.. not even need give new utility.

After all The ''Ranger'' is jus a name lol.👎 

[Rico.5710]

45 minutes ago, China.5268 said:

After all The ''Ranger'' is jus a name lol.👎 

"Ranger" has nothing to do with "ranged combat", you know?

[Levetty.1279]

On 7/3/2023 at 10:01 PM, ric.3875 said:

"Ranger" has nothing to do with "ranged combat", you know?

"Warrior" has nothing to do with "ranged combat" either

[Gotejjeken.1267]

38 minutes ago, Levetty.1279 said:

"Warrior" has nothing to do with "ranged combat" either

Thematically it does, same way as Engineer--both use technology to fight. 

This is seen in-game with both Asura and Charr; they use ranged technology in different ways.  I bring it up as while you can place any race with any class, the story ultimately paints Asura as Engineers and Charr as warriors.  

Ranger however has little to do with firearms unless you are a park ranger or Walker Texas ranger--neither which exist in GW2.  

Now, as it relates to mace--I'm unsure what's worse, Conan the Barbarian mace 'Ranger' or just breaking all immersion and giving rangers guns.  As all are among the last weapons I'd expect to see on a Ranger.

 

[Levetty.1279]

7 minutes ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Thematically it does, same way as Engineer--both use technology to fight. 

This is seen in-game with both Asura and Charr; they use ranged technology in different ways.  I bring it up as while you can place any race with any class, the story ultimately paints Asura as Engineers and Charr as warriors.  

Ranger however has little to do with firearms unless you are a park ranger or Walker Texas ranger--neither which exist in GW2.  

Now, as it relates to mace--I'm unsure what's worse, Conan the Barbarian mace 'Ranger' or just breaking all immersion and giving rangers guns.  As all are among the last weapons I'd expect to see on a Ranger.

 

I don't even want Rifle but you anti Rifle people are deranged and try way too hard.

[psizone.8437]

14 minutes ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Now, as it relates to mace--I'm unsure what's worse, Conan the Barbarian mace 'Ranger' or just breaking all immersion and giving rangers guns.  As all are among the last weapons I'd expect to see on a Ranger.

To be fair, they could have made rifle a "tranquiliser gun" in keeping with its theme.

A long range heavy hitting condition weapon would have been nice for the class.

I really don't know what they're going to do with the mace to make it stand out from the other melee options, just seems kinda boring. I'd be happy to be wrong and for it to be a great addition to the class though.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

2 minutes ago, psizone.8437 said:

To be fair, they could have made rifle a "tranquiliser gun" in keeping with its theme.

A long range heavy hitting condition weapon would have been nice for the class.

I really don't know what they're going to do with the mace to make it stand out from the other melee options, just seems kinda boring. I'd be happy to be wrong and for it to be a great addition to the class though.

Maybe--for me, rifle would make more sense than pistol if we are going that route.  Would have to be some kind of celestial or nature powered variant--'gun staff' comes to mind if we are going after long range condition weapon.

Still, we have shortbow to fill that niche but with reduced range to what I think we're talking about here.  I'd rather they move shortbow back to 1200 range and give us a shield to make some power option with our offhands--as right now the only one is OH axe as dagger/torch are condi and warhorn can really go either way as its just pure control.  

As for maces, no idea--the only one with offhand mace is warrior and in general even the wiki still says it is used by 'soldier' classes (which to this point it is, bar engineer--but that one can at least be spun to work).  

Off-hand Mace will have to be control (blind, stun, daze, aegis) to work at all.  It would then compete with warhorn as the melee control option.

Main hand...just makes no sense.  Mostly because it actively flies in the face of ranger being mobile worse than hammer does.  Guess they can give it a leap as they love to default to...

[psizone.8437]

1 minute ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Still, we have shortbow to fill that niche but with reduced range to what I think we're talking about here.  I'd rather they move shortbow back to 1200 range and give us a shield to make some power option with our offhands--as right now the only one is OH axe as dagger/torch are condi and warhorn can really go either way as its just pure control.

Upping shortbow range again would be amazing for WvW. (off topic but reverting spirits to it's "follow" form would be a dream come true, too)

Man, shield would be great for ranger - especially since the sword reworks over the years has taken away it's more defensive focus.

If they're set on mace for the first lot of new weapons, I do hope shield is right up there with rifle for a second weapon when they get around to it.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

8 hours ago, Levetty.1279 said:

I don't even want Rifle but you anti Rifle people are deranged and try way too hard.

It's in the forum description tho...

Ranger: Explorers and allies of nature accompanied by their loyal pets. 

What part of smashing things with a mace or blowing it away with guns screams 'ally of nature' to you? 

Also, isn't randomly arguing for a weapon you 'don't even want' a bit more deranged than just admitting the 'anti-rifle' people are right? 

[Levetty.1279]

55 minutes ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Also, isn't randomly arguing for a weapon you 'don't even want' a bit more deranged than just admitting the 'anti-rifle' people are right? 

Well not only have I not argued for a weapon I don't want but laughing at the deranged people repeating the mantra "RANGER DOESN'T EVENT MEAN RANGED WHICH MEANS IT CAN'T HAVE RIFLE" or think future class decisions should be based entirely around a basic description on the forums is perfectly normal.

56 minutes ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Ranger: Explorers and allies of nature accompanied by their loyal pets. 

Oh no nobody tell Anet they might delete Soulbeast!

[Impling.4170]

Now that all specs will have access to staff, it would be nice to have a Moa with a supportive archetype. Blue Moa would make most sense. I am sure that a heal Soulbeast will be a meme, but since PoF launched I've felt that the one pet family that has an AoE heal as one of its merge skills is the one that should have access to a supportive archetype option.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

9 hours ago, Levetty.1279 said:

Well not only have I not argued for a weapon I don't want but laughing at the deranged people repeating the mantra "RANGER DOESN'T EVENT MEAN RANGED WHICH MEANS IT CAN'T HAVE RIFLE" or think future class decisions should be based entirely around a basic description on the forums is perfectly normal.

You're fighting a losing battle here:

Ranger - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W)

None of that suggests 'rifle' or 'gun'.  It's not just 'ranger doesn't mean ranged'--it's an entire lore thing, but at this point I'm questioning reading comprehension.  

Especially this: 

9 hours ago, Levetty.1279 said:

Oh no nobody tell Anet they might delete Soulbeast!

You still have a pet with Soulbeast whether merged or not, so unsure how that contradicts either the forum description or the wiki.  

[Marutambo.5827]

They use a harpoon gun so there goes anti gun, and nothing is more anti save the whales than a good ol harpooning. Adventure classes are specifically “modern” per wiki fwiw  

Arbitrary debates aside, hammer already has the clubbing play style so they’ll have to distinguish additional melee options. Easiest would be a shaman or support. 

[China.5268]

Theoretically speaking 'warrior' supose to be the master of melee combat and 'ranger' ranged, like i said theoretically...

[anduriell.6280]

On 6/29/2023 at 8:20 PM, Woop S.7851 said:

Ops, my bad, yes you are correct 👍, there is no invulnerability for the wisp, thanks for noticing it!

Just tested Soulbeast Longbow/Staff (WvW only), quick notes:

• The range for wisp is still 1200 range, with Quick Draw trait on, can run away 2400 range after bursting in Beastmode
• When used with Smokescale, the Staff skill 3 can land in the smokefield for aoe stealth, works wonders if 2 Soulbeasts (both Longbow/Staff) are roaming together while under pressure
• With Bristleback, can stack bleeding, if Ogre runes' 6th bonus is equipped, can stack more bleed from Rock Dog + have 1 more cannon fodder pet, Rock dog has a default leap/interrupt last checked, though I could be wrong. With 2 Rangers roaming that is 4 pets in combat, high mobility/heal/support from Staff, and 1500 range DPS
• With Fanged Iboga, can spam confusion vs healers while rupting/bursting DPS & conditions then run away if focused
• With Rock Gazelle, can spam interrupts, the addition of Staff now allows me to swap to 'full glass DPS/Condition Gear' due to staffs' high mobility/support, watch out WvW Necros! 😁
• Have yet to try Staff/Staff, in WvW, losing the 1500 range advantage from Longbow can be detrimental

You are not saying anything new there: Druid has the same utility from ever. 

[Acyk.9671]

Has anyone tried Druid hammer with blood moon and eclipse?

[Psycoprophet.8107]

On 7/4/2023 at 6:34 PM, psizone.8437 said:

To be fair, they could have made rifle a "tranquiliser gun" in keeping with its theme.

A long range heavy hitting condition weapon would have been nice for the class.

I really don't know what they're going to do with the mace to make it stand out from the other melee options, just seems kinda boring. I'd be happy to be wrong and for it to be a great addition to the class though.

I dont get this anti rifle stuff, it's weird, does anyone actually think if someone who ranges the land(a ranger hence where the name comes from....ranging of the land) as well as someone who protects the land etc wouldn't use a rifle instead of a long bow if the technology existed in their time frame? I also hear the argument that it's not nature friendly, rangers arnt druids and arnt apposed to hunting and eating animals as its a natural order of things, u can respect and nurture nature while taking part in its natural course. Rangers are basically warriors that range the land, protect it and have the ability to survive along side nature.

Rangers commonly are bow users because in a lot of the first rpgs the existed in guns wernt part of the time frame and bows were a staple hunting/war weapon.

[Psycoprophet.8107]

13 hours ago, China.5268 said:

Theoretically speaking 'warrior' supose to be the master of melee combat and 'ranger' ranged, like i said theoretically...

Aragon, drizzt, montolio debrouche,John snow disagree lol, although yrs rangers are usually wrongfully pegged as the archer class in video games lol.

[Eurantien.4632]

Being able to choose which hammer skills you want on your bar is FIRE!

[Levetty.1279]

On 7/5/2023 at 7:28 PM, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

You're fighting a losing battle here:

 

Because you think I am arguing something I am not because you are obsessed with a definition that Anet doens't necessarily care about.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Levetty.1279

[Genesis.8572]

On 7/6/2023 at 1:46 AM, China.5268 said:

Theoretically speaking 'warrior' supose to be the master of melee combat and 'ranger' ranged, like i said theoretically...

Historically speaking, the ranger was designed as neither the melee or ranged class, but, rather, it was designed as the pet class. 

[Iustitian.9176]

On 7/6/2023 at 2:08 PM, Acyk.9671 said:

Has anyone tried Druid hammer with blood moon and eclipse?

Yeah, it can be a nice set. 

Going hammer cc skills -> avatar and spam skills -> back to hammer and use cc skills again -> use second weapon set (shortbow or axe/dagger) -> hammer again ...

[Arheundel.6451]

14 hours ago, Genesis.8572 said:

Historically speaking, the ranger was designed as neither the melee or ranged class, but, rather, it was designed as the pet class. 

Then nerfed the pet into the ground 😂

[Impling.4170]

Speaking from a WvW perspective, I actually really like how Spirits function now. Between Mesmers being able to give their phantasms invuln and this change, I appreciate the effort to try to make these AI/minion-based skills more viable in high cleave settings, which is basically any WvW situation. Nature's Vengeance is a pretty interesting trait too, though my only complaint is that a 3 second delay on the second slam feels too long. Changing it to be a 2 second delay would make it feel really great IMO. 

In terms of the actual Spirits themselves, I think the supportive ones are really great. Water, Frost, and Nature all feel wonderful to use. I love having an alternative supportive utility option to Glyphs, especially considering the effects are independent of which CA mode we are in. The blast finishers on Frost and Earth feel great with all the access to fields we get. And we now have a very reliable way of blasting our own CA4. I have yet to play with Fire and Storm but they seem good/fine. The only one that stands out to me as a bit lackluster is the Stone Spirit slam effect. Perhaps it could grant some barrier to allies in addition to its current effects. The weakness and cripple have some value in PvP/WvW, but especially in PvE it seems very weak. I don't think it'd be a major loss to have the cripple be sacrificed for some allied barrier output.

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Impling.4170