Ranger November 28th Balance Preview

[Beddo.1907]

Pets are the focus of this update's ranger changes. We've made changes to many underperforming pet skills to better solidify the identity of each family and increase the number of viable pet choices, such as adding a stun to the polar bear's Icy Roar and causing the bird family's Quickening Screech to remove movement-impairing conditions.

General

• All basic pet attacks are now affected by quickness.
• Pet skills that affect allies do not count the pet they originate from in their target cap.

 

Bear Family

• Members of this family now have 1,200 healing power.
• Slash: Increased the power coefficient from 0.3 to 0.51 in PvE only.
• Bite: Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. Increased the base healing from 417 to 1,607. Increased the healing power multiplier from 0.28 to 0.5.
• Defy Pain: Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. The pet now uses this skill more frequently.
• Poison Cloud (Murellow): Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Enfeebling Roar (Black Bear): Reduced the cooldown from 40 seconds to 25 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.25 to 0.5. Reduced the weakness duration from 10 seconds to 4 seconds. Reduced the radius from 600 to 360.
• Icy Roar (Polar Bear): Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. This skill now stuns in addition to its previous effects. Reduced the radius from 600 to 360.
• Rending Maul (Arctodus): Increased the power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.67. Increased the bleeding per hit from 1 stack to 2 stacks.
• Bite (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 0.7 to 1.0. Increased the base healing from 417 to 1,607. Increased the healing power multiplier from 0.28 to 0.5.

Bird Family

• Swoop: Increased the stacks of vulnerability from 1 to 5. Decreased the vulnerability duration from 12 seconds to 6 seconds.
• Quickening Screech: This skill now removes crippled, chilled, and immobile conditions from affected allies.
• Blinding Slash (Raven): Increased the power coefficient from 0.66 to 1.0 in PvE only.
• Chilling Slash (Owl): Increased the power coefficient from 0.66 to 1.0 in PvE only.
• Lacerating Slash (Hawk): Increased the cooldown from 6 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.33 to 1 in PvE and from 0.33 to 0.475 in WvW and PvP. Increased the bleeding stacks per hit from 1 to 3 in PvE and from 1 to 2 in WvW and PvP.
• Brash Slash (Eagle): This skill replaces Lacerating Slash. Slash at your foe, inflicting weakness.
• Swoop (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 0.86 to 1.2.
• Quickening Screech (Soulbeast): Increased the cooldown from 12 seconds to 15 seconds. This skill now removes crippled, chilled, and immobile conditions from affected allies.

Canine Family

• Juvenile Hyena: Increased power from 934 to 1,868. This pet now has a ferocious archetype.
• Juvenile Krytan Drakehound: This pet now has a versatile archetype.
• Bite: Increased the power coefficient from 0.24 to 0.335 in PvE only.
• Brutal Charge: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 18 seconds in PvE only.
• Intimidating Howl (Krytan Drakehound): Increased the power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.5.
• Chilling Howl (Alpine Wolf): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.5.
• Regenerate (Fern Hound): Reduced the cooldown from 25 to 20 seconds. Reduced the regeneration duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds. Increased the base healing from 1,000 to 2,600.
• Howl of the Pack (Hyena): Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. Increased the number of summoned allies from 1 to 2. Reduced the ally duration from 40 seconds to 15 seconds. Summoned allies can no longer use Brutal Charge.
• Terrifying Howl (Wolf): Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 30 seconds in PvE and from 45 seconds to 35 seconds in WvW and PvP. Increased the power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.5 in PvE only.

Devourer Family

• Twin Darts: Increased the power coefficient from 0.15 to 0.25 in PvE only. This skill no longer has a chance to poison and now bleeds enemies it strikes. Increased the velocity.
• Devourer Retreat: Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 15 seconds. The activation time of this skill has been greatly reduced. This skill will no longer be used at full health.
• Poisonous Cloud (Carrion Devourer): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the poison duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds. Increased the velocity.
• Rending Barbs (Lashtail Devourer): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.2 to 0.3. Increased the bleeding duration from 5 seconds to 8 seconds. Increased the velocity.
• Poison Barbs (Whiptail Devourer): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.65. Increased the poison stacks from 1 to 4 and poison duration from 2 seconds to 6 seconds. This skill now pierces and can only hit a target once.

Drake Family

• Members of this family now have 600 healing power.
• Bite: Increased the power coefficient from 0.24 to 0.3425 in PvE only. This skill now causes the pet to move slightly from its initial position.
• Chomp: Increased the base healing from 965 to 1,285. Increased the healing power scaling from 0.15 to 0.5. Increased the number of targets from 3 to 5.
• Tail Swipe: Reduced the cooldown from 24 seconds to 16 seconds in PvE only.
• Fire Breath (Salamander Drake): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE and from 30 seconds to 25 seconds in WvW and PvP. Increased the burning duration from 1 second to 3 seconds.
• Insect Swarm (Marsh Drake): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE and from 30 seconds to 25 seconds in WvW and PvP. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.25 to 0.2 in WvW and PvP. Increased the poison duration from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
• Frost Breath (Ice Drake): Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased the chilled duration from 1 second to 1.5 seconds.
• Lightning Breath (River Drake): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE and from 30 seconds to 25 seconds in WvW and PvP. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.33 to 0.275 in WvW and PvP.
• Sonic Shriek (Reef Drake): Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds in PvE only. Increased the confusion stacks per hit from 1 to 2.
• Chomp (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 0.65 to 1. Increased the base healing from 965 to 1,285. Increased the healing power scaling from 0.15 to 0.5. Increased the number of targets from 3 to 5.
• Tail Swipe (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 1.1 to 1.3.

Feline Family

• Slash: This skill no longer applies vulnerability.
• Bite: This skill now applies 5 stacks of vulnerability for 6 seconds.
• Maul: Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.2 to 0.4.
• Mighty Roar (Jungle Stalker): Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the might stacks from 5 to 8 in PvE only. Reduced the radius from 600 to 360. Decreased the casting time.
• Rending Pounce (Lynx): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Reduced the bleeding duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds.
• Icy Pounce (Snow Leopard): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Furious Pounce (Tiger): Increased the cooldown from 10 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 1.0 to 2.0 in PvE only.
• Stalk (Jaguar): Reduced the cooldown from 24 seconds to 20 seconds. This skill now applies stealth rather than the Stalking effect. Damage bonuses from this skill still last 6 seconds, even if the pet is revealed.
• Phase Pounce (White Tiger): Decreased the cooldown from 20 seconds to 16 seconds. Increased the bleeding stacks per hit from 1 to 2, and increased the bleeding duration from 5 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Savannah Strike (Cheetah): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.45 to 0.5. Increased the swiftness duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.
• Blinding Roar (Sand Lion): Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 20 seconds.

Moa Family

• Members of this family now have 1,200 healing power.
• White Moa: This pet now has a supportive archetype.
• The casting times of moa cries have been reduced.
• Peck: Increased the power coefficient from 0.28 to 0.315 in PvE only.
• Harmonic Cry: Reduced the cooldown from 40 seconds to 25 seconds. Increased the base healing from 1,340 to 1,660. Increased the healing power scaling from 0.2 to 1.0.
• Frenzied Attack: Increased the power coefficient per hit from 0.2 to 0.4 in PvE only.
• Protecting Screech (Blue Moa): Reduced the cooldown from 24 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Icy Screech (White Moa): This skill has been reworked and now grants Frost Aura to nearby allies.
• Dazing Screech (Pink Moa): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. This skill now dazes enemies in a circular area around the moa instead of a frontal cone. Increased the dazed duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
• Furious Screech (Red Moa): Reduced the cooldown from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Harmonic Cry (Soulbeast): Increased the base healing from 1,300 to 1,940. Increased the healing power scaling from 0.5 to 0.75. Increased the radius from 240 to 360.

Porcine Family

• Members of this family now have 600 healing power.
• Pig: This pet now has a ferocious archetype.
• Jab: Increased the power coefficient from 0.25 to 0.41 in PvE only.
• Maul: Reduced the cooldown from 12 seconds to 10 seconds.
• Brutal Charge: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 24 seconds in PvE only.
• Forage (Boar): This skill now only forages a rock. Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Forage (Warthog): This skill now only forages a scale. Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. Reduced the weakness duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds. Increased the bleeding and poison stacks from 1 to 3. Reduced the poison duration from 20 seconds to 6 seconds and the bleeding duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds.
• Forage (Siamoth): This skill now only forages feathers. Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Forage (Pig): This skill now only forages a greatsword. The greatsword can be thrown at enemies. Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.

Spider Family

• Spit: Increased the power coefficient from 0.44 to 0.57 in PvE only. Increased the velocity.
• Entangling Web: Reduced the duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in PvP and WvW. Increased the velocity.
• Poison Gas: Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 15 seconds in PvE only. Increased the poison duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only. Increased the number of targets from 3 to 5. Increased the velocity.
• Deadly Venom (Forest Spider): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the poison stacks from 1 to 2. Reduced the poison duration from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. Reduced the venom duration from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Weakening Venom (Cave Spider): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. Increased the vulnerability stacks from 3 to 5. Reduced the vulnerability duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds in WvW and PvP. Reduced the weakness duration from 5 seconds to 3 seconds. Reduced the venom duration from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Paralyzing Venom (Jungle Spider): Reduced the cooldown from 45 seconds to 25 seconds. Reduced the immobilize duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW and PvP. Reduced the venom duration from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Entangling Web (Soulbeast): Reduced the immobilize duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds in WvW and PvP. Increased the velocity.
• Poison Gas (Soulbeast): Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 15 seconds in PvE only. Increased the poison duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds in PvE only.

Bristleback

• Spike Shoot: Increased the power coefficient from 0.3 to 0.31 in PvE only.
• Rain of Spikes: Increased the power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.5. Increased the bleeding stacks from 1 to 2. This skill can now only hit a target once.
• Sharpen Spines: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Spike Barrage: Increased the cooldown from 15 seconds to 20 seconds. This skill now inflicts bleeding when striking an enemy.
• Rain of Spikes (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 0.4 to 1 in PvE and from 0.4 to 0.8 in WvW and PvP. Increased the bleeding stacks from 1 to 2. This skill can now only hit a target once.

Smokescale

• Bite: Increased the power coefficient from 0.25 to 0.56 in PvE only.
• Takedown: Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. This skill no longer knocks down enemies. Increased the power coefficient from 0.01 to 0.5 in WvW and PvP.
• Takedown (Soulbeast): Reduced the cooldown from 20 seconds to 10 seconds. This skill no longer knocks down enemies. Increased the power coefficient from 0.7 to 0.1 in PvE and from 0.01 to 1.0 in WvW and PvP.

Wyvern Family

• Wing Buffet: This skill now properly indicates that it applies the launch control effect.
• Consuming Flame (Fire Wyvern): Reduced the cooldown from 35 seconds to 25 seconds. Increased the burning duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.
• Tail Lash (Soulbeast): Increased the power coefficient from 0.66 to 1.2.
• Wing Buffet (Soulbeast): This skill now properly indicates that it applies the launch control effect.

Fanged Iboga

• Consuming Bite: This skill now only scales with a maximum of 5 conditions on the target. Increased the base power coefficient from 0.2 to 0.45 in PvE only. Reduced the bonus power coefficient from 0.03 to 0.025 in PvE only.
• Crippling Anguish: Increased the cooldown from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.1 to 0.3. Increased the torment stacks from 1 to 3 in PvE and from 1 to 2 in WvW and PvP. Reduced the torment duration from 10 seconds to 6 seconds in WvW and PvP only. Increased the confusion duration from 2 seconds to 3 seconds in WvW and PvP. Increased the velocity.
• Narcotic Spores: This skill is now an ethereal field.
• Crippling Anguish (Soulbeast): Increased the cooldown from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. Increased the power coefficient from 0.1 to 0.75. Increased the torment stacks from 1 to 2 and the torment duration from 3 seconds to 6 seconds. Increased the velocity.
• Narcotic Spores (Soulbeast): This skill is now an ethereal field.

Jacaranda

• Juvenile jacarandas now have 1,200 healing power.
• Fixed an issue that caused this pet to have more health than intended.

Rock Gazelle

• Headbutt: Increased the power coefficient from 0.32 to 0.415 in PvE only.
• Charge: Increased the cooldown from 15 seconds to 20 seconds in PvP and WvW. This skill now tracks its target more accurately and stops upon reaching the target.

Phoenix

• This pet's health has been increased.
• Wicked Bite: Increased the power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.43 in PvE only. This skill now causes the pet to move slightly from its initial position.
• Gale Breath: This skill now only performs one sweep. Increased the power coefficient from 0.5 to 0.8.
• Dash (Soulbeast): This skill replaces Wicked Bite when merged.

Wallow

• This pet's health has been increased.
• Vampiric Bite: Increased the power coefficient from 0.4 to 0.42 in PvE only. Increased the attack range.
• Undead Plague: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Bloodthirsty Charge: Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 25 seconds.
• Maul (Soulbeast): This skill replaces Vampiric Bite when merged.
• Undead Plague (Soulbeast): Reduced the cooldown from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.

Siege Turtle

• Jade Cannon: Increased the rate of fire and projectile speed. Reduced the power coefficient from 0.75 to 0.53 in PvE only.
• Heavy Shot: This skill replaces Snap. Shoot a jade missile at your target that dazes nearby enemies on impact.
• Slam (Soulbeast): This skill replaces Jade Cannon when merged.
• Heavy Shot (Soulbeast): This skill replaces Snap when merged.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Beddo.1907

[Beddo.1907]

Man, they weren't lying about how long this thing is.

[Mourningstar.7309]

Hoping tiger fury gets a duration increase to go along with the cd increase, but the rest looks reasonable

[BumboJumbo.1308]

The changes are good but also they seem incredibly meh (on paper at least).

[Beddo.1907]

5 minutes ago, BumboJumbo.1308 said:

The changes are good but also they seem incredibly meh (on paper at least).

Hard to say for a lot of the scaling ones, but the Quickness one alone is big.

[DanAlcedo.3281]

So Ferndog with Invi Bond is a 5.2k group heal on 20 cd now without healpower.

Nice.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

Still looking them over but...

Takedown change is a HUGE mistake.  No reason smokescale should lose a CC, and the tradeoff is the worst balance decision possible.  Do NOT increase the power coefficient, you will just get the same 1-shot build again with some other CC in place (GS #5 => newly hard hitting 'takedown' => Wordly Impact => etc.).  

If anything, take the CC off the soulbeast merge and leave the pet one alone.  The scary bursts aren't unmerged ones anyway, and you just hurt Untamed by removing a controllable CC all in the name of assuming hurting the soulbeast one-shot builds.

Other quick notes, Phoenix Dash NEEDS to be a CC--it makes no sense as-is, when you have E-Wyvern dash being a CC and leaving a field for instance.

Oh, and not sure I love Gazelle stopping at its target--but this is more of a nitpick like with sword idiosyncrasies.  I liked gazelle as is because it running through target allowed it to survive in larger scale content as it'd be outside the blob and not get nuked.  

EDIT: Other bad changes I just noticed--quickening screech change is going to get nerfed like 15 minutes after the patch considering what Dolyak can do for Soulbeast and Unflinching Fortitude--just going to make immortal and uncatchable soulbeasts.

Forage changes are also terrible.  All that just to get rid of plasma which was like a 1/4 roll anyway? Still have to pick the things up off the ground, so no one is going to be using Siamoth just for stealth.  At the very least you need to make Forage like steal where it's just available.  

Edited October 27, 2023 by Gotejjeken.1267

[psizone.8437]

The pet changes are nice but Jesus they really didn't touch any ranger skills or traits?!

Most classes got some substantial buffs. I'm pretty worried that we're going to start falling behind, especially with the one wolf pack nerf in WvW (which was needed to a degree, but I think they went too far).

 

[psizone.8437]

43 minutes ago, Gotejjeken.1267 said:

Other quick notes, Phoenix Dash NEEDS to be a CC--it makes no sense as-is, when you have E-Wyvern dash being a CC and leaving a field for instance.

A range boost would be nice, its 450 range is a bit small compared to owl swoop and gazelle charges 1200.

Edited October 27, 2023 by psizone.8437

[Sansar.1302]

No Buffs that ranger needed 😞

[kiwituatara.6053]

This is such a weird ranger patch. It’s like they’re trying to make pets functional but nerfing them for being functional?

I think we’ll be seeing less buggy but underwhelming pets. I’m not too optimistic~

[Zyreva.1078]

4 minutes ago, kiwituatara.6053 said:

I think we’ll be seeing less buggy

Did they say anything about bug fixes? Because random number changes won't make pets any less buggy ...

[kiwituatara.6053]

4 minutes ago, Zyreva.1078 said:

Did they say anything about bug fixes? Because random number changes won't make pets any less buggy ...

Sorry, buggy might not be the right word. I guess more responsive. But yeah basically making pets actually functional. Honestly this patch is like 10 years late.

[Sansar.1302]

All other classes geting buffs but not we are a an indirect nerf to ranger

[Khenzy.9348]

-Let us ress our pets like we can ress other players/NPCs and remove or significantly reduce the overly punishing CD penalty on swaping from a downed pet.

-Put pets on last priority when taking AoE damage or make them take reduced AoE damage in PvP and WvW so they don't get instakilled in group combat.

These suggestions alone would be bigger quality of life changes than all these patch changes put together.

[Zyreva.1078]

9 minutes ago, kiwituatara.6053 said:

Sorry, buggy might not be the right word. I guess more responsive. But yeah basically making pets actually functional. Honestly this patch is like 10 years late.

Doesn't answer my question. Did they actually say they are going to fix the issues that made pets a lot less responsive?

[kiwituatara.6053]

7 minutes ago, Zyreva.1078 said:

Doesn't answer my question. Did they actually say they are going to fix the issues that made pets a lot less responsive?

Well it seems like there’s quite a bit more reduced cast times and increased projectiles. I can only assume it’ll feel more responsive. And things like devourers only evade when not full hp.

[Zyreva.1078]

5 minutes ago, kiwituatara.6053 said:

Well it seems like there’s quite a bit more reduced cast times and increased projectiles. I can only assume it’ll feel more responsive. And things like devourers only evade when not full hp.

So they are not actually fixing any of those issues. Ok. Reduced cast times and increased projectile velocity hardly matter when the pet refuses to use skills.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Zyreva.1078

[kiwituatara.6053]

3 minutes ago, Zyreva.1078 said:

So they are not actually fixing any of those issues. Ok. Reduced cast times and increased projectile velocity hardly matter when the pet refuses to use skills.

That’s pretty much aether shark only right now. And maybe birds when they interrupt themselves to cast swiftness. But I’m not happy about the patch either.

[Zyreva.1078]

No, all pets are broken. It is more noticeable with some than with others (smokescale works relatively well compared to most, but well, that one is getting nerfed, because we can't have good pets apparently).

[Beddo.1907]

People really need to decide whenever they want pet changes or not.

[Zyreva.1078]

Nobody is against pet changes. As long they make sense and aren't that random garbage they just announced.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Zyreva.1078

[Beddo.1907]

9 minutes ago, Zyreva.1078 said:

Nobody is against pet changes. As long they make sense and aren't that random garbage they just announced.

Nah all of it was needed (even the smokescale one, that pet was meta for exactly 8 years and any global change would make it go over the limit). The issue is, we need even more.
There is no magic changes that fix everything. Also they probably have bug fixes to go with it.

[Zyreva.1078]

No pet needed any nerfs, yet they are nerfing multiple of them. And most of the buffs are going to be completely irrelevant and the majority of pets will remain garbage. Especially in PvP/WvW.

[kiwituatara.6053]

I lowkey more mad about willbender not getting nerfed than ranger getting mediocre pet changes 😂