Just a reminder dagger still sucks

[Wondrouswall.7169]

I loathe main hand dagger's design. Weak, slow, lack of synergy, and condition spam that works best against a target that doesn't move, dodge, or block (PvE). There are so many little tweaks that can be done throughout - not just on dagger - that can retain much of it and still keep things thematically (I guess).

 

 

• Soulbeast main-hand dagger auto chain to use the Spellbreaker cast, aftercast, and animations.

This brings it down to three 0.25s hits, and it can be made a better hybrid by having the base damage and power coefficients increased, the condition durations lowered down to 3s (from 4s), and removing vulnerability from the chain.

• Double Arc to have its animation replaced with the animation "Maul" (Porcine merge) and having a follow-up attack if one or both of the hits connect.

The animation I refer to has the character raise both arms into the air forming an "X" before slashing downwards. This makes the animation unique and gives it a better tell. Change up the conditions by lowering the bleed stacks from 6 to 4 (2 stacks per hit), increase the condition durations of bleed and poison to 8s (from 6s), and increase the cooldown slightly to 8s (from 7s).

Use the Serpent Stab animation leftover from making the auto chain a 3-hit combo and have that be a 100% direct damage attack for successfully connecting with either one or both hits from Double Arc. This also makes it a better hybrid weapon by giving it burst while requiring some setup. A daze can also be added, but as utility and not for the sake of CC synergy.

• Twice as Vicious made to retain Beastmode bonuses after exiting for 8-10s.

Pretty straight-forward. Involves the mechanic, promotes going in and out of Beastmode, does away with that sh-tty CC trait.

• Refined Toxins changed to apply vulnerability (4s) when the player poisons a foe.

Does away with the passive poison application in favor of inflicting vulnerability when applying poison. Having it compete with Ambidexterity is more than fair, choosing between cooldown reductions and extra condition damage or weakening foes through poison applications.

• Poison Master's pet poison on-swap replaced with 2s poison when you cripple a foe (InsaneQR's idea).

Doesn't do much for condition builds without cripple, but allows some setups to be (more) hybrid such as sword and longbow while building further synergy with things that are already condition based with cripple such as Trapper's Expertise, off-hand dagger, shortbow, and Muddy Terrain.

 

Allow those changes to happen and things will become more interesting and better.

[InsaneQR.7412]

@"Wondrouswall.7169" said:I loathe main hand dagger's design. Weak, slow, lack of synergy, and condition spam that works best against a target that doesn't move, dodge, or block (PvE). There are so many little tweaks that can be done throughout - not just on dagger - that can retain much of it and still keep things thematically (I guess).

 

 

• Soulbeast main-hand dagger auto chain to use the Spellbreaker cast, aftercast, and animations.

This brings it down to three 0.25s hits, and it can be made a better hybrid by having the base damage and power coefficients increased, the condition durations lowered down to 3s (from 4s), and removing vulnerability from the chain.

• Double Arc to have its animation replaced with the animation "Maul" (Porcine merge) and having a follow-up attack if one or both of the hits connect.

The animation I refer to has the character raise both arms into the air forming an "X" before slashing downwards. This makes the animation unique and gives it a better tell. Change up the conditions by lowering the bleed stacks from 6 to 4 (2 stacks per hit), increase the condition durations of bleed and poison to 8s (from 6s), and increase the cooldown slightly to 8s (from 7s).

Use the Serpent Stab animation leftover from making the auto chain a 3-hit combo and have that be a 100% direct damage attack for successfully connecting with either one or both hits from Double Arc. This also makes it a better hybrid weapon by giving it burst while requiring some setup. A daze can also be added, but as utility and not for the sake of CC synergy.

• Twice as Vicious made to retain Beastmode bonuses after exiting for 8-10s.

Pretty straight-forward. Involves the mechanic, promotes going in and out of Beastmode, does away with that sh-tty CC trait.

• Refined Toxins changed to apply vulnerability (4s) when the player poisons a foe.

Does away with the passive poison application in favor of inflicting vulnerability when applying poison. Having it compete with Ambidexterity is more than fair, choosing between cooldown reductions and extra condition damage or weakening foes through poison applications.

• Poison Master's pet poison on-swap replaced with 2s poison when you cripple a foe (InsaneQR's idea).

Doesn't do much for condition builds without cripple, but allows some setups to be (more) hybrid such as sword and longbow while building further synergy with things that are already condition based with cripple such as Trapper's Expertise, off-hand dagger, shortbow, and Muddy Terrain.

 

Allow those changes to happen and things will become more interesting and better.

Agree.

[TotallyNotJazzie.1493]

@Lunateric.3708 said:I think they are slowly trying to better define weapon archetypes for ranger over time, the recent power buffs to axe mainhand and GS make me think so. The main issue is they take too long to do it, cycles as they are right now make the whole process so disgustingly slow!

This. The balances themselves aren’t too bad but their frequency?

Almost borderline amateur.

@Durzlla.6295 said: As Anet described it dagger is supposed to be the ranger just going full beast mode and just savagely attacking the opponent. But it doesn’t feel like it, if they wanted to use that description as a reason for not having an evade on it that’s fine, but make it at least feel that violent, and something like a KD or a daze/stun or something on it in addition to the quickness would do that, but as it is now it’s got nothing really.

I wholeheartedly agree with this last paragraph.

[Kraitan.8476]

Over 6 months and still havent been able to use dagger mainhand properly. Feelsbad

[CrayonComa.7129]

I don't mind dagger/torch and sb for pve condi soulbeast (love me some fire shield). I do agree that it doesn't feel as ferocious as the spec preview made it sound. Not sure if shortening the cast times would be better or increasing the overall damage per strike. I wish it were more useful in WvW. That said, Fang of Mokele looks pretty cool. ?

[Substance E.4852]

Dagger itself is more or less fine, the problem's that our off hand options are pretty trash.

Yes, torch is solid in pve against stationary targets, but that's about it.

You aren't going to pair it with axe or wh and dagger offhand is flat worse than torch in pve and not good enough in pvp to justify dual daggers.

If anet's objective was to give us a straight power upgrade to viper's pve ranger, then Sb Dagger worked out great. They simply needed to update our pitifully outdated offhands to make it good in other modes as well.

[Swagger.1459]

@Substance E.4852 said:Dagger itself is more or less fine, the problem's that our off hand options are pretty trash.

Yes, torch is solid in pve against stationary targets, but that's about it.

You aren't going to pair it with axe or wh and dagger offhand is flat worse than torch in pve and not good enough in pvp to justify dual daggers.

If anet's objective was to give us a straight power upgrade to viper's pve ranger, then Sb Dagger worked out great. They simply needed to update our pitifully outdated offhands to make it good in other modes as well.

Almost anything, including mh dagger, is fine for pve. However, there are 2 other modes that both daggers are basically trash tier unfortunately.

[thefantasticg.3984]

@"Wondrouswall.7169" said:I loathe main hand dagger's design. Weak, slow, lack of synergy, and condition spam that works best against a target that doesn't move, dodge, or block (PvE). There are so many little tweaks that can be done throughout - not just on dagger - that can retain much of it and still keep things thematically (I guess).

 

 

• Soulbeast main-hand dagger auto chain to use the Spellbreaker cast, aftercast, and animations.

This brings it down to three 0.25s hits, and it can be made a better hybrid by having the base damage and power coefficients increased, the condition durations lowered down to 3s (from 4s), and removing vulnerability from the chain.

• Double Arc to have its animation replaced with the animation "Maul" (Porcine merge) and having a follow-up attack if one or both of the hits connect.

The animation I refer to has the character raise both arms into the air forming an "X" before slashing downwards. This makes the animation unique and gives it a better tell. Change up the conditions by lowering the bleed stacks from 6 to 4 (2 stacks per hit), increase the condition durations of bleed and poison to 8s (from 6s), and increase the cooldown slightly to 8s (from 7s).

Use the Serpent Stab animation leftover from making the auto chain a 3-hit combo and have that be a 100% direct damage attack for successfully connecting with either one or both hits from Double Arc. This also makes it a better hybrid weapon by giving it burst while requiring some setup. A daze can also be added, but as utility and not for the sake of CC synergy.

• Twice as Vicious made to retain Beastmode bonuses after exiting for 8-10s.

Pretty straight-forward. Involves the mechanic, promotes going in and out of Beastmode, does away with that sh-tty CC trait.

• Refined Toxins changed to apply vulnerability (4s) when the player poisons a foe.

Does away with the passive poison application in favor of inflicting vulnerability when applying poison. Having it compete with Ambidexterity is more than fair, choosing between cooldown reductions and extra condition damage or weakening foes through poison applications.

• Poison Master's pet poison on-swap replaced with 2s poison when you cripple a foe (InsaneQR's idea).

Doesn't do much for condition builds without cripple, but allows some setups to be (more) hybrid such as sword and longbow while building further synergy with things that are already condition based with cripple such as Trapper's Expertise, off-hand dagger, shortbow, and Muddy Terrain.

 

Allow those changes to happen and things will become more interesting and better.

Would be a lot better if they could just contract you for balancing of Ranger....