I always take my pet, and have always operated under the assumption that they had DP like any other character. My habits and builds were formed under the assumption that pets had DP.
My ranger has 1.5 million experience from actual gameplay; I do not farm as a general rule. Most of my in-game time is spent exploring, helping people with missions, and replaying enjoyable parts fo the game.
Fluffy the Dune Lizard has been with me since my first visit to the Crystal Desert at level 17. My goal in having a pet was both role-playing and functional -- essentially, I wanted a blocker and extra damage, but still intend to use my bow as primary attack. When I charmed Fluffy, I took him to Gates of Kryta and other locations and "evolved" him into a Hearty (+60HP, -15% damage).
I always run with at least 3 pet skills, and at least 3 marksmanship/expertise skills. The actual build depends on circumstances; for example, when soloing, I don't take a res.
These builds work for me; I've got several titles and lots of enjoyable game hours where these skills sets are fun and successful.
My attributes are set to:
Beastmastery: 11 (10 + 1)
Marksmanship: 14 (10 + 1 + 3)
Expertise: 13 (11 + 2)
I don't have any energy issues due to the high expertise, which allows me to use my skills constantly. I have other amors and settings for special situations (trapping, for example), but the above is how I've spent 80% of my time in GW as a ranger.
For skills, my standard "exploration with henchies" set is:
Marauder's Shot / Hunter's Shot
Precision Shot
Distracting Shot
Read the Wind
Heal as One
Comfort Animal
Charm Animal
Flesh of My Flesh
If I'm doing solo (as in, just me and Fluffy):
Marauder's Shot
Precision Shot
Distracting Shot
Read the Wind
Edge of Extinction / Run as One / Poisonous Bite (or another pet attack or Viper's Nest)
Heal as One
Comfort Animal
Charm Animal
For PuG missions where I run as an interrupter, I use:
Punishing Shot
Savage Shot
Distracting Shot
Read the Wind
Troll Unguent
Comfort Animal
Charm Animal
Flesh of My Flesh
I sometimes use Melandru's Shot or Poison Arrow or Barrage when I'm in a place (e.g., Old Ascalon) where healing isn't a big issue, replacing Heal As One with Troll Unguent or a pet attack.
I don't usually put points in Wilderness Survival (unless I'm trapping), and find Troll Unguent too slow for use in stressful situations. Heal as One is a good spike self-heal.
Usually, if Fluffy goes down, I either kite and res him, or I'm already going to die.
The only time I *don't* take Fluffy is when trapping; he simply isn't suitable for that role, so I leave him with friends while I go off to UW or Urgoz's.
Will pet DP change the way I play? No.
That said, I think pet controls *and* morale boosts are only fair and balanced. Change Charm Animal to invoke a pet to "heel" is another good idea I've seen.
I'm interested in considered and polite opinions.
Builds: My Pet as My Partner
ChaoticCoyote
MrSlayer
Hurray another Ranger using a pet. My first character to hit level 20 was a ranger, and I swapped my level 19 stalker for a dune lizard, which I have since traded for a tiger.
I think that a pet is an invaluable addon for a ranger; you have a high damage bow (second only to the hammer in average damage over time [an axe has too much of a damage range]) and you have the ability to remain out of spell casting range. With a Dire pet, you also have your own tank; even with 15% less damage, you are dealing out alot more than others.
However, if you have a pet, you need to keep it alive for you to not have wasted beast mastery points and 1 or 2 skill slots. Also, a huge disadvantage is the skill recharge if your beloved companion dies.
My overall opinion is pets are useful, although many common ranger builds (such as a barrager or as you stated, a trapper) are better off without. Its still nice to see someone using a pet
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Overall those builds look pretty good. However, you have a lack of wilderness survival which means you can't make use of damage-boosting preperations OR use the un-strippable Troll Unguent. Overall though, you could argue that the pet would take the damage away from you, meaning these skills aren't needed,
I think that a pet is an invaluable addon for a ranger; you have a high damage bow (second only to the hammer in average damage over time [an axe has too much of a damage range]) and you have the ability to remain out of spell casting range. With a Dire pet, you also have your own tank; even with 15% less damage, you are dealing out alot more than others.
However, if you have a pet, you need to keep it alive for you to not have wasted beast mastery points and 1 or 2 skill slots. Also, a huge disadvantage is the skill recharge if your beloved companion dies.
My overall opinion is pets are useful, although many common ranger builds (such as a barrager or as you stated, a trapper) are better off without. Its still nice to see someone using a pet
.Overall those builds look pretty good. However, you have a lack of wilderness survival which means you can't make use of damage-boosting preperations OR use the un-strippable Troll Unguent. Overall though, you could argue that the pet would take the damage away from you, meaning these skills aren't needed,
felinette
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Originally Posted by ChaoticCoyote
I don't view your builds as much different than a */R who just wants to bring a pet along, except that your pet's attacks will deal more damage and, in one of your builds, you have poisonous bite. I have an Me/R who has a pet, and even she always has 3 pet skills. She's low level, so at the moment those are charm animal, comfort animal, and feral lunge. Later, she may forgo the pet entirely for stances. If a R/* isn't going to be a full beastmaster, I think points invested in BM are a waste--you'd be better off putting those points into wilderness. Having said that, the point of the game is to have fun. If a build is working for you, and you enjoy having a pet along, then that's all that matters. However, you have to realize that the reason people like me are screaming about the DP change is because we play beastmasters, so the change will have a great impact on us.
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I've played as a tankmaster; frankly, the lack of pet control is more of a problem than skill selection or DP. Using a pet as a primry weapon is like a warriors axe chosing its own targets and refusing to let him break aggro. Unworkable, period.|
Marauder's Shot Precision Shot Distracting Shot Read the Wind Edge of Extinction / Run as One Poisonous Bite (or another pet attack or Viper's Nest) Heal as One Comfort Animal Charm Animal That's nine skills.
ChaoticCoyote
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Originally Posted by felinette
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The Wilderness survival preps are nice, but specialized. Kindle arrows can be effective, but I'd rather use Read the Wind and a selection of elemental bows (I carry eight bows). If I'm trapping, I leave the pet behind and pump WS.
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As for another class, I'd just have to spend my points even more broadly. Either Fluffy would become a pure meatshield, or my Expertise would rop, or I'd be no good at the secondary class. None of my characters put many points into their secondaries. Just a play preference, I guess.
With the points I have in BM, I've watched Fluffy does 5-8 points of damage to a level 24 monster -- and he does much more if I swap in even one pet attack. Plus, having BM at a high level allows me to self-heal quickly, thus getting double value from the points in that attribute.
No matter how many points I put in WS, Troll Unguent is still too damned slow to cast.
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Again, I've never felt Blackout was a major problem. Were I a ranger secondary, it would be an entirely different story, but as a Ranger rpimary, I don't find Blackout all that annoying.
I find blackout annoying when I have bow attack skills on my bar. My beastmaster doesn't because just about all her skills are related to her pet.
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Originally Posted by felinette
That's nine skills.
I fixed an unintentional line-break.
felinette
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Originally Posted by ChaoticCoyote
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Well, lack of pet control is a problem right now without DP. And because we have a lack of pet control, giving pets DP is a whacky idea. If you've read the recent threads about this, you'll see that most of us would be more accepting of the proposed DP change if it came along with pet commands.
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I completely disagree. The points in BM lower blackout, raise Fluffy's damage (yes, he even hurts level 24s a bit), and give me an excellent self-heal in Heal as One.
But with no or only one pet attack skill, it's not worth it. Why risk blackout at all? As for self-heal, I can see it if your secondary class doesn't have a good self-heal. Depending on the secondary, there could be better ones. Anyway, as I said, if the build is working for you and you like your pet, that's all that matters. I have two rangers--one a beastmaster, and one not. Both have pets, but the non-BM invests very little into the BM line. The skills she takes are similar to your builds, in that she only takes Charm/Comfort animal. The majority of her points are dumped into exp/mark/wilderness. So her pet is basically a meat shield and something to distract the baddies. There's a *huge* difference between how she plays and how my BM plays. If her pet dies, it's no big deal. She rezzes it after battle, or even sometimes during battle if she needs to take the heat off, even though she knows it'll probably drop dead again. On the other hand, my BM works *hard* to keep her pet alive. Her pet doesn't die too often, and when it does, she feels lost. She has no useful skills at all, except barrage, which she usually carries. So for the BM, giving her pet DP will have a huge impact in that *her* effectiveness in battle will decrease every time the pet dies. For my other ranger, not much impact at all.
ChaoticCoyote
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Originally Posted by felinette
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As for another class, I'd just have to spend my points even more broadly. Either Fluffy would become a pure meatshield, or my Expertise would rop, or I'd be no good at the secondary class. None of my characters put many points into their secondaries. Just a play preference, I guess.
With the points I have in BM, I've watched Fluffy does 5-8 points of damage to a level 24 monster -- and he does much more if I swap in even one pet attack. Plus, having BM at a high level allows me to self-heal quickly, thus getting double value from the points in that attribute.
No matter how many points I put in WS, Troll Unguent is still too damned slow to cast.
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Which sucks.|
Originally Posted by felinette
Anyway, as I said, if the build is working for you and you like your pet, that's all that matters. I have two rangers--one a beastmaster, and one not. Both have pets, but the non-BM invests very little into the BM line. The skills she takes are similar to your builds, in that she only takes Charm/Comfort animal. The majority of her points are dumped into exp/mark/wilderness. So her pet is basically a meat shield and something to distract the baddies. There's a *huge* difference between how she plays and how my BM plays. If her pet dies, it's no big deal. She rezzes it after battle, or even sometimes during battle if she needs to take the heat off, even though she knows it'll probably drop dead again. On the other hand, my BM works *hard* to keep her pet alive. Her pet doesn't die too often, and when it does, she feels lost. She has no useful skills at all, except barrage, which she usually carries. So for the BM, giving her pet DP will have a huge impact in that *her* effectiveness in battle will decrease every time the pet dies. For my other ranger, not much impact at all.
I don't understand why you think I don't work hard to keep my pet alive. I rely on Fluffy for more than just being a meat shield; he provides useful extra damage and a good, fast self-heal. If he dies, I'm probably going down soon thereafter.
No, I am not a beast master. I consider my pet and ranger to be a symbiotic unit where both contribute to success. That's quite a bit different from treating the animal as "just a meatshield."
felinette
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Originally Posted by ChaoticCoyote
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No matter how many points I put in WS, Troll Unguent is still too damned slow to cast.
Agreed. Quote:
I agree with you there. I made a beastmaster because I think the idea is really cool, but the execution of that idea leaves something to be desired. There should have been pet commands from day one, and I hope they add them. What I've learned from playing my two rangers with different builds is that the non-BM seems more effective in battle. With all sorts of preparations, spirits, and bow attacks, she rocks. My BM only has barrage, but her pet helps a lot, and because she has a high BM value and constantly has Call of Protection active, her pet rarely dies. But I'd say she's the weaker ranger of the two. I stubbornly stick with a pet though, and continue to charm pets for some of my secondary rangers, because I think adventuring with a pet is fun.
But I do worry that the DP change will make it more annoying to take a pet than not, which would be unfortunate.Quote: |
Orion died and died and died... that poor boy was vying with Claude to see who could croak fastest.
LOL. Those two boys love hitting the dirt. I only ever take Orion if I think I need AoE damage and don't care if the enemies scatter. I usually take Claude because of how he helps on the energy side, but he's usually the first henchie to go down. I don't know why he thinks he has to be standing right in the thick of things to cast Deadly Swarm, but then Alesia thinks she needs to be in the middle of it to heal. It's not just the pets that need commands. Quote:
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