Update- Thurday January 28

garethporlest18

garethporlest18

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

[HiDe]

W/

I like how they increased the damage on Power Shot.

Raven Wing

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Nov 2005

The Imperial Guards of Istan [TIGI]

N/

Quote:
If you think this is dartboard nerfing, you never played against or observed Rangerspike. The update is pretty good, I liked the changes.
That

Its addressing specific pbp builds that were overpowered.
Why do pve rangers have to suffer for that? Now a pve ranger is almost weaker than a mesmer...unless he do barrage
There is that option to split skills in pvp/pve versions. Its completely uncalled for to change pve skills when the main issue is addressing pvp problems.
So yes on the pve side its dartboard with lead arrows that drop low and hit the floor.
Yes its highly needed to improve the pve meta. But please leave any and all pve skills alone before you have any idea or plan or strategy for how to improve those...

headlesshobbs

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by garethporlest18 View Post
I like how they increased the damage on Power Shot.
me too. I was wondering when this would be a viable skill again.

one thing I noticed was how you can make this a nice 3-way with sundering/penetrating, but the problem with that is in pvp, all the aftercasting makes this redundant + factor in incoming melee you have to put up with. Even worse, half the use of these skills was to avoid having to rely on speed buffs, now that's gone.

I'm really going to miss my old spike. normal+power+sund+pen and/or savage. Now every shrine runner in JQ is gonna get an easy ride.

Going back on hunter's shot, while the 1 sec is nice, they still keep it removed from being in good builds by keeping 10sec recharge. I said awhile back if they wanted to nerf this it would have been proper to just take out the bonus dmg and leave the rest in, but it still doesn't make much sense at this point. There's another skill I could bring up for good reasoning, but I'm not giving them ideas to go after that one too.

zelgadissan

zelgadissan

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2008

The Warrior Priests [WP]

Me/Rt

First off, and I'll keep repeating this over and over and over, skill splits are absolutely retarded.

Next, I'd love to see how PvE Rangers are significantly hurt by this update. Glass Arrows is PvP only. Sundering and Penetrating got buffed (I haven't been in game to see if they got aftercast, but by these descriptions they did not). Lightning Reflexes is PvP only. Melandru's, Needling, Quick, and Precision were crap for PvE anyway. Power Shot is now armor-ignoring, which makes it far stronger in PvE.

Seriously, please explain it to me.

On-topic: good update.

Gennadios

Gennadios

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2009

N/A

ANet, you blow.

That's 2 out of the 2 paragon IAS skills that are laden with overly un-attractive handicaps in PvE for no good reason.

Not only that, but Soldier's Fury was the the only legitimate elite that got any use outside of Imba lameway.

Essence Snow

Essence Snow

Unbridled Enthusiasm!

Join Date: Nov 2009

EST

DPR

Quote:
Originally Posted by ElementalShadows View Post
Update - Thursday, January 28, 2010

Skill Balance

Paragon

* Soldier's Fury: added the following functionality: "Whenever a shout or chant ends on you, you suffer from Cracked Armor (10 seconds)."
This.....aren't paras screwed enough in PvE? Only way to get in a group is imbagon and now fury has cracked armor? Sounds lose lose to me. Nerfing one of the worst classes in the game further w/o adding any buffs to them just makes no sense. This just makes paras less wanted in PvE.

F Al T H

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2009

DVDF

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windf0rce View Post
If you think this is dartboard nerfing, you never played against or observed Rangerspike. The update is pretty good, I liked the changes.
First of all, Ranger Spike was hardily used in GVG it was mainly used in TA and HA.

TA Has gone now..... and HA well, what about a Split for HA since now there is only 1 controlable pvp way of teaming making your own builds for a team to run?

I Personally think this update was complete bs and I'll not be logging onto guildwars for months or at least until I see the next update notes.

All the comments in this thread so far have been negative so... so much for the people making the choices.

as i've just posted on their fb page, I feel they haven't met the expectations of 1 in 100 people.

Lusciious

Lusciious

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2009

I'm from Singapore but i live in Shanghai ATM

Order of [Thay]

N/

no bsurge, no sf, no 600/smite ...

i want EDA back .. at least with melee attacks . why melee attack skills ):

optymind

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2008

A/E

Power Shot is terrible on my pre searing ranger now... but why would anet care about pre searing....

Braxton619

Braxton619

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2008

A/W

I have to say bad update. They took out Needling Shot spamming with 2 second disable. Why the PvE version? Lol @ Quickshot, and Lol @ Soldier's Fury.

Looks like ANET is trying to make rangers and paragons fail more.

Lol @ Ebon Dust nerf... looks like those volley rangers fail now ^^

headlesshobbs

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

I did some testing with powershot and to say it's a good armor ignoring attack, but without the crit it won't be that useful. Alts would be either crossfire and point blank as to seeing how you can do much better getting crit and against low armor you just do better overall.

I'm also stumped at the 2sec on needling. This has another fine use in sunder/pent builds, but also it worked really well with quick shot. I don't see the point for adding this, even when it's on pve.

Please review your test krew Anet. Nerfing damage is one thing, but when you affect the overall playability of things, you do more at damaging gameplay then anything.

lemming

lemming

The Hotshot

Join Date: May 2006

Honolulu

International District [id???]

To everyone griping about Quick Shot being nerfed: why do you care? Are you just being nostalgic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by F Al T H View Post
First of all, Ranger Spike was hardily used in GVG it was mainly used in TA and HA.
Have you pressed B while in a guild hall/outpost even once in the past five months?

Don't answer that question; it's rhetorical.

Life Bringing

Life Bringing

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2008

Fissure of Woe

[LOD]/[GS]/[DL]/[LOD*]

N/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by F Al T H View Post
First of all, Ranger Spike was hardily used in GVG it was mainly used in TA and HA.
Did the months and months of dual ranger dual para meta mean anything to you?

awry

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2008

conflagration+conjure flame+quick shot+favorable winds+winnowing+expert's focus= pretty strong spike, stop ripping on quickshot, it could've easily replaced glass arrows as the new r spike

Sifow Chan

Sifow Chan

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2007

P/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gennadios View Post
ANet, you blow.

That's 2 out of the 2 paragon IAS skills that are laden with overly un-attractive handicaps in PvE for no good reason.

Not only that, but Soldier's Fury was the the only legitimate elite that got any use outside of Imba lameway.
^Agree

Anet, you suck at balances. You make fans of the game scared of how you're going to ruin GW2.

Giving Paragons cracked armor on all of their IAS skills is so far beyond stupid, especially when one they both require chants and shouts to be up/work.
Spear attacks don't even do that much damage, not to mention how easy you can dodge them.
They have horrible self heal skills and now you're just making them even more vulnerable.

Obviously this is what you want considering since Paragons came out you've only nerfed them and never gave much any significant buffs.

Such disgraceful people working there.

Fox Reeveheart

Fox Reeveheart

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Michigan

none q.q

D/

I never keep up with skills, but EDA has me wondering...

so was EDA nerfed or buffed? O_o

Giga_Gaia

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2006

Travelling around Tyria, Cantha, and Elona

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox Reeveheart View Post
I never keep up with skills, but EDA has me wondering...

so was EDA nerfed or buffed? O_o
EDA was nerfed (only works with melee attacks now instead of melee and ranged) because Anet considers ranged blind spamming in 4v4 to be a problem, but completely failed to address B.Surge which is pretty much exactly the same thing. Fun times isn't it?

Puebert

Puebert

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Oct 2005

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox Reeveheart View Post
I never keep up with skills, but EDA has me wondering...

so was EDA nerfed or buffed? O_o
In RA and CA Dervishes would throw spears with the skill and blind all non-casters. It was very easy to meet the attack skill requirement with Barbed Spear.

They also did a fair amount of damage, so it was nerfed.

Anduin

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

Ice Dragon Berserker Lodge

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Giga_Gaia View Post
EDA was nerfed (only works with melee attacks now instead of melee and ranged) because Anet considers ranged blind spamming in 4v4 to be a problem, but completely failed to address B.Surge which is pretty much exactly the same thing. Fun times isn't it?
Even worse. It only works with melee attack "Skills".

Giga_Gaia

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2006

Travelling around Tyria, Cantha, and Elona

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anduin View Post
Even worse. It only works with melee attack "Skills".
Yea that's what I meant; I was just too lazy to go into specific details

lemming

lemming

The Hotshot

Join Date: May 2006

Honolulu

International District [id???]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Giga_Gaia View Post
EDA was nerfed (only works with melee attacks now instead of melee and ranged) because Anet considers ranged blind spamming in 4v4 to be a problem, but completely failed to address B.Surge which is pretty much exactly the same thing. Fun times isn't it?
Air eles have no appreciable autoattack DPS.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sifow Chan View Post

Spear attacks don't even do that much damage, not to mention how easy you can dodge them.
While I don't disagree with the furor over the Soldier's Fury carrying over to PvE, keep in mind that spears are pretty difficult to dodge at less than max range, especially when there's a Shard Storm on the spike.

Fox Reeveheart

Fox Reeveheart

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Michigan

none q.q

D/

oh, so just melee attacks now?

thats fine *shrug*

UnChosen

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Mar 2006

Don't worry PvE Mesmers, there will be two more classes arriving to compete for the "Worst PvE Class" title soon.

And I thought they might finally attempt to improve more classes with the impending SF and 600/Smite nerf, guess I was way to optimistic with that one.

Giga_Gaia

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2006

Travelling around Tyria, Cantha, and Elona

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by lemming View Post
Air eles have no appreciable autoattack DPS.
But they still have lots of room for utility, support, etc. At the end of the day, the problem of blind spamming is still there.

Saph

Saph

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2009

R/

Man anet is really hating rangers it seems.

mistokibbles

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2008

N/A

Rangers need a nonelite IAS. ED is nice and all, but the advantages of Magebane/Cripshot are so much better. R/W for flurry/frenzy with nat stride cancel is even worse.

Mustache Mayhem

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

BEN

R/N

ride the lightning op? really

have to check it out.. I like to roid rage the monkeys in ra with ride shock aftershock

fact it causes exhaustion already and elite slot.. geez talk about someones butt hurt when they probably were on the other end of it

Life Bringing

Life Bringing

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2008

Fissure of Woe

[LOD]/[GS]/[DL]/[LOD*]

N/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mustache Mayhem View Post
ride the lightning op? really

have to check it out.. I like to roid rage the monkeys in ra with ride shock aftershock

fact it causes exhaustion already and elite slot.. geez talk about someones butt hurt when they probably were on the other end of it
Sigh, RtL on a warrior caller added massive damage to a spike. With dual ranger dual para gone, RtL would probably see a comeback. It wasn't a bad nerf.

Xenex Xclame

Xenex Xclame

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2006

DPX

R/

I love how they completly ingnored all the discusions we had in the preliminary skill update thread and just did what they wanted.
I bet the TK were telling them to not nerf a skill in a certain way but to do something different but they completly ignored that too.
I love the pre update notes Anet but whats the point if your not gonna listen to us anyways,might as welll go back to being silent, at least that way I wont have to feel I'm wasting my time trying to help just for to be ignored.

sonofthort

sonofthort

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2006

The Legends Of Melee [SSBM]

Mo/

Good update. EDA needed this nerf, and Blinding surge is fine.

Also, I love the new prot against life stealing!

Chthon

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Apr 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by zelgadissan View Post
Next, I'd love to see how PvE Rangers are significantly hurt by this update. Glass Arrows is PvP only. Sundering and Penetrating got buffed (I haven't been in game to see if they got aftercast, but by these descriptions they did not). Lightning Reflexes is PvP only. Melandru's, Needling, Quick, and Precision were crap for PvE anyway. Power Shot is now armor-ignoring, which makes it far stronger in PvE.

Seriously, please explain it to me.

On-topic: good update.
Seems like a mild buff for PvE. Sundering and Penetrating are faster. Power Shot is solid armor-ignoring damage now. Needling is arguably buffed. Since often the only thing that's going to follow Needling is more Needling, the disable only bothers you if (a) you want to interrupt, or (b) you want to change targets. No interruption off of Needling is a problem. The disable isn't so bad off a target switch since you can probably stick something like Asuran Scan in the downtime.

That said, none of this makes the tiniest bit of progress towards making rangers not suck in PvE. Basically we've got dazed, which is situationally useful, a couple multi-target attacks, and a bunch of junk -- a slow 2-handed weapon, some single-target degen conditions, a lot of single-target damage skills, interrupts that don't work in HM because of the monster cast-speed buff, a bunch of traps that require a playstyle totally incompatible with anything else, some relatively weak self-buffs that strip themselves if you use a multi-target attack, and pets.

dr love

dr love

...is in denial

Join Date: Sep 2006

Hyperion

starcraft 2

P/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chthon View Post
That said, none of this makes the tiniest bit of progress towards making rangers not suck in PvE.
i'm not a big ranger player, but the following should still be OP:
splinter barrage
r/d for scythe spam
r/a for dagger spam

Hyperventilate

Hyperventilate

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2007

Somewhere in California

I Gots A Crayon [Blue]

Me/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xenex Xclame View Post
I love how they completly ingnored all the discusions we had in the preliminary skill update thread and just did what they wanted.
I bet the TK were telling them to not nerf a skill in a certain way but to do something different but they completly ignored that too.
I love the pre update notes Anet but whats the point if your not gonna listen to us anyways,might as welll go back to being silent, at least that way I wont have to feel I'm wasting my time trying to help just for to be ignored.
Best way to maintain your game: Ignore your player base entirely! What they want and feel is completely and entirely irrelevant. We're the professionals, why would we listen to a bunch of amateurs anyway? Seriously, what do they know about the game they play more than we do?

Signed, Tenagg.

Del

Del

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2009

In a van, down by the river.

RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO if I know, ask Lynette.

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Operations View Post
Now Rangers don't _do_ ranger stuff
Pumping damage is ranger stuff?
what's for? you honestly can't say rangers as a whole have been nerfed until apply and d-shot are nerfed.

Eragon Zarroc

Eragon Zarroc

Atra estern?? ono thelduin

Join Date: Jan 2008

Madness Incarnate

[Duo]

W/P

i thing the lesser gvg requirements and the quicker skill rotations on codex are quite interesting. make these formats much more desirable to enter.

mlandry

mlandry

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

W/Me

As someone who only plays PvE and could care less about PvP, there is 0 positive about this update and just a bunch of nerfs. Cracked Armor on Soldier's Fury? Adding delays to R attacks?

At least they didn't mess with my favorite classes much... this time.

Tha D

Tha D

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2006

Quote:
Codex rotation has been reduced to 6 hours.
i couldnt find information about WHEN exactly the skill change each day will take effect; because now i will always watch time before i would enter codex; not that i enter, win and suddenly after 1 hour of winning my team doesnt get an opponent anymore - thats a disadvantage now of this new rotation system.. and anotehr no gg for anet! : /

maybe some1 here can help out on those times soon - after own experiences or source.

thx in advance~

Shayne Hawke

Shayne Hawke

Departed from Tyria

Join Date: May 2007

Clan Dethryche [dth]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by mlandry View Post
As someone who only plays PvE and could care less about PvP, there is 0 positive about this update
Well, this update wasn't meant to address PvE problems anyways.

Quote:
and just a bunch of nerfs. Cracked Armor on Soldier's Fury? Adding delays to R attacks?
Done most likely for one reason or another pertaining to PvP. It's not like anything terribly critical was shot down.

Also, to people who are crying about PvE Ranger nerfs, you either haven't been paying attention to PvP in a few months (or maybe years), or you've been using builds with stupid skills to be using in PvE.

What I want to know is how that Cripshot buff is going to impact the scene. I wouldn't be surprised to see it replace Melandru's in a few places, and then maybe it will be in some good competition with Magebane for certain PvP players.

AtomicMew

AtomicMew

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

N/A

I'm kind of peeved that they're not properly using PvE/PvP split. There's no reason that PvP nerfs should leak over into PvE. I mean, they basically nerfed a bunch of ele skills and b-spam skills which no one in PvE uses EVER anyway. If anything, those skills need buffs.

Shayne Hawke

Shayne Hawke

Departed from Tyria

Join Date: May 2007

Clan Dethryche [dth]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xenex Xclame View Post
I love how they completly ingnored all the discusions we had in the preliminary skill update thread and just did what they wanted.
I bet the TK were telling them to not nerf a skill in a certain way but to do something different but they completly ignored that too.
I love the pre update notes Anet but whats the point if your not gonna listen to us anyways,might as welll go back to being silent, at least that way I wont have to feel I'm wasting my time trying to help just for to be ignored.
Preliminary skill updates are preliminary. By the time we show you part of our hand, we're going to have a pretty set plan on how we're going to change the skills. Glancing through about the first 12 or 13 pages of the thread, I don't see anything but crying over one thing being nerfed, or something else not getting nerfed, or nothing getting buffed, which is pretty much the same reception that this thread seems to be getting. Were you honestly expecting us to come out with skill updates that were far off from what we were telling you that you were getting?

Quote:
Originally Posted by trcvrs View Post
I'm kind of peeved that they're not properly using PvE/PvP split.
From a personal standpoint, the split is a terrible idea and we need less of it. Also, less skills that are split means less copies of skills that need to be stored as data somewhere on the server.

Quote:
There's no reason that PvP nerfs should leak over into PvE.
Consistency.

Quote:
I mean, they basically nerfed a bunch of ele skills and b-spam skills which no one in PvE uses EVER anyway. If anything, those skills need buffs.
PvE monsters use those skills too. You want to fight Dryders and Angorodons with hyped-up lifesteal skills in HM? I sure as hell don't. If nobody's using the skills, then it's more likely than not that they're using some kind of setup that would be better regardless of whether the skills in question were buffed, nerfed, or untouched.