Improve Ranger's Bow AoE

The ranger class main weapon lack AoE in PvE, being we get a severely limited Barrage.

Makes the following changes to Barrage PvE version:
Doesn't remove preparation
Change adjacent range into nearby

To compensate:
Increase recharge to 3 seconds
Increase energy to 10

This should make ranger aoe much more burstier and quicker.

Why not just reduce the recharge of insindary arrows back down to one second in PVE

Not every profession needs a super-duper AoE ability.

exactly, and that's why rangers don't have one and are nearly useless in pve
the only AoE we got is barrage, volley and traps.

now who ever uses traps in general PvE (HM)?

this nearby AoE barrage would be OP though, with expertise, and a zealous bowstring you get plenty of energy back from it.. not even mentioning the possible AoE conditions that they were trying to prevent by adding the 'all your preparations are removed'.

I think Barrage is fine as it is. We can say bow only has 2 AoE skills, so not really being a AoEr, but I don't really think they're gonna add new skills. And as barrage is highly spammable it would be kind of redundant anyway. Raners would really need a load of improvements, but not this.

@Yuna rangers also got Melandru's assault, if we're not talking about bow dmg (as you mentioned traps) but I know everyone finds it useless (I happen to like it instead).

Yeah ranger's aren't meant for AoE. However, it would be nice if they made Poison Arrow like Incendiary Arrows (reasonable idea), buffed Ignite Arrows a bit (even if it's just less energy and more duration) and buff Practiced Stance so your preparations can't me removed (ie make Volley more useful)

There is something wrong with Splinter Barrage all of a sudden?

The old version of Splinter Weapon made Splinter Barrage Rangers rediculous AoE dmg dealers but now it's fine as it is.
Although I find playing one myself rather dull and boring I have used it in HM PvE just fine.

Also the Great Dwarf Weapon + Barrage is actually pretty funny to watch.

All this moaning about area dmg is really getting old, it seems ppl want every profession to deal massive area dmg or else the class is useless..........time to get over it ppl, lol........

meh, you got your point with melandru's strike, not really all that viable though, if you spec into the most efficient ranger setup, which is imo

12+1+1 expertise
10+1
8+1

with the 11 and 9 being either marksmanship or beast mastery..

I think BM becomes viable @ 14 BM, but that's it.. minions do better bodyblocking, as well as comfort animal taking up 1 skill slot.

if only ignite arrows would be armor ignoring damage, then I'd take it (then it's even viable without incendiary arrows, imo)

What about Incendiary Arrows + Ignite Arrows + BuH + Splinter/GDW + EBSoH? (The last 3 can/must be brought by a team member.)

Many lil numbers + EBSoH (+ BuH) = win. (Ask eles - they know that)

Splinter barrage nuff said. it still works good.

I hope this is a joke. Dunno whats wrong with some ppl , obssesed with SY! and Barrage like there were no other options.

PS: No , obviously NO, a big one.

Giving every class a super-duper AoE skill wouldn't change that most classes still be "useless" (read: worse then optimal); it may shift which class is now "useless", but it doesn't increases the number of classes that are not "useless".

Desert Rose is right. Every class does not need a Super duper AoE. Barrage has been like it is forever and there is no reason to change it.

Say NO unnescessary to power creep!

Very Unnecessary...
I think everyone has hit the main points so ill say that rangers pwn stuff anyhow...

With a bow!

and they can do more single target damage then a bear can do to an ant.

/notsigned

Improve rituals. Make traps more like their GW2 counterparts. Maybe help out some beast mastery skills.

Don't go making classes do what they aren't supposed to.

I would like a big buff to rangers since I find tham a little limited in some areas but aoe isn't one of them.

If you don't like barrage removing preparations don't use them look for the skills that add to damage that are not removed

Barrage can do around +20 damage add to that a favourable winds spirit and your adding another 6 then take elemental as secondary and even with zero points in the element your adding another 5 which can be boosted to 16 if you put max points into it.

Take Dervish as a secondary and you can do holy damage barrage lethal against undead.

Splinter barrage and ignite arrow etc have been mentioned.

Its not all bad news for the ranger

Make traps a 1 second casting time. Make Nature Rituals ONLY affect allies OR make them a 1 second casting time like Ritualist spirits. Problem solved and everyone would play Rangers like they were supposed to be played. I would be a trapper for pugs if I could actually use traps in a reasonable amount of time. As it is they don't do enough and why not just use YMLaD? KD, cripple and Damage? In a shout? This and other PvE only skills are totally why traps aren't utilized. Fix it. Also, if traps and Nature Rituals were this way, they wouldn't be OP. They would be in line with the meta right now.

That number would always be close to the total number of classes anyway, though which classes fall into that category varies depending on area and fotm.

But, honestly, I don't call +20 on nearby targets a super-duper AoE skill. Compared to other (near) AoE's it would still be mediocre, but it would make a mostly useless Elite useful. Not removing preps combined with nearby effect could put it into the super-duper category, nearby-Barrage+FW+Conjure+ignite+EBSoH?.

How 'bout decreasing the recharge on Melandru's Assault? Or it's E-cost? It's not like the +17 Nearby-AoE is so spectacular.

Or decreasing the recharge on Incendiary Arrows?

Barrage Or Incendiary Arrows and damage buffs stacked with it is fine imo.

If you dont think that is enough damage. you wanna go look a para that has no true multi target aoe.