UmbraNoctis.1907

> @"Dinas Dragonbane.2978" said: > Is this large or small scale? In large scale figts downs barely seem to matter as 85% of the time those are dead in the repeated aoe on top of them. In small you have to play smarter but securing stomps or cleaving well makes way more difference there. > The game has added in more ways to kill people with each expansion, downstate has stayed relatively the same since 2012, if you are still having problems against stationary targets(except ele mesmers and thieves, and underwater but wait all wvw players suffer there) that have 4 skills available to them, no advice on these forums is likely to assist you, call for that deletion. Downstate matters a lot in both large and smallscale fights. Mainly because it favours superior numbers and fights in WvW are rarely even. It also gives players more time to tag enemies in zerg fights, making it easier to recieve loot without having to contribute to the actual fight in a meaningful way. And when considering that dmg (and to some extent also sustain) of "alive" players did get heavily nerfed but downstate and ressing are still untouched, it is hard to call it balanced know. Unlike you want to tell me, downstate was underpowered in the past. Which it never was, even when dmg output was like twice as high. Srsly, the tankyness of a downed player who is getting ressed by someone else is insane compared to a "standing" player and some are even dealing more dmg while lying on the ground, supposedly being close to death. Kinda ridiculous, isn't it?

Since when "fix" = kill? Also Call Lighting is hardly a burst skill. It is a pulsing aoe. With a whopping 180 radius.

> @"The Boz.2038" said: > OWP, Quickness, and either LB2, LB5 or Axe5. > See, OWP has a pulse cooldown of 0.25 seconds, and all of those skills hit every 0.25 seconds, meaning they proc OWP perfectly, every time. However, with Quickness, they hit every 0.17 seconds, which increases their own DPS, but makes them proc OWP every *other* pulse, halving the damage. Do use Quickness with Axe5, LB2 or LB5 when OWP is not available, it is a straight DPS upgrade, but do not use them all together. That's not entirely accurate. Barrage ticks once every 1/2 s and hit frequency is not affected by quickness (only the initial cast time gets reduced). Rapid Fire does proc OWP only every other hit with and without quickness. Only with Whirling Defense quickness will reduce the amount of procs from that single skill - however due to the shorter channel time you can squeeze additional skills into the same time frame, which will result in roughly the same amount of OWP procs - and overall higher dps. So there is no reason to not combine all those things for maximum burst (especially when considering that in grp content you don't have much control over boons and burst windows anyway and occasionally getting 1 or 2 procs less than what would be possible in an optimal scenario is still more dps than not using OWP at all). Regarding general slb dps: Since power slb is mostly about burst, timing the hard hitters right tends to be more important than a perfect rotation - which does require some encounter knowledge - especially when considering that many burst skills root you in place and you don't want to get interrupted/killed by aoe while channeling Also keep in mind that soulbeast does get a dmg boost for a few seconds after using cc, so don't forget to use stuff like lb 4 or axe 4 regulary and especially before your main burst.

Since this is about fixes for ranger skills, can we also get a fix for axe 4, so it can pull players off walls (or in general - actually pull someone instead of randomly disappearing into nothingness or flying straight through players without doing anything)? You know, like other pull skills can do ...

> @"Ragnar.4257" said: > > @"Avatar.3568" said: > > > @"Ragnar.4257" said: > > > > @"Crozame.4098" said: > > > > > @"Ragnar.4257" said: > > > > > Guardian beats mesmer, engi, thief > > > > > Guardian is 50/50 with necro, warrior, these matchups really come down to skill or 1 lucky hit turning everything around. > > > > > Guardian loses to rev/ren, ranger, weaver > > > > > > > > > > So, no, guardian is not "the strongest". If you're a mesmer or thief I can imagine you'd think that. But if you're a renegade guardians are free food. Guardian actually has a fairly balanced mix of matchups, with some being easy and some being very hard. > > > > > > > > > > I'm assuming this is a troll post; the above is just an FYI for anyone else reading this. If it isn't a troll post...... yikes. Just try asking anyone in the top 100 what the strongest 1v1 class is. It'll be a looooong time before anyone says "guardian". > > > > > > > > > Guardian is 50/50 with necro, warrior, these matchups really come down to skill or 1 lucky hit turning everything around. > > > > > Guardian loses to rev/ren, ranger, weaver > > > > Depends on build right? > > > > > > > > Again war, FB can win quite easily? Core bunker can not loose to it and can win the node, same for rev? > > > > ranger, at least it is super easy to kill the pet for a burn guard? > > > > > > > > > > Well, yes it depends on build. The above is a general guide, not true for every possible combination of builds. FB from a year ago would beat warrior easily.... but you must have missed like 10 balance patches to think that's still true. > > > > > > Ranger pet will only die in a 1v1 with guard if the ranger isn't paying attention and doesn't make use of pet swap/recall. Obviously if the ranger is bad, the guardian will win. That's not really a valid comparison. > > > > It's possible to pay attention, but if you sawp your pet because it has 100hp and your full pet comes without cd increase, it's possible that it can survive the 15 seconds or it survives 3 seconds because it gets hit by 1 spirit sword > > > > > > Do tell me more about how a spirit sword, which will do at most 8k burning damage if all 4 hits connect, can insta-kill a pet with 28k-40k hp. > > In a 1v1 scenario, if your pet dies its your own fault. Simply no other way of looking at it. Obviously in big fights its different, but 1v1 its very clear. > > The maximum HP of a pet in PvP is 31k. If the ranger is using an actually useful pet, we are looking at 16-24k HP (with beastmastery and without druid, oherwise even less!). A burn guardian can absolutely melt those pets within seconds and there is often nothing the ranger can do about it. Not saying guard is op or ranger can't win vs it, just that dead pets aren't always the result of the ranger misplaying, even in 1vs1 and especially vs guardian. Ranger simply does not have the tools to reliably protect the pets.

Ranger might not be the only class with weaker traits and skills in PvP compared to WvW, but it (core and druid to be more specific) still has a very unique penalty in both game modes - the possibility to lose access to it's class mehanic for up to one minute, with very limited options to prevent this from happening.

Pretty sure i've gotten more ascended drops from a few weeks of dailyT4 fractals than from an entire year of playing WvW. But well, i'm mostly roaming and dueling, so my WXP gain is rather low. Still, i doubt WvW is a better source for ascended drops than fractals, so i guess you were just very lucky (and got quite a lot of lvl ups in relative short time. If you are completely new to Wvw the first few ranks require less XP, but it slows down quickly).

> @"Lan Deathrider.5910" said: > https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/One_Wolf_Pack > > Stance. Your successful attacks will trigger a second strike while in this stance. > This effect can occur once per interval. > > PvE/WvW: > Damage: 168 (0.63)? > One Wolf Pack (8s): Striking a foe will cause them to be attacked again after a short delay. > Strike Delay: ¼ seconds > Interval: ¼ seconds > — In-game description [?] > > You may not ever see all 10 procs, because most people are dead before all 10 are needed, or if they dodge/block/blind/evade/invuln during a part of it. You're 0.5s number is because there is a 0.25s delay before the damage packet from OWP activates, but the damage interval that will cause the OWP activation is 0.25s. No, Abyssisis.3971 is right. RF does not proc OWP 10x. Could be a latency thing, could be a bug, could be whatever, but it usually only triggers every other hit, without quickness. What the skill description says and how stuff actually works ingame does not always match 100% perfectly (my guess would be that RF hits aren't exactly 0,25s apart, but slightly less, because the skill has a very short "pre-channel" cast time)

Boonbeat is op 1vs1 and i despise it for how faceroll it is, but you can walk away from it and it doesn't do much. Can't ignore condi druids and fighting those is 100% a matter of build. If you can get out of the roots - druid doesn't do anything. Can't get out - which is again a matter of build, not player skill - you just die. Terrible design.

> @"Gotejjeken.1267" said: > > As a suggestion, I think Druid for instance is actually in a good place, one that could be used as a model for thief. Absolutely no. Druid is the worst of ranger specs. Being either useless or hardcarried by a broken mechanic, that requires counterbuilding with little to no way to actually outplay even trash druids without reliable way to get out of the roots, shouldn't be model for anything. I'd rather fight soulbeasts or thieves all day long (even tho both can be quite cancerous in their own ways).

> @"InsaneQR.7412" said: > > @"UmbraNoctis.1907" said: > > Pets aren't cosmetics, they are part of a ranger's skill set and as such it is important that pets and their skills can be identified by other players without any issues. With different skins and other customisation options this wouldn't be the case anymore, so that's a no go. Period. What should be done instead is improve balance so there are more viable pets than just a handful. That would also improve "visual" diversity. > > There is already the option to give players a default character model option, this can easily be applied to pets. > > Additionally the skins would probably just be interchangable in between the pet family which is already 75% of the pet. > > I can definetaly understand the worries but i wouldn't call that a period no go. It just has a small caveat to it which should be implemented in the options. > But customizing your pet would be fantastic for rangers. This is still a RPG afterall. > There are some crucial differences between pets within the same family, so just knowing that's a cat or wolf or bird isn't enough. Standard models are not a solution, because they are bad in WvW (make it much harder to identify players). And imagine the mess if other classes also start to demand customizable skills (which would only be fair after all). For the cosmetic and roleplay aspect we have mini pets.

Pets aren't cosmetics, they are part of a ranger's skill set and as such it is important that pets and their skills can be identified by other players without any issues. With different skins and other customisation options this wouldn't be the case anymore, so that's a no go. Period. What should be done instead is improve balance so there are more viable pets than just a handful. That would also improve "visual" diversity.

MH Axe IS very strong on tanky builds like boonbeast and to some extent also on core ranger (in WvW, in PvP boonbeast isn't that great overall due to nerfed stances and traits). Would not recommend it for druid tho. While some numbers here are quite exaggerated, axe provides more pressure than any other ranger weapon while the downside - lack of defense - is counterbalanced by the tankyness from the build itself, that allows for quite some facetanking even without the need for a whole lot of toughness. Defensive beast skills also help to cover that weakness. Boonbeast with mh axe is a very strong - and incredibly faceroll - dueling build in WvW, outside of this scenario more of an annoyance than anything else tho. And while it is more the survivability that carries such builds, with other weapons the threat dwindles significantly.

> @"Vancho.8750" said: > > @"Megametzler.5729" said: > > > @"Leonidrex.5649" said: > > > > @"Avatar.3568" said: > > > > Infuse light is fine, the glow is bright and you can watch the buff bar when the heal utility is used you know he can use glint. > > > > It's the same with the fear staff skill, and the mirage stun, all 0,5 seconds cast time is enaugh, increasing cast time makes slower and dump game more down, the animation is good visible even when mirage is stealthed. > > > > > > big lol > > > as mirage I land 80% stuns, and 20% that I miss is not due to enemy specifically target dodging but rando dodging/blocking it, maybe 5% of the times I fire it you can react, but when you add it p5->blink or stealth then its a real problem > > > > > > Same thing with IL, what are you gonna do? stop attacking rev? the moment you try to connect a big hit they use their INSTANT reverse damage button, and even if they convert nothing the skill still heals about 4k hp in total. > > > remove cast time from facet of light, give IL cast time off 0,25s and now there is actual counterplay. > > > Its never a problem to react to it, but the fact that by the time you react its already too late and it healed for 7k+ AND you cant attack. > > > > Agree here. > > > > Pistol 5 has the same animation as pistol 4. The only difference is the projectile(s): Which is clearly visible for the illusion, but very quick for the stun. Either reduce projectile speed or give a glow for the stun to differentiate the animations. > > > > I want to add: This shows some unbiased argument, arguing against ones own main class, thanks @"Leonidrex.5649". > > > > Infuse Light is still a terrible design. A revenant can activate the facet and basically prevent enemies from bursting him, because he can turn it all into full healing _instantly_. Yes, he reduces his offensive potential due to the costs, but he can prevent major offensive against him, even while stunned. The cast time should have been on IL, not the facet. Just like on warrior. > Now if you want really kitten telegraphs go into ranger longbow or shortbow all of the skills look the same, there is a small deviation between them but it is too negligible the kitten cc looks like a basic attack, good thing is that your average ranger is predictable as kitten and does 4 2 or 3 4 2, too bad they can do it off screen. > LB4 has a pretty clear tell, but a rather short cast time and a very fast projectile, which is why players often don't react to it and it kinda has to be like this, as it isn't just an offensive cc but also key to survival on a weapon that relies on landing skills as only defense. LB 3 animation is less obvious and nearly instant, but again, it is mainly a defensive skill. LB 2 and 5 are very telegraphed, one being an 2 1/2 s long channel with an obnoxious pewpewpewpew sound effect, the other a 2 1/4 s long stationary cast wich produces an obvious aoe field on the ground. Shortbow tho has indeed no distinct animations. > @"Vancho.8750" said: > > @"Leonidrex.5649" said: > > > @"Vancho.8750" said: > > > > @"Megametzler.5729" said: > > > > > @"Leonidrex.5649" said: > > > > > > @"Avatar.3568" said: > > > > > > Infuse light is fine, the glow is bright and you can watch the buff bar when the heal utility is used you know he can use glint. > > > > > > It's the same with the fear staff skill, and the mirage stun, all 0,5 seconds cast time is enaugh, increasing cast time makes slower and dump game more down, the animation is good visible even when mirage is stealthed. > > > > > > > > > > big lol > > > > > as mirage I land 80% stuns, and 20% that I miss is not due to enemy specifically target dodging but rando dodging/blocking it, maybe 5% of the times I fire it you can react, but when you add it p5->blink or stealth then its a real problem > > > > > > > > > > Same thing with IL, what are you gonna do? stop attacking rev? the moment you try to connect a big hit they use their INSTANT reverse damage button, and even if they convert nothing the skill still heals about 4k hp in total. > > > > > remove cast time from facet of light, give IL cast time off 0,25s and now there is actual counterplay. > > > > > Its never a problem to react to it, but the fact that by the time you react its already too late and it healed for 7k+ AND you cant attack. > > > > > > > > Agree here. > > > > > > > > Pistol 5 has the same animation as pistol 4. The only difference is the projectile(s): Which is clearly visible for the illusion, but very quick for the stun. Either reduce projectile speed or give a glow for the stun to differentiate the animations. > > > > > > > > I want to add: This shows some unbiased argument, arguing against ones own main class, thanks @"Leonidrex.5649". > > > > > > > > Infuse Light is still a terrible design. A revenant can activate the facet and basically prevent enemies from bursting him, because he can turn it all into full healing _instantly_. Yes, he reduces his offensive potential due to the costs, but he can prevent major offensive against him, even while stunned. The cast time should have been on IL, not the facet. Just like on warrior. > > > I think mesmer pistil is one of the better telegraphed ranged weapons, yeah it might need some more of a difference between the skills but as skills they are different enough and the sound queues help me allot ( the issue i have with it is stealth into the skill since the telegraphs play after they hit but that is general issue with stealth for everything) . > > > Now if you want really kitten telegraphs go into ranger longbow or shortbow all of the skills look the same, there is a small deviation between them but it is too negligible the kitten cc looks like a basic attack, good thing is that your average ranger is predictable as kitten and does 4 2 or 3 4 2, too bad they can do it off screen. > > > > > > > As a someone that made ranger I can attest to the fact that usually nobody sees lb4 coming as it has super far reach, no real tell. > > as for the 4->2 combo... there is nothing else lol, at best you can use barrage and auto-attacks while waiting for dodges. > The basic attack is one of the strongest of the game, i'm not sure why though it is not a basic attack weapon, feels weird since it doesn't leave room for the rest of the weapons, for example axe is the basic attack weapon on ranger but is worse then LB. > This is not true. Axe autoattack deals about the same dps as Long Range Shot at 900 range before taking the might stacking into consideration. When factoring in the additional dmg from the might it deals more dmg than LB auto at max. range (up to like 50% more at close range). And it hits 2 targets by default, unlike LB. MH axe lacks defense, which is why it typically isn't used in glassy builds, but much better than LB for tanky boon heavy builds (boonbeast/tanky core ranger).

> @"6E62A0C6-5B30-4AA3-3147-5B6B671D0B64.9437" said: > > @"UmbraNoctis.1907" said: > > > 1. No. WvW does not need more PvE. > I might be wrong but.. wouldn’t groups be more inclined to fight over something that could give decent loot vs over a camp for nothing? > Rewards don't incentivize players to fight each other. They incentivize players to look for the easiest and fastest way possible to farm said rewards. Which in case of WvW usually means stack on the side with the biggest blob, then run everything down with basically zero resistance. Also, why does it have to be mobs? Why not just make players themself drop valuable stuff if it is supposed to reward players for fighting each other? But either way, "fun" is the only reward that can truly lead to more and better fights. > > 2. No, won't work. > Granted I’m still naive when it comes to Anet but why would something like that not work? Targets can just sit inside structures or hide inside a blob, "hunters" can just zerg their target down, ... Again, players will just seek for the easiest way possible to obtain the rewards and that's not the 1vs1/small scale fights you probably want to see. Also what happens if numbers of "participants" are uneven across the sides? What happens if my target decides to leave? What if my "hunter" leaves? There are so many possible issues for something that has no benefits.

1. No. WvW does not need more PvE. 2. No, won't work. 3. Just remove the entire warclaw, problem solved.

> @"Voltekka.2375" said: > > @"anduriell.6280" said: > > This would be my approach. > > > > The increased liquid gold has to come on the form when defeating other players and conquering objetives. > > > > * Add additional amount of silver coins when every single player is killed. Right now you may not get even rewards for it. ( 10-30) > > * Add additional liquid silver when conquering objetive. (30-70) > > * Add additional some liquid silver when you get the XP for defending an objective. (20-50) > > > > * All players which logged i during an Skirmish (2 hours each) and collaborated in the war score for more than X minutes ( participation kept over X level ) get a chest with some T5 materials and liquid gold in it depending on the position during that Skirmish( 10-20-35 gold ). ( advised a total of no consecutives 30 mins with Participation over 3 ) > > It is ok if the players come to play for 30 mins and then leave as long as there is rotation. An small icon in the rewards progress indicator over the minimap notifying when the player reached the threshold would suffice. The timer would reset for each Skirmish. > > > > That should be rewards enough with no need to reward for the total war score. The players get rewarded for the time they spend in the gamemode helping the war score. > > 1. That would encourage spawncamping 24/7. > 2. That would encourage eotm style play > 3. That would encourage repairbotting Not if rewards would be split between involved players. Which would make sense, even with the current reward system. But ofc it would never happen because it goes against GW2 philosophy of "participation rewards for everyone" - even if they are essentially doing nothing but leeching ... So yea, let's rather not increase rewards - no matter what kind of rewards - because it will just lead to even more bots, afk farmers and mindless blobbing. Rewards are not the way to go for WvW.

> @"KrHome.1920" said: > Desert map is too big. The centre is useless, so the map becomes a donut and traveling becomes even worse than it already is because of the size. > > It's still better than alpine borderlands, which is boring and has ugly 2012 visuals with eye cancer causing post processing glow effects at night. > > The only really good map is EBG, which is also outdated in graphics, but has a solid design and lacks the ugly postprocessing effects. > > Queues on my server (incl. linked servers) support this opinion. We 've a 20+ queue all day for EBG and not a queue at all for every other map. For me it is the exact opposite. EGB is too small and cramped with objectives, so it is pretty much impossible to get a fight without getting pew pewed from a wall, have guards interfere, marked debuff on you and zergs popping out of nowhere (= from behind a wall/corner where you couldn't see them coming). And if you happen to kill someone, they are back within seconds. Also smc often leading to big 3-way fights hurts performance. Desert border is ok, not as bad as it used to be, but still a bit too tangled and unclear, making it harder to find enemies and shrine mechanics can be annoying. Alpine borders are by far my most favourite maps to play on. Not too big and not too small, good mixture of open space, more confined places and actual objectives. Oh, and water <3. I also can't confirm your experience with queues. Queues are where the public commander(s) is/are - and that can be any map. Somestimes EBG has a queue and borders have none, sometimes it is the exact opposite. Desert borderland has a tendency to be less popular, but i can't say the same about the other borders.

> @"Sleepwalker.1398" said: > Well, it looks a non ranger main has tried the class and provided their opinion. > I watch this guy's clips cos he provides good guides / tips on playing mesmer/chrono. > Ah yes, showcasing the infamous 4 traitlines + 4 utility skills soulbeast. It is indeed op, right next to those soulbeasts who can still pet swap in combat for both "lots of stealth and lots of mobility". Also funny how the vid always clips the moment an enemy actually starts looking at him instead of being busy fighting something else.

> @"XerMeLL.6042" said: > > The warrior i fought 1v1 is in the Panglos Camp and we are dueling alone, then when he is about to die he stealth and i saw him on the bridge. and no i didn't lag. he vanished again came back to me like a thief. and no we dont have anyone with us. Npc scouts place a smoke field which can be utilized as combo field by players, granting stealth access to pretty much any class - something to keep in mind when fighting someone inside their own camp/near guards.

> @"Shroud.2307" said: > You guys are missing the point entirely, lmao. > > It's that Soulbeast is low risk, low effort. > You press one button, Dolyak Stance, and you're now immune to all CC with a Prot stacking effect that reduces Condi damage too. With one button you're doing more than half the builds in the game do with several. > And with memebeast you can blast through someones' health bar from a football field away, and cover the same distance in the opposite direction if they move toward you. > > Nothing is as safe, low risk, and easy as being able to do 15 - 20k damage from 1500 range, with the option to run away if it fails before the target can even cover half that distance. > > Because I know how defensive Ranger mains are, I again want to defend myself by saying **I'm not the one asking for nerfs here.** But if you can't accept that SlB, be it boon or glass, is one of the lowest effort, lowest risk things you can play in WvW, you're kidding yourself. > I'm a Necro main and think it's one of the easiest classes for beginners, that the core Unholy Martyr build needs to be deleted, and Lich is still broken even if it's easy to counter. Y'all need to learn to stop having biases for your classes if you want to actually discuss balance or you're not worth talking to. While this is kinda true, ultimatively low risk/effort is much more a matter of what fights someone picks than what class/build someone plays. Pew pew soulbeast is so easy and low risk to play because it can deal a lot of dmg from safe spots such as towers or zergs and that's exactly what most of them do. But that type of gameplay is not exclusive to rangers. The vast majority of WvW players is looking for safe and easy fights, only ever engaging in combat with superior numbers. The epitome of easy and low risk gameplay - regardless of class. So pointing fingers at a paticular build when it comes to "easy and low risk" seems like hypocrisy to me. Take away the external safety nets, pit someone alone against a bunch of hungry gankers and suddenly even those braindead easy to play builds aren't that easy anymore. That being said, i do think Dolyak Stance is op and could use some nerfs (cd increase to 40-45s ), same with protection uptime of boon beasts (Protective Ward, Moa Stance, Dura runes - these things need to get looked at imo.) I'm fine with the dmg tho. I was advocating for Sic'Em nerfs in the past, but nowadays it doesn't seem to be that op anymore. Cerainly does not have to be a full tank to deal with it, dura rune and dodge roll tend to be enough of a counter (works also great vs other gank builds). > @"ArchonWing.9480" said: > I mean sure, but what roaming build is a "high effort" build anyways? [...] As if it is any different for zerg builds ...

> @"Blood Red Arachnid.2493" said: > **Ranger** > Sword: Condi > @"Danikat.8537" said: >[...]while sword is a condi weapon for a ranger Sword is not really a condi weapon for ranger. Yes, it can apply a little bit of poison, but it will generally deal a lot more dmg with power builds. Axe and dagger are the go to mh condi weapons for ranger (both work for power builds too tho).

> @"Ajji.6031" said: > > @"UmbraNoctis.1907" said: > > > @"Ajji.6031" said: > > > Piggybacking here since I didn’t want to open a thread for the same topic. > > > > > > I just crafted Astralaria cause it’s so beautiful, but I don’t really have a class or build to play it with. > > > > > > I thought dual axe warrior, but thematically a Soulbeast seemed like a better fit. Souls, mystic, cosmic energy blah blah. > > > > > > I also like staying at range since it’s easier to solo open world things. I found a video of a WvW Boonbeast build with longbow and dual axes and Marauder armor. It seemed close to what I was looking for. I’d probably swap the bow for GS or something to fight mobs with reflect. Would a build like this be good? > > > > Yes, boonbeast (something along the lines of [this](http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?POwAceFlZweYRMQmJmKX7P1SWVEA-zRpYBBFCGKQYIXiRHBFHRQCFSURQgpQFFgJHExYP0xkCnF5X2A-e)) is pretty good for open world/solo pve. Decent survivability thanks to prot, cleanses, stunbreak/stab, lots of cc to deal with break bars (or just to pull together a bunch of trash mobs to cleave them down all at once) and still pretty good burst. > > Can I stay in beastmode with this build? I heard Boonbeast should never camp beastmode or the same pet. You have to constantly weave F5 and pet swap while you play. It doesn't look like your build would benefit much from this, so it might be easier than I heard? Also, how is the sustain? I tried it real quick without changing any gear (mix of marauder and berserker) and the sustain didn't seem _great_ In PvE it is usually the best to camp beastmode on any soulbeast build. And sustain is not bad on boonbeast, it certainly does not require you to play perfectly. But you can't facetank everything either. If that's the gameplay you are looking for you should probably just run core ranger with a bear to tank for you - but that kind of build is going to deal significantly less dmg and i don't know if it even works. Or go minion master necro ... > @"FrownyClown.8402" said: > http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POzAceFlZwCZgsOGKWuX7P9S+QaA-zRZYBJmQCBKq0NovShLCsu0qvCJxI0vFxcA-e > > If sustain is an issue just run vamp runes Vamp rune only provides sustain if you keep killing trash mobs - and trash mobs shouldn't be an issue regardless. Against most bosses the rune is useless.

> @"Ajji.6031" said: > Piggybacking here since I didn’t want to open a thread for the same topic. > > I just crafted Astralaria cause it’s so beautiful, but I don’t really have a class or build to play it with. > > I thought dual axe warrior, but thematically a Soulbeast seemed like a better fit. Souls, mystic, cosmic energy blah blah. > > I also like staying at range since it’s easier to solo open world things. I found a video of a WvW Boonbeast build with longbow and dual axes and Marauder armor. It seemed close to what I was looking for. I’d probably swap the bow for GS or something to fight mobs with reflect. Would a build like this be good? Yes, boonbeast (something along the lines of [this](http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?POwAceFlZweYRMQmJmKX7P1SWVEA-zRpYBBFCGKQYIXiRHBFHRQCFSURQgpQFFgJHExYP0xkCnF5X2A-e)) is pretty good for open world/solo pve. Decent survivability thanks to prot, cleanses, stunbreak/stab, lots of cc to deal with break bars (or just to pull together a bunch of trash mobs to cleave them down all at once) and still pretty good burst.

Good list list @"Abjurer.9302" Could also add auto superspeed and invulnerable dolyaks, as well as mounts, because these things also take away things for small grps to do. WvW needs more reasons and incentives for players to interact with each other, not less, and interaction shouldn't be limited to zerg vs zerg. Unfortunately the devs seem to disagree :/ Also lol @ESO doing things better. The only thing it does better is less hardcarry mechanics for raw numbers in combat (no aoe caps/downstate) which allows smaller numbers to take on much larger forces, but that's about it. Overall is still all about zergs PvDooring or mashing their heads against each other in a big (and laggy) clusterfuck. Strategy, coordination, meaningful smallscale? Nowhere to be found. Don't fool yourself.