34 replies to this topic

[Jetjordan]

fatrodmc, on 02 January 2013 - 10:56 PM, said:

I agree with most of your points, but for me a lot of these things are what takes away from the fun of the ranger. It is a very difficult class to play well, particularly in PvP, and that is mostly due to the pet.

The amount of button pressing, clicking, and micro of the pet required, take away a lot of the fun.

^this is the real meat of the argument here.  I LOVE playing the ranger because you have to be good at micromanaging in order to be really effective.  For instance timing pet switches before Rampage as one activates in order to get might to stack on my pet properly is key to getting the most out of that elite.  Switching pets during it gimps the skill.  I also have people that ask me how I keep my pets alive in dungeons and fractals ect... I wish people could see me playing, i must look like a crazy person with all the button mashing.  I get hand cramps playing ranger due to all it takes to keep both myself and my pet involved/alive in tough fights.  I like the stress of it.  I play other toons to relax tbh.  

I guess if that appeals to you then YES ranger is very fun.  The fact is, as it always has been, you aren't going to enjoy it very much if you just want to ignore your pet.  You are also going to suck.  So, if you don't want to be watching 2 health bars, more cool-downs, and constantly thinking about which pet skills you have and when to switch them in and out, then NO, ranger will not be fun.

Love you pet or leave the class.  I personally love the pet system.

[MisterB]

CepaCepa, on 02 January 2013 - 08:44 AM, said:

Indeed, pet AI has got some problems, and some mechanisms are frustrating at times --- for example, F2 taking a while to register can throw many people off. But this is not a ranger only problem, many professions have similar problems

Delay on pet skill activation is just awful, and it's not fun. I only play 4 professions, and ranger is the only one where I can't activate in a split second. This is either a case of a faulty mechanic, faulty AI, or both. My warrior can burst instantly when I press F1. My engineer can trigger toolbelt skills instantly, and even in sequence. My necro can jump into Death Shroud in a fraction of a second. Hell, I death shroud a split second before hitting the ground to reduce or eliminate falling damage. But if you want to use your pet's special ability in combat, you can activate it and just wait around for the pet to decide it will obey your orders, often missing the opportunity to use that skill on time to produce the desired effect.

Your pet will register an order to attack or retreat as soon as you press the corresponding key, or instantly vanish and be replaced if you press the swap key. But if you order it to execute the special ability, you can not rely on it to activate on time.

That's not fun. Oh, I'd also really like to be able to toggle off pets, rather than having them jump out again.

[Serris]

i like the ranger. his weapon sets are pretty diverse. currently i'm very much enjoying the skill animations as a female human. they veel very acrobatic and you still have a bigass sword :3

[Mura]

What makes the ranger FUN for me?

Using Entangle in wvw, I cackle maniacally.  Playing as a shortbow condition ranger also has me focus more on flanking and positioning, which I like.

Wielding my torch makes me feel like Aragorn.

[AzDayzed]

The Ranger profession is, in my opinion, the most fun of those we have to choose from.  This is partly because I've ALWAYS played one in every game I play, going back to the pen-n-paper D&D sessions when I was a kid.  I enjoy having the pet and now having the ability to cycle through every pet I've tamed.  I enjoy the use of traps too.  In fact, one of the only annoying things I've found is your speed is reduced while your pet is being attacked but I've heard that a fix for that should be out soon.

It's great for PvE, more difficult in PvP.  You need to adjust (or I needed to adjust) your playstyle and tactics.  I've been playing and tweaking my traits and weapons and thinking with every game.  Once I find a good build for PvP that fits me I'll probably play it more.  I do enjoy the matches as well as WvW but find that my personal time is too limited to put in that much effort at the moment.

To be fair I've played other professions and enjoy them too but I ALWAYS come back to my Ranger.  It's just more fun for me and my style of gaming.  I've even created a 2nd Ranger of a different race to explore the different story line.  Hope this helps.  Have fun.