Devs mention ranger PvE buffs

#1 - April 15, 2013, 1:50 p.m.

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/news/1109-qa-with-jonathan-sharp-and-jon-peters/

What do you feel is currently the biggest issue with class balance in PvE?

Jonathan: There are a few things. It differs by content slightly. One of the big things in dungeons right now is that obviously people know that warriors and guardians are really good. We know that rangers are sometimes seen as very weak because of the liability that is the pet so right now we’re actually working on a lot of stuff to bring the ranger up and to get on the same page to be able to compete with the other guys who are taken very often into the dungeons. We’re also looking at all the different classes to make sure that they all have a role that they can fill. This goes back to some of the earlier questions. If you’ve got eight classes and five slots, somebody’s going to get picked more often than others. That’s something we want to make sure that we don’t take away some of the power that all the classes have and that they enjoy those top spots, but we want to give everyone a chance to be in there. We want to make sure that that ranger is getting a lot of help to pets and spirits and utilities. We want to get them back up there. Thieves as well.

Robert Hrouda

#5 - April 15, 2013, 2:16 p.m.

VitalSuit.1980:
Thieves as well? I hope this is only for pve and not pvp because thieves are the last thing that needs a buff.

Most thieves don’t make it out of the lower tiers because you can mitigate them very easily. As a ranger I shut thieves down all the time who don’t use venoms, especially if you have something like healing spring and Lightning reflexes. One fixes stun, one fixes immob/cripple, and then it’s just dodge rolls at the right moment and CC to shut them down. Also bring wolf for f2 and stay nearby when thieves start doing their stealthy bit, and then be ready to watch them flee in terror.
That of course means their build options are highly limited, and when that happens people can hard counter you more easily.

The changes for rangers coming in this next patch are a step in the right direction for them. I am not part of that team so I won’t be announcing any of the changes unless told otherwise.

Robert Hrouda

#132 - April 17, 2013, 10:10 a.m.

Semil.8279:
Now Robert is going to quit ANet and change his name, maybe move to Bangladesh or Mongolia.

Being that my namesake is Czech, I think I’d give them a shot first

While I wish we could make pets super awesome ASAP, this patch will be a good step in the right direction. Will it solve all the problems? No, but it’s going to put rangers and their pets in a much better place.
I realize you all may have heard this song and dance before, and it’s okay to be doubtful about the upcoming patch – folks have been burned before, and its just going to take experiencing the changes and playing them to soften that. As a ranger player I am excited about the changes, and I hope once you all get a chance to play what the balance team has worked on, you’ll be happier too

Robert Hrouda

#135 - April 17, 2013, 10:24 a.m.

Bailey.6892:
Honestly I don’t understand why it cant be done in one patch. Plenty of time to get it done, the issue has been their since release so plenty of time to have known about it. If things go wrong and it makes an aspect op hot fix it. Really no reason that it should take more than one patch.

And when can we expect this patch and the details?

Mainly because there are other classes who also need balance, and these things need to be planned, built, tested, and analyzed. It’s not just a large workload, but also in a step-by-step process that has game-wide consequences that must be considered during all phases of development. Mix that with all the other classes and their changes, and it’s a pretty big task that has to be ready for the next patch.

Edit:
I’ve gotten in some trouble before about giving hints and releasing info early… so I’m going to leave that up to the people in charge if they want to do those things :x