ArenaNet:Skill feedback/Ranger/Melandru's Arrows

(last update: never)

This is a really weak skill.

 * Issue
 * Damage bonus is conditional and not much better than Glass Arrows, duration is only 18 seconds, Bleeding is a weak condition compared to poison from the non-elite Apply Poison. This skill is a bit borked as if you want damage, use Glass Arrows or Kindle Arrows, but if you want a conditions build you use Apply Poison.


 * Suggestions (1 of the following)
 * Increase conditional damage. increase duration to 30 seconds
 * Change it to "For 24 seconds, your arrows do +5...15...18 damage and cause Burning for 1...3...4 seconds on Enchanted foes." Note that this doesn't cause problems with fragility as if you're tired of taking damage from fragility, STOP ENCHANTING YOURSELF.
 * OR
 * For 18 seconds, your arrows do +5...15...18 damage and causes Bleeding for 3...21...25 seconds. If target is Enchanted, your arrows do +8...24...28 damage and causes Burning instead.

Akirai Annuvil 18h 56m, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

 * Issue
 * This elite doesn't need a buff and is currently in the 'viable' range. The issue is, that's all there is to it; sure you can take it, and you'll have a slightly more powerful prep and auto-attack. It's definitely fun to use and effective enough to not consider yourself completely gimped for running it over a crip shot, especially with the recent buff to Pin Down. Thing, is though you shouldn't consider yourself completely gimped, you are still a bit gimped; after all it basically has to be able to worthy to usurp your elite and your prep slot. At the moment, it's not a bad skill, it's just not really worth running it. Though it's not in dire need of buffing, a small buff for those adventurous rangers who wish to try running a different elite is definitely not out of place.
 * EDIT: Since the Barbed Arrows change, this skill could use a slightly bigger buff than just a duration increase. Rangers already have Cripple as a specialty; having it trigger on enchanted foes is also in theme with the rest of the skill. Stack order would be bleeding followed by crippled. Its very short duration should stop it from being overpowered.


 * Suggestions
 * Increase duration to 24 seconds, added functionality: "if target foe is enchanted that foe suffers from Crippled for 3 seconds"

Shouldn't be elite

 * Issue
 * Too weak for an elite but would make a good non-elite since the damage is conditional and the condition is weak.


 * Suggestion
 * Increase duration to 24 seconds, increase energy to 10, change to non-elite. That way Poison Arrow might see some use in poison+bleeding degen builds. Conveniently, Poison Arrow is in the same line as well. Rangers need an incentive to run something other than Burning Arrow, Crippling Shot, or sway.

If it Stays as an elite
Issue Too weak for an elite but would make a good non-elite since the damage is conditional and the condition is weak.

Suggestion If it stays as an elite make the shots unblockable and do additional damage only if target foe is enchanted but doesn't have conditions on them. --NeoKnight

Underwood's Issue

 * Issue
 * Elite Bleeding and conditional +dmg makes it unfavorable to other elites such as Melandru's Shot and Burning Arrow


 * Suggestion
 * 15e 2c 12r "For 18 seconds your bow attacks strike for + damage and inflicts one of the following conditions: Bleeding (20 seconds), Poison (15 seconds), Crippled (10 seconds), or Daze (5 seconds)." This would allow it to compete with other ranger elites.

Bathory's 00:53, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
Comments & Suggestions Here, Please
 * Issue
 * Weaker than Barbed Arrows because it disallows elite bow attacks and has an uncontrollable secondary condition. Increasing the duration would give a larger window for the person choosing this elite to benefit from it, as well as giving it an advantage over it's non-elite counterpart.


 * Suggestion
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows inflict Bleeding ( seconds) and deal + damage against Enchanted foes.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows inflict Bleeding ( seconds) and deal + damage against Enchanted foes.

Sparky's Issue

 * Issue
 * No longer useful since the addition of Barbed Arrows and Glass Arrows. Conditional damage and a bad condition.


 * Suggestion
 * Keeping this in line with other Melandu's skills, (just Melandru's Assault since the functionality change to Melandru's Shot) this should continue to have an additional effect against enchanted foes.
 * Examples:
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds.) Your arrows deal + damage and inflict bleeding condition ( seconds). If your arrows hit an enchanted foe, all adjacent foes take damage.  My comments: Could make poweful AoE spikes in combination with Forked Arrow or Dual Shot, however this kind of spike would require an enchanted foe (likely to be protted and not take much damage) to be next to at least one other foe. A spike such as this would require much preparation, luck, and skill to pull off, however.
 * Elite Bow Attack. For each enchantment on target foe, shoot 1 arrow simultaneously at that foe. My comments: Shooting 3 arrows at one target without removing a Preparation or base damage can be powerful, however you are not likely to find a target with 3 Enchantments on, nor can you tell how many enchantments your target has.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds.) Your arrows deal + damage and inflict bleeding condition ( seconds). Your arrows deal an additional + damage and inflict crippled condition ( seconds) on enchanted foes. My comments: Pretty much the Preparation version of Melandru's Shot. Not too exciting.
 * Elite Preparation. ( seconds.) Your arrows move twice as fast and deal + damage. Your bow attack skills cannot be blocked by enchanted foes. My comments: This skill is similar to the pre-nerf Read the Wind (PvP), combined with the idea behind Magebane Shot. This has great synergy with interrupts, and could possibly be too powerful. I made the duration scale, as the additional damage wasn't where the synergy was.
 * A functionality change similar to one of these examples will hopefully bring this elite in to play, while still being balanced by having a bad condition (requiring an enchanted foe to be used to full effect).