Feedback talk:User/GW2Ranger/Alternative Solution to resolving Long Bow PVE damage without affecting SPVP nerf

Hmm, Beastmastery 30 with a defense pet, Markmanship 30 with longbowtraits and 10 Nature with the vitality-to-Power-Traits. Rather OP that UP. --217.228.226.96 15:24, 12 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm not likely to play a Ranger, so I'm not concerned one way or the other regarding how overpowered or underpowered the long bow may be (so long as I'm not on the receiving end, I guess). However, there is precedent for this suggestion. In GW1 there are skills which are given different functionality in PvP as compared to their PvE version. Though that always feels contrived to me to see a skill change from one arena to the next, it does accomplish the goal.

As for the suggestion of:

"Signet of Hunt (Utility) Increase the 10% speed to 25% increase."

I'm not really in support of this. In GW1, Rangers originally had an innate speed buff as compared to all of the other professions. It was eventually nerfed to make the Rangers run only as fast as all of the other professions because it was unbalancing the game and giving the Rangers too great an advantage. PvP absolutely sucked when the lone survivor of a team was a Ranger who would simply just keep running to stay ahead of his or her opponents in an effort to force a draw in the match. I would hate to see the same happen in GW2. A permanent 25% speed boost is just too much. I'm sure their internal testing as well as past experience from GW1 informed ArenaNet's decision to set the speed boon cap at 10%.

Besides, the 10% boost fits well with the game's philosophy of making players remain aware of what's happening in combat and being forced to make cost:benefit decisions rather than relying on some boon to pull their butt out of the fire if they get in over their head. If a Ranger has a 25% speed boon, then that Ranger doesn't really have to pay too much attention to what's going on in combat. If things start going badly, the Ranger under the influence of such a high speed increase knows they can just run away. Thus, there's not as much engagement in the battle on the part of the Ranger; they just sit back, snipe with their bow, then run away at the first sign of danger since they know they can outrun anything in the game.

With only a 10% speed boost, on the other hand, it's still an advantage but not an overwhelming one. The Ranger can't content themselves with the knowledge they can simply run away from all danger; now the enemy's speed boons are equal to the Ranger's. In this scenario, the Ranger has to give careful consideration to just how much aggro can they pull, how close can they get to an enemy, and how long can they sit back and snipe with a bow before having to retreat. Because if they miscalculate any of those actions, their 10% speed boon won't be enough to save them if they get snared or if the enemy puts on their own 10% speed boon. In other words, they have to engage themselves in the combat rather than being lazy and knowing they have a guaranteed escape if the risk becomes too great (if they were given a 25% speed boon). Guild Wars 3 perhaps 18:17, 12 August 2012 (UTC)