Curse

Aldric · Sep 22, 2010, 05:08 PM // 17:08

Never found pets much use if your running a bow build personally but I have done most of HM with R/P spear builds without any real issue. I use builds similar to Luminarus without any pet buffs just comfort and a pet attack or 2.

You could also use a scythe/pet build which also works well but i prefer running without the pet if playing melee

Skyy High · Sep 22, 2010, 07:21 PM // 19:21

Micro prots. He's a frontliner in HM with low HP, what do you expect to happen? Throw a PS his way and he'll be alright.

ilr · Sep 22, 2010, 07:25 PM // 19:25

Pets in HM would be a lot more useful if Enchants put on them were unstrippable.

They do awesome DPS now if you stack GDW + Strength of Honor + Ebon Ward ...but the weakest link in the whole chain is still the fact that Energizing Wind (in Beast Mastery btw) never got a PvE split despite how badly it needs one. If it did, there'd be a lot more viable HM Pet builds out there including a really good Shitterflames one for E/R's. Unfortunately neither of these suggestions really fixes pets for Ranger primaries. They'd need something else like a major Traps buff so that pets are just used as a distraction while rangers set traps on-the-go (instead of always pulling crap into the traps)

Mintha Syl · Sep 23, 2010, 09:02 AM // 09:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ailina

Erm, how can you have a pet with you without having Comfort on your bar (in PvE)? I am assuming that you use Charm Animal, but you do know that Comfort now allows you to bring your pet, so charm is useless unless you're actually in the process of charming a pet?
Unless you have Heal as One, which also includes the functionality of bringing your pet, comfort should be required. In PvE, comfort is just charm + healing. So whether something is better than comfort is irrelevant, because comfort needs to be on your bar anyway.

You misunderstood me, I never said I don't bring comfort (in fact i even said comfort is better than HaO), just that I almost never need to use it when pet heals itself. It needs to be on your bar, but having your pet healed when he attacks is far better than wasting time spamming comfort instead of actually dealing damage.

willie makeit · Sep 23, 2010, 11:03 AM // 11:03

I do not play the game that much anymore but how about something like this maybe?

Quaker · Sep 23, 2010, 06:19 PM // 18:19

I pretty much always bring a pet with my Ranger (unless I'm doing some trapping or some other special build). However, I don't have a problem with my pet dying too often, even in HM.
I usually use Never Rampage Alone, but even before that skill appeared I didn't have a problem with my pet dying. So, I don't know why the OP is having so much trouble, especially with a Hearty pet. (Mine used to be Hearty, but I'm using an Elder atm.)

MArcSinus · Sep 23, 2010, 06:58 PM // 18:58

I hope that in GW2 pets and Rangers will form more of a unity.
Which, looking at the GW2 ranger info, might very well be the case

Ailina · Sep 24, 2010, 11:28 PM // 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilr

Pets in HM would be a lot more useful if Enchants put on them were unstrippable.

Uh, how could you possibly justify this in any way? Enchantments are strippable, and there is no reason why a pet should be inherently immune to that when nothing else in the game is.

Mashiyu · Sep 25, 2010, 12:02 AM // 00:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilr

Pets in HM would be a lot more useful if Enchants put on them were unstrippable.

<wishlist category="not gonna happen">And the eles' attunements should also be unstrippable </wishlist>

silicagel · Sep 25, 2010, 08:44 AM // 08:44

I use symbiotic bond along with never rampage alone for some pretty strong pet regen(low maintenance healing). Unless you're sending your pet to tank for the entire party, it works surprisingly well.

Ayuhmii Shanbwa · Sep 25, 2010, 09:18 AM // 09:18

for me pets are fun, but not useful except for the doppelganger, as he has none
i'd like to see beastmaster buffs, but i dont think skill buffs alone work that good, thats why i like gw2 much more, with the pets having their own skills

pets can stay alive long, but just with certain builds, and pets as tanks are pretty bad, too
i always use Never Rampage Alone, but it gives like 3 health regen, and enemies even in NM can give alot of dmg, not to mention mesmers, necro's hexes and bleeding, poison and disease conditions

Never Rampage Alone buff could make them die some later, but wont make pets much more useful

if you use too much defensive skills, pets cant dmg, if you dont take enough defensive skills, it dies
and imo, rit spirits are to defend the team and die for it, pets are to take on a few enemies and survive

also, i hate the way they made it, when pets die, your skills gotta recharge, i dont see why
if i want something to attack enemies and die after a few hits, i take assassin support, which i always take

i hope one day pets will be useful in pve, cuz HM has made em pretty useless imo, which is bad

as far as i saw, in NM they can stay alive, but in dungeons and higher lvl areas, especially everything in HM (which is the only mode used ingame by people i see all the time) its impossible to keep it alive

i have a few ideas, which may not work or maybe it would:
- pets having higher lvl cap
- pets having their own skillbar (which wont, as GW2 has it, prolly thx to GW suggestions)
- buff most pet skills
- buff pets with armor and speed (maybe attack speed) (yes i know they move faster)

ilr · Sep 25, 2010, 05:38 PM // 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ailina

Uh, how could you possibly justify this in any way?

B/c Hero AI is still too ****ing stupid to automatically put bonds on and then LEAVE them on whether their energy levels are low, high, or anything else in between. ....Which I'll point out: Anet has a long history of making exceptions for Statistically overpowered skills when the AI is usually too stupid to work any other way. (don't make me list 'em all). ...Point is, I wouldn't even be suggesting exempting pets if bonding heroes left the bonds on them without us having to Micro manage them. (shift clicking)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mashiyu

<wishlist category="not gonna happen">And the eles' attunements should also be unstrippable </wishlist>

---> Guild Wars 2

TalanRoarer · Sep 25, 2010, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Slap a copy of Prot Spirit on a hero and micro it onto the pet.

Should sort it.

distilledwill · Sep 28, 2010, 10:54 AM // 10:54

Aramis the Hyena comes out with me quite a lot in HM. Essentially, whenever I get tired of using a bow - I pull out a melee weapon, equip RaO and comfort animal. 12 in the Melee Skill, 9 Exp, 9 BM. With decent heroes he barely ever dies and with minions and myself up in the front he isn't ALWAYS the center of attention.

NerfHerder · Sep 28, 2010, 05:02 PM // 17:02

I use my pet to tank with my minions in HM. Only problem is the AI. I have to make him heel then attack my target sometimes for him to get the right target. Ive been using this lately and he almost never dies and together we provide decent DPS and synergy.

Edit: I even use a Dire pet