Curse

Qbic07 · Apr 11, 2010, 10:26 AM // 10:26

Dear ladies and gents,

My son rolled a ranger today and he is a big fan of pets. How good are the ranger pets in GW?
Any tips/pointers we should take into account?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Outcast02 · Apr 11, 2010, 10:44 AM // 10:44

pets can be very strong if you use the pet attack skills (high beast mastery). Running a build where the pet is the main damage can be usefull in places like Random Arenas, where people dont expect powerful pets. As for PvE they can come in handy as a distraction sometimes. Id say Heal as One is, in my opinion, a good choice of elite.

Archress Shayleigh · Apr 11, 2010, 11:04 AM // 11:04

Not wanting to disappoint but I'll be honest- Balancing pets in PvE is hard. You need to balance bow/spear attacks (Because many rangers go "Packhunter"- Spear ranger with pet), Pet attacks, Random skills and Expertise. Usually pet isn't very good, but then again, it's PvE, he can roll whatever he wants.

Good luck and enjoy.
P.S. PM me ingame if you'd like some more tips about rangers. (IGN: Archress Shayleigh)
Happy gaming,
Shayleigh

Wefta · Apr 11, 2010, 11:27 AM // 11:27

Pets are quite good in PvE imo, especially with Otyugh's Cry and Feral Aggression active.
Throw in some attack skills like Enraged Lunge and your pet can do at least 36 dmg unblockable

I am a fan of the Packhunter build (Spear skills mixed with pet buffs/attacks).
In PvE it is effective as well, since NPCs are a lot less careful than PCs in terms of targeting you instead of your pet, as your healers and yourself can easily keep your pet alive for quite some time :P.

Remember to also use condition spreaders like Barbed Spear and Poisonous Bite.

Good luck! ;D

Mintha Syl · Apr 11, 2010, 11:40 AM // 11:40

Honestly, I could never live without a pet, as a ranger. Everytime I had to try a different build (like for Dunes where he can't follow you with necrotic) I felt harmless. But it's a matter of points of you, most people say they're ueless, others hink they're very good. In my opinion you could just try and see what you (or your son) like.

Heal as one is a very good elite (great self heal combined with healing/ressing/carrying the pet). Enraged lunge too is great. I personally use both alternatively (enraged lunge instead of poisonous bite when against non-sfleshy creatures).
One thing I can say in favour of pets is, with pet skills I never run out of energy, using Scavenger strike everytime my party inflicts conditions. And with Never rampage alone + Heal as one you're hard to kill. Also count your pet is both a damage dealer and a melee tank (and when he dies he can easily be ressed - everywhere he is - and takes no death penalty).

Have fun

Qbic07 · Apr 11, 2010, 12:47 PM // 12:47

Thanks for all the kind tips.

How high should my son go in beast mastery?
I saw him play his little ranger earlier and I am tempted to roll one as well

Thanks again!

martinross · Apr 11, 2010, 02:02 PM // 14:02

You can always change the amount of points spent in each attribute-line. This means, that if you find out, you wanna tone down the beast in the ranger, simply re-distribute points to whatever you like. Play around and find out what suits the style of play, it's all a big sandbox.

I tend to have a semi high Beast Master line, meaning around 10, but that's just because I like those little critters.

Wefta · Apr 11, 2010, 02:27 PM // 14:27

To get anything out of my Beast Master attributes I go up to 11-12 on my packhunter.
but yeah.. As matinross said you should test what you feel comfortable with.

ac1inferno · Apr 11, 2010, 03:02 PM // 15:02

For PvE, don't forget [[Never Rampage Alone]. And in PvP, the most often used elite with a pet would be [[Rampage as One]. 10 is usually enough for Beast Mastery, 11 into weapon, and the rest into Expertise.

Mintha Syl · Apr 11, 2010, 03:04 PM // 15:04

I personally raised markmanship to my bow's requirements, while for expertise and bm I made a combination counting the improvements each level gave to the skills I used most. It came out 14 bm, 11e and 9m but, again, its up to you to see what fits you best.

Chaos Beserker · Apr 11, 2010, 04:49 PM // 16:49

If you experiment long enough then you can find just about anything useful when combining the right skills, all it takes is a bit of experimentation.

Fay Vert · Apr 11, 2010, 05:39 PM // 17:39

Pest are very weak in GW and there isn't much point to them because pet AI is dreadful and the pet controls are worse.

But pets are a fun way to play, so if you get pleasure from them thenuse them and forget how pants they are, they still do a reasonable enough job to succeed. Just a shame that your power as a ranger is gimped with a pet, but then rangers are pretty weak in GW anyhow.

WhiteAsIce · Apr 11, 2010, 06:03 PM // 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fay Vert

Pest are very weak in GW and there isn't much point to them because pet AI is dreadful and the pet controls are worse.

But pets are a fun way to play, so if you get pleasure from them thenuse them and forget how pants they are, they still do a reasonable enough job to succeed. Just a shame that your power as a ranger is gimped with a pet, but then rangers are pretty weak in GW anyhow.

Pets are good for pressure in Random Arena - the Thumper and Packhunter builds are good examples.

The AI is only bad when you switch targets too often. Even if I'm going for a foe on the backline, as long as I stick to that target, the pet will bypass all other foes and go for that one in the back.

If you have a melee supporter in the party (SoH, GDW, etc), pets become very useful for damage output as long as you have an IAS for your pet, which is usually Never Rampage Alone. The Pet Scythe build can cause some havoc, as long as the area you're in isn't full of enchantment denial. Optimal party members to support you with:
* Rt/Mo with 12 Smite & SoH
* Curses Necro
* Orders caster (OotV preferred over Order of Pain since you don't need adren)
* Any Protter

NerfHerder · Apr 11, 2010, 07:06 PM // 19:06

I like pets as well. If im on my ranger I rarely dont have my pet with me. They have an awesome synergy with a minion master and with +33% Dmg and -33% Dmg reduction in PvE they tend to be pretty tough even when evolved to Dire.

Wefta also brings up a good point. Poisonous bit and Barbed Spear/Hunters Shot is an awsome combo giving the foe -7 degen, the same as burning, for a very long time if not removed.

I often bring a R/P Hero and on more than one occasion in a vanquish been the last standing after a wipe.

http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Special:PvXDecode?title=Special%3APvXDecode&wpBuil d=OgkjYtXapOfmfDQuWubKOrS5NA&wpName=Hero+Pack+Hunt er&Go=Submit+Query

I use a similar build in PVP, and in PvE I use something like

http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Special:PvXDecode?title=Special%3APvXDecode&wpBuil d=OgkjYpXbpSvl8g1SAZzgFZrS0GA&wpName=PvE+Pack+Hunt er&Go=Submit+Query

Also bringing Barrage with a pet on a bunch of characters with an mm is still fun as well.

Sorry for the long links, im not very forum Savvy yet.

Chthon · Apr 11, 2010, 07:29 PM // 19:29

By Grenth, this thread is full of garbage!

No, pets are not good, at anything. They're fun. They look cool. But they're not good.

Their uses are very limited, and here's the best summary I can manage:

For PvP, I sometimes use an Enraged Lunge build when I feel like wasting time in RA. It works because (1) most people in RA are terrible, and (2) it's got the element of surprise going for it. Packhunters used to be popular in HB, but HB doesn't exist anymore. You'll sometimes see them in other low-end arenas (like RA), but they actually kinda suck there. For any sort of serious PvP, you'll be booted from the team the moment you ping your build.

For PvE, there's maybe 3.5 reasons I can think of to bring a pet:
1. You need e-management, and paying 2 skillslots plus some attributes for Scavenger Strike is a better deal than your other options -- which happens with some frequency given how bad (and elite) most ranger e-management is.
2. You need IAS, and paying 1 skillslot plus 1 PvE skillslot for Never Rampage Alone is a better deal than the other options.
3. The team is a barrage-pet team that's relying on having 5 or so pets to frontline for them in place of a more traditional frontline.
4. The team is running several copies of GDW and the pet provides an extra platform for GDW.

All that said. OP, it's clear you and your son are pretty new. There will eventually come a time when you'll want to focus on finding what works best. Now isn't that time. Go ahead and have fun with whatever you think is fun for right now. Come back when what you think is fun stops being able to complete the missions.

Amy Awien · Apr 12, 2010, 08:20 AM // 08:20

Oh, that'd be PuGs

It is a game so having fun high on the list of priorities is a wise choice.
Three non-elite skill slots for a decent e-managment and a permanent IAS isn't a bad deal - and you get an unstrippable mending as bonus. Fun is important too, I enjoy bringing Strike as One on the pet-scythe bar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qbic07

How high should my son go in beast mastery?

If you go pure Beastmaser - without a weapon - put 12 in Beastmastery and 12 in Expertise, then add runes to get 13 expertise, which is just enough to bring the cost of 5E skills down to 2.
When using a weapon 3 attribute lines require points, usually in a 11-10-10 spread. Including runes and headpiece get 13 in expertise, the rest is a matter of preference.

stupidjoe26 · Apr 12, 2010, 04:07 PM // 16:07

Quote:

No, pets are not good, at anything. They're fun. They look cool. But they're not good.

That would be an opinion, not a fact.

Like many have said pets are fun, and if used right, can be very powerful.

Personally I really like to use something like this for a high damage pet build. Enrage lunge, jagged strike, fox fangs, death blossom, scavenger strike. Throw in whatever support skills you want and you can turn out a lot of damage, much of it single target, but still a lot of damage. But like most people have said grab a pet and just start trying things out. I mean sometimes I'll run a spear ranger with strike as one, its not the most effective in terms of damage, but its great for snares and target control.

One thing though I never run a full beastmastery build, meaning that i expect pretty much all the damage to come from a pet. I find its not nearly as fun as a blend between you and your pet.

maxxfury · Apr 12, 2010, 04:57 PM // 16:57

They add an extra delivery platform for phys buffs/active hex's.
Be that Soh, GDW, mop, barbs or even just proccing daze.

Not a whole lot more really other than been team +1 extra body

Well they can be cute and fun for shiggles, and they hyena laughs

Chthon · Apr 13, 2010, 03:49 AM // 03:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by stupidjoe26

That would be an opinion, not a fact.

There is a bad tendency on this board to confuse a fact that one does not like with an opinion. Sorry, but it is an empirical fact that pets just are not optimal at much of anything in GW.

The first build you cite is a good example of fun-but-suboptimal. (It's also one of the stronger builds ranger has going for it right now, highlighting how rangers are suboptimal as a class.)
The second build is a good example of a worthless build being passed off as "utility."

Valerius · Apr 13, 2010, 05:02 AM // 05:02

The only thing I dislike about using pets is how it takes them like 5-7 secs to switch targets, other then that they are really solid in PvE. Armor like a Warrior, 33% damage reduction, 33% damage increase and they don't get DP when they die.