Range in GW2 is win in a lot of areas. Granted melee is awesome in close quaters or if and when they do get up close but they have to get there. Elementalists have great range ST and AoE and when melee get close, huge close range DPS. I personally think there is some balance problems but not so bad that they cant be fixed. I say roll the class you enjoy playing and that way you dont get upset when you dont think your class is not OP any more.
Did you play in the last BWE? Ranged doesn't deal anywhere near the damage melee does. Its now pretty decidedly second fiddle in combat. I believe its being used how it was meant to be used now. Your slower with a ranged weapon out, significantly slower, and you deal the same damage that an angry mosquito might. It still plays its role as light harrasment on the battlefield but its pretty useless to base your strategy around.
Then again, melee is greatly weakened without ranged support. I believe the trend here is obvious. A balance between ranged and melee is beneficial. I'd like to stress how much tweaking ranged got though.
I'm surprised no one from last beta weekend has spoke up on this already. You definately cannot just sit at range anymore. Even elementalist damage was scaled back while using longer ranged spells.
Even before though it was pretty easy for anyone who knew what they were doing at all to run in a straight line then use a cripple plus a leap to catch up to any ranged class, dodging the occasional snare or knockback. Now its twice as easy. Ranged is decidedly less powerful than melee. Its ok though as I believe it was meant to be that way. Ranged still keeps its monopoly on saftey and small damage with status effects at the start of fights. Not to mention its usefulness in defending keeps and towers. You defenately can't kite anyone though unless they are AFK. It takes a good ranged specialist to get any melee focused character down to even half health now. Most ranged focused builds rely on starting strong, switching to melee weapons, then attempting to gain space again.
Let it be known that this is my good deed for the day. As a melee thief the biggest cause of death I see when fighting any ranged oriented character build is the reluctance to switch weapons. Even as a dagger + dagger thief I still use my pistols often. Switch your weapons please. I'm tired of watching ranger flail with a bow when I know they have a sword one click away. Your bow will never do as much damage as my daggers.
Regardless of what type of character you are going for learn to use both of your weapon sets. You have two for a reason.
ranged job in attacking keeps is to rain down fire and destruction on the guys on the walls, keeping them from the cannons / mortars etc. While the melee tries to block incoming attacks and assaults the door.
[not replying to F. directly but using the above for context]
Have I misunderstood something completely when I think that getting the doors down is only one phase of one part of WvWvW? Wouldn't melee will be quite useul e.g. in cleaning up the walls and courtyards of those ranged weaklings after you bring down the door with your siege weapons (not with your pesky swords)?
EDIT: Although I do hope that any group attacking the keep I happen to be defending are full of melees hitting on the door in a nice and tight 5x5 meter package.
LOL, its so amusing watching noobs zerg the door without any siege or planning only to get demolished. Even funnier when they get destroyed by NPCs.
Its funny and yet its sad. Sad because I know they are just going to go and complain how underpowered they are.
Comments
Did you play in the last BWE? Ranged doesn't deal anywhere near the damage melee does. Its now pretty decidedly second fiddle in combat. I believe its being used how it was meant to be used now. Your slower with a ranged weapon out, significantly slower, and you deal the same damage that an angry mosquito might. It still plays its role as light harrasment on the battlefield but its pretty useless to base your strategy around.
Then again, melee is greatly weakened without ranged support. I believe the trend here is obvious. A balance between ranged and melee is beneficial. I'd like to stress how much tweaking ranged got though.
I'm surprised no one from last beta weekend has spoke up on this already. You definately cannot just sit at range anymore. Even elementalist damage was scaled back while using longer ranged spells.
Even before though it was pretty easy for anyone who knew what they were doing at all to run in a straight line then use a cripple plus a leap to catch up to any ranged class, dodging the occasional snare or knockback. Now its twice as easy. Ranged is decidedly less powerful than melee. Its ok though as I believe it was meant to be that way. Ranged still keeps its monopoly on saftey and small damage with status effects at the start of fights. Not to mention its usefulness in defending keeps and towers. You defenately can't kite anyone though unless they are AFK. It takes a good ranged specialist to get any melee focused character down to even half health now. Most ranged focused builds rely on starting strong, switching to melee weapons, then attempting to gain space again.
Let it be known that this is my good deed for the day. As a melee thief the biggest cause of death I see when fighting any ranged oriented character build is the reluctance to switch weapons. Even as a dagger + dagger thief I still use my pistols often. Switch your weapons please. I'm tired of watching ranger flail with a bow when I know they have a sword one click away. Your bow will never do as much damage as my daggers.
Regardless of what type of character you are going for learn to use both of your weapon sets. You have two for a reason.
http://www.wix.com/guardiansofthegarter/home
Its funny and yet its sad. Sad because I know they are just going to go and complain how underpowered they are.
http://www.wix.com/guardiansofthegarter/home