Is it me or don't the Ranger pets need a little work

[myxaplix]

Gotten to level 30 with a ranger and enjoy the class in general. However, there needs to be some adjustments to
pet pathing. The most annoying and common problem is the pets habit of running 10 yards ahead when you atop.
I have had several agro attacks because my over enthusiastic pet just has to see over the next hill. The pets should
heal like a good doggie. Also, pets have an all to common habit of running through half the zone if you jump off a small
hill. I haven't done any dungeons yet but shutter at the thought of having crazy pathing pets bringing half the dungeon mobs
during one of his constitutionals.

I sure hope the devs have pet pathing on their todo lists.

[DrakeWurrum]

Spelling nazi mode: heel, not heal.

OT: they definitely need to make it so pets learn how to jump down hills with you, and get pets to properly heel. Until then... extra unintended exp for all?

[Deleted]

They need teleporting pets. WoW fixed their 'DISMISS YOUR GOD DAMN PET BEFORE YOU JUMP OFF THIS CLIFF OR I SWEAR TO GOD WE'RE BUSTING DOWN YOUR DKP LIKE YOU'RE FUNDING CHRISTMAS FOR THE ORPHANS' problem by making the pets teleport.

[Mistral]

We need much more pets, too! <3
There are so many not tamable animals out there...

[Pavlovich]

They need teleporting pets. WoW fixed their 'DISMISS YOUR GOD DAMN PET BEFORE YOU JUMP OFF THIS CLIFF OR I SWEAR TO GOD WE'RE BUSTING DOWN YOUR DKP LIKE YOU'RE FUNDING CHRISTMAS FOR THE ORPHANS' problem by making the pets teleport.

LOL, been there.

I haven't had too much problem with my pets but one does have to tread carefully so they do not constantly make new friends.

[Deleted]

LOL, been there.

I haven't had too much problem with my pets but one does have to tread carefully so they do not constantly make new friends.

Limited experience I have with a ranger is they seem to pick the furthest away mob and run up and aggro everything around the mob, die in 4 seconds flat and then come running back to you so they can block your loot attempts with a troll revive.

Too many times have I been doing a DE where I'm spamming F to mass loot and find myself healing some fernwolf that's seen better days.

[Robbomb116]

What they really need to fix about them is if you use your warhorn 5 ability for swiftness, just to get to point a to be faster, your pests automatic response shouldn't be "ZOMG YOU USED A SKILL, THAT MEANS YOU WANT TO KILL THE CLOSEST MOB WITHIN A MILE EVEN IF IT'S NEUTRAL RIGHT?!" I can understand how that puts puts into combat mode, but I really do feel they should never be the first one to actually attack an enemy unless you gave the specific ATTACK (or even F2) command to make it do so. Especially if said mob is a neutral mob.

[DrakeWurrum]

What they really need to fix about them is if you use your warhorn 5 ability for swiftness, just to get to point a to be faster, your pests automatic response shouldn't be "ZOMG YOU USED A SKILL, THAT MEANS YOU WANT TO KILL THE CLOSEST MOB WITHIN A MILE EVEN IF IT'S NEUTRAL RIGHT?!" I can understand how that puts puts into combat mode, but I really do feel they should never be the first one to actually attack an enemy unless you gave the specific ATTACK (or even F2) command to make it do so. Especially if said mob is a neutral mob.

Hopefully you at least report it as a bug.

[Xothic]

What they really need to fix about them is if you use your warhorn 5 ability for swiftness, just to get to point a to be faster, your pests automatic response shouldn't be "ZOMG YOU USED A SKILL, THAT MEANS YOU WANT TO KILL THE CLOSEST MOB WITHIN A MILE EVEN IF IT'S NEUTRAL RIGHT?!" I can understand how that puts puts into combat mode, but I really do feel they should never be the first one to actually attack an enemy unless you gave the specific ATTACK (or even F2) command to make it do so. Especially if said mob is a neutral mob.

If you are talking about necro pets (I dont know if rangers also have a swiftness skill on 5 warhorn) then I cannot agree more with you. Except, even if I HAVENT used an ability, and am just strolling through the countryside with my flesh beast, the big bastard feels the need to skull-fuck every passing mob, regardless of what I'm doing. At least he is able to solo most normal mobs without my help though, so I do just randomly get an xp+ pop up, turn around, see my mob 100 meters behind me standing over the corpse of a slain drake.

But on that note, my flesh beast also occasionally just DOESNT help me fight. I'll pull two or three mobs, and he will just sit there and bloody watch. Even if i force him to use that awesome charge ability, he just runs back to my side afterwards and keeps watching me fight. When this happens, the only thing that can make him fight is another mob attacking him. Bloody annoying, and has kinda turned me off my necro. I just want smooth pet control!

[Deleted]

While I mostly agree with what's been said, I somewhat like the pet running off abit at the same time, makes them feel more alive sort of.

As for pets attacking if you're using warhorn you can always just put them on "passive" (forgot what it's called) then they will never attack anything that you don't instruct them directly to.

What pets are you guys using? I basically switch between eagle/hawk and bears depending on what I'm up against, no other pets comes close to being as useful as them in my opinion Kitties do alot of dmg especially Lynx but they die way too easily for my taste, only downside about the hawk/eagle is the awesome F2 ability is hard to actually hit since it's swoopin around so much in combat, if your bird isn't within the very short range of the ability when hitting it nothing happens so I end up spamming it to get it off.

[Deleted]

Most of the issues described in this thread can already be handled via ingame tools.

1. Set your pet to peaceful if you want to run past mobs and/or controlled pulling via bow -> Set to peacefull, pull with bow, send pet in to attack via F1/reset to agressive-mode after the mob came up to you.
2. If you want to make sure your pet tanks for you: Send it in first via F1, DO NOT fire at your enemies until your pet is in their face.
3. Use the button to send your pet away. Yes, it can be packed away and I always do that if I know I'm gonna do some jump and runs so it doesn't run around like a lunatic. Even when running from A to B I mostly set it to peacefull and also pack it away so it won't body pull. Be aware though: Your pet will always come back out if you either take damage or attack something.
4. Generally use the pet-commands more -> F3 is retreat-command (get it out of the AoE or away from the Champion aggro while your pet is low on health), F1 sends it back in to attack (after it recovered/AoE is gone), SWITCH pets infight BEFORE they're dead via F4.

Honestly, I'm 80 now and can't even remember when was the last time my pet actually died. I just wait till it's low and I know I can't save it then I just switch it with F4 for a fresh one. Beacuse the CD is only some seconds if your pet ain't actually dead. So you can rince and repeat this strategy to tank pretty much anything with 2 tanky-pets.

Yes, it's clunky, I'm aware. Yes, I'd wish myself that some things would be easier and better done. Still ... I'm just trying to provide a solution, since I got the feeling ingame that most rangers aren't even aware of what they can actually do with their pets.

[myxaplix]

Most of the issues described in this thread can already be handled via ingame tools.

1. Set your pet to peaceful if you want to run past mobs and/or controlled pulling via bow -> Set to peacefull, pull with bow, send pet in to attack via F1/reset to agressive-mode after the mob came up to you.
2. If you want to make sure your pet tanks for you: Send it in first via F1, DO NOT fire at your enemies until your pet is in their face.
3. Use the button to send your pet away. Yes, it can be packed away and I always do that if I know I'm gonna do some jump and runs so it doesn't run around like a lunatic. Even when running from A to B I mostly set it to peacefull and also pack it away so it won't body pull. Be aware though: Your pet will always come back out if you either take damage or attack something.
4. Generally use the pet-commands more -> F3 is retreat-command (get it out of the AoE or away from the Champion aggro while your pet is low on health), F1 sends it back in to attack (after it recovered/AoE is gone), SWITCH pets infight BEFORE they're dead via F4.

Honestly, I'm 80 now and can't even remember when was the last time my pet actually died. I just wait till it's low and I know I can't save it then I just switch it with F4 for a fresh one. Beacuse the CD is only some seconds if your pet ain't actually dead. So you can rince and repeat this strategy to tank pretty much anything with 2 tanky-pets.

Yes, it's clunky, I'm aware. Yes, I'd wish myself that some things would be easier and better done. Still ... I'm just trying to provide a solution, since I got the feeling ingame that most rangers aren't even aware of what they can actually do with their pets.

Yes, those are reasonable work arounds but the devs really do need to fix the pet pathing issues. These problems were fixed in WOW in about 2006 and a lot of other games have come out with working pets. I think its reasonable to expect to not have to diddle buttons all day so fuzzy the bear doesn't take an unscheduled constitutional through the bad guys.

In general, GW2 has done a lot of things right with pets. They work well (other than pathing) on land and in the water. Pets are robust enough to stand up to most mobs and while I would like more freedom in controlling the attack commands of the pets, I am generally happy with the commands themselves.

[Blznsmri]

Just switch your pet when you're at the bottom of the jump... (default F4) No more stupid pathing aggro, also, if you get far enough away from your pet, it will just automatically port to you (You have to be really far away though)

[DrakeWurrum]

Just switch your pet when you're at the bottom of the jump...

Does make things easier if it's not already on cooldown.

[Lilly32]

but the devs really do need to fix the pet pathing issues.

I think theres something in every game that just prevents pets from pathing right. I dont know what it is because mobs can path correctly so why cant pets? I remember in Everquest my mage pets would run all over the place, sometimes getting stuck and pacing back and forth, and even after 13 years I dont know if they have been fixed 100%.

[Robbomb116]

Yeah switching pets to peaceful is a work around of sorts. But I find it extremely annoying to do so, as I despise clicking abilities, I have everything else keybound, but there is absolutely no way atm to bind peaceful/aggressive and stow pet. Feels very clunky as a result.

[Deleted]

One thing I noticed about pet pathing is that after a fight they seem to return (initially) to the spot you were at when combat began, with the kiting and dodging that will likely be a fair bit away from you and causes even more running about from the pets.