Rangers were a pet-class in the original Guild Wars, meaning they were capable of taming and controlling animals. "One of the major things was that Ranger players love their pets," Lead Designer Eric Flannum tells us. "This is why we decided to make the pet a major mechanic for the Ranger." They will, in fact, be the defining aspect of the Ranger profession. "Much like adrenaline for Warriors and attunements for Elementalists, pets are the Ranger's special profession mechanic. "
Rangers mostly attack from a range – surprising, I know. It was revealed months ago that guns and firearms would be making their debut in Guild Wars 2, and so we assumed that they, along with bows, would be the weapons of choice for the discerning Ranger. That's not the case, as it turns out. "Rangers actually can't use firearms," Flannum explains. "When we were looking at how we wanted the Ranger to look and feel we decided quite early on that we wanted to emphasize the Ranger's bond with nature." The Ranger's ranged weapons of choice include the longbow (for when you need that extra distance or damage), the shortbow (for when you need a little more mobility), and the…axe? Yep, Rangers can wield and throw axes, which they can ricochet off of enemies to damage several foes with a single strike. Players considering the Ranger class won't need to worry about the cost of buying hundreds of axes to throw. "There will be no ammunition mechanics in Guild Wars 2," says Flannum. "We don't feel that penalizing certain classes monetarily more than others for simply playing the game is a good thing to do."
When Rangers are cornered and can't gain any distance on their mark, their best options are to use a poisoned sword or dagger, while dodging in and out of combat range with abilities like Serpent Strike, or if brute force is more your style, a Ranger with a greatsword can cause some serious damage.
Serpent Strike is one of several Ranger abilities that have been showcased. In addition to that rapid melee strike-and-dodge combo, a move called Hunter's Strike allows the Ranger to call some feathered friends to peck at a foe's skull. It's likely that this ability deals damage over time. Spread Shot launches seven projectiles in a cone in front of the Ranger, potentially hitting multiple enemies, or if the foe is close enough, the same enemy multiple times. Whirling Defense seemingly repels enemy attacks, reversing the damage back to the foe. Barrage, a bow ability, rains arrows down over an area and damages anyone silly enough to walk underneath, while another – likely the Sun Spirit skill – creates a ring of fire on the ground. It likely deals damage over a widespread area, but more interestingly, it serves to set projectiles that pass through it alight, turning your boring old arrows into awesome arrows of fire and pointiness.
But what of the pets? As they're arguably the defining aspect of the Ranger, Rangers can, from the very start, tame beasts. There are about a dozen different beast archetypes available for taming, from birds to lizards, bears to sharks. Each Ranger can have up to three pets in their menagerie, though typically only one pet out at a time. There are instances when that's not the case, though, as Eric Flannum explains; "There is an elite skill called Alpha Strike that brings all three pets out (at least those that are eligible to be in the Ranger's current environment) for a short period of time."
Certain pets are bound to certain land-types. A shark, for example, is unlikely to be seen wandering through the local tavern on its fins. That said, you might see the occasional aquatic bear. "We want to give the player options whenever possible instead of restricting them and sometimes this means we sacrifice reality a bit for fun," Flannum Explains. There is no benefit to having territory-specific beasts over more flexible pets like amphibious lizards; it's just a matter of taste.
A pet's level is always going to be the same as the Ranger, so high-level Rangers won't have to retrain a beast should they decide to swap their fearsome wolf for a moa – a giant, flightless bird. Rangers are able to customize their pets through the use of evolution points, which are gained as the Ranger gains experience. "Evolution levels unlock static bonuses as well as skill slots that the Ranger can use to customize how their pet plays," Flannum tells us.
Pets can eventually hold up to four skills. The skills on offer, and the pet's strengths and weaknesses, will depend on the type of pet. A bear can take a good chunk of damage, while a wolf can dish it out and make a foe more susceptible to damage from other sources. Even the giant birds have their place: "Moas can buff teammates with one of their many useful squawks." If there's such a thing as a useless squawk, then we don't want to know about it. Pets are so central to the role of the Ranger that Flannum even suggests "players who want range without a pet are better off playing another profession, such as a Warrior, and taking ranged weapons."
Will the Ranger be the only profession to use pets? Not exactly. According to Flannum, "There are other professions that have pets, but each profession utilizes pets in a different way. Rangers are the only profession with nameable, fully customizable and controllable pets."
And, given the nature of the activities system , we had to ask: will there be pet-based minigames? "We've talked about a few things but we don't want to discuss it until we've actually got it in and working."
Which of the three revealed classes are you most excited about? Which classes do still want to see in Guild Wars 2? Let us know in the comments below.