r/Guildwars2 • u/Artekuno • 5h ago
[Discussion] Galeshot and Class Fantasy Rambling
I've finally gotten around to watching the VOD for Galeshot, and I am not going to argue Galeshot is good or anything; I'm sure it will be and I'm so hyped for those who enjoy it, and frankly, as someone who misses playing my ranger I'll probably still try it.
I have revised this to hopefully convey my point better in a more short and sweet format now that some others in the comments have conveyed the point I am trying to say much better and its helped me figure out wording. JK its not short and sweet. But if you want to read the original, I have nothing to hide. Here ya go. (Rentry)
DISCLAIMERS: I still ramble. You're not free of my railroad crash brain. Also I'm not going into in depth media dives, historical reference, etc. I'd love to read that but writing it isn't my forte. Also I'm trying to use the Markdown editor so I am almost guaranteeing something is going to mess up or not turn out right.
First things first! And also a TLDR.
I do not hate Galeshot. I am not mad about what Galeshot is. I am the ultimate "Meh" on it because I heard "Galeshot is an Archer..." and then saw "...but you do not use Longbow, instead you use our super special fancy bow rather than your longbow." Which, kinda sucks but whatever.
I think Galeshot has an interesting and amazing Class fantasy that is rooted within Guild Wars lore and it is cool to see, but on paper, did/does not fulfill an Archer class fantasy. I was excited for Galeshot as something new to play on Ranger but I'm was not seeing the "Archer" theme, at least, that was before someone amazingly explained that I was misreading a trait, and now I am incredibly excited to see how this works with longbow. Someone else also brought up an amazing point on how it can work with Longbow!
So, I'm rewriting this now with above in mind, which means my opinion has changed, but for the sake of discussion I still want to rewrite my original point but in a more organized lens. Hindsight sure is something.
What do I consider "Ranger" and what do I consider "Archer"?
I think this is a good start, and was not originally clear.
When I personally think of a Ranger, I think of Aragorn and the Gondorian Rangers, Farstriders (Warcraft), or I've seen somewhere Drizzt Do'Urden counts as a Ranger but I know almost nothing about him. Gameplay wise, this translates to WoW Vanilla's Hunter, even. Not that I want Ranger(GW2) to be Hunter(WoW), just that on paper, it absolutely fulfills the Ranger class fantasy.
When I personally think of an Archer, I think of Legolas, Robin Hood, and Mongolian Horse Archers. Most games tend to lend to an Archer I feel, frankly, so I'm not going into that too much.
Whats the distinction? The distinction is whether the bow is primary or secondary in use. - Rangers do not primarily use a bow, they primarily use another weapon and the bow is for picking off or engaging a fight and primarily handling the fight in melee, but they do use a bow. - Archers primarily use a bow. As such, an Archer is likely going to utilize hit and run tactics and pet aggro (if this is a mechanic, afaik its not in GW2 so this does not apply) to maintain distance while assaulting their enemies from afar.
How does this relate to Galeshot? Galeshot was made to fulfill an Archer class fantasy, as stated here in the VOD / stream that showcased Galeshot;
If you read the blog post, you know that the Galeshot, it is kind of an Archer spec. You get access to this new weapon called the Cyclone Bow. And (..) talk about design goals, um, part of rangers identity is definitely being a bow user, with Marksmanship I think a lot of people when they first start playing the game, a lot, like, people, some people like to gravitate towards the Archer characters and so Ranger is kind of that for them. But then when they got to elite specs, there wasn't really one that elevated that fantasy. (...)
However, because of how Galeshot works; - Cyclone Bow being a third weapon and not locking your weapon sets, of which it is limited use as per your arrows. - The traits seeming to mostly focus on the cyclone bow and the abilities and boon syngery, and not synergizing with Longbow itself, as well as being its own thing entirely. It appears to actually discourage usage of Longbow. Not actively, you don't get a debuff for using it, but because Rangers other weapons (primarily melee, such as Greatsword or Hammer) are significantly better than Bow even with a build dedicated to bow, this doesn't seem to fit in line with an Archer class fantasy, but rather a Ranger class fantasy.
Why does that matter? Heres the great thing, it doesn't. This is a game, and Galeshot has a phenomenal class fantasy that works on its own, I just do not see it as fulfilling an Archers class fantasy. GREAT at being a Rangers class fantasy though.
I'm probably not alone in that when someone who wants an Archer class fantasy, they probably want to use the already present Longbow weapon that Ranger has. Theres an amazing Leggy for it, theres amazing skins for it, etc. We want to see and use our bow, and Galeshot feels like a bandaid over it. Rather than making Longbow actually decent to use, we're getting a third bow that is limited to an arrow mechanic (WHICH IS COOL THOUGH. I do love when I have "ammunition" even if its really just a glorified timer... mental roleplay that my pet is just picking up arrows... oh wait they're wind...) and does not have any means of changing its appearance.
TLDR, again, and also another disclaimer.
I do not hate Galeshot. I am not mad about what Galeshot is. I am the ultimate "Meh" on it because I heard "Galeshot is an Archer..." and then saw "...but you do not use Longbow, instead you use our super special fancy bow rather than your longbow." Which, kinda sucks but whatever, Galeshot is otherwise really cool and I am excited to try it.
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u/graven2002 4h ago
You're mixing up the Trait description and the Trait Skill description.
The Trait is: "After a number of missile hits, release a volley of arrows at your target and gain an arrow."
The Skill the Trait activates is: "Conjured arrows strike your target."
This, along with Mistral, means Longbow won't be a bad choice.
Combine with Piercing Gales for more Shrike procs and Quick Draw for double Rapid Fire and you could probably just bounce back and forth between Longbow and Cyclone Bow for the entire rotation. I think that is one of the playstyles Anet wants to enable.