What is the point of playing a ranged DPS?

[utharge]

Serious question. What is the point of playing a ranged DPS these days?

Ranged DPS is weak in 1vs1, 6vs6, wb vs wb and keep siege.

Let's start with 1 vs 1 and have a look at destro melee DPS classes (can't speak for order DPS but it is probably the same):

- WEs can sneak up to you and will have the first hit and element of surprise
- WEs can pounce + snare you from range
- WEs can use knock down and before you get up again most of his life is gone
- WEs can break root
- WEs can use their vanish speed burst to break casts and get close or run away
- WEs can use a M1 to get 7s immunity of every ranged attack
- WEs can use throw dagger to slow or finish someone off
- WEs can put dots on you
- WEs have highest single target melee dps
- WEs have ranged finishers
- WEs have unbreakable stealth (pretty much - the chances of breaking are very low)

- Maras have charge
- Maras have break root
- Maras have pull
- Maras have knock down
- Maras have high close range dps
- Maras have a self hot
- Maras have a snare
- Maras are very tanky

- Choppas can pull and interrupt you
- Choppas have charge
- Choppas have a snare
- Choppas have break root
- Choppas have 20% fast movement with git to the choppa
- Choppas can knock you down
- Choppas have insane melee dps

Leaving DPS DOKs out here since they are hybrids.

As you can see, all melee DPS classes
- have strong gap closers like stealth, charge or pull
- have a snare that can be easily kept up and reapplied
- have an ability to break a root
- have a knock down, some also silence and disarm
- have access to Deft Defender that is cheap and allows them to disrupt/dodge ranged damage completly
- have strong close range damage
- have only instant or channeled damage abilities

As a ranged DPS you have all odds against you. They ran up to you in seconds, they break your root, the knock you down, they permasnare you. BWs need to build up combustion first. All are very squishy to melee dps. None of them can break snare like melees can break root. None of them have charge. None of them have a comparable pull. None of them get a renown ability that gives them a chance to evade melee attacks by 100% like Deft Defender does for ranged attacks. Their ability to push enemies away is a M1 that needs to be build up first. A lot of their abilities have a cast time.

Damagewise the melee dps don't have much less damage compared to BWs/SWs/Engis. In some cases their damage is even higher since lots of ranged damage abilities have cast times that can get interrupted.

In 6vs6 the survivabilty of ranged DPS classes is better but since you are being thrown around, knocked down, stunned, taunted and you are under permanent dps pressure you just cannot put out good damage. Good slayers will outdamage ranged DPS classes by factor 2. They have around 400k damage in ranked SCs and ranged classes usually around 200k.

In 24vs24 the situation is a bit better for ranged DPS but when you face a strong melee wb then they will just rush into and shred everything to pieces. A guarded melee with good healers in their back are basically unkillable.

In keep sieges the ranged DPS is also no longer as good as it used to be. You cant hit the ram, you can't reach the enemies from the wall, you can't hit people without sight and aoe got nerfed a lot. Melees will just stay out of range and then rush in with their guards through postern and main. Then again the ranged DPS is in close range an in a disadvantage.

Tactical things aside, the ranged damage is currently just a joke on guarded people. Casted abilities with several seconds cast just getting blocked, disrupted and absorbed. They hit for so little damage, it's pathetic.

Where is the M1 on ranged classes to ignore melee damage for 7 seconds like WE can?
Where is the charge or speed boost abilities on ranged classes?
Where is the spamable snare every melee dps has?
Where is the break snare every melee dps has?
Where is the Deft Defender mirror for ranged to ignore evade melee attacks?
Where is the advantage of ranged dps over melee dps when every melee can close the gap in like 2 seconds?
Why do melees better aoe damage then ranged dps classes?
Where the f**k is my damage?

From my point of view the guard is the biggest issue for ranged dps. Sorcs for example do insane damage on pugs but are having troubles in ranked 6vs6. That tells me that something is wrong with the game mechanic. It's pretty much the same for SWs and Engis. Armor an guard has too much of an impact for them. Their good damage on unguarded squishies drops to pathetic numbers on guarded dps, tanks or even healers. What are you supposed to do if you cant kill tanks, guarded melee dps or healers?

What is the point of playing a ranged DPS?

[tazdingo]

range

[utharge]

range

Range alone is not enough to get the job done. That's the reason they don't want ranged dps in city wbs and the ranged DPS basically gave up playing ranked. They are currently in a sad state...

[Mergrim]

SW can:
-Self punt with aoe root 40%
-M1 clean all dots/curse etc and 250ap regen
-M2 aoe root 60% for 9sec and 900dmg
-St slow 40% 65feet
-M1 7sec immune to range and MAGIC attack
-can put dots on you...lol:D this is best argument here
- can switch stance and have medium armor
- can put armor talisman in slot that give you x2 armor:D
- can disarm for 4sec in assault, silence on scout 4sec(100feet range), st knock 100feet range any spec.
-can spam barrage with whispering wind and drain all enemy morale:D
-have charge on assault spec that improve defensive skill by 15%
-can down any WE in assault stance easy:D
-can deal top dmg on city
-can stack BA on 24target with tactic:D
- can spam heal debuff without cd:D
and more...

it's l2p issue nothing else. If you think melle is better just roll one.

[Przepraszam]

troll thread, move along

[Krima]

range

Range alone is not enough to get the job done. That's the reason they don't want ranged dps in city wbs and the ranged DPS basically gave up playing ranked. They are currently in a sad state...

range SW and Engie still strong in ranked metagame.

troll thread, I agree

[Whyumadbro]

so sorcs/bw engi/magus and sh/sw should have a blink or something?

[utharge]

SW can:
-Self punt with aoe root 40%
-M1 clean all dots/curse etc and 250ap regen
-M2 aoe root 60% for 9sec and 900dmg
-St slow 40% 65feet
-M1 7sec immune to range and MAGIC attack
-can put dots on you...lol:D this is best argument here
- can switch stance and have medium armor
- can put armor talisman in slot that give you x2 armor:D
- can disarm for 4sec in assault, silence on scout 4sec(100feet range), st knock 100feet range any spec.
-can spam barrage with whispering wind and drain all enemy morale:D
-have charge on assault spec that improve defensive skill by 15%
-can down any WE in assault stance easy:D
-can deal top dmg on city
-can stack BA on 24target with tactic:D
- can spam heal debuff without cd:D
and more...

it's l2p issue nothing else. If you think melle is better just roll one.

Regarding CC SW is probably better than BW and Engi but you make it sound better as it is. How good is a snare or knock back when they pull you right back or break your knock back with knock down? How good is a 7s immunity to range and magic when there are mostly melees hitting you? How good is BA arrow when it is armor dependent and you need to apply them three times for little damage. Yet it can be easily cleansed.

Nah, it is not a l2p issue. It is a class and balance issue. The group setups in ranked and cities show you that very clearly.

[utharge]

range

Range alone is not enough to get the job done. That's the reason they don't want ranged dps in city wbs and the ranged DPS basically gave up playing ranked. They are currently in a sad state...

range SW and Engie still strong in ranked metagame.

troll thread, I agree

Uh yeah, Krima trolling and asking for further WE buffs in every thread.

[Esperflame]

All physical ranged classes bring an awesome tactic that debuffs block, parry and dodge which is pretty damn awesome.