Archer Deep dive disussion

JohnNS

https://monstersandmemories.com/class-archer-deep-dive

BigT

Character: My only character
Level: 39
Server: PvP
Zones Experienced In: Shaded Dunes, Sungreet Strands, Glass Flats, and Vale of Zintar
Group Size: Mostly groups of 2–6, with some solo play
Time Spent In-Game: Approximately 33% leveling, 33% PvP, and 33% harvesting

Overall Experience

I am enjoying the Archer overall. Below is my feedback on the current skills, along with some suggestions that I believe would make the class feel better and give more abilities a meaningful purpose.

Skill Feedback
Point Blank Shot

This skill is useful for approximately the first five to ten levels, but it is quickly replaced by almost anything else.

An Archer is supposed to fight at range. When an enemy gets close, the natural response is to create distance—not remain in melee range and continue shooting. Requiring the ability to be used at melee range makes it a non-starter.

Suggestion for the developers:
Rework Point Blank Shot so it can be used at all ranges.

Disengagement

This is a decent and useful skill, but it needs some adjustments to feel worthwhile.

Suggestions for the developers:

Allow it to be used with or without a target.
Increase the distance traveled.
Ideally, it should move the Archer just outside the maximum range required to fire a bow.
Consider increasing the distance as the skill levels up.

Currently, it feels like the Archer only moves back a few steps.

Skirmisher

I never use this skill. The ability to critically hit is far more valuable than a 10% movement-speed bonus that does not stack with other speed buffs.

Suggestion for the developers:
Either allow it to stack with Spirit of Wolf or make the movement bonus stronger than Spirit of Wolf.

Salvage Arrows

I never use this from the ability bar. It does not need to occupy a skill slot.

Suggestion for the developers:
Make Salvage Arrows a standard hotbar action, similar to creating a campfire.

Barbed Arrow

This is a good skill.

Suggestion for the developers:
Reverse the recent top-end damage reduction and the additional two-second delay before applying another stack.

No one wanted that tradeoff, and compared with the damage available to other classes, the nerf did not feel necessary.

Quick Shot

This could be a good skill, but Barbed Arrow is almost always preferable because maintaining three bleed stacks is so important and they share the same cooldown.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to improve it.

Suggestion for the developers:
Allow Quick Shot to refresh existing bleed stacks. After applying three stacks with Barbed Arrow, the Archer could then switch to Quick Shot to maintain them.

Net Shot

The combination of its cooldown and the short duration of the snare makes this skill feel weak.

Suggestion for the developers:
Reduce the cooldown.

Snaring Shot

Good skill.

Interrupting Shot

Good skill.

Strafing Barrage

This is a decent skill, but it currently has several frustrating problems.

The ability is still bugged and may not activate immediately unless it is used directly after a standard ranged attack.

Suggestions for the developers:

Fix the activation issue.
Do not force the camera to turn and face the target when the ability is used. EVERY ARCHER WANTS THIS.
Allow each of the four shots to independently trigger critical hits and double attacks, just like normal ranged attacks.

Piercing Shot

This is a decent skill, but it needs some help.

Suggestions for the developers:

Remove the three-second requirement from Sniper’s Blind for the double-damage effect.
Make Piercing Shot count as one bleed stack, allowing a follow-up Barbed Arrow to apply the second and third stacks.
Increase its range.

If this is intended to function as an opener or sniper-style shot, it should have noticeably longer range.

Exposing Shot

Good skill.

Suggestion for the developers:
Do not give it the same cooldown as Net Shot.

Caltrops

This is a good skill, but it is currently bugged.

Bug report:
https://discord.com/channels/847846851478945802/1531617835443294378

Suggestion for the developers:
Please fix the reported issues.

Sniper’s Blind

This skill needs help.

Suggestion for the developers:
Make it true stealth, similar to Rogue stealth, so the Archer cannot be seen at all by any Mob or Class while the effect is active.

Splintering Shot

I never use this skill because the damage is too low.

Suggestion for the developers:
Turn it into an area-of-effect damage-over-time ability with stacking damage similar to Barbed Arrow.

Flurry of Arrows

This is a good concept, but the cooldown is too long.

Suggestion for the developers:
Reduce the cooldown.

Flare

I never use this skill in its current form.

For it to be effective, it should be usable directly on targets and should have a larger area of effect on the ground.

Suggestions for the developers:

Allow Flare to be cast directly on targets capable of hiding.
Let it proactively prevent those targets from entering stealth.
Make the reveal effect “stick” to a hidden target that enters its radius.
Increase the ground-area radius.

This would make Flare a proactive anti-stealth tool instead of an ability that is difficult to use effectively.

Immobilizing Trap

This is a good skill, but it is currently bugged.

Bug report:
https://discord.com/channels/847846851478945802/1531617835443294378

Suggestion for the developers:
Please fix the reported issues.

Alarm Trap

I have never used this skill, and I am unsure how it could be changed enough to make it worth choosing over the other available abilities.

Oil Trap

I never use this skill because it does not deal enough damage.

Suggestion for the developers:
Increase its damage or give it additional utility that makes it worth selecting.

Marksman

Good skill.

Relocate

This skill needs help.

Suggestion for the developers:
Either increase its duration or reduce its cooldown.

Anticipate

Good skill.

Smoke Bomb Arrow

Good skill.

General Archer Suggestions
Give Quivers Their Own Equipment Slot

Quivers should have a dedicated equipment slot instead of occupying the belt slot.

More quivers should also be introduced as drops throughout the game.

Add Unique Boss Arrows

Introduce special arrow types that can drop from bosses. These could provide unique damage types, effects, or situational bonuses.

Rework Tinkering and Traps

The current Tinkering and trap-acquisition system feels like an unnecessary time investment.

Traps should simply be learned while leveling, similar to other class abilities, rather than requiring a separate crafting progression.

Aikons

I wish we could get a movement skill that is forward and not backward. Like a forward vault, like the Demon Hunter from Diablo 3. I wish it would have 2 charges that slowly replenish, I think having the archer be more mobile would be an amazing niche for this class.

Sylphy

Aikons i wish it gave me enough distance to at least get one aimed shot off

Walabus

Compiling thoughts/feedback on Archer since Beta is coming to a close soon. My experience is limited in that I only got to 18 compared with 40 in Alpha.

For context, I was skeptical of the rework on paper, mainly because I really enjoyed the original kit and was worried about losing what made the class fun for me. Overall, I am extremely happy with the update because it improved on solo and group gameplay by adding meaningful skill decisions and giving some space for skill expression, and I'm really excited to continue playing it in EA. One thing that remains to be seen is whether Archers can still do some 'big-game' hunting of mobs 10-or-more levels higher, which I found to be an incredibly rewarding playstyle while exploring new zones.

I didn't meaningfully engage with specialty arrows or tinkered traps. Not for lack of interest, but wanting to experience it as something fresh come EA.

Class

Archer

Level

Group Size

I'd wager 50% Solo, 5% duo/trio, 45% full group

Where you were hunting

A mix of NH, SD, EW areas, plus some Tel'ekir, Blacktide Bay, and FP skeletons

What you like, and why

Skirmisher Stance - The minor boost in movement speed is a fun way to facilitate skillful kiting without completely trivializing it like SoW does (not a criticism).
Barbed Arrow - Really, really enjoy this one for a few different reasons. Solid, sustained damage while kiting, keeping it up on multiple targets has been an interesting way to do multi-kiting. In group contexts, the choice of stacking a full bleed on a mob if it takes longer to die is a fun micro-optimization vs. spamming Quick Shot.
Sniper's Blind - Beyond the damage bonus component, this skill being a real stealth makes for some interesting opportunities to sneak around a dungeon or get to a party.
High Ground - This is just a great addition, and has made for some fun opportunities to take up a flavorful perch when grouping, plus it's min-maxing damage. What's not to like?
Illuminating Shot - Thanks for adding this back in. Removing the cast time from this skill and keeping it off the GCD has made it a really fun-to-use skill. Enjoy using it to mark primary targets and incoming pulls in groups, and to keep track of kiting target when solo'ing in the dark.
Strafing Barrage - Great addition to the mobile playstyle, even if it's a little wonky to cast sometimes. Really like the auto-lock feature.

What you don’t like, and why

Strafing Barrage - Being a mobile skill and on the GCD feels incongruent to me. I like to use it right after Snaring Shot, and missing even a GCD of duration can be felt since the snare is so short-lived. Taking Strafing off the GCD could be a way to make the run-and-~~gun~~bow playstyle feel smoother.
Sniper's Blind interaction with Wood Elf Hide Racial - Xil already acknowledged this one in Discord. Coming out of Sniper's Blind triggering a 30s cooldown on Wood Elf Hide racial ability makes the latter feel like a wasted choice, in my opinion. I would much prefer the two skills to have independent cooldowns so Wood Elf Archers could uniquely sneak by multiple mobs in scenarios like trying to reach a party's camp.
Disengage - These are individually minor nits, which add up to something I thought was worth including in feedback. The 10m cast range on this doesn't feel great in practice, a not-insignificant number of times I'll spam the button and still get hit before jumping away. In a group context where I may be standing further away and/or perched up high to take advantage of High Ground, I have to wait for the mob to get close before I can disengage to drop aggro. Lastly in a multi-kiting situation, it's a little tedious to have to switch to the closest target to disengage before swapping back to the target I'm killing first. Especially annoying when one mob gets low health and slows down. I'm guessing the old Alpha version which didn't require a target won't come back, though I will say it was a blast to use for creative exploration. If not removing the range requirement entirely, something like 20m could dramatically improve the reliability of this one.
Distracting Shot - Though I absolutely do not expect to get it back, the aggro-kite playstyle is something I hope still exists even if just through Ranger.