Overall Complaints:
1. Arrows should not be able to be blocked unless the blocker has the shield equipped and is in the engaged position.
2. Evade can only be used against arrows while standing, no more assassins dodging arrows while sitting.
3. Caster pets need to behave just like any mob and not have an infinite chase timer. After 20 seconds they give up and return to wait by their master.
4. Fix the miss ratio against players in PvP. Currently archers miss much too often, though this may be due, in part, to PBT.
5. Bows can't have working procs, denying them potentially crucial abilities that every other weapon can have. Bows should be proc-able, but because the arrows are getting enchanted, have all archers use magic and have the archer spend about 5-10 power per arrow he shoots that gets proced. Also, if the bows get procs, then we archers can have glowy arrows flying around.
6. A Quiver System that allows quick switching between arrows. The current system of opening your inventory, selecting the new arrow type, and moving them into the first slot is slow and clumsy.
7. Fix LOS considerations on keeps so that defending archers have LOS to attackers when they're on the battlements.
Revised Bow Spec line to include some bow styles:
lvl 5: Normal Shot. As it is now.
lvl 5: Quick Shot. As with Quick Cast your next shot takes half the time to prep and shoot. Next shot also costs twice its standard endurance. This ability has a 15 second recharge timer like Quick Cast. The shot this is used on has a slightly lower accuracy.
lvl 10: Point Blank Shot. This shot halves the enemy's chances to evade/block it. Its range is half that of a Normal Shot and it costs twice the endurance of a Normal Shot. This shot has a very high accuracy.
lvl 20: Longshot. This shot has a range of 150% that of the Normal Shot and costs twice the endurance. This shot has slightly lower accuracy.
lvl 25: Shot on the Run. This is a normal shot that can be used while moving. It costs three times the endurance of a normal shot. This shot has slightly lower accuracy.
lvl 30: Critical Shot. The same as the current Critical Shot. This shot has normal accuracy. This shot has a chance to pierce Blade Turn based on the bow spec level of the archer, and the level of the mage's spec line that gives BT.
lvl 40: Piercing Shot. This shot can only be fired with Footed Arrows, costs 1/4 your total endurance, is at 50% the range for a Normal Shot, and takes 1.5 times longer to shoot. It does 2 times the damage of a Normal Shot, and cannot be blocked even by blade turn. This shot has a very high accuracy.
lvl 45: Uncanny Shot. This shot is a normal shot that needs no LOS to the target. You must have a target selected, and be facing that target to use this. It costs three times the endurance of a normal shot. This shot has moderately decreased accuracy.
lvl 50: Killing Shot. This shot costs 2/3 your total endurance (cannot be Quick Shotted), and takes 2 times longer than a Normal Shot to shoot. It has 150% of the range that a Normal Shot does and does 3 times the damage. This shot has normal accuracy. This shot pierces Blade Turn.
Revised RAs for archers:
Volley. Must have Keen Eye. As the ability as is now except for two points: put the number of times an archer needs to hit the fire button down to once for all five arrows (it is effectively an AOE spell), and if the archer has LOS he/she can target a player rather than using a ground target.
Keen Eye. Costs 3 skill points to learn, takes no power, and casts instantly. It shows you the maximum range for a Normal Shot with a degree of accuracy based on your realm rank. (Example: at rr1 it would be about 10% accurate, while at rr10 it would be 95% accurate.) It has a 5 minute down time. This RA would be so archers don't have to test the range of their targets by pulling 4-5 "pre-shots." Great for use while stealthed.
Lengthen the duration of True Sight, or decrease its downtime to 10 or 15 minutes. Or, replace it with something that's not nearly useless.
Most importantly: Archers who spec in bows are effectively ranged assassins, keep this in mind. Currently archers are trying to live up to this, but even making bows their primary skill (as opposed to secondary or even tertiary as many have done recently) does not allow them to realize this.
