Vine arrrow's slow feels pointless (and my suggestions on how to fix it)

1. Monsters are either too slow or too fast for it to be relevant in general. You don't need slow for big monsters and faster ones will get to you before it lands. So it has to be prediction rather than reaction or is primarily for close quaters.
2. In close-quaters kiting movespeed slow is irrelevant. Current balance between attack and movespeed of monsters suggests moving away is almost always a better option than dodge roll. So your attack window is based of how long will a monster attack rather than how fast will it turn or run to you.
3. You can't buff vine arrow's CC capabilities by hinder or chaotic freeze support gems since they can only be applied to spells, and vine arrow is an attack.

Every other CC option for ranger is better, being it either pin, freeze or even walls or minions. So if there was an idea that vine arrow is a CC tool, I dont think it's working right now.

My suggestions are:

1. Skill's slow effect should depend on how poisoned a flower is, based on ratio between base and added damage. It would emphasize it's role as a set up and kiting tool. Also for phys/poison builds it can provide substantial effiency without being completely busted for cold damage builds. Or even better, it should not stack with chill whatsoever.
2. It should build up pin. Inherently, or via support gems. It would compliment skill's aesthetics and be a good combo for snipe, toxic growth or rain of arrows.
Or it could apply a brief one second or so pin upon landing.
3. Hinder and chaotic freeze should be able to buff vine arrow. Pure chaos damage builds with cultist bow would benefit greatly.

It's not like you going to struggle without it. Even fast enemies attack slowly and have zero track so you can always just run around and shoot them until they dead, without any CC. I'm speaking more about "how to make vine arrow feel better to use". I like the idea of choking my enemies to death with vines, but they don't really look being choked right now.

Yeah, vine arrow's slow is pretty pointless. It's so bad I thought it was bugged. The slow mobs are still slow and the fast mobs are still too fast. It's a shame. I also thought the idea of tangling the mobs in vines and killing them was cool. However, you're much better off spending that time dealing more damage or using some other form of CC like pin that actually works well.

+1
good analysis and ideas.

I used it to middle of cruel acts, but had to give it up as an effective way to slow mobs.
Had fun with it until then. It is cool to take the mobs for a walk around the vines :)

You can add "maim"; but even with that and the "more-slow-effect"-support it didn't do its job as "slow-them-down"-skill after the first acts.