73 replies to this topic

[ChapDev]

Reina Takayama, on 05 November 2013 - 12:10 PM, said:

Menorah... u guys make ranger look so boss and ninja LOL I wanna play ranger again xD

Don't use a Longbow   Longbow rangers annoy me to no end.

Barrage > Dead Ranger > Annoyed Thief.

[Reina Takayama]

I was a melee ranger back in the day but I never tried pvp or WvW with it so it wasn't a mutual ninja action

[RazGerb]

So I've been maining Ranger for a while and I've been wondering which is the best weapons to run in WvW.
After spending countless hours roaming with my Ranger (Full ascended,buffs,etc) I really liked the performance of Melee weapons. I like to Use Axe/Warhorn when in zergs for aoe and blasts, and Sword/Dagger for occasional ninja roaming. I've recently tried GS in wvw and it's actually not bad at all, the mobility,blocks,condis,evades and cooldowns are amazing when traited for it.
I steered away from the traditional Longbow zerk build for obvious reasons.
I like to run Full Runes of the Traveler because it's probably the best runes in the game, and also including a 25% Speed Boost which eliminates the use of that garbage Signet everyone uses.

I either use Axe/Warhorn and Greatsword for Zerg stuff, Sword/Dagger and Axe/Torch for roaming with a condi build, sometimes I like to switch out either of them with a bow for different situations.
Also, I traited for the Signet of Stone Active effect to work on myself just for the 6 second invuln to get out of stick situations which happens always in wvw.
Otherwise, with my new condi build I've been wrecking every class with the exception of a few OP Builds.
Insight appreciated.

[Menorah]

First Raz: https://forum-en.gui...-D-in-PvP/first

Second, what are you running for armor?

[RazGerb]

Mind Blown. Yeah I totally agree with that thread.
For Armor I'm running a mix of Rampager's,Zerker's, and Apothecary with Traveler Runes
I've been thinking of switching out my zerker for something better though.
I would also like to know what to run for traits and what sigils to run on each weapon for maximum efficiency.

[QueenEtna]

Reina Takayama, on 05 November 2013 - 02:39 PM, said:

I was a melee ranger back in the day

Why... Why play a "RANGER" if you just melee looool

[Menorah]

QueenEtna, on 05 November 2013 - 11:10 PM, said:

Why... Why play a "RANGER" if you just melee looool

GG ANet

[Menorah]

RazGerb, on 05 November 2013 - 09:50 PM, said:

Mind Blown. Yeah I totally agree with that thread.
For Armor I'm running a mix of Rampager's,Zerker's, and Apothecary with Traveler Runes
I've been thinking of switching out my zerker for something better though.
I would also like to know what to run for traits and what sigils to run on each weapon for maximum efficiency.

The following advice is specifically for if you are running sword/torch and axe/dagger. Shortbow and a combination of those will also work (shortbow + sword/dagger or axe/torch etc).

Get rid of your zerker gear. Rampagers too would be preferable. You'll want a mix of dire/apothecary/settler's. Purely any of the three is fine, but a mix of vitality/toughness/healing power with the condition damage is best imo. I run settler's armor/weapons and apothecary trinkets/backpiece.

For runes, traveler is fine. It's a very good set. I switched yesterday to Antitoxin since it's better for defense while still providing huge offensive ability. The patch coming on the 10th will also allow us to stack perma 8 stacks of might during battle with these runes (against condition classes).

I recommend running 10/0/30/30/0, 0/0/30/30/10, 0/0/30/10/30, or 10/0/30/15/15. The first is the build I use right now. The second is what I will use starting the 10th. The third is my RRR spec which is still hugely popular on the forums (though I think x/0/30/30/x is much stronger). Finally 10/0/30/15/15 is a more DPS build. Depending on what you choose, I can supply more relevant information on runes and traits. For 0/0/30/10/30, I'd recommend Dwayna runes above all else. But the other three combos work well with several sets.

Keep in mind that I'm a min-maxer. I try to get the most out of a build. However, the most effective ranger build out right now gets a lot of complaints as not being a lot of fun because it requires constant pet maintenance and fights generally take a bit longer. However, with it I win most 1v2 fights, am able to fit in an occasional 1v3, murder uplevels while afk, and can keep a zerger running in circles for a long time before they finally kill me. During the 3-way fight in CD garrison tonight, I ran around murdering people on the ramparts while kiting an entire group for almost 15 minutes throughout that madness before finally being focused by the zerg. The survivability is insane, and you can jump into the middle of zergs without worrying too much about dying immediately since the damage is generally unfocused.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love winning every time.

[Gatita]

I actually really enjoy your RRR/BTR specs. I can't say I'm a great PvPer, but I've found the playstyle enjoyable from my trials in sPvP both against guildmates and randoms. Probably my favorite moment was keeping a point with another ranger, even with their whole team making a push against us, we withstood the punishment.

[Gatita]

I know Dec. 10th patch was a fair amount of time ago, any news on how certain builds are?

I'm fairly interested in making my ranger a mainly WvW character since I have the gold to start gearing her up and she's max lvl now, but I'm not all that familiar with all the ranger builds that are viable when it comes to PvP/WvW.

[North]

http://gw2skills.net...38m38mlCgJlRA-w

Slightly outdated, but I use this for zerg busting/commanding on my Ranger. Water Spirit is surprisingly effective, and contributes nearly as much healing as an elementalist without any blast finisher requirement. Sun Spirit acts as a quasi-Guardian virtue, and the blind is pretty nice when you're bombing on an area. Lightning Reflexes is to get out when you're low, but can be replaced by Signet of Stone if you feel like you need the extra toughness and the invincibility. Signet of the Wild passive healing is decent, but the real strength is the damage buff and on-demand stability that Rangers have a hard time getting. Entangle can be swapped with Rampage as One if you really need more stability, but the immobolize/nuke of Entangle is the PERFECT follow-up to a static field.

Greatsword 4 block is godly, the leap is great for your Entangle follow-up, and the evade on 3rd hit effectively negates 33% damage coming in if you're constantly swinging it. Warhorn is non-negotiable because of the blast finisher and long range nuke, but Axe can be swapped for Sword if you like chasing people down like I do. Axe has more AoE damage and overall dps, but Sword has 2 evades and more damage so it's a preference thing. Greatsword is your main-stay anyway due to the cleave and evade.

Altruism Runes are highly underrated, and you can be popping your Water Spirit on a relatively small cooldown to keep the fury/might going throughout the fight. Sigils are up to preference. Soldier stats are a must if you're running in a large group that zerg bursts like I do.

Alpine Wolf's AoE chill is highly underrated, and because it's a wolf it has a single target knockdown. Great overall choice. The other Wolf has an AoE fear which is great when you're bombing or as an escape if you overextended. Again, it also has a single-target knockdown.

[Tavvar]

I'm trying to switch my ranger over to WvW roaming. She is currently set for PvE exploring, she has reached map complete, so I need something else to do with her because right now I can't really find a place to use her. I have other characters for running with a zerg, and from what I've read, rangers seem to be most useful in WvW as roamers. I'd like some advice on how to set her up; I've read through this thread, but I want to know if it still applies after the 4/15 update.

I do have an Apothecary Ascended armor box, so I would like to use that in the build, and that seems to fit with the dire/apothecary/settler's armor options I've seen for Ranger..

[North]

Typical PvE Zerker Ranger.
http://gw2skills.net...3f/93fLFQELjA-e

WvW Ranger, as posted above.
http://en.gw2skills....38m38mlCgJlRA-w

In response to above poster, a baseline apothecary Ranger build. Massive regen, massive condi damage. I prefer the trap variant, but if you want to use Spirits feel free to adjust.
http://gw2skills.net...f/93f/tUATKNC-e

[Tavvar]

Thanks! I've played traps since launch, so I'd probably stick to those. I already have Soldier's armor so I think I will try that build first, then try the apothecary later.