Rangers and Engineers
Yes.
All is vain.
Engies are powerful in all aspects of the game and can do just about anything they need to for a specific encounter. I won’t comment on PvE because that is not my focus, but even there my ability to help with water fields, so many combinations, and high condition damage was welcomed. Engie just takes a lot to get to play well (you have 19+ utilities essentially with multiple kits). As a result, many people have played with one that just spams a bomb or a grenade. But a good engineer should be welcome just about anywhere.
Ranger is getting buffed. It is the current class “under review” and is quite good at roaming in WvW and in PvP. It fails right now in zerging and PvE. In PvE, it really violates every min/maxing rule of sharing ranges and buffs etc. You can do well with melee in PvE dungeons as well as having a few traits and utilities that are extremely good (spotter, frost spirit, etc) for the group. So a melee ranger (or spirit ranger) tends to be better for that aspect.
But yeah, the current PvE meta is quite skewed atm favoring melee. The combination of ranger and engineer will do you well in having a good time in WvW and PvP though!
Returning to GW2 after a long hiatus, my highest level toon was only 65. Since I patched up and started playing again I have been really enjoying this and can’t figure out why I stopped playing in the first place (maybe Diablo 3 came out, I don’t know).
I rerolled to start over and learn fresh. I like ranged classes, especially in a game as visually stunning as GW2, it is nice to see what is happening. I made a ranger and was quickly led to believe that rangers are hated and quite often kicked from groups at higher level. Even more so than the huntards of WoW. To counter that I made an engineer. Wow, so much fun with bombs, grenades, rifles and flame throwers, but I am now finding out the same thing, that they are ignored from fracs and groups. Do I HAVE to be a warrior or guardian to be an active part of a raiding group (or whatever it is called in GW).
TLDR version. Is it true that at level 80, groups consist of 4/5 warriors (and/or guardians) and rangers and engineers get kicked from groups.
Is this a game with only 2 viable professions if I want to experience everything?
The general consensus is that warriors and guardians are the best in PVE, but that doesn’t make it true. The fastest groups always have at least 1 ele and more than likely 2. Thieves, and rangers are also common. The stigma that warriors and guardians are better comes from the fact that both of those classes are really braindead and easy. They do far too much damage for almost no skill. IMO both classes need to be made much more difficult to play because they are so mindnumbingly boring.
Here is a list of the current meta records on video, check out which classes are popular.
speed clears
Necros don’t have reflects, invulns, vigor, blocks,
extra dodges, real stability, mobility skills,
burst skills, sustain, or good support. GG ANET.
extra dodges, real stability, mobility skills,
burst skills, sustain, or good support. GG ANET.
(edited by zapv.8051)
Is this a game with only 2 viable professions if I want to experience everything?
Depends. If you want to do rush runs : yes.
Otherwise, get in a friendly guild, and you will have no problems.
My guildies do not have problems with my main being a ranger, but using LFG is a nightmare… Once been kicked from the group I started before we entered the dungeon… laughable, but not funny…
Though they are not all bad.
Lupicus Ranger’s speed kill
(edited by Jocksy.3415)
Ranger and engineers are both horrible for direct damage and since condi damage is mostly useless in PvE, they’re not people’s first choice. But, they aren’t as unwanted as you and others think/make out to be.
… I still want tengu.
Returning to GW2 after a long hiatus, my highest level toon was only 65. Since I patched up and started playing again I have been really enjoying this and can’t figure out why I stopped playing in the first place (maybe Diablo 3 came out, I don’t know).
I rerolled to start over and learn fresh. I like ranged classes, especially in a game as visually stunning as GW2, it is nice to see what is happening. I made a ranger and was quickly led to believe that rangers are hated and quite often kicked from groups at higher level. Even more so than the huntards of WoW. To counter that I made an engineer. Wow, so much fun with bombs, grenades, rifles and flame throwers, but I am now finding out the same thing, that they are ignored from fracs and groups. Do I HAVE to be a warrior or guardian to be an active part of a raiding group (or whatever it is called in GW).
TLDR version. Is it true that at level 80, groups consist of 4/5 warriors (and/or guardians) and rangers and engineers get kicked from groups.
Is this a game with only 2 viable professions if I want to experience everything?
Short answer yes, if you plan to pug FOTM 40+.
All other dungeons in the game really does not matter unless of course you plan to pug, and then you will come across frequently biased ignorant players due to the stigma of those mentioned professions. I prefer bringing the player not the profession.
FOTM is only worthy if you enjoy that kind of content for “end game”, after farming it on two characters lvl 44 pre patch I have no urge at all step back in. Personally my “end game” is WvW & boss raids (Tequatl/Wurm), for that content play the profession you want.
Have to remember also even in WoW the “Huntard” dominated the field at times throughout WoW lifetime. Remember how the Ret Pally was a joke, come Wrath and they were kings of the dps meters.
Like all MMO’s balance is ongoing, today’s flavor of the month could be tomorrows punchline.
JQ Druid
and you will have no problems.
Clarification on this:
you will not have problems getting on the couple of teams per week that do form up.
You WILL however have lots and lots of problems actually completing the “Content”
Good luck!
Rangers and engineers can do pretty significant direct damage IF they spec appropriately for it. After all, bomb auto attack scales with power better than any other skill and the melee weapons of the ranger are quite strong. . . specced for power.
The trouble is that is likely exactly how you do NOT want to play the class if you enjoy range. Therein lies the problem with PvE in this game (amongst other things).
In WvW and PvP you will enjoy both. Get out of the tedium of PvE and live!
and you will have no problems.
Clarification on this:
you will not have problems getting on the couple of teams per week that do form up.
You WILL however have lots and lots of problems actually completing the “Content”Good luck!
We have the right to disagree. Though I’m not much into dongeons, with guildies to tell me where to go when and to do what, no problem.
I hold my tile in fractal (dredge?) thing without dying when the other on the other tile died, while killing the monsters around me and using my pet to take the aggro off the one who activate the door; I hold my place in the fire dome of a dungeon (citadel?), no problem, and the time I went on the monster, it died pretty fast also… I manage my pet so that it does damages without dying (easy, since the PVE health boost), I go from melee to ranged according to my group’s strategy… call out well-timed, heal, and so on…
Except for the time used for the explanations they give me – which is only the one or two first times I do the dungeon with them, we are not slower with ranger or other classes…