Guild Wars 2

Hi everyone, I’m trying to pick between a ranger and elementalist for my next character. I’m a fan of archery and found the ranger to be good, however the ice bow for the elementalist seems really interesting. Is it good to build around it? Also I would like a little magic to be involved in the class, like spells and summoning. Which would be better for pve, pvp, and wvw? Thanks for the answers everyone

Elementalist by far is more fun and entertaining to play. It is one of the strongest pve classes, and when built right can be ridiculously strong in both pvp and wvw.

However, it is far more difficult to learn when compared to a ranger. They’re many side aspects with an elementalist such as might stacking and weapon swapping and stuff that make an elementalist much more viable.

Ice Bow is amazing for PVE, arguably one of the best spells in the game.

Yes I am bias, but basically the ranger is easy to learn how to play and offers little reward in the pve aspect (detested in pve parties).
They are op for pvp and wvw, but also looked down upon by practically every other class because of the simplicity of how easy it is to play it.

The elementalist on the other hand is far more difficult to master. However, they can be just as strong as a ranger in pvp and wvw, but it takesfarrrrr longerrr to master.
They are arguably one of the best pve classes, and basically the ele offers much more reward for more work and time.

If you want fun and more reward gameplay then go ele but i warn you if you play it wrong the result will get you bored and frustrating while playing this class.

Ele strong in teamplay hard in solo play ( require master class ), doing great in open world content, can be a prey in pvp/wvw but can evolve to a monster when master, 1 of 4 hottest class in dungeons/fractal.

Ranger weak to average in teamplay, ridiculous strong and easy in solo play, master of open world content, a born sniper in pvp/wvw or evasive/condition fighter and very reward gameplay if you learn to become a melee ranger, not welcome in dungeon/fractal.

please noted that PvP include sPvP/WvW/Roaming and PvE include Dungeons/Fractal/Open World Content.

These 2 classes play so differently it’s not even funny. While what follows is wildly broad and “typecasty”, here are the facts:

Ranger – The official GW2 EASY button class that teaches new players HORRIBLE combat skills. Survivablity is high, but again, teaches really bad combat habits.
Elementalist – Arguably the most work (button mashing wise) but if played well can be devastating on the battlefield. High learning curve and while Ele’s can have high survivabllity, it takes work to maintain it.

Keep in mind I play both classes and both can be played unlike what I described above. A Ranger can be played well (even with a longbow) and an Elementalist can be played poorly and simply be another squishy target.

I have both.

Ele is my favorite by far. It’s a profession that makes you think about you are doing, instead of mindless mashing buttons. You have a variety of fields and finishers so your skills are never boring or the same old routine. You can give your party might, fury, various auras, you can heal, you can give them ice bow/flaming greatswords (not hammers…those are for the ele!). Each fight is as different as you want to make it. It’s a very mobile profession, able to dart forward or move backwards. The skills are fun to look at too!

Ranger has group perks that are unique. You can trait for spirits and have frost spirit giving the group a damage buff and you can take spotter for the precision buff. But the pet is a liability more than an asset when in dungeons if you don’t know how to have full control over those F buttons. Healing spring is nice too for a group healing. The animations are fun to watch as well.

I do enjoy ranger, mostly when I am map completing on my own or gathering materials. However, if I had to pick one…I’d go with ele hands down.

If you want to get involved more into organized group play, ele is way better in every aspect of the game. They are harder to learn but still very manageable.

If you are fine with PUG, then ranger is pretty good. Easy to play and still powerful. However, to really get all the potential out of ranger is actually even harder than an ele. Ele is more well-rounded class while ranger has noticeable weaknesses.

If your skill at playing the game is relatively low (and I have no problem admitting that applies to me), ranger is SO much easier than elementalist. And probably easier than any other class in the game. Longbow ranger with a pet (doesn’t even have to be a terribly tanky pet, honestly) can mow through lots of PvE content and barely take any damage. It can get a bit boring, but it is very easy to be very effective even without much skill.

Elementalist is far more interesting—but also, it seems to me, much squishier. On my ranger I almost had to TRY to die if I was ever going to die. On my ele, one false step and I am eating dirt. Ele can do some great damage and a whole lot of interesting group buffs (combo fields, etc.) but it is not terribly forgiving if you screw up. Rangers are a pretty fantastic solo profession but don’t bring a ton to group play (other than DPS), unless you really trait in some unusual ways.

I love the ranger. And especially in groups I tend to trait in a way that allows me to support my group as much as possible. But I can also see that, objectively, ele probably brings more to the table—especially when well-played. But for solo play, ranger is definitely far more viable (especially with less skill) than ele. So it really depends what you want or intend to do in the game.