Guild Wars 2

I got this game when it first came out and played with my friends, was a warrior but they ended up quitting and after that I kinda lost my drive to player. Figured I would just start leveling by myself casually and see what happens.

Anyways, I’m trying to decide between elementalist and ranger for my class. I know this might get asked often, but I want a good all around class, mostly for PvP though. I really don’t have the time to try out both to a certain level, so this is why I’m creating a topic.

I would really appreciate any opinions/help given…thanks in advance!

elementalists, despite the recent ubernerf, are still amazing in general, rangers are great atpvp and leveling but awful for dungeons

If you like to press a lot of buttons with plenty of Area of Effects – Elementalist.
If you like to play more melee style with dodges/evades/blocks etc – Ranger.

Both are pretty good for PvP but I would think it takes more skill to play Elementalist compare to Ranger.

The Elementalist build I assume will be the common DD bunker.
The Ranger build I assume will be the common Beastmaster bunker.

There are a few videos of the builds in the respective profession forums. You should spent some time and take a look.

I’d also recommend ele, I haven’t leveled one yet but they seem to be a fun class to play and to have a nice learning curve, if that’s what you’re in to.

I love my ele but have more fun on ranger. I also do my dungeon runs on ranger.

Not elementalist, pain in the butt to level with no real payoff at high level unless you want to wvw.

any more opinions?

Different strokes for different folks. I personally got bored on ranger, but have played ele since launch and love it to death.

The best option really is to test both classes yourself, but if time is an issue…

@OP – If by PvP you mean sPvP – I’d say go with an ele.

If by PvP you mean WvW, then go with a thief and don’t waste your time on any other class.

BrimstoneAshe.5043:

If by PvP you mean WvW, then go with a thief and don’t waste your time on any other class.

I’m sorry this line is getting old now, there are multiple ways to deal with thief’s and stealth (and i am not talking about the traps).

it’s a tough choice but i would say an elementalist would tip the scales and give you m,ore variety in game play.

that being said a lot of my friends swear by the ranger.

DrixTrix.7168:

BrimstoneAshe.5043:

If by PvP you mean WvW, then go with a thief and don’t waste your time on any other class.

I’m sorry this line is getting old now, there are multiple ways to deal with thief’s and stealth (and i am not talking about the traps).

The point is a thief shines in WvW more than any area of mode of play. If WvW is his thing, go with the class that’s going do really well in it. Just because a truth is old, doesn’t keep it from still being the truth.

The thief’s niche in WvW is a narrow one, though, mainly aimed at roaming and yak sniping. If he’s interested in zerging, havok groups, sieges, or other wider-scale group fights (which are what really determine PPT), there are classes that are just as good (if not better than) the thief. It should also be noted that elementalists are still viable roamers (just harder to play now), as well as mesmers- I suspect any good player can make any class shine in roaming.

Also, there are many counters to thieves, the primary one being a good player- it’s often the thieves who rely on stealth and omgbackstabs who are easiest to kill once you know what you’re doing. A good thief will give any player a run for his/her money, but it’s not a godly class that will win every time against equally skilled players.

In other words, thief shines in WvW, but not so much that all other classes are inviable.

EDIT: Overall message, though, is to play a class you really like, not one you’re told to because it’s the most efficient.