Guild Wars 2

Hello all… I’ve played on and off since release… gotten a bunch of classes to 10-15 and stopped. Highest level is 30. I’m definitely in newbie territory.

I’m thinking of giving this game a real shot. I have some time at night to play and I’d like to get a couple of hours in.

I’m looking at these classes:

Warrior
Guardian
Ranger
Elementalist

I know what I’m getting with warrior, guard and ele… I’m not entirely sure about ranger.

I do NOT want to be a healer at 80. At all.

Is it possible/viable/not totally gimping myself to play a condi ranger? Or is playing ranger andnot using the elite stupid?

I main Ranger, and find it completely satisfactory. I don’t care for Druid. Though, with any profession, you can switch back and forth between Elite Specializations, and Core.

Of course, I don’t really Raid, nor do I know if it matters what profession one uses there, if not into the whole ‘must play this or kick’ drama.

Good luck.

If the elite spec isn’t providing anything you need for the build then there is no reason to use. The elite specs aren’t so inherently good that they are always the right choice 1000% of the time.

You can play a ranger without being a healer at 80. You can play a druid without being a healer, though if you aren’t at least doing a group buffing build, there’s not much reason to use druid. Ranger is a very viable class, and one of the best condi classes (quick stacking of burns and bleeds with the right build).

Don’t let the elite spec intimidate you. It’s perfectly fine to be a ranger at 80 without even dipping into Druid. That’s what I do with mine. Careful use of — and choice of — your pet depending on situation can carry a ranger quite far. And if you’re a distance attacker that’s more based on raw damage and not condi, I’m playing a longbow main with axe/horn on the swap. (Sole purpose is the horn, and depending on situation [e.g. a boss with a defiance bar], chill from the axe 3.)

TL;DR: elites are not required at all, and don’t feel like you’re being shoehorned into a setup you don’t like to use.

It is also worth remembering that nothing is forever: balance changes happen regularly, classes go up and down in power, new content brings new favored approaches, and people relaxing means they stop being so kitten about “the exact thing I read on metabattle was the bestest”.

Plus, while we don’t have a hard promise that the next xpac will bring a new round of elite specs, it seems highly likely, and that almost certainly brings a non-healing/support elite spec to ranger. (Because, hey, druid is already there, yo.)

PS: ANet, make it rifle based.

SlippyCheeze.5483:

It is also worth remembering that nothing is forever: balance changes happen regularly, classes go up and down in power, new content brings new favored approaches, and people relaxing means they stop being so kitten about “the exact thing I read on metabattle was the bestest”.

Plus, while we don’t have a hard promise that the next xpac will bring a new round of elite specs, it seems highly likely, and that almost certainly brings a non-healing/support elite spec to ranger. (Because, hey, druid is already there, yo.)

PS: ANet, make it rifle based.

There were confirmed leaks about the new elites and the weapons for them. Don’t remember what it was for ranger, but I know it wasn’t rifle. Sorry, bud.

Edit: I think it was mainhand dagger.

bearshaman.3421:

SlippyCheeze.5483:

PS: ANet, make it rifle based.

There were confirmed leaks about the new elites and the weapons for them. Don’t remember what it was for ranger, but I know it wasn’t rifle. Sorry, bud.

Edit: I think it was mainhand dagger.

Yeah, that’s what the rumors say, but hey, until it ships it’s not done.