Guild Wars 2

Anyone using Rampager?

A little background first.
My main area of activity is wvw/spvp/tpvp. I don’t like big zergs and prefer small group fights.

At the very beginning I started with Berserker armour but found myself too squishy. I wasn’t very good and didn’t know the class very well.
I then went knight and that helped. Tried different builds, got my kitten together and improved my performance substantially.
Later on I wanted to try conditions builds and got myself rabid set but it didn’t last very long due to the nerf (the other day I also added perplexity runes to see how they are but I’m still not too convinced, at least for my play style).

Lately I am mostly on berserker. My skills are improved and so my general knowledge of the profession has so I feel much more comfortable even with low toughness. I get a lot survivability by using the following build which makes my Knight set almost redundant. But I feel I don’t do much damage when using scepter/torch and tend to use this weapon combo mainly for condi removal or escaping

Link:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQRAsa7flwzipXUzgGb9IipHEXwBckUUavWJF82FC-jEFBYLAYMgINRm6Ai+AmEBkIAI/pIas1MFRjVxATfCR5CQBDWDDSFD1MOQ2xoGzwecIuDYyAwOGA-w

As you see my preferred weapons sets are sword/pistol + scepter/torch and it’s been a while since I am on a 20/20/30/0/0 with PU.

Because of the nature of those weapons I think that a mix of power and condi damage would be ideal. So I crafted myself Rampager set. Runes: centaur. Overall this setup (although a bit messy on the accessories) gives:

. Enough crit. From 45% to 55%
. Power 3k to 3250
. Condition damage from 550 to 750
. Thoughness is okish around 2550 (PU helps a lot)
. Kind of low oh HP. Around 1650 with food (PU helps a lot)

Numbers are floating depending which weapon set I am using.
Weapons are still exotic quality and I will be upgrading them as soon as possible.

Questions:
How many of you are using rampager?
Which other builds are viable when using this armour?
When is rampager not good?
At the moment I have a rabid staff . Would it benefit from rampager gear more than from rabid? If yes, which sigil should I be using?
I was thinking of using staff + scepter/torch with same build but taking chaotic dampening over master of manipulation and phantasmal fury over blade training. Would be rampager armour or rabid the better choice?

Thank you for feedback

I am tempted to try Rampager over Rabid, because despite liking my Toughness a lot, at least the Scepter still scales extremely well with Power. :s

But haven’t tried anything yet. Using the Blackwater build here.

I did use rampager when I ran a bleeding build. You can get >70% crit (unbuffed) with a bit malice to make all your illusions bleed as hell.

But …
You’re as squishy as a berserker, while doing less damage, blocking other teammembers’ conditions and have a tough times with buildings and world bosses.

Maybe it fits staff condition builds, but not really for sharper images’.

i run rampager with my current pve build :
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAsaWlwziqXQzhGa9IhpCBH1DsndvX6Bu5duB-jQDBIgERjUEAUFRjEBkKAJ/ZIr5QRsaCt0iIaUXDTBjIq2ebY1mcJSKAYmGB-e

the problem is that full rampager still overcap you on crit.

Rampager is for direct/condition hybrids, and those just dont workfor mesmers, as far as i know.

There are 1 or 2 working hybrids out there, but the gear still focusses on direct damage and toughness. They just get some decent condi danage with might stacks.

I guess its not horrible, but its definitely not optimal.

But the weapon sets I am using make me a hybrid mesmer, dodnt they? Power when on sword/pistol and condition based when on scepter (although it scales well with power too) and torch.

As I stated I am more a pvper than pve player so world bosses don’t concern me.
I am happy when on berserker but when putting pressure and need to switch weapons because my skills are on cd the pressure just drops since berserk doesn’t provide condi damage. The same happens when on rabid set but the other way round.

It’s like having max power on sword pistol (lets make it 100 for example) and 20 when on scepter/torch if using zerker. And if using rabid it becomes 20 on zerker and 100 on conditions. Rampager is a more balanced set giving a more sustained damage like a 50/50, ideal for such weapons combo. Just wanted to hearing your opinion.

I think it’s definitely a underdog setup for some hybrids, at least to have some pieces of it… there are some setup where you will always get some of each damage type, and sigils can add a condition as well. It’s a clear winner over Rabid if you don’t need the toughness for condition builds imo. And I mean the actual toughness, not the slight bonus condi damage (the extra power outweighs that easily with any weapon).

Of course, toughness is pretty useful. Personally I like to wear Rampager + Rabid when I do, at a 3:2 ratio or so.

trooper.2650:

Anyone using Rampager?

The build in my signature.

Bleeding is not so good if you leave the default duration, however if you use:

1. 2x afflicted (+15% bleeding duration)
2. 2x centaur (+15% bleeding duration)
3. 2x krait and (+15% bleeding duration)
4. sigil of agony on main hand and offhand (+20% bleeding duration)
   … then cast iDuelist and let me know

EDIT: Of course the thing that you have to accomplish is to reach at least 60% crit chance and you MUST use Phantasmal Fury in order to boost iDuelist to 80% crit chance.

Rampager makes you as squishy as a zerker withought the crit damage of power to be effective in that role. Even in pvp, you’re better off specializing, going either full or mostly rabid, or dire in condition builds, dire just lacks points in dueling for tankiness. If you truly want to go hybrid, then I’d recomend some but not full celestial pieces far beyond rampager for the crit damage and defenses it adds.

I actually really like the scepter even in a zerker dungeon build when I need a ranged weapon, since I can still get a swordsman or duelist up and the auttoattack DPS isn’t bad, nor kitten by range like the GS. I only wish they removed to clone effect from the auttoattack and kept it on the #2 block skill, mainly to prevent overwriting phantasms in pve.