Guild Wars 2

So after a lot of playing around (and a long recess from the forums), I’ve ended up settling into some build variations that really shouldn’t be that surprising to anybody, but are definitely 3 that I think can be confirmed as working and can be carried across the largest array of “tiers” of players.

Also, take them with a grain of salt that they are custom tailored to me and not necessarily the “end all be all” for how the build should be run. They aren’t anything “new” and there are definitely many working variants, but I will list them explanations to explain the purpose and goal of each build and what works/what to look out for.

So, builds:

Power
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQJATRnEqQLLWLIOsAVLGYPoWHAFwZ3uHuhdg1AXwmK-TpBFwACuAA12fIxhAYxRAoaZAAPAAA

• So we all know that this is the “pewpew” build. However, instead of going full into Skirmishing to make the GS a full offense weapon, I take a defensive stance and go into Wilderness survival for the free stunbreaker, dodges with protection, and a little bit of condition removal. You aren’t standing on a point unless necessary with this build, you are the damage, and as the damage, particularly with the longbow, your goal is to harass enemy damage dealers. GS with lower cooldowns is great utility and can also keep good damage up on a target, and combined with the LR leap and double immunities, common ranger threats like thieves become much more manageable to deal with, and the damage lost from not running full skirmishing is worth the utility and sustain gained.
  I don’t run SotF on power builds. I do not and will not ever like the utilities that you get pigeonholed into as a power build, and in general I don’t find the stats or the traits to be any more powerful than picking up WS. It definitely works for people, but the utility of the builds is so different that outside of damage, the way you play them isn’t even comparable.

Condition
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQRAnY8fjEqUzaLL+rQ1aADhqdLEslArAwd8+CXdBbqA-TJhHwAAOJAILDE4JAAa/BA

• Not unfamiliar to anybody, this is a condi-survival build. I don’t go with shortbow Axe/Dagger because I value the mobility and utility of the sword/torch set, as well as the burning and fire field, much more than a 900 range harass. Especially because this plays more like a “dueling” build than anything and you can still hop into a teamfight and have enough sustain and damage to take out enemies. Muddy terrain isn’t taken because outside of its cooldown, its a bad skill, and Sharpening Stone can be used on Axe 2 if you know you are going to land a perfect Axe 2 to guarantee a massive bleed stack (which can also be combo’d with Entangle+Krait Runes and Dagger 5 and cap out bleed stacks in about 2 full seconds, and then a swap to torch for burning for the icing on the cake). Nothing new or fancy here though, just a slight variant as mentioned.

*Hybrid Support"
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAV8YjEq0savK+rQ0aADhq9JEslArAw9PME9QBbqA-TpBFwACuAAKOIALOCAQLDA4BAMf/BA

*This is by far the most “carry” build (it can carry you) you can run if you know how to dodge and evade. You’ve got your mindless procs, you peak autoattack DPS, 2 ridiculously often proc’ing crit sigils, and massive elite heal and rez utility. People can take 2 out of Nature Magic and put them into Skirmishing to pick up Primal Reflexes, and honestly it’s probably a tad bit more damage oriented that way and would be preferable, but the Spirit GM combined with the Elite Spirit can literally shift the entire tide of teamfights and works more frequently than one would think. Still, I run the more damage option (this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAV8YjEq0savK+rQ0aADhq9JEslAzAodd+DDRBbqA-TpBFwACuAAKOIALOCAQLDA4BAMf/BA) as often, if not more often, just because I prefer playing damage to support (which is why mindless spirit support is perfect for me).

Also, for a reference point for everybody, my personal opinion is that with these builds, power=hybrid>condi survival. The current meta just imo has too many bad matchups for pure condi players, and is unlikely to change for the next few months, but as long as you can reliably beat thieves and the occasional DPS guardian, power and hybrid matchups have good success rates and if left unchecked (especially a power ranger) can absolute dominate games and push wins.

Preemptive QA: Why is every build using Troll Unguent?
Healing Spring is good from a support and team standpoint, but Troll has almost double the healing for its “quirk.” It’s more selfish, but easier to not waste, and provides a great heal for every build. I’d really on recommend Healing Spring in a more condi driven (as opposed to hybrid driven) meta where you are running with a team that can take full advantage of you disadvantaging yourself in the way of pure healing output.

Reserved for my potential thoughts.

i would still consider using Storm Spirit. I know it was nerfed last April 2014 but the burst damage is still ok. It can hit 2-3k non-crit and crit up to 3-3.9k. Mediocre burst is still better than none. A spirit ranger build has many ways to clear condi (pet and HS), so i don’t see the point of using Signet of Renewal. Just my y observation.

Valentin.2073:

i would still consider using Storm Spirit. I know it was nerfed last April 2014 but the burst damage is still ok. It can hit 2-3k non-crit and crit up to 3-3.9k. Mediocre burst is still better than none. A spirit ranger build has many ways to clear condi (pet and HS), so i don’t see the point of using Signet of Renewal. Just my y observation.

Signet of Renewal is mostly chosen for its versatility over something like Lightning Reflexes, which I would consider as the next best in slot option for the goal of the playstyle. SoR is both a break and a clear, and a passive clear, giving it multiple benefits that imo fit how I play better than LR, since I don’t believe myself to use LR “liberally” enough to warrant it as the superior slot option.

As for the storm spirit suggestion, I wouldn’t run triple spirits as I prefer to have an active stun break, and I actually would drop stone for storm if I was going to be dueling more often.

The way I tend to play spirits however could be considered in basic terms to be an “autoattack turret.” I don’t find myself getting close enough to the fight to be able to take advantage of the storm spirit nearly as much as I would want to. The AoE in the current meta tends to rip through spirits and I tend to like to abuse their passives at 900 range and constantly harass the enemy and while providing passive support for my team.

If I were to shift the focus of myself playing the build, then yes, I actually do run storm/sun on a build like that. But I’ve found myself at that point to just prefer what the condi-survival can do in that situation to even running spirits.

Of course, not to say that running triple spirits or anything is suboptimal. I’m just trying to further explain my playstyle choices, but I absolute recognize your comments as valid and hope that people reading will see them and take them as potential options to suit how they play.

Edit: I’ve playtested using Storm Spirit again for quite a large chunk of time and every single time taking it over stone spirit in my initial build seems to be my more effective and preferred option. I appreciate you reminding and inspiring me to give it a go again, and I will update the OP to reflect the changes made.

I don’t understand the pirate runes – are you assuming that might stacks will come from your team mates?

Sube Dai.8496:

I don’t understand the pirate runes – are you assuming that might stacks will come from your team mates?

It isn’t a might stacking build…? The pirate runes are chosen because the beef up the autoattack, add another 3 might stacks that add 105 power/condition damage with ~50% uptime, and add a rather annoying and hard hitting AI that “soaks” AoE, body blocks, and does decent damage.

It’s just one of those runesets that has the potential to provide the widest spread of stats and functions, and there aren’t many better alternatives. Might stacking isn’t effective on ranger, or effective enough to gear a whole build towards it (especially if guardian is considered a bad choice to run a might build), and the condi runes are either almost all subpar with some of their effects or get wasted potential (krait runes on that build) to a high degree.

It takes a page right out of the cele staff ele book and just goes for the pirate runes for that reason. Another alternative would be to run Balthazar runes, but you are taking a whole runeset at that point just to add 1 second to your burn (and burn on heal) so my preference is to just as soon take a power set that gives might and summons and annoyingly hard hitting bird.

There’s also always Mercy Runes I supposed, or more support oriented runes of that nature. And while those and other alternatives I listed are absolutely manageable, I get the most mileage personally out of pirate runes.

Edit: Hoelbrak might be an option that I’m overlooking and undervaluing. I’d have to do some play tests.

Edit2: I played around with the Hoelbrak runes and found their utility and might gaining potential (for a higher stat total) to be greater than Pirate runes, and I wouldn’t have even blinked at the idea of testing them otherwise, so I appreciate your comment that inspired me to try them and have updated the OP accordingly.

not sure how I feel about the hybrid/support build, or that idea for the ranger in general. if you look at the cele ele/war/engie, they do high damage with near-perma aoe/pbaoe burns while still being able to give boons, heal, stomp and rez. the only thing different with the ranger is SoN, but if it’s blown up quickly or on CD, youre left with a semi-tanky ranger with pretty mediocre damage and no stability. but double canine is a good idea.

admittedly I haven’t played a power build with 2 invulns, but it has no on-demand condi wipes which is concerning, and leaves you super vulnerable to immobs (unless you get lucky with EB). this is where sotf with 3 survival skills comes in. 6 in NM basically allows you to slot in QZ and SoW for some of the best burst in the game, and using s/d with energy/hydromancy makes invulns unnecessary.

also in my experience against good thieves I found the GS to be a very clumsy, slow weapon and had to switch to s/d just to be able to survive good d/p’s who know how to maintain blinds and stealth. I would go as far as to say that making the switch is highly recommended.

mistsim.2748:

removed text from quote because I text wall too well

The hybrid support actually works well in the meta, mostly because the celestial meta is the “can’t beat it, join it” meta currently. Engis run cele rifle because they have no chance of beating an ele otherwise, and add shout warrior to that list (for a grand total of the 3 most common meta builds) and then we have to kitten condi ranger as being in a similar boat; can it do substantial damage with just condis to a meta sustain build?

Now, granted, I’m not arguing to run ranger over one of the other current meta classes. There is no argument that the other classes can do everything and more. The ranger hybrid build is more so that it has a competing damage option that can handle other current meta builds and offer decent pressure and an addition to the team.

The shortbow dual procs chunk enemy health down surprisingly quick and proc frequently, and spirits do what spirits do, add a whole lot of stuff for enemy attacks to hit while providing passive procs and active defenses (or offenses with storm) to help. It’s based solely around the idea that you are going to be teamfight in almost every situation you can manage to create for yourself, while having the sustain to pseudo-bunker a point long enough to make a difference.

Check out the tier list going on the PvP thread, we are basically bottom of the barrel on every single persons scope for a reason right now, which is totally fine by me personally. I just mean it as I don’t expect any of these builds to edge out another classes potential teamslot option, these are just the builds I happen to prefer to run in the current meta.

As for the power builds comments: I’ve tried to make S/D work, I really have, because I prefer that swap set. But against good, like, super good thieves (I queue against Toker and Caed often enough), S/D allows them to reset the fight and setup another burst, and they are very experienced at just widdling down your cooldowns until they can hit you full force.
GS works very well for me personally (it’s taken some effort) against them and other classes both as an offense and defense option, not to mention the always hilarious decaps (an enemy procs your GS4 and you knock them off point then land an entangle and get the decap. works with LB too obviously but not as hilarious).

I also tried making SotF work and I just can’t. The survival utilities are just weak, weak, weak options (outside of LR) and waste space on my utility bar. Muddy Terrain would have to be double the condition durations it applies for me to even think it worth slotting, not to mention skills like Muddy Terrain and QZ being offensively geared but having to save them to defensive use is obnoxious and counterintuitive to how I’d prefer to use those skills.

LR cleanses any immobilizes, and the only immobilize that tends to land on me personally is a Panic Strike proc. Everything else is very easily dodged, evaded, blocked, and avoided for some reason, unless I decide to fight an engi on their terms (aka standing in their aids on the point).

The duel immunities have been like a godsend for me. You can actually use them to save yourself from when guardians/thieves/etc get the drop on you and if you stagger them and use them only as truly necessary, you can get classes to blow every single resource they have on you between kiting with the LB stealth, GS blocks and evades, and the LR/Protect ME/SoS combo.

It’s just not a success rate that I’ve had with any other combination of weapons or traits, and EB is one of the best cleanses in the game, albeit random, and can keep the condi oriented classes damage off of you long enough to just rip them apart in most cases.

Don’t read any of these long blocks of text (I know, it’s what I do lol) “wrong” though. I’m not discrediting anything, I’m simply explaining what I have and haven’t tried and what has and hasn’t worked for me, and part of why I made the thread is to (bolding this part) see what other peoples experiences are and how they relate to mine, and whether the builds I posted can be improved for me by others input and vice versa, if people want to pick them up to see if they work for them.

Made some edits throughout to serve as updated responses to people, definitely appreciate the input and advice and have been testing and updating builds when needed.

jcbroe.4329:

Valentin.2073:

i would still consider using Storm Spirit. I know it was nerfed last April 2014 but the burst damage is still ok. It can hit 2-3k non-crit and crit up to 3-3.9k. Mediocre burst is still better than none. A spirit ranger build has many ways to clear condi (pet and HS), so i don’t see the point of using Signet of Renewal. Just my y observation.

Signet of Renewal is mostly chosen for its versatility over something like Lightning Reflexes, which I would consider as the next best in slot option for the goal of the playstyle. SoR is both a break and a clear, and a passive clear, giving it multiple benefits that imo fit how I play better than LR, since I don’t believe myself to use LR “liberally” enough to warrant it as the superior slot option.

As for the storm spirit suggestion, I wouldn’t run triple spirits as I prefer to have an active stun break, and I actually would drop stone for storm if I was going to be dueling more often.

The way I tend to play spirits however could be considered in basic terms to be an “autoattack turret.” I don’t find myself getting close enough to the fight to be able to take advantage of the storm spirit nearly as much as I would want to. The AoE in the current meta tends to rip through spirits and I tend to like to abuse their passives at 900 range and constantly harass the enemy and while providing passive support for my team.

If I were to shift the focus of myself playing the build, then yes, I actually do run storm/sun on a build like that. But I’ve found myself at that point to just prefer what the condi-survival can do in that situation to even running spirits.

Of course, not to say that running triple spirits or anything is suboptimal. I’m just trying to further explain my playstyle choices, but I absolute recognize your comments as valid and hope that people reading will see them and take them as potential options to suit how they play.

Edit: I’ve playtested using Storm Spirit again for quite a large chunk of time and every single time taking it over stone spirit in my initial build seems to be my more effective and preferred option. I appreciate you reminding and inspiring me to give it a go again, and I will update the OP to reflect the changes made.

yes, most of the times, you’d get protection from stone spirit when you least need it. pirates runes are very useful in 1v1 scenarios. i think i saw a ranger in a dueling arena using that build, who was almost unbeatable. although, i think that traveler runes would be a great alternative to give the build a speed boost. if the ranger is using axe+warhorn, his boons (fury, might, swiftness, and protection) would hugely benefit from the runes. axe maybe a little tricky to master but the might stacking from Ricochet can be useful on a Celestial build.

I’ve always felt the condi survival build does way too much physical damage to be using a rabid amulet over celestial, especially when a cleanse wipes out most of your offense. And you can never forget the added survivability of cele.

Fluffball.8307:

I’ve always felt the condi survival build does way too much physical damage to be using a rabid amulet over celestial, especially when a cleanse wipes out most of your offense. And you can never forget the added survivability of cele.

Sorry for the late follow up, I’ve been busier than usual over my winter break, lots of time with the family.

Yeah, I would almost 100% of the time run celestial over Rabid except for in that particular build, because while I do run celestial with Shortbow almost religiously, I don’t find my power DPS to be nearly as high with Axe/Dagger Sword/Torch and it makes me prefer to just play full on condi.

However, overall I’d rate it (and any pure condition build) bad for the current meta builds. Shoutbows and celes in particular need celestial to make a dent in them.

But, that being said, I just overall ended up playing pure condi with that setup and finding myself more effective (perceptively speaking) than when I ran it with celestial, unless I was running Axe/Dagger Shortbow.

As a sidebar entirely though: I find myself playing without either of the bows less and less now. Too many classes can just outrange and kite you if you don’t have a weapon to pressure them. It makes me hope that ANet one day gets around to making the axe autoattack more reliable at range and not tied with guardian scepter at effectively hitting things at range (scepter is actually better in some regard because it has a higher attack rate, so more hit chances).