Guild Wars 2

This is a loaded question, but what is the “best” farming build?

I’m not sure how to maximize my (mostly)single target DPS. I don’t know if buffing the pet is the best way to do this, or to get traits that benefit me mostly are better? Keep in mind that most of the mobs I plan on killing are rather easy, but I may want to farm karka some day. Is there a good hybrid build?

I find for killing easy mobs (like orrian stuff or sub-80 events) en masse, nothing beats just going with 30 points each in marksmanship and skirmishing and using a greatsword and axe/warhorn to AE them down.

For farming karka, I think a beastmaster build with the much higher inherent sustain keeps you moving faster over time. BM builds are mainly about single target damage and good defense and that’s generally what you want in Southsun. Master’s Bond and the health regen grandmaster trait are just gold there.

It’s not like it’s expensive to reassign trait points or anything, so just get used to switching depending on what you’ll be farming that session.

Thanks for the advice. I was just unsure what was better overall for DPS. I do realize that the pet traits would be beneficial for survivability down the road but I didn’t know if I would be sacrificing much DPS that way.

Do you have any suggestion on Traveler’s armor vs Explorer’s? Or a mix of both?

Beastmaster builds don’t sacrifice much single-target DPS. A cat with a 25-stack of Master’s Bond puts out some serious damage. It also minimizes the efficiency loss of wearing magic find armor since their stats are completely independent of yours. The only real problem with the build from a farming perspective is it doesn’t do much AE damage, even with a drake.

Bunker ranger works well. With drakes and superior healing from traits and equipment, you and your drakes basically pulls and kills groups of 5-10 non-stop. Drakes solo supply camps in WvW pretty easily. I wouldn’t worry about masterbond though. You get a ton more dps switching. It also lets you ping pong mobs by resetting aggro tables. Good for when you are fighting champs.

Ljiona.9142:

I wouldn’t worry about masterbond though. You get a ton more dps switching.

Sorry to pester you, but could you clarify? Also, is the “bunker ranger” basically just down the toughness and vitality lines?

If you are farming events with the zerg (SC or Orr) you want good AoE to tag everything.
Build here doesnt metter much. Only 10 pts in BM to get masters bound will already make your pet good enought (and you probably dont even need that). Get a river drake for their AoE to tag as much mobs as you can. I find going LB/SB with faster recharge and piercing arrows better than axe.
You can completely avoid a young karka ranged attack by the same way you avoid a guardians scepter ranged auto-attack btw…

Really farming those events is all about running fast from one spot to the next and tag as much mobs as you can before they melt down to the zerg…

Farming dungeons or WvW is quite different though…

Zindrix.1750:

Ljiona.9142:

I wouldn’t worry about masterbond though. You get a ton more dps switching.

Sorry to pester you, but could you clarify? Also, is the “bunker ranger” basically just down the toughness and vitality lines?

Switching pets outshines master bond when using drakes because you get two powerful F2 skills and two tail-whips. Instead of waiting for the cool-downs of one pet, you switch pets and they automatically do their tail-whip followed by the F2 skills. Switching gives you haste and your pet haste, so the pets execute those attacks faster.

Also, when fighting a harder monsters that hit harder or large groups, you can use switching to survive longer. You let you pet tank awhile. Once its health is low, switch. You have that pet on passive. You tank awhile. Once your health drops. You command the pet to attack. By that time, your cool-down on swap will be up or close to up. Your pet tanks while your passive heals get you to full. This flip flopping even works on some boss monsters.

As far as bunker, I mean toughness and heals works better. You get more out of your passive heals. Whether you like power or condition damage is preference for the most part.

Longbow/shortbow 30-30-0-10-0 Piercing arrows, extended range and faster cooldown on bow skills…pair of Drakes

Profit..

Power (2k) Toughness (2k) Healing (8xx – 1k) with x4 regeneration sources and stand still while using whatever weapon you want..Double bow nooo problem…Wanna sport a massive great sword go for it, like the 1h sword dance, knock your self out son!

lLobo.7960:

Really farming those events is all about running fast from one spot to the next and tag as much mobs as you can before they melt down to the zerg…

When was the last time you were in Cursed Shore running penit/shelter??

Cursed Shore is no longer about tagging mobs. All the MF mob-tagging leechers left weeks ago. The players who can still farm there use DPS, stability and condition removers, all the things rangers don’t have. I don’t even bother bringing my ranger to Cursed Shore anymore.

The players doing this now are mainly warriors and guardians. Sometime is it just 3-5 of us (using my guardian). defending one of the bases, I often run the escort missions solo, or with 1 or 2 others.

I still see the odd ranger showing up, usually running a trap/condition build with a drake or spider. They must have missed the memo and they don’t stick around for very long …

Perhaps a 30/30/x/x/x full zerker dual bow ranger can still farm penit/shelter successfully, but seems these builds are not popular anymore, and for good reason.

Sarlack.4096:

Longbow/shortbow 30-30-0-10-0 Piercing arrows, extended range and faster cooldown on bow skills…pair of Drakes

Profit..

Which trait do you get for 10 in the Vitality line?

Zindrix.1750:

Sarlack.4096:

Longbow/shortbow 30-30-0-10-0 Piercing arrows, extended range and faster cooldown on bow skills…pair of Drakes

Profit..

Which trait do you get for 10 in the Vitality line?

5% health to Power since its all about the Tag and move on.

Strategically Strafe around the target and piercing arrows will get you a ton of Mob tags. Especially the way AI will line up in a row like duckies for you. Open LB 5 → LB 3 → LB2 when the get close LB4 and knock all their kitten back since the pierce applies the knock back to all in the row. Swap to SB and clean up.

I make 4-6G an hour with no magic find rotating Jofast/Penitents/Shelters, also the range allows for plenty of survival

bri.2359:

lLobo.7960:

Really farming those events is all about running fast from one spot to the next and tag as much mobs as you can before they melt down to the zerg…

When was the last time you were in Cursed Shore running penit/shelter??

Cursed Shore is no longer about tagging mobs. All the MF mob-tagging leechers left weeks ago. The players who can still farm there use DPS, stability and condition removers, all the things rangers don’t have. I don’t even bother bringing my ranger to Cursed Shore anymore.

The players doing this now are mainly warriors and guardians. Sometime is it just 3-5 of us (using my guardian). defending one of the bases, I often run the escort missions solo, or with 1 or 2 others.

I still see the odd ranger showing up, usually running a trap/condition build with a drake or spider. They must have missed the memo and they don’t stick around for very long …

Perhaps a 30/30/x/x/x full zerker dual bow ranger can still farm penit/shelter successfully, but seems these builds are not popular anymore, and for good reason.

I made 10.5 gold in 2 hours just yesterday so its still quite effective, just don’t dwell on the Vets/Champs until you hit the trash mobs first.

Sarlack.4096:

bri.2359:

lLobo.7960:

Really farming those events is all about running fast from one spot to the next and tag as much mobs as you can before they melt down to the zerg…

When was the last time you were in Cursed Shore running penit/shelter??

Cursed Shore is no longer about tagging mobs. All the MF mob-tagging leechers left weeks ago. The players who can still farm there use DPS, stability and condition removers, all the things rangers don’t have. I don’t even bother bringing my ranger to Cursed Shore anymore.

The players doing this now are mainly warriors and guardians. Sometime is it just 3-5 of us (using my guardian). defending one of the bases, I often run the escort missions solo, or with 1 or 2 others.

I still see the odd ranger showing up, usually running a trap/condition build with a drake or spider. They must have missed the memo and they don’t stick around for very long …

Perhaps a 30/30/x/x/x full zerker dual bow ranger can still farm penit/shelter successfully, but seems these builds are not popular anymore, and for good reason.

I made 10.5 gold in 2 hours just yesterday so its still quite effective, just don’t dwell on the Vets/Champs until you hit the trash mobs first.

I haven’t seen any difference either. I can still solo. I think most people are just farming in Cove.