Guild Wars 2

After only playing a few months after release and then quitting until just today, I came with the intent of rolling Ranger. So while I was waiting for customer support to give me a new password I did some research and found nothing but disheartening threads on how terrible Rangers really are.

My second choice was Mesmer since I never played one before I quit but my sights were most definitely set on this class. Will I truly be shunned and not invited to any group content? I want to participate in all things PvE but I’d like to do it with a ranger.

Are there any good builds that revolve around Shortbow/X? I don’t really care what the other weapon is but I was hoping there was a good strong build for Shortbow. Everything is foreign and this is like an entirely new game for me so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Im not super familiar with rangers in pve , but in wvw Rangers are a blast to play. they need some fixes but…all classes do.

if you looking for dungeon i would imagine SB- A/WH with cav trinks and zerk armor with beryl gems would work. and a stationary pet …like a spider or devourer.

But again when it comes to pve…im a green horn

Same as far as PvE knowledge goes. I do fractals with my guild and I’m usually the one reviving others.

For both WvW and sPvP, I switched to pure melee weapons and love it. Don’t listen to the QQ threads. Ranger has problems, but ALOT of them have been addressed.

It’s certainly enlightening to hear that. I’m noticing a lot of people are using axes and greatswords.. Is that the way to go? Is shortbow not really an option? I don’t mind if Axes or greatswords are my secondary weapon. But I truly want to build something around the SB

Shortbow is a great weapon. It shoots quickly and has some great skills. Really can’t go wrong with it. Greatsword is a very defensive weapon. It is my favorite

I like greatsword on my ranger because of the ability to use #3 Leap twice in a healing spring before the spring’s duration runs out giving you more umph for your heal.

Rangers get a lot of crap because a bad ranger brings almost nothing to a group while a bad war/mesmer/guard still brings some utility. Example today i was running CoF P1/P2 and i made the group. We get a ranger and he using a Longbow and a Bear pet. Sure i could kick him but i let it go.

If you want to be useful for dungeons you need a sword and a warhorn so you can melee, then use a River Drake or a Jaguar pet. Your 2nd weapon will be a Sword and Axe for Reflect. You carry a SB for the few fights you cant melee. You also go full berserker or if you cant dodge very will due to lack of skill or knowledge of the dungeon you mix the berserker with some Knight Gear. You wont match warrior DPS but you will be useful.

I’ve solely played my ranger since launch (tried other classes, though). Rangers are excellent in solo PvE content for farming, leveling, getting achievements/dailies, etc. However, right now more than ever the ranger class is getting a lot of flack for a few different reasons.

- Our pets were just buffed so some people feel they are OP in PvP.
- Rangers can be a difficult class in group play content (dungeons). Our pets can screw up encounters and our longbow is pretty worthless there. You will need to be very aware of any present situation and be prepared to constantly switch out skills/traits/weapons. You will also be babysitting your pet all the time.

So, to answer the OP’s question it’s not a “bad” idea to roll a ranger, just know that right now we’re in a “transitional” state. I highly expect more ranger updates at some point. Shortbow is a good idea. Greatsword or axe/axe would be my suggestion for your other weapon set (although you probably want to bring along both in your bags to swap out). I love my longbow, but it doesn’t have much use in PvE/PvP right now (WvW, however, it can be useful). Aim for DPS stats (critical and power) for the most part. Try to be useful to other members in your group if you do dungeons with either spirits (frost, flame) and with healing spring. Bring along quickening zephyr for DPS if you don’t have it on any skill bars yet.

Also, for your pet consider looking at the moas or drakes. I like the red moa bird for the buff it gives to you and nearby people. They aren’t as hardy, so if you are just soloing/leveling a bear pet will do. However, when you get into dungeon play just know there is a stigma with rangers bringing bear pets into dungeons because they bring little DPS.

Being a “good” ranger right now brings a little challenge, but it’s still possible. I often pug dungeons, fractals, and WvW and have never been kicked or given crap for anything. However, if you are looking for a class free of stigmas or one that’s in a solid place right now you might want to play something else.

Kilaelya.1420:

I’ve solely played my ranger since launch (tried other classes, though). Rangers are excellent in solo PvE content for farming, leveling, getting achievements/dailies, etc. However, right now more than ever the ranger class is getting a lot of flack for a few different reasons.

- Our pets were just buffed so some people feel they are OP in PvP.
- Rangers can be a difficult class in group play content (dungeons). Our pets can screw up encounters and our longbow is pretty worthless there. You will need to be very aware of any present situation and be prepared to constantly switch out skills/traits/weapons. You will also be babysitting your pet all the time.

So, to answer the OP’s question it’s not a “bad” idea to roll a ranger, just know that right now we’re in a “transitional” state. I highly expect more ranger updates at some point. Shortbow is a good idea. Greatsword or axe/axe would be my suggestion for your other weapon set (although you probably want to bring along both in your bags to swap out). I love my longbow, but it doesn’t have much use in PvE/PvP right now (WvW, however, it can be useful). Aim for DPS stats (critical and power) for the most part. Try to be useful to other members in your group if you do dungeons with either spirits (frost, flame) and with healing spring. Bring along quickening zephyr for DPS if you don’t have it on any skill bars yet.

Also, for your pet consider looking at the moas or drakes. I like the red moa bird for the buff it gives to you and nearby people. They aren’t as hardy, so if you are just soloing/leveling a bear pet will do. However, when you get into dungeon play just know there is a stigma with rangers bringing bear pets into dungeons because they bring little DPS.

Being a “good” ranger right now brings a little challenge, but it’s still possible. I often pug dungeons, fractals, and WvW and have never been kicked or given crap for anything. However, if you are looking for a class free of stigmas or one that’s in a solid place right now you might want to play something else.

Dont use a bear ever. A devourer can tank better than a bear. Also a Drake should be enough to tank anything in open PvE if your cat cant tank it.

Puandro.3245:

Rangers get a lot of crap because a bad ranger brings almost nothing to a group while a bad war/mesmer/guard still brings some utility. Example today i was running CoF P1/P2 and i made the group. We get a ranger and he using a Longbow and a Bear pet. Sure i could kick him but i let it go.

If you want to be useful for dungeons you need a sword and a warhorn so you can melee, then use a River Drake or a Jaguar pet. Your 2nd weapon will be a Sword and Axe for Reflect. You carry a SB for the few fights you cant melee. You also go full berserker or if you cant dodge very will due to lack of skill or knowledge of the dungeon you mix the berserker with some Knight Gear. You wont match warrior DPS but you will be useful.

And there in lies the problem with the class… When you have to spec one way to do something as mundane as PvE dungeons, while other classes can roll multiple ways and be useful…. Sad.

NargofWoV.4267:

Puandro.3245:

Rangers get a lot of crap because a bad ranger brings almost nothing to a group while a bad war/mesmer/guard still brings some utility. Example today i was running CoF P1/P2 and i made the group. We get a ranger and he using a Longbow and a Bear pet. Sure i could kick him but i let it go.

If you want to be useful for dungeons you need a sword and a warhorn so you can melee, then use a River Drake or a Jaguar pet. Your 2nd weapon will be a Sword and Axe for Reflect. You carry a SB for the few fights you cant melee. You also go full berserker or if you cant dodge very will due to lack of skill or knowledge of the dungeon you mix the berserker with some Knight Gear. You wont match warrior DPS but you will be useful.

And there in lies the problem with the class… When you have to spec one way to do something as mundane as PvE dungeons, while other classes can roll multiple ways and be useful…. Sad.

Nope, what i posted is the most effecient way to play a ranger and i could post one for every class. Nothing is stopping you from playing how you want though.

Puandro.3245:

NargofWoV.4267:

Puandro.3245:

Rangers get a lot of crap because a bad ranger brings almost nothing to a group while a bad war/mesmer/guard still brings some utility. Example today i was running CoF P1/P2 and i made the group. We get a ranger and he using a Longbow and a Bear pet. Sure i could kick him but i let it go.

If you want to be useful for dungeons you need a sword and a warhorn so you can melee, then use a River Drake or a Jaguar pet. Your 2nd weapon will be a Sword and Axe for Reflect. You carry a SB for the few fights you cant melee. You also go full berserker or if you cant dodge very will due to lack of skill or knowledge of the dungeon you mix the berserker with some Knight Gear. You wont match warrior DPS but you will be useful.

And there in lies the problem with the class… When you have to spec one way to do something as mundane as PvE dungeons, while other classes can roll multiple ways and be useful…. Sad.

Nope, what i posted is the most effecient way to play a ranger and i could post one for every class. Nothing is stopping you from playing how you want though.

Except those warriors lfg who will take your spot in party whenever you want to play a dungeon lol…

Nah, but in all honesty OP, it’s a fun class to play regardless of what the sheep bleet. If you already have other 80s, then there shouldn’t be any reason not to make this class. Sure, it’s less than ideal in a lot of situations, but it really excels in roaming WvW and sPvP. You can also pretty much solo anything in PvE (group event champions included in <40 areas).

I went ahead and made one anyways. I joined a large guild that encouraged me to play the class I wanted. It really was between Mesmer and ranger. Hopefully I wont get shunned out of any groups because of my class.

As far as build I have been researching the best build for pve but couldn’t find anything. The dirty 505 thread looked interesting and it allowed me to use a bow but I’m not much into signet builds. They feel to passive for me.

After playing with all the weapons I’m truly open to using just about any weapon but I do want a bow (short or long, got kinda used to the long bow last night) to be my primary tool. I was going to try to make a condition based build around the short bow but in another thread on this page someone had mentioned never to bring a condition ranger along to group content. Does anyone have any solid advice on where I should look?

I appreciate all the input so far guys. I went ahead and made one last night to about 20 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While not as flashy as my mesmer it feels like he kills faster, and is much more straightforward.

Stay away from LB, SB is a good weapon. Condi SB builds are good for PvP but for PvE power builds are always superior.

To add to what Puandro said, the reason why Condi SB builds are bad for PvE is because if you’re in any dungeon or world boss, the #1 and #2 skills on the SB end up becoming useless due to #1 adding bleed, which almost always is maxed out on any boss in and out of dungeons due to other classes being able to put on more of it faster, and #2 adding poison, in which the lack of stacking makes it pale in comparison to bleed and you almost never need the 33% reduction in healing on a boss.

In general PvE though (meaning not dungeons, fractals, or world bosses), the shortbow does an excellent job.

I play a Ranger and it can be a blast. I have leveled every other class except thief, engi, and necro, to 80, and I prefer the ranger.

That said, in dungeons only the most extreme support skills are appreciated and wanted. Ranger support skills are simply not on par with what Warriors, Guardians, and Mesmers bring to the dungeon scene.

The fanboys and Anet want you to ignore that scene, and if you can, good for you, but it does nobody any good to pretend there is no major imbalance there.

Thanks for input.
Ryu, you mentioned “general pve” does that mean shortbow is not viable for dungeons? And given that shortbow stacks bleeds, does it make for a good weapon for a power build?

SB is a good power weapon. Its generally not good for PvE because sword does more dps, even GS does more but if you must range SB is good.

Its a little disappointing that I wanted to play an archer and Ranger seemed like the best fit. Only to find that they are better with melee weapons lol

Edit: I wouldn’t mind a shortbow great sword build. If that makes for a viable power build. Would the DD505 be my best bet

ColdHeart.6374:

Thanks for input.
Ryu, you mentioned “general pve” does that mean shortbow is not viable for dungeons? And given that shortbow stacks bleeds, does it make for a good weapon for a power build?

It can do well for the mobs, but outside of that it’s not very good in dungeons. And I’m not too sure on whether it would be good for a power build or not. That kind of testing I leave to those who currently have power builds to answer.

Iv started a ranger, up to 30 now. And its alot of fun, so far he cleans up PvE pretty well and I use Longbow main, with Axe/torch alt.
I have a few problems, like “why is LongBow #2 just ShortBow #1 minus the bleed?” and I appear to just be SoL when both my pets die instantly to some boss.
But I main engineer so I know the class could be far worse.

Going from playing a lvl 25-30 ranger at southsun cove to playing a lvl 80 engi with all exotics and some ascended gear, was a nightmare. Its stupid how much better my ranger is.

Ok am i missing something why is the longbow so bad? Mind you i am a casual player. I dont have the countless hours i dumped into guild wars 1. I have leveled my ranger up to 75 since launch.. like i said i am a casual player. But.. i have used all the weapons the Ranger has to offer and found the longbow great sword combo my favorite. Why not use the longbow?

Puandro.3245:

Rangers get a lot of crap because a bad ranger brings almost nothing to a group while a bad war/mesmer/guard still brings some utility. Example today i was running CoF P1/P2 and i made the group. We get a ranger and he using a Longbow and a Bear pet. Sure i could kick him but i let it go.

If you want to be useful for dungeons you need a sword and a warhorn so you can melee, then use a River Drake or a Jaguar pet. Your 2nd weapon will be a Sword and Axe for Reflect. You carry a SB for the few fights you cant melee. You also go full berserker or if you cant dodge very will due to lack of skill or knowledge of the dungeon you mix the berserker with some Knight Gear. You wont match warrior DPS but you will be useful.

See, I’m sorry.. I know you’re trying to be helpful and you’re probably a great Ranger player, but this post is an example of what’s wrong not only with perception of Rangers but with every class. You see a Ranger in a Dungeon using a Weapon/Pet that doesn’t fit your personal opinion of what a Ranger should use in a Dungeon and you assume he’s doing it ‘wrong.’ Again, I’m not trying to be snide, you clearly know your Ranger and that’s great. I commend you for not just kicking him, but there are builds different then what you said that are perfectly viable. I run SB/GS in Dungeons and I am highly successful. In fact, I’m normally the best tank in the group often holding ground when even a Guardian has to fall back. Pet wise, we agree (I do run Jaguar/Drake) but there are other pets combos that work well too (Devourers, Moa’s for buffs, etc.) I have seen several Rangers use the Brown Bear effectively in dungeons like COF where the extra tanking and ‘Shake it Off’ can be useful. It’s not something I would do, but that doesn’t make it ‘wrong.’

To answer the OP’s question, in my personal opinion.. Ranger is the undisputed king of open world PVE. People will disagree, and that’s fine, but in my own opinion the Ranger is the best class in the game at open world PVE and can solo areas that other classes need to group for. In Dungeons, we’re not ‘the best,’ no one would argue that, but we can be useful and successful. A full Beast Master Build using a Drake and a Healing Spring can keep his party alive through even the toughest fights, and using a smart selection of pets can deal damage, provide buffs, or other utility. It’s not easy, it’s not a class that you can play as brainlessly as say a Warrior, but it’s all there.

Your biggest problem will be perception. Even though I can handle any Dungeon, public groups don’t want me because of the perception that “Ranger sucks.” The way around this is that I only do Dungeons with my Guild Mates. Just keep in mind that while you’ll be a strong and viable character, others will believe you’re weak and useless. That’s the biggest pitfall to Ranger in PVE.

@RavenRecoil:

Longbow is alright. I like it in some builds. It’s not the best weapon for these reasons:

It’s Auto Attack scales on distance. Mobs close distance, lowering damage. It fires slow. Ranged also does less than Melee just by GW2 design.

Rapid Fire does less damage than Auto Attack (optimized) in the time it takes to fire off. It still has it’s uses, such as used when a target is closing distance, or if you are hasted, or to track stealthed targets if you get it off in time.

LB3 is a utility shot. You give your pet a chance to inflict Vuln and boost your pet getting to the target. As an opener in PvE, I like it.

Knockback is good. A few classes have KB cleaves, ours is single target. It CAN be traited to pierce, but that’s not as nice.

Barrage is pretty predictable and telegraphed in PvP. Even in WvW chaos you’ve got a nice warning red circle. In PvE, namely dungeons, if you want to AoE, you have a sword, greatsword, and axe that will do it much better.

I think it combos well with my own Sword or Greatsword builds without too much effort. However, it’s my understanding that Shortbow is simply better damage and utility in both PvP and PvE.

Longbows bad rap comes from players who don’t use it as a quick swap (if I have to dodge out, I burn 3,2 (hasted), 1 until I can dart back in with my Sword/WH), but rather sit in the back and nock away. Those players probably also use a bear. And that’s not how it should be used.

ColdHeart.6374:

It’s certainly enlightening to hear that. I’m noticing a lot of people are using axes and greatswords.. Is that the way to go? Is shortbow not really an option? I don’t mind if Axes or greatswords are my secondary weapon. But I truly want to build something around the SB

Shortbow is cool. I would just offer this advice: Don’t look at your weapons as defining you. Don’t be primarily Shortbow, Seconarily Greatsword. Treat them both equally. Pack another weapon and offhand just in case. Don’t consider yourself melee, don’t consider yourself ranged: do what you need to do as the situation calls for it.

I find once newer players grasp the fluidity of weapon swaps and even traits within their traitlines, it can free your playstyle and thinking.

I think SB and Greatsword compliment each other well. Not a min/maxing choice, but they do pair well. If PvE is your thing, I’d recommend Guanglai’s build here as an exploration point:

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/82923-the-sword-and-board-dps-ranger-build/

Rangers are great.

I’m shortbow / greatsword in Rampager gear and Divinity Runes.

Spec is 30/10/0/0/30

Works well for me.

ColdHeart.6374:

Its a little disappointing that I wanted to play an archer and Ranger seemed like the best fit. Only to find that they are better with melee weapons lol

Edit: I wouldn’t mind a shortbow great sword build. If that makes for a viable power build. Would the DD505 be my best bet

You are however also receiving a lot of crap from players who think their build is the only viable build. You definitely have choices and let me focus on the ranged ones since you like them.

PvE:
As it has been said Shortbow is just great. High DPS (For a ranger) suited for both power and condition builds. When playing in groups you don’t want to run condition builds though due to the cap of 25 stacks which you hit easily with bleeds (= lower damage) If relatively skilled you can run (And probably should) a berserker build since you can dictate the range – The shortbow gives you both an extra dodge, cripple and an interrupt. Pretty nice.

Longbow always receives much hate and honestly I rarely see anyone use it properly outside of PvP. I don’t recommend using it when running around alone, I would take the shortbow for that. It yields a lower DPS than shortbow unless you can stay max range at all times which is unreasonable. In dungeons it’s a bit different. The longbow pops 10 stacks of vulnerability which means your teammates will do +10% damage as well, effectively yielding more damage than the shortbow. It also has a decent AOE for zerg encounters. Honestly though, I stay on my shortbow and it is largely a matter of preference.

Now you’re wondering “but that guy told me sword was way better” – Well.. It yields SLIGHTLY higher DPS than both bows.. And we’re talking 5% higher at the most. (You can find the calculations somewhere, google it if you like) – But it also comes at the expense of being in a very dangerous location, especially if you are running a berserker build. Not worth it in my opinion, but if you can live and keep popping the damage, by all means.

PvP:
In any event you are going to want at least 1 ranged weapon. Popular choice is shortbow because it is great for dueling → consistent damage, poison, evade, cripple, interrupt. Got to love it. I wouldn’t recommend using longbow here, but that’s not to say it is not viable. A few amazing people pull it off, using the knockback right and spreading conditions like a plague with the AOE. It’s not easy getting that right.

As a secondary weapon sword gets into play. In PvP you will have a hard time just staying at the back and sword has some utility. First of all the auto attack is a permacripple and great when you catch up to a runner. They will mostly have to fight you. Second it is great for defense even with the high DPS. Both skill 2 and 3 are quite the decent bonus dodges. For offhand I usually go with warhorn for the utility of swiftness and 20% crit to teammates.

When it comes to PvP builds there’s quite a few choices and I can’t possibly know them all, but I get surprised what people run sometimes. It isn’t always all bad.

The ones I run:

Berserker: Shortbow + Sword & Warhorn
– Excellent duelist build. Will slice most other glass cannons.
Condition: Shortbow + Sword & Warhorn
– Also great for dueling. Slices bunkers decently
Bunker: Shortbow + Sword & Warhorn (I love those weapons!!)
– We actually DO make a nice bunker and it’s currently my favourite build for PvP.

PsionicDingo.2065:

@RavenRecoil:

Longbow is alright. I like it in some builds. It’s not the best weapon for these reasons:

It’s Auto Attack scales on distance. Mobs close distance, lowering damage. It fires slow. Ranged also does less than Melee just by GW2 design.

Rapid Fire does less damage than Auto Attack (optimized) in the time it takes to fire off. It still has it’s uses, such as used when a target is closing distance, or if you are hasted, or to track stealthed targets if you get it off in time.

LB3 is a utility shot. You give your pet a chance to inflict Vuln and boost your pet getting to the target. As an opener in PvE, I like it.

Knockback is good. A few classes have KB cleaves, ours is single target. It CAN be traited to pierce, but that’s not as nice.

Barrage is pretty predictable and telegraphed in PvP. Even in WvW chaos you’ve got a nice warning red circle. In PvE, namely dungeons, if you want to AoE, you have a sword, greatsword, and axe that will do it much better.

I think it combos well with my own Sword or Greatsword builds without too much effort. However, it’s my understanding that Shortbow is simply better damage and utility in both PvP and PvE.

Longbows bad rap comes from players who don’t use it as a quick swap (if I have to dodge out, I burn 3,2 (hasted), 1 until I can dart back in with my Sword/WH), but rather sit in the back and nock away. Those players probably also use a bear. And that’s not how it should be used.

Thanks for the reply. Those are Some good points. Im Going To give shortbow Another chance.

If I were to give you honest opinion, I’d say go SB. It’s just easier.
BUT! LB works too. I run LB/GS build everywhere, but spvp. I took it with me through all pathes of all dungs (dungeon master), high enough fotm lvl (33 atm) and hundreds, if not thousands hours in WvW (I play mostly WvW and have over 1,5k h played on ranger).
It’s true LB works only if you can stay on max range, but when you do it, it’s actually very strong.
Rapid Fire is rather weak skill, but when testing it on golems, this skill somehow “saves” LB compared to SB, when it comes to close distance for some time and you can’t swap weapon for any reason. Also, if you start using it before enemy stealths, it keep hitting him while he is invisible.
Hunters Shot is great. Ofc, there are classes who can give team more vuln. Still, with 30 points in MM (for piercing + range) and -20% CDs on skills, I can keep 10 vuln on target all the time, jumping to 20 stacks for ~2 sec everytime I reapply it.
Point Blank Shot isn’t really useful in PvE. Sometimes you can use it to push mob into AoE or take pressure from ally. In WvW it’s great to throwing ppl from cliffs, or even from walls when you are under them!
Barrage is great! It’s pretty strong AoE. The main weakness is the fact you can’t move while casting, but on the other hand it’s still hitting after full channel. Cripple helps too.

You can see how it looks “in field” here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/My-ranger-movie/first#post2012815
It’s WvW, but still shows some numbers and effects of skills.

Play what you like and even biggest crap will work and give fun.

I appreciate all your guys’ input. I’m definitely gonna just play it out as its the class I find most fun. Shortbow was always my favorite weapon and a big greatsword looks cool too so I definitely want to build around that.

I’m not good at creating builds so I checked out the sword and board build and that seemed to be very melee focused. Is there one that is tailored to short bow greatswors combo? Preferably a power build of some kind? This would be strictly pve.

Again I appreciate everyone’s input. Thank you

If you are playing ranger just for dungeons, all i can say is, don’t invest too much time and money into it, you will regret it. It’s a fun class, but ultimately it’s subpar compared to the others. After dropping 200G and 600+ hours on my ranger, trying out all the builds, trying to be as efficient as possible I can honestly say I regret wasting my time and money. Fun to play, not so much when you need to max out efficiency vs other classes. Get ur 80 exotic sets + ur ascended accessories and call it a day, don’t bother with T3 or legendaries.

However, one place ranger is actually really shining atm is spvp and I recommend you have a go with it there, my ranger only spvps now, wish I had come to that realization sooner XD.

edit- longbow isn’t as bad as people say, (dungeon wise) running it in zerker with a Quickness build used to be acceptable just rapid fire+ barrage in quickness then switch out to another weapon… although with the quickness nerf now it’s questionable again. You also would want to run piercing arrows trait to get the most out of it, which is irritating because it requires 30 points in a trait line. I’ve always been on the opinion that all ranger arrows should pierce by default.

Your elite really shines in fotm- Entangle is a great asset in dredge fractal for the aoe immobilize, along with muddy terrain. This can also be utilized on lava fractal to hold lava eles together and to stop the vet shamans pushing villagers off the cliff. Your LB 4 knockback is also great here.

Always take healing spring. Consider running a drake pet for blast finisher along with your Greatsword skill 3, inside the heal spring for aoe heals.

Just 1 more thing: buff/nerf circle is rolling all the time. Todays top classes can be tomorrows UP ones. So IMHO if one likes ranger, there is nothing wrong in investing gold/time.

That’s my thought exactly. Its the class I enjoy most so I will just stick with it. Its not exclusively for dungeons no but I figure I can use a dungeon power build out in the world while I quest.

This may be a stupid question but when should I swap to greatsword and when to swap back? Last night I swapped to greatsword when they came to melee range or when I needed to do some aoe but once I was in greatsword I didn’t really see a need to switch back until the next fight.

Going along with that question… how do I know which attacks I should be dodging and which I should soak up due to the limited endurance bar?

I just started the sb/gs combo and i love it !! For me i swap to gs after i have used all 5 of my sb skills. This maximizes the damage. I usually will use sb 3 and then gs 3 to jump back into the fight. I also will switch to gs when i have more than one mob so i can have some aoe.

To counter what everyone says about the LB it is NOT a bad weapon. I use LB/SB and it works fine in dungeons just gotta know when to use it. LB works ideally when specced for precision as my crit rate is 60% and between 900-1500 range LB hits HARD. Obviously you can’t always sit back and fight hence in SB is my secondary. Weapon swapping is key to using the LB it hits hard at far range and if you have a couple guardians/warrs holding aggro LB works great in compliment. As far as pets I try to use pigs as their drops are great for dungeons, drakes because they can tank and hit hard, moas for their buffs, spider/dog for immob. Bears are not really good in dungeon because of low damage and even though they have the highest vitality it doesn’t prevent them from getting one-shotted so really kinda useless in dungeons. Open world is a different story though.