Guild Wars 2

Leveling ranger again and decided to mix things up using shortbow and axe/torch with traps. Noticing I can put down alot of conditions very quickly and its a nice change of pace.

I think you answered your own question.

Yup, completely viable.
A different setting but works just as well. It might work better in 80 lvl content (orr, Maguuma,…) where conditions can pile up and keep on rolling.

Berserker has a better starting point and then falls on in terms of damage.
Conditions go the other way round.

Also, conditions hit more stuff in AoE.

Tragic Positive.9356:

Also, conditions hit more stuff in AoE.

Eh, berserker probably has more AoE in the grand scheme of things. AoE for conditions is bonfire and splitblade and some utilities, probably only flame trap. Power has melee cleave, barrage, potentially offhand axe (new a5 is amazing!), and eventually arrow piercing. Not really a big deal either way, but power does have AoE.

grab some “hard %” condition duration stuff. It isn’t downscaled.

-sigils
-rune sets (2&4 piece)
-pizza (different ones at different lvls)

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Condition_Duration
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_Agony
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_Smoldering

Everything is viable for leveling in PvE, the question is how fast you want to do it. Condi damage takes more time to ramp damage than straight power, so the question is how fast you want to kill things and how much health the mobs have.

But yeah, condi is as viable as anything else.

Fluffball.8307:

Tragic Positive.9356:

Also, conditions hit more stuff in AoE.

Eh, berserker probably has more AoE in the grand scheme of things. AoE for conditions is bonfire and splitblade and some utilities, probably only flame trap. Power has melee cleave, barrage, potentially offhand axe (new a5 is amazing!), and eventually arrow piercing. Not really a big deal either way, but power does have AoE.

I didn’t say they don’t, it’s just that Bonfire, Splitblade, potentially Winter’s Bite and traps hit 5 targets.
Berserker has quite a few restrictions. LB has a long CD (5), traited needs to line up targets, sword hits 3>1>3 targets and OH Axe goes similar.
GS would be the AoE choice but that’s not our primary DPS weapon.

For leveling winter’s bite (AoE) isn’t an option, and bonfire is on a big CD. It’s just splitblade and flame trap pretty much. And for doing hearts or whatever, you aren’t going to consistently be hitting 5 targets, more like 2.

In practice, power is going to have more AoE, and the axe even makes more use of it by stacking enemies for you. However this is totally irrelevant since open world is so trivial . If I were recommending speed clearing hordes of trash, I’d definitely recommend power, but condi is fun for leveling for a change as OP rightfully pointed out. And it’s an excuse to use SB for something.

Fluffball.8307:

If I were recommending speed clearing hordes of trash, I’d definitely recommend power, but condi is fun for leveling for a change as OP rightfully pointed out. And it’s an excuse to use SB for something.

Haha, this is so true! I couldn’t agree more.