Guild Wars 2

Hey, I’d like to ask the ranger community for some advice on the core ranger for raids. I’m my guild’s Fractals and raiding officer. I’m the one who’s currently scheduling the weekly times for raids as well as training people for fractals making sure that they have the right skills they need when fractals are overhauled and raids are put into the game.

I’ve watched a few things on raids and what people’s impression of them are and I’m looking for ways of including everyone in my guild into the raid without forcing them to not play they way they want to. We have people who really want to heal and really want to tank as well as DPS.

I’m running into an issue because I’m trying to figure out builds that might be effective for each of the professions. Both the core professions and the elite specializations. But I’ve run into a bit of a snag with the ranger. I honestly don’t know the profession all that well and I’d like to have the ability to include them into a raiding situation if a guildy really wants to run one.

Could I get some sort of idea on what the ranger provides for a raid? How would you guys suggest one be built and in what role?

Ranger can be the condition damage dealer, the ranger sinister meta build rivals with engineer in cond damage, so that is a good start.

Druid will be the best healer you can use for raids so using one is probably the best course of action.
Otherwise you can’t do much except damages as a ranger. Sinister condi is probably your best bet and it’s quite efficient with rangers. Also minions don’t take damages in raids so they can use spirits, which is a nice buff (frost and sun for damages, stone for protection).

I noticed while watching some videos of the vale guardian fight that it moves around a lot, that may mean ranged damage will be more valuable than previously. I wouldn’t know from 1st hand experience though, can’t access the game for a while.

Druid Support healer is probably decent, depending on spirit placement and the fight, but it is a good place to start. https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Build-Druid-Dedicated-Support

Also, forum build sticky in the link in my sig.

For core Ranger in Raids, Sinister is the most likely option. You could also go DPS with NM and bring Spirits group support. Either or, really.

I also feel that we will either be the healer or the condition dps. I do not think that our highest dps weapon, the sword, will be usable in raids. Axe/torch with QD however…. and the new condition damage on pets….

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/96806-zerk-is-for-casuals-june-2015-ranger-builds/
It’s hard to say at the moment, since we know nothing about raids. I’m myself planning on playing as a druid, but it won’t stop me for making ranger/druid build.
Anyway if they are experienced rangers they should able to figure out themselfs on how they could benefit your party.

The best way to set up a viable Ranger build for raids is to drop the perfectionism and accept that an extra two or three minutes in a raid from suboptimal damage output really isn’t that big a deal. I most certainly appreciate that you’re aiming to let everyone participate, so my comment really isn’t directed at you so much as the types who see the “meta” as the only thing that exists. X) I’d say that, so long as they’re pulling their own weight, they’re as viable as they need to be.

Toolbox.9375:

The best way to set up a viable Ranger build for raids is to drop the perfectionism and accept that an extra two or three minutes in a raid from suboptimal damage output really isn’t that big a deal. I most certainly appreciate that you’re aiming to let everyone participate, so my comment really isn’t directed at you so much as the types who see the “meta” as the only thing that exists. X) I’d say that, so long as they’re pulling their own weight, they’re as viable as they need to be.

what is going on

For DPS: Condi ranger is the best option for dps, power ranger is vastly inferior for PvE dps. If you are trying to be optimal don’t bother with power rangers. With the new condi power being added to pets, condi ranger will have even more dps.

For Support: Ranger offers a lot of different options including spirits (Frost and Sun being favorite for dps support) also with the addition of the druid spec you also get the Glyph of Alignment but as a dps you wouldn’t want to spec into druid due to losing a lot of dps, assuming you go condi, but druid does have good synergy with power. Many pets offer different things from a smoke field for stealth on the smokescale, to moas that offer group buffs.

For Druid: Druid has the best burst healing, and as of beta 3 you could stay in in CA at least 95% of the time with little effort.

Kitty.1502:

For DPS: Condi ranger is the best option for dps, power ranger is vastly inferior for PvE dps.

This statement is a bit overkill. I run both and Condi really doesn’t start out-dpsing Power until 20 seconds in because of Quickness, SotP, etc.

This makes Power better for short fights and burn phases (which looks like it’ll be a thing on tongue monster thing boss).

Condi will still be used more often than Power, but you really want to be optimal you’ll carry Druid gear, Condi gear and Power gear.

As many have said, condi ranger is the best bet. Some people have said Druid but your question explicitly asks about core ranger, so I will just outline my experience with core ranger and raids.

Right now, most viable (my definition of viable raid groups is just finishing the content) will likely be something along the lines of:

• 1 Tank/dps
• 4 Power Dps
• 3 Condi Dps
• 1 Healer
• 1 Other dps/support/condi

Currently, Rev’s are heavy favourites for some of the power spots and condi engineers for all the condi spots. Druids are favourite for the healer spot and the tank spot can be done by a few classes, but ideally that tank has decent-high dps.

Although power ranger has decent dps, if running in a raid group you would not want more than one of them as their overall dps could make things harder as enrage timers could get stricter.

The big issue with power ranger is the classes it competes with. A balanced team would want to bring at least 3 condi’s, 1 tank and 1 healer, you would want at most 5 power dps. Ideally one will be a Rev but you may even want 2 or 3. You prolly want a PS war to help with might and a chrono is always excellent for support and boon stripping. We haven’t even mentioned ele’s who have high aoe dps (current boss was just a single target).

Before you know it, the power dps spots are really competitive/ full.

Condi spots have a clear leader – engineers. However, finding 3 might be tricky and Ranger’s (who have 20% less dps but still that’s higher than it’s power version) are a very good second choice. The only thing to be careful with a condi ranger is to make sure the tank doesn’t move the boss too much, otherwise the boss could just walk out of bonfire. Condi ranger’s also bring quite a bit of support and the pet’s extra body could help with things like getting in the orange circle or soaking up some damage.

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Ranger_-_A/T_Condition

Overall, base ranger’s should run sinister and condi to be most beneficial to the raid group.

Lome.8239:

Kitty.1502:

For DPS: Condi ranger is the best option for dps, power ranger is vastly inferior for PvE dps.

This statement is a bit overkill. I run both and Condi really doesn’t start out-dpsing Power until 20 seconds in because of Quickness, SotP, etc.

This makes Power better for short fights and burn phases (which looks like it’ll be a thing on tongue monster thing boss).

Condi will still be used more often than Power, but you really want to be optimal you’ll carry Druid gear, Condi gear and Power gear.

It is actually closer to 10 seconds not 20 seconds.

You still bring Spirits, Spotter and can deal competitive amount of condition/power damage. I’m not 100% sure about that, but maybe Pet could function as some kind of off-tank, too.

Power ranger is out of the question…would it work? sure, but as a last resort if the raid group seriously can’t find any revs/warriors/any better power specs…

Condi ranger – one of the best condi specs IF the raid mechanics allow it…. as it stands, this first raid was bad for condi ranger since there was no stationary target to allow bonfire/flametrap to ramp up…(best condi DPS in ranger repertoire)…if the target is constantly moving like these raid bosses were… then condi ranger is really not a good choice….

Hybrid – eh no thanks….really suboptimal in an already suboptimal core ranger is just bad….

Honestly, outside of druid, ranger will probably be suboptimal/below average in raids(unless future raid mechanics call for it)

None of rangers power specs are on par with what other classes were dishing out…

Condi specs are the only POTENIALLY good use for core ranger in raids but it all falls on raid mechanics….. but even then, unless no engi is available… engi is clearly the better condi spec to take…its just too good all around and does better dps…

I don’t even think i’ve seen videos of this raid boss kill where core ranger was used… it was all druids… so yea..to me, its druid or bust for raids when it comes to “core ranger viability in raids”…..

Thanks for the help guys.