Guild Wars 2

So here’s something y’all can do to pass the time.

I’ve recently made my 3rd ranger (I’m in between having 2 or 3 of every profession atm) and I don’t exactly know what kind of build I want to run. The thing is, I both like trying new things, and I don’t like doing something I already have, so I want Ranger 3 to be unique compared to my others. Ranger 1 is already the condi raid/fractal meta build with axe and torch, and Ranger 2 is a wvw commander with Minstrel (GS+Sw/Wh, Marks/Nature/Beast).

I want to try a bunch of things that don’t necessarily fit together, so I’m asking y’all here in the Ranger forum to flex your theorycrafting muscles and come up with some builds I could try. The winner might even get a smidgen of a prize, depending on how my bank is looking (feeding 23 children characters is a tad expensive, and more are on the way).

Here’s what I’d like to try:
Longbow would be cool
I don’t have anything focused on really utilizing Druid
Traps are nifty
I also have a set of Runes of the Thorn (i.e. Poison focus) laying around that I can’t put on a Thief or Necro for reasons
I have condi glass and super tanky minstrel, so armor should be further away from those extremes.
I’d plan on using it mainly for messing around in wvw or open world pve

Lets see what y’all can come up with. It doesn’t even have to follow any of the above suggestions so long as its interesting enough.

Condi longbow,

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNMQJATWjEqCVqZ1sWy6Xxl1yCVrr1ihg18uSdtA4u6YNtyEAGdNgUeW6wgE-TlTFABUfABUSZADHIgEOEAVpU7Q1foTTwSKJS+CI02+DrpDBgnQQfKBrVDRAAEgduz05Ozm3cn78QH6QH6QHa7cn7cn7cnlC4ulVA-w

Solo/small wvw and non-hardcore pve.
Nothing quite like it

List of very niche/thematic builds

THUNDER RANGER (Lightning-Themed – Hit Hard, Hit Fast)

• + 65% Boon Duration
• + Lots of mobility
• + Lots of Stunbreak
• + Acceptable Condi Removal
• - Glassy Build
• - Relies heavily on projectiles
• ¤ Rune of Surging for a CC Bubble, easily switched to Of the Ranger/The Pack
• ¤ Can Switch the melee set to GS
• ¤ Can Switch Druid to Wilderness Survival or Nature Magic

FLAME RANGER (Fire-Themed Condi)

• + Burn for Days
• + Blinds
• + Acceptable Condi Removal
• + Acceptable health/toughness
• - Somewhat weak vs High Resistance Uptime Enemy
• ¤ Switch Celestial Shadow to Natural Stride for better mobility

TOXIC RANGER (Poison-Themed)

• + Mega Poison
• + Lots of crippling
• + Lots of evades
• + Mega Mobility
• + Acceptable Condi Removal

FROST RANGER (Chill-Themed)

• + Chill for days (enemy cooldowns & mobility near-permantly reduced)
• + Bleeds
• + Acceptable Condi removal
• + Perma Weakness
• - No stability
• - Limited Stunbreak

RAPTOR RANGER (CriticalCondi Bird Themed)

• + High Crit Chance
• + Lots of Bleeds
• + Lots of Condi removal
• + BIRDS EVERYWHERE
• - Slightly Glassy
• - No Stability (But 3 Stunbreak skills)
• ¤ Can switch Druid to Nature Magic

ARMY RANGER (Shout Ranger)

• + AoE Condi Cleanse
• + High Protection uptime
• + Lots of Might
• + Lots of mobility
• + Non-Projectile based Ranged
• + Acceptable access to Stealth
• ¤ Switch Signet of Stone to “Search and Rescue!” or Bountiful Hunter to Allies Aid when in group

TRAPPER RANGER (Traps)

• + Lots of Mobility
• + Lots of Stealth (Rune of Trapper + Smoke Field)
• + Lots of Condi
• - Limited Condi Removal
• - No Stability
• - Limited Stunbreak

CELESTIAL RANGER (Ultimate Jack-of-all-trades)

• + Lots of Stun Breaks
• + Lots of Taunts
• + Lots of Damaging Condis
• + Lots of Hindering Condis
• + 65% Boon Duration
• + High Protection Uptime
• + Lots of Quickness
• + 2 sources of Superspeed
• + 2 sources of Stealth
• - Very Limited Condi Removal
• - Damage relies on might stacking, fortunately it will stack to 25 most of the time
• ¤ Can change Beastly Warden to Zephyr’s Speed for even more Quickness and Might
• ¤ Can change Windborne Notes to Evasive Purity for some condi removal
• ¤ Can change Rune of the Traveler to Leadership for higher boon duration and limited condi removal (self and allies) or to Durability for some Condi Management through Resistance

Ooh nice, I’m liking how everything looks so far. What I like the most, is between Condi Longbow and the thematic ranger builds I’m most interested in, they basically share the same equipment with minor changes. Thanks to you both with your ideas.