Mostly play PvE and Dungeons. When I hear ranger I don’t think melee weapon, but wanted opinions on the matter. I assume damage isn’t has high with greatsword due to pets but nonetheless I want to make myself a worth-while goal that wouldn’t be wasted. I’m currently using a Longbow/Druid build.
Greatsword is one of my most use weapons on ranger particularity in general pve, map completion.
typically speaking 1 hand sword is our highest DPS weapon which snobby pve speed runner is a must have but for the average group GS is more then suitable.
Very good for pve and good for pvp too! When playing ranked pvp I used to sometimes go in with lb/gs ranger. Dominated pretty much every duel with gs. Had a specific build for it wich I don’t know from my head at the moment – would have to sit down and make it again
If it’s not in metabattle, it does not mean it is not good or usefull. Guides there are usually a bit short sighted and ment for strict group of 5ppl, where we know that most ppl soloq and ppl NEED to be carried a lot of times.
Personally, I adore the greatsword, coupled with Axe/Torch. It gives a lot of maneurverability and Decent CC, which I use more for sticking power and/or disengage while running a power or condi build. Is it the best? Not really, but is it fun? I sure think so.
It also becomes much more manageable when you have a group of friends to support you or you supporting them, since the torch fire field does a nice amount of damage and helps might stack for larger engagements.
I love GS. I’ts prob my fav GS build for any class. No, it’s not “best” in raw DPS/etc. But you said General PvE and Dungeons. Dungeons aren’t raids or fractals, that doesn’t mean you aren’t trying but there’s less or should be less elitists there and less ppl doing them regardless so they can’t be so choosy anyways… and GS does dish dmg; and solo in PvE it’s great mobile and pairs well with pet; it has evades, stuns, first strike for pet, daze. It’s more utility than pure dmg and sorta is better solo imo or WvW. BUT that’s also why you have weap swap – must u pair it with LB or Axe/x OR Sword/x – it’s quite good then and has uses aka daze/stun; pet burst attack.
I will say if u are more support like Staff Druid in dungeons I’d have maybe a more potent weap to switch to for DPS for group play, I still love GS/Staff but I’ve found sword/x or axe/x or LB works a little better if dmg becomes a lacking spot in group.
The greatsword is viable just as every weapon in the game is viable in that you will eventually accomplish the goal of killing something, it’s just not the most efficient weapon to use to do it.
typically speaking 1 hand sword is our highest DPS weapon which snobby pve speed runner is a must have but for the average group GS is more then suitable.
Say what? Who uses Druids/Rangers for speed runs these days? Why would you bring the 2nd lowest DPS for speed runs? Casual runs, sure… Bitter much?
Say what? Who uses Druids/Rangers for speed runs these days? Why would you bring the 2nd lowest DPS for speed runs? Casual runs, sure… Bitter much?
Because personal DPS never mattered. Ever.
And Druid is meta for DPS. Has been ever since HoT.
@OP
GreatSword is a comfortable and satisfying weapon. It has spike-y damage, has better cleave than sword (that might occasionally result in better DPS than S/A) and has better mobility. It also allows you to mitigate more damage than sword. It also provides some Vuln uptime.
So if you are about to roam / play casually – GS is a nice weapon to take.
If you are about to join a group saying “We are toxic and want only the World’s Elite for CoF story” then you’d better hide it. Not because it is bad. But because people consider it bad. DPS drop vs 1H Sword is roughly 15% which makes no difference since Ranger DPS sucks regardless. You are there for buffs, not personal DPS.
(It is worth mentioning that the more damage you deal – the less damage all of you take and more time all of you save. So yes, GS is viable but S/A would end up being more viable in like 75% situations)
DPS drop vs 1H Sword is roughly 15% which makes no difference since Ranger DPS sucks regardless. You are there for buffs, not personal DPS.
(It is worth mentioning that the more damage you deal – the less damage all of you take and more time all of you save. So yes, GS is viable but S/A would end up being more viable in like 75% situations)
Isn’t the DPS difference even less because of Sword’s animation change? I remember hearing it dropped Sword’s dps by a somewhat significant amount which would bringthe two weapons even closer.
DPS drop vs 1H Sword is roughly 15% which makes no difference since Ranger DPS sucks regardless. You are there for buffs, not personal DPS.
(It is worth mentioning that the more damage you deal – the less damage all of you take and more time all of you save. So yes, GS is viable but S/A would end up being more viable in like 75% situations)
Isn’t the DPS difference even less because of Sword’s animation change? I remember hearing it dropped Sword’s dps by a somewhat significant amount which would bringthe two weapons even closer.
It was roughly 17% before. But just as sword has been stealth-nerfed, off-hand axe has been buffed. I can’t say the exact numbers but I think the difference is still somewhere insignificant considering that 15% of jack kitten is still jack kitten.
At the end of the day, GS is more mobile which makes speed runs a tiny pinch faster. The weapon is perfectly viable.
The only problem with GS on Ranger is the buggy pause after the leap. I don’t know why Anet never fixed it, but I think it’s something to do with it not being one of their favoured “piano player” classes.
Nobody at Anet loves WvW like Grouch loved PvP. That’s what we need, a WvW Grouch, but taller.
When i’m just going around doing events i use a full cleric build staff/GS (GS is berserkr). The main focus is tanking and healing, but it has pretty good power and perma fury just pressing F2 (red moa).
I decided to rely on spirits for the huge passive healing of water spirit + spirit of nature, that, my pet and my toughness allow me to faceroll big enemies alone. You can instantly ressurrect groups of dead npc’s to use them as bait with spirit of nature, and if for some reason you’re in trouble just switch to staff/celestial avatar for a few seconds.
If you’re not soloing you can focus more on staff and tanking or just faceroll, depending on the event.
P.S. I use runes of the citadel cause i want to make sure i always have fury without paying attention. If you’re not as lazy as i am you can use anything else.
GS is pretty good for cleaves and 2x high bursts with a quick draw+ maul for trash mobs.
It’s got alot of utility and movement when it comes to skipping mobs and that block will save your kitten time and time again.
Ranger DPS is never going to outdo classes like Tempest, DD guard or warrior. But that’s not your intended role anyway as stated above. Of course dedicated groups probably frown upon the GS as it gives up quite a bit of potential group utility which an offhand will offer on top of superior sustained DPS.
Thing is though, if it comes to open world PVE events or completion, I’d probably take GS over a sword/x combination as it’s far more straightforward to use. WvW though, I’d still choose Sword/x over a GS, but that’s just from personal preference.
EDIT: Just think of it like a guardian’s Greatsword. It’s got inbuilt utility and good burst, but it’s outperformed by one handers when it comes to sustained DPS. Keep in mind though, even if it’s not “optimal” in PVE, it’s a very powerful choice in pvp.
