Guild Wars 2

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Xsorus.2507:

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Trap Build? You mean the 1 viable build Ranger’s have in SPvP?

urdriel.8496:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

No……

ANET SAID:

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation.

While it says blah blah range this range that. It also says rangers can adapt to any situation. Meaning if its a close quarters fight adapt or die. Its the reason we have melee options.

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

You can define a ranger however you want, you are still wrong. If the class name were “Archer” then yes, based on the Latin root of the word it would be indicative that the class would be good with a bow and arrow.

Bringing this point up is to inform others so they do not sound ignorant when they talk about their own class. (I mean the word ‘ignorant’ in the sense of ‘unaware of’ not in an abrasive way.)

I honestly don’t know if the Ranger is the worst class;

I will say that the Ranger is sorely lacking in the “usefulness” department when it comes to high level PVE content. [Fractals/Dungeons.]

You cannot use spirits, because they die too quickly and have no durability to last any real length of time in fights. A trap/condition build Ranger might be “max-stacking” low duration bleeds and preventing an allied necromancer from landing any of their -MUCH MORE POTENT- bleeds.

Your pet….which represents “30%” or more of your damage potential, is weak to aoe’s, has no built in evasion, is incapable of dodging, and has 0 Agony Resistance….meaning in all fractal bossfights…he is pretty much going to die. It’s even more annoying when your pet gets “eaten” by the jellyfish boss….because your pet can’t hit “1” to escape. Or your pet gets the attention of the Dredge/Ice elemental boss and makes it more difficult to kite him properly. In the cliffside fractal, when your party is clumped up to avoid the “Giant red circles of flaming death”…your pet will stand in the fire without even thinking about moving….and you can’t even put him away because stow doesnt work when you are taking damage or making attacks.

You bring subpar utility, and subpar damage to your team, so at high level fractals, you may even have difficulty finding groups! So is Ranger the worst class? Maybe? Maybe Not? Is it worth leveling to 80 to see if you like it? Sure…Why Not!

Is your primary goal to play dungeons and Fractals and other high skill requirement max level content? – ROLL A DIFFERENT CLASS.

Jay.3284:

Xsorus.2507:

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Trap Build? You mean the 1 viable build Ranger’s have in SPvP?

Most classes have 1 really good build thats standard above all others.. in our case its the Trap Build, its extremely good….If you want a glass cannon build, I hate to tell ya, that don’t really exist outside of SPvP either.

You guys do realise there’s ranger on 64 fractals level, right?

Kwak.4810:

You guys do realise there’s ranger on 64 fractals level, right?

Yeesh, I bet level 64 Fractals is hella hard

Xsorus.2507:

Jay.3284:

Xsorus.2507:

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Trap Build? You mean the 1 viable build Ranger’s have in SPvP?

Most classes have 1 really good build thats standard above all others.. in our case its the Trap Build, its extremely good….If you want a glass cannon build, I hate to tell ya, that don’t really exist outside of SPvP either.

Well of course rangers don’t have a glass cannon build! We can’t go glass cannon! Our pet is a huge chunk of our damage so we can just kinda be like “Eh i think i’ll take some power and precision and actually take a defensive stat and just take a cat to make out the difference between me and that BS thief.” and then BOOM sturdier than other glass cannons… i know my glass cannon ranger build isn’t even made of glass… he has 2.8k armor, ~20k health, and can still drop people in mere seconds… such a beautiful prof…

PS: No prof is locked into one build type, the problem is that people -think- they are because the current “meta” doesn’t use anything else.

@Ranger in lv 64 fractals, what unholy monster can get that far without even having enough ascended gear O.o, i dread to think of some of the horrors that lay in those depths of hell….

Let me tell you something.

Unlike the people that say that Ranger is fine, i have one at level 80.

There are roles in PvP and PvE:

PvP:
Killing things, Supporting things, holding things

PvE:
Killing Things, Supporting things

Now, the problem is, Ranger isn’t good in anything at that. It has neither utlity, nor damage, nor anything.
Your pet is clonky as kitten. Go to the mists and let it attack the running golem, it will take hours. This will give you an idea about what’s wrong with ranger. Now for the other idea, attack a heavy golem on full glass cannon.
Then, another thing, try to come up with a support build.

You will realize why this class is worse than anything, in any game, ever.
It’s so laughable, even quaggan babys pick fights with you.

But the best thing is, they don’t even buff it. They nerfed it to the ground in the first BWE and left it at that, all it got was more nerfs, like the “0.04s-delay-fix” on shortbow, which was in fact a 30% attack rate nerf.

Oh and another thing where you see that Ranger is in fact the worst class by a huge margin. People flip their kitten when you say that a ranger is in 64 fractals. Now if you said it’s Warrior or Guardian, or anything else, who do you think would care?

Worst class? I dunno. But Spirits are pretty bad most of the time, Signets are flawed in their CD and the fact you need to trait for them to work on the Ranger, Shouts are too niche to justify a utility slot most of the time, and Ranger traits are HORRIBLE. Longbow is the only weapon that isn’t somehow defensively oriented, or condition oriented, and yet it is flawed and is a poor weapon for going pure power+crit glass cannon. And of course pets are pants on head stupid. If all those things make Rangers the worst class, then ok. But I enjoy mine despite the flaws, and the trapper build for spvp is extremely good, so I’m happy with that.

In this game, melee build trumps ranged build nearly every time in PvP. Just accept that and move on.
No class is as competitive with their ranged builds as they are with their melee; this stems from the lack of kiting ability. Melee builds have more gap closers than ranged have escapes.

Durzlla.6295:

Xsorus.2507:

Jay.3284:

Xsorus.2507:

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Trap Build? You mean the 1 viable build Ranger’s have in SPvP?

Most classes have 1 really good build thats standard above all others.. in our case its the Trap Build, its extremely good….If you want a glass cannon build, I hate to tell ya, that don’t really exist outside of SPvP either.

Well of course rangers don’t have a glass cannon build! We can’t go glass cannon! Our pet is a huge chunk of our damage so we can just kinda be like “Eh i think i’ll take some power and precision and actually take a defensive stat and just take a cat to make out the difference between me and that BS thief.” and then BOOM sturdier than other glass cannons… i know my glass cannon ranger build isn’t even made of glass… he has 2.8k armor, ~20k health, and can still drop people in mere seconds… such a beautiful prof…

PS: No prof is locked into one build type, the problem is that people -think- they are because the current “meta” doesn’t use anything else.

@Ranger in lv 64 fractals, what unholy monster can get that far without even having enough ascended gear O.o, i dread to think of some of the horrors that lay in those depths of hell….

Its not that you can’t do damage as a Glass Cannon, you can… However unlike other glass cannons like for example, a Mesmer, Thief, Elementalist, and Warrior…We don’t have a get out of jail free card, All 4 of those classes can reset the fight basically if they screw up, We can’t… We can’t do it with any of our specs, But the bunker at least allows us to live long enough to correct any mistake we might make.

Think of a Glass Cannon Ranger like a Pyro Powertech from SWTOR, you had the damage, but your only option in a fight was to Kill the other guy before he kills you…a Class like Marauder for example could do damage, then Stealth Away if things went bad for him.

Xsorus.2507:

Durzlla.6295:

Xsorus.2507:

Jay.3284:

Xsorus.2507:

Casey.9687:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Nuka Cola.8520:

Xsorus.2507:

Ranger’s aren’t bad, They’re just not easy to master.

GL mastering stuff with joke skills rangers have. Play 1k hours on ranger alone and go 1v1 any class (including engi and nec) against a person who knows sup and see what happens… before someone bring the “bu bu but this game is not about 1v1” YES there is tones of one on ones going on in spvp and ranger suck at that to the point its broken.

Ehh, I have multiple videos of me 1v1ing, I actually think Ranger 1v1ing is easier then Thief 1v1ing..

As for SPvP, You have one of the more powerful builds available in SPvP which is traps, which will easy people alive if fighting on points.

Yes, ranger has traps and SB auto attack.

Ehh, Axe/Torch + Sword/Dagger > SB auto attack

rofl, so my 4 weapons are better then 1? hmmm imagine that…and nah those 4 really arent better then SB auto attack when your running a trapper =D, they are only good if running that 1 trick pony bunker build.

The Whole idea of a trapper is to have people fight on your Traps…If you’re trying to stay ranged with a Shortbow, people aren’t going to be fighting on your traps, They’ll either be taking the point from you, or Chasing you around not fighting on your traps.

Shortbow has its uses, Trap Build though I don’t think is one of them.

Trap Build? You mean the 1 viable build Ranger’s have in SPvP?

Most classes have 1 really good build thats standard above all others.. in our case its the Trap Build, its extremely good….If you want a glass cannon build, I hate to tell ya, that don’t really exist outside of SPvP either.

Well of course rangers don’t have a glass cannon build! We can’t go glass cannon! Our pet is a huge chunk of our damage so we can just kinda be like “Eh i think i’ll take some power and precision and actually take a defensive stat and just take a cat to make out the difference between me and that BS thief.” and then BOOM sturdier than other glass cannons… i know my glass cannon ranger build isn’t even made of glass… he has 2.8k armor, ~20k health, and can still drop people in mere seconds… such a beautiful prof…

PS: No prof is locked into one build type, the problem is that people -think- they are because the current “meta” doesn’t use anything else.

@Ranger in lv 64 fractals, what unholy monster can get that far without even having enough ascended gear O.o, i dread to think of some of the horrors that lay in those depths of hell….

Its not that you can’t do damage as a Glass Cannon, you can… However unlike other glass cannons like for example, a Mesmer, Thief, Elementalist, and Warrior…We don’t have a get out of jail free card, All 4 of those classes can reset the fight basically if they screw up, We can’t… We can’t do it with any of our specs, But the bunker at least allows us to live long enough to correct any mistake we might make.

Think of a Glass Cannon Ranger like a Pyro Powertech from SWTOR, you had the damage, but your only option in a fight was to Kill the other guy before he kills you…a Class like Marauder for example could do damage, then Stealth Away if things went bad for him.

I’ve never seen a glass cannon warrior run away… Ever, and glass eles can run -sometimes- I will agree though that the other two are just gone when it goes south (well unless I’m on my “glass” build, then I wreck the Thief and mes before they can stealth a second time).

Actually ranger was very good lol, till they nerfed it to the ground. Spirit build was fun for support; ever since they took an axe to it the spots that were weak before are even bigger weaknesses. They need to for one give the mmo standard these days of 90% Dmg reduction from AoEs to pets. And throw the Bow Range buff/penalty out on LB. Or put the SB back up a lil; they took it down to far.
It does need an overhaul though; very bad traits period.
With all that said it is still very strong if you find your niche with it.
Hell I loved Ranger; but moved on to other classes. I was not very good in pvp with them. And I see people always say how bad they are in pvp.
Ive seen some 2handers for example (when they sup sucked from all the QQ) Face roll the entire opposition… SO I know they dont suck. 80% time its the player being a Bad or just not feeling the class so it doesn’t flow right for them.

Although its damage may not be as impressive as some other classes they can definitely outshoot any other classes. Some pets are also rather impressive with either high output damage or health or “tankyness” and quite abit of crowd control skills. Personally compared to some other classes for me, Rangers are much good evaders. Pets are good for harassing and providing support providing what pets you use example Fern Hounds have regeneration and moderate HP and high toughness (Side complement its beautiful!). Murellow and bears are extreme tankers and moderate damage. I started ranger as a first class and I think its still good.

You rarely hear anyone complain about a ranger being OP… Just sayin’

Jay.3284:

You rarely hear anyone complain about a ranger being OP… Just sayin’

Rarely? You mean never. I heard ‘OP’ on every single class (nec included) but rangers and engi.

Lavexis.5360:

whoever said ranger is bad need to l2p… seriously lol
- ranger is one of the best 1 v 1 class.
- condi ranger destroys bunker.
- trap ranger pretty much destroy thief as well lol..
- can kite melee class with ease.
I can go on and on, but if people still want to think ranger is a bad class then idk what else to say.

Well, actually most polls on the spvp forum rate ranger as worst class, and I don’t ever see them listed as one of the must haves for spvp tourneys. Let me refute some of your points :

1) not sure how condi ranger destroys bunker-how does it destroy a bunker ele with near constant condition removal? Or a necro who can put all those conditions back on you?

2) I just saw a group of bunker/trap rangers get wrecked by a pistol/dagger caltrop farting thief in a tourney- it took me and one other very experienced ranger ages to take it down and we only got it after I ressed the trap ranger. I experience a similar thing a lot in hotjoin, but I was surprised to see trapper/bunker rangers get owned so easily.

3) Can kite badly played melee class with easy- against a good opponent its a different story.

I could go on but if people want to ignore the obvious then idk what else to say.

Sadly all toons are not born equal!

Ranger is possibly the strongest class for PvE. The fact is the bots choice of class in some ways bears (pun intended) this out, but rather than directly combating bots Anet hit us with a shortbow nerf.
For PvP & WvW in particular we need either more damage (considering we have to kill every opponent 2x with downed state and 3x in the case of necros. In that time we are easily overrun by melee);alternatively better kiting ability. More speed when moving backwards would help a great deal.

Meh. I have not come across a problem with Ranger… in WvW/PvP I think it is actually nice, a lot of people underestimate you and when you are fully geared and know what you are doing you can drop someone extremely fast.

Also, I find I can kite melee classes quite effectively… not sure what people mean when they say it lacks kiting…

Like someone else said. People that complain about Rangers don’t know how to play one. You don’t play this class like you would Rangers in other games. I got the game at release and i just hit lvl 80. The most fun class i’ve ever played. And i run with short and long bows only and the only few times i’ve died was in PS quest. And that was a long time ago. In fact i finished a pug in orr the other night and was told i was one of the best rangers they’ve played with.

I’ve only played a ranger. It can be difficult at times – you got to keep an eye on your pets health and use the right pet for the situation.

I’m currently using a SB with Sword/Dagger.

Bastionhawk.7120:

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

You can define a ranger however you want, you are still wrong. If the class name were “Archer” then yes, based on the Latin root of the word it would be indicative that the class would be good with a bow and arrow.

Bringing this point up is to inform others so they do not sound ignorant when they talk about their own class. (I mean the word ‘ignorant’ in the sense of ‘unaware of’ not in an abrasive way.)

Except I didn’t define them, anet did. As I stated, those are Anet’s definitions and their definitions of the ranger are the only definitions that matter, so saying I’m wrong and ignorant is saying anet is wrong and ignorant. Do you really want to open that can of worms?

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

You can define a ranger however you want, you are still wrong. If the class name were “Archer” then yes, based on the Latin root of the word it would be indicative that the class would be good with a bow and arrow.

Bringing this point up is to inform others so they do not sound ignorant when they talk about their own class. (I mean the word ‘ignorant’ in the sense of ‘unaware of’ not in an abrasive way.)

Except I didn’t define them, anet did. As I stated, those are Anet’s definitions and their definitions of the ranger are the only definitions that matter, so saying I’m wrong and ignorant is saying anet is wrong and ignorant. Do you really want to open that can of worms?

I think plenty of people have opened that can.

I’m enjoying ranger, although i am mainly playing with axe/torch and greatsword.Bit of shortbow in pvp sometimes.
I’m having fun.I made one of every class and did a bit of pvp on them all and decided i liked ranger best.
So its not the worst class for everyone.

Ranger is the easiest class to begin with but also the hardest class to master. It may require more skills to reach the same level which other classes can gain much easier especially in pvp. So the population of rangers are very polarized unlike other classes’ Gaussian distribution(that’s my feeling in pvp/wvw, rangers I met was either super good or bad but I can hardly find someone fairly good or bad, but for other classes there are all kinds of levels). Same phenomenon happened to Ele before more and more ppl get use to D/D bunker build.

CRrabbit.1284:

Ranger is the easiest class to begin with but also the hardest class to master. It may require more skills to reach the same level which other classes can gain much easier especially in pvp. So the population of rangers are very polarized unlike other classes’ Gaussian distribution(that’s my feeling in pvp/wvw, rangers I met was either super good or bad but I can hardly find someone fairly good or bad, but for other classes there are all kinds of levels). Same phenomenon happened to Ele before more and more ppl get use to D/D bunker build.

That analogy only works if the class is legitimately given the tools to suceed. The ranger hasn’t and the game itself is working against it.

The ranger class right now does nothing but run in circles auto attacking things at half range. The knockbacks are ineffective. The snares aren’t enough. The roots don’t work. There are no reliable knockbacks. Pet skills miss 90% of the time due to delayed release and rooting.

When you play a kiting class but the tools you have to kite are half as effective as the tools other classes have to overcome being kited it, you’re left with a failure of a class. This is why most people consider the ranger walking badges.

Atherakhia.4086:

CRrabbit.1284:

Ranger is the easiest class to begin with but also the hardest class to master. It may require more skills to reach the same level which other classes can gain much easier especially in pvp. So the population of rangers are very polarized unlike other classes’ Gaussian distribution(that’s my feeling in pvp/wvw, rangers I met was either super good or bad but I can hardly find someone fairly good or bad, but for other classes there are all kinds of levels). Same phenomenon happened to Ele before more and more ppl get use to D/D bunker build.

That analogy only works if the class is legitimately given the tools to suceed. The ranger hasn’t and the game itself is working against it.

The ranger class right now does nothing but run in circles auto attacking things at half range. The knockbacks are ineffective. The snares aren’t enough. The roots don’t work. There are no reliable knockbacks. Pet skills miss 90% of the time due to delayed release and rooting.

When you play a kiting class but the tools you have to kite are half as effective as the tools other classes have to overcome being kited it, you’re left with a failure of a class. This is why most people consider the ranger walking badges.

btw, you cant kite if all classes have 1 or more gap closers.

The fact there is a huge disparity of thought over this class and its OP’ness, to me points to a single build that works and no other. That appears to be a shame. At this point in the game, I haven’t been in a dungeon in months and only WvWvW (also, I’ve yet to be in a sPvP event). In WvWvW, I see a whole bunch of classes and players who outperform my ranger. If I have to search these forums for that ONE great build and technique to win fights, then something is wrong.

As it stands right now, I’m a great support DPS class… I can lend a hand to any other player trying to take someone down. As of right now, with 2400 kill (assists), 500 defenses and over 730 Captures I can count on one hand the number of 1 on 1 kills I’ve had. This is evidenced by the 413 total badges I’ve acquired. Oh, and I didn’t step into wvwvw until I was 80 with gear.

After playing every other profession and working on getting them in full exotics, what keeps bringing me back to my Ranger is the elusiveness with one cond/tough build I enjoy. I’ve tried many builds and dumped a Legendary-amount of money into making new armor sets. At one point, I tried a “100% Crit Build” and absolutely loved the numbers I had – but ultimately went back to my cond/tough build.

Why did I go back? For a few reasons. First, it sacrificed everything to attain the level of damage other classes possess, including durability, versatility and mobility. The lack of enjoyment from being a “thin glasscannon” – weaker than a regular glasscannon – outweighed the enjoyment I had from “lots of big numbers.” I enjoy risks and micromanagement, but the risk-to-reward was far too high for my personal taste.

Second, I after realizing how much that build was sacrificing to get high damage, I also realized how much easier other classes have doing the same thing – but with less effort, more survivability, more choices and more mobility! My “Healway” Guardian (Thanks Chris!) can leap into a Zerg, drop healthbars like a boss and get out in the blink of an eye without ever going below 50% health! While that build has a certain setup that works there are a variety of options a Guardian can apply based on personal preference.

My Warrior can walk into a zerg in full Berserker gear, with the choice of an assortment of weapons, and lay waste to several of my enemies before my healthbar reaches 20% – and then I have the means to heal, defend and escape. Rinse, repeat.

Rangers don’t have those options. (Edit: I used the 100% Crit build only in PvE, as per the guide’s suggestion)

So in short, TL;DR version: The design of the Ranger class falls behind when compared to the other professions and makes it a less alluring class to play – but a very sought after class for “easy kills” by the same professions. (Read any class forum and you’ll always find people saying something along the line of “go after a Ranger first”)

For those that claim that Rangers are in fact good I would like to know what kind of build to run for WvW. I played a Ranger main from release and have continued to be underwhelmed. I recently switched to an Necro focusing on AoE condition spreading and have already done way better in WvW as far as staying alive, getting badges, and contributing to my group. And all that is from a Necro that is still only level 37.

I know I’m not playing the Ranger to it’s full potential but I have tried a couple different builds and I always feel like I do crap DPS or am just way to glassy.

Ranger…I used to hate rangers in GW1 as they were pretty useless in pve : not enough DPS and not enough support, don’t even talk about tanking XD!
When I started playing guild wars 2 first and I created my character on day 1 I was totally sure about " I’m not gonna try a ranger" …well now I have a level 80 ranger full exotic! and you know what ? I loved every second i played it…
PvE: very funny to play with a tanky pet that can take a lot of damage while you kill monsters with your short bow, you can study a lot of combos and all the builds you can try are going to give you fun!
PvP: short bow + quicken zephir+ pet swap haste perk and you become a machine gun !!! You only have problems with necros and “full self healing with staff” guardians, if you play your cards carefully you can bring down mesmers quite fast! has a very easy skill rotation, but you have to know how to move around the battlefield or you’ll get killed before touching your mouse!
DUNGEONS: I usually run glass cannon builds to maximize DPS! you can run easy dungeons like flame citadel with every kind of party (3rd path can be a lil bit tougher).
For all the other harder dungeons you can be a great resource for the group dealing big amount of damage and inflicting conditions very fast (I usually stack 25 bleeding in no time on Bosses and I can keep it over 12-14 all the time easily)…you have also nice crowd control skills and the “piercing shot” perk helps you increasing the AOE!
In the end I really enjoy my time with the ranger, it is the funniest class i’ve tried so far

As a person who plays a Ranger as his main, but also has a fully geared 80 Warrior, 80 Thief, and 80 Guardian I have never lost a fight to any single Ranger, and as a matter of fact, I’ve never lost a 2v1 against two Rangers.

I’ve had another Ranger I downed down my Ranger at the same time, but I won, Rallied, and went about my marry way, but no Ranger has come close to killing any of my other toons.

Is the Ranger the worst class? Well, I havn’t played the Engineer, but fighting them, I would have to give that trophy to the Engineer as being the worst class. The Ranger and Necromancer are fighting for second to last place.

Liking a class and it actually being good, or even decent, are two completely different things.

I wouldn’t say its the worst class necessarily; probably more like the worst mechanic.

Pets can be absolutely useless most of the time and it feels like the player is there to support the pet more than the pet is there to support the ranger. Most people in WvW don’t even bother fighting the pets, because you can just run circles around them and be fine… Dungeon boss AOES down them quicker than they can appear when swapping them and in fractals of the mists they have zero agony resistance.

If I could put them away permanently, I would even if I it means I lose out on a bit of damage (not like they are able to hit anything anyways; well except trash mobs); it would be a much better option than hearing “My pet needs help!… Again!” and then having the stupid thing following you around dead…

Oh and then pet traits! Oh goody, a ton of useless traits! Also, why do we abuse the pets by dumping conditions on them? I mean seriously I thought the pet was supposed to work with the player; it feels like the complete opposite.

jkctmc.8754:

As a person who plays a Ranger as his main, but also has a fully geared 80 Warrior, 80 Thief, and 80 Guardian I have never lost a fight to any single Ranger, and as a matter of fact, I’ve never lost a 2v1 against two Rangers.

I’ve had another Ranger I downed down my Ranger at the same time, but I won, Rallied, and went about my marry way, but no Ranger has come close to killing any of my other toons.

Is the Ranger the worst class? Well, I havn’t played the Engineer, but fighting them, I would have to give that trophy to the Engineer as being the worst class. The Ranger and Necromancer are fighting for second to last place.

The only time I ever even came close to dying to another ranger was one guy who knew how to kite with the SB like a beast. Every other one I have fought has either tried to kill me with some sort of tank GS build or just stood as I melted his face off with a sword/QZ while trying to kill me at pointblank with a longbow.

We are pretty bad as a class, but I think a lot of the negative image is just from an overabundance of very bad players using the class which kind of makes sense since most good players would switch to something that works better.

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

False. Being good at range does not necessitate being bad at melee. You cannot call Rangers (or any other class) a ‘ranged’ class (or a ‘melee’ class). Why? Because no such designation exists in GW2’s class design philosophy. Why? Because it’s a terrible and shallow class design philosophy.

This isn’t WoW; the class designs are thematic and broad in scope, not gamist and narrow in scope. The ranger class encompasses everything you might consider a ranger to be – a tracker, a trapper, an archer, a skirmisher, a jack-of-all-trades, a beastmaster, a wilderness survivalist, or a nature magician/priest. In short, the Ranger isn’t a “ranged class”, it’s simply a “Ranger”. The same goes for every other class.

More simply, if Rangers had been intended to be “ranged only”, then they wouldn’t have access to Swords and Greatswords. You are clearly wrong, thankfully, because that would be a horrible way to design the class.

Einlanzer.1627:

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

False. Being good at range does not necessitate being bad at melee. You cannot call Rangers (or any other class) a ‘ranged’ class (or a ‘melee’ class). Why? Because no such designation exists in GW2’s class design philosophy. Why? Because it’s a terrible class design philosophy. The class designs are thematic, not gamist. The ranger class encompasses everything you might consider a ranger to be – a tracker, a ranger, a skirmisher, and utilitarian, a survivalist. The same for every other class.

I’ll consider us “Trackers” when we can finally detect stealthed thieves (glowing foot prints maybe?) Until then, we are just a guy with a dog. Also, the only reason to even have a minion of any sort is to allow you to operate at range while your minion soaks up damage/attention. Without that kind of mechanic, any buff they give us might as well just be part of the class inherently. Why have a melee player and a melee pet hit each for 10 when you could just have the player alone hit for 20?

It makes for a fun role play type of class but mechanically it’s completely superfluous. It’s especially evident in pvp and Orr where the enemies completely ignore your pet all together.

Substance E.4852:

Einlanzer.1627:

Arsenic Touch.7960:

Bastionhawk.7120:

The name Ranger isn’t indicative of being ranged.

Anet’s definition of a ranger is indicative of it being ranged, so that’s all that matters.

Rangers are proficient with the bow. They rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature to slay their targets. Their loyal pets, which rangers tame and train, distract enemies while the rangers strike safely from a distance. As an adventurer profession, rangers wear medium armor

Rangers rely on a keen eye, a steady hand, and the power of nature itself. Unparalleled archers, rangers are capable of bringing down foes from a distance with their bows. With traps, nature spirits, and a stable of loyal pets at their command, rangers can adapt to any situation

Their own definitions. So let’s stop the parroted “Rangers aren’t ranged” argument when clearly anet defines them as such. Which is where the largest issue comes from when people speak of the ranger.

False. Being good at range does not necessitate being bad at melee. You cannot call Rangers (or any other class) a ‘ranged’ class (or a ‘melee’ class). Why? Because no such designation exists in GW2’s class design philosophy. Why? Because it’s a terrible class design philosophy. The class designs are thematic, not gamist. The ranger class encompasses everything you might consider a ranger to be – a tracker, a ranger, a skirmisher, and utilitarian, a survivalist. The same for every other class.

I’ll consider us “Trackers” when we can finally detect stealthed thieves (glowing foot prints maybe?) Until then, we are just a guy with a dog. Also, the only reason to even have a minion of any sort is to allow you to operate at range while your minion soaks up damage/attention. Without that kind of mechanic, any buff they give us might as well just be part of the class inherently. Why have a melee player and a melee pet hit each for 10 when you could just have the player alone hit for 20?

It makes for a fun role play type of class but mechanically it’s completely superfluous. It’s especially evident in pvp and Orr where the enemies completely ignore your pet all together.

I was not making an argument that the whole pet thing is working well, it frankly isn’t.

While there have been frustrating times, I’ve mostly had fun with my Ranger. Having a pet opens up so many different game play styles!

We might be weak on AoE but we can use our Pet as an AoE. “Screach” from the Moa, posion clouds from our spiders, least we not forget the remove effects (Brown bear) or healing (Fern hound). Leave them on passive standby and swap in the abilities as needed. The Bears and even the drakes can ‘tank’ fairly good, allowing me to flank or even get behind targets so we’re hitting them from two sides. By the time I get behind a target while on auto with my Axe or SB my pet has finished it off!

While our pets serve as part of our DPS output in most open world PvE situations (other than bosses) we really don’t need high DPS. Leaving a pet on Passive and next to you offer you a way to get back up when knocked down, our ‘protect me’ provides a damage sink in a pinch and with some pet management the ones with ranged attacks can actually hit their targets. What other classes can attack two targets at the same time? (while NOT using their AoE skills?)

While there are still game play mechanics (the auto switch to the next target for 1) that still need fixing and addressed I don’t think the class is as bad as some might make it out to be.

MaRko.3165:

While there are still game play mechanics (the auto switch to the next target for 1) that still need fixing and addressed I don’t think the class is as bad as some might make it out to be.

You can toggle “Autotargetting” off in the General Settings panel – checkbox labeled “Autotargetting.” Been there since day 1.

Rangers aren’t bad. Players are bad.

If I remember correctly, Rangers (Sylvari) were the #1 most played class at game launch so naturally, you have the most “scrubs” who don’t know how to make “heads or tails” of of their class.

I honestly think this is a big reason why there was/is so much ranger hate.

Kellnor.5428:

Rangers aren’t bad. Players are bad.

If I remember correctly, Rangers (Sylvari) were the #1 most played class at game launch so naturally, you have the most “scrubs” who don’t know how to make “heads or tails” of of their class.

I honestly think this is a big reason why there was/is so much ranger hate.

First of all, we prefer to be called “shrubs.” We’re plants; get it right!

Second, if you haven’t play another profession at level 80, then you don’t know how much easier they are to achieve the same level of success that a well played Ranger enjoys.

On my Warrior, I can drop someone from 1200 feet away in a matter of seconds. In that same build, I have substantial crowd control and defense abilities to handle a wide variety of situations.

On my Guardian, I can leap into the middle of a zerg, down several people, then leap back out to the safety of my own zerg to refresh and recover. Rinse, repeat, rewards.

My Ranger can’t do anything like those two other professions can.

Now, of course, you’ll come back at me and say things like: “You need to build to the profession’s strengths and stop comparing to the other classes,” or “Those professions are wearing heavy armor so they can survive longer,” or even “A Ranger is not suppose to do X.”

To that I say nonsense because a Ranger did do those things in the first and second Open Beta Weekends. A Ranger was just as capable of dropping a ranged target in a matter of seconds – the same way a Warrior can! A Ranger was just as capable of leaping into a zerg, downing a few people, and leaping back out – the same way a Guardian can! In the third open beta, everything changed for the worst and its been an uphill climb ever since.

With that said, I found a build that I really, really, really enjoy playing with my Ranger and its the reason she’s still my main. I enjoy playing my Ranger more than any other class because of how I’ve built her, but I know she’s lacking compared to everybody else.

I can 1v2 and 1v3 the other FOTM professions while roaming in WvW. As a Ranger, I’ve solo’d the infamous D/D Elementalists, I’ve fought Legendary-wielding Warriors, I’ve trumped Heartseaker Thieves and I’ve stomped Bunker Guardians. I love my Ranger, but she could be better.

The issue isn’t doing well with a Ranger. Many of us do well, myself included. The issue is that you can do better with another class, and playing the other class is also easier.

I never believed people when they told me this as well, until I rolled a Guardian second, next a Warrior, and finally a Thief. After getting them all fully geared in Exotics, I went back to my Ranger, and I couldn’t believe the difference in how much better, and more complete the other classes were. Then I rolled a Mesmer, and was floored with how effective this class is, and the awesome tools it has.

And I leveled all toons from 1-80 in WvW, so my experience at all levels are equal.

I main a ranger since launch.
Fun class but not the most useful.
From my experience in fractals, most players prefer to have other classes in group rather than have a ranger. Lot of the time i just get kicked automatically from a fractals group if there is already another ranger.

Rangers are lacking and Anet need to improve them.