Guild Wars 2

I am wondering from all you experienced/vet Rangers out there in Tyria, if you have found out once you get your Ranger to level 80 it was time well spent or you wish you would have just shot yourself in the foot before you even started, lol?

I so far am level 11 and am using GS/SB to level up and do content, working well, just wondering if there is a solid build/guild to follow and if any of the pets are of benefit to a Ranger using GS?

Thanks!

I love my ranger to death I have other lvl 80 chars but over the past 7 months I have 1,731 hrs on my ranger and 2,199 on my account. I don’t like the feel and or concepts of some of the other class. Rangers do have issues but I am comfortable with where we are now and where we are headed.

Lickwounds is a bit op right now both on land and in the water ,but since we lost quickness stomp and res I can live with it. I don’t need an edge as long as I have a fighting chance I’m good.

I am always find new stuff out about the ranger. If you want easy brain dead button mashing ranger isnt for you. I am never bored on my ranger. I’m alway reaching and ready for the next lvl.

Kind of depends what you’re after?

I’m an avid dungeon runner, which is our weakest format.
But, I’m not after a legendary. I’m the kind of person whose more interested in exploring builds and moving up the skill curve instead of growing my character through aesthetics and badges of honor. So I never join speedruns, which is where our lack of burst is felt most keenly and where alot of the forum comparison drama is really centered.

So I don’t have much in the way of regrets.
But I can see how people with different areas of interest might be dissapointed.

Next patch is a few days away, if that patch doesn’t fix Ranger up to a decent state then only the most stubborn and delusional will continue to hold on to the class. Wait for that patch, check the forums for a few days and then decide.

OP youre at L11 so its not too late!
To roll another class.

Fyi the Ranger class really need loads of rework.
But all we got were “Animation fix” (Slower firing rate) for SBs, New Icons, Pet cd Nerf & QZ Nerf after month and months of patch.
Cant wait for the next patch for more Ranger Bash. Stay tuned!

Eh, the ranger is in kind of a rough state, and like dungeons, there are some things that we don’t do terribly well. In my mind though, that’s no reason to drop a class. I keep playing it because I love the class and the gameplay, no matter how much attention it may need.

I am sorry but all this negative feedback is really ridiculous. Yes, Rangers have a few weak aspects. Here’s a thought…build around what WE DO WELL not what we don’t!

Spirits = Crap: Dont build around them
Glass Cannon = Less than other classes, if you want huge DPS…dont look to Ranger

Regen: We do this very well!
Bunker: We do this very well!

Just a couple of examples…..we have a class that requires a bit more thought, if you are not willing to invest the time and testing to sort the crap from the gravy then you should not play Ranger. Once setup right they are a formidable class outside of Dungeons…

I PVE/WVW exclusively on my Ranger and handle myself quite well, I see many other Rangers doing as I have. Taking the time to know their class and having success…Sol, Xsorus, Faux, Ryu to name a few (there are many more)

I have said this countless time on these boards. Take the time to find an angle/play style that suits you….build for it and spec for it and then refine until you are pleased.

Then go forth and PWN!

I was really excited when I first started my ranger… until I discovered how absolutely horrid longbow is, how poorly implemented the pet AI is, and how terribly laid out our trait lines are. Rangers just don’t have anything going for them. Glass canon? Terrible. Spirits? Pathetic. Bunker? Other professions do it better. Regen? See bunker. The only really viable build is traps, and not everyone likes traps. I don’t really care for them. My guild despises rangers to the point where I get marooned on scout duty virtually every night. I can’t really blame them, given that a ranger brings nothing to the group other than raw DPS, and any profession can do that. I’m leveling a mesmer now and I absolutely love it. Thinking the ranger might hit the shelf.

^^ To put my statement in proper context, I am NOT a condition build, or a trapper…actually I am what most on these boards consider to be non viable build with LB/SB

BM/Toughness/Healing-Regen/Hits/Vigor/White Damage (no Crit or Crit dam) (Passive Bunker)

Meh, I guess they’re pretty fun if you mostly play in open world, or spvp, or even WvW, but in general people prefer other classes due to them having better group friendly utilities. I kind of wish I had main’ed a different class, but I’m already invested in my ranger, and I’m too lazy to switch. Wish I knew the GW2 ranger was actually a pet class. (yes, I was an idiot noob when I started my ranger)

As a ranger you have to deal with managing a pet AI when playing more difficult content, or pretty much any encounter that is AoE heavy , or highly dependent on your ability to dodge, which is kind of difficult when doing content that is designed to put pressure on someone who only has to manage themselves, but rangers have to manage themselves and the pet.

As for pets that go with GS, I’m partial to canines because of their knockdown.

Bottom line is do you like to run dungeons? If the answer is yes, then quit the ranger now and roll a class that is good for dungeons(Warrior, Mesmer, or Guard). If you don’t care about dungeons, then ranger is fine for anything else PVE. If you like to pvp, i’d suggest rolling something else too.

Rangers are far from useless in dungeons. If you sit in the back using nothing but your longbow, yeah, you’re pretty useless, but Rangers have several strong abilities to support the group and make a fantastic addition to the party.

Survival Clip I put together vs a Mesmer and 2 Thieves….I only get a single stomp as their escapes are ridiculous but I stand in with them in two sequences for over 10 mins, only the first half is speed up so fast as there is now stomp. We don’t bunker well?

When you’re talking dungeon-stuff, you have to be pretty careful.

There’s how the ranger performs relative to the content, and how well a ranger performs relative to the content compared to how other classes perform. This is how Mr. Sharp can say ‘rangers have problems in dungeons’ and Mr. Peters can say ’it’s partly perception’ in the same interview and both can be correct. Rangers do have problems in dungeons, but not being little carbon copies of warrior and guardian isn’t one of them.

And, frankly, none of these issues are really deal breakers, as the content itself just isn’t that demanding.

Venereus.9473:

Next patch is a few days away, if that patch doesn’t fix Ranger up to a decent state then only the most stubborn and delusional will continue to hold on to the class. Wait for that patch, check the forums for a few days and then decide.

No, only the people who have fun playing the class will continue to play it. Those of us who still play the ranger aren’t playing for pure stats and min/maxing…we play because we love the feel of the class and have fun playing it.

RyuDragnier.9476:

Venereus.9473:

Next patch is a few days away, if that patch doesn’t fix Ranger up to a decent state then only the most stubborn and delusional will continue to hold on to the class. Wait for that patch, check the forums for a few days and then decide.

No, only the people who have fun playing the class will continue to play it. Those of us who still play the ranger aren’t playing for pure stats and min/maxing…we play because we love the feel of the class and have fun playing it.

Agree… Having 30, or just 20 even, in BM traitline allows the ranger to completely ignore the downed enemy by sending the pet on it, while the ranger fights the second enemy.

As to dungeons; even if I am not on a trap build but have 20 in skirmishing (heck, even if I don’t have any is skirmishing), guildies love my 100% field uptime. Rangers have access to Poison, Fire, Ice, Water. I don’t care if it’s few in comparison with other classes, but it’s enough support for me. In CoF p1, the poison helps against his healing, the ice helps against the aoe attack (we usually don’t get more than 1 aoe attack) and the healing when the thief does his glass cannon burst with barely any health and walks out with full health after 4-5 seconds of haste.

Sarlack.4096:

Survival Clip I put together vs a Mesmer and 2 Thieves….I only get a single stomp as their escapes are ridiculous but I stand in with them in two sequences for over 10 mins, only the first half is speed up so fast as there is now stomp. We don’t bunker well?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVfx4U9UBgI

A single video of game play is virtually ignorable as evidence. Lightning does strike. Miracles do happen. No one argues against that. Other classes still bunker better than we do. Other classes bring more group utility. Other classes hit harder and last longer. They also have real, viable escapes. The ranger doesn’t have any disengage skills. You can run them down easy. Other classes are better than the ranger.

i was in your shoes once…it was level the ranger, which i like way more than melee….or level the warrior…a sure fire dungeon runner

luckily, i kept leveling, and still to this day i don’t regret leveling my ranger….if i choose a class to just go out and explore tyria, i go on my ranger 9 times out of 10

something about the class just draws me to it….i also have faith that anet will fix the class….and when they do, i have already leveled the class up

dervish in nightfall in gw1 was out of the gate, very sloppy and poorly designed, it was basically used as a runner(for its utility) and that was it….it got a rework and became the most played class of the game after that……so i have faith they can make it work

Kiran.2705:

Sarlack.4096:

Survival Clip I put together vs a Mesmer and 2 Thieves….I only get a single stomp as their escapes are ridiculous but I stand in with them in two sequences for over 10 mins, only the first half is speed up so fast as there is now stomp. We don’t bunker well?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVfx4U9UBgI

A single video of game play is virtually ignorable as evidence. Lightning does strike. Miracles do happen. No one argues against that. Other classes still bunker better than we do. Other classes bring more group utility. Other classes hit harder and last longer. They also have real, viable escapes. The ranger doesn’t have any disengage skills. You can run them down easy. Other classes are better than the ranger.

IF it makes you feel better keep assuming this is an isolated fight….its far closer to the norm than the exception. /Cheers!

Ranger has no escapes?! what?!

Lightning Reflexes.
Hornet Sting
Swoop

What exactly do you call these?

Not to mention you can take pets that immobilize, fear, chill, cripple, etc. your enemies while you run.

You can also make use of traps, muddy terrain, etc.

Saying the ranger has no escapes is like saying the ranger can’t use bows.

We can but are they aren’t exactly that good when you compare to the other classes.

Better than Guardian escapes, that much I can say with certainty.

I’d put Ranger up there behind Elementalist and Warrior. My ranger can escape from anything except a Dagger+Dagger Elementalist with lightning flash and perma swiftness and Warrior with Greatsword and sword with perma-swiftness.

If I took both greatsword and sword in the same build with lightning reflexes, I probably could get away from them. Their biggest advantage is the ease by which they can get perma-swiftness. Ranger’s leaps are on much shorter cooldowns.

I feel like I have to add that I’ve never had a problem with playing the Ranger in dungeons. Being able to add 20 vulnerability on bosses, and giving 70 points of precision to nearby allies, makes a noteworthy difference on damage output. When it comes to dealing AoE damage, the Barrage from longbow and conditions from traps, can stack a lot of damage on mobs. Revive allies with “Search and Rescue” or Spirit of Nature, can sometimes make the difference between wiping or staying alive. The fact that bears can tank bosses or mobs, for quite a few seconds, can give some much needed breathing room to your team, if things get hectic. And with Healing Spring, Signet of Renewal, and the Brown Bear, the Ranger becomes very effective at consistently removing conditions from allies.

If you like, play it.

I personally loved playing a class others call weak, it makes victories that much sweeter when you know the other guy assumed you were an easy kill.

Can’t tell you how many times people invite me and say they’ve never seen ranger played that way. That’s because tbh most rangers in wvw are downright awful.

Best solo class in the game imo for PvE

Great solo/duo roamer in WvW

Nasty in sPvP

Ehhh at everything else

Keep going till you no longer enjoy it is my theory. I’ve tried all the classes and the only 2 I actually enjoyed playing were Ele and Ranger. They just work with how I want to / am good at playing. I play ranger over ele only really because I play the ranger class if almost every game so it fitted. We arent the strongest class and have some issues, but we arent unplayable as many make out and if you enjoy it then keep at it

All dat ranger hate. Makes me sad. The Ranger was my first class, and I love it to death. Yeah, we have our problems, but nothing that can’t be overcome through ingenuity, patience, and so on. I run a Sword/warhorn and Greatsword (Full melee) Beastmaster build, and I’ve noticed that while people are so busy giving me crap about it, my raven (Raphael) is melting faces and I’m not getting hit by anything.

It really depends on your playstyle. If you want to deal outrageous damage, you need to realize that you (the ranger) aren’t the only source of damage; that your pet is there to. Once you find the right synergy with a pet (or two), things’ll really start picking up.