Guild Wars 2

Here’s a video that explains how to use your pets more effectively. And talks about combos you can do. Even some of the stuff talked about in here are in this video.

Great thread! I’m still pretty new but a couple of things I’ve picked up for wvw.

Rangers as run down artists. We have consistent high run speed and long range. If you can tag someone with your LB who is fleeing, they slow down, then tag them with cripple/stun from your SB. Even if you aren’t experienced enough to finish them yourself, there will always be someone right behind you! The finish/quickness combo is very good as well.

Rangers as bait. If you are running with a group in appropriate terrain, get the group behind a rock/hill. go a short distance, pop a bear, and just stand there. When someone sees you and comes after you, fire a couple of LB shots and run over the hill. When you get over the hill drop your traps, etc. and enjoy the party when 3 on 1 turns into 5 on 3.

Amphibious Pets
Amphibious pets (cats, bears, drakes, and devourers) aren’t the same underwater as they are above water. There are some abilities that change when you go underwater, but even when the abilities are the same, they don’t always do the same dps.

For example, a drake does more dps than a devourer out of water, but underwater, a devourer does significantly more dps (at least single target dps).

Also, a lot of people think that the shark does more damage than the armor fish, but their damage is the same if you use the shark’s F2 on cooldown and if you don’t use the F2, the armor fish actually does more dps.

The reason for some of these changes comes from pets acting strange with some abilities. When a drake uses Tail Swipe underwater, they will quickly swim away, then swim back to their target before doing any damage with it. The shark does something similar when it casts fear, which is a big part of why it does less damage than you may expect.

Jack of all trades and your build
Everyone starts with a build that they like and eventually they modify it to their needs and maximize its potential. However, for new and experienced rangers it is important to understand that being a ‘jack of all trades’ leaves you open to certain vulnerabilities in your build that must be overcome in order to reach maximum potential.

For instance, glass cannon builds are excellent at damage output, but without proper crowd control techniques (smart usage of traps/evades/pets) and without a good amount of healing power, this build will not survive properly in all three environments (pve/pvp/wvw). I find myself telling my fellow guild mate rangers to invest time in supporting such a build because I believe 80% of new rangers go for a glass cannon build. Equipment should not only enhance your power and condition damage, but instead of critical chance you should also consider your toughness and healing power.

Beast master build is all about pet use, raw survival and supporting the people around you. Too many times you see them focusing on providing heal and support via their utilities, while at the same time keeping a short range and even going melee on enemies successfully, which can be very useful. However you can further enhance this build via good equipment selection. By giving yourself as much condition damage as you can and moderate critical chance increase, you can merge condition build with beast mastery which can be very successful (using short bow is important here); this also while keeping your toughness high and your healing power on par with your condition damage. It’s also important to know what to mix and what not to mix. Beast master / condition damage does not need to mix further with a trap build. Doing so will spread you too thin, instead focus on making your pet the main source of your damage via the wilderness survival and beast mastery trait lines. Having such a build is meant to keep you alive while you apply conditions, while supporting your pet and helping it stay close to its target for maximum damage output.

There are more builds out there to explore, such as pure condition damage / glass cannon or condition damage / trapper or even the spirit build. Just remember to support and balance yourself out. This will maximize your jack-of-all-trades potential and truly make you a ‘sought for person’ in pvp, dungeon runs, pve groups and wvw fun, but most importantly you can easily become an example for other rangers to follow and improve upon.

So I guess I’m way more of a newb than anyone else here… I’m only level 7 on my ranger, but I don’t see how to get another pet. I started with a Moa as a asura, and it’s adorable, but I want to see what other pets do. Do I just have to level more, and then it will be explained to me?

Serenity.3096:

So I guess I’m way more of a newb than anyone else here… I’m only level 7 on my ranger, but I don’t see how to get another pet. I started with a Moa as a asura, and it’s adorable, but I want to see what other pets do. Do I just have to level more, and then it will be explained to me?

Unfortunately, it never really explains it, but throughout the land there are tameable versions of various beasts. You can tell when you find one as they will be green and have the word “Juvenile” as part of their name, such as “Juvenile Jaguar” or “Juvenile Whiptail Devourer”. Once you find one, you just walk up to it, press F, and it’s yours.

For more info, check out the page on the wiki:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pet

Thanks a lot, Dahkeus. That’s what I needed to know.

Daemon.4295:

Bredin.5368:

Sick ’em
As awge, I am running a WS+BM build for PVE, WvW and sPvP. With 10 in skirmish for the pet buff (either +30% run speed or +30% crit damage), the jag is a great burst tool. If you are careful, you can effective use this to pick off single target even during zergs. I’m beginning to think the +run speed is the best choice for the pet, since their biggest weakness is catching up to targets. What do others think?

Protect Me
This is really an amazing ability, especially in sPVP. I can get out of very sticky situations by hitting this and doing a quick pet switch before it dies. Highly underrated

Learn to use 1-h sword+dagger defensively
I’m still getting the hang of this, but you can really surprise people by pulling out the sword and dagger and doing 3 consecutive evades and then crippling. My advice is if you need to get out of bad situation and create some distance, use sword 2 to leap back then swap to SB and hit 3. Now you have some room to work with.

You can leap back with sword 2, press the key to rotate 180 degrees, and press sword 2 again to do a double leap away. You have to cancel your target first though, and disable auto-target.

on a similar note, if you’re running supplies for WvWvW use a sword, horn, and GS. you’re not expecting to kill anything using these weapons but you’ll fly across the map with a tripple leap (double leap from sword, 1 from GS) and a mix between a 25% boost in speed and your speed boost from your horn.

Spirit Swap – If you are out of combat AND the spirit is still alive AND you didn’t use its activated ability, you can swap to a different spirit skill (or any skill), killing the first spirit. This is useful at lower levels where you are using immobile spirits and fights tend to be short, or if you happen to put down a spirit before realizing the fight is almost over.

Underwater Spirits
Casting a spirit underwater and then exiting to land while that spirit is still alive will allow you to keep your ground utility off cooldown.

Basically if you casted the protection spirit for example underwater and then exited to land, your utility would be considered unused as long as it isn’t the same spirit linked to that key. This is extremely useful and even works for elites. You can end up having the benefits of the Spirit of renewal and RaO if you stay near the water.

I haven’t tested the reverse situation of casting a spirit on land and then going into water.

For small maps like Raid of Capricorn, this is a pretty good tip.

sword+dagger > Signet of Stone
Instead of wasting 30 marksmanship on a skill that protects you on a very long cooldown, take advantage of the dodges available from the sword+dagger. A lot of times the bursts from other classes are setup in the form of immobilization, but you can still evade in these situations. Popping all of your evades as well as the dodges from shortbow and endurance can easily outlast any 100b burst or immobilization duration. On top of this you are poisoning and attacking while dodging.

Fighting other Rangers
When fighting tough-to-kill rangers, kill the pets first. They are probably specced to toughness/healing so most of the damage is coming from their pets. No pet, no damage=win.

Lightning Reflexes Underwater
This skill is way more useful underwater, since the momentum you gain from using it stays. On maps like Raid on Capricorn this can effectively put you across the map to safety in a sticky situation, or just faster traveling than any form of running.

Spear 3 Underwater
If there is no target locked-on, you can use this to swim faster for the duration of the skill. Essentially the underwater version of GS 3. Good for escaping/underwater mobility.

Zetus.1476:

Underwater Spirits
Casting a spirit underwater and then exiting to land while that spirit is still alive will allow you to keep your ground utility off cooldown.

Basically if you casted the protection spirit for example underwater and then exited to land, your utility would be considered unused as long as it isn’t the same spirit linked to that key. This is extremely useful and even works for elites. You can end up having the benefits of the Spirit of renewal and RaO if you stay near the water.

I haven’t tested the reverse situation of casting a spirit on land and then going into water.

For small maps like Raid of Capricorn, this is a pretty good tip.

Great tip about the spirit slots, but the elite spirit can’t be cast underwater can it??

Wanderer.5471:

Zetus.1476:

Underwater Spirits
Casting a spirit underwater and then exiting to land while that spirit is still alive will allow you to keep your ground utility off cooldown.

Basically if you casted the protection spirit for example underwater and then exited to land, your utility would be considered unused as long as it isn’t the same spirit linked to that key. This is extremely useful and even works for elites. You can end up having the benefits of the Spirit of renewal and RaO if you stay near the water.

I haven’t tested the reverse situation of casting a spirit on land and then going into water.

For small maps like Raid of Capricorn, this is a pretty good tip.

Great tip about the spirit slots, but the elite spirit can’t be cast underwater can it??

It can. It comes out as a whale.

Jazenn.7526:

It can. It comes out as a whale.

omg, now I have to do this.

(old man voice) in my day you couldn’t use elite spirits underwater (grumbles)

i really need to find out where patch notes are posted lol

River Drake, Marsh Drake, and Misleading Tooltips

the river drake and marsh drake have misleading tooltips on their abilities. the damage that the skills show only indicate the damage that one bolt of their attack does, and the skill strikes 5 times. so at max level, the river drake does around 4500 damage, and the marsh drake does around 2500 damage not including the poison. Considering then that the bolts also bounce and can are cast at range make them considerably powerful. also remember that the marsh drake has a range of 900, which is really impressive.

AOE “Condition trap”
By wielding a longbow, you can create a AOE “Condition trap” that will seriously hurt your enemy.
To “set” the trap, you will need to utilize multiple skills, but the effect can be devastating.
First you need a longbow, the more condition damage on it, the better (dont use this bow for anything but this trap).
The skills you need to use (in this order) is
Sun spirit (preferably with 15% spirit bonus trait)
Sharpening Stone (for bleeding)
Pet F2 – use a Forest spider with it’s F2 ability (next three strikes poisons your foe)
Quickening Zephyr (4 second quickness burst, makes the whole barrage fire in less then 2 seconds, instead of 5)
Barrage

This chain is quite good against gate attackers in W3 or against large numbers of mobs (Since you apply Bleed, burn, cripple and poison)

awge.3852:

Jack of all trades and your build
Everyone starts with a build that they like and eventually they modify it to their needs and maximize its potential. However, for new and experienced rangers it is important to understand that being a ‘jack of all trades’ leaves you open to certain vulnerabilities in your build that must be overcome in order to reach maximum potential.

For instance, glass cannon builds are excellent at damage output, but without proper crowd control techniques (smart usage of traps/evades/pets) and without a good amount of healing power, this build will not survive properly in all three environments (pve/pvp/wvw). I find myself telling my fellow guild mate rangers to invest time in supporting such a build because I believe 80% of new rangers go for a glass cannon build. Equipment should not only enhance your power and condition damage, but instead of critical chance you should also consider your toughness and healing power.

Beast master build is all about pet use, raw survival and supporting the people around you. Too many times you see them focusing on providing heal and support via their utilities, while at the same time keeping a short range and even going melee on enemies successfully, which can be very useful. However you can further enhance this build via good equipment selection. By giving yourself as much condition damage as you can and moderate critical chance increase, you can merge condition build with beast mastery which can be very successful (using short bow is important here); this also while keeping your toughness high and your healing power on par with your condition damage. It’s also important to know what to mix and what not to mix. Beast master / condition damage does not need to mix further with a trap build. Doing so will spread you too thin, instead focus on making your pet the main source of your damage via the wilderness survival and beast mastery trait lines. Having such a build is meant to keep you alive while you apply conditions, while supporting your pet and helping it stay close to its target for maximum damage output.

There are more builds out there to explore, such as pure condition damage / glass cannon or condition damage / trapper or even the spirit build. Just remember to support and balance yourself out. This will maximize your jack-of-all-trades potential and truly make you a ‘sought for person’ in pvp, dungeon runs, pve groups and wvw fun, but most importantly you can easily become an example for other rangers to follow and improve upon.

I would like to inform people, that while this fellow is correct, it only applies to the shortbow, dagger and axe.
Condition build is not used for Longbows.

If you decide to use a longbow, use Berserker set w/Power, Precision and % Critical Chance trinkets, and perhaps one or two rings/Accessories with Toughness and Vitality to make yourself -slightly- more resilient to crowds.

Oh and people, take note, that merely 2 trinkets with toughness and vitality can change you from being made of crystal glass, to being made of burnt clay. You still die fast, but it might just buy you those 2-3 seconds you need to bring an opponent down.

Usage of Runes for rangers

The ranger, depending on builds will find 4 types of rune-sets useful (my personal opinion here)

1) Rune of the Ranger – Critbuild. I advice you to use bears, since those last long enough for that last bonus to be worth it.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Ranger

2)Rune of the Dolyak – Tanker/Supportive build
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Dolyak

3)Rune of Melandru – WvW anti stun. Can be VERY helpful if you prefer small squads over large zerg rushes
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_Melandru

4)Rune of the Affliected – For shortbow usage, this is my fav. Personally i prefer 4x Major and 2x Superior. You get less pure condition damage, but you get 35% more duration. However, how you mix’n’match runes are up to you.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Afflicted

Prysin.8542:

AOE “Condition trap”
By wielding a longbow, you can create a AOE “Condition trap” that will seriously hurt your enemy.
To “set” the trap, you will need to utilize multiple skills, but the effect can be devastating.
First you need a longbow, the more condition damage on it, the better (dont use this bow for anything but this trap).
The skills you need to use (in this order) is
Sun spirit (preferably with 15% spirit bonus trait)
Sharpening Stone (for bleeding)
Pet F2 – use a Forest spider with it’s F2 ability (next three strikes poisons your foe)
Quickening Zephyr (4 second quickness burst, makes the whole barrage fire in less then 2 seconds, instead of 5)
Barrage

This chain is quite good against gate attackers in W3 or against large numbers of mobs (Since you apply Bleed, burn, cripple and poison)

Sun Spirit will add three seconds of burn to at most two enemies, one for you and one for your pet, until the 10 sec proc cooldown expires. I use Sun spirit, and like it, but fail to see the synergy with barrage. It’s not like the cripple is going to hold them in a fire field. You’re just randomizing where your burn proc goes.

I also don’t understand why you’re interested in the Forest spider’s F2. 6 secs of poison added to its next 3 attacks is nice, but won’t that just stack 18 secs of poison on a single target? Are you planning on redirecting it to 3 targets with F1 during your barrage channel? Otherwise, how is this helping to spread poison to a group?

Nice clarification of my statement! I just wanted to add that it also works with short bow + sword/torch combo, which is what I currently use, although I haven’t tested whether or not it’s more effective to use shortbow + axe/dagger, the difference should not be heavily significant.

Prysin.8542:

Usage of Runes for rangers

The ranger, depending on builds will find 4 types of rune-sets useful (my personal opinion here)

1) Rune of the Ranger – Critbuild. I advice you to use bears, since those last long enough for that last bonus to be worth it.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Ranger

2)Rune of the Dolyak – Tanker/Supportive build
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Dolyak

3)Rune of Melandru – WvW anti stun. Can be VERY helpful if you prefer small squads over large zerg rushes
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_Melandru

4)Rune of the Affliected – For shortbow usage, this is my fav. Personally i prefer 4x Major and 2x Superior. You get less pure condition damage, but you get 35% more duration. However, how you mix’n’match runes are up to you.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Afflicted

With regards to this comment, try mixing and matching the above runes to support your build even further. As a BM build I know my priority lies in toughness (among other things) while my pet packs the real punch. So in order to give myself a little versatility, I found that some extra condition damage with my shortbow makes a more positive difference than some extra toughness, of which I have plenty.

That is why instead of going for 6 superior runes of melandru in my equipment; instead I have 3 superior runes of Melandru and 3 superior runes of the afflicted. I made that decision based on personal preference and hours of playing using different number of these superior runes. The results vary depending on what you do, so be versatile and find what works best for you and your build.

For the Grawl shaman end boss,a 1500 range longbow ranger can hit him from the platform you jump down from (though if he’s near the very back you can’t)
Just wait for someone else to engage him first,as otherwise he’ll target the platform with a metor shower.

Remember not to engage / start a fight with pet F2. The extra buffs from traits don’t apply. You have to start a fight and then use F2.

If you want your pet to do their #3 attack (eg. Canine Brutal Charge – knockdown, or Bear Defy Pain – 5 sec no damage!) you can stow pet before entering a battle. When pet pops out, its first attack will be the #3!

Not bad starting a fight with a knock down or 5 sec of NO DAMAGE!

Gelltor.3015:

For the Grawl shaman end boss,a 1500 range longbow ranger can hit him from the platform you jump down from (though if he’s near the very back you can’t)
Just wait for someone else to engage him first,as otherwise he’ll target the platform with a metor shower.

Ok, so I’ve been doing this and twice now my party members have told me “you can’t do it that way”. I disagree, I can hit the shaman almost the entire time and I am more likely to be the one getting ressed than the one ressing if I drop down anyway, being a glass cannon LB ranger. Does search and rescue work from up there?

Forzani.2584:

Using your numbers. Assume he can travel 50 feet every second.

1. He starts at 600, and you knock him back another 50 feet to 650. He can damage you in melee at 50 feet. So you have 600 feet/50 = 12 shots (1 per second)

2. He starts at 600 feet. You shoot at him until he gets to 100 feet = 10 shots of damage. Then you knock him back 150 feet = 250 feet away = 5 more arrows for a total of 15 shots.

Of course it is just theory craft unless we know the exact numbers.

Of course if game units are meters. Making estimates of the time it takes an enemy to close the 1500m max range distance Using a stopwatch I get speed estimates of between MACH 1.2 and MACH 0.80, depending on class
Given that info should Eles , Thieves etc emit a sonic boom?

For those who rely on pet’s damage:

Use Muddy Terrain to make sure pet can get more hits on foes. Also Agility Training, +30 % pet speed (VI in skirmishing) makes pet able to keep up with the foes.

Be prepared to have your MIND BLOWN!!!

Well, not really.. I just like to make an entrance.

Targeting has always been an issue of mine in this game, and it is at its worst using my current Bandit build (sword/dagger and GS). After a bit of messing around with settings, I have found a pretty decent solution in the targeting options.

I figure that many already know about this, but thats ok, I sure didnt and it has almost turned it into a completely new game for me. I have finally found the functionality I was looking for. Go to Options→Control Options→then the last option in the targeting sub menu (I havent been able to run the game today due to corrupted data, thanks Anet!). If I am able to get back into the game, Ill post the exact wording (or if maybe someone else could?). The name of the option is not particularly clear, something like “Auto-Target Lock.”

Try putting it on a key that is easy to press constantly, as well as hold down for varying amounts of time. This allows you to target the highlighted mob in the center of your screen, ONLY for as long as you hold the button down. To make it even better, it can be used to deselect your current target without clicking on some “open” space on the screen (in wvw, this can be a real problem).

Try it out! Dont be discouraged because it says “auto” and “lock,” as it doesnt really do either of those things! It also appears to be more reliable in targeting who you want to target, as it will just be the enemy that is in the center of your screen, with a “highlighted” name.

Maybe not Ranger specific, but I no longer have as many issues with targeting, thats for sure!

awe extender.1908:

Remember not to engage / start a fight with pet F2. The extra buffs from traits don’t apply. You have to start a fight and then use F2.

Really helpful! An experienced ranger myself and I didn’t know this small detail. I have been starting 30% of my fights with F2 lately so I’ll keep that in mind.

Ranged fights

Something you all should have noticed by now, one way or another, is that long range projectile tend to miss easily. Here are my tips:

1. When you are on the move and fighting from a long range vs a mobile target, move in the direction they are moving, this way you will guarantee more of your hits will land. Do this while keeping your distance. The minute the enemy switches position your shots will miss, so keep those reflexes on check and move in their direction again.

2. When fighting the type of ranged enemy that likes to stay stationary, such as rangers in wvw who are not on the move, ranged-stationary boss fights and overall PvE ranged fights, move quickly from side to side without dodge rolling. You will be amazed at how all their projectiles miss, while all your projectiles stay centered on the target. This will help you avoid: ranged attacks from ‘rapid fire’, quickening zhepir uses on your body, boss ranged projectiles (be careful, bosses like to launch projectiles that do AoE damage… dodge those).

Caution: this projectile avoidance only works if you have a decent distance from your enemy… in my opinion (I don’t have the exact numbers for this) I would say 700 feet away.

Prysin.8542:

1) Rune of the Ranger – Critbuild. I advice you to use bears, since those last long enough for that last bonus to be worth it.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Ranger

Unfortunately for new Rangers the Superior Rune of the Ranger is a tad expensive, requiring around 12 gold currently to buy all six. While you are saving up for this, I recommend either the Rune of the Thief or the Rune of Rata Sum.

Both give the same +165 precision stat.

Thief gives a 10% damage increase when flanking that stacks with the Hunter’s tactics trait. The net result is when you flank you do 20% more damage.

Rata Sum spawns a radiation field 50% of the time when hit. This field will rapidly deplete the health of foes that enter it, so it is most useful for those times when a ranged ranger gets rushed by a swarm of foes in a tight space. The downside is the proc does have a long cool down, and evekitten0% one can not count on it every time it is needed, but, it is nice to have while you are saving up for the Ranger set.

it’s now easier to swap pets to get them right next to you before entering combat – it only takes a second to do it twice and have the same pet at your side.

Make sure you are in a straight line with target(s) when using “Path of scars” (Axe off hand #4).

If you strafe (change position) the returning axe does not hit target(s).

Daemon Hawk.9406:

Prysin.8542:

AOE “Condition trap”
By wielding a longbow, you can create a AOE “Condition trap” that will seriously hurt your enemy.
To “set” the trap, you will need to utilize multiple skills, but the effect can be devastating.
First you need a longbow, the more condition damage on it, the better (dont use this bow for anything but this trap).
The skills you need to use (in this order) is
Sun spirit (preferably with 15% spirit bonus trait)
Sharpening Stone (for bleeding)
Pet F2 – use a Forest spider with it’s F2 ability (next three strikes poisons your foe)
Quickening Zephyr (4 second quickness burst, makes the whole barrage fire in less then 2 seconds, instead of 5)
Barrage

This chain is quite good against gate attackers in W3 or against large numbers of mobs (Since you apply Bleed, burn, cripple and poison)

Sun Spirit will add three seconds of burn to at most two enemies, one for you and one for your pet, until the 10 sec proc cooldown expires. I use Sun spirit, and like it, but fail to see the synergy with barrage. It’s not like the cripple is going to hold them in a fire field. You’re just randomizing where your burn proc goes.

I also don’t understand why you’re interested in the Forest spider’s F2. 6 secs of poison added to its next 3 attacks is nice, but won’t that just stack 18 secs of poison on a single target? Are you planning on redirecting it to 3 targets with F1 during your barrage channel? Otherwise, how is this helping to spread poison to a group?

pre 26th February patch, Forest Spider F2 would be added to your character as a boon, instead of being used by the pet.
I noticed a few weeks ago that this had changed… a sad change, but probably just an unintended bug.

The idea behind that “field” is that barrage is a player AOE, but it doesnt always hit the same 5 enemies, so you can lay waste to crowds by simply applying massive condition spammage onto them.

Also, please do note, that while i am not totally sure of this, “Piercing Arrows” seem to make Barrage hit every player in the AOE circle. This needs confirmation, however it seems to hit more then the max 5 target limit that is imposed on player AOE in WvW

Greatsword – If you do 2 attacks, wait for the third attack to almost strike, then dodge roll. You get an extra evade when you attack after the dodge roll.

How it works -> Slash -> Slice -> Power Stab (dodge before it strikes -> Another Power Stab.

1 evade from power stab, 1 evade from dodge, 1 evade from second power stab.

For fun -> Trait for 15 points in wildnerness survival for endurance regen and dodge protection, Trait for vigorous renewal (each pulse of healing spring now adds vigor)

Eat orrian truffle and meat stew and put on lightning reflexes. Then go mess with people. cuz they can’t hit you.

Landing Interrupts

The easiest way to land interrupts in PvE is to use GS5 straight after initiating an attack on a mob. For example, swoop at your target with GS3 and immediately hit skill 5. This technique is useful if you trait Moment of Clarity for 150% damage after interrupts, allowing you to kick off many encounters with a 50% damage bonus. Note that it does not work on all mob types.

This thread really should be ‘stickied’!

Based on recent posts, I would like to link the refined ‘Beast Master’ build here, I think new rangers who just hit level 70 or higher will find it necessary to have a more survivable build in their arsenal (it is also my personal favorite which I developed on my own, but it is extremely well detailed in this thread):

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Introducing-the-Phantom-Catmaster/first

Enjoy it guys! it’s really fun and provides a nice chance of pace.

Tuluum.9638:

Be prepared to have your MIND BLOWN!!!

Well, not really.. I just like to make an entrance.

Targeting has always been an issue of mine in this game, and it is at its worst using my current Bandit build (sword/dagger and GS). After a bit of messing around with settings, I have found a pretty decent solution in the targeting options.

I figure that many already know about this, but thats ok, I sure didnt and it has almost turned it into a completely new game for me. I have finally found the functionality I was looking for. Go to Options->Control Options->then the last option in the targeting sub menu (I havent been able to run the game today due to corrupted data, thanks Anet!). If I am able to get back into the game, Ill post the exact wording (or if maybe someone else could?). The name of the option is not particularly clear, something like “Auto-Target Lock.”

Try putting it on a key that is easy to press constantly, as well as hold down for varying amounts of time. This allows you to target the highlighted mob in the center of your screen, ONLY for as long as you hold the button down. To make it even better, it can be used to deselect your current target without clicking on some “open” space on the screen (in wvw, this can be a real problem).

Try it out! Dont be discouraged because it says “auto” and “lock,” as it doesnt really do either of those things! It also appears to be more reliable in targeting who you want to target, as it will just be the enemy that is in the center of your screen, with a “highlighted” name.

Maybe not Ranger specific, but I no longer have as many issues with targeting, thats for sure!

I think this tip is a really good one, but I seem to use this a little different – I use the key bound to this function to instantly drop a target. Yes, what so many of us asked for was pretty much there all the time (I know about ESC, but that’s one crappy key to use for this).

Makes “sword-jumping” a LOT easier – try it out! Thanks for a really great tip Tuluum!

OGDeadHead.8326:

I think this tip is a really good one, but I seem to use this a little different – I use the key bound to this function to instantly drop a target. Yes, what so many of us asked for was pretty much there all the time (I know about ESC, but that’s one crappy key to use for this).

Makes “sword-jumping” a LOT easier – try it out! Thanks for a really great tip Tuluum!

You are very welcome!! And I never really considered the ESC key a good solution for anything, haha. Its.. so very far away..

Using it with the sword, as you say, turns it into a completely different monster. I try to target someone for the first two attacks of the chain, and then Ill target someone on the edge of the zerg for pounce. It allows me to jump around a zerg, mostly avoiding any melee type attacks since I am in a different spot by the time they try to attack. Used in conjuction with the stealth from the siamoth, and the evades, it turns into an avoidance fighter.

One of my issues with sword was the “root.” I.E. the fact you cant dodge as normal. However, using different steps of the chain on different targets essentially has you constantly dodging. Its not just a great work around, it can be used in the players favor!

I do have to say though, that it has become a bit harder to use for specific targets with the removal of culling. So, I tend to click-target if I want to hit someone specifically. It doesnt happen that often in the middle of a zerg though, unless there is a high value target. For all intents and purposes (constantly moving in and out of melee range) the target itself is not as important as where they are on the field, imo.

Just one from me:

If you aren’t sure what to build, try Beastmastery
The only way to beef up your pets is through traits, in addition, no trait line in the game provides more raw stats per point than Beastmastery. If your pet dies too often and does no damage? Well, an extra 10 points to its power, precision, toughness and vitality for every point you dump in that trait line will jump might make your pet die a little less and do a little more damage too.
The major traits might not look to impressive, but the traits you get from the first 15 points can get kind of silly. Quickness on pet swap and reduced cooldowns on pet swaps is incredible and can easily ramp up your own damage to stupid levels, as well as keep your pets from dying. The major traits for apprentice level aren’t anything to sneeze at either, being generally useful for almost any pet choice. Master’s Bond might seem a bit off with the encouraging of pet swappping, but the idea of having an extra 250 to your pet’s power, precision, toughness and vitality? Kind of ridiculous.
Pet focused traits in other trait lines tend to have better returns than your own traits as well. Malicious training for instance provides an extra 50% condition duration for your pets conditions (which aren’t affected by your condition duration), while expertise training increases their condition damage by 350 points, both at apprentice level.

Overall, this makes pet traits and beastmastery excellent “dumps” for your spare major traits and trait points.

Still pretty disgusted with the latest “Well we just could not figure out how to fix dungeons so warriors and mesmers wouldn’t speed run them so fast, so we axed quickness across the board, too bad it ruined your only viable burst build rangers, don’t forget we will be buffing your class real soon now” episode, but…

About the only pew pew Rangers have now that still rocks is piercing arrows. It takes a little work, but anytime you can cross a group of foes up and cross their T, you can see some pretty nice damage numbers popping up in unison. Bottle necks and narrow passageways are your friend.

Or when you see those Dredge/Flame Legion portals that pop up every now and then, get to the side just before the next wave pops, and then maneuver so you are always firing down a line of them.

Note to Anet: if you really want me to leave the Ranger forums, nerf piercing arrows and I will mothball my ranger and go back to playing my faceroll guardian or my faceroll warrior.

I am linking a new thread that aims to list the current problems found with incorrect tool tips in the ranger profession. The list is very clear on what is wrong and its amazingly important for those who have reached level 80 and are trying to master the profession.

Link: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Tooltips-Clarifications-Fixes/first

Current as of: 4/9/2013

I hope it helps!

Some great tips here but no mention of the biggest potential loss of DPS largely caused by the Ranger class.

The use of gratuitous knockbacks.

Many rangers in groups seem to use a knockback on cool-down. This is a huge problem in group play and it causes a large loss of group DPS. Melee needs to be in melee range to do damage. Removing their target removes the damage. And, many melee classes have a high-damage skill (e.g., a warrior’s 100 blades) that requires the target to remain in range for the duration. It’s is huge loss of DPS and frustrating to lose the target to a Ranger’s knockback. Additionally, many professions have ground targeted skills that require a target when the skill lands.

It would seem that this is obvious, but everyday I encounter Ranger’s moving targets around the battlefield for no reason whatsoever. I have accidentally hit knockback on my Ranger and I know that happens. But, there are many Rangers using it on cooldown and that’s just not cool.

Raine.1394:

Some great tips here but no mention of the biggest potential loss of DPS largely caused by the Ranger class.

The use of gratuitous knockbacks.

Many rangers in groups seem to use a knockback on cool-down. This is a huge problem in group play and it causes a large loss of group DPS. Melee needs to be in melee range to do damage. Removing their target removes the damage. And, many melee classes have a high-damage skill (e.g., a warrior’s 100 blades) that requires the target to remain in range for the duration. It’s is huge loss of DPS and frustrating to lose the target to a Ranger’s knockback. Additionally, many professions have ground targeted skills that require a target when the skill lands.

It would seem that this is obvious, but everyday I encounter Ranger’s moving targets around the battlefield for no reason whatsoever. I have accidentally hit knockback on my Ranger and I know that happens. But, there are many Rangers using it on cooldown and that’s just not cool.

I agree, especially for new rangers that knock back ability from longbow needs to be used efficiently. It may not be a big deal, but I am sure you can realize that knocking back an enemy into the wrong location can cause distortion for all types of scenarios (including soloing).

My advice is that you need to know how the people around you play. If you need to knock back an enemy then do it to save yours or someone’s life, or to pin an enemy into a wall/friendly traps where it can be easily managed/take more damage.

This approach goes well with other utilities (dodging, healing, pet use, etc…) because the phrase ‘ranger is the most complex class to master’ is no joke, after all mastering all the jacks in a jack of all trade profession takes efficiency.

Raine.1394:

Some great tips here but no mention of the biggest potential loss of DPS largely caused by the Ranger class.

The use of gratuitous knockbacks.

Many rangers in groups seem to use a knockback on cool-down. This is a huge problem in group play and it causes a large loss of group DPS.

Ah yes. Have done that myself a couple of times during my early dungeon running days, much to the dismay of my fellow group member and to my own big shame!

I’m just wondering how many rangers know that you can “insta-rez” a pet by stowing/unstowing it.

Assuming the pet just died and you’re not being focused:

1. Step out of combat
2. (While pet is dead) Stow the pet
3. Unstow the pet, and it should be fully healed without having to wait for it to regen to half HP, then wait again for it to be fully healed.

An added bonus is you don’t have to suffer through the 48/60 seconds penalty for swapping a dead pet!

This is mostly useful in WvW while sniping from the back lines, but I’ve been in circumstances where it became really handy (ie pet died to the lava rocks in CoF P1).

I’ve been using this trick quite a bit now and I thought I should share it here

jubskie.3152:

I’m just wondering how many rangers know that you can “insta-rez” a pet by stowing/unstowing it.

Assuming the pet just died and you’re not being focused:

1. Step out of combat
2. (While pet is dead) Stow the pet
3. Unstow the pet, and it should be fully healed without having to wait for it to regen to half HP, then wait again for it to be fully healed.

An added bonus is you don’t have to suffer through the 48/60 seconds penalty for swapping a dead pet!

This is mostly useful in WvW while sniping from the back lines, but I’ve been in circumstances where it became really handy (ie pet died to the lava rocks in CoF P1).

I’ve been using this trick quite a bit now and I thought I should share it here

Lol this one is magic. I will have to use this from now on.

KensaiZen.3740:

jubskie.3152:

I’m just wondering how many rangers know that you can “insta-rez” a pet by stowing/unstowing it.

Assuming the pet just died and you’re not being focused:

1. Step out of combat
2. (While pet is dead) Stow the pet
3. Unstow the pet, and it should be fully healed without having to wait for it to regen to half HP, then wait again for it to be fully healed.

An added bonus is you don’t have to suffer through the 48/60 seconds penalty for swapping a dead pet!

This is mostly useful in WvW while sniping from the back lines, but I’ve been in circumstances where it became really handy (ie pet died to the lava rocks in CoF P1).

I’ve been using this trick quite a bit now and I thought I should share it here

Lol this one is magic. I will have to use this from now on.

Nice tip! I didn’t realize that… but the best part is that for certain pets, the unstow → enter combat allows their skills (not talking about F2) to be used instantly. Great for target picking especially in WvW.

By aiming your ranged attacks manually, you can make your shots go longer than normal, mostly useful vs stationary targets of course.

Like these examples, on Battle of Kyhlo, taking out the treb from the wall below. Best with an axe if there are opponents up there! Oh, and send your pet first, drakes are pretty kitten nice vs equipment with their F2 and they’ll also hurt any opponents around the treb with their regular attack since it’s an aoe attack.

OGDeadHead, could you please make a video (or multiple) devoted to this little bit?

Sebrent.3625:

OGDeadHead, could you please make a video (or multiple) devoted to this little bit?

Sorry, I don’t do videos. If I change my mind about that, I can do it, but I’m sure there are many others out there with the skills necessary to shoot a video or two of this!

:)

Sebrent.3625:

OGDeadHead, could you please make a video (or multiple) devoted to this little bit?

This is done by moving the camera around, and pressing 1. Since we don’t have a crosshair, it’s mostly guesswork until you hit the desired target.

I’ve been doing that with the burrows in AC. I manually aim my longbow with 1, then i press 2 as soon as I can hit it reliably. As for the treb, you just have to aim your camera higher (like he did in his screenie)