Guild Wars 2

jubskie.3152:

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)

My experience with untargeted aiming is that if you are in normal bow range you just cover your target with your head (its nameplate will rest just on top of your head), and you will hit it – assuming it’s not moving of course. Outside of that range, you have to bring your aim up a bit depending on the distance so that you can take advantage of the arc.

I think this warrants some further testing. If anyone wants to test this and sees me online, please hit me up. I want to see if I can hit someone that is beyond the max range of my bow using this. That would be quite interesting for WvW purposes.

I’m also quite interested in how you hit that treb in sPvP as that could definitely translate to WvW. I may have my “siege hunter” capability back with my Ranger! The very idea of that excites me very much!

Sebrent.3625:

I think this warrants some further testing. If anyone wants to test this and sees me online, please hit me up. I want to see if I can hit someone that is beyond the max range of my bow using this. That would be quite interesting for WvW purposes.

I’m also quite interested in how you hit that treb in sPvP as that could definitely translate to WvW. I may have my “siege hunter” capability back with my Ranger! The very idea of that excites me very much!

I couldn’t possibly give you hard distance figures, but I’ve messed around with this a lot by firing at ambients. There definitely seems to be a limit to the distance at which I can reliably hit (read: hit at all), but I can say that it’s definitely longer than max bow range, though not by a ton.

Do we have any good way of measuring distance? I know we can approximate with range indicators on skills and AoE borders, but is there something that just has stuff set up at preset distances?

Sebrent.3625:

I think this warrants some further testing. If anyone wants to test this and sees me online, please hit me up. I want to see if I can hit someone that is beyond the max range of my bow using this. That would be quite interesting for WvW purposes.

I’m also quite interested in how you hit that treb in sPvP as that could definitely translate to WvW. I may have my “siege hunter” capability back with my Ranger! The very idea of that excites me very much!

You absolutely can you must have at some point gone beyond the max range and had your auto attack stop firing? hit it manually and you can still hit your target but only a short distance beyond the max range I believe you will then get a message stating “out of range” unless the auto attack stops before max range that is wich would be kitten but not out of the question I suppose.

Another thing to follow up on this and worth mentioning is your axe arches slightly when thrown and can sometimes hit elevated targets that would only give you obstructed messages with a bow.

I mentioned this a while ago for using longow in zerg warfare. But no one believes a thing i say

KensaiZen.3740:

I mentioned this a while ago for using longow in zerg warfare. But no one believes a thing i say

…and people have mentioned this long before you mentioned it, so it wasn’t you, nor me, that came up with this. I just put the info in this thread.

OGDeadHead.8326:

KensaiZen.3740:

I mentioned this a while ago for using longow in zerg warfare. But no one believes a thing i say

…and people have mentioned this long before you mentioned it, so it wasn’t you, nor me, that came up with this. I just put the info in this thread.

Yep.

Also, hitting siege isn’t zerg warfare. It’s siege hunting.

Zerg warfare is killing large numbers of players

Little tips on how you can make better use of mainhand axe, pick the right target, say you have 3 mobs in front you it doesn’t matter who dies first then you could just pick one from the right or left but if you want to kill one faster to reduce incoming damage then pick the one in the middle cause then your axe will bounce to the side then back to the one in the middle, I don’t have numbers tested but the single target on the center mob is likely just as high or higher than shortbow damage while still hitting a second target aswell and once the first one is dead this scenario will repeat itself with only 2mobs, useful trick to keep in mind.

For anyone who wishes to understand how to properly fight dagger/dagger elementalists and is struggling against them, please watch the following video:

It is basically a fight of two people who belong to the same guild, Beastmaster Ranger versus Elementalist. I note that from the fight the ranger is likely to be using 0/0/30/10/30 traits, high condition, high toughness and high healing power attributes throughout his equipment. At the same time the elementalist is also geared for survival, like all good d/d elementalista, so it is indeed a battle of the toughest.

What can you take from here? The typical elementalist rotation of skills. Most important to note is the big damage attacks from earth and fire spells. The biggest damage source comes from (i believe) the churning earth attack + lightning flash, in which he charges the earth spell, quickly uses lightning flash to teleport to the Ranger to deliver him with massive damage; which our Ranger manages to constantly dodge.

I hope it helps and improves your overall gameplay!

Very nice video. I hope everyone noticed that the Ranger was largely not being hit, especially by the “big stuff”. That is one of the biggest differences between a good Ranger and a bad one.

What’s also nice to note is that the Ranger was able to do this against a class and spec that the developers have said is a bit OP and is in their sights to be nerfed. I believe that says a good bit about the current potential of the Ranger class even given our biggest bugs.

Also, the Ranger was playing more defensively than needed. Half the time, his heal was off cooldown and he didn’t need to use it, a quarter of the times he used it and didn’t really need healing and I couldn’t tell you if he could have relied on his natural regen more to restore his health more than he was.

All in all, in such an encounter, he could have pulled out more CC to keep the elementalist pinned and still have decent survivability…but then from the looks of it, the elementalist seemed to be showing off rotations more than trying to use them timely and effectively so who knows. It’s a good watch to study those rotations before getting tackled by them.

I agree with you Leo. The Ranger was playing more defensively than he needed to. There were plenty of times it was obvious his pet was about to lunge for the knockdown that he didn’t take advantage of as well.

Tbh, I fail to see the “awesomeness” of the ranger in that video, I’m sorry to say.

OGDeadHead.8326:

Tbh, I fail to see the “awesomeness” of the ranger in that video, I’m sorry to say.

Then please go watch some other videos featuring dagger+dagger elementalists where they grind the other person down to dead.

@awge.3852

That was a pretty eh d/d ele.
His attunement swapping was off, he didn’t have much of an idea how to land the specs dmg (he consistently casts firegrab while out of range or into evades… and couldn’t reliably line up, nonetheless ever setup, burning speed)
Anyways, in realistic fights though, since you are running a pure offpoint bunker, you have to stay on an objective, making a fight against a d/d ele tougher.

Running that spec though… a bunker beastmaster ranger shouldn’t really lose ANY 1v1 in a timely manner. It’s debatably one of the best 1v1 specs out there, utter trash as fights get larger or anyone needs anything from you short of spastic pet dmg, but can survive pretty well.

I think the biggest issue with it in large fights is how condition damage doesn’t scale as well with larger numbers as direct damage does … there’s no direct damage cap … I hope ArenaNet eventually finds a way to deal with this issue.

Sebrent.3625:

I think the biggest issue with it in large fights is how condition damage doesn’t scale as well with larger numbers as direct damage does … there’s no direct damage cap … I hope ArenaNet eventually finds a way to deal with this issue.

No, conditions are fine in larger fights, forcing someone to burn cleanses on some bleed stacks makes that immobilize coming for the real spike a free kill.
The main problem with rangers though and group fights is that they either rely for the most part on pets or traps for dmg, pet get eaten alive by miscelanious aoes and trap rangers are largely evade based for survivability, something that gets much worse as fights get larger. To boot they don’t really offer much to the group.

I rely neither on pets nor traps with some of my condition builds as well as my zerg busting builds (one zerg buster does use traps). The pets are there for utility in those builds.

AOE Regen (fern hound) is nice
AOE Protection (blue moa) is nice
AOE Fury (red moa) is nice
Applying immobilize/knockdown/etc. to enemies is nice (dogs, spiders, etc.)
Providing poison fields is nice (spiders, one devourer, etc.)
Blast finishing combo fields is nice (drakes)

This might be obvious to some but it’s a nice little trick that is easily overlooked too, during Rampage As One using Hunter’s Call will get 25 might stacks on your pet in a split second this can be used for some ridiculous petburst.

Regarding whirling defense (again!), try this on the spvp map with the cannon: If someone’s firing the cannon at you, use axe#5 and reflect that cannonball right at the attacker!

Not only does it look funny as hell, but you’ll definitely give the cannoneer a big suprise!

(sorry if this has already been mentioned before in this thread)

A tip for those who like to PvP or find themselves in 1v1 situations in WvW. This is for advanced game play so I don’t expect a beginner to easily succeed in doing this:
If you are using a Beast Master build; in which your pet does a high amount of damage, while you are more tanky; try to get your enemy to think that you are the real threat.

How do you do this? First realize that almost any player will try to kill you and they forget about your pet. Also realize that you are a ranger, and like a good ranger you need to lure your enemy into the kind of strategical traps that will bring them down.

So, as the fight rages on both your healths will begin to go down. Make sure you have a heal ready, then lure your enemy to try to damage you a bit more, which will force them to forget about your pet. Try to make it in a way where your enemy does not move around much but stays relatively stationary (i.e. a ranged fight, or a melee fight where you use your evades but don’t force your enemy to chase you much).

Remember:
1. You are tanky, you won’t go down so easy.
2. You have a heal ready in case your health goes down a bit too much.
3. STUN your enemy when they are trying to heal, make sure your pet is damaging them directly.

Even advanced players don’t see the pet damage being that significant because they are so focused on bringing you down; especially since your health is running low, all they think about is the kill. Big mistake, it often turns out in your favor if you play it right. Why? Because unlike them, you have to micromanage your pet, you are conscious about it all throughout the fight, while they have to focus on their own survival and you, not to mention the pet. It can be too much to focus on and they tend to forget the pet at critical moments.

Again, a bit of an advanced game play strategy for rangers. I hope it helps, if it isn’t too clear then please comment on it and I will write it better

Yo! Here are my tips, sorry if they’ve already been posted. I’m a dungeon & PvE player, so you will get no advice for PvP and WvW here.

Group war horn
Longbows + war horn = don’t do it unless you want to move and get in closer to your target. Skill 5 with the war horn is great when fighting with a group and using a sword: it gives you buffs, your pet buffs, and your allies will also love you. Why? Because they get buffs too. Buffs for everyone!

Get up close
This can be a continuation of the previous tip I have mentioned. When you are using a bow and are at maximum distance from your enemy, and all the other players are melee-ing the target, YOU won’t get the buffs they are giving out freely (I’d hate to miss out on the Guardian calls, wouldn’t you?) and they will miss out on yours. Teamwork is key, especially during dungeons, boss fights, etc. If you are far away from them, you will both suffer from the lack of extra help. Think of it like a long-distance relationship. Don’t forget that Spotter is widely appreciated by pretty much everyone and can kill enemies in the blink of an eye!

Swords, not Greatswords
I use a sword with my Ranger, and it is just… Amazing. Sword and war horn are great. It’s quick, you can evade pretty much anytime, just make sure auto-attack is OFF on the sword or your evades will be futile and you will die. You can also make the most of the horn ranged attacks, so you can breathe a bit by letting your birds peck your enemy’s eyes out, and then hop back in.

Beware sword + longbow combo
When you use Skill 2 with the sword, you will leap backwards, but not far enough for the “best” range with the longbow. Try using a short-bow instead, or an ax.

Combos
Fiery axes and arrows? How could you say no to that! Just hop in any ally’s fire AoE, or create your own with your torch, and chuck those fiery harbingers right at the enemy’s face. You can also improve this by adding a rune (I play gw2 in french, so I’m not sure this is what it’s actually called) that will create bursts of flame on your enemy every few attacks.

Keeping pets alive
I am aware that this has been mentioned plenty of times, but you can never accentuate this enough. SWAP OUT YOUR PET when its health gets low, or pretty much anytime BEFORE it dies. One minute cool-down sucks. If you are going to complain about having to manage your pet, don’t play a Ranger. It only takes a tiny part of your attention, and to be honest, I just love watching my pet solo monsters at Orr. And if it really is a crisis situation, use your pet to aggro mobs, run away, maybe even activate signet of stone – but as soon as your out of the enemy’s reach, don’t wait for your pet to come to you. Swap it out.

Variety
I carry one sword, two axes, a war horn and a longbow in my inventory at all times. I have 72-or-so slots in my bag, and trust me, carrying these around is not a problem. The loot you get in dungeons very rarely maxes out your bag, unless you’ve kept a dozen other things in it that you could have ridden yourself of before starting the dungeon. Carrying different weapons is great when you’re in a dungeon situation, and you know you need different weapons for different scenarios. One example is: p1 in the Citadel, I mostly use my ax and my sword-horn for the beginning, and as soon as you have to slice down some Acolytes or defeat the final boss, swap the sword out for the bow and keep the ax and the horn. It also allows you to play around with different things in PvE.

Healing
I see a lot of people promoting Healing Spring, but honestly, every time I equip it I just die, whether I stay within the area or not. When it comes to healing, I’m a bit selfish – that Troll stuff keeps me alive all the time. Unless you’re fighting with a group and you all need to stack behind a wall or something, don’t bother with the healing AoE. And forget about the water spirit too.

Pet problem
I’m having trouble with the pet’s healing capacity (the one that makes it go and heal an ally). Every time I tell my pet to go rez a buddy, it ends up ignoring it completely, or changes its mind to attack my target. Now, I’m not familiar with the ability, and it might just be me poorly managing it, but it’d be great to know if anyone else has this problem.

Be risky
Melee is fine and fun, as long as you can get out quick enough and avoid death. It also shows teammates that you’re not one of those semi-solo rangers that just throws the bear in and uses the longbow. This is exactly the way you will not benefit from extra damage buffs, as mentioned in group war horn and get up close. Unless you need to afk and you’re at a safe distance from a boss with the bow’s auto-attack on, you should really try melee. Of course, bows are great when there’s too much to manage and you just need to get out for a bit to avoid a little aggro, but don’t hesitate to hop back in the middle of the action whenever you feel confident to.

You are a Ranger
Not a warrior, a guardian, a mesmer, a necromancer, a thief, an elementalist, or an engineer (sorry if I’ve left out other classes, my memory is pretty crappy). There are differences between you and the rest, and you’ll have to accept that. “Great damage/crit” is also quite subjective. My brother watched me play my ranger and was amazed at the amount of damage I inflict whenever my crit combo’d with my pet’s crit. I have never been kicked out of a group, whether it be PvE or dungeon, just because I play a Ranger and currently have under 2k Success points (been a little slow on that one, and I’ve been playing for a while… Oops!) Besides, if you don’t like the ranger class, just try out anything else. People aren’t going to throw stones at you if you create another character with a different class. There are also a lot of rangers in the game, and very often in my dungeon runs there’s at least one other ranger in the group.

This topic is a year old, please make a new thread instead. Some of the info is simply outdated.