Longbow in PvP
I play with longbow exclusively and I don’t spvp aside from testing out sigils and runes because the game and the class design is flawed.
Look at your LB1 skill for a moment, notice the range penalty? Your already pathetic attack speed and damage goes even lower at sub 1000 range. And the object of the game is cap and hold which means you’re forced to close in on targets.
Now look at your pets, they don’t even know how to jump off a ledge so you can’t even place yourself out of the way and snipe since a part of your pet damage is basically nullified.
So basically, Anet expects you to take the fight into areas not on your own terms, which is why playing LB ranger is like playing with a handicap. Ranger needs to kite, and they need buffers in between them and enemies due to the lack of escape utilities. Spvp is not the place for that which is why every viable build uses short bow.
LB in sPvP is not used for offense. You use it for defense and support, which means that for the most part it is a secondary weapon or not used at all. I persoanlly use SB for offensive gameplay then when I need to be more defensive I’ll switch over the LB. Reason being is that LB 4 gets you distance and interrupts attacks/stomps/heals. LB 5 is used to cripple enemies or to set them up for an offensive attack as well as supporting teammates with damage and cripples to either force enemies off points or shut off escape routes.
The other skills on the LB are pretty self explainatory. It does have the potential to be an offensive weapon in sPVP but it’s utterly horrible atk speed and autoattack handicap prevents that.
Longbow is pretty bad in sPVP. The maps are way too small to use its range and it’s damage isn’t better than the shortbow.
Personally i just ignore it. The damage is too low and it doesn’t really have a large amount of redeeming factors to it other than pure range, which i said is pretty useless in sPVP.
@Cheshire
I find the SB interrupt to be a better one. While LB has 10 seconds less CD (7 if traited), it also has a large cast time making it pretty difficult to actually interrupt something.
Longbow is pretty bad in sPVP. The maps are way too small to use its range and it’s damage isn’t better than the shortbow.
Personally i just ignore it. The damage is too low and it doesn’t really have a large amount of redeeming factors to it other than pure range, which i said is pretty useless in sPVP.
@Cheshire
I find the SB interrupt to be a better one. While LB has 10 seconds less CD (7 if traited), it also has a large cast time making it pretty difficult to actually interrupt something.
I agree. But I use both of them in all aspects of the game so it’s a moot point for me.
Chesire’s point are solid. I use my longbow for defense and my greatsword for most of my damage.
All I can say is, when I am using the treb in Khylo and an enemy comes, it is really fun to knock them off the side and they have to run all the way back up for me just to do it again.