Introduction
I wanted to share the build I’m currently running with. This is prioritizes my preferred play style over cookie cutter op builds.
Weapons Combination
I am using Greatsword/Longbow simply because they are my two favorite weapons.
Build Philosophy
I’m gearing glass cannon so I will be stacking berserker gear. I have not decided on which runes to use but I am thinking Rune of the Eagle (very expensive). My traits and skills focus on the best bang for your buck and many defensive traits to make up for the lack of defensive gear.
Skills
1) Quickening Zephyr – a must for any Ranger. I feel that 4 seconds of quickness is our most powrful skill.
2) Signet of Stone – used to make up for the lack of defensive gear. It is an anti-thief, anti-warrior, anti-guardian anti-burst skill in the way I plan to use it. On use it makes your pet immune to damage for 6 seconds and you will see why this is important next.
3) “Protect Me” – a skill which makes your pet absorb all of your damage for 6 seconds. When paired with Signet of Stone, it makes you and your pet almost (we’ll get to that) invincible to damage for 6 seconds and when timed right can prevent the other glass cannon classes from 1shotting you.
4) Healing Spring – Healing Spring is a ground AoE heal that removes conditions and has a near-instant cast time.
5) Entangle – I prefer the control of Entangle and that it is an AoE root. It can be used against siege if you walk up to a wall, it can be used to catch a runner or for running away yourself. But most importantly it holds people in place until they break it which allows me to pop quickness and swing my GS like there’s no tomorrow.
Pet Choice
I have tried many pets. I have found I like Devourers and Birds the most right now. But Devourers are only good for not dying and birds do massive crits. Birds crit like cats but have extra vitality. They are also much much smaller and less obvious than a cat. Finally, birds will do a loop-de-loop and grant swiftness, which can be used on demand by telling your bird to attack something then immediately calling it back after it procs swiftness.
I’m currently using Eagle and Hawk however I might change to a different bird simply because I specialize in direct damage and not condition damage. Not sure if pet bleeds are affected by player stats but if they are, I might go owl just for the chill every 20s.
Traits
I’ve tested a lot of traits and realized that Ranger trait tree structure is poorly designed. To begin with, I can’t find any reason to put more than 20-25 points in a single tree. All of our good traits are in the first and second brackets.
Another thing I don’t like is that some trees force you to use a certain weapon or playstyle. I would love to go deep into the Skirmishing tree and get all that extra passive precision and crit damage but I don’t use a shortbow or axe, which that tree is focused towards. That being said, here are my traits
Marksmanship – 20
Skirmishing – 15
Wilderness Survival – 20
Nature Magic – 10
Beast Mastery – 5
- Marksmanship I am focusing on the increased longbow range. I tried the cripple on 25% health for my 10pt major, it seemed to suck, so I chose the Fury since my pets die all the time.
- Skirmishing is important to me mostly for the passive crit. The traits are kind of meh. I get swiftness on weap swap, fury on weap swap, and 30% crit damage for my pet since I use birds. I wish there were better traits in the skirmishing tree that aren’t weapon specific.
- Wilderness Survival is actually very very useful. 50% endurance regen, 2 sec protection when dodge rolling, and major traits I chose were Shared Anguish (your pet eats one of your CC’s every 90s) and Wilderness Survival (decreases survival skill CD by 20%).
- Nature Magic I chose, only because the first major trait has an anti-burst trait. If you take more than 20% damage by a single strike you gain protection for 5s. I also like the passive regen @75% health because heals are always good for a glass cannon.
- Beastmastery is predictable. 5 points for quickness on pet swap. Simply a must just like Quickening Zephyr.
Notes
- Up until this patch, Entangle was not affected by Wilderness Survival
- Signet of Stone and “Protect Me” do not absorb condition damage. I’m certain this is a bug just like supply camp supervisors taking condition damage when under the invincibility buff. If it isn’t then Ranger skills truly are 3rd rate skills.
Tell me what you think, let me know if there’s any way I can improve this build.
