Guild Wars 2

My favourite part in GW2 with my Ranger is WvW roaming. I used to use a trap condibuild with a full rabid set which was nice but didn’t give me enough survivability. So now i use a BM build with cleric’s armor and weapons with the rabid trinkets but i want even more surv. So now my question, what gear should i use?

Full clerics, full apothecary or a mix of the 2?

I like roaming in WvW too. Roaming thieves (and any other roamers) seem to see me (ranger) as easy pickins…I’m not the best 1v1 person out there, but I’m not the worst either…but I get owned on almost every encounter with a thief. It’s a win for me if I get him to disengage—but most of the time I end up dead.

Hell, even in groups thieves seem to focus on my ranger (easy pickins again?)

Any other rangers having that much difficulty versus thieves?

i myself dont have that many issues with them. Ofc they are a tough class. I have more problem killing them than staying alive, im usually on the winning hand but dont have that much dmg so thieves that rly use stealth a lot just keep circling me and noone wins the fight. I use SB+Sword/Warhorn. I have a lot of evades and very high healing so they dont burst me down so quickly.

Pick apothecary/settler’s (a mix works good too) or clerics. Do not mix them. That’s just saying “hey I want to do a little condition damage and a little direct damage, but not much of either”. The only weapon combo that will work even moderately well like that is shortbow and sword/dagger, and not even that good since you’re only a little bit of power with no crit ability when roaming with a build that utilizes high healing power and toughness. Of course you can use runes/sigils to make up for what the rest of your build is lacking to make the condition damage and direct damage slightly more viable, but it’s at a much greater hit to your survivability since the runes/sigils that synergize with healing builds are so much more effective than those that define “little bit of everything” builds.

Pick one or the other is my suggestion.

Ok thx for Info Faux, if i rly want to use SB and Sword, what is best in your opinion? Apothecary or Cleric?

what else are you using with your sword?

well atm Warhorn but im not too sure about that

I’d say cleric if you’re using warhorn or axe. If you go for dagger or torch, try settler’s apothecary.

ok thank you very much

@Sreoom, maybe you should try to implement some more surv. Even if i get hit by a backstab i have 4 or 5 evades rdy to stop them from pulling a 2nd one and enough healing to undo the dmg done. I admit vs less squishy thieves i do have an issue of finalizing the kill but i have the upperhand in the fight.

First off, the Regen builds generally are as tanky as rangers can get due to how passive they are enabling you to do other things, plenty of evades etc. Anyway, if your content on a build I recommend you go to PvP and replicate it there, it may seem odd but it does wonders for roamers skill levels.

In WvW things are unbalanced, and most of the time the players aren’t necessarily as skilled as those in PvP. I would recommend going to some dueling servers and practicing against classes you struggle against and learn from them. Nothing helps you fight warriors roaming in WvW more than training against rank 50 warriors in PvP. As far as I know theres 3 big 1v1 servers (Swims, Angz and Sensotix’s).

Faux, do you think its useful to trade in 2 or 3 clerics trikets for some soldier ones? Like the backpiece and the 2 rings or a ring and an accessory?

I honestly think anything 900+ healing power is alright. You still get 375 hp/s or something like that regen which is more than enough. Further buffing power and vitality aren’t a bad idea.

Thank you, you have been very helpful

Glad to help

Baseleader.4128:

@Sreoom, maybe you should try to implement some more surv. Even if i get hit by a backstab i have 4 or 5 evades rdy to stop them from pulling a 2nd one and enough healing to undo the dmg done. I admit vs less squishy thieves i do have an issue of finalizing the kill but i have the upperhand in the fight.

Thanks…will do. I think part of my issue is I prefer running LB / Axe & Horn….these two weapon sets are not ideal when you get jumped by a thief while running to your group.

Sreoom.3690:

I think part of my issue is I prefer running LB / Axe & Horn….these two weapon sets are not ideal when you get jumped by a thief while running to your group.

That is my exact problem when trying to duel thieves in WvW. I feel LB and A/H are great in a group setting, but definitely not for solo roaming. I’m just too stubborn to be bothered switching weapons out only to catch up to the group.

Sreoom.3690:

I like roaming in WvW too. Roaming thieves (and any other roamers) seem to see me (ranger) as easy pickins…I’m not the best 1v1 person out there, but I’m not the worst either…but I get owned on almost every encounter with a thief. It’s a win for me if I get him to disengage—but most of the time I end up dead.

Hell, even in groups thieves seem to focus on my ranger (easy pickins again?)

Any other rangers having that much difficulty versus thieves?

Yes, after over a year of playing a Ranger I am finally about two months into WvW for the first time (so I have two months experience IN WvW).

I’ve tried several builds, I’ve tried every combination that I can think of and I still get zeroe’d in on by thieves who know I can not counter them.

Find me one single Ranger who can down a decent Thief – I will follow the build and rotation religiously – since I die far more than most and I don’t die as much on any other character, I know it can’t be just my skill since one does die and the other does not in the same situation.

No, you are not alone.

Here’s basically what I play

The thing with thieves is that they run away if you keep preassuring them, atleast if they know what to do. So basically what you do with this build is autoattacking with the shortbow, it gives bleed and burning now with the spirit, and keeps preassure on the thief wich forces him to stealth, wich they will do alot. (also use Hunter’s call when holding sword warhorn and Concussion shot when behind using SB)

When he stealths start dodging, you have quick shot on SB, hornet sting and serpent’s strike on sword also your usual dodges wich gives you protection for 2,5s.

When the thief is closes in on you pop some or all the active skills for the spirits, Call lightning does good aoe damage and ideally you now have them immobilized.

When you need to heal just pop Healing spring, use Call of the wild for The buff and extra healing since it’s a blast finisher also hornet sting and monarch’s leap for a leap finisher.

I use celestial gear but if that’s too expensive then carrior or rabid may work, weapons are berserker but then again other stats may work.

About the traits.
The only thing that’s important for this build is 30 in nature, the rest you may change as you please I just use 30 in wilderness for the added survivability it gives me.
and II in skirmishing then again III in marksmanship would fill the same role

My build is not that good vs thieves. I just dont do enough dmg to counter all that stealth, unless the thief is played badly or is very squishy.

However it is amazing in WvW duelling. I win a lot of 2v1s and also quite often a 3v1. The surv is amazing and you just have to focus 1 guy and take him down.

0/0/30/10/30
Full clerics except in trinkets. A lot of soldier there
SB/Sword warhorn

Faux Sheaux.6179:

I’d say cleric if you’re using warhorn or axe. If you go for dagger or torch, try settler’s apothecary.

In his case (roamer) I think he needs the more versatile/survival option, in my personal experience you would use warhorn prior to entering combat and switch to torch. Since you want that fire condition damage and with off hand training, it’s apothecary (if you need a bit more healing power) or settler.

By the day, did anyone care to look that our suggestions are in par with Dec 10 changes?

Use CC. After getting out of stealth they can’t enter it again for a few seconds, but they can still dodge and they will. Try to predict where the thief is going and instantly use hard CC (Drakehound, Spiders, Stone Spirit etc.) That’s what’s helping me the most against a Thief.