Guild Wars 2

Hi,
I need some advice from an exp ranger, preferably someone who has one as starter/main.
I already decided on my weapons so I’m not so much looking into weapon builds.

I will be using a longbow & axe/warhorn for pretty much everything; I chose longbow because that’s the main long-range, high dmg weapon for all occasions, and the axe/warhorn with intent to buff me & allies while de-buffing enemies (good for both pvp and pve) at the same time (#1 axe skill is good for building mights too I think).

1) What stats am I looking to invest in/focus on for gears? (Please don’t simply say berserker.)

2) What rune set(s) is good for my weapon selection builds?

3) Sigils suggestions for longbow, axe, and warhorn?

4) I’m currently playing sPvP in signet skills (with decent to great result). I read/find trap skills kind of bothersome to execute/useless/easy to avoid. Can you recommend some signature skills for sPvP, WvW in zerg, WvW when roaming, and PvE?

5) Which traitline should I be running?

6) I’m completely lost on the sheer number of pets…. Recommendations? (I’m currently using raven/brown bear. Raven for raw dmg and supposedly higher hp vs felines, and bear for condi remove/tankier pet).

Thanks a lot in advance & will appreciate any insight into this overwhelming class. The most helpful responder will also receive a little token of gratitude from me.

H.E.M.

1st of all…
… Axe does not really come in hand with the longbow for a simple purpose.

Longbow is Power based weapon and Axe is condi based weapon. And all up to that – warhorn is a utility weapon (not even damage weapon at all).

That being said – your weapon set is not really effective in any way you build it. None.
Regardless of what rune set we suggest – your results would be inferior to any meta build currently available.

But if you insist on running these weapons – I suggest you to get a jack of all trades – Celestial amulet.
Your runes would definitely be runes of the Pirate. Just because your condition damage is not high enough, your power damage is not high enough, and your build will mostly be for dueling – that’s why the Parrot Spawned will be your highest damage output.

For the traits, I’d personally run something like this.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNBjODbkQlGW7YxlFuWDYIUtPhWoEYFAuLi49qLYSF-TpRHwAFuAABOIACOCAAeAAHLDoe/BA

The build is basically set around hybrid damage paired with high might investment for improving both, while boosting direct damage through pets from Runes and your own. Offers nice disruption via Chill, Root, Fear, Blind and Knockback.
Also – Warhorn will deal some extra damage since it will apply some random bleeds.

Well, I’m afraid that’s as far as my creativity goes.
You really took the most horrible weapons to go with =D

There are people much more versed in equipment builds than I am so I’m skipping to #6 on the PvE side of things..

This is important: keep more than two pets in mind and be ready and willing to swap them out in the pet window on the fly, just like utility skills or traits.

In an area with a lot of conditions and you need an additional tank? You are absolutely correct about putting that brown bear onto the field. Need to top off might stacks for your party? Throw in that jungle stalker. I go with lashtail devourer for reliable range damage, and fern hound for extra healing, although I can see people arguing for all the other canines for crowd control. Either way, keep a canine in mind for knockdown or defiance stack removal.

You are right in picking a bird for one of the highest damage outputs but I don’t like them because they do that swiftness buff every time they can, which wastes time.

Anyways, that’s what I wanted to say about pets.

as said, longbow/axe&wh is a weird choice, but if you really want to use it, you could probably make it work (though if you wanted to be at your best, i’d suggest sword/warhorn for buffing allies or greatsword for dps) also i’m not completely sure, but i think the low duration might stacks (from the axe AA) might overwrite the long-duration ele might stacks in dungeons and things, which in the long run would probably lower the amount of might you get in dungeons and stuff (at least something like that happens with guardian empower)

I assume that you’re considering every gamemode and not just a specific gamemode? (i’m giving advice with that in mind)

#.1: Zerker would be your primary choice imo, and depending on how survivable you want to get (which you’d want to be in wvw) i’d supplement it with soldiers or knights. currently i use soldiers armor with zerker trinkets and i still do good damage but have the tankiness to survive a surprise attack from a thief for example.

#.2: Personally I use Runes of the Defender in wvw/pve, and Runes of lyssa in PvP, but they aren’t really the “meta” choice.

personally in wvw/pve, i’d take runes of the ranger for dps, or runes of the defender if you want to be more survivable. in PvP i’m not completely sure, i just prefer lyssa because of the insane condi clear I get.

#.3 Force, Air, Fire, Accuracy, Energy, or even Peril for your longbow, are all good choices IMO

#.4 I may be a bit biased from my days in wvw when 99% of players used condi builds, but I can’t play anymore without using survival skills. when mixed with survival of the fittest, they’re just sooo good imo. I also prefer healing spring over troll unguent for the group support and for leaping through it for extra heals. I also like both entangle and rampage as one. I prefer RaO in pve for might and such, and entangle in pvp

#.5 personally I like 6/0/2/6/0, for dealing damage while still being tanky and having awesome condi clear.

#.6 in PvP you absolutely need to use the wolf for one of your slots, imo. the F2 and knockdown sets it as the best pet in the game, imo. the other one is up to preference. another canine for more CC, a bird for dps, a bear for tanking, a feline for a bit more support, etc. etc. it’s easy to figure out what the pets do.

Note that I’m somewhat of a theory crafter so most of my advice isn’t really meta. If you want the meta choices, you could just go to metabattle and look there haha.

P.s. this is my build, if you’re curious

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQJATRjMqUwaJLusQ1ag9gadAUAndrhw9WcEtdBbqA-TFDBABGqDIH1da4BAAxFAoSVCOTJIWK3A4QAklSC43fIPNBbcEAAA-w

I’ve spent a good 2 years tinkering with lb/gs, making it my own, and i’m pretty happy with it at this point. I do swap out a few things though

entangle -> rampage as one, for PvE
runes of the defender -> runes of lyssa, for pvp
signet of the hunty -> muddy terrain, for pvp
eagle eye -> piercing arrows, for WvW zergs

hope i helped! also if you have questions or w/e feel free to add me in game and whisper me when i’m online/mail me, i’m more than happy to answer questions and stuff, no matter how silly they are (though i don’t play as much as i used to, i try to log on at least once a day)

Tragic Positive.9356:

1st of all…
… Axe does not really come in hand with the longbow for a simple purpose.

Longbow is Power based weapon and Axe is condi based weapon. And all up to that – warhorn is a utility weapon (not even damage weapon at all).

That being said – your weapon set is not really effective in any way you build it. None.
Regardless of what rune set we suggest – your results would be inferior to any meta build currently available.

But if you insist on running these weapons – I suggest you to get a jack of all trades – Celestial amulet.
Your runes would definitely be runes of the Pirate. Just because your condition damage is not high enough, your power damage is not high enough, and your build will mostly be for dueling – that’s why the Parrot Spawned will be your highest damage output.

For the traits, I’d personally run something like this.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNBjODbkQlGW7YxlFuWDYIUtPhWoEYFAuLi49qLYSF-TpRHwAFuAABOIACOCAAeAAHLDoe/BA

The build is basically set around hybrid damage paired with high might investment for improving both, while boosting direct damage through pets from Runes and your own. Offers nice disruption via Chill, Root, Fear, Blind and Knockback.
Also – Warhorn will deal some extra damage since it will apply some random bleeds.

Well, I’m afraid that’s as far as my creativity goes.
You really took the most horrible weapons to go with =D

I figured so — I notice how ranger’s LB (I’m a warr main) is direct dmg and not condi at all, unlike warr’s, making the build very split. I know it isn’t meta, but I want to try something different, and I like the full range to mid-range instead of a full range and a melee (I’d like to range kite on ranger all the time, and I’ve heard of animation problems with the sword main.) It’s funny you mention about it being a duel build because I took the weapons with pvp in mind--starting with axe/horn to buff/condi enemy then focus on lbow for majority of dmg. Could you also suggest a trait build around my choices? I’m having a bit of a struggle

LB & Axe/Warhorn might possibly work in a WvW zerg. Warhorn could blast your waterfield and I suppose Axe could be used to tag enemies (though I think sword would be better since you could escape on it or avoid a thief).

However, this choice would be awful in WvW roaming. Longbow excels at long range and does less damage from close distances. So what happen when the enemy closes on you and you swap to the axe? You have no evades, blocks, stuns or mobility skills such as those found on the sword, dagger or even the shortbow. And even if you initially lower your enemy’s health, you don’t have any burst skills since the axe does better when you’re hitting 3 foes, but if 3 foes are hitting you from close range, you’re already in big trouble with axe/warhorn. All you have is a 3 second chill on a ten second cooldown and some swiftness. The burst skill on the axe is the 2nd one, 5 stacks of bleeding on one foe that can pierce other enemies in a cone; Yet you have no condition damage. Longbow rangers tend to get singled out by enemies in small groups. You’re making their job that much easier.

Tragic Positive.9356:

I It’s funny you mention about it being a duel build because I took the weapons with pvp in mind—starting with axe/horn to buff/condi enemy then focus on lbow for majority of dmg. Could you also suggest a trait build around my choices? I’m having a bit of a struggle

But your condis will not do much damage since you have no condi damage unless I suppose you take celestial. The thing is, enemies aren’t going to let you toss out some condition on your axe from 900, then retreat back to use your longbow. You must open with your longbow and then swap weapons when they come in close. But axe/warhorn doesn’t give you any defensive abilities. Sword/torch and axe/dagger would be a better choice or sword/x or greatsword plus longbow works much better.

Samis.1750:

Tragic Positive.9356:

I It’s funny you mention about it being a duel build because I took the weapons with pvp in mind—starting with axe/horn to buff/condi enemy then focus on lbow for majority of dmg. Could you also suggest a trait build around my choices? I’m having a bit of a struggle

But your condis will not do much damage since you have no condi damage unless I suppose you take celestial. The thing is, enemies aren’t going to let you toss out some condition on your axe from 900, then retreat back to use your longbow. You must open with your longbow and then swap weapons when they come in close. But axe/warhorn doesn’t give you any defensive abilities. Sword/torch and axe/dagger would be a better choice or sword/x or greatsword plus longbow works much better.

Oh, for condis, I meant the weakness ill that axe #3 gives, and not really focus on the single bleed skill #2. I’m also hoping that the survival mud traps, longbow kb + #5 aoe cripple + trait cripple, would keep them at bay. Yeah, I see what you mean — I have no close range offense/defense whatsoever. I’m from conventional mmos so when I made a ranger, I still had a keep range mentality.

Unless you can guarantee 100% that you won’t be entering melee, then its best to plan for it. That means GS or Sword/X.

If you’re zerg surfing LB + Axe/horn is probably doable, but be careful.

HawkEyeMihawk.1258:

Oh, for condis, I meant the weakness ill that axe #3 gives, and not really focus on the single bleed skill #2. I’m also hoping that the survival mud traps, longbow kb + #5 aoe cripple + trait cripple, would keep them at bay. Yeah, I see what you mean — I have no close range offense/defense whatsoever. I’m from conventional mmos so when I made a ranger, I still had a keep range mentality.

If this is what your situation is, than you already are aware that it simply doesn’t work.
…
Also, your idea of playing this build is to “debuff the target” to allow you to stay alive.
… Well, that would have worked with condition scenario, but with this setup… Nope, it won’t.

It’s easier to compare it to “channeling”. To deal Direct damage – you need to “cast” it for the whole duration since rangers do not have burst apart from rapid fire that is not even a burst. You are destined to spam Auto-Attack for the rest of your life.
Which means – that you have to choose whether you want to cripple your enemy by debuffing him, or dealing damage to him. You see where my point is?
You simply won’t be able to do both effectively. Not even one of those since anyone specced for such a role will outclass you by miles far.

I can’t think of any builds that work well in PvP, PvE, and WvW. Simply just doesn’t exist.

Zerk/Assassin (LB/GS) works well as support in WvW, but fails in PvP. Does well in PvE, also but doesnt match most other DPS-classes for DPS.

Condi/Survival Ax+T/SB or Sw+T/SB is very good in PvP but doesnt have the speed for WvW and the condi damage is lost on PvE swarms who die too fast.

Trapper Condi is very good for roaming and does alright in PvE. Not even possible in PvP bc the Rune of the Trapper cant be used.

Use Reef drake vs Eless, Theives, and Engis
Use the jaguar/lynx if you want DPS, but be prepared to switch it out constantly and it will die a lot more than other pets…then again, no other pets will regularly hit 2000dmg 3x in a row. Birds are second bst for DPS