Guild Wars 2

Hey all! So I just wanted to get your guys input on a build I have been thinking about. Rolled a ranger the other day after seeing one of my guildies with sword in action and have been wanting to level this ranger since. Problem is, I am more of a melee player. Range is okay but I love running around, dodging to avoid damage and being up in people’s faces.

Now, I was happy to see that there appear to be two major melee options for ranger – Sword and Greatsword. I wanted to start here. I probably should have read through tried and true build before posting this, but became obsessed at work and tried to come up with what I thought might be a viable build that suits my playstyle.

Build: http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/ranger/?6.3|c.1g.h2.8.1g.h5|1.1g.h2|1n.7j.1n.7j.1n.7j.1n.7j.1n.7j.1n.7j|1g.67.1g.67.1g.67.1g.67.1g.67.8c.67|k45.k24.k4a.0.a5|0.0|4h.4o.4q.4w.55|e

Some rationalization of my (probably) very poor choices:

1. Weapons
- Sword and dagger: I wanted to play sword for melee. Dagger because I like the idea of having relatively quick access to poison to reduce my target’s healing potency as well as having a cripple if they try to escape
- Greatsword: Again, for melee

2. Skills
- Heal as One because of short cooldown and vigorous renewal
- Signet of Renewal because of condition removal and stun break plus 20% reduced cooldown with signet mastery
- Signet of the Hunt: kind of ambivalent about this but I like moving faster passively
- Lightening reflexes: I am big on vigor, evades and stun breaks
- Rampage as one: For the boons, especially stability

3. Armor
- All knights because I needed toughness and need power and percision
- Rune: 6x superior rune of the ranger because I needed more precision and crit and the 5% damage at 6 runes can’t hurt

4. Trinkets
- full berserker for more damage

5. Traits:
Marksmanship 20
- skill IV for quicker recharge of SoR
- skill V to minimize chance of escape for enemies
- passives will stack 2 vulnerability on engage which helps with damage

Skirmishing 20
- skill II because hopefully there will be some crits and it is nice to have conditions for an enemy to worry about too
- skill IV because I like vigor
- passives are good because I will swap between gs and s/d

Wilderness Survival 20
- vigorous renewal becuase I like vigor
- martial mastery because I am using sword and gs
- passives work perfectly because I like to roll and will have lots of access to vigor
- needed toughness

Beastmastery 10
- skill V becuase I will use jungle stalker’s Mighty Roar

As of now, the way I expect to play the build:
Start with jungle stalker, F3 for might, Rampage as One for buffs, GS3 for gap closer, GS2, GS5, Switch to Sword/Dagger, S3, D4, S2->S2, S1 and stick to them until theyre down

If enemy is not down, switch to Jaguar, F3 and get out

So, like I said at the beginning of this post, I have just started leveling the ranger. I have no idea if this will actually work but I’d like to think that it might be viable. Was wondering if someone much more experenced than I with this class can take a look to see if this might work or if I am just wasting my time with a pipe dream

Thanks!

While Heal As One has the shorter cooldown, you may want to look at our other two heals.

Troll Unguent can be used right before “diving in”,
Healing Spring cleanses all conditions from you.

If there is something Ranger has, it’s a selection of 3 equally viable, good healing options.

For runes, if you’re wanting damage, that is fine. Divinity might work better for you since Ranger benefits from power AND condition on both greatsword and sword+dagger skills.

Otherwise, Runes of Melandru + Lemongrass food for -65% condition duration on yourself and reduced stun duration are beautiful on a Ranger.

Keep in mind that your stats don’t affect your pets, so you can be quite tanky while your pet can be your “cannon” of sorts … though pet AI is still sometimes an issue … as is survivability in large zerg fights.

Jungle Stalker is probably the worst of the cats due to its F2 having a short range and long cast time. The might is nice though when you actually get it.

Not my type of build but I always appreciate a melee ranger.

Right now I am running GS/1hs/torch. Since I have so much cond dmg I like the torch for the burns, and with my traited 50% endurance regen I don’t need the extra evade.

I’m running 0/0/30/10/30. This is the build you want if you want to be constantly in the front line. I passive regen for well over 300hp per tick without any abilities going. Well over that when the battle gets going.

I use the HP regen signet, LR and movement signet. LR is a must have for this build, stun breaker with evades coming out the wazoo afterwards.

This build is EXTREMELY hard to put down once youget your evade timing down with your sword skills. I’m running apothecary with dwayna runes.

Essentially with runes and traits I have regen up almost all the time, 5 evades(with 150% endurance regen after LR) constant passive HP regen and condition wipes, with pets that knock you down and also fear and cripple you.

My personal experience with this build has been great, you will eat glass cannons for breakfast.

Honestly greatsword is so crappy i’d just use another sword with sword/warhorn or sword/torch

With the 2 leap finishers from sword+greatsword healing spring would be soooo much better than troll unguent or heal as one. I reckon you could get over 10k heals from healing spring with this build even though you only have 100 healing power.

Greatsword is far from “crappy”.

Auto-attack: moderate damage and the auto-attack chain has you evading for over 50% of the chain. Yeah, that’s 50% evasion up-time as long as you keep landing your hits.

#2: 6 second (4.8s traited) cooldown on a good power attack that inflicts bleeding

#3: 1,100 range leap with a 12 second (9.6s traited) cooldown … traited you can leap twice for every one time an elementalist or warrior can do the same.

1. Block that allows movement and continues blocking ranged attacks or kicks for damage, knockback, and interrupt against a foe in melee range.

1. A quick daze/stun. Always nice. Also makes your pet hit 50% harder next hit.

You’re not alone on the all melee build, I run one myself on Hawke Fullmoon in spvp

I usually work with flame traps and run flame legion runes, but lately I’ve been expirimenting with the signet traits and running stone+protect me for 12 seconds of not taking damage while in melee