Guild Wars 2

How does everyone feel about being called “op” by other classes? Does this mean a movement towards more melee oriented ranger builds?

I love having out a greatsword. Whenever I’m running a direct damage build, I always have a greatsword equipped.

I wouldn’t call our greatsword OP though. What people are probably running into is tanky Rangers which is a big difference when compared to all the glass cannons running around. The greatsword helps quite a bit with that tankiness too.

Where are you actually seeing people call it “OP” though? What are they saying is “OP”? That is what I’m most curious about.

I had someone whisper me in game and say I was ‘insanely powerful’ with a GS. It was a large group fight, I popped my healing spring and switched to my GS. Between the Drake doing blast finishers and my evade on every 3rd attack, I was able to stand strong when others had to run. I pretty much tanked a mob while everyone else fought from range.

After I got that whisper, I laughed out loud (for real, I didn’t just type ‘lol.’) I never thought I would see the day someone would call me powerful when playing a Ranger. I’m sure eventually people will start making threads that we’re too powerful, that’s always the way. Of course, no one that says we’re ‘OP’ has ever actually tired the class or they would know better.

Probably because I’ve been pwning in T1. I had a really great night last night. I hit rampage as one, jumped off the wall into 20 SoR, and evaded and dodged a couple times, getting the attention of everyone around me. I was stunned, popped stun break, and at that moment my commander called a full assualt and everyone else gave them death from above. Rangers are a tasty target, use it toyour advantage. Then, I was just minding my own business when a mesmer had to burst me out of nowhere. Well, needless to say, that mesmer fell, like many before him.

Seriously though it’s not just me. There’s tons of really good rangers out there and thy all use greatsword not because it’s OP but because of the defense and mobility it offers.

Greatsword is no where near op…the maul buff was greatly needed but still the auto attack in terms of damage is outdone by a 1 handed sword. Thats no where near op.

Also swoop doesn’t correctly dish out the damage on its tooltip. This weapon is still in the works imo.

Yeah blackhawk, that and being rooted while trying to throw the GS or the very, very short range of hilt bash (in my experience, if chasing, I have to cripple or chill before you can get in a hilt bash due to the short range but I feel like if I’m right beaide the guy I should be able to hilt bash? Maybe not! I’m just not sure what motivates these decisions and I could be way off base).

Edit: it seems that both the throw and the hilt bash require slowing the enemy in advance so it’s probably intended to chain a cripple or chill with those kinds of attacks. Actually, chaining might work better and be more fun anyways and/or support a variety of swap combinations with greatsword. Thoughts?

Greatsword is good for consistent damage. It provides innate defense that allows you to better maintain that consistent damage. That is it. It is not a burst weapon like on most other classes. It’s mobility, as previously mentioned, is also quite excellent. If I’m not running a condition build (and even then sometimes), I always have greatsword as one of my weapon sets. It’s excellent.

I’ve actually had Maul hit for just over 3k while in full knight’s gear with no food/oil buffs. Since that’s on a less than 5s cooldown with the reduction from traits, I’m quite pleased … especially since it inflicted bleeds on top of that for a few hundred more damage (+0 cond dmg with full Knight’s).

I’m really starting to think that the way to go is Greatsword + X (you choose X) with full knight’s or soldier’s (working on the math for comparing these more, stay tuned elsewhere) with 6 Runes of Melandru for reduced stun/condition duration and lemongrass for even more reduced condition duration. This gives you several evasions, -65% cond duration for conditions on you, -25% stun duration, and you’re evading and quite mobile.

I’ve been thinking this because what eventually gets me in WvW on my Ranger is enemy conditions. I’m chain CC’d with cripples, immobilizes, etc. and/or poisoned, confused, burned, and bled to death once focused. Focused direct damage is often not a problem …. except those bloody thief groups. One can only eat so many mug+C&D+backstab when in the middle of a fight before going down, lol.

About conditions there are two ways to go:
Condition reduction food/runes.
Empathic Bond.

Still, I think sword does better. Short cooldown on sword #2 is a bless when you got to escape.

Honestly, I think if you take the runes and conditions reduction food, you can them replace empathic bond with Bark Skin (or feel less obligated to put 30 in WS).

Barkskin makes you and your pet quite difficult to kill as it can stack with protection and it helps cancel out the abundance of +damage when target is x% hp traits that our foes often have. It works really well if you have regen as well. In fact, this works great with tanky BM builds as poison can ruin your wonderful hp/sec and this reduces how long it will do that.

I can honestly say, after Ranger GS I’m having trouble finding another class to play which I can enjoy. Guardian GS not my style and Warrior GS feels like bullkitten. Lack of range options for the Guardian is disappointing and has put me off the class. Warrior, I enjoy Rifle but trying to fine a weapon to pair it with, just can’t decide. My Engineer is sorta fun but not as fun as my Ranger and Thief feels meh. Ranger GS has killed other classes/weapons for me which is kinda annoying.

I’m a fairly tanky spec and without all my trinkets being exotic I hit 3k crits with my Maul.

I love the greatsword. I have been using it for a few months and I just can’t replace it with something else.
It has great built-in defense, great mobility and the damage is fine too, on top of that a daze to interrupt and a hard to land cripple. What else could I want.
@ Sebrent
That is what I have been running for quite a while with great succes. Melandru runes + lemongrass is such a godly combination not only because it greatly decreases the damage you get from conditions but because immobilize, stun, chill, cripple and all other nasty conditions drop off alot faster.
My greatest weakness before using this setup was getting immobilized and chain-cc’ed. Well then I died usually. Now I often get away even when 3-10 people chase me. Add in a lightning reflex to break stun or gain some distance and you are really fine.
Best gear setup in my opinion and I have been using it for quite a while.

With the new trend for +condition duration (especially since they fixed lots of the runes condition durations) you really have a problem as a ranger if you don’t have -condition duration.
And giving the conditions to my pet is not an option to me – I don’t want a dead/forever crippled pet.

Btw: Greatsword is in no way OP – it just feels so great to play it.