Guild Wars 2

What weapon is generally considered better for PVE, longbow or shortbow? Thanks!

Long bow, in my opinion, would be the best. Better damage, vulnerability, knock back for interrupt or just to knock back, and a good aoe skill. Only thing I’m not a fan of is the damage at range mechanic, but it’s not all bad. For solo I would recommend short bow though, mainly because it has a cripple and shoots faster. :P

Depends on the situation, I use the longbow in the overworld, but the short bow is often better for dungeons because you will be hard pressed to keep at max range. I’d use both equally if we could have 3 weapon sets so I didn’t have to forgo using the sword.

I’m using both Longbow and Shortbow at the moment,
Multiple target; Volley>Hunter’s Shot>Rapid Fire -then switch to Shortbow
Single target; Hunter’s Shot>Rapid Fire -then switch

Piercing Arrows trait is a must.
I should add I’m not using a condition build.

I’m Shortbow through and through, it has multiple uses and many different conditions, and actually attacks at a pace that suits Ranger..

Longbow is slow tedious and very limited, it in my opinion doesn’t do more damage than shortbow because its so slow and limited. I only use Longbow in wvw for Aoe and if that gets nerfed i’ll probably stop using it totally.

I fully support Dante’s post.
Also Sb>Lb in power crit builds. Imo.

Reganov.3569:

I’m using both Longbow and Shortbow at the moment,
Multiple target; Volley>Hunter’s Shot>Rapid Fire -then switch to Shortbow
Single target; Hunter’s Shot>Rapid Fire -then switch

That’s the distinction I would make too. Longbow = AOE, shortbow = single target. DPS-wise, they are about the same (assuming longbow is at long range) with two exceptions. If you can Barrage (and the mobs stay in it), then LB is far better. If you can flank and bleed, then SB is far better.

I tend to favor SB because the other ranger AOE skills (targeted traps, multi-target melee weapons) are short to medium range, and so don’t mesh well with LB as a primary weapon.

I should add I’m not using a condition build.

Having a “condition build” doesn’t really increase your damage from condition effects all that much. Assuming level 80:

Burning damage per sec = 8 + (4*level) + (condition damage/4)
= 328 + condition damage/4
0 condition damage = 328 damage per sec
300 condition damage = 403 per sec, a 23% increase

Bleed damage per sec = 2.5 + (level/2) + (condition damage/20)
= 42.5 + condition damage/20
0 condition damage = 42.5 damage per sec
300 condition damage = 57.5, a 35% increase

So in both cases, the vast majority of your condition damage comes from just being a ranger rather than your build. Add in condition damage from equipment and buffs and the difference in condition damage between a 0 wilderness and 30 wilderness build becomes even smaller.

Don’t get me wrong, the % increase is roughly the same as putting points into power or precision so it’s not like condition damage is a horrible investment. I’m just saying don’t make the mistake of thinking that your condition damage is worthless just because you’re not running a condition build.