Guild Wars 2

I’d like some thoughts from those of you that play high level fractals with your Ranger on the traits I’ll be using (assuming they remain unchanged) when they drop:

Normal Utilities will be:
*TU or HS depending on fight
*QZ
*SotW
*Changes depending on fight
*RaO (will use Entangle for Grawl Fractal otherwise will stay on RaO)

1st Weapon Set:
*Sword+Axe or Sword+WH

2nd Weapon Set:
*LB or GS

Assuming QZ and SotW don’t change substantially I’ll still be running those on my bar pretty much all the time.

#Marksman
*Call of the Wild
*Steady Focus
*Predators Onslaught

Call of the Wild fer da boons. Steady Focus & Predators Onslaught for the obvious damage increase.

#Skrimishing
*Spike Trap or Sharpened Edges
*Spotter
*Strider’s Defense

Spike Trap for the cripple to activate Predators Onslaught (and the other two suck for melee) but after HoT drops I might switch over to Sharpened Edges. Spotter because duh. Strider’s Defense because sword 111111111111.

#Wilderness Survival
*Muddy Terrain
or
*Expertise Training
*Peak Strength
*Poison Master
or
*Empethic Bond

In Wilderness Surivial all the adept traits suck equally. I guess I’ll take Expertise Training most of the time as I can’t see when I’ll be running torch or dagger. Peak Strength for obvious damage modifier that plays nicely with Scholar Runes and Bark Skin. I’ll be running Empathetic Bond if I need extra condi removal or Poison Master if no one else is throwing down poison or if I need neither EB or PM, I’ll be running WS.

#Beast Mastery
*Resounding Timbre
*Two Handed Training
or
*Natural Healing
*Zephy’s Speed

Of course I’ll be testing out the Beast Mastery line once HoT drops since they say they’re improving the AI so much.. so… Resounding Timbre > Companion’s Might. Reducing the CD on RaO is worth it. If I’m running Sword+X I’ll be using Natural Healing, but I’m I’m running GS I’ll be using 2h Training… And Zephyr’s Speed is far-and-away better than the other two terribad GM traits in this line (although I still think ZS shouldn’t have been put in GM — that was just a grossly bad decision). All that being said I doubt I’ll run the BM line before HoT drops.

I play melee most of the time, either sword or GS. I use LB to open up the fight but after that it’s all melee if I can help it so I want to pick traits that are going to help in that regard. I’ll be running zerker gears so… I change my traits a lot according to the situation I’m going into so my build is never set in stone.

Did they change it where if you have a trait, such as Wilderness Knowledge, that requires a Utility Skill that you don’t have to have it on your bar for it to work? I haven’t used those types of traits in such a long time I can’t remember if you needed them on the bar or not but I think it was required which is why I never used them because the traits they were tied to at the time were terribad.