Guild Wars 2

just wanna ask what weapons ranger prefer atm since i need to learn more about rangers and if possible get me educated on the pros and cons of the weapons and when do they excel thanks guys)

These are general statements, not absolute truths. You can use a weapon any way you want, now whether you are using it effectively is a different discussion.

Main Hand –

Great Sword is used primarily in power builds. It has an evade on auto attack, a burst attack with mauls. GS 3 is a gap closer or escape and leap finisher. 4 is a block or a cripple and 5 stuns/dazes.

Sword has a very fast attack, a cripple built into the auto-attack, provides might to your pet, poisons and has a leap finisher. The sword can be used in power and condi specs. Rangers are divided on the auto attack sequence since it makes dodging more difficult. Turning off auto-attack can over come the issue along with increased familiarity with the mechanics.

Long Bow is the long range weapon with damage based in distance. It tends to be a power based weapon. It can provide stealth, knockback, aoe cripple, vulnerability and two projectile finishers.

Short Bow is more a skirmishing weapon with a fast rate of fire but shorter range. It can be used for power or condi specs. It can apply poison, cripple, bleeds and stun/daze. It has three projectile finishers.

Axe is a ranged weapon some where between power and condi. It hits three targets (if present), provides a bleed and chill.

Offhand –
Offhand axe’s is more power based. Path of Scars hits like a truck(x2 possibly), pulls and is a projectile finisher. The second skill provides, retaliation, vulnerability, reflect and whirl combo.

Dagger provides a poisoning evade, and a ranged bleed and cripple.

Torch provides ranged burning and a fire field.

Warhorn makes opponents hate Hitchkitten’s movie The Birds and provides fury, might, swiftness and is a blast finisher.

I’m still using longbow/greatsword after all this time. Its just a great combination for me.

I play wvw so Note:berserker build

LongBow
+1500 range (trait)
+pick squishy targets out of groups, runners
+high dmg, utility

-easily overrun if facing many enemies or melees (basically the only con)

Greatsword
+great escape
+high utility (dodge,block,stun,evade)
+great for 1v1 fights
+good to travel across map with (use warhorn 5 and switch back greatsword)

-melee, you will die quick in melee against multiple enemies
-bit harder to kill runners than if you had other secondaries
-i use longbow basically for all my kills (greatsword for escapes and 1v1s only)

Also I used to play with eagle eye and piercing arrows, now I use eagle eye and read the wind. It increased my kill percentage by alot…. im securing many many many more kills now. You might think piercing is better for zerg but trust, read the wind is better for both zerging and small skirmish, choose a highly valuable target and take them out.

I am forcing myself to use the sword more, so I can study the mechanics and get the timing right so I stop randomly darting off into open space or dying cause I wasn’t able to dodge. I have to learn not to button mash the sword 1 or else it defeats the off auto-attack.

Off hand for the sword is usually a warhorn or dagger. Depends on if I am alone or what I am killing. Warhorn offers utility to a party where as dagger offers more evades to interrupt the sword 1 attacks for dodging purposes.

I keep a shortbow in my swap…I know it should probably be a GS but the SB has an escape backwards that has saved me more times than I can remember. Also, I like having a ranged weapon as backup and the longbow doesn’t play well with the sword melee range for swapping purposes.

Good rule of thumb though is to carry around all the weapons you can use so you don’t find yourself without.

Expiatus.4210:

Offhand –
Offhand axe’s is more power based. Path of Scars hits like a truck(x2 possibly), pulls and is a projectile finisher.

It can actually hit three times. This is not my video, but I find it completely hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRc3qzjimkk

Similarly hysterical, Axe 5 in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-cVWh3bKt4

Well the lupicus vid, they reflect his attack making #5 look strong :P

Yes, it is very strong in several dungeon paths. Also notice they have spotter and FS up.

Axe is not a typical offhand because of mesmers and guardians, but it does exist when needed.

I use them all, none of them are really bad. Roughly ranked below by my preference in open PvE.

Shortbow – doesn’t excel at anything, but is a good general purpose weapon, with decent damage and good defense. probably my most equipped weapon in PvE.
Sword – high damage (but risky) choice, works with any build
Axe MH – good condition damage. combines nicely with traps for lots of AoE
Longbow – for power builds, lets you snipe in PvP and at bosses. and at events with lots of target swapping.
Greatsword – for power builds, does ok in survival-of the fittest builds (easy to slot twohanded training), but otherwise the damage is rather a lot lower than sword.

Dagger OH – the evade is great
Torch – adds good damage to condition builds
Axe OH – useful for the pull in PvE where you can find enemies that stand still
Warhorn – if you have no other source of fury for the sword. and for traveling if you can’t get a +25% speed buff from elsewhere (but just swapping in/out signet of the hunt in PvE is better imo)

Fluffball.8307:

Expiatus.4210:

Offhand –
Offhand axe’s is more power based. Path of Scars hits like a truck(x2 possibly), pulls and is a projectile finisher.

It can actually hit three times. This is not my video, but I find it completely hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRc3qzjimkk

Similarly hysterical, Axe 5 in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-cVWh3bKt4

SMACK! That Path of Scars laid the karka out flat! Great vid. Thanks.