Guild Wars 2

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten) and avid gamer throughout all my life. I started on commodore64 and saw the rise of popularity in gaming. I’m glad to see it came out from an anti-social, no-life base dweller dogma to the socially accepted harmless pass time, which it is. I do not fully agree with al this micro-purchases and DLC kitten but then again, I’m old school. You used to buy a game and you got a fully devoloped game (looking at you EA, ActiBlizz, mobile games and DOTA & LOL crap).
Yes, I’m cinical, deal with it or hide in some kitten safe spot.

I recently started playing GW2 with HOT expansion (after years and years of GW1). I loved the Ranger in GW1 and choose it for my main char in gw2. I’ve hit lvl 80 and 1 HP¨away from full elite spec. I’m currently running a zerker power build somewhat like:

http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Ranger_-_S/A_LB_Spotter

Still getting my head around the mechanics and everything. GW2 is a massive game. ArenaNet did an amazing job. 5/7 => would by again.

Now I’m looking for advice to further into the gameplay :

- PvP builds & gear
- WvW builds & gear
- Fractals
- Dungeons

I’m wondering how Druid comes into play in all of this. I get the impression that it’s more of a glorified monk, which would be such a shame. I don’t know if meta battle is a good source of info or rubbish.
Concerning PvP: I don’t really enjoy it as much as PvE but the reward track seems intresting enough. I tried it a few times and got my kitten handed to me, destroyed in seconds.
And what is it with ascended & legendary gear?

I truly appreciate any and all help/info to guide me in the right direction. I’v already consulted threads like:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Build-Godlike-Shout-Trooper-Updated

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Zerker-Build-Advice-Please

Greets,
Nec

Closing note: buff Greatsword, a lot.. It underperfoms realy bad. A shame since it’s the coolest weapon and very fun to play.

Haha I love your introduction. 30 yo here and can relate v much. On phone and don’t have time now for in depth answer

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten)…

So you’re saying you are a cisgender

The deal with gear is ascended is the highest stats, legendary is equal to ascended but lets you swap the stats at will.

Metabattle isn’t a bad place to start. It gives you a good base build and then you can tweak it until you find something that works for you.

Other than that just keep your eye on the forum, you’ll see plenty of builds pop up. Use the build editor or PvP lobby to experiment. And there really isn’t a wrong build for 95% of PvE so don’t stress.

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten)…

So you’re saying you are a cisgender

The deal with gear is ascended is the highest stats, legendary is equal to ascended but lets you swap the stats at will.

Metabattle isn’t a bad place to start. It gives you a good base build and then you can tweak it until you find something that works for you.

Other than that just keep your eye on the forum, you’ll see plenty of builds pop up. Use the build editor or PvP lobby to experiment. And there really isn’t a wrong build for 95% of PvE so don’t stress.

Is it easier to acquire legends or ascended? I do not have the time, unfortunately, to grind & grind & grind. So I need to make the most out of time played.

Bast Bow.2958:

Haha I love your introduction. 30 yo here and can relate v much. On phone and don’t have time now for in depth answer

Thanks :-)

Hey, man, i would be glad to help a new fellow ranger anytime.

- About metabattle, its a good place to get directions but you shouldn’t follow 100% the builds there. You should tweak it for your own playstyle.
- Yeah, Druids are a heavy support class. You won’t be dealing much dps when you pick its specialization.
- About specific builds for specific game modes i could give some suggestions but its my personal taste, ofc.
- About legendary/ascended items, they have the best status in game, above exotic, but ascended and legendary are the same. If you want the best status go for ascended, each piece should cost about 80~100g to craft. You only go legendary for the awesome skins, otherwise be happy with ascended.

PvP: You could go with the one its listed as meta in metabattle, its a good start point and then you can tweak and change stuffs to your own style: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Bunker_Druid
You can also try out the shoutbow one, its more fun to play, make you feel like a real ranger, but requires a little more experience to pull it off: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Shoutbow

WvW: for WvW there are two different kind of builds, zerg and roamer ones.
If you wish to follow your commander in zerg you can try this one but i don’t know if its optimal since i rarely play like that: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Support_Healer
If you wish play as roamer, wandering around the map solo or in group, searching for small scales fights, you can go with my build, tbh i haven’t found any build that is better than that atm. Here you can find the written guide: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Shout_Trooper_Roamer
But the gear choice for this updated version is more expensive and is really for the ones who already played the build for long time and are willing to spend some gold into upgrading it. As a test you can go with the older version, which is cheaper to make and still works very well. You can find the gear/build in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdrGNHKfa4

Fractals: Since you are asking for fractal build advices i’ll assume you haven’t done those yet and so is starting by tier 1’s. Fractals scales in difficult heavily with tiers, and up to until tier 3 you are better off with zerk builds. In tier 4 condition really shiny!
So i’d advice you go with the standard longbow / X build there and work your way up. Here you can find all the best/meta pve builds, very well explained: http://qtfy.enjin.com/ranger

Dungeons: people rarely run dungeons these days, but if you decide to you can run the same fractal build you are using, will work as well.

If you have any doubt don’t hesitate to ask, i am sure someone will quickly help you out. We have a great community here.

Lynnie.7213:

- Yeah, Druids are a heavy support class. You won’t be dealing much dps when you pick its specialization.

You can also try out the shoutbow one, its more fun to play, make you feel like a real ranger, but requires a little more experience to pull it off: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Shoutbow

If you wish play as roamer, wandering around the map solo or in group, searching for small scales fights, you can go with my build, tbh i haven’t found any build that is better than that atm. Here you can find the written guide: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Druid_-_Shout_Trooper_Roamer

If you have any doubt don’t hesitate to ask, i am sure someone will quickly help you out. We have a great community here.

Not quoting all for visibilty & highlighting personal prefs.
Shoutbow looks like it will suit me best, so I will try and follow that for a more general every day build (mostly PvE and quick unranked PvP)
I really like the linked the Roamer build btw. Will save up and def try it out.
For the fractal part, I’ll follow the advice and zerk through the first levels and go condi as from tier4. I will take a while to get there, but someday I will :-)

Excuse me now for a while.. Going to hunt (get it, ranger and all, hahahaha, I’m so funny sometimes) Molten skins.

Hmmm… can’t really fins what stats a Shoutbow uses… Berserker/Zaelot/Soldier/….

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten)…

So you’re saying you are a cisgender

The deal with gear is ascended is the highest stats, legendary is equal to ascended but lets you swap the stats at will.

Metabattle isn’t a bad place to start. It gives you a good base build and then you can tweak it until you find something that works for you.

Other than that just keep your eye on the forum, you’ll see plenty of builds pop up. Use the build editor or PvP lobby to experiment. And there really isn’t a wrong build for 95% of PvE so don’t stress.

Is it easier to acquire legends or ascended? I do not have the time, unfortunately, to grind & grind & grind. So I need to make the most out of time played.

Bast Bow.2958:

Haha I love your introduction. 30 yo here and can relate v much. On phone and don’t have time now for in depth answer

Thanks :-)

They are both a grind. Ascended is easier to get because you can just level up crafting but it’s expensive. Honestly you can get by fine with exotics. You’ll be able to get ascended accessories easily enough from laurels (log in rewards), guild missions, or a few other ways. The newer stats can be acquired through raids or the new living story map by turning in blood rubies to a vendor.
If you do decide to craft ascended gear (or get some from drops) look up the mystic forge recipe for converting stats, that way you can craft cheap stuff and convert it to better gear.

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten)…

So you’re saying you are a cisgender

The deal with gear is ascended is the highest stats, legendary is equal to ascended but lets you swap the stats at will.

Metabattle isn’t a bad place to start. It gives you a good base build and then you can tweak it until you find something that works for you.

Other than that just keep your eye on the forum, you’ll see plenty of builds pop up. Use the build editor or PvP lobby to experiment. And there really isn’t a wrong build for 95% of PvE so don’t stress.

Is it easier to acquire legends or ascended? I do not have the time, unfortunately, to grind & grind & grind. So I need to make the most out of time played.

Bast Bow.2958:

Haha I love your introduction. 30 yo here and can relate v much. On phone and don’t have time now for in depth answer

Thanks :-)

They are both a grind. Ascended is easier to get because you can just level up crafting but it’s expensive. Honestly you can get by fine with exotics. You’ll be able to get ascended accessories easily enough from laurels (log in rewards), guild missions, or a few other ways. The newer stats can be acquired through raids or the new living story map by turning in blood rubies to a vendor.
If you do decide to craft ascended gear (or get some from drops) look up the mystic forge recipe for converting stats, that way you can craft cheap stuff and convert it to better gear.

Got an ascended piece from PvP.. Wrong stats though… But still…
Looked up the living story: 200gems per chapter.. yeah right, not going to pay that…
I’ll look up the forge, thanks for pointing it out..

I must say that the druid spec works well in PvP.. If the spike damage isn’t to high or without constant stuns or whatever I can survive and stand my on 2vs1 even.. It’s fun to keep them busy trying to take a point, wasting time on me in stead of actually scoring points, hehe…
Almost cleared the Citadel of Flames track in 1 evening (with the use of XP boosters).. Nice rewards…

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Jim Hunter.6821:

Azzara Nectum.1734:

Hi fellow Ranger/Druids…

A short introduction:

I’m a 33 year man (screw this multi-gender bullkitten)…

So you’re saying you are a cisgender

The deal with gear is ascended is the highest stats, legendary is equal to ascended but lets you swap the stats at will.

Metabattle isn’t a bad place to start. It gives you a good base build and then you can tweak it until you find something that works for you.

Other than that just keep your eye on the forum, you’ll see plenty of builds pop up. Use the build editor or PvP lobby to experiment. And there really isn’t a wrong build for 95% of PvE so don’t stress.

Is it easier to acquire legends or ascended? I do not have the time, unfortunately, to grind & grind & grind. So I need to make the most out of time played.

Bast Bow.2958:

Haha I love your introduction. 30 yo here and can relate v much. On phone and don’t have time now for in depth answer

Thanks :-)

They are both a grind. Ascended is easier to get because you can just level up crafting but it’s expensive. Honestly you can get by fine with exotics. You’ll be able to get ascended accessories easily enough from laurels (log in rewards), guild missions, or a few other ways. The newer stats can be acquired through raids or the new living story map by turning in blood rubies to a vendor.
If you do decide to craft ascended gear (or get some from drops) look up the mystic forge recipe for converting stats, that way you can craft cheap stuff and convert it to better gear.

Got an ascended piece from PvP.. Wrong stats though… But still…
Looked up the living story: 200gems per chapter.. yeah right, not going to pay that…
I’ll look up the forge, thanks for pointing it out..

I must say that the druid spec works well in PvP.. If the spike damage isn’t to high or without constant stuns or whatever I can survive and stand my on 2vs1 even.. It’s fun to keep them busy trying to take a point, wasting time on me in stead of actually scoring points, hehe…
Almost cleared the Citadel of Flames track in 1 evening (with the use of XP boosters).. Nice rewards…

I really don’t keep up with this games pve (so maybe someone else can chime in) but I’m pretty sure it’s living story 3 that lets you unlock the track you need and I thought that was the current one.
You should only have to pay for the older living story stuff and that’s not required to do the current one.

If you can access the living story you might want to put a movie on TV or something because the first couple missions involves standing around watching them talk (no skipable cut scene). I literally fell asleep.

Everyone said great stuff. gear – PvP is it’s own stuff, just bring ur weapons.

And so – ascended – tbh – weapons. Priority to craft/loot. Accessories is gotten easily through other means, LWS3 and Laurel. Also elite weaps have ascended through collection. I wouldn’t stress about ascended armor/getting ASAP; it’s a long expensive road. For minimal stat gain (armor). The main reason for ascended is agony resistance in tier 4 Fractals. And WvW sure, infusions, but – it’s not mandatory.

IMO anyways – accessories and weapons will be great and shared among other chars.

ALSO GS – is NOT bad. It got buffed, it actually is pretty nice, BUT – right now other weaps > it a bit. I use GS in builds. Just sword/wh/axe etc. tend to out perform, plus GS is not good in condi which is more popular now.

Are Condi Druid Viable on Raid ? Or maybe Condi Ranger ( SB + A/T )

Yes and yes. Currently condi druid being more popular than condi ranger

Metabattle is the sort of 98th percentile of good builds. It’s rarely the absolute perfect up to date build that the best players in each game mode are innovating with, but it’s the one that is tested by the community and overwhelming accepted as excellent.

The builds posted on these forums; be cautious of. Some of them very very rarely are going to be the next big thing, many are utterly useless, and most are decent and slightly subpar but are posted because we get bored playing the same things over and over.

TLDR: Use metabattle until you are bored or have a thorough understanding of the game, or if you’re brand new, kitten it and do whatever you want while you learn the game.

Bast Bow.2958:

Yes and yes. Currently condi druid being more popular than condi ranger

Thank you for your answer bro xD !