Rangers are fun. Looking for advice
I like GS moreso, but for purely subjective reasons.
There’s really no verbal substitute to just equipping the thing and playing with it.
So, the GS is easier to use than the sword and brings some good utility, but the 1h sword does more damage. However, if you use the 1h sword, turn off auto-attack since it currently roots you in place. Of all the weapons, this one will take the most getting used to. I still think the root is frustrating, but the more I use it, the more I’ve grown to like the weapon.
The short bow is probably the strongest all-around weapon and definitely one of the easiest to use if you ever want a ranged option. It outdpses the longbow, even if you’re not running a condition build, so the longbow is something to only really use if you want the utility of its abilities (although it’s range with the marks talent does make it useful in WvW).
For offhand, you’ll want to choose depending on your situation.
- The torch gives you the highest dps potential, but it relies on the burning condition, which can be problematic if you have other people also applying burning to your target.
- The axe brings decent dps and a projectile reflect, which is handy for PvE, but can be problematic in PvP since it roots you in place.
- The dagger is the most defensive weapon and arguably the best for PvP if you’re using a sword mainhand since it gives you a dodge and ranged snare.
- The warhorn is something I would suggest that you keep around on one weaponset pretty much at all times while leveling since swiftness makes such a big difference on leveling speed. Most PvPers will keep a horn in their bags so they can equip it momentarily and gain swiftness when travelling since it’s a little less useful than the alternatives in combat.
Hope that helps.
Greatsword offers more defensive utility with higher burst. That’s about it. Sword auto attack roots you if you aren’t careful, 2 & 3 give a free evade. Greatsword auto attack gives free evade, 2 is dps, 3 is leap combo+gap closer+damage, 4 is free blocks for 3s or 1 block+knockback+damage, 5 is cc+pet damage.
I prefer greatsword, but if you are leveling, I would recommend the warhorn to help you get around (5 swiftness) faster. I get all the fury I need from RaO. Then again, I am PvP built, not PvE. The way I see it, if I don’t kill my opponent before RaO ends, I’m doing something wrong. The trick to greatsword is knowing when to use the skills to maximize damage and utility (evades/cc).
Oh yea, as a tip, if you’re planning on running primarily melee as a ranger, you’ll want to invest your talent points into the more defensive talent trees, such as Wilderness Survival, Nature Magic, and Beastmastery. You of course won’t get the same damage boost as someone running a marks/skirmishing build, but melee weapons naturally do good damage and rangers, as a medium armor class, need some investment to keep from being too squishy in melee.
If you run 1h sword, I would mention that it works well with a build using a good bit of beastmastery since the 1 attack grants might to your pet.
So it seems Shortbow with Sword/Warhorn would be ideal, but then your pretty much lacking aoe which is pretty key for tagging mobs in events…guess i could always just swap to an axe when i’m in one. Thanks for all the explanations.
So it seems Shortbow with Sword/Warhorn would be ideal, but then your pretty much lacking aoe which is pretty key for tagging mobs in events…guess i could always just swap to an axe when i’m in one. Thanks for all the explanations.
You get a natural cleave from using a sword, but if you want more AoE, you could always invest into Skirmishing to get the second tier trait that allows you to drop traps at range, but I would only really recommend this for leveling.
What did you use to level personally Dahkeus?
Also, what stats should I aim for as I build towards my exotic set? Power/Vit/Tough or should I have some type of condi dmg? That is, since I plan on sticking with shortbow and sword/warhorn
(edited by GlobalSwag.8034)
What did you use to level personally Dahkeus?
Also, what stats should I aim for as I build towards my exotic set? Power/Vit/Tough or should I have some type of condi dmg? That is, since I plan on sticking with shortbow and sword/warhorn
I changed my build frequently when leveling up since I’m a big believer in using the leveling experience as a chance to get a feel for everything, but I primarily went with the short bow.
When you get to 80, berserker is really the best gear for any dps build that’s not really heavily focused on condition damage. If you run a melee build, you may want to balance out your gear with some defensive stats.
Heavy condition builds are great for PvP, but can be problematic in PvE because of the way that conditions stack when you have other people also laying down a lot of conditions and also because many mobs die before you get the full effect. This isn’t to say that condition damage is bad, but you have to be aware of its shortcomings. If you’re going for max dps, I believe a direct damage build does more dps anyway.
As for balancing out offensive and defensive stats on gear, this will depend a bit on your experience and preference, but in general I think it’s best to get defense from your traits and slot skills when necessary. I started out with a lot of heavily defensive gear when I hit 80, but I’ve been switching over to more and more offensive gear since I’ve improved my build a lot and have gotten a lot better at surviving without taking hits in dungeons.