Guild Wars 2

(Please note, I wanted to make this comparison thread sooner, but I was afraid of getting either Mesmer, or any other class nerfed. Its a kitten shame that people are scared to make informative threads for fear of nerfing, Anet.)

Hey guys,

Guardians and Elementalists have been lauded as the best support classes in the game, and I was curious as to what makes them so special? This isn’t really a challenge as much as a comparison of what support these classes bring to a group and what makes them so valuable compared to other classes’ supportive abilities.

In case you don’t know, support Mesmers can bring:

- Up to 25x Might / Fury (AltruismRunes, Signet) / Perma Swiftness / Perma Regen / Perma Vigor / Aegis / Protection (a bit unreliably) / Perma Retaliation / 2.9k AoE burst heals every 3 seconds.

In addition to the usual Portals, Reflects, Rezz, blah blah… (If we kitten damage, we can do all of the above. If not, a lot of the above)

Would anyone knowledgeable on support Rangers be able to enlighten me a bit? Examples of different builds, traits, abilities? Perhaps pros and cons? I’d like to work on making a comparison of all the different classes’ support abilities.

Well I don’t know all Ranger support options, but here are few:
1.Spirits for different effects
2.Perma Fury (Horn+Moa)
3.Best Water field (although it might not always be reliably ready for commander/leader because we might have used it for heal)
4.Perma Regen+Swiftness (Natures Voice trait+Guard utility)
5.Snares (Entangle, Muddy Terrain…)
6.Different pets for different support options, like boons, conditions, CC, Blast finisher (good since you can go heavy on dmg but still choose a pet for support)
Atm can’t think of others

I can tell you know that you’re likely to either be a spirit ranger or shout ranger maximizing in regen. Your pets are likely to be the blue moa and red moa (or a fern hound if you like).

Here’s a spirit ranger I wiped up really quick. It’s in no way optimal. But it should give you an idea.

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-F7-W-FCwEkv-h23Ek-0;9F3I;39TT;43;026A0497w01-Vk6rRnCrRnC3NO

Mesmers are better at support. Portals, reflects, mass stealth, and boon stripping are far better support than rangers bring to the table. Unless your group is really hurting for a water field, or an extra ~12% damage (spotter+frost spirit), I would take a mesmer over a ranger any day of the week.

Adding to My Sweet Lilly’s List :
7. Huge AoE reflect bubble with Axe #5 and Off-Hand training trait.
8. Through pets and traps access to a large variety of combo fields.(maybe more relevant
in PvE)
As for support builds: I am afraid there aren’t any really viable ones atm.especially not in wvw. Unlike mesmers, rangers have a hard time going full support. And if they do, the common credo of boon + condi r remove +healing doesn’t really seem to apply.

Hi guys, i’m new here in ranger forum. I main a mesmer, but have been lvling up my ranger to 60-ish now.
Just a couple of quick questions:
Is Axe #5 the only reflect a ranger has?
@Razor: can a spirit build work with Axe + Warhorn / Longbow?

Thanks a bunch.

Lol are all the mesmer paragons now venturing into ranger territory? next Fay and Osicat are gonna post too!
On topic:
If I am not mistaken, axe 5 is indeed the only reflect (projectiles only), though rangers get alot of evades. (GS #1, Sword #2, #3, Dagger #4)
Though the question is directed at Razor:
I believe spirits are best used with a ranged weapon to keep them out of the AoE and benefit greatly from a high attack rate. Hence Longbow might be viable:
With eagles eye you can fight at 1500 range.
Though the auto attack is slow, LB #2 has a chance to trigger spirits with every shot, so does Barrage (LB #5)
As for axe you get Split blade where each of the five axes has a chance to trigger the spirits , as well as a bouncing auto attack.
For the birds of horn #4 I do not know weather they trigger the spirits.
But horn #5 might synergize nicely with the spirits active effects(ice field).
Nice to see the mesmers taking so much interest in rangers! I main a mesmer too after giving up my ranger in frustration …

Gorath.5076:

Lol are all the mesmer paragons now venturing into ranger territory? next Fay and Osicat are gonna post too!
On topic:
If I am not mistaken, axe 5 is indeed the only reflect (projectiles only), though rangers get alot of evades. (GS #1, Sword #2, #3, Dagger #4)
Though the question is directed at Razor:
I believe spirits are best used with a ranged weapon to keep them out of the AoE and benefit greatly from a high attack rate. Hence Longbow might be viable:
With eagles eye you can fight at 1500 range.
Though the auto attack is slow, LB #2 has a chance to trigger spirits with every shot, so does Barrage (LB #5)
As for axe you get Split blade where each of the five axes has a chance to trigger the spirits , as well as a bouncing auto attack.
For the birds of horn #4 I do not know weather they trigger the spirits.
But horn #5 might synergize nicely with the spirits active effects(ice field).
Nice to see the mesmers taking so much interest in rangers! I main a mesmer too after giving up my ranger in frustration …

• My main is a ranger. Mesmers are still better at support.
• Axe 5 is our only reflect. Evades don’t do anything for anyone but yourself.
• If your spirits are standing next to you at 1500 range, you aren’t supporting the rest of your group in melee range (spirits have a radius of 900).
• All spirits except frost spirit have an internal cooldown of 10 seconds on their effects.
• Spirits do not create combo fields.

Portal, Veil, and Time warp are so useful there is no real contest.

Thanks for tips guys. I must admit spirits are weird. The first thing I used it, I was like: “why are you standing here? You have legs, go get them.”

@quartasric doesent the frost spirit create a frost field on activation?
Plus, unless you are playing with a melee train: if the spirits have a 900 range and you are at 1500( which btw you realistically will never), anyone fighting at a range of 600+ will benefit from the spirits