Guild Wars 2

So I got one of the things I asked for in the CDI. So lets see if we can actually build something around it.

Step one: The new grandmaster~
10/0/10/30/0

Must have traits:
Marksmanship III: Keen Edge — Use Sharpening Stone when you strike a foe below the health threshold.
Wilderness Survival VI: Wilderness Knowledge — Reduces recharge on survival skills.
Nature Magic XIII: Survival of the fittest — Remove two conditions and gain fury when using a survival skill.

We finally got player-controlled condition removal, in the form of an added effect for Survival skills…

Step two: The right-hand tray~

Elite: Entangle — Entangle your foe. They are immobile until the vines are destroyed.
Lightning Reflexes -- Evade back with a crack of lightning, dealing damage and gaining vigor.
Muddy Terrain — Use mud to cripple and immobilize foes.
Quickening Zephyr — You and your pet gain quickness. Reduces healing on you by 50%.
Sharpening Stone — Bleed foes with your next five attacks.

I’m not fond of Zephyr, but the others are all workable. Plus there were two relevant smaller changes with Lightning Reflexes now removing immobilize (praise the 6!) and keen edge now properly tagged as “survival”… allowing it to benefit from survival cooldown reduction and remove 2 of our conditions!! That right there is some major new synergy.

Step three: Weapons
We know our utility/elites, so really its a matter of picking and supporting our weapon choices. With both condition damage and condition duration built into our required trait line choices I’m inclined to say shortbow.

Still mulling, but its an interesting framework…

I like the idea and would bring it if it were a master trait but most of of those skills have very long cooldowns. Renewal signet removes conditions at about the same rate as a double traited muddy terrain.

It’s still the one that has my curiosity peaked the most when comboed with trait changing out of combat and any other fixes they do but I really feel that after about a week we’ll all just go back to using EB for the most part.

Alright, a rough draft with 10/20/10/30/0 survival/shortbow in Dire/Nightmare.

Not awesome yet. Make it better.

Bran.7425:

…snip…

Well, I guess it is possible….to make Ranger better and polish a turd!

Nike.2631:

Alright, a rough draft with 20/20/30/0/0 survival/shortbow in Dire/Nightmare.

Not awesome yet. Make it better.

Isn’t SotF going to be a Nature Magic trait? You have 30 is WS instead.

Yea, like I said in the other thread…. I’d just run 10/0/30/30/0 and call it a day. I currently run 0/0/30/30/10 and it works fine.

BondageBill.4021:

Isn’t SotF going to be a Nature Magic trait? You have 30 is WS instead.

You’re right. That is a bit awkward but I’ve corrected the link and initial post.

Atherakhia.4086:

Yea, like I said in the other thread…. I’d just run 10/0/30/30/0 and call it a day. I currently run 0/0/30/30/10 and it works fine.

Yeah, there is a lot of merit in that. I’d like more points in damage, but ranger traits really are scattered around something awful.

So, after further examination, with the base template of 10/0/10/30/0 the choices come down to an offensive set-up in 30/0/10/30/0 and a defensive 10/0/30/30/0.

I would say a 30/0/10/30/0 would synergize fairly well, for a longbow build, but the longbow is still, well, the longbow, so its about knowing your role at that point and making a weapon with mediocre functionality less mediocre.

Really the framework is x/x/10/30/x I’d say. If the beastmaster trait is a decent heal and the pets are actually reliable, it might prove to be a very decent survival/support based build, though ultimately x/x/30/30/x is going to be the best anti-condi build available.

Still, PvP has taken a shift away from lots of condi heavy builds, so on that front, only one or the other may be needed, so right now its a wait and see type of thing for me personally, although I wish I could add more to the theorycrafting

As much as I will want to capitalize on Zephyr and LR for the Condition cleanse and Fury, I feel like a huge part of my Ranger play has been using Nature’s Voice. Perm Protection and frequent Regen from “Guard” has proven essential in keeping my pets alive (I prefer dogs over bears). I can’t see myself choosing between the two, which is unfortunate, because the two combined would’ve made for some good tanking potential!

I’m really hoping they decide to move the new trait to a Master trait instead (or vice versa).

I know the 10/0/30/30/0 looks sexy right now because keen edge trait will proc NM trait. However you don’t have as much control over that as one would like in my opinion for condi removal.

I am even MORE EXCITED for 0/10/30/30/0 with sharpened edges.

I am keeping in mind that the new NM will give fury to help proc it more. Rapid gear looking sexy to me right now.

I’m wondering about Soft Fall trait (the one triggering Muddy Terrain on falling damage) possible play. Considering that Keen Edge is ability triggered by trait and affects SotF, why shouldn’t it work for trait triggering Muddy Terrain?

I highly doubt that we see synergy like this since Devs tend to know less about Ranger than a typical Bearbow, but if with some wonder it works… Well..

Then just playing on some minor hill and constant jumping down may make us beasts with ton of Condition removal (LOL)

Rym.1469:

I’m wondering about Soft Fall trait (the one triggering Muddy Terrain on falling damage) possible play. Considering that Keen Edge is ability triggered by trait and affects SotF, why shouldn’t it work for trait triggering Muddy Terrain?

I will add that to the list of thing to test – nice catch!

Nike.2631:

Rym.1469:

I’m wondering about Soft Fall trait (the one triggering Muddy Terrain on falling damage) possible play. Considering that Keen Edge is ability triggered by trait and affects SotF, why shouldn’t it work for trait triggering Muddy Terrain?

I will add that to the list of thing to test – nice catch!

Just like to say that the amount of damage one is like to take by doing this means even if this works, it’s probably not worth it in most situations. Soften also has an unlisted internal cooldown so we can’t rapid fire it by falling down a slight incline.

Those often kill you in wvw anyway though lol.

Rym.1469:

I’m wondering about Soft Fall trait (the one triggering Muddy Terrain on falling damage) possible play. Considering that Keen Edge is ability triggered by trait and affects SotF, why shouldn’t it work for trait triggering Muddy Terrain?

I highly doubt that we see synergy like this since Devs tend to know less about Ranger than a typical Bearbow, but if with some wonder it works… Well..

Then just playing on some minor hill and constant jumping down may make us beasts with ton of Condition removal (LOL)

lol nice

Substance E.4852:

Just like to say that the amount of damage one is like to take by doing this means even if this works, it’s probably not worth it in most situations. Soften also has an unlisted internal cooldown so we can’t rapid fire it by falling down a slight incline.

Odds are good its internal cooldown is the same as muddy terrain — and is likely reduced by the survival skills cooldown trait .

Nike.2631:

Substance E.4852:

Just like to say that the amount of damage one is like to take by doing this means even if this works, it’s probably not worth it in most situations. Soften also has an unlisted internal cooldown so we can’t rapid fire it by falling down a slight incline.

Odds are good its internal cooldown is the same as muddy terrain — and is likely reduced by the survival skills cooldown trait .

I think it’s quite a bit shorter, maybe around 5-10s. But again, rapid fire fall damage tends to be a bad idea so it’s hard to get numbers by passive experience lol.

Struck by lighting? No prob.
Slide down slightly bumpy incline? Instagib!

I think I’ve died to the Citadel hill more times than enemy players on that map.