Guild Wars 2

I see rangers only use the long bow. ok ok I see a ton of bot as well.

I just started my ranger and I have fell in love with the sword and dagger. Sure I keep a bow in my second weapon slot but I prefer to get in there and have some fun. I have only seen one other ranger that used the sword and dagger. Are we a rare breed or just an insane ones?

Well, ranger has problems to stay alive in melee range, but for leveling that’s not an issue, sword actually makes quite good damage so you will be fine.

However in dungeons or PvP being always in melee range is not a great idea.

For leveling i advice you to use shortbow as a secondary weapon, to kill champion mobs and whatever you think it’s going to hurt you at melee range. Longbow is not really good for leveling.

This game is not about sticking to a weapon, that’s why you probably haven’t seen many using sword/dagger, but it’s a perfectly fine combo (it’s more defensive), sword/horn or sword/axe is also great, horn mainly for the buff, axe has whirlwing defense which reflects projectiles and do a good amount of damage, very handy offhand.

Sword is a nice weapon, but there is a major bug in sword autoattack atm. You might see more sword rangers once it will be fixed.

I currently use axe/dagger. I’m having some fun with it and I can’t say how it is for PVP, I think it’s just fine for PVE. Im condition based and the two can stack some bleeds pretty well. I will have to try sword/dagger though.

Sword/Axe is a pretty neat combo, whirlwing defense is very good and rarely used by people. Dagger plays more defensive.

I use all the weapons ! They’re great the times when you get bored and need a good laugh . Watching my Asura with a sword rolling a enemy well set himself on fire is good bit of fun and if you’re lucky the enemy will die laughing as well. Now there a nice kill and can add to my kill list well using a sword . Thats makes 5

if you want…

instead of SB, try an Axe + warhorn on your off hand. this will focus on your skirmish play, still give you decent AoE (on either) and conditions on both (poison + bleeds). while allowing you some distance, but not too far to prevent a burst sword attack

also Warhorn is probably the best thing ranger’s have based on it’s 4 (giving 2k-3k burst – for me on average) auto hit and a great buff that increases, movement speed, crit change by 20% and 1 point of might. (though 4 is bugged, and completely dodgeable if they manage to evade the first eagle)

Cool thanks for all the hints and tips.

really wanna try sword/x combo, but the sword’s autoattack throws me EVERYWHERE, mostly i’ll be in melee range and the autoattack makes sure I leap away from my target every time

Primarily I use sword/dagger, with shortbow for pulling/dungeons. Sometimes it (sword+dagger) throws me halfway across the screen (slot 1 skill of sword) also it usually does not let me dodge once the slot 1 sword attack skill begins (sometimes causes death.) Other than that it’s fun.

Parvati.5780:

(sometimes causes death.) Other than that it’s fun.

Lol, I just that part was funny. Maybe that should be the tooltip for the swords 1 skill.

if someone says sword/dagger combo is bad in pvp, especially spvp, then he has no idea.

imo its one of the best weaponcombos. ofc dont play glass canon build, use a balanced one. sword and dagger is THE option againt melee classes, especially against those squishy thieves or hb-warriors.

if u want to play full offensive, then this combo is not the best option, but again, then ranger is not the best option at all. if u want a combo with which u can kill stuff -yeah, even those nasty guardians, get kiters and survive high-burst builds like this faceroll-thief-build or GS-warrior, then sword/dagger ranger works great.

just some hints:
-disble autoattack from key 1. this helps a lot and your pinkie gets some training…
-u have 3 (or counting 3rd autoattack then its 4) evades. use them! just dont spam weaponpowers, watch what your enemy is doing and evade at the right time with weaponattacks. it needs lots of training, knowledge of other classes, it is not a mindless faceroll-combo, but if u get a grip on it then its great.
-choose pets NOT for dps, thats not their job, choose them for utillity and what fits your playstyle best. play around.
-uhm, even if u should figure out build for yourself, cause only u can know what works best for u, but wilderess-survival traitline is must imo for sword/dagger…

for pvE:

ofc u cant suck up dmg like a bunkerguardian, but again, thats not your job and besides other profession cant also. still, with the evades and practise u will be good in melee -apart from those lot of encounters in explo-mode-dungeons where melee doesnt work in general and u have to go ranged -but again, this counts for all profession.

You’ll still be rooted by chaining 1, with or without autoattack triggered.

I hate sword because of its jump in autoattack. AA interrupts even own 2 and 3. Not mention the dodge. And the animation is disgusting. How many times did not try sword – I can not use it long. Makes me angry. I pray to all gods, to this stupid jump was finally removed in patch

I’m an agnostic sylvari, but I’ll be nullifying your prayer to your Six Gods with my own to keep the animation the way it is!

I love it, especially in the fancy trench coat armor that I wear! I love seeing my coattails fly outward, Matrix style.

Sword/Dagger is amazing for the Evades + Poison/Bleed/Cripple

The Poison itself is close to 20 Seconds if you land both..and is very easy to keep up on the target.

As for the Root, i just disable the Auto Attack, I usually only spam it when chasing a target, as You’re going to be dodging and switching weapons consistently anyway so spamming that ability isn’t even worth it half the time.

As for not choosing DPS pets, I recommend choosing the Owl and Raven, it’s a Long Duration Chill + a Blind, and both hit incredibly hard.

Use the AOE vigor talent in the Beastmaster line, between Lighting Reflexes and that you’re able to keep up Evade/Dodging a lot.

i play an asura ranger, and the animations for the 1h sword’s basic attack is awesome. btw the eternal alchemy wont respond to prayers.

i wouldnt mind the sword is the skill 1 worked without flinging me across the map

Honestly, I just want them to fix it so when I mash my dodge hotkey it cancels the attack animation and lets me get away. The same if I am simply trying to strafe or break off the attack.

The leap mechanic is what makes it good. I have gotten so many kills and helped with kills in WvW simply because once you get the first packet of cripple on a person they simply can’t get away from you unless they hit you with some serious stun or a large knockback.

deepwinter.9015:

I’m an agnostic sylvari, but I’ll be nullifying your prayer to your Six Gods with my own to keep the animation the way it is!

I love it, especially in the fancy trench coat armor that I wear! I love seeing my coattails fly outward, Matrix style.

Since when to look like umbrella flown away in a hurricane is cool?
Do not know about asura and sylvari, but norn with this animation at such speed looks like a crazy idiot.

coughnotdissimilartoallnorncough

MeGaZlo.9516:

Since when to look like umbrella flown away in a hurricane is cool?
Do not know about asura and sylvari, but norn with this animation at such speed looks like a crazy idiot.

Oh you’re a norn? Well, we all know what happens when you pray to the Spirits of the Wild…

(A: They rarely answer.)

I use sword / torch… I find that burning + poison really works well (PvE)…and I can make my own combo fields (torch #5 and flame trap) and play with them. Sword 2 gives you a leap which creates fire shield (more damage), and you can switch to bow and send burning arrows.

I love putting on conditions and then using QZ with sword autoattack. it’s crazy to watch, and the mobs’ health drops like a rock.