Guild Wars 2

During the EU ToG Finals, TCG’s Warrior played Ranger instead. We’ve seen a few Survival-Ranger builds in big tourneys like these, but they’d often lose to somewhere in the final rounds. This is, as far as I know, the first time a Survival-Condi Ranger was on a winning team in a major tourney.

Here is the build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAV3YjEq0waHLusQ1aADhqdLEslArAwd8+CXdJrIK-TJhHwADuIAAeCAILDAa/BA

A few interesting points:

• The build looks to be mainly a side-point skirmisher, but the immobilizes in Muddy Terrain and Entangle give it a lot of team-fight utility as well. In fact during the tourney, I saw him in many team fights.
• Speaking of Entangle, the synergy it has with Krait Runes is very strong. A person caught in the Entangle has a hard time removing the immobilize because of the Krait Rune’s cover conditions that it places upon an elite being used.
• It’s a Rabid build that utilizes Sharpened Edges for a few extra bleeds, and thus uses Sigil of Leeching for a bit of extra sustain.
• Geomancy Sigils are a key source of burst and damage, as is common with Condi-based builds.
• Typical Jungle Spider + Wolf pet combo.

Just wanted to make the information largely available to help the meta develop.

Interesting…I hope this gains some ground. The more diverse builds in the meta, the better!

Important things to note:
- Shortbow is helpful in team fights
- Without s/t a condi ranger will have a very hard time killing things 1 v 1 that have adequate condi cleanse and know what this build can do.
- Muddy terrain is ok, but there are better alternatives. You can use it to cover your condi a bit, but you don’t need it, and in the end if the cripple is down already it won’t help cover your bleeds at all.
- Keen edge could be used, but I find the swiftness from sharpened edges to be more beneficial.
-Nature’s protection is good… but hard to argue over circle of life which makes rezzes much easier for your team.

Now, I know ROM is not an experienced ranger and it should be noted that TCG did not succeed because of this build but because of their skilled DPS players and overall team rotations.

This is what I run. A very strong side node build that can win 1 v 1 vs anything.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQRAsf3YjEq0wa/KusQ1aADhqdLEsVNrAwdN8CXdBraA-TJhHwAAeCAILDE4kAAa/BA

My reasons:
- SoR offers more utility for myself and for my team than muddy terrain.
- SoS is great if a DPS comes in to + 1 you.
- Sharpened edges because the swiftness helps for kiting.
- Torch adds another condi to help cover bleeds occasionally and helps put out more pressure than sb has.
- Poison master for more dmg and because empathic bond kills my pet. Also, It has enough active condi clear that the passive shouldn’t be needed (if I run both I often active clear as the same time as my passive, so I just get a dead pet and a wasted utility).

Spider for ranged attacks, which allows Winter’s Bite to apply weakness on the target. Paralyzing Venom is for kiting with SB.

EB + Sotf is for near condi immunity. (A bit too much tbh)

Wolf for the typical knockdown and fear, nothing else.

I tried to find some duels in the stream, but the commentators were horrible and the video is 4 hours long.

rom was consulting me about ranger alot and we’ve come up with a few builds to use in tournaments, also as denshee has played with me for ages and had to endure my usual habit of explaining things in detail wether he wanted to hear it or not, he could help rom as well, making rom not an unexperienced ranger at all.

the build he was using is a great build with good utility for both teamfighting and 1v1s as well as for skirmishes, given you can still customize it towards what your team needs – as for soleley playing sidepoints s/d a/t could bring better results due to more on point pressure.
if people want to fit in burning to this build you could swap SoS for flame trap as well, with having 4 100% projectile finishers + splitblade in this build the burning uptime is at an okay level, also it is unblockable and combos well with muddy terrain or entangle as each of the pulses can procc sharpened edges, so the added fury from SotF makes it really good offensively.
trying to cover the bleeding condition on your opponent is kinda tough though, muddy terrain helps a little, but you’re applying bleeding at a really fast rate – so it’s almost always the first condition to be cleansed.

What’s even more interesting is this is very nearly the build our current EU KotH Ranger is using.

One or two small changes in weapon and sigils and a few other things, but it is essentially the same build.

It was thrown up on metabattle almost immediately after it was used today in the tourny: http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Ranger_-_Condition_Survival

Not that I would trust the site to be 100% reliable or anything, just saying.

Curiously, although I get the build, how it is played, and why it works, I’m not sure why, with Made in Meta running a more “traditional” spirit build, and the condi survival builds that ROM (and that Eura) are showing off, that the two builds haven’t been hybridized just yet into this:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAV8YjEq0savKusQ1aADhq9JEslArAw9PMEXdBbqA-TJhHwAAeCAILDE4iAAa/BA

I just don’t see why the middle ground between the two builds isn’t a more common build, especially compared to going traditional spirits. Is the mindset still “if you’re going spirits, you go full investment and take the elite?”

Obviously condi survival and spirits have two different roles (with overlapping functionality) but I just find it odd that the concepts the condi survival builds bring to the table haven’t been incorporated into the spirit build yet.

Also, a wild Battosai appears? Good to see you again man, I didn’t know if I’d ever see you on the forums again haha.

I completely agree with Eurantien’s build over the one ROM was using. I do love Nature’s Protection vs. thieves and other burst, but for me circle of life is my must have trait – it is such a game changer, putting you almost at full and possibly even cleansing poison so the res comes faster? Amazing trait.

Would you ever consider taking natures protection instead of evasive purity if you were against a really bursty comp? Or is evasive purity too good?

I use a build very similar to the one Eurantien posted as well. SB just doesn’t do enough damage and SoR is one of the best skills in the game.

Huh, just noticed the TCG build doesn’t have any energy sigils either. Not loving that.

Siroso.2769:

Would you ever consider taking natures protection instead of evasive purity if you were against a really bursty comp? Or is evasive purity too good?

Poison is really easy to apply and instantly achieve a high level of danger. That’s why I run evasive purity 100% of the time. But then I also use NP over CoL.

Hmm, I think I might be convinced to use CoL. With lots of dodging I’ve got prot up a lot anyway, and there aren’t a ton of single-hit bursts.

Cufufalating.8479:

What’s even more interesting is this is very nearly the build our current EU KotH Ranger is using.

One or two small changes in weapon and sigils and a few other things, but it is essentially the same build.

I have used my build for about 4 months now and I’m glad a bunker bleeder build gets some visibility now that a ‘’known player’’ has used it. Never used it in tPvP though and I think Rom made a good decision on using axe instead of sword as it is much more aggressive. Sword is much better for 1v1 arenas where I can kite and not worry about losing cap. For tPvP I guess I’d swap for something similar to Eurantiens build.

Btw Sizer tried my build so he might have tipped Rom to try something similar. Dunno.

If I’m running bleed in tpvp, I go 2/2/4/6/0 full survival sb s/d

If I’m running bleed bunker in tpvp, I go 2/0/6/6/0 carrion bark skin sb s/d or a/d

I have been runing a similar build as well, for less competitive play anyway but here it is:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAV3fjMq0waNLusQ1aADhqdLEslArAwd8+CXdJrIK-TZRFwAAeAAJOCARLDo4iAka/BA

I like torch instead of dagger, long lasting burn at 1200 range and a fire field that works great on downed people / after an entangle. Burst and more aoe pressure.

I switch Healing spring for unguent and empathic bond for something else (Bark skin and poison master are great) depending on enemy team composition. I have also toyed with quickening zephyr, its quite fun

Sigil of Strength can be used on axe, and shortbow to a lesser degree, quick and easy 20 might stacks on axe. Rampager sounds interesting in paper but has not worked so well for me.

I really, really like sharpening stone, both SB and axe have 5 projectile skills, alongside torch it really makes the build burst capable.

Playing it safer probably makes it better in a competitive setting, but I wouldnt known.

I would never use nature’s protection over evasive purity. In the current meta, every single class runs poison somewhere, even if it is doom sigil. As I am using troll unguent I do not want to be poisoned for any length of time during that heal.

Also @ Jebroe… I would run that…. but would do sb and a/d for more condi pressure. I loath how much counterplay spirit of nature offers and do not wish to depend on it which makes entangle much better imo. Sun spirit would give you the burning you miss from torch. However, deciding between what to take between SoR, stone spirit, and SoS would be hard. I guess you could take empathic bond… but… I’m no longer a fan of empathic bond.

Eurantien.4632:

I would never use nature’s protection over evasive purity. In the current meta, every single class runs poison somewhere, even if it is doom sigil. As I am using troll unguent I do not want to be poisoned for any length of time during that heal.

Also @ Jcbroe… I would run that…. but would do sb and a/d for more condi pressure. I loath how much counterplay spirit of nature offers and do not wish to depend on it which makes entangle much better imo. Sun spirit would give you the burning you miss from torch. However, deciding between what to take between SoR, stone spirit, and SoS would be hard. I guess you could take empathic bond… but… I’m no longer a fan of empathic bond.

Yeah that makes sense. And yeah, I only had EB slotted because I set the build link up with dual spirits and didn’t think that SotF and just LR and Entangle would be enough removal. I guess it would ultimately be a matter of player preference, what you’re up against, and whether your team would feel the benefited from you taking more spirit support or more utility.

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to respond. I’ve been playing around with all the different build variants today and was genuinely surprised that people aren’t all over the bandwagon yet.

Ya, it’s been a month since Sept 9th patch. I knew condi ranger was on the verge of being strong even during April 15th when I began working on signet condis. However, I didn’t expect the entangle changes which are giving this type of ranger build a very impactful elite for small fights. Atm, condi ranger is the best 1 v 1 homepoint build atm for tPvP and with the right players it can be great 2 v 2 as well. Issue with my spec however is the required melee range of most of the damage. Though I think the risk/reward is worth it.

Been running similar in wvw for ages with s/t in place of SB and sometimes flame trap.

Good condi spam but its not burst and its not bunk.

The only improvements post patch are the might on axe + fortifying bond, signet actives, and entangle CD…I’m not convinced this meta. I think we’ll see a bm/regen build trump this soon enough.

I run 2/0/6/6/0 rabid/ krait… i prefer agony/ earth on sb and geomancy/ energy on s/d; however, and am in love with sword. Core of the build is great and allows for a bit of flexibility depending on style.

It absolutely wrecks in 1v1 and is terrific team support as well with all the cc, massive bleed stacking. Entangle is nuts with krait runes post patch as it was already very strong before.

I started out at a similar build, but moved away from it towards a more beastmaster-y version of it with settlers amulet and 4-6 points in BM line. (Quickness wolf fear+res carries hard in SoloQ). The condition output is rather bursty and not as sustained and Entangle plays a big role in it, but the direct damage my owl or wolf put out is nothing to laugh at.
With 6 in BM I have to sacrifice SotF, but the regen i have and evasive purity is more than enough to sustain myself, condition classes aren’t such a tough matchup for me. DPS guard and hambows can be very good against this spec, both are manageable though if you time your dodges (of which you have many) right.

Axe mainhand? Uhh.. I didn’t watch EU’s tourny, but I bet if he was focused, he went down quick. I would have chosen S/D instead.

My Sweet Lily.1952:

Cufufalating.8479:

What’s even more interesting is this is very nearly the build our current EU KotH Ranger is using.

One or two small changes in weapon and sigils and a few other things, but it is essentially the same build.

I have used my build for about 4 months now and I’m glad a bunker bleeder build gets some visibility now that a ‘’known player’’ has used it. Never used it in tPvP though and I think Rom made a good decision on using axe instead of sword as it is much more aggressive. Sword is much better for 1v1 arenas where I can kite and not worry about losing cap. For tPvP I guess I’d swap for something similar to Eurantiens build.

Btw Sizer tried my build so he might have tipped Rom to try something similar. Dunno.

I think you will find it is around 6 months, going by the time when the survival patch went live and from when you went from zerk to rabbid, I know at least I was playing the zerk one for a good 6 months. I’m happy to see more people playing it at a high level too, especially after countless complaints that it isn’t meta, or only works in 1v1s.

Nooooo…..

Neko.9021:

Just wanted to make the information largely available to help the meta develop.

but ok….

I have been running something similar as well.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQRAnY8fjEqUza/KOsQ1aABhadAUAzb7aIZbBWJQJTJK-TJRFwAAeCARLDo4kAka/BA

Bast Bow.2958:

Nooooo…..

Neko.9021:

Just wanted to make the information largely available to help the meta develop.

but ok….

It’s on metabattle though, I mean, it isn’t exactly a secret at that point lol. I’d actually assume metabattle has more visibility than here on the ranger forums, especially after the official twitter brought light to its existence.

alvarez.3159:

I started out at a similar build, but moved away from it towards a more beastmaster-y version of it with settlers amulet and 4-6 points in BM line. (Quickness wolf fear+res carries hard in SoloQ). The condition output is rather bursty and not as sustained and Entangle plays a big role in it, but the direct damage my owl or wolf put out is nothing to laugh at.
With 6 in BM I have to sacrifice SotF, but the regen i have and evasive purity is more than enough to sustain myself, condition classes aren’t such a tough matchup for me. DPS guard and hambows can be very good against this spec, both are manageable though if you time your dodges (of which you have many) right.

Same here. I’m actually trying 0/0/2/6/6 now and I prefer it. Far more team support through heals.

jcbroe.4329:

It’s on metabattle though, I mean, it isn’t exactly a secret at that point lol. I’d actually assume metabattle has more visibility than here on the ranger forums, especially after the official twitter brought light to its existence.

Thank you for reminding me that metabattle existed. Forgot, not very active on forums as it shows.

Bast Bow.2958:

jcbroe.4329:

It’s on metabattle though, I mean, it isn’t exactly a secret at that point lol. I’d actually assume metabattle has more visibility than here on the ranger forums, especially after the official twitter brought light to its existence.

Thank you for reminding me that metabattle existed. Forgot, not very active on forums as it shows.

No it’s fine! lol. Not a lot of people on the forums are actually aware of it anyways, ANet just sometimes gives it a shout out through their communication sources like Twitter.

It’s extremely fair to say that the build is still virtually unknown.

jcbroe.4329:

It’s extremely fair to say that the build is still virtually unknown.

I fined this strange. There have been SotF/Rabid/Krait builds around since April patch and they were effective then, granted that the CD reduction on Entangle is a size able buff to it.

Eggyokeo.9705:

jcbroe.4329:

It’s extremely fair to say that the build is still virtually unknown.

I fined this strange. There have been SotF/Rabid/Krait builds around since April patch and they were effective then, granted that the CD reduction on Entangle is a size able buff to it.

The build has definitely existed, sure, but the only places that it is actually visible in it’s full view is on the forums and metabattle (and possibly into the mists).

If we are to believe what ANet reports as the numbers for the forums, more than half of the population isn’t exposed to the third party information sources, and then we have to take into account that another portion of the community is only PvE players or casual players (not an insult) to the point where if the changes didn’t interest them, they haven’t tried them or seen the build.

But I mean, I could be wrong. I just know that before the build was actually played in a tournament on the official GW2 twitch channel, I have experienced a countable amount of players actually running rabid builds like this.

It could just be the PvP mode for that as well though. I feel like Rabid might be a more common choice in WvW than I realize.

Couple questions regarding this build since my ranger is the least played (alt) vs. my main a guardian (probably why I struggle on my note below).

1. WvW – how do you keep engaged (resetting of fights, disengaging, run to away, etc.)?
2. Wvw – why melee vs. no range or traps? Wouldn’t it make sense to just roll a thief instead to get the reset fight options and stealth?

Is the primary mechanic here evade the attacks and apply pressure via conditions and bleeds? Per my comment I mainly play LB with sword/dagger but find when I engage melee I totally screw it up because my main is a Guardian who just gets into the middle of things (the whole sword/dagger moving around targets, jumping back then forth makes me loose targets too much ).

I run LB with trapper runes and the new sigil of incapacitation and trying to figure out the build(s) posted here just for something different. Granted I’m a newb so just picturing the play is all

Crapgame.6519:

Couple questions regarding this build since my ranger is the least played (alt) vs. my main a guardian (probably why I struggle on my note below).

1. WvW – how do you keep engaged (resetting of fights, disengaging, run to away, etc.)?
2. Wvw – why melee vs. no range or traps? Wouldn’t it make sense to just roll a thief instead to get the reset fight options and stealth?

Is the primary mechanic here evade the attacks and apply pressure via conditions and bleeds? Per my comment I mainly play LB with sword/dagger but find when I engage melee I totally screw it up because my main is a Guardian who just gets into the middle of things (the whole sword/dagger moving around targets, jumping back then forth makes me loose targets too much ).

I run LB with trapper runes and the new sigil of incapacitation and trying to figure out the build(s) posted here just for something different. Granted I’m a newb so just picturing the play is all

This build was not made with WvW roaming in mind at all. It was entirely constructed with sPvP as its sole focus.

Regardless, there’s a very similar WvW Survival-Condi build that exists as a Dire variant that I’ve seen used to good effect: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fNMQRAnY8fjEqUzaLL+rQ1aABhaVA0uGu3Ww9QcDfdFrkC-TRiAABJ8AAg+EAko+BAOIALt/wpq/wxRAQSlgip8LAACwMLzysMDO6RP6RP6RbmzcmzcmzsUAwMNC-e

There’s really not much to this build (like most Ranger builds) other than applying condis and trying to kite around your opponent. You try to land damage with Entangle, Axe 2, Dagger Skills, and Torch Skills. The Sword is primarily there as a disengage tool (use the 2 to leap backwards, then turn around, then use the 2 again to leap away).