Guild Wars 2

So I have a level 46 ranger that I left about 5 months ago… I really honestly enjoy playing my ranger, but I keep hearing how rangers are crapola at level 80. Is this true? Also with the new patch coming out it sounds like more QQ.

Can I play a ranger without being grossly underpowered?
Are rangers a welcome addition to groups? (post patch)
Will I hit 80 on my ranger and find myself thinking “omg, this is a waste of my life”?

I dont know what all has changed in the past 5 months, but I have returned to GW2, which is why I have no clue what all has really changed.

Rangers are fine, … in gathering omnomberries and doing event bosses. All the old issues poor pet ai/bugs/f2 resposivenes , traitlines that make no sense , poor build variety are still there.

i love ranger. it fites with my style and in pve or dungons i have a blast. yes, you can play in pve and dungons without being “underpowered”. like all the classes, some of a utility skills dont work well, but if u play and u have fun, and you learn what DOES work, with your style, then smart people will love to play with you. soloing champs are doable, and EASY to do with two rangers. i dont know your guild but the rangers in mine never have a hard time getting into dungons. i love bm heavy with atlest 20 points in power for penatrateing shots.

if you want to wvw, then i cant speak to that as i mostly pve/dungeon.

Hmm. Most people want the class they are playing to be slightly better than others, therefore giving them an advantage. So don’t believe ALL of the whine you read on the forums.
Personally this is how i see rangers:

There are two decently viable builds. Trap Bunkers and Beastmaster Sustained DPS.
They’re best in sPvP where your enemy has limited kiting space due to the game-mode of conquest, which is about holding or neutralizing objectives.
In WvW the pet has a hard time hitting kiting/running targets making it notably weaker, and in zerg fights only ranged pets are viable.

So basically the ranger CAN be good in smaller fights, but lack heavily in support-roles due to spirits being probably the worst utiltity-line in the whole game cross-professions.
In PvE you can basically pick whatever you like, since all the content is pretty straight forward and builds do not really matter. (FYI I’m 30+ FoTM, still easy).

In short:
Rangers shine in sPvP the most, and despite what people say they can actually be pretty good. I can easily battle a d/d ele with my BM build, since i can evade pretty much all of their heavy-hitting skills.
Rampage as One is also very good against d/d eles and bunkers in general.
If you play PvE then just pick whatever class that you like to play, and if you want to roll a support role i’d suggest you wait until spirits have been reworked.

Edit:
Rangers are not a waste of time, but BM builds can require a decent skill-level to be viable.

Don’t worry so much about what others say, make your own judgment. If you enjoy something, it can never really be a waste of your time.

It’s not that the Ranger is ridiculously underpowered, it just feels a bit “off” when you play, compared to other professions. Damage output feels a bit lower, your utility skills and traits seem like they could do more, and your pet can feel slow and unresponsive. But it’s not like you can’t kill anything. I like to say that the Ranger is viable, but not reliable.

I’m playing mostly WvW and I’m happy with my LB ranger there. 1500 range, piercing arrows, sigil of fire and LB 5. make running in zerg a pleasure. It gets harder when I run solo to hunt dollies or flip camps, but with GS on swap I can run from most bigger groups (if I see them comming soon enough :p ) and I also win often in 1v1 – ppl totally underestimate LB rangers. 100b warrs or HS spamming thieves can be killed without taking dmg. But I won’t lie: when you meet a good thief/mes/ele, you don’t stand a chance with LB. Guardians and engis can be pain, but I think I never lost a 1v1 with them.
Some ppl here can have other experience. I just say what I know after over 1k hours on ranger, most of it in WvW. Most important thing imo: if you play something long enough, you can actually do pretty good, no matter how kittenty build or class is (unless you meet someone also experienced with their class ).

I appreciate the responses fellows. Well thought out and actually helpful haha. Thank you guys, I am going to go hop on my ranger and have some fun.

You forget that people who defend ranger are the ones who post into those kinda threads, so the 100 other people who would actually tell you to not do it just ignore this thread.

You will regret it after you get your exotic gear that you wasted those many hours for leveling and grinding dungeons.
Switch to a real class. Ranger is something you keep for farming ori nodes or something like that.

can you define “real class” then?

I really dont want to hit level 80 and regret spending that time

Warrior and Guardian are and will forever be the gods of PvE.
For WvW, you can pick anything but ranger and necro. Playing mesmer there is pretty fun though because theres nothing a mesmer cant do and many things only he can, like mass aoe quickness and teleporting and mass confusion and whatnot.

But yeah, if you like damage, beeing a credit to the team in dungeons or events and ranged play, pick a warrior.

Delusion- which defines as belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. The Superiority Evidence is obviously the recent patch we received on March 26, 2013.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/Game-Update-Notes-March-26-2013/first#post1709376

If you want to Delude yourself into thinking this class is Worthy, than all Reality to you.

alright, warrior it is I guess

Arekai.5698:

You forget that people who defend ranger are the ones who post into those kinda threads, so the 100 other people who would actually tell you to not do it just ignore this thread.

You will regret it after you get your exotic gear that you wasted those many hours for leveling and grinding dungeons.
Switch to a real class. Ranger is something you keep for farming ori nodes or something like that.

No one here is “defending” the Ranger, people are simply just expressing there experience with the profession.

If you enjoyed the hours you spend, it was not wasted. Just because something stops being fun, it doesn’t mean that you were somehow deluded, before you came to that conclusion.

Burnfall.9573:

Delusion- which defines as belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. The Superiority Evidence is obviously the recent patch we received on March 26, 2013.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/Game-Update-Notes-March-26-2013/first#post1709376

If you want to Delude yourself into thinking this class is Worthy, than all Reality to you.

It’s just a game, relax. I could understand your frustration if you were preparing for an upcoming eSport tournament. But at this point, the game can only be played for fun. The Ranger has its problems, yes, but it’s not like there’s a huge gap between the Ranger and the other professions. People play the Ranger in tPvP and high level fractals, and do just fine.

The bitterness in this thread is something else….
Ranger is alot of fun to play and I actually like having a pet companion for the levelling experience.
If you’re enjoying it at level 46 then you Probbaly will enjoy it at level 80….
As for groups wise,most people won’t mind a ranger,except for the people with a personal vendetta against this class (see above) or people who don’t like having more than one party member not wearing heavy armor…

Ranger is a solid, viable spvp class, and great in smaller wvw fights that you find in T3 and below. For fractals/dungeons, I have my alts.

Warrior is better than ranger?
I’ll gladly prove you wrong, so if you want to duel my ranger with your Warrior in sPvP, just leave a PM!

Who cares about spvp?
You can make a lvl 1 alt and jump into it with whatever class you want anyway, no need to level to 80.
99% of the stuff you need comes from PvE because the developers hate WvW players and wont give them anything for their playtime.

And no enjoying it with lvl 46 is not the same at level 80 because you don’t know other classes and how other classes at 80 perform because exspecially then, the dungeon grinding starts and nobody wants you.

I made a screenshot of gw2lfg just now.
Look at all the people searching for rangers!

Level 80 sure is fun.

Preface: I do mainly WvW.

I really want to like my Ranger. And I did, until I leveled some other characters. I used to think it really wasn’t in terrible shape until I saw what other classes could actually do. I’ve currently got a lvl 80 Ranger, Guardian and Necro. Out of the three, Ranger is by far not only the least effective in combat, but provides the least benefit to my group. Even my necromancer performs better.

In the rare small group fight, the Ranger does alright. But as long as WvW continues to be so zergy, the Ranger will always be sub par.

Arekai.5698:

And no enjoying it with lvl 46 is not the same at level 80 because you don’t know other classes and how other classes at 80 perform because exspecially then, the dungeon grinding starts and nobody wants you.

I made a screenshot of gw2lfg just now.
Look at all the people searching for rangers!

Level 80 sure is fun.

Looking at that picture….did you only search for COF lfg’s?
And if fun = mindlessly farming the easiest dungeon in the game for hours on end then I’ll stick with being excluded from those groups thanks.

I suppose one could make the case that gaming is a waste of time in general. Regardless, I will tell you what I tell everyone: roll a few different classes and stick with the playstyle you like.

Arekai.5698:

And no enjoying it with lvl 46 is not the same at level 80 because you don’t know other classes and how…

Lol who the flip are you to decide if enjoying something at one period is like enjoying it an another? Enjoyment is based on personal preference, not your kitten jaded opinion on the matter.

Really disagree with WvW comments regarding Ranger. I have 9 level 80s- one of each class, and 2 rangers. One of my Rangers is geared out in berserker gear running a 30/30/10/0/0 build (for the 50% fall damage) with longbow primary, and is there to rain the pain. I tried an engineer grenades build with the 1500 range, and while this can equal the range and AOE of the LB, there is a time of flight issue that makes it annoying to play (moving players hard to hit, sort of like tossing meteors in Diablo). Barrage (LB 5) will clear a wall and destroy siege you can not get to short of building an arrow cart. I have had great success flanking the zerg, dumping LB 5 into the middle behind the front rank, then piercing with LB 4, 3, 2…the intense pressure this puts on the zerg causes many to flee into that barrage. Glass cannon LB ranger is like mobile siege.

Piercing is so huge. Target the supervisor in the camp and strafe to line up all his flunkies, and watch them melt. Yeah warrior gets it on rifle, but they don’t get AOE on rifle like barrage. They have to go for LB, and traiting that up with rifle is a bit difficult.

Yes your WvW pets die easy with a LB ranger in a glass cannon build. There is a nice thread on how to live with a 0 or 5 BM build. I have had luck with spiders as active pets…the immobilize can hit at a really bad time for a runner and save the day. They stand off and toss ranged stuff so it helps them live a bit longer, but they still stupidly stand in damage circles. Devourers last longer, but lack that immobilize.

My other ranger is running around in magic find gear and is in a 20/20/0/0/30 shortbow spec. I took faster bow attacks and piercing (can’t really live without them) and went 30 BM for regeneration on the pet. Pet lasts long enough to make it somewhat viable in instances, and is very useful for taking veterans down in open world. Any time I have to farm or run instances, this is the guy I wheel out. This guy is perfectly fine for taking out sentries, taking down supply camps, taking out Dolyaks, and serves well for being that annoying roamer that makes your team retake stuff. Sure mesmers or warriors would be better 1v1 for roaming, but I just use this guy as a PvE guy in WvW.

I think this game is more about finding a good fit for how you play rather than identifying the optimum power profession and trait build.

I have my ranger at lvl80 atm. and i do not think it’s a waste of my time, it was all fun getting there and still is… I play mostly just PvE …

Thing i would say is, why limit yourself to one class, if anything i have to agree with Chopps above here. Try out different styles and pick the one you like, which will always depend on what you like to do, in a class based game it is always hard to compare apples to oranges, esp. when you also take personal skill level into account…

As said above here, if your goal is to just play the PvE side of the game, you will find the ranger to be very versatile. You wont be the hardest hitting dude in the group (except for long range longbow), but you’dd be able to do other things. F/E. in zerg.event farming a ranger with a Warhorn is the most valuable guy/girl around, everybody can do damage in some shape or form, but getting from event to event fast that Warhorn makes all the difference.

If sPvP is the thing for you, then i would say, keep 1 slot empty specifically for sPvP make a lvl1 char and jump right in. That way you can always switch to the FotM build(s) by creating a character that you need…

Warrior and Guardian are the most tanky style characters, due to their armor, but they are also the most straight forward. Meaning that they wont do anything to special for you either…

so realy, you have 5 slots, use at least 4 on different races and professions, and waste your life/time with the one you like most ^^

Lepew.7890:

Really disagree with WvW comments regarding Ranger. I have 9 level 80s- one of each class, and 2 rangers. One of my Rangers is geared out in berserker gear running a 30/30/10/0/0 build (for the 50% fall damage) with longbow primary, and is there to rain the pain. I tried an engineer grenades build with the 1500 range, and while this can equal the range and AOE of the LB, there is a time of flight issue that makes it annoying to play (moving players hard to hit, sort of like tossing meteors in Diablo). Barrage (LB 5) will clear a wall and destroy siege you can not get to short of building an arrow cart. I have had great success flanking the zerg, dumping LB 5 into the middle behind the front rank, then piercing with LB 4, 3, 2…the intense pressure this puts on the zerg causes many to flee into that barrage. Glass cannon LB ranger is like mobile siege.

Piercing is so huge. Target the supervisor in the camp and strafe to line up all his flunkies, and watch them melt. Yeah warrior gets it on rifle, but they don’t get AOE on rifle like barrage. They have to go for LB, and traiting that up with rifle is a bit difficult.

Yes your WvW pets die easy with a LB ranger in a glass cannon build. There is a nice thread on how to live with a 0 or 5 BM build. I have had luck with spiders as active pets…the immobilize can hit at a really bad time for a runner and save the day. They stand off and toss ranged stuff so it helps them live a bit longer, but they still stupidly stand in damage circles. Devourers last longer, but lack that immobilize.

My other ranger is running around in magic find gear and is in a 20/20/0/0/30 shortbow spec. I took faster bow attacks and piercing (can’t really live without them) and went 30 BM for regeneration on the pet. Pet lasts long enough to make it somewhat viable in instances, and is very useful for taking veterans down in open world. Any time I have to farm or run instances, this is the guy I wheel out. This guy is perfectly fine for taking out sentries, taking down supply camps, taking out Dolyaks, and serves well for being that annoying roamer that makes your team retake stuff. Sure mesmers or warriors would be better 1v1 for roaming, but I just use this guy as a PvE guy in WvW.

I think this game is more about finding a good fit for how you play rather than identifying the optimum power profession and trait build.

All of this is valid. I’ve tried glass cannon and bunker ranger builds as well. It is true that you do respectable damage when full berserker, but anyway you look at it your DPS is balanced with the DPS of your pets added in. So if your pet is dead or not in the fight, you are doing substandard DPS compared to other classes.

I have a lvl 80 warrior and a lvl 80 ranger. I prefer the ranger 100% but that is just my PERSONAL PREFERENCE. Nobody can tell which is better because it is all about how you play and what you enjoy. Your choice should be what you enjoy the most.

If you enjoy it, it is not a waste of time.

That said, it is currently not considered “one of the best” at anything except structured pvp and there it is only one or two specific builds (depending on who you ask).

what you hear from people saying that rangers are crap prolly plays a berserker warrior and only plays cof p1 and used to seeing 18k plus hundred blades dmg..

rangers arent as bad as people say, yes, they got they’re downside like any other class.. but if you enjoy playing it and you find a very nice play style you can feel you’re not wasting your time..

i play my ranger with a GS and frankly speaking i enjoy doing a more sustained dmg than high burst one..

and one more thing, people say that engies are on par with suckyness << (non existing word but pretty much you get it) with ranger.. i know one engie from our guild that can own thieves warrs and guards.. so it proves that OPness~ isnt solely based on class

akosierin.4973:

what you hear from people saying that rangers are crap prolly plays a berserker warrior and only plays cof p1 and used to seeing 18k plus hundred blades dmg..

rangers arent as bad as people say, yes, they got they’re downside like any other class.. but if you enjoy playing it and you find a very nice play style you can feel you’re not wasting your time..

i play my ranger with a GS and frankly speaking i enjoy doing a more sustained dmg than high burst one..

and one more thing, people say that engies are on par with suckyness << (non existing word but pretty much you get it) with ranger.. i know one engie from our guild that can own thieves warrs and guards.. so it proves that OPness~ isnt solely based on class

I have a heck of a time solo’ing a good condition/bunker engi or theif with ANY of my best spvp builds. Is it your opinion that

A) i need practice
B) rangers should not solo condition bunkers or zerk theives

It appears this game is balanced more around teams than 1v1, no?

Lepew.7890:

Really disagree with WvW comments regarding Ranger. I have 9 level 80s- one of each class, and 2 rangers. One of my Rangers is geared out in berserker gear running a 30/30/10/0/0 build (for the 50% fall damage) with longbow primary, and is there to rain the pain. I tried an engineer grenades build with the 1500 range, and while this can equal the range and AOE of the LB, there is a time of flight issue that makes it annoying to play (moving players hard to hit, sort of like tossing meteors in Diablo). Barrage (LB 5) will clear a wall and destroy siege you can not get to short of building an arrow cart. I have had great success flanking the zerg, dumping LB 5 into the middle behind the front rank, then piercing with LB 4, 3, 2…the intense pressure this puts on the zerg causes many to flee into that barrage. Glass cannon LB ranger is like mobile siege.

Piercing is so huge. Target the supervisor in the camp and strafe to line up all his flunkies, and watch them melt. Yeah warrior gets it on rifle, but they don’t get AOE on rifle like barrage. They have to go for LB, and traiting that up with rifle is a bit difficult.

Yes your WvW pets die easy with a LB ranger in a glass cannon build. There is a nice thread on how to live with a 0 or 5 BM build. I have had luck with spiders as active pets…the immobilize can hit at a really bad time for a runner and save the day. They stand off and toss ranged stuff so it helps them live a bit longer, but they still stupidly stand in damage circles. Devourers last longer, but lack that immobilize.

My other ranger is running around in magic find gear and is in a 20/20/0/0/30 shortbow spec. I took faster bow attacks and piercing (can’t really live without them) and went 30 BM for regeneration on the pet. Pet lasts long enough to make it somewhat viable in instances, and is very useful for taking veterans down in open world. Any time I have to farm or run instances, this is the guy I wheel out. This guy is perfectly fine for taking out sentries, taking down supply camps, taking out Dolyaks, and serves well for being that annoying roamer that makes your team retake stuff. Sure mesmers or warriors would be better 1v1 for roaming, but I just use this guy as a PvE guy in WvW.

I think this game is more about finding a good fit for how you play rather than identifying the optimum power profession and trait build.

LB Rangers in WvW are useful against random PUG zergs with no coordination, and as long as you’re in a well coordinated zerg group. If the opposing zerg is well coordinated they’ll likely be running stability, kiss your LB Barrage AOE sayonara.
QZ took a hit and we’re even less effective as before for bust damage (with the 2 ability on the LB).
Pet’s are dumb, die a lot and stand no chance against human opponent foes, their F2 abilities also kick off way too late. You take runspeed hit if they agro something you don’t want them to do(which happens most of the time)… I could go on…
LB is ok for harassing walls of keeps to help provide cover for your team as they take a door. SS/D or Horn are good for the secondary weapon set as it may likely save you from pesky thieves, but that’s mostly it IMO.
If you’re running with a well coordinated WvW group, your secondary switch to ShortBow and you’ll be pretty ok, as in part you’ll have the safety of your team where you don’t really need your ShortSword/Dagger/Horn.