Guild Wars 2

Anyone know the actual tier list for out of combat mobility? Im curious to know where ranger sits, as I only have a mes, guard and ranger, and ranger is clearly much faster than my mes or guard.

I believe Ranger lies behind warrior and thief, but tied with engie.

Unless you get martial mastery and get sword/warhorn, greatsword with lightning reflexes and hidden pistol (if you are a charr) I just don’t see it beating my s/wh, lb support warrior which can stack up to 3 minutes of swiftness. And out of combat can swap LB for GS for extra mobility. A ranger will need significant investments to beat that. I just don’t see other people calling ranger one of the most mobile classes.

I never said it was the most mobile class, I did however say it was more mobile than my Guardian and my Mesmer. Every class can achieve perma-swift ( I think ) its just a matter of how much you want to give up in order to get it. So so far the tier list would be something like

Warrior
Theif
Ranger, Engie
Necro
Mesmer
Guardian

sound about right?

edit. Where does ele fit?

Guardians should be higher on that list. If they have a target they can use 2 teleports that cover a lot of ground and also they can maintain a perma swiftness.

I think ranger can be up there with thief/warriors.

Sword/warhorn, Greatsword, lightning reflexes, sig of hunt, and RaO?

That’s 2 leaps with a less than 10 sec CD. LR with a traited 32 sec CD. Swiftness for 15? Seconds. Swiftness for 20 seconds. And when swiftness is gone. 25% run speed.

Disclaimer: hardly play my ranger anymore, but all of this seems right.

I suppose I was just kind of assuming Perma swiftness, I guess what I’m really getting at is the leaps/teleports of other classes. Basically I’m thinking of making a “scout” type build with my ranger for wvw.. And I wanted to know who was going to be able to catch me haha

Jhughes.8341:

I suppose I was just kind of assuming Perma swiftness, I guess what I’m really getting at is the leaps/teleports of other classes. Basically I’m thinking of making a “scout” type build with my ranger for wvw.. And I wanted to know who was going to be able to catch me haha

Well, I would go with warrior for max movement.

• If people are in range and try to immobilize you, dogged march with food/melandru runes cut that down so it’s pretty much never applied. If you’re on a ranger, you can either pop sig of renewal or blow healing spring, if they get another immobilize off, you’re screwed.
• If they are in range for a stun or knockdown. Warriors can trait for an instant activation of balanced stance, so that stun doesn’t affect you, and you get ~6 seconds of stability. If that runs out and they try it again, activate actual balanced stance on your utility bar. Ranger? Unless you already have Rage as One activated or traited sig of wild activated. You have one way to negate this, which is to trait into shared anguish, with a 90? second CD. Otherwise you’re screwed.
• They have the same or more amount of gap closers. Sword 2, Greatsword 3 and 5. Bull Rush utility. Shield Bash? And easier access to perma swiftness.

In order from fastest to slowest ooc potential:
Thief – Warrior
Ranger
Engineer – Elementalist
Necromancer
Guardian
Mesmer

As for ranger, my way of maximizing ooc speed:
Shout Mastery, Nature’s Voice trais with Guard utility.
Also GS# 3 is awesome for quick burst movement as well.

Well… seem like someone forgot ele ^^
actually i’d say :

Tier 1 :
1- Thief (Lot of teleport skill, swiftness and leap finisher)
2- Warrior (easy swiftness and movement skills)
3- ranger (swiftness and movement skills)

Tier 2 :
1- Elementalist (permaswiftness easily achieved and some movement skills)
2- Guardian (can struggle a bit but swiftness achievable + teleport and movement skills)
3- Engi (easiest permaswiftness in the game)

Tiers 3
1-Necromancer (can achieve permaswiftness at high cost but almost no movement skills)
2- (and last) Mesmer (Only class that need gear help to achieve a decent movement speed)

Does anyone legitimately run Sword+Horn/Greatsword? That’s kind of a significant thing to factor in when doing these comparisons…

Perma swiftness aside if you’re asking if you’re gonna have a lot of good gap closers on a ranger, well we got a couple.

GS swoop is a really good mobility skill and if you’re good and take auto targetting off you can use sword 2 and rotate your camera to use that as a siginifcant leap skill. Takes some practice though.

GS traited gets you an 1100 leap every 9.5 seconds…that’s pretty darn good. Add the Sword’s turnaround leap thingy(6.5 sec CD with same trait) and warhorns speed on weapon swap and it’s very hard to match if you’re good at the 180 flip.

Dadnir.5038:

Well… seem like someone forgot ele ^^
actually i’d say :

Tier 1 :
1- Thief (Lot of teleport skill, swiftness and leap finisher)
2- Warrior (easy swiftness and movement skills)
3- ranger (swiftness and movement skills)

Tier 2 :
1- Elementalist (permaswiftness easily achieved and some movement skills)
2- Guardian (can struggle a bit but swiftness achievable + teleport and movement skills)
3- Engi (easiest permaswiftness in the game)

Tiers 3
1-Necromancer (can achieve permaswiftness at high cost but almost no movement skills)
2- (and last) Mesmer (Only class that need gear help to achieve a decent movement speed)

My bad, totally forgot ele. >.<

As far as builds people actually use.
1-GS/Sword warriors
2-Dagger Ele
3-Thief cus most don’t use shortbow.
4-Ranger GS/anything else
5-Guardian a few leaps/teleports and walls etc to slow enemies down
6-Mesmer blink and focus for swiftness and some stealth to help get away
7-Engi don’t really play one but Ive never been chased down by one+ some form of stealth
8-Necros pretty much have to stay and fight. By far the easiest for me to chase down

Engie equiped with rocket boots is actually pretty mobile (900 leap every 20sekittenraited), and swiftness 100% is a given.

So assuming sword/horn and GS the ranger could potentially keep up with theif/warrior using Gs#3 and sword#2? That’s pretty awesome actually

If you traited sword I dont know why you would even bother with GS, its a leap every 6-1/2 seconds.

edit: actually nm… traited sword you would get an extra GS leap in too so it would be farther.

No, the sword hornets sting/monarchs leap is almost exactly as fast as simply running with swiftness when out of combat. I’ve tested this extensively because I keep reading people claiming they run faster doing sword leaps. They don’t. Greatsword, on the other hand, has a long leap with a very short animation.

Are animation times factored in when overall mobility is ranked? In other words, are all leaps the same speed? I ask because Swoop feels really fast for the distance it covers. Could be my imagination.

See I was wondering the same thing, because unless I time monarchs leap perfectly, then whoever I’m running around with (any class) seems to get just slightly ahead of me, assuming we both have swiftness.

If you’re fast enough with sword you’ll make ground. First leap is close to swiftness but second in chain is profit. I see it all the time when running in groups.

Part of the trick is swivelling the camera view as you leap, so your second leap youre pointed right direction immediately to take advantage.

From a dead start its all profit tho, or if you just used lighting reflexes you can double up with no loss.

Kilger.5490:

If you’re fast enough with sword you’ll make ground. First leap is close to swiftness but second in chain is profit. I see it all the time when running in groups.

From a dead start its all profit tho, or if you just used lighting reflexes you can double up with no loss.

Not while out of combat it’s not faster (even if you time it perfectly). I get what you’re saying about starting from rest though.

Just tested about 20 times , out of combat.. the leaps are definitely a waste of time, assuming you have swiftness. just running straight is just as fast, if timed perfectly you get MAYBE 1 step ahead. Without swiftness it is definitely faster but that’s a given. IN combat it is also faster, and definitely useful for creating space between whoever/whatever is chasing you. But for general OOC movement, don’t waste your time with Monarchs Leap if you have swiftness, also if you mess up the 180 you are going to end up way behind.

Jhughes.8341:

Just tested about 20 times , out of combat.. the leaps are definitely a waste of time, assuming you have swiftness. just running straight is just as fast, if timed perfectly you get MAYBE 1 step ahead. Without swiftness it is definitely faster but that’s a given. IN combat it is also faster, and definitely useful for creating space between whoever/whatever is chasing you. But for general OOC movement, don’t waste your time with Monarchs Leap if you have swiftness, also if you mess up the 180 you are going to end up way behind.

This is the correct answer. +1

Kilger.5490:

If you’re fast enough with sword you’ll make ground. First leap is close to swiftness but second in chain is profit. I see it all the time when running in groups.

Chopps is correct. I’ve tested it extensively too. The problem is Hornet’s Sting isn’t instant. There’s a fraction of a second where you throw hornets, then you leap. For that fraction of a second, you are standing still (well, I suppose you could walk backwards but that’s not very fast). It kills most of the speed you gain from the leaps.

If you’re very skilled, it can be slightly faster than just swiftness. But the more you push it, the greater the chance of you leaping in the wrong direction (backwards). Unless you’re in a desperate “I must outrun swiftness or I will die” situation, it’s easier and almost as fast to just run straight with swiftness.

GS Swoop on the other hand is just pure win. I’m always at the front of the champ trains and guild puzzle events because of GS swoop. Most of the time I actually have to slow myself down to allow everyone else time to catch up.

Ok got home did some testing…

Ran route from speed buffer at shelter rock to wolf lodge waypoint and back, using same waypoints, using ability when up (and viable), min 3 times each, speed buff itself kept time .. results:

Swiftness only 2:09 avg
Hornet/monach 2:01 avg
Swoop 1:55 avg
Good within +/- a second
So yea its not as good as swoop, but still better than just swiftness. It has an advantage over swoop of better cornering with the knee halfway.

All of this assumes perma swiftness

0. Any Norn in the game with racial
1. Elementalist with FGS
2. Warrior with GS
3. Thief withdraw+shadowstep+sb
4. Ranger with GS
5. Ele with either staff, offhand dagger or axe
6. Engineer with rocket boots
7. Mesmer with Blink + staff
8. Guardian with GS (Teleports excluded because of target req)
9. Everything else (Necro, Teleport exluded because of target req + travel time)

@Kilger
I also tried that but as many others I was not able to be faster with monarch than simply running with swiftness – but I’m not really used to turning around extremely fast. It might be possible to win just a tiny bit with absolutely perfect usage. Did you really use swiftness or only the 25% signet? The 25% signet would make a difference since then the monarch combo might be faster.
What I found out: In combat a ranger with lightning reflexes, sword/horn and greatsword is incredibly mobile especially if you want to disengage out of a fight since you don’t have to turn around for the first lightning reflex and hornet.
But out of fight I just use GS and perma swiftness with natures voice and I’m rather fast.
From my observations for out of combat (and mostly also in combat speed) Norn Elite is the fastest, followed by gs/sword/horn warrior and ele with FGS, followed by thief, then ranger, then engineer, then mesmer and guardian and last is necro.

Norn elite and FGS of course have very long cooldowns but they can still offer the speed you need to get away. I could imagine that a GS/Sword/Horn Ranger with lightning reflexes might be able to keep up with a thief/warrior as long as they are all in combat but it requires more effort than clicking some buttons on warrior and I have never been able to test that.

Raven.9603:

All of this assumes perma swiftness

0. Any Norn in the game with racial
1. Elementalist with FGS
2. Warrior with GS
3. Thief withdraw+shadowstep+sb
4. Ranger with GS
5. Ele with either staff, offhand dagger or axe
6. Engineer with rocket boots
7. Mesmer with Blink + staff
8. Guardian with GS (Teleports excluded because of target req)
9. Everything else (Necro, Teleport exluded because of target req + travel time)

Norn racials share that space with the executioner axe. The dash skill will send you an incredible distance if you use it with swiftness on.

Arpheus.6918:

@Kilger
Did you really use swiftness or only the 25% signet? The 25% signet would make a difference since then the monarch combo might be faster.

I used swiftness from the Norn city boon giver. I’m fairly certain its full 33% swiftness since even with 25% speed it increased my speed.

I’m thinking it comes down to technique. You’ll need to use it on a regular basis to get it smooth.

However like you say it isnt that much farther ahead only 8 seconds over 2 minutes but it makes a difference. Swoop only gained 14 seconds over 2 minutes and its noticeable, in the same test. Swoop goes further but has longer cooldown, its also much easier to use.

edit: if you’re on Jade Quarry I’d be willing to demonstrate…

Atherakhia.4086:

Does anyone legitimately run Sword+Horn/Greatsword? That’s kind of a significant thing to factor in when doing these comparisons…

Only when I was doing solely map completion. Other than that, no.

Chopps.5047:

No, the sword hornets sting/monarchs leap is almost exactly as fast as simply running with swiftness when out of combat. I’ve tested this extensively because I keep reading people claiming they run faster doing sword leaps. They don’t. Greatsword, on the other hand, has a long leap with a very short animation.

Are animation times factored in when overall mobility is ranked? In other words, are all leaps the same speed? I ask because Swoop feels really fast for the distance it covers. Could be my imagination.

With signet of the hunt? Maybe. If you’re fast you can definitely move faster then just running with swiftness by using hornets sting & monarch’s leap without a doubt.

Kilger.5490:

Arpheus.6918:

@Kilger
Did you really use swiftness or only the 25% signet? The 25% signet would make a difference since then the monarch combo might be faster.

I used swiftness from the Norn city boon giver. I’m fairly certain its full 33% swiftness since even with 25% speed it increased my speed.

I’m thinking it comes down to technique. You’ll need to use it on a regular basis to get it smooth.

However like you say it isnt that much farther ahead only 8 seconds over 2 minutes but it makes a difference. Swoop only gained 14 seconds over 2 minutes and its noticeable, in the same test. Swoop goes further but has longer cooldown, its also much easier to use.

edit: if you’re on Jade Quarry I’d be willing to demonstrate…

Thats interesting. I would really like to see that and I will probably have to test it. I’m on riverside EU.
But I could never use sword over greatsword. It feels so awkward and you can’t strafe around targets with this autoattack root, the leap is also strange and the evade on the autoattack on the GS is awesome too

Just to reitterate the above.. sword isnt great for sustained movement. It gives a nice sudden burst of movement which is great in combat, but for general moving about its not.

I’ve heard its marginally faster than running if you using LR inbetween hornet sting and monarchs leap (obviously while still facing backwards) although it seems a lot of effort for little gain, if its even true.

While sword 2 doesn’t provide much if anything as a simple distance builder, Monarch’s leap is a very nice long jump that will get you across decent chasms. It’ll get you across the gap south of Durios for example, from one wall to the 90 degrees oriented next wall in a keep, etc.

If you get familiar with the maps, there’s often a spot nearbyish which you can use to drop pursuers with Monarch’s Leap.

Just keep in ming that if you have an enemy targeted, Hornet Sting will always make you jump away from it, no matter what your original facing. Also, if you didn’t have a target and therefore jumped back, Monarch’s Leap is available long enough for you to run back to where you used Hornet Sting. So it’s possible to run to the edge of the cliff, hit 2, run to it again and hit 2 to leap over it.

Raven.9603:

All of this assumes perma swiftness

0. Any Norn in the game with racial
1. Elementalist with FGS
2. Warrior with GS
3. Thief withdraw+shadowstep+sb
4. Ranger with GS
5. Ele with either staff, offhand dagger or axe
6. Engineer with rocket boots
7. Mesmer with Blink + staff
8. Guardian with GS (Teleports excluded because of target req)
9. Everything else (Necro, Teleport exluded because of target req + travel time)

Thief with heartseeker, withdraw, and roll for initiative should be at the top, especially if they have decent ini regen.

Well rangers get 1hand sword rollback & leap, great sword swoop – you can trait swords to have 20% reduction on cool downs, lightning reflexes (you can also trait for reduction on survival skills), war horn for swiftness, birds or shouts if you need more swiftness, rampage as one for more swiftness and stability.

I’m not really certain what the total would be if you added those all up. But it would probably look something like this.

Total calculation of your leaps/evades –
rough estimates
Sword: 450? roll backwards (not a real leap but its pretty quick and it evades and you can rotate your camera to rollback in whatever direction you need) + 600 (leap forward) = 1050 range
GS: 1100 range?
LR: 450-600 range??
Total leap potential: 2750 range give or take

If you want to get some distance you use your warhorn or rampage, face backwards, use your lightning reflexes, sword #2, turn around sword #2 to jump forward, then greatsword swoop. Master doing this and good luck to anyone who tries to catch you because you have other tools to keep people off of you on top of all these leaps like fears & chills, whatever.

Also, your sword cooldowns are quite fast so you can be doing this pretty constant and easily pass up people who don’t use leaps but have swiftness even if you don’t have swiftness.