Guild Wars 2

Hey
Just got to 80 and a bit overwhelmed with the number of different builds there are available. Was just wondering which one is best. I like using a Shortbow and Axe/Warhorn combo as used that to level up, but happy to try something differnet.
Currently running 25/20/10/0/15

Also what exotics should I go for?
Don’t really mind which way to get it, Karma, WvW etc

Thanks
Windchill

I take it you’re using the Noxxic Ranger build for PvE damage (http://www.noxxic.com/gw2/ranger/pve-builds/damage-build)? I did anyway, and I don’t know if you’re in the position I was in, but at some point I just got bored of that build and decided to try something else. I can’t really recommend any build to be the “one you should go for”, since every build has its time and place and varies by play style, but I’ll go over my build progression and maybe you’ll get something out of it.

After ditching the Noxxic PvE damage build, I went for a direct damage build (30/30/10/0/0) that revolved around berserker stats. The only thing(s) that made me not a complete glass cannon were the Divinity runes that I slotted, which, albeit only slightly, made me resilient enough to stand up to at least stiff winds. I ran this build for the remainder of my world completion tour, including in WvW, and it did okay. I could pull off an average of 3-3.5K in damage per long-ranged critical hit with a longbow, and the shortbow did its job if/when the gaps got closed.

The problem with that build is that even though it’s not a complete glass cannon, it’s still very fragile, and as decent as the damages were from the LB and SB, they relied on too many factors to pull off reliably in the often cramped conditions of dungeon runs. One fiasco of a CoF Exp dungeon run in which I was obviously the weakest link and that taught me the saying “a dead dps is no dps” was enough to make me do a 180 of my build, which lead me to the build I’m using now. (Note: I’m not saying GC Rangers aren’t viable or can’t be used effectively, I’m just saying I couldn’t, so if you’re a boss at timing and evasions, more power to you.)

After realizing that even at near-glass cannon stats I wasn’t doing the kind of damage that might warrant me being as fragile as I was (e.g. clearing a mob single-handedly), I decided to search the forums for something more survivable, something that might not hit as hard but can at least keep me from being that guy that’s always downed and useless in every fight. That search ended at what is possibly our most survivable build: the 0/0/30/10/30 BM bunker.

It’s more an sPvP and WvW build than it is a PvE build, but I’ve found its survivability to be useful in every situation I’ve since found my Ranger in. When you’re able to shrug off things that used to be able to one-shot you, and when your pet is sometimes able to out-regenerate the damage it’s taking even from champions, you suddenly find that you have options that go beyond staying one evade away from instant-death, such as rezzing others while under direct fire and even comfortably holding aggro. You’re still not as indispensable as a Guardian or Mesmer in the same shoes, but at least you’re not as useless, which I hate to say is a compliment towards the Ranger class as it stands right now.

That said, I have noticed that although “a dead dps is no dps” doesn’t apply that much to me now, I would still like to do some decent dps. A BM bunker naturally favors condition damage because the 30 in Wilderness Survival basically hands it to you along with the boost in toughness that makes you a bunker, but the problem is CD doesn’t do as much damage as direct damage can because it’s capped at 25 stacks while the other has no limit. You won’t notice this limit soloing stuff, but if you’re in a party with other CD dealers, you’re basically not going to be contributing much, if any damage compared to, say, a Necromancer, which means in such circumstances you’re kind of just… there. Also, CD takes time to take effect and can easily be removed or transferred, which can make fights take quite a long time versus just straight-up kicking your opponent’s teeth in.

Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t really provide you with a straight “get this, do that” answer, but hopefully from my experience you gleaned something that might help you towards that answer you’re looking for. :T

Cheers!

Thank you so much for the reply.
I was running with the glass cannon build. I recently just dinged to 80 and after being swarmed by so many different gear options it was a bit overwhelming to decide which gear to invest a fair amount of time in. I was about to start farming the Berserker gear but it did cross my mind about the glass cannon aspect and I didn’t want to be like you said, downed all the time.
I was hoping for some sort of build that is not as “squishy” and what you have provided is perfect, thanks for spending the time to help.

Out of interest you said in the last part about how you didn’t really like condition damage, in the end did you swap it out for another stat?
Lastly what gear set would you recommend along with stat priority to go along with this build?

Thanks again for the help
-Windchill

Read my post history for everything you need to know. Don’t run Fortifying Bond unless you have warriors to stack might with.

Thanks Chopp.
Have had a look at your build and seems fairly strong, however are you a “glass cannon” at all? Running full Berserker with Runes of Ranger seems like one hit and your dead
Secondly you said condition damage isn’t great in PVE which I agree with, however would using shortbox instead of axe/axe be beneficial as i’m more of a bow guy?

Thanks
-Windchill

10% damage while full endurance, honed axes, and 10% damage on flank—as well as the bounces and AoE—make axe / axe better than SB for this particular build in my opinion. SB is also a good choice, however, to me, the primary utility of SB is PvP due to 4 and 5 skills.

Am I glass in PvEs? Yes. Why? Ranger need more DPS in PvE, particularly CoF, so this is what I run in CoF every time. I also do this in open world pve, no question. But…chopps…details!

If I have a guardian and warrior in party, I will run this build anywhere because they soak up melee and give me regen. If i don’t, I will run 0/15/15/15/25 with cleric’s gear and rune of strength. This stacks might with fortifying bond so, ie, when you blow horn, pet gets 6 stacks of might instead of just 3 (has to be within range of course).

The reason I use that build, primarily, is for 2 seconds protection on dodge roll for CoE and subject alpha. When FOTM was new and I didn’t know what to expect, I ran this build.

I hope you have fun! Rock on!

PS – I was in love with longbow for a long time in PvE due solely to looks and the idea of a bow wielding ranger. And then I tried sword and never looked back. Sword is the premier ranger weapon, equally viable in pve, spvp, and wvw.

I go bunker build 0/0/30/10/30 I mentioned before but I decided after tons of experimenting our damage will not equal other classes so you might as well last. I play survivor, and as such I’m basically utility and some dps.

When you can roll the Ranger like Chopps can, then you can glass cannon almost anywhere you like. Me? I’m still dealing with the PTSD from my WvW tour as a glass cannon, so you’re going to have to rely on Chopps’ expertise on that if you want t— OH MY GOD WAS THAT A THIEF? Where is he?! I can’t see him! He could be anywhere due to the culling! I don’t want to get two-shotted again! Someone help me! AHHHHHHHH!

Anyway… … … going back to the BM bunker build I mentioned, this is the particular guide that I used: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Ranger-PvP-Bunker-Build/first#post1540930. Do note that that guide and the BM bunker build in general is catered towards sPvP/WvW, so if you intend on using it in PvE, you’re going to have to adapt it over with gear… which is what you’ve been asking for all along, so I’ll go over mine and how/why I use them for your reference.

As far as armor goes, I’m using the medium Aurora Armor of Melandru. It like the rest of the Temple karma sets have mixed stats, which means it’s not optimal for any specific build, but it’s flexible when you’re still trying out different builds and don’t have the resources (yet) to buy/craft new sets for every time you want to try something different. I chose the Melandru set in particular simply because it comes preinstalled with Superior Runes of Melandru, runes which are awesome for a BM bunker because a full set both toughens you up even more than you already are and makes condition and stun attacks against you “melt off” in short order. If you want to go straight for a specific stat combination for this build that emphasizes dps, I would probably recommend a Cleric’s set since it maintains synergy with this build’s toughness and healing power stats while adding power.

As far as weapons go, I primarily swap between a shortbow and a greatsword, but I carry one of every weapon Rangers can use with me just in case. I use the shortbow for ranged and single-target dps/conditions, evasion and control, and the greatsword for melee AoE, mobility (Swoop FTW), blocks and interrupts. On some occasions, such as in the Dredge fractal when I find myself having to both pull and stun the rampaging ice elemental, I swap the greatsword for a longbow so I can do ranged stuns with longbow #4 (because shortbow #5 requires that I flank or hit it from the side, something I can’t reliably do when I’m the one pulling). If I know I’m going into a situation where I’ll consistently be dealing with groups of enemies, then I swap the shortbow for an axe and either a torch or a horn depending on party composition and/or what we’re up against.

If I were to mostly swap from condition damage to another stat, I would probably run a different build instead (since there’s no escaping CD being the BM bunker’s primary form of damage), like this one: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Hybrid-BeastMaster-GS-SB-build-guide/first#post1566517. This build keeps a lot of the toughness and pet stats of the BM bunker, but trades healing power and some of the survivability against conditions and control effects for a higher chance to crit and faster weapon and skill recharges. It basically gives you higher dps at the cost of some survivability compared to the BM bunker. If the parties you tend to group with can handle the tanking and support buffing to make it so that you’re not often singled out, then the hybrid build might be a better fit since it’ll allow you to add to your party’s dps and survive if/when things go south. If your parties tend to be more like mine, however, where I’m often the only one left standing and have to rez people while under fire, then the BM bunker would be more useful. YMMV

Cheers!

(Edited for clarity)

Thanks for the in depth replies
I’ve decided in the end to aim for 2 sets ultimately, one glass cannon for times when I feel like bursting things down and the Bunker build for when I want survivability.

For the bunker build I was thinking with going for the cleric gear or knights gear, with either the divinity runes or melandru depending on whether I want more damage or more survivability and running the 0/0/30/10/30, however I may change that around a little to more like the second link depending on whether the I want more damage.

Does this sound okay? based around the tips you guys posted

Thanks again for all the help, much love
-Windchill

Sounds good to me. Do feel free to experiment. There is no one-size-fits-all build in this game, so even if you do stick with one or two builds, you will at least be tweaking their traits and your weapons and skills to adapt to each situation/game mode/dungeon.

Have fun!

I play glass cannon in full berserker gear, I feel Ranger is one of the classes that pulls it off best. +50% endurance regeneration, 6 sec invulnerability from signet of stone, 6 sec invulnerability from protect me, fantastic block on greatsword, interrupt on greatsword, evade on shortbow, interrupt on shortbow, knockback on longbow, and tons of CC. As a ranger you can maintain distance better than any other class, I don’t even bother with Lightning Reflexes.

I’ll admit however that there are certain situations that are hard to pull off, the most glaring being 2v1s in WvW. It’s great for zerging, but terrible for roaming. Some dungeon runs can be really tough as well, there are times when you just can’t avoid taking damage. One word of the wise though, if you have any inclination to go glass cannon DO THIS FIRST! Your experience will make you really tough to kill if you switch builds, vice-versa you’ll feel super-squishy.