Guild Wars 2

Im thinking of getting my first Ranger to 80, ive played some PvP and quite liked it. I win some and loose some. But how are they really in PvP and PvE?
I usualy PvP with guardian and people say they rock but i kinda struggle.
How many viable PvP specs are there? Ive been told that condi builds sucks and so on.

Don’t bother until they fix the profession. Which they never will.

It’s really a playstyle preference thing. In my opinion, Rangers excel at adaptation and sustain (with some burst). Experiment, and you might find something that suits you personally.

Play everything, then play what you enjoy playing. If you have to ask other people if you will enjoy something, you will get answers that apply to them and not to you.

• Rangers probably arent the best at anything in any game mode.
• Rangers arent the worst at anything in any game mode.
• Rangers, IMO, have the greatest freedom in terms of traiting. I can’t think of any 3 specializations that taken together are not viable.
• In PvP, Druid is part of every Ranger spec because Anet made elite specializations better than core. Pay2Win.

Things ranger can do:

• Bunker. Very well, probably equal to guardian, but not as well as engi or ele.
• 1v1. Very well, probably equal to ele, but not as well as necro, revenant or mesmer.
• Roam. This is weapon dependent. Very well, but not as well as revenant or thief.
• Forcefully Decap. Middle of the pack here. Guardians, engies, warriors are better, but we’re not bad.
• Play burst. Max burst potential is achieved with BM/MM/Sk and its pretty good, but its very rare to see. Because Druid is such a strong choice, most specs give up max dps potential for moderate sustained dps and better survivability/support.
• Play condi. Very well, probably equal to engi, but definitely not as well as necro. Significantly less burst than condi thieves, but much much better sustained output.
• Team support. Very well, but its a 1 trick pony. We sustain. Compared to Guardian, Ele or Rev, who can sustain and provide massive buffage and/or cleansing.

I wouldn’t give us an A+ in any category the way you might to a Necro at 1v1, a Rev at roaming or an ele at bunkering; but we are easily B+ in just about everything at the moment at thats not a horrible spot to be in.

No time is wasted playing any profession if you enjoy pvp.

I’ve always found Ranger to be a highly versatile, jack of all trades, master of none type of class. I agree that it’s a very playstyle-dependent class, in that if you find a particular build that suits your playstyle, you can ‘box above your weight class’. With Ranger you can also find a build that works well in all areas of gameplay, with minor changes.

Ranger had issues in the past (along with necro) but those have been for major part resolved. The new ranger is fun, viable and offers a lot.

As ranger you will enjoy:

a) extremely powerful control abilities (loong dazes, stuns, some fear, THE profession for cripples and immobilizes)
b) very powerful condition application. Both great sustained condi damage and burst condi damage are here. Ranger cannot manipulate them like necro, but when it comes to simply putting them on enemy and making them suffer hard, ranger rocks the boat.
c) powerful healing with druid.
d) very good defensive options – tons of evades, dodges, 0 direct damage panic button (Signet of Stone), plentiful access to protection and regeneration, pet to tank and revive you.

What ranger does not excel at is:
a) Aoe damage – forget about elementalist style attacks that nuke entire zones for insane damage. Ranger’s mobbing is about cleave from melee weapons, piercing shots from bows, or setting up traps in middle of battle.

b) condition and boon manipulation – want boons or condies applied? No problem. Want them removed, transfered, converted to the opposite or surpressed with resistance? Wrong address. For me this is the biggest flaw of ranger – can’t do jack about enemies buffing themselves to absurd levels, save maybe responding with same measures.

c) need good teamwork with pet to reach full damage if you’re power build. Condi suffers less from this issues but pets now can do some real condi damage too, so wouldn’t hurt to consider it in your rotations.

d) @above – your control over pet is too limited. For example you can’t order it to a specific location unless you use a shout dedicated to it (and shouts aren’t popular choices for builds, except for healing and elite ones).

e) two sets of utilities that are generally abandoned by most ranger builds. Shouts and spirits are considered unviable by most, with small exceptions (Sic’em, and maybe stone spirit). So your build variaty is limited to some degree by this issue.

If you like the Ranger, it’s a class with a lot of versatility, and skillful use of the pet can make you a great tactical solo player, especially with the ranged combat options available. I’ve seen some very skilled rangers do impressive things in PvP.

It very much is a jack of all trades class which gains substantial healing ability in HoT with Druid. It has the second-most weapons available in the game (minus warrior), swappable pets selectable from a range of options for a massive number of scenarios, and it’s traits all offer something decent. Druid offers you MORE ranged skills, control, and a massive amount of healing potential to call upon when you really need it.

In other words, yes it’s viable, but it isn’t a powerhouse. If you just have a lot of compatibility with the class, you can do more with it than people think, and that will work in your favor.

Okay, my two cents—-

OP: I’m thinking of getting my first Ranger to 80, I’ve played some PvP and quite liked it.
– If you enjoy it then play it. To many people think playing the fotm class with make it fun for them, because pwning=fun right? Classes get balanced, though I admit at a glacial pace, so things will change. But your enjoyment of a class can still endure.

OP: But how are they really in PvP and PvE?
– I play my ranger in both PvP and PvE all over the place with him. I have a blast in both and do very well in both. Heck, in PvE your tanky pets can take on anything while you attack from range.

OP: How many viable PvP specs are there? I’ve been told that condi builds sucks and so on.
– There are viable specs. Rummage around the forums here and you’ll find many PvP discussions from some very active and knowledgeable PvPers. No, condi does not suck but can be countered, but so can power builds. You just have to know the build and play skillfully.

Outside of PvE, Rangers like most non-Elite specs are under performing IMO. The Druid spec is much stronger in WvW and PvP. I see a pure Ranger in WvW and it is typically an easy kill. I see a druid and know it will be a “bring a friend to win” fight if they are decent. Druid sustain is incredibly good and their DPS consistent. Add in a Bristleback and they actually have a solid spike damager.