Guild Wars 2

So I’ve semi-recently started playing this game again after a long break. I’m having a blast and have leveled up several professions. I now have a Guardian, Warrior, Engineer, and Ranger at level 80. I’ve been doing mostly PvE stuff with my Guard and Warr, and was thinking about turning my Engi into a Zergineer for large scale WvW and my Ranger into a solo roamer.

I’ve been trying to look up topics that talk about ranger viability and different effective builds for solo roaming. I like the idea of a build that uses sword/x + whatever and has at least a modicum of survivability, but I am open to suggestions.

The problem is that I haven’t really seen anything that has a lot of critical support. Some people post power builds and get a load of negative reactions with a few “champions for the cause” mixed in. There are a couple builds I’ve found that seem similar to what I was looking for, but have mixed or little review as to their effectiveness. Since I don’t have a whole lot of gold, I’d prefer to get this right the first time.

(TL;DR?) So, I’m looking for two things:

1. A WvW solo-roam build that is backed up by experienced players / review

2. An answer to the question: Should I even bother with my Ranger for this purpose? Should I use another class for solo roaming instead, such as my Warrior or a Thief?

Thanks for your time, and if there are threads I missed (sorry, I tried!) with answers to my questions, feel free to link instead of taking time to repost info here.

first off, set either your War or Guard as a zerger they are better suited to that task. I use a Warrior.

1. My current build is 2/2/0/6/4 it works for me.

2. For solo roaming, i would pick that class that you most enjoy playing and understand the best. Rangers can do it with the best of them (engineers are very good to).

Answering Q2;

Like what Eggyokeo said, pick a class that you enjoy playing.

I solo roam on Ranger, and no other class. I do a lot of WvW.
In my experience, high armour and medium to <high power with an even spread on the rest has given me average (50% – <80%) success in 1 v 1 situations, which reflects I suppose, said even spread and my average skill level.

But there are some really skilful opponents out there with very specific setups and tricks, that to defeat you would need to run a specific build of your own, which would probably render you less effective in the more frequent, ‘average’ situation.

TLDR;
Ranger offers a fun and versatile and if played well, effective WvW roaming experience.

I know my build best and I am willing to share.
6/2/0/6/0
LB+S/D
Valkyrie/knight trinkets
Beserker Armour
Valkyrie LB
Giver’s S/D
Lightning Reflex
Muddy Terrain
Protect Me
RaO
Traveler 6/6
Fire+air sigil on LB
Malice+hydromancy on S/D
Spiders

Pretty straight forward sniper with survivability. Malicious Training gives spiders kitten immobilize (lel). Eagle eye + Read the Wind for pew pew. Bleeds on crits. Strength of Spirit ( ~150 power). Evasive purity for wiping poison. Survival of the fittest for high fury and condition clear.

Note: 80% condition duration means cripple and poison are on permanently. Bleeds stay at about 4 stacks always (180/s). 24k hp, 2.4k armour, 1500 range, 3 evades.

WvW zergs: Warrior or guardian.

WvW roaming: Warrior is popular as the have great escapability.

Engineer is a good choice, and can be very anti-thief. Thieves are imo approx. 50% of the solo roamers.

I have roamed on my ranger with the condi-regen build. 0-0-6-6-2. Empathic Bond, Nature’s Voice, Offhand weapon training and Improved Shouts. A/T and S/D with apothecary or settler’s armor. geomancy sigil of both weapons. Taking camps is fairly effortless. Build offers perma-swiftness and regen, though though other 25% signet or rune + greatsword might possibly equal swiftness. Need to be constantly swapping weapons. Damage is somewhat on the lower end for a 1 v 1, but you have high armor and sustain with regen.

Regen is very helpful because in multi-man fights, enemy will gun for you. Warriors, mesmers, eles and thieves can blink away, guardians have blocks, etc. So the enemy likes to go for you (along with necros)

I am by no means a great player, but this is a well respected build (hyjaxx or Faux Shaux have threads on it).

There is also a trapper build – 2/6/6/0/0 or 0/6/6/2/0.
This build usually incorporates some rabid gear and a shortbow is chosen for the bleeds. On crit sigils are used.

You can also give yaks perma-swiftness if you care about that type of thing.

You never have to look far for solo roaming fights on a ranger. People like to think they are free kills and come after you.

I enjoy it more than any other class for roaming, but I enjoy the class overall.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAT8YnEqQLL2KIGsAVLG4QoavC/6HwMAWXnv7QUwjE-T1yDwAF3fImqKQVGU4JAAwE0hLCQTlYTVa0StCP6GQoEkUAPtMC-w

This is the build i use for solo roaming and i am capable of beating most people i have come across on this, especially theives of all varieties.

Omnitek.3876:

You never have to look far for solo roaming fights on a ranger. People like to think they are free kills and come after you.

+1

When people chase me for miles thinking I am a free kill which is annoying but don’t expect the 15k burst when I get sick of being chased.

Also when solo roaming abuse sicken since its hilarious to see thevies stand in refuge thinking they are safe or spam all their stealth skills in a row trying to get away.

I tried it a bit… didnt enjoy it, so my personal opinion is no.

It seemed to be an endless parade of thieves stealthing and warriors spinning away if you were winning.

I have solo roamed on meditation guard, burn guard, condi engi, confusion teef, zerk p/p teef, and zerk rifle warrior. I love roaming zerk LB/GS ranger too; pew pew with LB, escape with GS, sic’em, lightning reflex, signet of hun. With only foods, I have about 2700~ Power, 72% crit chance, and I think 230% crit power. IDK, but my auto attack is like 3k from range. Sigil of Bloodlust and Fire on LB, Sigil of Energy and Hydromancy on GS. I pew pew gain stacks and crit for fire. Usually It’s pew pew pop sicem and signet of hunt for OP jaguar DPS especially if in stealth, If they get close I push out (barrage if teef) and pew pew some more; if they get close again I switch to GS, chill them for 2 sec, have 3 dodge rolls and a leap.

id run mesmer/engi/thief over ranger for solo roam. i do sometimes run with ranger still though and is fun. condi bunker builds tend to still be quite viable in solo roams.

fire/bloodlust on longbow, join a zerg, barrage on enemy zerg, walk away with 25 stacks of bloodlust

Thank you all for the replies. It’s tough deciding because once again there is such a variety and I don’t feel I am skilled enough at Ranger to make an educated decision.

The builds posted by Gawker and Sigmoid interest me the most. I was curious though – from the bit I’ve read it seemed as though zerker gear was a no-no for any player versus player combat for the ranger. What makes it work for you guys?

Also, Sig, I see you are using the Longbow without the “signature” LB traits from Marksmanship (increased range/damage, increased projectile speed). Do you find it still works just as well? Do you focus less on LB and more on S/D instead?

Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions about the above builds? Thanks again.

shadowpass.4236:

fire/bloodlust on longbow, join a zerg, barrage on enemy zerg, walk away with 25 stacks of bloodlust

…or sit behind the safety of a tower and rotate between barrage and using an AC. Both seem like good productive fun.

Hyble.4271:

Thank you all for the replies. It’s tough deciding because once again there is such a variety and I don’t feel I am skilled enough at Ranger to make an educated decision.

The builds posted by Gawker and Sigmoid interest me the most. I was curious though – from the bit I’ve read it seemed as though zerker gear was a no-no for any player versus player combat for the ranger. What makes it work for you guys?

Also, Sig, I see you are using the Longbow without the “signature” LB traits from Marksmanship (increased range/damage, increased projectile speed). Do you find it still works just as well? Do you focus less on LB and more on S/D instead?

Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions about the above builds? Thanks again.

Solo roam is not specific enough. Zerg surfing or looking for 1v1 or 1v2 fights are two completely different play styles. A good build for zerg surfing will most likely suck in a 1v1….and vice versa

Apologies, but what is zerg surfing? I figured solo roam just meant running around capping lonely objectives and killing stragglers or having 1v1 / 1v2 combat.

Sigmoid has a solid build. It’s actually very similar to one I use myself.

The one I use:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNAT8XjEq0ya/KGsw1agDhq9K8rjAzAYBcOEtwFXlWF-T1yDABbqWRR7PAlypCuIAAYCqJlMH8EAaRVFP0NEwBCwBlgkCQglRA-w

in fact, I think the stats he chose are slightly better than mine… nice job mate, first time ive seen someone else come up with a build like mine that I actually liked :P

Hyble.4271:

(TL;DR?) So, I’m looking for two things:

1. A WvW solo-roam build that is backed up by experienced players / review

2. An answer to the question: Should I even bother with my Ranger for this purpose? Should I use another class for solo roaming instead, such as my Warrior or a Thief?

Thanks for your time, and if there are threads I missed (sorry, I tried!) with answers to my questions, feel free to link instead of taking time to repost info here.

Answer Q1: Will send you 2 of the current builds i use at this time, both really effective in all aspects of roaming. Expect them in about 6-8ish hours. Typing this while i’m " working" .

Answer Q2: Be different, play what suits you and what brings you the most fun. I roam on my ranger because it gives me good fights. People tend to bump in to you for an easy kill, they are in for a challenge then. Also the bad image ranger has is bugging the class. We can and are really powerful in roaming, the thing is, you need to learn to play your build, this goes for every build actually.

Hope this helps.

Hyble.4271:

Also, Sig, I see you are using the Longbow without the “signature” LB traits from Marksmanship (increased range/damage, increased projectile speed). Do you find it still works just as well? Do you focus less on LB and more on S/D instead?

I don’t know how people can play Longbow without Eagle Eye and Read the Wind. It’s such a huge difference. If you want to primarily use the longbow, make sure your build includes these traits.

Holland.9351:

Hyble.4271:

Also, Sig, I see you are using the Longbow without the “signature” LB traits from Marksmanship (increased range/damage, increased projectile speed). Do you find it still works just as well? Do you focus less on LB and more on S/D instead?

I don’t know how people can play Longbow without Eagle Eye and Read the Wind. It’s such a huge difference. If you want to primarily use the longbow, make sure your build includes these traits.

Longbow isn’t the primary weapon. I have martial mastery and offhand training. The longbow is for:

• Initiation – either they eat the up to 9k+ rapid fire or they use both their dodges giving me free reign to use my burst combo.
• Chasing – when people either try to disengage or run it allows me to continue the pressure with 2 to 4k hits depending on aire and fire procs. If they strafe to avoid the arrows they lose distance and I can close in with my sticky sword.
• Stealth tracking – mesmers and thieves don’t enjoy this and if you are smart and watch where the arrows go you can regain target, switch weapons and again sticky sword people. Also stops d/p theives and their black powers heart seeker with point blank. It forces them to either waste another 9 initiative trying the combo or to engage you again.
• Escape – pointblank followed by hunters, swap, hornet sting, lightning reflexes and leap will create enough of a gap between you and your target you will drop combat unless they chase you. At which point you will be able to evade and do damage for the next around 20s without taking to many hits.
• Barrage – area denial for one, people instinctively dodge red circles so wasteing dodges for two, stealth and using this away from you people may assume you are in it and charge in eating for you to pop up ( seen it happen ) , and lastly if you can force someone yo fight you inside of it as you switch to melee right after its just extra 500 to 1k ticks in my favour.
• Interrupts – stop a res, stop a stomp, stop gap closers like ride the lightning and rush so you have the initiative entering melee combat…oh and cliffs.
• Team fight bullyseye – using a longbow paints a huge target above your head. Draw agro for team mates , weapon swap, then evade as people try to kill you and fail only to die to the others they framed harder to kill. High protection uptime, all weapon evades on low cool down, high vigour uptime and constantly using movement skills makes you a hard mark.

I don’t know what others say but used correctly longbow is a great asset to a skirmish build. Compliments Sw/d or Sw/axe very well. More so than great sword I find.

The way I play the build is as an evasion beast master skirmish hybrid. A full sword combo will hit someone for over 6k which isn’t bad. I have swiftness thanks to my birds and perma cripple between crippling throw, leap and kick. So helps my pets connect and keep my target from running.

The trick with birds is now they have fixed how responsive f2 is you can do the following. Smash f2 after you bird does and auto and it will lunge again straight away with its skill. Allows a quick 3 to 6.5k, swap pets and hit f2 again, as you swap in melee range the bird will again instantly use its move for another 2 to 3.8k. This way I can do near 17k damage in a short space which a lot of people don’t expect from a ranger.

Anything else?

Edit: also learn how to combo hornets sting with either a cripple throw or path of scars. Will net you some nice semi burst since the throws and the leap will hit at the same time. remember you don’t need to leap right after. You have 2.5s of time to decide what you want to do. Swap to longbow and apply ranged pressure/ stealth and reposition/ interups/ buy time for heal cool down or just to breath for a sec, cast heal and back into melee.
Lastly learn sword control. Losing target and using pounce twice followed by sting and leap or even on its own nets you between 900 and 2000 range. Follow with reflexes and nobody should be able to catch you.

WvW roaming should only be done if you know exactly what you’re doing, that goes for any profession out there. Also roaming isn’t a one dimensional aspect either in WvW, it all depends on your world and what is currently happening when you log in. I tend to be very successful at roaming as a ranger, however it does come with huge challenges, as you will often find group play rather than solo play (depending on your world) or zerg play vs organized guild zerg play. All these aspects clash with each other all the time in WvW.

So why do I state the obvious? Because it’s important to know that as a ranger you cannot have a build that will be transparent on each of the above aspects. You can however learn where the roaming action is occurring alone, and pray that you only encounter roaming action.

Here is a post I answered to including my ‘roaming’ build thoughts, its quite detailed and I hope you can get all or at least part of what you need from there: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/LF-Guide-on-WvW-sPvP-Build-s/first#post3951880

Now is it worth it? Let’s think about this a little, if you like ranger anything is worth it because you will be willing to find a way that works for you, just like most of us rangers have. You take the risk of not having a transparent build, which other professions can achieve with greater ease than rangers, but the reward is there. Being limited by class mechanic to a specific role (sniper but squishy, group roamer but very limited big blob support, solo roamer but slightly limited group support) allows you to be free to decide what you like to do most, which isn’t really bad at all.

However, if you had to try warrior or thief, you would find transparency in roles between roamer and blob support. Don’t let this fact turn you away from rangers since rangers are known to be excellent roamers, but it’s also important that you understand the challenge, that you hear it from us as well, that it is not easy but it is very fun.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQJATRnEqQrg2yCGsAXLGYPoWHAFwZz+DGhQw1WcxSHVB-TlCEwAE3fAyRQYrSQmK/McBDYp+TbdAd00A4BB84QAEA4A43hDA+d4fH+3hLFwoCjA-w

Here’s what I back line zerg’s with, and roam with.

@Littlefeathet

In solo roam how do you deal with people who gap close, evade, stealth? Because with that armour I can only see you being killed by anything that gets close and breathes on you.
Do you rely on the range to pew pew people down before they get to you? Since I can see from my math you will hit 3 to 5k auto attacks depending on your targets armour.

Sigmoid.7082:

@Littlefeathet

In solo roam how do you deal with people who gap close, evade, stealth? Because with that armour I can only see you being killed by anything that gets close and breathes on you.
Do you rely on the range to pew pew people down before they get to you? Since I can see from my math you will hit 3 to 5k auto attacks depending on your targets armour.

Yea I hit hard, most roamers are glass thiefs which only take about 3-6 seconds to kill. I auto attack them a couple times to get them to about 80-75% HP, than pop Sic’em, and Signet of Hunt and I use Jaguar for the extra pet crit in stealth. I auto attack till stealth debuff wears off then I volley to follow them in stealth, their usually down at that time, I just have to wait till they get revealed to stomp them. Sometimes they get close and I push them off though. With warriors I just pew pew with the same rotation, most warriors usually run though, the ones who don’t run away I have to work hard to kite, but always have a back up plan. My GS chills them and give’s me half endurance so I can either escape out with it or try to melee with them hoping they don’t know about my GS auto attack evasion face tanking. Direct hits you evade but indirect (AoE) you can not. I Don’t always win 100%, but it’s pretty bad kitten 1v1 still. Sic’em with Feline or Bird pets are they key though honestly, I just play turret pew pew and kite around.

Escaping out with GS not only means a leap but also about 5~ second block from range while moving.

I don’t start worrying till my HP is about 30% though, If so I can escape with GS, switch back to LB and either push them back again and kite more (rinse and repeat) or stealth and continue to run if it’s 2 v1. I never open up with volley though, they expect that, you should always open up with a few auto attacks.

I would like to dual and see you dual others as by my calculations you would die in under 5seconds of less as long as someone manages to get within range.
Also how do you yourself deal with cripple or chill since it reduces the range on swoop to 363 range

Sigmoid, respect brahhh.

Never seen anyone else who (seems to) play like me on ranger. =]

The only difference I have with u is that I use Longbow as a primary weapon. I always stay in Longbow as I can kite extremely well with Point Blank Shot, Hunter’s Shot, and Barrage. My main damage comes from Rapid Fire with Fire and Air sigils when my target is anything less than max range.

When they close the distance to melee range, that’s when I stealth (knockback first if its not on cooldown), swap weapons, Hornet Sting (Monarch’s Leap in the other direction if I need to), and kite around with dodges and Serpent’s Strike until weapon swap comes off cooldown. When it does, then its back to Rapid Fire, Point Blank Shot, Hunter’s Shot, Barrage, then Rapid Fire again.

@ shadowpass
My build is like the inverse of yours then. I rapid in and then stealth so i can get first hit and then stick to target with evades and auto attacks then drop my pet burst .
I can tell you use it as a primary via the QuickDraw and less vigour uptime than myself.
The build I use is very underrated and people have complimented me on it. I ran Sw/D/A but when I changed axe to longbow everything fell into place and my play became much smoother. I use the tricks you use to kite to stay in range haha. If a warrior runs I try and use my escape combo to catch them since it out ranges theirs just about.

I just tested with a friend in opponent server last night.
I use guadian or warrior (PTV), he use full zerk LB ranger, I just use all kinds of defending skills or dodge etc and run around+ let him shoot me with LB.
No matter I use warrior or guardian, I can maintain near full HP for at least 2 mins till I get bored and begin to hit him, once I did that he either escape away ASAP or get melt in seconds.
Have to say LB’s damage suck as hell in 1v1 especially when player get fully prepared.

BTW after he switch to condition/regen ranger, my guardian get owned by all means and my warrior have to run condition build too to have a equal chance to VS his ranger.

I just tested with a friend in opponent server last night.
I use guadian or warrior (PTV), he use full zerk LB ranger, I just use all kinds of defending skills or dodge etc and run around+ let him shoot me with LB.
No matter I use warrior or guardian, I can maintain near full HP for at least 2 mins till I get bored and begin to hit him, once I did that he either escape away ASAP or get melt in seconds.
Have to say LB’s damage suck as hell in 1v1 especially when player get fully prepared.

Really informative this thread. I have been roaming with ranger, but it is nice to see so many people having diffrent builds and good arguments for it. I realise that you are looking for a solo roaming build. But for me there is nothing more fun then having 2 rangers roaming (we have alot of people in my guild who like playing the ranger) When 2 rangers with the Remorseless trait you get 25 stacks of vulnerbility within 2 seconds. 25% extra damage is always handy. Not to mention shooting your enemy back and forth with Point Blank Shot is very funny.

As for solo roaming. I use the Melandru runes and the Lemon Grass Poultry Soup to get rid of my conditions. I’m not a big fan of using 1 or 2 traits plus a skill in removing my conditions. Greatsword is by far my favorite weapon for roaming because of the 3 seconds block (and if a thief will try to hit you with a heavy mellee attack, you deal lots of damage with knockback) Also the leap forward is a great advantadge while roaming. Leaping over obstacles, shortening your travel time by several seconds. Also a great escape trick. And greatsword deals amazing damage.

If you want to focus on taking down objectives very fast I suggest using Zephyr’s speed with some bird pets. You will deal alot of damage fast and often. (Quickening Zephyr for even more haste)

Sigmoid.7082:

I would like to dual and see you dual others as by my calculations you would die in under 5seconds of less as long as someone manages to get within range.
Also how do you yourself deal with cripple or chill since it reduces the range on swoop to 363 range

Like I said, I’m not scared to loose so If I die in less than 5 seconds it’s ok, the world is’nt go to end, and if I kill some one in 5 seconds again, it’s ok.

Personally I’ve PVP’d as Bunker Guardian, Mediation Guardian, Burn build Guardian, and even shout Guardian, D/D Thief, P/P Thief, Condi Engi, Zerk rifle Warrior, 3 Champ titles, and rank 54. I personally feel very confident and competent in my PVP abilities, moreso than the average bear I guess. A lot of you ranger mains seem to be some what miserable with trying to use LB, coming from multiple classes; I think it’s fun, and effective. But If you’re challenging me, well I won’t say no, if you’re just being a negative nancy just to be one, than continue to wear those blinders my friend, it doesn’t bother me.

In other words, you’re entitled to your own opinion and it has no weight on my own.

@ little
I have played all manner of guard, theif and mesmer and I wouldn’t say I’m bad either I was just questioning how you deal with certain situations because when I play glass longbow they are my downfalls.
I in no way have anything against lb I was just picking your brain for my own answers to where I am falling short with using it as a main weapon. I know veryr well its advantages and how if you are smart it wrecks people.

Tl;Dr I feel there is something from your play style I can learn from hence all the questions and situational roleplay.

Sorry for the abrupt reply.

My playstyle is catered to focusing on the melee aspect of PVP’ing. I loved P/P Thief just the fact of being ranged has advantages. The only reason I tried Ranger is more range and something different. In PVP you’re limited to small areas of fighting and coming from melee background I am used to it. My point is I don’t get stressed when the target is closing the gap on me, I use my utilities or CC’s to keep kiting around. There are some smart players who cleanse cripple or slow or re close gap faster than you anticipate but most are not. I’m very comfortable with range or in melee range of fighting, that’s why It’s important to use GS (with Hydromancy and Energy on swap). Provided I am still getting fluent with the build, but from my limited expereince (3 weeks) of zerker LB in PVP at 50+ levels and roaming in WvW; I really do think it’s fun and effective, so much that I crafted my first ascended for it, first ascended/legendary piece for any of my characters since headstart.

I also pay attention to my pet’s HP, I heal for it when it’s getting low and swap it before it dies so I can keep the 7% extra damage from runes. My pets, gear, traits and skills are exclusively made to kill as fast as I possibly can, completely disregarding any defense mechanics, with the exception of my GS and sigils on it, which is enough more so than not surprisingly.

I have personally been holding off making a 100% DPS ranger due to the huge squishy factor, even though I do keep 2000 ~2200 on the attack, I trade some crit chance to keep toughness around 2600~3000, running with the backline support means that no one is supporting you, so I keep an eye out for thieves and the like and maul them to death with my tankier setup. Otherwise I’d be just another sheep for the wolves, you can only defend so much from thieves and random ranged damage in WvW by being in the back line, after all a high damage dead ranger is worse than one that can deal moderate→high damage and stay alive longer in my book.

awge.3852:

I have personally been holding off making a 100% DPS ranger due to the huge squishy factor, even though I do keep 2000 ~2200 on the attack, I trade some crit chance to keep toughness around 2600~3000, running with the backline support means that no one is supporting you, so I keep an eye out for thieves and the like and maul them to death with my tankier setup. Otherwise I’d be just another sheep for the wolves, you can only defend so much from thieves and random ranged damage in WvW by being in the back line, after all a high damage dead ranger is worse than one that can deal moderate->high damage and stay alive longer in my book.

Yes this is very true, I avoid even partying up in WvW because I personally feel that I shouldnt need boons and stability etc, a good backline avoids getting touched before DPSing. That should always take priority, ofcourse you’ll get ganked sometimes but who does’nt. It’s constantly moving, straffing, always being aware of your surroundings, paying attention to not only the zerg infront of you that you’re hitting but both sides and behind you even some times, all the while making sure your pet is not engaging, It’s not easy at all, trying not to stick out like a sore thumb. but yes you are correct you ca have all the DPS in the world but if you’re dead you’re useless for DPS. I do it more for fun than anything though tbh, I enjoy playing DPS now because 1.5 years of WvW frontline guard is too boring and to slow to kill anything on my own.

Littlefeather.8623:

awge.3852:

I have personally been holding off making a 100% DPS ranger due to the huge squishy factor, even though I do keep 2000 ~2200 on the attack, I trade some crit chance to keep toughness around 2600~3000, running with the backline support means that no one is supporting you, so I keep an eye out for thieves and the like and maul them to death with my tankier setup. Otherwise I’d be just another sheep for the wolves, you can only defend so much from thieves and random ranged damage in WvW by being in the back line, after all a high damage dead ranger is worse than one that can deal moderate->high damage and stay alive longer in my book.

Yes this is very true, I avoid even partying up in WvW because I personally feel that I shouldnt need boons and stability etc, a good backline avoids getting touched before DPSing. That should always take priority, ofcourse you’ll get ganked sometimes but who does’nt. It’s constantly moving, straffing, always being aware of your surroundings, paying attention to not only the zerg infront of you that you’re hitting but both sides and behind you even some times, all the while making sure your pet is not engaging, It’s not easy at all, trying not to stick out like a sore thumb. but yes you are correct you ca have all the DPS in the world but if you’re dead you’re useless for DPS. I do it more for fun than anything though tbh, I enjoy playing DPS now because 1.5 years of WvW frontline guard is too boring and to slow to kill anything on my own.

It is indeed a nice change of pace, but you should also work on a build that allows you to pack a punch but still stay under a safer survival rating, it’s not every week that your world is on the winning side. Nothing can be worse than being super squishy on times when your world can’t keep up with the mob. That’s just one example, but I think it’s good practice for any ranger who is reading this to prepare for both kinds of builds.

I just hope they make it easier to store all that gear seriously cause once I get fed up of being trampled by thieves I swap to my condi build and show them who is boss, but it’s a lot to carry.

dope build yo:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fNAQNBhYDXkRlWWMYNglQ1uBCgC49NIjdtBZc0HviA-w

utility candidates:
protect me
renewal
muddy
fire trap (fireaura)
poisontrap (weakness)
frosttrap (frost aura)
qz

OMFG I hate this. I typed a whole long post explaining a ton of tactics to use against thieves and mesmers and when I clicked post, it said this page is unavailable >.> when I hit go back, I lost it all.

kitten this kitten it all

To start this off, you will never find a build backed by a lot of people, because online gamers are generally a hateful bunch.
With that being said, going with a meta-ish build and tweaking it to your likings would be optimal. Depending on your server’s tier your build will vary, higher tier will mean you’ll likely be playing uneven fights all the time so you need to spec accordingly, and lower tier giving you the option of going for a more glassy solution.
Me personally, I play EPIC cheese spirit condi build with dire gear because on my tier, against servers like YB, SBI and the rest of the marry bunch I’m guaranteed to fight 1v2+ or not fight at all. If I was on the lower tiers I’d pick rabid any day. Regen build was not my cup’o’tea but I still go for it every now and then. I’m hearing a lot of good things about the Condi BM regen build, haven’t tried it tho. The condi trapper seems to be an interesting choice and I’ve seen a lot of people playing it effectively.

Arlette.9684:

To start this off, you will never find a build backed by a lot of people, because online gamers are generally a hateful bunch.
With that being said, going with a meta-ish build and tweaking it to your likings would be optimal. Depending on your server’s tier your build will vary, higher tier will mean you’ll likely be playing uneven fights all the time so you need to spec accordingly, and lower tier giving you the option of going for a more glassy solution.
Me personally, I play EPIC cheese spirit condi build with dire gear because on my tier, against servers like YB, SBI and the rest of the marry bunch I’m guaranteed to fight 1v2+ or not fight at all. If I was on the lower tiers I’d pick rabid any day. Regen build was not my cup’o’tea but I still go for it every now and then. I’m hearing a lot of good things about the Condi BM regen build, haven’t tried it tho. The condi trapper seems to be an interesting choice and I’ve seen a lot of people playing it effectively.

I laughed at SBI and YB server 1vs2++. Im from SBI and on our tier, FA and HoD are WAY more populous than SBI and YB. IoJ also have similar population with SBI and YB . Therefore, its the fact you choose to solo roam that put you to 1vs2++ not the server

Klonko.8341:

Arlette.9684:

To start this off, you will never find a build backed by a lot of people, because online gamers are generally a hateful bunch.
With that being said, going with a meta-ish build and tweaking it to your likings would be optimal. Depending on your server’s tier your build will vary, higher tier will mean you’ll likely be playing uneven fights all the time so you need to spec accordingly, and lower tier giving you the option of going for a more glassy solution.
Me personally, I play EPIC cheese spirit condi build with dire gear because on my tier, against servers like YB, SBI and the rest of the marry bunch I’m guaranteed to fight 1v2+ or not fight at all. If I was on the lower tiers I’d pick rabid any day. Regen build was not my cup’o’tea but I still go for it every now and then. I’m hearing a lot of good things about the Condi BM regen build, haven’t tried it tho. The condi trapper seems to be an interesting choice and I’ve seen a lot of people playing it effectively.

I laughed at SBI and YB server 1vs2++. Im from SBI and on our tier, FA and HoD are WAY more populous than SBI and YB. IoJ also have similar population with SBI and YB . Therefore, its the fact you choose to solo roam that put you to 1vs2++ not the server

This is a solo roaming thread, no?

You can go another Bm conditank roaming build. It’s incredibly boring and durable, yet effective 1v1.

Just don’t die of boredom.

shadowpass.4236:

OMFG I hate this. I typed a whole long post explaining a ton of tactics to use against thieves and mesmers and when I clicked post, it said this page is unavailable >.> when I hit go back, I lost it all.

kitten this kitten it all

:( My sympathies, horrible when that happens.

Rym.1469:

You can go another Bm conditank roaming build. It’s incredibly boring and durable, yet effective 1v1.

Just don’t die of boredom.

This. This is what I found so I went on a mission to find a power build that is just as if not more effective and less passive. Also I find that some builds have so much condition removal I end up doing little to no damage even with all the condi covers which sucks.

Is TU better than HS for solo/very small group roaming? Using Vigorous Renewal

if the group already has a water field using ele + shout war and support guardian.
the healing spring is mostly used for condi clean + regen if your built for the regen.

a side from that if your build works aorund applying conditions through evades and kiting its better to use those evade times to avoid damage and use Troll ungent to better effect.

the vigorous renewal trait i see as a bonus as i use lighting reflexes on a reduced cooldown so i don’t see much of a difference in my build .

the VR trait i would consider if you’d like that or energy sigils so you can opt for wilderness survival to reduce your cooldowns , if using S/W+ A/D or that kind of evasive combat style .

if not an evasive combat style i’d always take vigours renewal with troll ugnet (no team) healing spring with team (if they can’t provide for themselfs ) those regen condi evasion builds need to be in the thick of it so there won’t be much time to hop out and using healing spring in a combat situation unless you run with ts + guildies to get better use from healing spring.

so yes alone Roaming troll ugent (just make sure you got enough condi removals first)
healing spring if in small groups (if you see tons of healing fields around already you can opt for troll ugent for some heavy evading/tankiness)

shadowpass.4236:

OMFG I hate this. I typed a whole long post explaining a ton of tactics to use against thieves and mesmers and when I clicked post, it said this page is unavailable >.> when I hit go back, I lost it all.

kitten this kitten it all

This type of bulletin board should have an autosave by now – this isn’t 1988.

Zenos Osgorma.2936:

so yes alone Roaming troll ugent (just make sure you got enough condi removals first)
healing spring if in small groups (if you see tons of healing fields around already you can opt for troll ugent for some heavy evading/tankiness)

I would also include HaO in that list since it is a viable heal for solo roaming. It has its merits over TU so I wouldn’t count it out.
Either or both should gain status as a survival skill.