Guild Wars 2

I can’t see a reason to use this or even slot this skill at all.

Probably need a redesign for something more useful.

I use it on my bunker condi build. Mostly because theres nothing better. I use keen edge too, and 10 stacks of decent lasting bleeds (the utility being pre-castable) isn’t bad at all. Not great, but not bad either

But because of the long cooldown time…., yeah, pretty much useless.

It can be useful with the Axe, because Ricochet (axe 1) uses only 1 stack each time you use the skill instead of 3.

I haven’t tested with piercing arrows and either of the bows, but I have heard that on skills that are only a single attack, like Axe 1, it should only use up one stack of the skill instead of however many enemies you hit, no matter how many enemies you hit.

I think they fixed that.
Sadly.

It could very well end up in a good place if conditions as a whole ever got their act together. But for right now, I only toss it on my bar in Open World PvE.

I will say this, though, it only really makes sense if you get into the habit of popping it enroute to widdle down the cooldown during travel and double-up your effective application during the fight.

I tend to like that, because the whole ‘preparation’ mechanic does actually pan out. Tons of ranger utilities are leaning just to the right or left of their apparent design gameplay; Spirits aren’t really getting used for their actives so they get stuffed into a corner which makes their healthbar mechanic largely superfluous, people ride the passives of Signets all day long creating precisely zero thoughtful tension about when to pop it, Sic’ Em cancels when you use it with the F2’s you’d logically want to use it with, etc, etc.

But this little rarely used utility somehow manages to actually deliver on it’s likely gameplay concept.

Honestly, it boggles my mind.

They made Sharpening Stone like a Thief’s venoms (45s cd, 30s duration, n stacks) even if Rangers don’t have the ability to make it really viable. Moreover , imo, it’s less good than Thief’s venoms.
To improve it they could add an Unblockable effect to that skill => Bleed foes with your next five unblockable attacks
Both power builds and condi builds could take it that way.

It will be like Warrior’s Signet of Might (25s cd traitable btw) but with 6s Bleed and a longer cd

i only found use with it when it worked well with Barrage, after that nerf it lost whatever usefulness it had

runeblade.7514:

I can’t see a reason to use this or even slot this skill at all.

Probably need a redesign for something more useful.

I use it for applying bleeds (duuh) it’s very good for bursting people down especially together with skills like splitblade or shortbow 2, I have no idea how anyone can call this skill useless I mean we have plenty useless kitten in both our traits and our utilities but this certainly isn’t one of them.

Manekk.6981:

I use it for applying bleeds (duuh) it’s very good for bursting people down especially together with skills like splitblade or shortbow 2, I have no idea how anyone can call this skill useless I mean we have plenty useless kitten in both our traits and our utilities but this certainly isn’t one of them.

Even with an heavy condi build, it doesn’t bring a lot of additional damage.
Spike trap untraited is better even in a 1v1 situation, it’s an AOE and it’s unblockable.
If someone dodges your splitblade you loose your 5 stacks of Sharpening Stone.

But it’s not Ranger’s worst utility… Nothing can beat “Search and Rescue” and “Guard” untreated

Yes, I do, but then I’m weird like that. I’ve long given up the notion that sane players play Rangers. Also, there are worse utilities for my so-called Power build.

Manekk.6981:

I use it for applying bleeds (duuh) it’s very good for bursting people down especially together with skills like splitblade or shortbow 2, I have no idea how anyone can call this skill useless

The fact that you’re using conditions to burst someone down should be a pretty big clue why people are calling it useless. That it’s even viable for you is more a testament to the sorry state of ranger burst damage, than it is an indication that the skill is actually useful.

Compare it to the other utility skills that bleed:

• Sharpening Stone 5x 6 sec = 30 bleed ticks, 45 sec CD
• Caltrops 2x 3 sec x 10 pulses = up to 60 bleed ticks per target, cripples, 30 sec CD
• Blood is Power 2x 30 sec = 60 bleed ticks, 10 might for 12 sec, DD, bleeds self for 20 ticks, 30 sec CD
• Shrapnel Mine 2x 20 sec = 40 bleed ticks per target, cripples, DD, 20 sec CD
• Seed Turrent 1x 10 sec x 6 shots = 60 bleed ticks, DD, 60 sec CD
• Spike Trap is pretty weak too. 3x 5 sec = 15 bleed ticks per target, cripples, DD, 25 sec CD.

Sharpening Stone is pretty pathetic in comparison. It’s pretty kitten ing when even the Charr and Sylvari racial skills (which practically nobody uses) are better. To bring it up to par with the other skills for the CD, they’d have to make it like 3 stacks of 6 sec bleed for the next 5 attacks. (90 bleed ticks, 45 sec CD)

BTW, I wonder who at Anet thought it would be funny to put the ranger’s two highest burst damage weapon skills on two of the lowest DPS ranger weapons.

Solandri.9640:

BTW, I wonder who at Anet thought it would be funny to put the ranger’s two highest burst damage weapon skills on two of the lowest DPS ranger weapons.

You are attributing to malice what should be attributed to ignorance. I can assure you, it seems like very little “thought” went into it, funny or otherwise.

meikodesign.6471:

Manekk.6981:

I use it for applying bleeds (duuh) it’s very good for bursting people down especially together with skills like splitblade or shortbow 2, I have no idea how anyone can call this skill useless I mean we have plenty useless kitten in both our traits and our utilities but this certainly isn’t one of them.

Even with an heavy condi build, it doesn’t bring a lot of additional damage.
Spike trap untraited is better even in a 1v1 situation, it’s an AOE and it’s unblockable.
If someone dodges your splitblade you loose your 5 stacks of Sharpening Stone.

But it’s not Ranger’s worst utility… Nothing can beat “Search and Rescue” and “Guard” untreated

You can’t dodge sharpening stone, it’s not the 5 next attacks period, it’s the 5 next attacks that hit and I disagree very strongly with you because it does bring alot of damage you have to consider it’s being used in conjunction with other conditions and highly likely more bleeds from other sources, like i said it makes you able to burst like a mofo with bleeds.

If traited to apply bleed 66% of the time on crits, first begin a Barrage, at the beginning of Barrage activate Sharpening Stone (which won’t interrupt your Barrage) and watch 15 – 20 stacks of bleed appear in the blink of an eye. For 25 stacks throw down a Spike Trap. For sustained bleed use a Hawk’s “Lacerating Slash.” Bleed for daaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

Manekk.6981:

You can’t dodge sharpening stone, it’s not the 5 next attacks period, it’s the 5 next attacks that hit and I disagree very strongly with you because it does bring alot of damage you have to consider it’s being used in conjunction with other conditions and highly likely more bleeds from other sources, like i said it makes you able to burst like a mofo with bleeds.

No, you can dodge it like venom skills. Yes, it’s an extra source of bleed but the last one I would personnally use because it doesn’t bring a lot of additional damage…

Maybe it’s good in WvW vs unprepared players and because you nearly always have all yours CD but in sPvP…

SpellOfIniquity.1780:

If traited to apply bleed 66% of the time on crits, first begin a Barrage, at the beginning of Barrage activate Sharpening Stone (which won’t interrupt your Barrage) and watch 15 – 20 stacks of bleed appear in the blink of an eye. For 25 stacks throw down a Spike Trap. For sustained bleed use a Hawk’s “Lacerating Slash.” Bleed for daaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

It used to be nice with Barrage but it was nerfed.

Edit: You can see Sharpening Stone being dodged in this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbnSsaESE8 at 0:46:00 or 0:17:00 for example

meikodesign.6471:

Manekk.6981:

You can’t dodge sharpening stone, it’s not the 5 next attacks period, it’s the 5 next attacks that hit and I disagree very strongly with you because it does bring alot of damage you have to consider it’s being used in conjunction with other conditions and highly likely more bleeds from other sources, like i said it makes you able to burst like a mofo with bleeds.

No, you can dodge it like venom skills. Yes, it’s an extra source of bleed but the last one I would personnally use because it doesn’t bring a lot of additional damage…

Maybe it’s good in WvW vs unprepared players and because you nearly always have all yours CD but in sPvP…

SpellOfIniquity.1780:

If traited to apply bleed 66% of the time on crits, first begin a Barrage, at the beginning of Barrage activate Sharpening Stone (which won’t interrupt your Barrage) and watch 15 – 20 stacks of bleed appear in the blink of an eye. For 25 stacks throw down a Spike Trap. For sustained bleed use a Hawk’s “Lacerating Slash.” Bleed for daaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

It used to be nice with Barrage but it was nerfed.

Edit: You can see Sharpening Stone being dodged in this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rbnSsaESE8 at 0:46:00 or 0:17:00 for example

No man you can’t dodge it, I am telling you the stacks don’t get used up if you miss your target, they’ll stay on you for the next attacks instead aslong as the timer doesn’t run out but that would mean you doing nothing for 30seconds cause that is how long it’s up, I can’t see it happening in that video as you described either I have no idea how you see that on those timestamps because it doesn’t show it and additionally I never lost the stacks myself if one of my attacks have been dodged, I do think however they get used up by blocks but I am not certain they do even then.