Guild Wars 2

Hi,
I’ve been playing my Warrior since launch, as far as ranged weapons are concerned I always thought Longbow was better for both condi and power builds. So I always used the Longbow.
After some thinking I tried to compare the raw damage of both on dummies since I’m using a berserker gear. Overall it went more or less like this :

- Longbow :
410-500 (x2) auto-attack
around 2700-2900 Arcing Arrow

- Rifle :
810-950 auto-attack
4700 Volley

These are numbers on dummies which means no crit. I also find the auto-attack faster on the Rifle. While having much less support abilities (blind/immob), I think it could be as decent as Longbow for a backup weapon when you’re low HP and don’t want to be a sitting duck waiting for HS to get you back on track.

Besides the utility why would a power build use the Longbow compared to the Rifle ? (Not to mention rifles look more kitten).

Most consider the LB the better weapon, and honestly, for the most part it is. But for me, i “prefer” the rifle in certain situations and because it looks bad.ss.

And really, who doesn’t like to smash a mob in the face when it’s to close for comfort… i know i sure do

As far as PVE is concerned I’m not an expert, but as a warrior user I think that what people seek in LB is not damage but utility : F1 = fire field, #3 = blast combo, #5 = immob. Besides, the longbow can hit trashmobs more effectively with #3 and F1.

Rifle, on the other hand is a burst orientated weapon with better damage but less utility and only one target at a time.

So I guess LB is not “better” than rifle but is more polyvalent. Rifle is good to have against certain bosses.

But is LB really used that much in PVE ?

Well if I do use burst skills I’ll lose the damage bonus from Berserker Power (+15% damage) so I don’t use the F1 that often.
With the Crack Shot trait it’s possible to hit multiple targets if you get yourself in good position.

People usually run Axe/Mace+GS because that’s the first thing they see on the metabattle website. I’m not a huge fan of it, and I always like to have a ranged weapon to breath a bit when I’m low HP.

Lol, ranged weapons in PvE.

I did an actual test in the mist:
1. I use the typical 0 5 0 6 3 phanlanx strength as testing model.
I do pick the -CD + pierce for rifle but not the LB -CD because in real build, traits from tactics are too mandatory and has no place for Longbow -CD. For tactic, I grab Empower Allies, Lung Capacity, and Phanlanxe strength (no use though, just filler). For Discipline, I bring signet -cd. I do bring +50% bleed duration to help activate bleed +10% trait more often because in real situation bleed should be on enemies 24/7 during a fight.

2. For gears, I pick Berserker Amulet, Rune of Pack, Sigil of Fire + Force on both sets of weapons.

For utilities, I carry strength and discipline banners, for great justice and signet of rage because it fits to real life situation more.

4. For rifle’s attack rotation, I use 4, 3, auto, and F1 when it’s ready to use.
For Longbow rotation, I use 3, 5, auto and f1 when it’s ready to use.

Here’s my result against “Indestructable Golem” from 100% to 0% HP:
- Rifle takes around 35 seconds to bring the HP from 100 to 0
- Longbow takes around 34 seconds to bring the HP from 100 to 0

Conclusion: Longbow is a much more preferred option than rifle in most cases because not only their dps are similar (even Rifle is traited), it also has more utility uses such as blasting fields, creating fire fields, AOE, and blind.

However, rifle does has it’s use because it has cripple, which is more effective to boss than immobilize. It also helps build up vulnerability stack. The pierce auto may come into handy because LB auto always only hit 1 target. Also, Longbow’s 3 and f1 requires a shorter range for the attack to land reliably. So when against a single target boss that requires the whole team to kite (like in fractal), rifle can be more useful than Longbow.

Overall, you should grab Longbow in most dungeon situation.

Last note: I’m pretty sad about the result, because I really love the design and the attack pattern from Rifle more than I like Longbow. Too bad Longbow is superior than rifle even without any trait support.

The way it works is this really.

In PvE basically everything has its niche on a warrior aside from hammer and rifle in terms of combat efficacy.

Hammer can be useful for trollish activities, such as just spamming cc on trash mobs just for the heck of it, other than that just for mountain goating or whatever.

As for rifle… there’s just nothing. I can’t find a single dungeon or fractal related encounter in which it’s worth using. As for open world… well, same thing. Nothing.

In the very few situations in which a ranged weapon is useful, it’s always longbow. Never is it rifle. Regardless of personal preference, rifle is just never better. Use it if you wish but it’s the truth. Worse damage and utility.

Longbow has been nerfed so many times its sad. Arcing shot used to deal so much dmg which is why maybe you thought it was the better dmg dealer so long ago. But even so, lb aoe is strong as is its utility.

Still, I think most use double melee in pve, both dungeons and open world?

Justine.6351:

Longbow has been nerfed so many times its sad. Arcing shot used to deal so much dmg which is why maybe you thought it was the better dmg dealer so long ago. But even so, lb aoe is strong as is its utility.

Still, I think most use double melee in pve, both dungeons and open world?

Actually Longbow’s damage barely being touched at all.
The only change to LB is the F1 slight nerf of making the attack interval less frequent and more condition base, and the increase in activation time for pin down. The auto, 2 and 3 never been touched at all.

Toxsa.2701:

Justine.6351:

Longbow has been nerfed so many times its sad. Arcing shot used to deal so much dmg which is why maybe you thought it was the better dmg dealer so long ago. But even so, lb aoe is strong as is its utility.

Still, I think most use double melee in pve, both dungeons and open world?

Actually Longbow’s damage barely being touched at all.
The only change to LB is the F1 slight nerf of making the attack interval less frequent and more condition base, and the increase in activation time for pin down. The auto, 2 and 3 never been touched at all.

traited aa used to be 2 100% finishers
arcing shot used to hit a lot harder. Its power coefficient was reduced.

Oh, one more thing :

on my build the rifle has 1200 range. Longbow 1K. So it’s perfect for worldbosses like Golem and Megadestroyer where you have ppl pushing the boss away (out of reach of LB) or where it isn’t advisable to go meleeing it.

Longbow, 2 shots on auto means double the adrenaline gain of rifle. Which also means F1 more. Combustive Shot deals approximately the same damage as Eviscerate but over 9 seconds and can only be partially blocked plus you know, Fire field combos (which also makes it one of the better swap to/use F1/swap back options in the game).

Don’t kid yourself. LB is way better even if you only talk solo PvE only. Adding group or different gameplay type and it’s no contest compared to Rifle. However, the slower tick nerf on Combustive Shot definitely hurt Warriors in WvW/general PvP.

Sthenith.5196:

Oh, one more thing :

on my build the rifle has 1200 range. Longbow 1K. So it’s perfect for worldbosses like Golem and Megadestroyer where you have ppl pushing the boss away (out of reach of LB) or where it isn’t advisable to go meleeing it.

As a longbow-using warrior, I’ve never encountered any such problem like this at either Golem or Megadestroyer. To my knowledge, neither of those bosses can be pushed, and in fact, Golem is fixed in its position. While standing in the safe spot on the boxes in the SE corner of the platform, the longbow easily reaches the golem. Meanwhile, Megadestroyer may move to follow players, but generally he comes toward the south side where the largest number of players congregate. I’ve always been able to reach MD with longbow from the south edge of the lava. In any event, if players did manage to troll the event and lured him to the north side instead, it would be simple enough to must run around to the other side.

Overall, longbow is a very good warrior weapon for PvE, especially for world boss fights that may require significant periods of ranged combat.

Really the only time to use ranged weapon on a warrior is High level fractals where there can be heavy disconnect. With that in mind, LB is by far the best option. The the immobilization is awesome for some of the bosses like dredge. Add in might stacking and a double chance to proc on the auto attack and the LB is superior

While standing in the safe spot on the boxes in the SE corner of the platform, the longbow easily reaches the golem.

Yeh, but i always get thrown off that ‘safe spot’ and i never seem to be able to avoid the floor aoe lightning dmg when i’m to close. At least not on my warrior , my thief doesn’t seem to have that problem.

As far as mega goes, for the most part he’s easy to hit, but sometimes, and more often then i like ppl seem to pull him towards the other end from where i’m standing (left or right) and i need to switch sides, unless i equip rifle.

Mind you, 90% of the time i just use LB, but having rifle is handy in some cases.
But anyways, you’ll always have ppl who prefer one or the other, it doesn’t matter to me just as long as it gets the job done the way i want it.

Basically :
- LB is the better weapon (most dmg)
- Rifle is handy, looks cool and has more range (if you don’t have “stronger bowstrings” trait)
I think we can nearly all agree on that.

Artaz.3819:

Longbow, 2 shots on auto means double the adrenaline gain of rifle.

Have you looked at the rifle auto attack recently?

Captain Unusual.9163:

Artaz.3819:

Longbow, 2 shots on auto means double the adrenaline gain of rifle.

Have you looked at the rifle auto attack recently?

You mean Fierce Shot gives one bonus Adrenaline. No never seen that :P Forget about block/blind/Furious mechanics too.

Sthenith.5196:

Yeh, but i always get thrown off that ‘safe spot’ and i never seem to be able to avoid the floor aoe lightning dmg when i’m to close. At least not on my warrior , my thief doesn’t seem to have that problem.

A warrior can easily stay on the boxes for the entire fight. You just need to equip a skill that provides stability and use it. A good option is Balanced Stance since it recharges fast enough (40s) that it will be ready to use each time. During the fight, the golem slams its fists down 3 times which from the SE boxes viewpoint is left-side, right-side, then both. It’s the final fist slam that knocks people off the boxes. Activate the Balanced Stance before that final fist slam, and you’ll stay safely on the boxes. The duration of the stability is long enough (8s) that you can basically activate the Balanced Stance once you see the first or second fist slam, and it will still be active for the final fist slam, so it’s really easy to time this to avoid getting knocked off the boxes.

As far as mega goes, for the most part he’s easy to hit, but sometimes, and more often then i like ppl seem to pull him towards the other end from where i’m standing (left or right) and i need to switch sides, unless i equip rifle.

I have only tried fighting from the north or south shores of the lava for MD. It seems so much more natural to me to fight from one of those locations, especially the south side since it’s where the final chest will spawn, so it saves on how much extra movement is needed after the battle ends.

LB just has so many good utilities to pass up. The ONLY time Rifle might be preferred is as a back up weapon in Thermalnova Fractal last boss.

Quite a few baddies posting in this thread.

Longbow is a great weapon for general open world PVE content at max level. By that I mean the Silverwastes, primarily, which is home to many enemies who are dangerous up close and will punish melee severely.

You rarely need a ranged weapon for dungeons but those are outdated and poor examples of challenging content. I personally dislike the GS but use GS/LB in Silverwastes so I have my bases covered: 1) Damage output, 2) Mobility, 3) Range if needed.

If you intend to spend any decent amount of time in the Silverwastes and in Heart of Thorns I highly suggest packing a Longbow with you at all times. If you aren’t doing that it won’t really matter too much.

Rifle on the other hand…rifle just plain needs a rework.

Uhm…

..calls out baddies…
…for meleeing..
..calls dungeons easy…
…calls silverwastes..
..challenging?

10/10 would read again.

If the mobs in silverwastes seem to you so hard that you need to go ranged you should probably realize that if dungeons seem easy it’s because you’re being carried.

I always thought having my bases covered in silverwastes meant I had both good direct damage (most Warrior weapons) for non-Husks and good condition damage (Sword!) for Husks.

I also thought melee was fine if you dodge rolled, blocked (dependent on weapon set), used Endure Pain, etc. It isn’t like the mobs are attacking that quickly.

What makes silverwastes special at all that so many people feel the need to make specific builds for it? I don’t remember anytime where I died in there besides that one maze with the hounds that 1-shot you if they touch you or if I went AFK.

Also I agree with Dub and also with Nike. Pretty much my exact same thoughts.

I remember one time trying out my dpsmeter, being in a zerg of ~25-30 people and xaffie, muffin and me being the only one melee’ing some boss. Personal dps was around 6k (before the warrior nerfs) for me, probably around the same for them. All together dps was barely scratching at 35k. That means that ~25 people ranging deal the damage of three people meleeing. Which becomes quite accurate considering most of them were probably running builds as good as their weapon choice.

Needless to say, I don’t see where meleeing gets punished in silverwastes, but then again I only did it for two or three hours.

@Purple Miku:
Some people have trouble in Silverwastes because not all of the mobs there don’t just die from your first volley of abilities so they have to actually dodge attacks from time to time.

While the zone doesn’t take much skill at all to do fine in, it does take some skill … and that is a barrier to entry for some.

GW2 in general doesn’t take much skill at all, unless you’re into jumping puzzles.

That’s largely irrelevant to my point, though. I stand by my opinion that dungeons are mostly faceroll these days when compared to Silverwastes. Objectively, SW mobs were designed to punish players who cannot use active mitigation properly, and many players cannot.

A ranged weapon is useful when you can’t get close because a pack of mordrem wolves or teragriffs are chasing you down.

The skill required depends depends on what you’re doing. I’d say more than jumping puzzles requires skill.

Higher level fractals require skill … otherwise there woudn’t be a big difference between PUGs and my premade groups that I prefer to run with.

Same with higher level dungeons … big difference between the good groups and bad groups … is something other than skill the divider here? I don’t think so.

What about the zerg busting crews? Or Havoc squads in WvW?

What about high level sPvP?

If you think dungeons are more faceroll than silverwastes, then why is silverwaste much more successful with PUGs than some dungeons and high level fractals?

I agree that if you have trouble in melee against those that ranged does help. I also find a Hammer to be a great melee-based solution to those.

Dub.1273:

Lol, ranged weapons in PvE.

Actually, when running solo having a ranged option is quite useful. Also, the final boss of the dredge fractal is a piece of cake when using a rifle.

It still is in melee. So I don’t see that as a valid argument. I can’t think of a single encounter in gw2 that you’re better off ranging, except for a very few encounters like mai trin, but you’re still using melee weapons there. “Ranging” as in staying out of melee range unless currently attacking.

I can’t think of a single encounter in gw2 that you’re better off ranging, except for a very few encounters like mai trin, but you’re still using melee weapons there

Euhm…what ?

I did Mai Trin as melee, boy did that hurt. I got downed more often then doing damage because of her sudden teleport. Not to mention that cannon contantly shooting at me.

Then i tried with LB, and that was a blast. I could out manouver her, do some serious damage and NOT get downed at all.

Trust me, ranged has it’s purposes. But rifle, that’s for looks and when you want to switch to ‘point and shoot’ mode in open pve.

As for SW, the only ones that are a bother are terragriffs. 1 is ok, but 3 of those buggers… Taking out your hammer at that point makes a lot of difference. Just smack em down and start pummeling on it in between dodges.

I prefer to take the rifle with me as a reliable knockback for repositioning enemies/bosses. There’s no OOC fire field, and the ele will cover the might-stacking with that, anyways. The immob and blind are okay, but won’t really do anything unless your group is getting stomped, in which case, there’s a skill deficiency problem at hand and not a build one.

Sthenith.5196:

I did Mai Trin as melee, boy did that hurt. I got downed more often then doing damage because of her sudden teleport. Not to mention that cannon contantly shooting at me.

The fight is significantly faster in melee. And if done properly, easier. You can practice and improve your playskill and not need ranged weapons.

Trust me, ranged has it’s purposes. But rifle, that’s for looks and when you want to switch to ‘point and shoot’ mode in open pve.

Dub is correct. There isn’t a single boss in the game you are better off ranging. If you think you need to range a boss, its because you haven’t practiced enough.

The “sudden teleport” (which has an obvious 1 second tell where she aims at you) does target the player furthest away from her. If you got shot by that in melee range, your understanding of meleeing is quite strange.

Well, you pro PvE warriors practice melee all you want. I don’t play enough PvE to memorize every boss fight and hope to god I never do, how boring it must get when you know them so well you don’t even have try anymore. I also don’t like playing with others so I don’t do dungeons very much any when I do I just imitate whoever I’m playing so it is usually melee except for a few select bosses.

When I do PvE it is usually solo roaming maps and fighting Champs and completing events and stuff. (which used to be more fun before the megaserver) There many situations where range was so much easier, especially for first time encounters.

Not saying your playstyle is wrong, bad, inferior or whatever else, just making clear that regarding efficiency ranged weapons have no use in gw2’s pve.

I dunno, Dub. I also see most high level fractal groups range the Shaman in the Grawl instance. It drastically helps with dodging those burning arrows and prevents one arrow from applying burning to everyone. We generally clump and melee the elements at 75%, 50%, and 25% though.

Sebrent.3625:

I dunno, Dub. I also see most high level fractal groups range the Shaman in the Grawl instance. It drastically helps with dodging those burning arrows and prevents one arrow from applying burning to everyone. We generally clump and melee the elements at 75%, 50%, and 25% though.

Also, ranging the dredge boss makes it so much easier to pull him in the right spot for the oil and seeing the damage from kill shot on him is just so satisfying.

Sebrent.3625:

I dunno, Dub. I also see most high level fractal groups range the Shaman in the Grawl instance. It drastically helps with dodging those burning arrows and prevents one arrow from applying burning to everyone. We generally clump and melee the elements at 75%, 50%, and 25% though.

This exact boss came to my mind as well. Going pure melee on this guy is honestly more suicidal than anything at scales 40+.

That said, regarding this topic, the longbow is much more preferable here for the AOE/cleansing and using signet of strength on 5 during his shield to lock him down and prevent him from reaching the NPC’s.