Guild Wars 2

On a power build wouldn’t a rifle be better? I don’t fully understand the benefits of a bow over the rifle?

Bow is better up close due to the two reasonably big aoe hits, and it’s helpful that you can drop them behind you as you’re kiting around. Bow 2 is also stronger than most people realize when you’re up close because it pierces, does decent power damage, and and is on short cd. The guaranteed trait benefits from the Bow burst is nice too.

Rifle has bigger spike, but less utility. It’s also easier to foil a rifle up close by walking behind the rifle warrior as it interrupts rifle skills. The lack of aoe also makes it less useful against multiple opponents.

I generally see them as roughly equivalent weapons, suited for different purposes.

I personally think bow is trash unless youre playing vanilla and might stacking, for zerk rifle is far superior, unless youre going condi.

Yup, I gotta parrot what was already said.

Bow is for fire fields, condi damage, close to mid range combat, and aoe/piercing. It’s beautiful to use when you’re expecting a lot of mob spawns in a meta event.

Rifle is for single target, pow damage, fast adrenaline gain (if traited), and interrupts. It’s great if you need to disengage from a champ and range for a few seconds.

~EW

Bow is a condi/utility/support weapon. Rifle is direct power damage to single targets (though 3 and burst can handle small clusters).

If you want to use bow as a direct power damage weapon, you’re doing it wrong. And honestly – I’d hate for Warrior to go back to the days of Bow being better than rifle at absolutely everything.

Sartharina.3542:

Bow is a condi/utility/support weapon. Rifle is direct power damage to single targets (though 3 and burst can handle small clusters).

If you want to use bow as a direct power damage weapon, you’re doing it wrong. And honestly – I’d hate for Warrior to go back to the days of Bow being better than rifle at absolutely everything.

I used to think so too, but it actually works very well with a power build. In fact I think the last video Obindo posted had him using a power (zerk gear) GreatBow build, and it showed just how well it works.

Arcing Shot is trash from far away but you can drop it at your feet and it woll go of almost instant and easily hit for 4K without even running full power. On top of that yes, you can stack might with it,

in wvw or in pve? in pve bow is a lot better – firefield+blast. in wvw 5 man – i use rifle in berserk mode – you could still pull 1 hit gun flame in light armor profession, in 10+ i use bow.

XerMeLL.6042:

in wvw or in pve? in pve bow is a lot better – firefield+blast. in wvw 5 man – i use rifle in berserk mode – you could still pull 1 hit gun flame in light armor profession, in 10+ i use bow.

I’ve been using it roaming and small group in wvw. It has its pros and cons, but it’s certainly in regular use ever since they buffed the direct damage of the bow back up. You have to play it a bit differently than gs/a+sh, or even gs/r, but it honestly works well.

(GreatBow used to be a thing before they changed how burn worked, and the semi-recent buffs helped restore its value)

Sylent.3165:

On a power build wouldn’t a rifle be better? I don’t fully understand the benefits of a bow over the rifle?

On a power build? Yeah rifle is probably better. Honestly the bow is in a pretty good spot right now though. I think bow rules in WvW, you will get bags galore just from laying down the fire field, not to mention the might stacking, AoE blindness, etc.

I can’t say enough about the fire field on the Burst skill. It’s huge and lasts forever.

It’s really an easy decision.
The bow can set things on fire.
How is setting things on fire a bad thing, and when would you ever need to NOT set something on fire?

^lolz.

Seriously though, on a power build setting things on fire does not help with Full Zerker

emkelly.2371:

^lolz.

Seriously though, on a power build setting things on fire does not help with Full Zerker

Haha, true. But when they see they’re only taking 150 damage per tick from burning, they figure they can stand in the field… not realizing it also does the same direct damage as Arcing Slice in four installments.

One shoots petals and flowers, the other fires blasts of laser energy.
Aesthetics baby :D

^ Was that a bleach reference?

bow can give blind, very usefull
adrenaline regen is easyer to land with bow,
skill 2 close range is acceptable,
immobalise is handy,
melee skill 3 can crit very hard,
and skill 1 spam is fun and strong,

but I choose axe shield over rifle these days xd
for the cleave, stun, skill 3, evis, and the blocks.
more power and more defense.

emkelly.2371:

^lolz.

Seriously though, on a power build setting things on fire does not help with Full Zerker

Yeah on a power zerker build, I would take rifle over bow. But in regards to pure utility and effectiveness, I feel that the bow beats rifle. Of course it all has to do with whatever build you are running.

Rifle Butt: I’ve saved hundreds of downs from stomps through this skill alone XD

Let us not forget saving downs from resses! :D

#Mesmerroots

I think they are both garbage unless you are using gunflame with the rifle or condi berserker with the bow. WOuldn’t use either one with a vanilla warrior….outside of pve.

I only run power wars, way back in vanilla days (before the new trait system, when I could get piercing/immob on cripple/and immob removal with movement) I used sword/shield rifle a lot for pvp, brawler style. Rifle butt is the main reason why I love it so, and now, with primal burst it’s quite lovely. Granted against certain classes, I’d switch rifle out for GS or Hammer.

Bow for me, just was never very impressive, way back when the range was 900? and only hit 1200 with a trait. The attacks always felt slow, though I guess higher dmg per hit made up for it. The fire field and blinds were nice, but easily made up for imo (might build up via GS, and others usually had firefields if in PvE). At least from a power standpoint.

All in all, I like cc control in a fight, so having the shield bash and rifle butt were ideal. And that occasional f1 rifle burst when they’ve run out of dodges, or aren’t paying attention:D