I think the patch notes are real. Who would sit there for hours putting together such realistic sounding notes for EVERY class? If they wanted to cause mayhem they would have put in way bigger nerfs. We were already expecting massive pet nerfs from what the devs said themselves.
Christ, ok so say these notes are indeed fake. Would someone be THAT sad to sit down for hours crafting, let’s be honest, fairly realistic sounding yet fake updates? Surely if they wanted to troll they would have come up with more drastic nerfs than that. I would be disappointed with some of these upates, especially the pet nerfs, but then again the devs said themselves pet damage will be nerfed this month, so it was to be expected. Otherwise i would be quite excited about the buffs to longbow and offhand axe. I always hated shortbow anyway so couldn’t care less about that nerf.
But what would a faker gain from this? Would just seeing the players debate over and over the pros and cons of the fake notes be what he wanted? Somehow i don’t think that alone would warrant the obvious thought and time that has gone into putting these patch notes together. It may be unwise at this point but i am more inclined to thinking they are for the most part real.
Assuming these leaked patch notes are real (but i’m not hedging my bets just yet) then it sounds like sword/axe could be a real asset in wvw and potentially pvp.
If path of scars will supposedly be updated to pull the enemy on the return hit then that leaves room for an entangle and whirling defense follow-up, which in itself would pack a punch if you are running a full serker build, not to mention the fact that there is potential for path of scars to get two 7k crits (perhaps more) with buffs.
If you are not a fan of whirling defense then the second option is to entangle after the pull and follow up with either traps or quickness-buffed sword dps. Add on pet damage and you’ve got some serious fire power if timed well. Of course it’s just theorycrafting based on unconfirmed patch notes but if true then i will definitely try this out on my serker ranger.
Go a step further Bryzy. Imagine if you’re able to combine it with Flame Trap, Spike Trap, and Viper’s Nest along with it. I think that’d be the closest we’d ever get to true burst damage in a sense. XD
Okay now im excited
Path of Scars pull…
:D
So I can go Kholer yes?
This is gonna be funny as hell to mess with.
Makes me think of Firion from Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Path of Scars to Whirling Defense is going to look like Reel Axe to Lance Combo.
Time it well and you’ll be able to combo it with entangle. Could produce some interesting results, particularly since a might stacked serker ranger can get off two 7k crits with path of scars. Actually hope these notes are real tbh.
Yep they’ve screwed SB over but fair play it sounds like LB could actually be a viable DPS weapon now. Maybe.
If real then i think we might see more zerker longbow rangers…
AND off hand axe skill Path of Scars is already really powerful but now it will pull too? This could make the sword/axe build VERY tasty indeed. Another zerker build i foresee right there. I hope this is real because i will certainly be giving zerker another go, and this time it’s gonna be a longbow/sword + axe deal.
Seconded, where did you find these? And do you have the notes for ranger?
Ahahah, you must be kidding right? Buffing an already OP skill? Seriously, L2P
I’ve not seen anyone apart from you with a ‘grinding mentality’. As the other poster said, this game is entirely anti-grinding. You can’t grind in this game, you play through it and enjoy the storyline.
One of the most pointless suggestions i’ve seen on here. In fact, i would request NOT to put this into the game since it would be more difficult to determine end game gear.
I am pre-empting this next “balance” patch to nerf the ranger to hell so i’ve started levelling an ele. Can you guys advise me on the best d/d high crit damage burst build(s)? Like traits, utilities, gear, etc.
Finding it very fun to play so far and i’m only level 15. Berserker high damage builds are the only ones i run because anything else just isn’t fun.
Thanks
I give up. It’s inevitable that the devs will nerf us rangers regardless of how much QQing we do. I might as well transfer all my gold and stuff to my level 12 ele now and get levelling it up. After the “balance” i guess they’ll have killed off one of the last remaining aspects of our playability.
So explain why we’re still the least desirable in dungeons?
Explain why we’ve had hardly any fixes since release that we need above anything?
How many here have genuinely played Ranger thoroughly and explored both PvE and WvW, rather than just recounting their personal experiences when they’ve died to a skilled Ranger?
When you guys are starting to compare and complain about Warriors needing urgent fixes or even being underpowered, I KNOW you aren’t familiar with the Ranger. Warriors have long been one of the most overpowered professions in the game, at least for burst damage. And before you mention ‘ohhh noooo but we had the quickness nerf’ – well so did every other profession.
There’s a REASON we’re one of the least-played professions.
In general, we Rangers don’t ask for much. If you scope the Ranger forum (which I personally don’t think a mod has done in a while) you’ll notice all we want are extremely long-awaited, significant fixes that still haven’t been resolved (i.e. pets not hitting moving targets especially in pvp/wvw, terrible longbow with useless auto-attack, amongst others). We don’t even ask for a general power-boost, despite us being the least-desirable profession for dungeon runs because of our comparatively weaker damage output.
We are already one of the ‘bottom three’ classes (i.e. Ranger, Engineer, Necromancer).
It seems that when the ‘elite classes’ (that term seems to be taking off as of late) such as Elementalists, Mesmers, Warriors and Guardians complain that an aspect of the Ranger is ‘overpowered’ (most probably because they lost in a duel in pvp or wvw), ArenaNet takes notice and hurries to reassure the elites that their sanctity will remain intact on the battlefield, so they will nerf the Ranger – the lower profession.
Going off what a Mod said recently about nerfing Ranger pet damage later this month.
Our pets currently have shoddy AI. When fighting another player they are incredibly easy to dodge, and, if you are mobile they probably won’t hit you anyway. It is not known exactly what proportion of a Ranger’s damage output comes from the pet as it can vary between builds, but it is generally considered to be around 30%.
That means we are 30% weaker than the other professions when our pets are swanning off somewhere of their own accord.
The Jaguar is one of the few pets that redeem our truly terrible damage output (even with a full glass cannon berserker build), as it can potentially output some nice damage. Emphasis on ‘potentially’ for reasons stated above.
The next ‘big patch’ is supposedly a balancing job. HOW on EARTH is it ‘balancing’ if they are planning to nerf one of the (if not THE) weakest profession in the game?
As a ranger the most i’ve ever crit is an 8.4k/7.8k (16.2k total) with path of scars on a player in wvw. At the time I had fury and around 18+ stacks of might. I run a full serker build.
Update: I’ve switched out Rampage as One for the Entangle Elite, and like Kasama mentioned it works brilliantly with Whirling Defense and Path of Scars, providing the enemy struggles to get free. If you activate quickness you can get some REALLY high damage – entangle will provide an awesome bleed while you can easily get around 8k total with Whirling Defense, and Path of Scars almost always gives great damage. Because they’ll be immobile it also increases the likelihood that both hits will strike.
Doesn’t really matter what the build is. The Ranger who wins will be the player who is knowledgeable about the tactics of other builds, has counters for those builds, and who is the more skilled in the build they are running.
@Indoles
1. If you read the second sentence you’ll see that the build along with some feedback is in the comments section of the link I gave. Also, this build is designed for novice to moderately skilled players who enjoy dealing a lot of damage without the need for a lot of skill. It can also be used by experienced players to take down single targets (as I stated in the thread, “single”). Also, this build is incredibly malleable. There is lots of room for changes to traits and utilities.
2. First of all, this build isn’t centered around axe 5. Secondly, nor is it centered around zerg warfare. Also, I actually find axe 5 to be very useful, and if you continue with this build in PvE and dungeons (perhaps subbing GS out for LB) then axe/axe with skill 5 works fantastically.
Sorry I don’t have a youtube account and I don’t have enough time at the moment due to dissertation to do a vid. This build is definitely worth trying out first in the Mists or PvE first to get a feel for it.
I made a thread a number of days ago endorsing the axe/axe serker build.
Link to this thread (my build is in the comments): https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/axe-axe-serker-build-awesome-KO-spec-wvw/first#post2062388
Well i’ve been playing around a lot since and found that what works best for me in terms of damage, against a single target, is greatsword + axe/axe OR sword/axe. In most cases the target will panic at the sheer amount of damage inflicted and try to flee, or you will get a great KO.
Assuming all goes smoothly, you may swoop into melee range with the GS, stun with skill 5 so you can get off a smooth maul (skill 2), for anything up to an 8k crit depending on how much might you have stacked. Then switch to secondary weapons and smack them with the offhand axe Path of Scars for a potential 5k/5k crit.
It’s proving to be a very effective KO build in wvw. I like to keep axe/axe as my secondaries in case distance comes between me and the enemy, in which case winter’s bite is very useful.
However, you may wish to switch your secondary weapons to sword/axe if you want even more DPS. I’m not the best at fighting other players so tend not to be able to maintain melee range with sword, so i like to keep to axe/axe.
Quickening zephyr is also incredibly useful in this build for obvious reasons.
So yeah if you run berserker you should definitely try this out. Keep your elite as Rampage as One, and stack might from your Jungle Stalker before you enter combat and you’ll just watch the enemy melt.
(edited by Bryzy.2719)
Agree with garethh above. As much as I would want movement for this skill I doubt Anet will give it to us. Adding cripple or bleeds (or both :P) would be good; higher damage too please – it is a pretty weak skill.
Hmmm, I’ve just spent a while playing WvW with sword/offhand axe and have to say it’s not particularly great UNLESS your secondary weapon is the greatsword, which you can use to engage the enemy in melee combat.
I personally prefer to keep it ranged (i.e. axe/axe), dealing moderate consistent damage with ricochet and winter’s bite after activating Call of the Wild with my secondary sword/warhorn, then going in for the KO with Path of Scars assuming i have stacked might and fury activated. Obviously this’ll increase the crit chance and damage which is essential for the KO. However the recharge on Path of Scars is pretty good to be honest, so you’ll get more than one attempt per fight.
Only problem I’m encountering at the moment really is not doing enough damage, as mentioned above, with axe skills 1-3. The thing is, I like to keep warhorn in my secondary weapon set for the fury and to a lesser extent, the might. The only problem is this only leaves the sword to go with it, which just isn’t viable with this build without a melee-engager like swoop on the greatsword.
To summarise: ideally would have sword/offhand axe + Greatsword to engage melee, but the lack of warhorn is really annoying because the fury (and might) is vital for a decent shot at a Path of Scars KO.
HOWEVER, as long as you have Rampage as One as your Elite skill this would replace the need for the warhorn – the only problem being the long kitten recharge time.
compromises! I hate them.
Update: just been playing a spot of WvW – had 21 stacks of might and smacked an awesome 8k/8.8k (so 16.8k total) crit – against some mes from Far Shiverpeaks. Again I was party-requested and accused of damage hacking, especially since I’m a ranger. Was party might-buffed + Jungle Stalker F2 skill gave the extra 5 stacks of might. Awesome stuff right here.
@Bryzy
I am interested in this since i like the set-up and feel of axes. just a few questions
I am guessing its a pure zerker build with that damage on PoS?
What sort of traits are you using?
how do you deal with the lower mobility from no swoop/ how do you disengage?
Hey there, this is my current build, but I’m tweaking it all the time if I choose a different playstyle. You may wish to put points into wilderness survival for the added boost to the off-hand axes or whatever though.
I use full berserker exotic gear. Everything is pretty much maxed out with prec, power + crit damage.
In terms of disengaging, well the ranger is brilliant at dodging. Lightning reflexes is always good, as is sword skill 2. Use them both consecutively and you can get some good distance between you and the enemy.
But anyway, this is just how I run – there are probably better ways of using this build but it seems to work well for me so far.
http://www.gw2builds.org/create/bwe_1/ranger#3.0.4.3-2.4.10.12.1-30.30.10.0.0-1.4.12.1.6.4.9
Hell yeah, Bryzy! I run Axe/Axe and Sword/Horn, too. Really fun with a berserker build.
I do think Axe needs a range bump and a few other minor tweaks, but I enjoy it.
Heeelll yeah! It’s the most fun i’ve had as a ranger up to now. I will actually try out sword/axe for a while too, since sword is the best DPS and axe would add a great finisher.
I started using axe/axe + sword/warhorn in WvW and PvE (though occasionally switch sword/warhorn out to longbow, especially in PvE).
What principally made me create this thread is two awesome KOs I made earlier in WvW: the first was a warrior on whom I critted a 5.6k on the outgoing and 5.7k on the return hit from Path of Scars (which I feel is the best skill in this build). The second was a 4k/5.5k on an ele, who later accused me of hacking since half his health went to 0 in around 2 seconds.
I also find Whirling Defense incredibly useful, especially when attacking castle gates.
Anyway, when running in to initiate combat: I’ll buff with Call of the Wild for the crit rate, try and get off a Hunter’s Call, switch to axe/axe, hit with Winter’s Bite for the slow, then Path of Scars hopefully for the KO.
Naturally it isn’t flawless since there are many variables in combat, but it works well many times for me.
How many of you guys like running axe/axe?
@Linnes
Mmm I suppose I generally agree with most. But your elite suggestion is pretty sucky. I can’t see those stances helping much, since they just don’t sound useful nor powerful enough.
The one thing a lot of Rangers are currently running for is the introduction of a stealth trait or utility. Camouflage seems to be the biggest hit so far (i.e. if you stand still for a certain period you gain stealth for a limited time, which is deactivated upon movement or skill use, and of course internal cooldowns). I would bring this into your suggestions. Robert Hrouda has expressed interest in this kind of idea.
I just tried logging in but keep getting error code 42:0:9001:4116
This whole GW2 website seems to be having trouble too
Robert Hrouda commented a while back saying he likes the idea of stationary camouflage for Rangers and would pass it on to the devs. Whether he did or not remains to be seen. It’s certainly a great idea, fits in with Ranger lore, and as long as the utility or trait is constructed with reasonable compromises (e.g. cooldowns, only activateable in certain areas etc) it should give the ranger profession a much needed advantage without being overpowered.
Yeah… guy asks for LB build and you tell him to use melee weapon. Not to mention zerker gear in zerg fights lol.
LB in WvW: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/My-ranger-movie/first#post2012815
If you’ll read what I said, I was advising him not to use it unless in a zerg. Longbow is no good 1v1 unless you’re a really capable player.
@zTales
Many, many thanks for posting this.
I appreciate seeing hard numbers rather than hearsay. I personally haven’t used this trait before but I’ll be sure to give it a try with my trapper and berserker builds now. I always use the Jag so it’s great news.
You know, I might actually try the axe with my zerker build and see how well it combines with quickness…
Protip – don’t use longbow unless picking-off from afar amongst the safety of a zerg.
1v1s you have several options depending on your build.
sword/dagger and GS: great especially for DPS serker builds, but also for condition-based builds.
GS/Shortbow: Can work well for DPS builds – cripple from afar then swoop in with GS
General consensus though is that sword gives the best DPS. Combine it with a dagger to cripple your enemy and provide some extra condition damage, or combine it with warhorn for that might and crit chance boost. Many different choices.
Sounds good and ties in brilliantly with the ranger theme, too. It’s not good enough to be an elite though unless it had some other kind of benefits like granting you or your pet some good stacks of might and fury. Perhaps as an alternative your pet could track the player and gain some serious buffs? Though I doubt that would work since Anet can’t seem to fix the problem of pets being unable to attack moving targets properly. Otherwise if what you suggested became a utility skill, yeah all for it.
All anyone does is complain. Rangers are one of the most fun classes in the game.
fixed.
ARGH. WHEN will we get an update we really, really need?
Pets that still can’t hit moving targets properly? (Come ON, pets are a huge part of our damage output)
Longbow skill 1 that is both too slow and can’t hit unless on perfectly level ground?
Somewhat underpowered shortbow? (Though not as much of an issue as the two above)
A comparatively poor utility set and traitline?
TERRIBLE spirits?
I guess I will be interested to see how the axe performs now, but seriously Anet, step it up and give us the updates we desperately need!
Also question – does anyone know if there will be a ‘big’ update/patch at the end of May?
@runeblade
>fights a ranger, gets them downed
>pet gets 5s quickness on downed state from trait skill
>pet owns you, you get downed
>you die
I would bet money this is what happened to you. You have clearly never played ranger. The ranger cannot control its pet when downed other than instructing it to heal the player, which really is little use at all in wvw or pvp. The ranger pet will continue to attack the enemy player, however.
Anyway, we don’t need to justify the downed state. We are still the most broken class in the game. Underpowered bows, pets that can’t hit moving targets and utilities that aren’t half as good as some classes’.
d-d-does this mean pets can hit moving targets now?? please?!?!
I’m glad they increased the QZ duration though. Might give zerker build another try.
Very nice idea. I would feel so much more satisfied if that’s how they made the Ranger. I only want to play berserker DPS but they’ve basically screwed that build over now, so I’m having to go with trapper ranger which I don’t find all that fun. I doubt they’ll ever make the pet AI as it should be and, frankly, I’m not all that bothered about pets anyway.
Come on Devs, take note!
Great thanks for the answer. I’ll look into and tweak things here and there. I would also use the axe/torch and shortbow combo, switching out to warhorn for mobility.
I have heard trapper is a good ranger build for wvw. I spend most of my time wvw-ing these days so wondered if you guys had any good build guides for trapper ranger? Ideally it would have excellent survivability. What utilities would you suggest?
Im currently running a regen/toughness build that has great survivability but TERRIBLE damage output, so fights are really boring.
Thanks
Nice, don’t spose you have an exact build including runes/sigils/weapons/armour/traits?
DPS doesn’t mean you have to burst.
However, if you want to burst as a ranger, go for it. Just make sure you, yourself, are good at it and that you aren’t a hit-or-miss one-trick-pony. That will get you dead.
Well when I say ‘burst’ I really mean, ‘as effective at quickly killing people as say Warrior or Thief’.
Just going off something Mr Hrouda said:
“Ranger to me isn’t a burst class – it’s a sustain and survive class”
I thought that one of Guild Wars 2’s primary objectives was to make it so that any profession could fulfill any role – i.e. by destroying the traditional ‘holy trinity’ that was the DPS/TANK/HEALER specifications?
The only profession I ever want to play is Ranger; the only style I want to play is DPS. So why can I not run a decent burst build – even fully geared – on my Ranger?
Even if they gave us a range of stealth skills we still wouldn’t be any where near as powerful as a thief because our damage just SUCKS. It would, however, genuinely help if they fixed the ‘pets can’t hit moving targets’ bug. Pets account for a lot of our damage and that is therefore depriving us of a good deal of DPS.
@Sebrent
I’d like to rescind my previous comments criticising this thread – I actually think it is a better idea to present the devs with a general clarification list rather than a moan about everything that desperately needs fixing, simply for the fact that it’s probably more likely that they’ll take notice. One thing I would suggest though is to emphasise the issues that need fixing desperately – like the F2 skills, pets missing targets, underpowered longbow and such.
@Sebrent
Hey there, how about posting the many things that need to be fixed to BENEFIT the already TERRIBLE Ranger class rather than presenting the balance team with mostly things that will make us even weaker??
What about pets that don’t hit moving targets, depriving us of loads of damage?
What about F2 skills that only activate when they feel like it?
What about the seriously underpowered longbow in need of a boost?
The ranger is the most neglected profession in the game.
EDIT:
Also, are you actively trying to get Anet to nerf the Jaguar F2 stealth skill? That is one of the few things that helps me to kill people in WvW ASSUMING I can get them to stand still! We don’t need nerfs, we need buffs.
You’re terribly misunderstanding the point of this thread. This isn’t a list of how the ranger should be, it’s the list of how the ranger currently is. You’re obviously too emotionally biased so please calm yourself and read the contents again.
I’m not at all misunderstanding. I know perfectly well that’s what the OP is doing. I have a problem with it though. That problem is that the balance team will look at that and think (given their track record), ‘hmm, Rangers shouldn’t be able to do that, let’s nerf it’. Frankly, I’m not sure how many more nerfs or drawbacks this profession can take before becoming completely unusable. This thread would better serve the Ranger profession by first presenting Anet with the serious problems that need fixing.
@Sebrent
Hey there, how about posting the many things that need to be fixed to BENEFIT the already TERRIBLE Ranger class rather than presenting the balance team with mostly things that will make us even weaker??
What about pets that don’t hit moving targets, depriving us of loads of damage?
What about F2 skills that only activate when they feel like it?
What about the seriously underpowered longbow in need of a boost?
The ranger is the most neglected profession in the game.
EDIT:
Also, are you actively trying to get Anet to nerf the Jaguar F2 stealth skill? That is one of the few things that helps me to kill people in WvW ASSUMING I can get them to stand still! We don’t need nerfs, we need buffs.
(edited by Bryzy.2719)
It’s been a while since I last posted this, so I’ve no idea how you remembered it. You obviously saw it and didn’t make a contribution, and, judging by that unhelpful answer I assume you don’t have much Ranger play experience. I think if you have a good, simple idea that has the potential to redeem a truly terrible nerf, then it deserves to be recognised. As far as I’m aware having stalked the Dev Tracker, the Devs have not even acknowledged the diabolical Ranger situation yet.
When you say ‘across the board buff’ you’re really blowing it out of context, which is what leads me to believe you don’t play Ranger much, if at all. It’s not an ‘across the board buff’; it’s a moderate buff to a single underpowered skill of one weapon type that was made even more useless after the April 26 update.
Each weapon tends to have at least 1 must-have skill, or else it would go unused. For the longbow that skill is Rapid Fire (and to a lesser extent, the AoE). Not only is the Longbow auto-attack appalling by itself, but the Rapid Fire skill was, pre-update, the only skill worth using if you wanted to play a berserker build. Pre-update that skill alone was relatively underpowered, yet if you had maxed out gear and good traits you had the potential to do some half-decent damage with it while using Quickening Zephyr.
That build has now been driven into the ground, but it needn’t be with my proposed update. My update ensures that they get to keep the QZ nerf, yet the Ranger class suffers slightly less because of it – let’s face it, Rangers must be last on Anet’s list of what needs to be nerfed.
(edited by Bryzy.2719)