Guild Wars 2

Rangers are strong but the bugs are stronger. I see an engi with grenades and I have to be VERY careful.

Eventually it will almost certainly be a beast master LB and a condi bunker, but right now everything is insanity. Most professions have ridiculous bugs that result in instant kills, so give it a day or two.

No reason not to time this to pet swap (i.e. 15 seconds.) The absurd tonic bug is not a thing if you put it at 15 seconds.

I mean what the heck.

Tigaseye.2047:

Fluffball.8307:

Seriously, if you think rangers command with a LB, think your posts through a little better.

I think people know they, generally, don’t.

But that doesn’t change the fact that some classes are just inherently more suited to it than others.

Well you’d hope, but some people have posted in this thread that rangers can’t command because they stay at 2100 range…

Anywho, there are 3 things that make a commander:

1) Knows how to play WvW and thus makes good decisision (i.e. will abandon a fight at enemy T1 Bay lord to save his T3 tower.)

2) Is a good leader of people (i.e. doesn’t swear at people when his team loses.)

3) Doesn’t die.

EVERYTHING else is irrelevant. And every single profession can bring some very useful utilities like fear walls, stealth, water fields, etc.

ITT: A bunch of people that think nomad’s gear is profession specific, and people can only play PvP meta builds when they command. Seriously, if you think rangers command with a LB, think your posts through a little better.

FrouFrou.4958:

You can always try outrunning it.

There is this great old song about the Boston subway. You used to have to pay when you got off so in the song this guy runs out of money and just rides the subway for the rest of his life.

For some reason your comment reminded me of that.

Edit: Song, cuz its awesome.

I played nothing but condi mesmer in WvW for a few weeks recently just to learn skill rotations and stuff. What I learned is I am ridiculously vulnerable most of the time, but people just don’t realize it. Like I’ll be completely out of cooldowns and people will run off to attack a clone they should definitely know is not me.

Keeping track of the real mesmer and then messing up his skill rotation is key (i.e. there is no way he should ever get mass invis off if he isn’t already stealthed).

Beastly Warden can taunt a mesmer out of stealth. It’s an instantaneous, so use it on a melee pet right when he stealths and you know where he is.

Also with the new resounding timbre trait, sic ‘em is a totally viable skill now. I’ve been annihilating thieves and mesmers lately… talk about messing up a skill rotation. It’s hysterical to watch thieves stand in their shadow refuges while completely visible, it’s like someone who thinks they have an invisibility superpower walking around town naked.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the new reflect on dodge trait mesmers get. That’s pretty nasty for a LB user.

I assumed it was intentional until you brought it up. There have always been small oddities like this in the game, although I’m drawing a blank to think of another one off the top of my head. Lots of complex interactions between skills.

mistsim.2748:

but what if the content is actually challenging? u’d have no defense with sinister.

PvE doesn’t work like that. Anet has never put a single encounter in the game that needed a single additional point of vitality or toughness. Level 50 fractals, Arah, the Marionette, triple trouble wurm, nothing.

In PvE, damage is always mitigated by dodging and active defense like blind or aegis, and I can’t see the devs departing from that. Requiring you to invest in toughness or vitality would mean you’re taking significant unavoidable damage, and that would terrible design.

Berserker will always be guaranteed to be the standard for PvE unless HoT bumps the enemy toughness up to the point where sinister is better.

Those 2 traits are not what makes the GS so powerful with the new traits; it’s Remorseless and Quick Draw.

Another thought, since you have quite a lot of blast finishers, you could take a field of some sort. Might, weakness… or keep guard and take HS. Some interesting things to play with.

If it we’re me, I’d definitely use LR. SoS and SoR would also be good choices. PM is like SoS + LR, but having one of them would mean you don’t have to blow both your stun break and “invuln” at the same time.

Using only your heal skill almost gives you perma regen, so between all the other skills I don’t see anyone around you ever not having regen up, even if they’re cycling in and out. Whatever works for you though. Especially once the runes are fixed, I can see why you’d want Guard.

I’d be tempted to play with spike trap or MT as well, but that’s sort of out of left field.

You can kill your pet via falling damage and it won’t revive itself.

You’ll absolutely suck without your pet, but if you really don’t want him, that’s an option.

I know it’s not technically a bug… I’ve seen screenshots of people hitting over 20k per tick with no allies around. It’s definitely not intended.

Dionosio.5168:

Pvp

This is a build i’m working on, shout-based, with good teamsupport and pretty tanky, even if with still a decent damage (all this is under a big imho). Any advice would be appreciated, especially about the sigils
I placed the double drake beacuse of the aoe on swap and the damage of the F2

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-JF-8k;0sE-u-a2JDV-0;9k7Z;1a_b;0257156236;4VoG7U;1ZF18ZF180q

It seems a little wasteful, like you have too much regen; ten sources by my count. I think you could lose “guard” at the very least, since that skill is pretty crap if you already have swiftness and regen. Might be ok once the runes get fixed.

Edit: Heimskarl, you should add Brazil’s PvE build, since that is likely going to be the meta.

Interesting. That’s in the range of numbers that make it useful, although at the cost of a better pet.

Not sure how well the 5 target + regen will play together though since there is so much regen thrown around. Might be nice for WvW roaming though.

Dude, CC doesn’t do anything in PvE. Think through the intended game mode of a trait before you post something ridiculous like this.

Once they fix the condi bugs where burning hits for tens of thousands per tick, condis will still be significantly slower than direct damage for dungeons. Things just die too quickly, yes even bosses. With condis you need to apply them and then wait for the tick, but enemies are dead before the tick.

That said, I don’t think you’re going to ruin a dungeon run if you use condis anymore. It may increase the time by 50% or so, but that translate into like 4 minutes.

ProtoMarcus.7649:

build

Looks nice. So you’re using that in PvP? About what MMr are you? I know that’s intangible, but are you like r45 or consistently fighting phantaram in solo queue, etc.?

I’m actually excited to try melee ranger in PvP. There is also stronghold to think about, ESPECIALLY with RT.

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Looks nice mate!

When do you start playing again? I know you prefer melee ranger.

Anywho, those traits are literally perfect for me. I can’t even think of something else I want. But I know there are people here who have more melee ranger experience than me and and are better PvPers than me for sure since I’ve lost melee duels to a few forums members.

So I can’t wait to see what people come up with. Also in difference environments (hint hint, Frou). Can’t wait to see what she’s using in small group roaming.

Something is really whacky with burning. I’m not much of a condi guy, but from the threads and screenshots I’m seeing burning is bonkers at the moment. Some people are ticking for 12-20k per burn stack.

According to reddit, its the sole reason why everyone is exploding instantly, and poison and bleeding are ok.

I am a messenger, don’t know anything about any of this…

— Talking about WvW, but anyone using them in PvP? I’m probably going to try this weekend or so. —

I know there are several of you that are absolutely outstanding. What are you guys running? Also are you using it solo or group?

Since I’ve been running this build, I don’t think I’ve lost a single 1v1 to anything. I’m like 40-0. And yes I am absolutely bragging, these traits are carrying me hardcore.
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-J;4sE-u-p2NEF-0;9V2E;1_ab;0157137246;46wl3L;1qQjxqQjxm-FiYmgG;3fdf8gdg8hdhd-o-G-2i;9;9-F-03;9;9;9;9;0VV

I think these traits are literally perfect, there is nothing I don’t want which is weird compared to the old traits.

This is has been the huge buff to melee rangers I thought it would be. And on a related note, our mobility has increased quite a bit!

100% hell yes to BW. Many of the builds I’ve been experimenting with involve both RT and WK so QZ isn’t out of the question for quickness if that’s something critical to your concept.

I posted this in another thread: since the taunt is instantaneous, you can use it as an interrupt and cancel cast your pet F2 (something you’d want to do to get 3 controllable interrupts out of your wolf).

The taunt itself is also very powerful effectively turning every pet into a wolf. It can be doubled up to land the pet F2; for example everyone just runs slightly away when they see a drakehound howling, but the taunt brings them into the immobilize. The 2 second taunt times nicely with many of the insanely long pet cast times.

Finally, related to the previous note, something I’ve been talking about for over 24 hours but have still not tried, but am totally sure it will work; you should be able to land pet cone attacks now. For example taunt someone into a pink moa daze for massive CC.

nacario.9417:

Could u tell me why u use raven over krytan drakehound which also offers knockdown? can the birds easier make it around obstacles, or they more bursty?

GftEs and Wilting Strike most likely. They don’t have CDs, sort of like the old Intimidation Training.

Our health pool is fine if they’d bring back the PvP jewels. Right now most amulets are all or nothing. No one ever runs 100% anything in WvW, except a few glass cannon builds.

Also the condis are messed up at the moment, that’s not helping anything. People are getting 20k ticks on burning from the screenshots I’ve seen.

I don’t think you’re supposed to rate your own work, especially not a perfect score and then ask how to make it better.

It’s hard to compare the old and new traits. You can’t show in a damage formula that LB rangers can now go full glass and take full condi removal, or have lots of CC from the BM line, etc.

Maybe they put the decimal in the wrong place…

One of the devs posted that they know condis are too strong. I’m expecting a nerf in a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months.

It’s just the trait Resounding Timbre with Superior Runes of the Defender. Whatever gear you choose might might it go up or down slightly based on healing power… mine is like 340 or something.

WHaO paired with Resounding Timbre gets a 7k heal + 2 k regen every 16 seconds. I’m also using Runes of the Defender in WvW which have a shorter CD than the heal skill by a few seconds. The total is about 12k healing + swiftness and aegis every time I hit the button. Wowzers.

As good as that sounds, it’s actually completely on par with the other 2 heal skills. They’re all basically equal depending on what you need, as far as I can tell. TU provides similar healing but doesn’t require the regen to get there (in case you’re with allies have plenty already.) HS is of course the regen + waterfield + condi removal + can now be placed multiple times in prep for a fight.

Great choices to have to make.

It worked when I tried it immediately after the patch. Post in bug forum.

I just mean if you turn into an animal you’re not going to be using ranged staff attacks. Keep in mind all 5 utility skills are unique to druid.

So for example — just making kitten up — 1-5 staff are normal human skills, utilities 7, 8, and 9 are mantras that let you temporarily channel animal spirits pictured.

We only saw a single staff skill, we don’t really know anything about it. Presumably if it is a shapeshifter, you wouldn’t be shooting lightning bolts out of your wolf eyes or something. Think D2 druid shapeshifters that often used staves for melee weapons.

That said, I have 0 confidence this is a melee staff shapeshifter.

Could be:

• Shapeshifter
• Pet focused
• Just a generic image for something intangibly ranger (i.e. how do you draw CC?)

It’s called “elite specialization images” or something. Does Anet care about datamined links being posted?

There is an interesting thread on reddit about some data-mined images. It looks like it might be a shapeshifter? Perhaps using the staff as melee, like the thief and revenant seem to be.

Edit: Should clarify this is all 100% speculation, before someone goes insane.

I guess that’s why they removed Intimidation Training.

BW is amazing. And now that sic ‘em is a viable skill, I’m slaughtering thieves wholesale. They all plop down a black powder and just keep heart seekering through it to no avail. That probably won’t last long, I’ve already run into quite a few rangers using RT, although most seem to still be using Guard as their shout.

Once the other professions get their kitten together will be the final verdict though. I ran into a thief who was very close to 1-shotting gaurds in WvW. No idea what he was running, but it was terrifying.

Chokolata.1870:

People are experimenting right now, but WS line is the one that is really set in stone for PvP or WvW.

I think that eventually we will settle for WS, NM and BM lines.

Oakheart salve, Deadly Toxins, Wilderness Mastery, quickness on 50% hp, evasive purity, protection trait, GftE, Wilting strike and Quickening zephyr.

Samesies. Even running a zerk melee build I wound up using similar traits. The gear change is kind of weird; at first I was excited about being able to take non-defensive traits and actually do damage, but in zerker gear you’re just too fragile. Remorseless will be tough to fit into a lot of my build ideas.

This is mostly WvW for me, I go through phases of not playing any PvP at all.

Yup, tool tip error, that threw me for a loop at first as well.

slingblade.1437:

I tested it about an hour ago and it seemed to be working for me. I was in PVE.

I didn’t see anything in PvE. Were you getting heals from regen, food, or SotW maybe?

Same damage coefficient, it’s just the traits are different. Old traits that gave % damage now give other bonuses. Overall it’s a sizable buff.

Sagat.3285:

Can we get a TDM please?

Tiny Dirty Mattress?

Fluffball.8307:

Atherakhia.4086:

Someone post their power and the amount on their tooltip and do the math…

2142 power, tooltip says 3250. That checks out I think, same damage coefficient of 3.75 (using ascended LB.)

Jasher.6580:

It does feel significantly weaker. It could be a bug.

It’s lost % damage bonuses. You can probably more than make up the difference with the new traits like remorseless, extra might from a bunch of sources, quick draw, etc.

Phaeton.9582:

Chokolata.1870:

Please make the Ranger off hand training range increase baseline. Dagger, torch and axe OH are horrible without it. I think this has been an oversight.

It’s a WS master trait. The new skirmishing GM should work nicely with torch also.

That trait increases your condi damage, not the range or bonfire radius.

Atherakhia.4086:

Someone post their power and the amount on their tooltip and do the math…

2142 power, tooltip says 3250. That checks out I think, same damage coefficient of 3.75 (using ascended LB.)

SkiTz.4590:

The patch just released LITERALLY HOURS ago… wait and see dude, what on earth is the point of trying to post a freaking thread about viability literally HOURS after a patch…?

Your timing is a bit off. This thread was made over 16 hours ago, well before the patch.

I’m thinking pink moa. Decent AoE heal + daze that can actually land sounds good.

Xaylin.1860:

I haven’t used HS for quite a while… Did it always stack such a disturbing amount of Regeneration?

Yes, it pulses it so if you stand in it you get a bunch.