The Bushes Bar, Grill, and Taxidermist: The Ranger [Discussion]

[Fencers]

Mind if I ask what builds y'all are rocking for short bow? I just learned my latest trait manual so now would be a good time for me to try something new.

Currently, link.

It gives me access to longbow & greatword talents. Two weapons I use a lot for DE zerg farming.

I am cheap. I don't like to pay for respecs.

[Deleted]

Oh well I'm saying we currently deal MORE damage with shortbow by just spamming one then using 2 on CD...

That just simply can't be true, volley is a high dmg dot it only takes the main attack away for a split second and if you use it close up lasts for 10seconds or someso.

[Durzlla]

That just simply can't be true, volley is a high dmg dot it only takes the main attack away for a split second and if you use it close up lasts for 10seconds or someso.

I clearly don't know what i'm talking about when it comes to shortbow (i've used it like 5 times lol?) so i'm going to go with the people on the official forums are just stupid and everything they say from now on shall be considered false...

[Fencers]

Guys, get rid of the terminology "spam 1". Unless a player takes the default #1 skill off auto fire, it is an automatic process. The reason why auto fire is so important in GW2 is because the combat is predicated on optimal positioning & stickiness.

As a Ranger with shortbow you'd actually be spamming 2. So as to keep poison volley on CD every 8 seconds or whatever.

[Deleted]

Guys, get rid of the terminology "spam 1". Unless a player takes the default #1 skill off auto fire, it is an automatic process. The reason why auto fire is so important in GW2 is because the combat is predicated on optimal positioning & stickiness.

As a Ranger with shortbow you'd actually would be spamming 2. So as to keep poison volley on CD every 8 seconds or whatever.

Exactly, and also the dot is something like 5times (or more?) the physical dmg of the shot over 2seconds with a 9s CD on volley, if fired up close it doesn't stack in dmg however it does stack in duration so you get 10s if close enough, aka all things optimal you would be having poision up permanently on the target.

It simply has to be a huge dmg boost.

[Durzlla]

Guys, get rid of the terminology "spam 1". Unless a player takes the default #1 skill off auto fire, it is an automatic process. The reason why auto fire is so important in GW2 is because the combat is predicated on optimal positioning & stickiness.

As a Ranger with shortbow you'd actually be spamming 2. So as to keep poison volley on CD every 8 seconds or whatever.

Well i don't use auto attack on anything but ele (i have enough other buttons to press on my ele) so, i do spam 1...

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 07:08 PM ----------

Exactly, and also the dot is something like 5times (or more?) the physical dmg of the shot over 2seconds with a 9s CD on volley, if fired up close it doesn't stack in dmg however it does stack in duration so you get 10s if close enough, aka all things optimal you would be having poision up permanently on the target.

It simply has to be a huge dmg boost.

Don't forget that poison butchers healing that target receives...

[Lane]

Okay, I am really bad at math and trying to figure out skill damage, especially the way it's laid out in GW2. I'm trying to figure out which 3 "traps" (one of them technically isn't a trap) are the best out of 4 options: Spike Trap, Flame Trap, Viper's Nest, and Shrapnel Mine.

I usually load up my bar with traps during events and AoE situations and I'm just wondering what's the most bang for the buck given the limited slot skill space?

[Deleted]

Okay, I am really bad at math and trying to figure out skill damage, especially the way it's laid out in GW2. I'm trying to figure out which 3 "traps" (one of them technically isn't a trap) are the best out of 4 options: Spike Trap, Flame Trap, Viper's Nest, and Shrapnel Mine.

I usually load up my bar with traps during events and AoE situations and I'm just wondering what's the most bang for the buck given the limited slot skill space?

I could be totally off here cause I haven't really read up on anything about GW2 from players that look more deeply into stuff, but it seems to me anything with fire tends to do more dmg with the downside of some mobs being immune to fire.

[Valeron]

Fire has the most damage but has the shortest duration and can't be stacked (it only resets the length of the burning).

[Fencers]

Way better off using the aoe on Axe/Torch than loading up on traps. Hopefully your flip weapon is a bow with Arrow Piercing. So all you have to do is use free aim to AOE bleed most zerg mobs in like 1/s. For open world stuff, natch.

In dungeons, Axe/Warhorn is a slightly better kit than Axe/Torch. Though the latter is not too shabby, tbh.

The optimal Ranger trap is the one with shortest CD & highest damage per tick: Fire Trap.

[Lane]

Way better off using the aoe on Axe/Torch than loading up on traps. Hopefully your flip weapon is a bow with Arrow Piercing. So all you have to do is use free aim to AOE bleed most zerg mobs in like 1/s. For open world stuff, natch.

In dungeons, Axe/Warhorn is a slightly better kit than Axe/Torch. Though the latter is not too shabby, tbh.

The optimal Ranger trap is the one with shortest CD & highest damage per tick: Fire Trap.

I forgot about piercing. (I have it, just forgot about it. :P) And for some reason it never even occurred to me to use torch. x_X I've been using warhorn, mostly for the speed boost.

I guess I'll have to play around with it. Throwing down traps everywhere has thus far been really effective, especially when mobs are all over the place. What about Sharpening Stone + Poison Volley with piercing?

[Fencers]

Throw down that torch bonfire skill and stand in it while firing off axe #1 with quickening zephyr up. Faceroll your way to hundreds of gold and a full karma set in a week.

Conversely, torch #5 is also great for single target if using a bow. Torch #5 -> Ra1-> QZ/SS -> Longbow #3, 2, 1. Profit as one of the hardest hitting combos in the game. Only a Thief will out do you.

[Lane]

Torch #5 -> Ra1-> QZ/SS -> Longbow #3, 2, 1.

Nice. I caught all of that except Ra1?

Also, what pet(s) do you use/recommend? I haven't played with many of them. The Pink Moa could be the most OP pet out there and I wouldn't know it. :P

[Fencers]

Rampage as One. Elite skill.

Brown bear for solo, raven for blind. Any ranged pet/raven for dungeons. Cats are good but fragile.

Rainbow jellyfish/armored fish for underwater.

[Deleted]

Rampage as One. Elite skill.

Brown bear for solo, raven for blind. Any ranged pet/raven for dungeons. Cats are good but fragile.

Rainbow jellyfish/armored fish for underwater.

Blind is nice and ravens are even worth using for looks alone but it's worth noting that both eagle and hawk have a pretty powerful bleed on a very short CD (6s) and it now hits almost instantly wich it never did before so they fixed that.

[Kelimbror]

I realize no one has posted in this thread for some time, but this is the ranger thread...

Can anyone explain all the hate for the greatsword ranger? I've read a couple sparse threads on the main site about how awful it is, but I just started using it @lvl 40 and I'm loving it. It does just as much damage as anything else except that for clumps of melee mobs it far better for AOE.

Is it just at max level that the bow builds are far superior, especially considering how much easier it is to be ranged on higher events/dungeons?

[Deleted]

I realize no one has posted in this thread for some time, but this is the ranger thread...

Can anyone explain all the hate for the greatsword ranger? I've read a couple sparse threads on the main site about how awful it is, but I just started using it @lvl 40 and I'm loving it. It does just as much damage as anything else except that for clumps of melee mobs it far better for AOE.

Is it just at max level that the bow builds are far superior, especially considering how much easier it is to be ranged on higher events/dungeons?

I dont know where the hate is coming from either. Using a lowbow and greatsword atm, the greatsword generaly does more damage and im spec'd for bow damage. But the bow lets me have alot more security. But yea for fast aoe i just switch to the GS and win

[Meledelion]

The GS hate comes mainly from PvE (dungeon) players. GS is a defensive weapon (gazillion evades on auto attack+block+daze. This makes it very subpar for PvE (you want dps).

I'm not certain of the skill mods otherwise I'd be 100% certain about the next statement: "you rely on 2skills to dps and your auto attack is very weak".

Also there is no way to "spec for bow dmg" as there are no ranger talents that specifically increase Bow dmg (unless you're using a longbow which is a whole lot of fail in itself but that wasn't the question...).

If you really want to aoe there are two (or three depending on how you look at it) ways of aoeing. Longbow 5 (very strong actually) and traps + axe 5 ofcourse you should be using a drake pet now.. GS is the only weapon that cleaves (sword might but I'm not sure...) which is handy but the problem is that the attacks that do cleave hit for nothing. You're better off just rapidly spiking stuff with your sb/pet combo (birds or cats) since they do far more damage.

[Kelimbror]

I dont know where the hate is coming from either. Using a lowbow and greatsword atm, the greatsword generaly does more damage and im spec'd for bow damage. But the bow lets me have alot more security. But yea for fast aoe i just switch to the GS and win

That has been my experience as well. I actually used the shortbow b/c as much as everyone says longbow is top damage, it woefully underperforms for me while leveling for me and I am spec'd for bows as well. Since I got a decent greatsword I've been running GS/Shortbow and it feels much better than anything I've played so far. I feel like if I reinvested points towards survivability and sword damage I would be more efficient (at leveling anyways).

---------- Post added 2013-04-11 at 10:19 AM ----------

Also there is no way to "spec for bow dmg" as there are no ranger talents that specifically increase Bow dmg (unless you're using a longbow which is a whole lot of fail in itself but that wasn't the question...).

I believe there is also a trait for shortbows combined with some other weapon...maybe it was shortbows and axes, but I can't remember atm.

And what you said might pan out in dungeons or max level, but I haven't shared any of those experiences in solo leveling play. The aoe on longbow is pretty miserable, it feels like throwing noodles at them. And this is with all weapon dps being about the same, so it's not like I have a horrible longbow and awesome everything else.

Does shortbow with piercing arrows actually 'turn' into an aoe? If so, does it apply the bleed to everything it hits or just the first target? If it stacks the bleed with piercing, then that seems far superior to anything for aoe at range, just from auto attacks.

[Meledelion]

AFAIK there only is a 5% dmg buff for longbows and 20% recharge reduction on both SB and LB.

For solo leveling/exploring it really doesn't matter what you run since your pet will solo everything anyway.
The AoE on longbow actually is one of the hardest hitting skills in the game.

And yes, piercing arrows works the way you think, remember though that you need to be flanking for SB bleeds to apply.