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[Solved] Do you guys have some advice for a beginning Soulbeast ranger for allround gameplay?


Speedylord.2798

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Hi guys!Not so long ago I fell in love with GW2, I love the game and it's community and I'm really glad I discovered the game, however I ran into some "problems" with my ranger recently! Lvl'ing up was really fun but now that I've hit Lv. 80 and I'm trying to do endgame content, I'm having a tough time figuring out a solid build that has some survivability and some ok damage or support.At the moment I have only one character, a human male ranger at Lv. 80, and I'm desperate for some help for my build! Here's some info about my character and gameplay:

What content will I be doing and how will I obtain gear?I will be doing general exploration (Core tyria, Maguuma Jungle and Crystal desert as well) and dungeons. I will try to do WvW and Fractals once my ranger is geared up for the task. I'm planning on getting some ascended gear by crafting as soon as possible, but for the forseeable future I will be doing dungeons to obtain some dungeon currencies to trade for exotic gear with the Dungeon Merchant.

My build at the momentFor some time now I've been using a Core ranger with the following specializations: "Beastmastery", "Skirmishing" and "Marksmanship".BeastmasteryFirst trait I chose was "Potent Ally", a simple trait for stacking Might.Second trait I chose was "Wilting Strike", a trait where my Beast inflicts weakness.Third trait I chose was "Beastly Warden", which taunts foes.MarksmanshipFirst trait is "Clarion Bond", which stacks some nice boons like Fury, Might and Swiftness.Second trait I use is "farsighted", it basically increases my weaponskill damage.Third one is "Lead The Wind", which let my arrows pierce and it reduces my Longbow skill's recharge.SkirmishingFirst one is "Sharpened Edges", it inflicts bleeding.Second one is "Spotter", it increases my precision by a value of +100.My third trait is "Quick Draw", which recharges the next weapon skill I use faster.

My future SpecializationI'm beginning a Soulbeast build however, as seen on the URL (Some quick notes I have with the integrated URL: I didn't select any gear because I don't have any endlevel equipment yet; You will see that I didn't select the 2nd and 3rd Soulbeast Trait, because I haven't unlocked them yet, I don't have enoguh Hero points but I'm gonna gather them :D). I'm starting Soulbeast because I find it a rather interesting specialization:)!

My weapons of choiceI mainly use a Longbow, I know it isn't the best weapon but I really like to use it so I'm tempted to keep it. I've used Axe/Axe and Sword/axe in the past but right now I'm using Dagger/Axe (I cannot handle Greatsword that good).

The futureNow I was wondering, can anyone help/give me advice for making an allround build with Soulbeast and preferably a longbow in mind? Which stats on armor, trinkets, weapons should I be looking for and which sigils & runes should I be trying to obtain? Almost every guide I've seen so far says Berserker but at the moment I get downed A LOT because of a lack of Toughness or Vitality.

A huge thx in advance y'all:)!!

(P.S. How can you achieve 200 Hero Points to use for completing an elite specialization ehe?)

Speedylordhttp://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAT4XnUqAtCiFsAOsActgl9Ab52FAObPdgm3yLf9yJvRqpA

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While you are unlocking soulbeast completely, add the following to your routine:Daily Fractals until t3 in lfg => asc trinkets, weps, armorJoin Triple trouble event => asc gearJoin Tequatl event => asc gearRanked pvp => get grandmaster marks for armorIf u got living world seasons, do them, they'll give asc trinkets

After accumulating asc weps and armor, u can stat change them

But based on the situation, soulbeast must equip berserker to even get accepted in endgame content... U must get to know when to avoid and when to engage... And in group instanced content, there'll be a dedicated support/healer so you won't be punished hard for your little mistakes...

While doing the above events, your skill grows and u'll be aware of most things and start to escape, avoid damage... Then equipping a berserker gear won't bother you much...The trick is to add the berserker gear one by one to your character as you get them, so you naturally get tuned to avoid getting downed most of the times... My suggestion... Don't craft ascended gears... Grind and get them as drops one by one... Maybe for the last piece consider crafting... I never crafted my full asc set. Instead I stat changed every piece of the gear

The problem is... Endgame pve content right now favors other classes like Chrono, guardian, warrior, ... For sustained dps/damage... Soulbeast is still in baseline in terms of sustained dps... To consider it viable and being acceptable by others in t4 fracs and raids, u must equip berserker stats...

If you wish to go competitive play, you need not worry much about gears and stats except a lil bit in wvw...

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Atfirst I felt so sad to ditch longbow... since my first legy is kudzu and all... but it's unavoidable... Keep longbow in your inventory for special cases... Try using greatsword and axe variations... If you feel you have a badtime escaping, try setting up "disable autotargeting" keybind and use it with greatsword skill3 swoop to get away from enemies and heal and reengage... Also try jacaranda if you want max healing and max pet DPS for pve but switch away from it once you get comfortable then use DPS and CC pets like rock gazelle or DPS and escape pets like eagle ?

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@Speedylord.2798 said:I will be doing general exploration (Core tyria, Maguuma Jungle and Crystal desert as well) and dungeons. I will try to do WvW and Fractals once my ranger is geared up for the task. I'm planning on getting some ascended gear by crafting as soon as possible, but for the forseeable future I will be doing dungeons to obtain some dungeon currencies to trade for exotic gear with the Dungeon Merchant.

Crafting ascended is a long and expensive process, and probably won't help your first toon much. Stick with Exos. They are more than enough for most content. You are forced to use ascended only in higher tier fractals. Up to T2, even to T3, you can stick on ascended trinkets, no need for asc weapons & armor yet. Ascended trinkets:

Rings: buy with fractal relics, ones with core stats are pretty cheap. You need 2. Attune & infuse when you can.Accessories: Buy with guild commendations, earned from guild missions. It wont take long, it is almost 1:1 ratio (1 mission run for 1 trinket), and you only need 2.

Don't buy amulet (from laurel vendors). Amulet has no infusion slot, so Exo amulet is just fine for all purposes, if you have one. Backpacks are harder process, easiest one is to farm Bitterfrost Frontier for one.

@Speedylord.2798 said:(P.S. How can you achieve 200 Hero Points to use for completing an elite specialization ehe?)

HoT & PoF hero challenges give you 10 points per challenge. PoF is more beginner-friendly in this matter. Three first PoF maps (Crystal Oasis, Desert Highlands and Elon Riverlands) have 20 challenges and give you 200 hero points. Besides they are generally bit easier than HoT ones, and you usually have people around to help you with them.

@Speedylord.2798 said:Lvl'ing up was really fun but now that I've hit Lv. 80 and I'm trying to do endgame content, I'm having a tough time figuring out a solid build that has some survivability and some ok damage or support.

First, use greatsword. It's best part is evade frame in auto attack chain, and it has block and stun, and heavy hitting Maul. Moreover, it is one of most commonly used tools on ranger in all game modes, for example popular GS + x/Axe.

If you want more survivability, consider slotting "Wilderness Survival". One of the big thing here is that (1) evade gives you protection, and (2) protection (from any source) heals you, so (3) evade gives you protection and heals you. From Beastmastery, take Resounding Timber, that makes your shouts to heal you. Take two-handed and start using GS. Another defensive trait line is nature's magic. I think that most of the time I have ran with some combination having Wilderness Survival and Beastmastery combined to some other line.

Even thought people want you to wear full Berskerker when you go to T4 fractals and raids, you really do not have to stick with those at first (no-one expects you to run full-zerker in T1, T2, not even T3 fractals), and basically never in open world nor in WvW. Full-zerker DPS is meant for groups. I am not saying that you couldnt run full-zerker in open world, just that you dont have to stick with that. For example, WvWers usually prefer Marauder instead of Berserker. You can also mix in e.g. some soldier pieces if you can not yet make marauder. My most common ranger builds have zerker trinkets and marauder armor for WvW roaming, and that is the set I use in open world, its a build very similar to this:

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Soulbeast_-Sic%27Em_Roamer

For fractals I have berskerker armor swappies (with different runes).

Anyways, just dont go to extremes when adding health and toughness. Necros and mesmers can do that (e.g. dire, apothecary, shaman, trailblazer and similar gears), but ranger cant. Too tanky builds teach you bad habits, and missing too much DPS makes content harder, even impossible, not easier.

@Speedylord.2798 said:I mainly use a Longbow, I know it isn't the best weapon but I really like to use it so I'm tempted to keep it. I've used Axe/Axe and Sword/axe in the past but right now I'm using Dagger/Axe (I cannot handle Greatsword that good).

Yes, longbow is really not a good choice for PvE. It's purpose in PvP side is - or has been - its utility (push, stealth), not that much its damage. GS + x/Axe is currently very solid choice for close all ranger DPS builds.

@Speedylord.2798 said:Now I was wondering, can anyone help/give me advice for making an allround build with Soulbeast and preferably a longbow in mind? Which stats on armor, trinkets, weapons should I be looking for and which sigils & runes should I be trying to obtain? Almost every guide I've seen so far says Berserker but at the moment I get downed A LOT because of a lack of Toughness or Vitality.

Yes, full-zerker is for high-end PvE group content only: it's only for T4 fractals and raids. Really, for open world when you are alone and you need to be self-sufficient to certain extent, tailor your build for that. Like said: marauder is 1:1 replacement for zerker in WvW (which is high end end-game content, but not PvE). You can mix in soldier pieces if you can't yet get marauder. You most probably will always have swap sets: one set for open world, and several sets to other game modes and roles (fractals, raids and WvW).

There is currently no meta core ranger builds for open world. But don't be afraid: before metabattle had its own open world section, I tailored my open world builds from PvP and WvW roaming builds. Currently there is PvP power survival build for PvP, check this out:

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Ranger_-_Power_Survival

What you usually want tailor when fitting PvP builds to PvE side, is that PvP builds are designed against moving targets pressuring you all the time. At PvE side you can tune down CC, anti-CC, condi cleanses and such. You also dont need as much mobility, and you don't need ranged pressure against kiting.

I hope this helps!

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My only advice( since people above mentioned some of the stuff already) is do not box yourself into using one set of weapons. Each game mode has it's weapon flavors. Also, GW2 implementation of weapons means your weapon skills change too, which means different playstyles. Just bear in mind do you want power or condi route, as it is somehow harder to readjust later.

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@Crystal Paladin.3871 said:While you are unlocking soulbeast completely, add the following to your routine:Daily Fractals until t3 in lfg => asc trinkets, weps, armorJoin Triple trouble event => asc gearJoin Tequatl event => asc gearRanked pvp => get grandmaster marks for armorIf u got living world seasons, do them, they'll give asc trinkets

After accumulating asc weps and armor, u can stat change them

But based on the situation, soulbeast must equip berserker to even get accepted in endgame content... U must get to know when to avoid and when to engage... And in group instanced content, there'll be a dedicated support/healer so you won't be punished hard for your little mistakes...

While doing the above events, your skill grows and u'll be aware of most things and start to escape, avoid damage... Then equipping a berserker gear won't bother you much...The trick is to add the berserker gear one by one to your character as you get them, so you naturally get tuned to avoid getting downed most of the times... My suggestion... Don't craft ascended gears... Grind and get them as drops one by one... Maybe for the last piece consider crafting... I never crafted my full asc set. Instead I stat changed every piece of the gear

The problem is... Endgame pve content right now favors other classes like Chrono, guardian, warrior, ... For sustained dps/damage... Soulbeast is still in baseline in terms of sustained dps... To consider it viable and being acceptable by others in t4 fracs and raids, u must equip berserker stats...

If you wish to go competitive play, you need not worry much about gears and stats except a lil bit in wvw...

I will add them to my routine! I will gather asc by Fractals and events! I didn't know crafting was the hard way to do it ehe! Thx for the trick, so it's recommended to use in the beginning something like marauder stats and when I reach the point where I unlock ascendend gear I can swap the stats to Berserker for the high end endgame content, right? I'm not an expert in evading and dodging, but that's something that will come with time I suppose:)! How does the swapping stats thing with ascended gear work? Do you need to create runes or is it without any "cost"?

@Crystal Paladin.3871 said:Atfirst I felt so sad to ditch longbow... since my first legy is kudzu and all... but it's unavoidable... Keep longbow in your inventory for special cases... Try using greatsword and axe variations... If you feel you have a badtime escaping, try setting up "disable autotargeting" keybind and use it with greatsword skill3 swoop to get away from enemies and heal and reengage... Also try jacaranda if you want max healing and max pet DPS for pve but switch away from it once you get comfortable then use DPS and CC pets like rock gazelle or DPS and escape pets like eagle ?

Yeah I had come to the same realisation unfortunately... But it can be a third weapon for occasional use like you say. I'll try to use Greatsword, but I'm not 100 percent sure which Axe variation I should use, Dagger/axe looks tempting because of the great dagger you get when unlocking Soulbeast; Sword/axe is the one I use now and it does ok damage; and Axe/Axe looks fun as well, especially because that's the only real ranged replacement for the longbow, and I chose ranger because it has the ability to do ranged damage so yeah... Which Axe variation do you suggest?

@Crystal Paladin.3871 said:

@Speedylord.2798 said:(P.S. How can you achieve 200 Hero Points to use for completing an elite specialization ehe?)

For this... You can follow a HP train group in lfg ... Preferably HOT maps I think...

Edit: HOT maps got the max hero points of all ... 400 hero points

I'll do LFG!

A huge thx for all the advice Crystal Paladin, you helped a lot:D!!

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@InsaneQR.7412 said:Keep in mind that raw dmg scales with power and conditions like bleed poison etc. Scale with condi dmg.Weapons that inflict condi dmg often lack power.So instead if sharpened edges I would use primal reflexes instead.Otherwise pretty standard.

Ok! Yeah, the trait that inflicts bleeding isn't that good when you look at my condition stats, I'll set it to Primal Reflexes when slotting Skirmishing instead! Thanks:)

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@"TamX.1870" said:

Crafting ascended is a long and expensive process, and probably won't help your first toon much. Stick with Exos. They are more than enough for most content. You are forced to use ascended only in higher tier fractals. Up to T2, even to T3, you can stick on ascended trinkets, no need for asc weapons & armor yet. Ascended trinkets:

Rings: buy with fractal relics, ones with core stats are pretty cheap. You need 2. Attune & infuse when you can.Accessories: Buy with guild commendations, earned from guild missions. It wont take long, it is almost 1:1 ratio (1 mission run for 1 trinket), and you only need 2.

Don't buy amulet (from laurel vendors). Amulet has no infusion slot, so Exo amulet is just fine for all purposes, if you have one. Backpacks are harder process, easiest one is to farm Bitterfrost Frontier for one.

I stick to exotic gear then! What does infusing and attuning do? I'll do some guild missions, and for the exotic amulet and backpack, which stats should I get, berserker for all the trinkets?

HoT & PoF hero challenges give you 10 points per challenge. PoF is more beginner-friendly in this matter. Three first PoF maps (Crystal Oasis, Desert Highlands and Elon Riverlands) have 20 challenges and give you 200 hero points. Besides they are generally bit easier than HoT ones, and you usually have people around to help you with them.

O that's nice, I didn't know they gave 10 points! I'm making a lot of progress with the HP's now:)!

First, use greatsword. It's best part is evade frame in auto attack chain, and it has block and stun, and heavy hitting Maul. Moreover, it is one of most commonly used tools on ranger in all game modes, for example popular GS + x/Axe.

I'll slot Greatsword! But for the Axe variation, should I slot Dagger/Axe, Sword/Axe or Axe/Axe? Unlcoking soulbeast gave me a nice dagger, but because I probably have to change my Longbow I thought Axe/Axe could be nice as well given it's still ranged and that's what the ranger stands for:)! Sword/axe is what i'm using right now and I like it but it's not something I think I would keep after slotting Greatsword.

If you want more survivability, consider slotting "Wilderness Survival". One of the big thing here is that (1) evade gives you protection, and (2) protection (from any source) heals you, so (3) evade gives you protection and heals you. From Beastmastery, take Resounding Timber, that makes your shouts to heal you. Take two-handed and start using GS. Another defensive trait line is nature's magic. I think that most of the time I have ran with some combination having Wilderness Survival and Beastmastery combined to some other line.

Even thought people want you to wear full Berskerker when you go to T4 fractals and raids, you really do not have to stick with those at first (no-one expects you to run full-zerker in T1, T2, not even T3 fractals), and basically never in open world nor in WvW. Full-zerker DPS is meant for groups. I am not saying that you couldnt run full-zerker in open world, just that you dont have to stick with that. For example, WvWers usually prefer Marauder instead of Berserker. You can also mix in e.g. some soldier pieces if you can not yet make marauder. My most common ranger builds have zerker trinkets and marauder armor for WvW roaming, and that is the set I use in open world, its a build very similar to this:

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Soulbeast_-Sic%27Em_Roamer

For fractals I have berskerker armor swappies (with different runes).

Anyways, just dont go to extremes when adding health and toughness. Necros and mesmers can do that (e.g. dire, apothecary, shaman, trailblazer and similar gears), but ranger cant. Too tanky builds teach you bad habits, and missing too much DPS makes content harder, even impossible, not easier.

Thx for the warning, I'll try not to add too much toughness and stuff! (I was about to do that so thx for letting me know:))

@Speedylord.2798 said:I mainly use a Longbow, I know it isn't the best weapon but I really like to use it so I'm tempted to keep it. I've used Axe/Axe and Sword/axe in the past but right now I'm using Dagger/Axe (I cannot handle Greatsword that good).

Yes, longbow is really not a good choice for PvE. It's purpose in PvP side is - or has been - its utility (push, stealth), not that much its damage. GS + x/Axe is currently very solid choice for close all ranger DPS builds.

@Speedylord.2798 said:Now I was wondering, can anyone help/give me advice for making an allround build with Soulbeast and preferably a longbow in mind? Which stats on armor, trinkets, weapons should I be looking for and which sigils & runes should I be trying to obtain? Almost every guide I've seen so far says Berserker but at the moment I get downed A LOT because of a lack of Toughness or Vitality.

Yes, full-zerker is for
high-end
PvE
group
content only: it's only for T4 fractals and raids. Really, for open world when you are alone and you need to be self-sufficient to certain extent, tailor your build for that. Like said: marauder is 1:1 replacement for zerker in WvW (which is high end end-game content, but not PvE). You can mix in soldier pieces if you can't yet get marauder. You most probably will always have swap sets: one set for open world, and several sets to other game modes and roles (fractals, raids and WvW).

There is currently no meta core ranger builds for open world. But don't be afraid: before metabattle had its own open world section, I tailored my open world builds from PvP and WvW roaming builds. Currently there is PvP power survival build for PvP, check this out:

What you usually want tailor when fitting PvP builds to PvE side, is that PvP builds are designed against moving targets pressuring you all the time. At PvE side you can tune down CC, anti-CC, condi cleanses and such. You also dont need as much mobility, and you don't need ranged pressure against kiting.

I hope this helps!

First of all, you're an amazing help! Second, so I'm thinking of doing that Sic' em Roamer build you linked which has Wilderness Survival and like you said that would be a great choice for better survivability! the build does use a Longbow, and based on the advice about longbow, do you suggest to change that longbow for an Axe variation (if so, should it be dagger/axe or Axe/Axe?) or should I keep it?I gonna do my trinkets with Berserker stats and my armor will be Marauder (I'll take a look which dungeon I should do for Marauder/soldier Stats) But should I do my weapons with marauder or should I leave them Berserker? When I begin with fractals in the future I'll slot some Berserker gear! What kind of runes do you suggest for a build like the Wildernes survival Soulbeast one?Also I heard a lot about that Rock Gazelle, will it work with this particular build
?

When doing Core Ranger I'll definitely try the PvP one out! It can keep me alive with that Suvivability :)!

For real thx so much!!

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@Atronach.8520 said:My only advice( since people above mentioned some of the stuff already) is do not box yourself into using one set of weapons. Each game mode has it's weapon flavors. Also, GW2 implementation of weapons means your weapon skills change too, which means different playstyles. Just bear in mind do you want power or condi route, as it is somehow harder to readjust later.

So It could be handy to change weapons for the various modes? I think I'm going for the power route since my traits will benefit from that more I think:)! Thx for the weaponswapping tip!!

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@Speedylord.2798 said:I stick to exotic gear then! What does infusing and attuning do? I'll do some guild missions, and for the exotic amulet and backpack, which stats should I get, berserker for all the trinkets?

Infusing & attuning add infusion slots to rings. It helps reaching required AR for higher tier fractals. Berserker is always solid choice for power-based DPSers.

@Speedylord.2798 said:I'll slot Greatsword! But for the Axe variation, should I slot Dagger/Axe, Sword/Axe or Axe/Axe? Unlcoking soulbeast gave me a nice dagger, but because I probably have to change my Longbow I thought Axe/Axe could be nice as well given it's still ranged and that's what the ranger stands for:)! Sword/axe is what i'm using right now and I like it but it's not something I think I would keep after slotting Greatsword.

Dagger, sword and axe are all good with of hand axe, but they have slightly different purposes. At open world it really don't matter much, pick the one you like.

@Speedylord.2798 said:First of all, you're an amazing help! Second, so I'm thinking of doing that Sic' em Roamer build you linked which has Wilderness Survival and like you said that would be a great choice for better survivability! the build does use a Longbow, and based on the advice about longbow, do you suggest to change that longbow for an Axe variation (if so, should it be dagger/axe or Axe/Axe?) or should I keep it?

Like I said, many PvP side ranger builds have longbow, because of its utility value. It is bad choice for fractals and raids. In open world, you really don't need the utility longbow gives you against moving targets and kiting, but on the other hand, it won't hurt that much either. Although rangers usually tend to love their longbows, I'd still recommend to slot GS instead of that. But true, it's a worth of long debate, which two you choose from LB, GS and x/Axe.

You don't need to stick in details at this point. You will eventually find what game mode you like most, and you tailor your build for that purpose.

@Speedylord.2798 said:I gonna do my trinkets with Berserker stats and my armor will be Marauder (I'll take a look which dungeon I should do for Marauder/soldier Stats) But should I do my weapons with marauder or should I leave them Berserker? When I begin with fractals in the future I'll slot some Berserker gear! What kind of runes do you suggest for a build like the Wildernes survival Soulbeast one?

Leave weapons berserker. I think only option for Marauder gears are crafting, or acquiring stat-selectable pieces from PvP/WvW. Get berserker, and slot in some soldier pieces to get your health where you want them to be. It's cheaper, you then already have some berserker pieces, and you can later get rid from soldier pieces if you want. If you go to WvW, that is then different story, of course. Then you might want to invest more to marauder and such pieces.

My main point was: you need to understand what fractal meta builds are. In this case, they are builds designed to maximize DPS output against fractal mobs, and they are designed to work with certain team compositions, and certain level of experience by yourself, and your team. There is absolutely nothing wrong to use them in open world (and many experienced players do that, because they are familiar with content), but for less experienced people there are more forgiving options available from traits, and you can also tune your open world build by swapping some pieces to give you bit more protection.

I can't say much about runes. I think I go with Durability runes with my WvW roaming build, and haven't felt it necessary to slot other runes for open world.

@Speedylord.2798 said:Also I heard a lot about that Rock Gazelle, will it work with this particular build https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Soulbeast_-Sic%27Em_Roamer?

Yes, rock gazelle works with most ranger builds, but of course you don't need to stick on certain pets. Try them out and pick the ones that fit best to your purposes.

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Don't camp beastmode indefinitely. It's good to stay for a while or to save your pet, etc, but don't just camp it forever. You 'can', but generally what you want to do is combo with your pets stronger attacks.

Say the wolf's KD. Let your wolf do their KD, then merge, then use the KD again. Some pets do even greater breakbar damage. With proper timing you can take an entire CC bar down by yourself.

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@TamX.1870 said:

@Speedylord.2798 said:I stick to exotic gear then! What does infusing and attuning do? I'll do some guild missions, and for the exotic amulet and backpack, which stats should I get, berserker for all the trinkets?

Infusing & attuning add infusion slots to rings. It helps reaching required AR for higher tier fractals. Berserker is always solid choice for power-based DPSers.

@Speedylord.2798 said:I'll slot Greatsword! But for the Axe variation, should I slot Dagger/Axe, Sword/Axe or Axe/Axe? Unlcoking soulbeast gave me a nice dagger, but because I probably have to change my Longbow I thought Axe/Axe could be nice as well given it's still ranged and that's what the ranger stands for:)! Sword/axe is what i'm using right now and I like it but it's not something I think I would keep after slotting Greatsword.

Dagger, sword and axe are all good with of hand axe, but they have slightly different purposes. At open world it really don't matter much, pick the one you like.

@Speedylord.2798 said:First of all, you're an amazing help! Second, so I'm thinking of doing that Sic' em Roamer build you linked which has Wilderness Survival and like you said that would be a great choice for better survivability! the build does use a Longbow, and based on the advice about longbow, do you suggest to change that longbow for an Axe variation (if so, should it be dagger/axe or Axe/Axe?) or should I keep it?

Like I said, many PvP side ranger builds have longbow, because of its utility value. It is bad choice for fractals and raids. In open world, you really don't need the utility longbow gives you against moving targets and kiting, but on the other hand, it won't hurt that much either. Although rangers usually tend to love their longbows, I'd still recommend to slot GS instead of that. But true, it's a worth of long debate, which two you choose from LB, GS and x/Axe.

You don't need to stick in details at this point. You will eventually find what game mode you like most, and you tailor your build for that purpose.

@Speedylord.2798 said:I gonna do my trinkets with Berserker stats and my armor will be Marauder (I'll take a look which dungeon I should do for Marauder/soldier Stats) But should I do my weapons with marauder or should I leave them Berserker? When I begin with fractals in the future I'll slot some Berserker gear! What kind of runes do you suggest for a build like the Wildernes survival Soulbeast one?

Leave weapons berserker. I think only option for Marauder gears are crafting, or acquiring stat-selectable pieces from PvP/WvW. Get berserker, and slot in some soldier pieces to get your health where you want them to be. It's cheaper, you then already have some berserker pieces, and you can later get rid from soldier pieces if you want. If you go to WvW, that is then different story, of course. Then you might want to invest more to marauder and such pieces.

My main point was: you need to understand what fractal meta builds are. In this case, they are builds designed to maximize DPS output against fractal mobs, and they are designed to work with certain team compositions, and certain level of experience by yourself, and your team. There is absolutely nothing wrong to use them in open world (and many experienced players do that, because they are familiar with content), but for less experienced people there are more forgiving options available from traits, and you can also tune your open world build by swapping some pieces to give you bit more protection.

I can't say much about runes. I think I go with Durability runes with my WvW roaming build, and haven't felt it necessary to slot other runes for open world.

@Speedylord.2798 said:Also I heard a lot about that Rock Gazelle, will it work with this particular build
?

Yes, rock gazelle works with most ranger builds, but of course you don't need to stick on certain pets. Try them out and pick the ones that fit best to your purposes.

Okay so for a "final decision", a path to follow with my ranger:When doing Openworld Survival and stuff like dungeons & lower tier fractals, I should be fine with berserker trinkets & weapons and a mix of soldier and berserker pieces for armor (with infusing AR in mind when doing fractals), Greatsword and offhand axe variations should be a good choice and something like a soulbeast sic'em roamer but with axe variation instead of Longbow should be all right for most content, except raids and high-end fractals where I should be full berserker (meta to maximize DPS) because of the general support roles like druids and stuff that are around?When doing a bit of PvP I could swap for a Longbow because of it's utility value, if I recall correctly. Durability runes can be useful to have like you said:). (and WvW will mainly be marauder stats on armor)And when talking about pets I should just test them out to see which ones are a good fit:D!So, built on your tips and advice, should this be a good way to go with my ranger?Thx again for everything TamX:)!!

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@"CETheLucid.3964" said:Don't camp beastmode indefinitely. It's good to stay for a while or to save your pet, etc, but don't just camp it forever. You 'can', but generally what you want to do is combo with your pets stronger attacks.

Say the wolf's KD. Let your wolf do their KD, then merge, then use the KD again. Some pets do even great breakbar damage. With proper timing you can take an entire CC bar down by yourself.

Thx for the advice!! So, going Beastmode should only be for example for short bursts with skills like "Sic'em" and "Strength of the Pack" or boons and after that me and my pet should seperate and attack independently?

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@Speedylord.2798 said:So, built on your tips and advice, should this be a good way to go with my ranger?

Yes, pretty much so, except of course you don't need gears for PvP. PvP side has its own gearing mechanism that you don't need to grind, you can go there from around level 10 onwards.

Some final thoughts. You know, even thought people keep a big noise about meta fractal builds, in reality it takes long time until you are and you have experienced enough group to take full use of strict meta builds and team compositions. As long as you are doing T1-T3, of course you can practice running strict meta builds, but most of time you will be disappointed to your performance. It is because lower tier PuGs can not maintain the boons and condis necessary to meta builds to shine. Because of this, I have tailored my fractal builds to lower tiers to fit to the reality, to save lots of tiers and frustration, even when practicing: bit more sturdy builds, group heals if anyhow possible, more CC if possible and such. Many people come to fractals with fragile builds, and as they don't yet have experience (of the fractal mechanics and how the class works) nor they have their meta support, it can be just painful experience.

This holds true to some extent even to T4 groups, although they are usually too arrogant to admit that they don't yet master their class and the fractal in hand. I got to say that in many groups some other class or build would have been better, if we consider only completion of the fractal. But we can also view that as a learning process, which then justifies choosing builds you don't yet master. And if other people are OK with that, that's just excellent.

WvW/PvP side is different. In fractals and raids, encounters are always the same. Same mobs with same health hitting with same pattern. That's why you can optimize team compositions and builds to extremes. This does not hold true at WvW/PvP side, every encounter is different, every enemy team composition is different. That's why you need more rounded builds, they can't be optimized to certain encounters, but they need to have tools for many different encounters. WvW/PvP side does not have strict builds and rotations to maximize performance, they are more situational and more like generic guide lines, ideas and patterns how to use your class in various situations.

Now when you tailor your build to open world. Open world is PvE, it does not surprise you once you have learned how the mobs in the maps work, and you can optimize your build quite far even when running alone. On the other hand, when you are unfamiliar with the mobs, sturdier builds give you longer opportunity to try to learn how the mob works. I'd say that sturdier builds make exploration of new frontiers more satisfying, as they are more forgiving for mistakes and being unexperienced with certain mobs.

Last thing. Remember that meta fluctuates. Every time classes or gears are tweaked, it stirs meta. Certain builds will drop out of meta, others come to meta. This is very annoying. So, in long run, you really can't stick on one certain build, one certain stats, one set of weapons, no, you can't even stick on one certain class. Ranger is a good choice. Berserker is good choice for ranger, because so far it has performed better as power DPS, and current meta is power DPS meta. But still, in long run, don't be too strict with gears, runes, sigils ans weapons, and if possible, explore other classes, too. Otherwise you will be highly disappointed if meta ever changes so that your build is not anymore valid.

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@TamX.1870 said:

@Speedylord.2798 said:So, built on your tips and advice, should this be a good way to go with my ranger?

Yes, pretty much so, except of course you don't need gears for PvP. PvP side has its own gearing mechanism that you don't need to grind, you can go there from around level 10 onwards.

Some final thoughts. You know, even thought people keep a big noise about meta fractal builds, in reality it takes long time until you are and you have experienced enough group to take full use of strict meta builds and team compositions. As long as you are doing T1-T3, of course you can practice running strict meta builds, but most of time you will be disappointed to your performance. It is because lower tier PuGs can not maintain the boons and condis necessary to meta builds to shine. Because of this, I have tailored my fractal builds to lower tiers to fit to the reality, to save lots of tiers and frustration, even when practicing: bit more sturdy builds, group heals if anyhow possible, more CC if possible and such. Many people come to fractals with fragile builds, and as they don't yet have experience (of the fractal mechanics and how the class works) nor they have their meta support, it can be just painful experience.

This holds true to some extent even to T4 groups, although they are usually too arrogant to admit that they don't yet master their class and the fractal in hand. I got to say that in many groups some other class or build would have been better, if we consider only completion of the fractal. But we can also view that as a learning process, which then justifies choosing builds you don't yet master. And if other people are OK with that, that's just excellent.

WvW/PvP side is different. In fractals and raids, encounters are always the same. Same mobs with same health hitting with same pattern. That's why you can optimize team compositions and builds to extremes. This does not hold true at WvW/PvP side, every encounter is different, every enemy team composition is different. That's why you need more rounded builds, they can't be optimized to certain encounters, but they need to have tools for many different encounters. WvW/PvP side does not have strict builds and rotations to maximize performance, they are more situational and more like generic guide lines, ideas and patterns how to use your class in various situations.

Now when you tailor your build to open world. Open world is PvE, it does not surprise you once you have learned how the mobs in the maps work, and you can optimize your build quite far even when running alone. On the other hand, when you are unfamiliar with the mobs, sturdier builds give you longer opportunity to try to learn how the mob works. I'd say that sturdier builds make exploration of new frontiers more satisfying, as they are more forgiving for mistakes and being unexperienced with certain mobs.

Last thing. Remember that meta fluctuates. Every time classes or gears are tweaked, it stirs meta. Certain builds will drop out of meta, others come to meta. This is very annoying. So, in long run, you really can't stick on one certain build, one certain stats, one set of weapons, no, you can't even stick on one certain class. Ranger is a good choice. Berserker is good choice for ranger, because so far it has performed better as power DPS, and current meta is power DPS meta. But still, in long run, don't be too strict with gears, runes, sigils ans weapons, and if possible, explore other classes, too. Otherwise you will be highly disappointed if meta ever changes so that your build is not anymore valid.

Ok, that's good to know, I was always afraid to enter PvP before hitting lv80 because I thought it would be crowded with hardcore pro's haha, I didn't know it was already accessible from lv. 10, thx for letting me know:)!

So for stuff like fractals it could be handy to always tailor in a bit of self-sustain into my build so I do not have to rely entirely on the supportive roles of the team, right? I'll definitely do that then, I'll stay a bit away from a strict meta build and only when I'm really experienced enough, and even then like you say, it's like a learning curve, it's better to use a build that isn't 100 percent optimized but you can handle very well then an optimized build you can't handle all that great.

As a side note, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about the fractals and the WvW/PvP, you got some really good and well thought-out visions on that!I will try to round out my build for WvW and PvP, because you don't have those consistent attack patterns indeed!

I can really see myself in your open world statement there, before I had a pretty fragile, mostly dps based build but I didn't have any survability but now I already tailored in Wilderness Survival into my build and I'm going the way I mentioned earlier, and it really does make a difference, content gets a lot more fun this way! Always getting downed became really frustrating at some point and now it's a lot more forgiving build and it's also interesting to play totally different than before!

I'll definitely keep that in mind! I will try to keep up with the meta and tailor my build up to date if it would be really necessary, and of course I will try out some other classes as well! I already am looking forward for trying out a Guardian or a Mesmer:)! It's just that I struggled with my first character and therefore I didn't want to start a new one yet.

So that concludes it I suppose, if I knew how to mark this discussion as answered haha I would, but I don't know how so yeah, I really want to thank you a lot! You have learned me a lot and thx so so much for helping out with my build!!

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@Speedylord.2798 said:

@"CETheLucid.3964" said:Don't camp beastmode indefinitely. It's good to stay for a while or to save your pet, etc, but don't just camp it forever. You 'can', but generally what you want to do is combo with your pets stronger attacks.

Say the wolf's KD. Let your wolf do their KD, then merge, then use the KD again. Some pets do even great breakbar damage. With proper timing you can take an entire CC bar down by yourself.

Thx for the advice!!

Anytime.

So, going Beastmode should only be for example for short bursts with skills like "Sic'em" and "Strength of the Pack" or boons and after that me and my pet should seperate and attack independently?

Sounds about right. You might also factor in number of enemies, what your pets F2 does, etc. You can use it to save your pet from going down or an instant-revive for pet swapping without penalty.

Sometimes when you're trying to power through an area crowded with enemies, the pet is at risk or draws extra aggro so it's good to stay merged. Or maybe you're using a ferocious pet and you want to add +200 power to the current attack combo you're using (in addition to effects like Sic Em' and SoTP).

It's a lot of playing it by ear and using your better judgement. I see a lot of soulbeasts who treat the beastmode mechanic as set it and forget it and it's not always the best option. Your pet contributes a lot to the fight in PvE and beastmode gives you direct control of the mechanics of your pet in addition to the pet itself.

Though I'm also really glad they didn't enforce any kind of limit on the mechanic. Flexibility and freedom of use with regards to beastmode is the best thing about it.

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@CETheLucid.3964 said:

@CETheLucid.3964 said:Don't camp beastmode indefinitely. It's good to stay for a while or to save your pet, etc, but don't just camp it forever. You 'can', but generally what you want to do is combo with your pets stronger attacks.

Say the wolf's KD. Let your wolf do their KD, then merge, then use the KD again. Some pets do even great breakbar damage. With proper timing you can take an entire CC bar down by yourself.

Thx for the advice!!

Anytime.

So, going Beastmode should only be for example for short bursts with skills like "Sic'em" and "Strength of the Pack" or boons and after that me and my pet should seperate and attack independently?

Sounds about right. You might also factor in number of enemies, what your pets F2 does, etc. You can use it to save your pet from going down or an instant-revive for pet swapping without penalty.

Sometimes when you're trying to power through an area crowded with enemies, the pet is at risk or draws extra aggro so it's good to stay merged. Or maybe you're using a ferocious pet and you want to add +200 power to the current attack combo you're using (in addition to effects like Sic Em' and SoTP).

It's a lot of playing it by ear and using your better judgement. I see a lot of soulbeasts who treat the beastmode mechanic as set it and forget it and it's not always the best option. Your pet contributes a lot to the fight in PvE and beastmode gives you direct control of the mechanics of your pet in addition to the pet itself.

Though I'm also really glad they didn't enforce any kind of limit on the mechanic. Flexibility and freedom of use with regards to beastmode is the best thing about it.

Thank you for the indepth explanation!!!I'll keep in mind that I have to be tactical with Beastmode, I will try to use my pets as often as possible, also when fighting against more monsters so they are not all focused on me, and I meld for short moments for an increase of boons and some extra damage and so my pet can regenerate meanwhile!!You really saved me there, I thought it would be the better option to use Beastmode almost all the time so yeah, thanks for letting me better understand how to use Beastmode:)!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just want to give an alternative build in case you are bored playing power ranger and don't like to play melee. As a ranger, I only play condi soulbeast shortbow/shortbow esp for raid (bosses that favours condi build) and meta-event PvE (like bounty run or dragon's stand). So easy to play and you can kite enemies from range while keep applying condition on them. I use this build but with viper gears and trinkets and weapons (all ascended), but as a starter you can use dire as it gives you toughness and vitality (which will turn into expertise (condi duration) with taste for danger trait in Wilderness survival. In my opinion, if you don't like to fight in melee, condi build is your friend because it doesn't punish you that much while you are in range. As a pet, Lynx will be the first choice as it deals a lot of bleeding (when you are in beastmode), but Warthog is also nice if you need to do more cc. For enemies who like to use a lot of skills and move a lot, Iboga pulls ahead as it deals some confusion stack (example, the djinns in PoF maps). Most of the time, I stay in beastmode but if you are under-pressure I find Iboga is better when you are not in the beastmode. As utilities, I like stances. If you are alone tho it might be better to get strength of the pack for your elites and shout utilities (like sic em or protect me). Due to Light on the feet trait, you want to flank enemies (side or behind) as it gives you more damage.

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  • 2 weeks later...

@vermouth.3478 said:Just want to give an alternative build in case you are bored playing power ranger and don't like to play melee. As a ranger, I only play condi soulbeast shortbow/shortbow esp for raid (bosses that favours condi build) and meta-event PvE (like bounty run or dragon's stand). So easy to play and you can kite enemies from range while keep applying condition on them. I use this build but with viper gears and trinkets and weapons (all ascended), but as a starter you can use dire as it gives you toughness and vitality (which will turn into expertise (condi duration) with taste for danger trait in Wilderness survival. In my opinion, if you don't like to fight in melee, condi build is your friend because it doesn't punish you that much while you are in range. As a pet, Lynx will be the first choice as it deals a lot of bleeding (when you are in beastmode), but Warthog is also nice if you need to do more cc. For enemies who like to use a lot of skills and move a lot, Iboga pulls ahead as it deals some confusion stack (example, the djinns in PoF maps). Most of the time, I stay in beastmode but if you are under-pressure I find Iboga is better when you are not in the beastmode. As utilities, I like stances. If you are alone tho it might be better to get strength of the pack for your elites and shout utilities (like sic em or protect me). Due to Light on the feet trait, you want to flank enemies (side or behind) as it gives you more damage.

Looks very fun to play! I haven't tried out the shortbow a lot, I think it would be nice to try the two of them out with a condibuild! Thank you for the explanation of the build, I will definitely check it out (I gotta get some dire or viper gear first tho haha)!! Only got one question left about your use of the beastmode, so you said the Iboga pet gives confusion and the Lynx gives bleeding, do they inflict this when you're out of beastmode or can these effects also be given when in Beastmode (with the extra pet attacks you get)?Thx for the reply :)

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Best advice was given earlier, adjust you build/gear as needed until you're comfortable going closer to full zerker/viper. Still it's better to adjust to the group and have a more pug safe build when needed. You won't break speed records, but you'll finish the Frac. For instance T4 ,Twilight Oasis, last boss. I noticed we kept cutting the break bar close during the phases when we need to break her break bar. Normally in a good group, my Firebrand doesn't need a third CC, but I took it and it saved our butts for that run.

Soulbeast is not my main nor do I have lots of hours, but I'm starting to like condi soulbeast.For Condi Soulbeast, I'd be bored if it was shortbow/shortbow. I find shortbow, dagger(leap on dagger 3 with 2 charges)/dagger(dagger 4 is a dodge and attack), is more fun. Though I haven't had a chance to do WVW with her. I main a Warrior and roam wvw mostly.

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I'm not sure 2 of the 3 builds I listed out in this post will help, but I actually run the third build in that post for open world pve. It allows me to run zerker stats with longbow, have solid output, but also retain some semblance of survivability due to the use of longbow and burst heals from the jacaranda merge.

The second build probably offers the best compromise between damage and survival, but I greatly prefer using the higher-risk third build.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am so sorry for my late reply, have been busy with rl work.

Answering your question, Iboga outside of the beastmode will inflict confusion. I think the same applies to Lynx giving bleeding. When you are in the beastmode, you won't inflict the condi automatically so you have to use the new skills to inflict conditions (F1-F3). Merging with Iboga, I will press all three; Merging with Lynx, only F2-3 bc F1 doesn't apply bleeding,

If you somehow get bored with short bow/short bow rotation (too ez, lol), try shortbow/ dagger-torch. It deals significantly more damage but you need to go melee when using dagger-torch. You also need to pick Quick Draw in the Skirmishing trait (so that you can use bonfire [torch-5] and poison volley [shortbow -2] more often) and Ambidexterity in the Wilderness Survival trait (gives 240 condi dmg and reduces cd of dagger - torch).

Hope you are having fun with it, if you choose to try it out :)

@Speedylord.2798 said:

@vermouth.3478 said:Just want to give an alternative build in case you are bored playing power ranger and don't like to play melee. As a ranger, I only play condi soulbeast shortbow/shortbow esp for raid (bosses that favours condi build) and meta-event PvE (like bounty run or dragon's stand). So easy to play and you can kite enemies from range while keep applying condition on them. I use this build but with viper gears and trinkets and weapons (all ascended), but as a starter you can use dire as it gives you toughness and vitality (which will turn into expertise (condi duration) with taste for danger trait in Wilderness survival. In my opinion, if you don't like to fight in melee, condi build is your friend because it doesn't punish you that much while you are in range. As a pet, Lynx will be the first choice as it deals a lot of bleeding (when you are in beastmode), but Warthog is also nice if you need to do more cc. For enemies who like to use a lot of skills and move a lot, Iboga pulls ahead as it deals some confusion stack (example, the djinns in PoF maps). Most of the time, I stay in beastmode but if you are under-pressure I find Iboga is better when you are not in the beastmode. As utilities, I like stances. If you are alone tho it might be better to get strength of the pack for your elites and shout utilities (like sic em or protect me). Due to Light on the feet trait, you want to flank enemies (side or behind) as it gives you more damage.

Looks very fun to play! I haven't tried out the shortbow a lot, I think it would be nice to try the two of them out with a condibuild! Thank you for the explanation of the build, I will definitely check it out (I gotta get some dire or viper gear first tho haha)!! Only got one question left about your use of the beastmode, so you said the Iboga pet gives confusion and the Lynx gives bleeding, do they inflict this when you're out of beastmode or can these effects also be given when in Beastmode (with the extra pet attacks you get)?Thx for the reply :)

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