Struggling with the ranger role

[Andy.5981]

27 minutes ago, Khayle Zerker.3675 said:

Maybe I'll go axe/torch instead of shortbow but I'll keep dagger/dagger. Theorycrafting is a lot of fun and I like to optimize, but my brain feels kinda fried from overload right now lol! Do you use longbow only in situations where you can't be melee? I've heard that GS/LB builds feels boring to play.

On the Sic Em Roamer build yes I do use GS/LB, the Bow is mainly to soften up the target.

Most of the time I will use Greatsword. Every time I see a Ranger with a bear pet camping the LB in openworld my heart sinks a little,

Don't camp the LB all the time. You will never develop the skills required to dance around an enemy and that is exactly what a Ranger can do. Definately not boring.

Edited October 14, 2022 by Andy.5981

[Shena Fu.5792]

I've played the same Soulbeast build for years, and don't feel squishy at all. Rarely die, mainly if I play too courageously or mindlessly and stand in enemy's AOE. (The same build is even pretty strong in sPVP.)

I feel condi-trapper is safe and strong build. Axe/Torch + Short Bow. Utility skills are four traps, plus Entangle. Lay traps and get out of the way. Axe and Short Bow will give combos with these traps. Healing Spring is great heal + regen; and even more regen after combo.

Furthermore, every OW build needs AOE. Axe, Torch, Short Bow, Traps, are great for single or multiple mobs. OTOH I don't see the appeal of Dagger (main- or off-hand) at all.

My traits are Wilderness Survival 312, Skirmishing 332, Soulbeast 233. Wilderness Survival improves dodging, and Skirmishing improves weapon swap. So learn to rely on them a bit more.

Pets also matter. The best are Jacaranda and Marsh Drake. Both are Supportive type. This means Soulbeast merged gets an elite heal F3, and other minor heal or steal health skills on F1 or F2. This is extra heals, sustain while merged. Unmerged, these two pets are also great tanks and DPS simultaneously.

My gear (currently) is just Viper's + Rampager. Ideally fully Viper, but Rampager trinkets are easier to acquire. Anyway feels great without defensive stats.

[Mell.4873]

58 minutes ago, Shena Fu.5792 said:

I've played the same Soulbeast build for years, and don't feel squishy at all. Rarely die, mainly if I play too courageously or mindlessly and stand in enemy's AOE. (The same build is even pretty strong in sPVP.)

I feel condi-trapper is safe and strong build. Axe/Torch + Short Bow. Utility skills are four traps, plus Entangle. Lay traps and get out of the way. Axe and Short Bow will give combos with these traps. Healing Spring is great heal + regen; and even more regen after combo.

Furthermore, every OW build needs AOE. Axe, Torch, Short Bow, Traps, are great for single or multiple mobs. OTOH I don't see the appeal of Dagger (main- or off-hand) at all.

My traits are Wilderness Survival 312, Skirmishing 332, Soulbeast 233. Wilderness Survival improves dodging, and Skirmishing improves weapon swap. So learn to rely on them a bit more.

Pets also matter. The best are Jacaranda and Marsh Drake. Both are Supportive type. This means Soulbeast merged gets an elite heal F3, and other minor heal or steal health skills on F1 or F2. This is extra heals, sustain while merged. Unmerged, these two pets are also great tanks and DPS simultaneously.

My gear (currently) is just Viper's + Rampager. Ideally fully Viper, but Rampager trinkets are easier to acquire. Anyway feels great without defensive stats.

That is what I used to play a lot but ultimately I use either Untamed for Solo or just change to Mesmer. I find the DPS different between most Ranger builds very negligible in the open world. If you can get 10k you will kill most things just fine.

[InsaneQR.7412]

11 hours ago, Khayle Zerker.3675 said:

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PO1AUhjlZweYSsIGKeqXvPvSeUaA-zRJUkhfE0PAA-e

Trailblazer gear and undead runes. Soulbeast, Beast Mastery and Wilderness Survival. Anything but this setup makes me feel like crap in open world where the tiniest mistake will get me downed/outright killed. That's why I've started using Dolyak Stance at least.

 

This setup you're suggesting is great for damage output, but this is incredibly glass-cannon oriented and has been what screws me over, even when going wilderness survival over skirmishing. A few dodgerolls with protection and healing doesn't save me from ranged mobs who just autolock on you and chips away at my health. I have a question though: Is it worth going viper gear/krait runes without the Skirmishing traitline? Because Skirmishing does so much for CONDI Soubleast with 33% stronger bleeds and better bleed application.

The longer stuff lives, the more time it has to kill you. Condi kills slow, with hybrid soulbeast you have high power and good condi damage. You kill small mobs fast through power damage and veterans die through condi ticks. You have great sustain with constant life regen and very Good protection uptime. The more toughness you have the more mobs will target you. Toughness draws aggro. So even when you fight with a friend you will be enemy number one.

Running trailblazers also does not give you any benefit of using axe OH as that is a pure power wepon and you will hit like a wet noodle with it. When you run enough power that skill clears 5 mobs instantly.

I recommend you switch to shortbow + MH axe with any other OH weapon than axe instead. More range, more condi oriented and less in the thick of it.

Further, if you dont need to hit a benchmark (which you apprently won. Want to) you dont need to give a kitten about maximizing damage with traits. Gear is the majority of your damage and you have enough condi damage on trailblazers to make that work. Plus, and i apologize for yelling, YOU DONT HAVE THE CRIT CHANCE TO BENEFIT FROM BLEED ON CRITS. Skirmishing does not help you if you dont use traps r dont have crit chance, it is a hybrid traitline at its core. Wildenress survival gives you so much more for the gear you have and beastmastery gives you free stats across the board plus a fantastic heal over time. The only way to make skirmishing feasable is if you take spotter and some crit chance in your gear to make sharpened edges worthwhile.

As a general rule of thumb for open world: Go offensive on the gear, as much glass as you can. Iron out your defenisve weaknesses with runes, sigils and traits.

Always have at least one stunbreak & enough cleanse.

For your case i would do the following:

If you want to use skirmishing: Take ratasum runes, the gamme field synergized well with projectiles, gives reliable might and weakens enemies. Plus more precision for procing sharpened edges. Take spotter and not hidden barbs. If you want to take hidden barbs, you need a reliable sources of fury otherwise you wont crit enough. Eitherway take WS with child of earth and wilderness knowledge. Take entangle as your elite. This gives you 2 cleanse skills on heal and elite and more fury. Of you still need more crit chance switch out some gear parts with condi, toughness precision gear (fort the name)

If you consider not taking skirmishing: Take beastmastery, take the shout trait, take natural recovery and then probably quickening zephyr because any other GM does not suit your purpose. Take dolyak stance, take protect me, take vulture stance. Whao and entangle as heal and elite. Take wilderness knowledge in WS as before.

Lastly if you consider taking nature magic:

Take WS as before. Choose whatever NM adept you like most as none helps alot. I would take the revive trait tbh. Then take evasive purity and protective ward. Take WhaO, dolyak stance, vulture stance, Moa stance and entangle. Take a rune that boosts your boon duration a bit. Like durability or sanctuary runes. Now you should have easily high protection uptime, tons of cleanses and high life regeneration.

Lastly, consider a supportive pet. Fernhound is great, as it has mobility CC and good heal. Because you have eternal bond i would not recommend a power pet. Blackbear is also something to consider at it has 2 damage immunity skills.

Edit: i saw you want to consider madking runes. Only buy them when you go viper. Its otherwise a power rune and if you stay trailblazer it wont help you much. 

 

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Cheers.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by InsaneQR.7412

[Mell.4873]

16 hours ago, InsaneQR.7412 said:

The longer stuff lives, the more time it has to kill you. Condi kills slow, with hybrid soulbeast you have high power and good condi damage. You kill small mobs fast through power damage and veterans die through condi ticks. You have great sustain with constant life regen and very Good protection uptime. The more toughness you have the more mobs will target you. Toughness draws aggro. So even when you fight with a friend you will be enemy number one.

All great point, I will add to this by just saying you don't have to stick to one Ranger build,

I currently have 3, two Untamed with one Power and the other Celestials. Then I have one Soulbeast with a team based stance share build which is pure hybrid minus "sic em".

[kharmin.7683]

On 10/14/2022 at 3:39 PM, Andy.5981 said:

Don't camp the LB all the time. You will never develop the skills required to dance around an enemy and that is exactly what a Ranger can do. Definately not boring.

Agreed.  I use SW/D as my second weapon set (melee) and there's quite a bit of mobility with those for me.

[Khayle Zerker.3675]

19 hours ago, InsaneQR.7412 said:

The longer stuff lives, the more time it has to kill you. Condi kills slow, with hybrid soulbeast you have high power and good condi damage. You kill small mobs fast through power damage and veterans die through condi ticks. You have great sustain with constant life regen and very Good protection uptime. The more toughness you have the more mobs will target you. Toughness draws aggro. So even when you fight with a friend you will be enemy number one.

Running trailblazers also does not give you any benefit of using axe OH as that is a pure power wepon and you will hit like a wet noodle with it. When you run enough power that skill clears 5 mobs instantly.

I recommend you switch to shortbow + MH axe with any other OH weapon than axe instead. More range, more condi oriented and less in the thick of it.

Further, if you dont need to hit a benchmark (which you apprently won. Want to) you dont need to give a kitten about maximizing damage with traits. Gear is the majority of your damage and you have enough condi damage on trailblazers to make that work. Plus, and i apologize for yelling, YOU DONT HAVE THE CRIT CHANCE TO BENEFIT FROM BLEED ON CRITS. Skirmishing does not help you if you dont use traps r dont have crit chance, it is a hybrid traitline at its core. Wildenress survival gives you so much more for the gear you have and beastmastery gives you free stats across the board plus a fantastic heal over time. The only way to make skirmishing feasable is if you take spotter and some crit chance in your gear to make sharpened edges worthwhile.

As a general rule of thumb for open world: Go offensive on the gear, as much glass as you can. Iron out your defenisve weaknesses with runes, sigils and traits.

Always have at least one stunbreak & enough cleanse.

For your case i would do the following:

If you want to use skirmishing: Take ratasum runes, the gamme field synergized well with projectiles, gives reliable might and weakens enemies. Plus more precision for procing sharpened edges. Take spotter and not hidden barbs. If you want to take hidden barbs, you need a reliable sources of fury otherwise you wont crit enough. Eitherway take WS with child of earth and wilderness knowledge. Take entangle as your elite. This gives you 2 cleanse skills on heal and elite and more fury. Of you still need more crit chance switch out some gear parts with condi, toughness precision gear (fort the name)

If you consider not taking skirmishing: Take beastmastery, take the shout trait, take natural recovery and then probably quickening zephyr because any other GM does not suit your purpose. Take dolyak stance, take protect me, take vulture stance. Whao and entangle as heal and elite. Take wilderness knowledge in WS as before.

Lastly if you consider taking nature magic:

Take WS as before. Choose whatever NM adept you like most as none helps alot. I would take the revive trait tbh. Then take evasive purity and protective ward. Take WhaO, dolyak stance, vulture stance, Moa stance and entangle. Take a rune that boosts your boon duration a bit. Like durability or sanctuary runes. Now you should have easily high protection uptime, tons of cleanses and high life regeneration.

Lastly, consider a supportive pet. Fernhound is great, as it has mobility CC and good heal. Because you have eternal bond i would not recommend a power pet. Blackbear is also something to consider at it has 2 damage immunity skills.

Edit: i saw you want to consider madking runes. Only buy them when you go viper. Its otherwise a power rune and if you stay trailblazer it wont help you much. 

 

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Cheers.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Mell.4873 said:

All great point, I will add to this by just saying you don't have to stick to one Ranger build,

I currently have 3, two Untamed with one Power and the other Celestials. Then I have one Soulbeast with a team based stance share build which is pure hybrid minus "sic em".

 

Thanks for the helpful advice! I didn't realize the part about crit chance suffering in my build if I don't use crit chance on traits or have skills that fit in with it. Don't you think that defensive gear works well if you have, let's say Krait runes and then the skirmishing traitline?  I've unlocked everything on Untamed now and I'm loving it very much, followed yet another Lord Hizen build: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?POzEcEWpMD2BjipycxSfqLWVi53D-zxIY1ojvMirC6NF85QIok%2Ff6hLA0AipNA-e

It works wonders for me in Open World, honestly!

But I think I will make a Soulbeast build for fractals/dungeons and then when I get enough HP's I'll have a druid build for raids. Not sure about what's good in PvP/WvW though I'd have to do more research. I hear that the smokescale pet was so busted it got nerfed.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Khayle Zerker.3675

[Gotejjeken.1267]

Ranger is a high skill ceiling class.  I'd advise learning the mechanics of it and being able to navigate through the PvE maps before setting foot in sPvP or WvW.  

If you are set on conditions, then I'd look into Druid.  You still have a pet, have access to the best bleeds and some of the best CC's that ranger offers, and can build with trailblazer / apothecary to essentially not be able to die (at least in open world PvE).  You can then take that knowledge and build a support version if you want to do fractals or raids.  

[lanathos.5649]

I would look into Lord Hizen builds for open world. While glass cannon is feasible in open world, you won’t have the right gear to solo tough champions and bounties. His builds are also known for being able to solo some legendary bosses in the open world.  I use his celestial untamed build myself and it does great damage while being able to survive tough encounters.