Ranger Looks Very Appealing

[Velnos]

I am just getting into GW and I am still looking for the right profession for me. Rangers look awesome so far and I was wondering if ya'll could answer a few questions for me to help me make up my mind please.

1. How desirable is the ranger in a group? From what I read assassins are the least desirable prof in a group (PUG) and monks are usually #1.

2. How does Ranger PVE DPS compare to assassins? I played both classes very briefly and it seems like assassins are much more superior when it comes to DPS but that maybe because I haven't gotten past level 10 on the Ranger.

3. How well do Rangers PVP? I remember hunters being pretty fun on WoW PVP and was wondering if Rangers measure up to them.

4. How well do they farm? I remember reading something about Rangers only being able to high-end farm by using Traps. Are they that limited?

5. Does the Ranger have a group utility besides DPSing or is it primarily a ranged DPS prof? Do they have responsibilities like pulling or tranq shotting in WoW?

6. How well do they take damage? Are they still considered squishies?

7. Are they simply "fun" to play? This is going to be my first serious GW character and I plan on taking him through all 4 games starting in Prophecies.

8. I would like to get an idea of a decent secondary profession that is common for Rangers to pick. I think it will help me understand the general game-play of an Ranger.

Thank you so much in advance for the help guys. If things look right with this Ranger deal then I'll be back in this forum a whole lot more asking even newbier questions. :p

[lennymon]

1. Ranger are often called for in high end groups, but not always. Eles, Monks yes.
2. Ranger is *not* a dps class! Ranger is a utility/interrupt/condition spread the love class.
3. Ranger does well in PVP with multiple options, not just one build available.
4. There are other options, trapping is however one of the highest damage with lowest risk solo farming techniques in GW.
5. Group utilities see #2
6. Rangers are far less squishy than the Assassin, nuff said.
7. no can answer for you. hell, I still have a hard time figuring out how people can enjoy playing assassins...
8. dont worry too much about secondary as you'll be able to change anytime later, but imo the best 3 starting ones are mesmer, ritualist and monk.

[Lhim]

I agree mostly with lennymon. I can add that IMO it's very fun to play a ranger. They are very versatile, so u won't have to stick to just one build. This is of course for every profession, but I feel rangers really excel in that department. U can (like lennymoon said) choose to interrupt or spread conditions or lay traps and I think they can also do some decent ranged DPS ....however you won't get near the DPS generated by a Warrior, Dervish or Assassin. Still fun though since you'll be in the backline. You can also focus on Beast Mastery.....not very effective at all compared to the other possibilities, but it's perhaps one of the builds I had most fun with.
And yeah....the armor and bows look cool:cool: ...

[iridescentfyre]

I am just getting into GW and I am still looking for the right profession for me. Rangers look awesome so far and I was wondering if ya'll could answer a few questions for me to help me make up my mind please.

1. How desirable is the ranger in a group? From what I read assassins are the least desirable prof in a group (PUG) and monks are usually #1.

2. How does Ranger PVE DPS compare to assassins? I played both classes very briefly and it seems like assassins are much more superior when it comes to DPS but that maybe because I haven't gotten past level 10 on the Ranger.

3. How well do Rangers PVP? I remember hunters being pretty fun on WoW PVP and was wondering if Rangers measure up to them.

4. How well do they farm? I remember reading something about Rangers only being able to high-end farm by using Traps. Are they that limited?

5. Does the Ranger have a group utility besides DPSing or is it primarily a ranged DPS prof? Do they have responsibilities like pulling or tranq shotting in WoW?

6. How well do they take damage? Are they still considered squishies?

7. Are they simply "fun" to play? This is going to be my first serious GW character and I plan on taking him through all 4 games starting in Prophecies.

8. I would like to get an idea of a decent secondary profession that is common for Rangers to pick. I think it will help me understand the general game-play of an Ranger.

Thank you so much in advance for the help guys. If things look right with this Ranger deal then I'll be back in this forum a whole lot more asking even newbier questions. :p


Rangers are underappreciated in most groups, especially early in the game. That said, I've rarely had trouble getting into PUG groups when I felt like it. However, heroes and henchmen are better anyway.
Don't look at Ranger in terms of DPS. Bows are very, very slow compared to Daggers. Bows can still do great damage, but don't compare apples to oranges.
Rangers own PvP. They are hard to kill and if you're good at using them, they are tactically devastating.
Dunno. I don't farm with my Ranger.
Rangers, when used for pure damage, are a spiking profession instead for damage-over-time. Even the fastest bows lend themselves better to quick spikes of high damage instead of many sustained hits. Primarily, however, Rangers are used for their talents in interrupting enemies' spells and abilities, spreading conditions, and otherwise preventing the enemy from functioning properly. These types of Rangers tend to be the more successful.
I would rate Rangers as just below Warrior and Dervish for survivability, and over Paragon just because Rangers have great survival skills. Purely in terms of armor, Rangers have 70 armor vs. anything, and 100 armor vs. Elemental damage. Even Warriors only have 80 AL vs. Elemental. On top of that, Rangers have among the best damage avoidance skills in the game.
Ranger is definitely fun to play once you understand how to play them and get good at them. However Rangers are not a class that's easy to play... player skill tends to dictate their performance moreso than some other classes.
Many Rangers go with R/Mo for Mending Touch, or R/Me for Epidemic.

[Toutatis]

1. How desirable is the ranger in a group? From what I read assassins are the least desirable prof in a group (PUG) and monks are usually #1.

Rangers can be very desirable in groups. Rangers are highly versatile and can perform a number of different roles, depending partly on what the party needs you to do and partly what you feel like doing. I always try to squeeze in at least one ranger when I'm in a party of 8 to help round things out a bit.

2. How does Ranger PVE DPS compare to assassins? I played both classes very briefly and it seems like assassins are much more superior when it comes to DPS but that maybe because I haven't gotten past level 10 on the Ranger.

Assassins are definitely superior to rangers in terms of DPS. But rangers have more reliable ways to inflict conditions (the only condition that a ranger can't inflict is disease) and have several more ways to add extra effects to their attacks through the use of preparations. Rangers also have several different sub-classes of bow available, and each bow type has a different range, refire rate and flight arc (and each bow type is useful in different situations); compare this to other weapon types that only have one possible functionality.

3. How well do Rangers PVP? I remember hunters being pretty fun on WoW PVP and was wondering if Rangers measure up to them.

I don't really get into PvP, though I do occasionally watch PvP replays. In a lot of the PvP that I've observed, there are usually rangers around. In GvG I've often seen rangers breaking away from the main group and taking out base defence NPCs, as well as harassing enemy casters with interrupts and conditions. Very effective at team support, and they stay standing very well.

4. How well do they farm? I remember reading something about Rangers only being able to high-end farm by using Traps. Are they that limited?

I can't comment on that, as I don't farm.

5. Does the Ranger have a group utility besides DPSing or is it primarily a ranged DPS prof? Do they have responsibilities like pulling or tranq shotting in WoW?

Rangers are primarily group utility characters. The longbow has the greatest range of any weapon in the game, allowing rangers to pull enemy groups in PvE very effectively. Rangers also carry several interrupting and condition inflicting skills, making them ideal for harassing targets. They can also use nature rituals, which emit environmental effects that can benefit the team (although these affect enemies as well as allies, so be careful about which rituals you use and clear it with the team before leaving the outpost).

6. How well do they take damage? Are they still considered squishies?

Rangers take damage extremely well. Max armor for a ranger is 70, with an inherent +30 against elemental damage so they're pretty well armored. Rangers also have a huge number of skills that let them block incoming attacks and/or run faster, so they can be quite difficult to hit as well. Add into this the fact that rangers don't have to get in close to be effective and you can imagine that if anyone's going to survive a near wipe, it'll be the ranger.

7. Are they simply "fun" to play? This is going to be my first serious GW character and I plan on taking him through all 4 games starting in Prophecies.

Rangers are fun to play with. Not my favourite class (I'm a mesmer kinda guy myself) but I do have a ranger who sees plenty of action. The ranger takes a bit of practice to get used to, though if you intend to start off with Prophecies you'll have plenty of time to get used to your skills as you earn them and learn all the intricacies of the profession.

8. I would like to get an idea of a decent secondary profession that is common for Rangers to pick. I think it will help me understand the general game-play of an Ranger.

Rangers are survivors, and have pretty much everything they need within their primary profession. However, rangers have no hex removal and limited condition removal, so /Mo would be a solid choice (plus this would also allow you to carry a hard rez to help get the team back on its feet if you're the last one standing at any point). Just remember that if you are unhappy with your choice of secondary profession, you can change your secondary once you get far enough into a chapter.

[Kale Ironfist]

But rangers have more reliable ways to inflict conditions (the only condition that a ranger can't inflict is disease)
They cannot inflict Deep Wound either.

[roperratt]

Of all the characters I've played, Rangers are far and away my favorite. I've never had a lot of problems getting into groups with them, a Ranger with winter is almost required at the ring of fire. I have unlocked all the secondaries and I change it depending on the mission and the type of enemies. Monk secondary with it's hard rez really came in handy in the domain of anguish, it took a lot of pressure off of our monk. I also like using the paragon shouts, and a splinter barrager is a blast in certain areas. I have done a lot of areas where I didn't carry anything from my secondary profession, due to the efficiency of the Ranger's skills.

One thing to note: I didn't learn just how good expertise was till I had been playing my Ranger for a month or more, put at least 13 (12+1) into expertise, you can't go wrong.

[furanshisuko]

rangers are so much better than sin i own sins in AB :)

for pve if you have nightfall you can capture the elite skill called barrage in arround lv 13 i think the quest called finding koss make sure u have a capture signet


1-distracting shot
2-barrage
3-savage shot
4-poisonus bite
5-winnowing
6-dont remember the name of this skill but the one that heals your pet and revives him (i havent pve'd in a while)
7-rez
8-charm animal

edit: i started all my chars in factions i can lvl up from lv 2 to 20 whit max armour elite skill and good weapon in arround 6 to 8 hours,fact.
i recomend you starting on factions also once you get to senji corner i got there in arround lv 14 whit help from guildies you can change your secondary proffesion to any kind change it and go capture elite skill from any boss even if you dont need it cause they give more exp than any mission or quest and its easy
also spend your mony on capture skills while you can
until they cost you 1k

[Don Doombringer]

rangers are so much better than sin i own sins in AB :)

for pve if you have nightfall you can capture the elite skill called barrage in arround lv 13 i think the quest called finding koss make sure u have a capture signet


1-distracting shot
2-barrage
3-savage shot
4-poisonus bite
5-winnowing
6-dont remember the name of this skill but the one that heals your pet and revives him (i havent pve'd in a while)
7-rez
8-charm animal



ur thinking of Comfort animal. Rangers are awsome i like the monk secondary cause with the use of judges insight against the undead u get a holy shotgun with barrage and u throw in poision signit u get holy dam and posion which is always a good thing and up to a max of 6 ppl effected. and the pets act as a meat sheild. XD

[furanshisuko]

thats the 1 lol, never tried judges insight ,but i use apply poison +burning arrow+screaming shot+epidemic = leet :)

[Being]

4. How well do they farm? I remember reading something about Rangers only being able to high-end farm by using Traps. Are they that limited?

Because im not sure that it's ok to link the site. Go to google and type in 'The Ranger's Beacon 2' and go onto the forum. That should answer your question on ranger farming. ;)

[Washi]

Two words: Splinter Barrage
Now tell me ranger does not deal damage in pve.

[Don Doombringer]

thats the 1 lol, never tried judges insight ,but i use apply poison +burning arrow+screaming shot+epidemic = leet :)

yea that sounds leet but those are proph skills, same with splinter. the good thing about barrage + JI is that it also does 20% armor penetration. which is good. mixed with FW and WW and Posion sig. daaamn

[Washi]

yea that sounds leet but those are proph skills, same with splinter.
I didn't know ritualists where in prophecies ;)

[Don Doombringer]

I didn't know ritualists where in prophecies ;)

oops ment to say non proph skills :P

[FoxS]

Ranger is my favorite class, the extra +30 vs ele dmg is great.

[Don Doombringer]

agreed, the +30 vs elemental and the 70 that is already there gives u 100 ap vs elemental dam. and last time i checked 100 was greater than the warriors 80 :p

[Leona Creid]

Ranger is an AWESOME character to play! They are FUN because you get to deal a lot of damage in various ways and are hard to kill. I really like that rangers have great survivability - afterall, how fun is a mission when you spend half of it dead? I play a ranger/monk and almost never die (except when I have a bad dial-up connection!) I find it fun to have a pet and bring him on easier quests and hunting parties. The skills include many different types, so you can find something you like to do among them...i.e. some people like to set traps, interrupt, create spirits, and then some of us like to rain damage down on enemies. :) I like having the monk secondary especially to have resurrect. The signet is only good when your moral is even or high, but you can use res. skill if you are at -60. I often have to bring my whole party back to life! Also, with ranger/monk I am never turned down for inclusion in a party. If they don't need another damage dealer, I can sit back and keep everyone else alive. I have been playing GW now about 4 months and am extremely happy with my ranger/monk. Oh, and btw, this is all for PvE - haven't done any PvP yet.

Leona Creid

[Roland Iluvitar]

1. Rangers are mega-ballin' in any group, for several reasons:
-Versatility:Do you want an interrupter? A trapper? a 5 man barrage group (absolutely ballin' team build)
-They can bring pets, which make for more fodder for the enemy

But, because Rangers are so versatile, some people are turned off by them. With monk, you know you get healing. W/Mo, you've got a tank. Ele, a nuker. The results a Ranger brings aren't always too noticible, especially in a larger group.


2. Assassins suck. They're all talk, and they should have a bite, but they're dead before they ever land their mega blow. I know that when I've got my +35% dmg (+15, customized) vampiric longbow of awesome going with Barrage on 5 targets along with a pet down there takin' hits for the team, I'm dealing damage only Eles dream of.

3. Rangers can be quite valuable in PvP. They're incredibly annoying to opponents when they star tossing conditions around, and with interruptions and being hard to hit, they're dead useful. Plus, they've got mega range.

4. I've only ever farmed high-end (UW, FoW), so yeah...dunno. I trap-farmed droks for a long time, but I prefer 55-monking that.

5. The Ranger is made of utilities. He/She's the go-to man/woman.

6. Rangers are up there with Warriors and Dervishes, and are below nothing else. They have the 2nd best armor in the game (unless you're considering elemental armor), and their evasion and running skills are typically on par with the warrior's. For running, they're superior in every way (escape/dodge).

7. I've had 4 characters -Ranger, Monk, Warrior, Ele. I've put 3 times as much...time...into my Ranger than the othe three combined.

8. Mesmer for interruption, otherwise it doesn't really matter.

[Master Ketsu]

1. Rangers are not desirable in low end groups since its difficult to make an effective ranger build at low level. They are moderately desirable once you get halfway through.

2. Assassins do more DPS, but GW is not a DPS game, its a tactical game. This is not WoW. Rangers can be just as good/better then assassins and the other way around.

3. Good rangers Wtfpwn PvP. Bad rangers are worthless.

4. They are limited to traps and a few lesser know condition spreading builds, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. It works, and thats all that matters when it comes to farming.

5. Rangers are a complete utility class. You will be asked to do almost everything.

6. The hierarchy goes something like this:

Warriors > Paragons ~>~ Rangers = Dervish > assassin > Necro = monk = ritualist > Elementalist = Mesmer.

7. Interrupt builds are fun. So yes. Very fun in PvP.

8. Read the wiki: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Secondary_professions_for_a_Ranger

[tekDragon]

Rangers are great. These days in GWEN and hard mode you can usually get a ranger into a high end group if only for frozen soil, mode than one ranger in the group usually doesnt happen from what I've seen. Slavers exile groups have been ridiculously unimaginative and rigid of late... Not sure how the recent Splinter Weapon nerf has had an effect on the overall desirability of rangers since I havent been around there in a week or so.

As for dealing holy damage I much prefer using Heart of Holy Flame from the derv line... even if I cant boost mysticism it lasts 30 secs at the same mana cost. I'll trade off the no points invested any day for the 20% penetration bonus of Judge's insight

[payne]

all i can be bothered to say is...playtime:- PvE ranger: 1000h / PvP ranger 360h....nuff said about how much i enjoy playing them!

[FoxS]

Yes the rangers do look appealing, they have the best butts out of any class in gw. Oh you meant, *embarassed*