The Foundry of Undergoing Creations

[iVendetta]

I just completed Nightfall with my lovely Dervish and I am looking to begin Factions with a Ranger (had a tough decision between Elementalist and Ranger). I have read through Celestial Beaver's guide for Rangers and the one on GWW.

However, due to my lack of experience with rangers, I am a bit err...'d with a particularly strange contraption.

Bows.
http://fukung.net/images/3531/Hurr%20Seal.jpg



Maximum damage range1: 15 - 28.
Damage type: Piercing damage.
Attack rate/interval: Depends on bow class, see below.
Range: Depends on bow class, see below.
Projectile flight time and arc size: Depends on bow class. This influences how high the bow's arrows fly, determining accuracy on moving targets and for interrupts, as well as the steepness of hills that will obscure shots.



I looked at the chart (http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Bow), and I could see the difference between the types of bows. Is a higher arc size and flight time good or bad?

Starting out, which bow should I use? I seem to recall that Recurve Bows are quite popular amongst rangers.



Any tips for starting out a Ranger in Factions? (I'm also going to do a lot of Competitive Missions with this character).

[ajc2123]

The lower the flight time the faster it hits the target.

Higher arc size is usually bad because there is a chance it could be dodged, but then higher arc can overcome some obstructions.

methinks.

[zelgadissan]

If you're using Read the Wind, use a flatbow. It gives you a very good flight arc, comparable to a recurve, at a flatbow distance. It's pretty much as good as you can get.

Any other prep (Apply Poison for example), recurve is your overall best IMO, and maybe grab a hornbow for 1s activation attack skills if you're doing the Hunter's+Melandru's+Savage spike.

[Konig Des Todes]

For general uses, people go with Recurve Bow. Longbows and Flatbows are usually used only for pulling. Hornbows are used when extra damage is needed (not a common thing since damage output is not common for rangers), and on a general scale shortbow is avoided.

Only tip is, don't go into more than 3 (can't be a beastmaster with wilderness and marksmanship ^_^) and always go into expertise.

[IcyFiftyFive]

Yeah, as noted by zelgadissan, recurve is the overall best. This is because it has an average range and it has the lowest flight time (meaning that it has less of a time in the air before it hits the target). This leads to easier interrupts and a higher hit rate.

[Lord Of Blame]

A silencing recurve bow with BHA is one of my favorites.

[Chthon]

eh, I think we've been over this before, but what the heck.

High arc is bad; it means your target gets a chance to dodge.

High flight time is bad; it means your interrupt might not arrive at your target in time to stop their cast.

Arc and flight time are directly proportional to each other, so you can really consider them as the same thing.

Consider the longbow as the average-all-around "mario" bow.

Recurve trades away a little range in exchange for better arc/flight time. Use it if you care more about hitting interrupts than max range.

Flatbow trades away a whole lot of arc/flight time in exchange for a whole lot of IAS. If you use Favorable Winds to counteract the awful arc/flight time, it's the best of all worlds. If you don't, you miss a lot.

Shortbows suck. A flatbow used at shortbow range does everything shortbow does, plus has the option of using at a longer range.

Hornbows suckitty suckitty suck suck suck. The armor penetration bonus comes nowhere close to making up for the awful IAS penalty.

[iVendetta]

If I wanted a pet, how many skill slots should I give up for the pet? Or should I give up any at all and just let it run around, bite stuff, and die?

OH BOI O BOI O BOI, RANGAWS AW SHURR NIFTEE.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/9/95/White_Tiger.jpg

[pingu666]

actully shortbows arent so bad for pve, as often your heros/henchies wont run into battle if there out of agro range. and they also ensure your close for interupts....

but with stuff being cheap now, run multiple bows..

silencing recurve
vamp/zealous/elemental flatbow and shortbow

notsure what would be best for hornbow and longbow