Curse

mgrape · Mar 14, 2005, 07:03 AM // 07:03

I'm really at a loss here as I'm not sure which I want to play in the retail. I've tried both over the course of the betas and there seem to be pros and cons for each. Just seeing what other people's opinions are as I could use some help. So, pros/cons, party/solo, pvp, etc...

Fight!

March Hare · Mar 14, 2005, 08:01 AM // 08:01

A bit more information might help. What type are you going to focus on for Ranger (Beast Mastery, Expertise, Marksmanship, or Wilderness Survival)?
What do you like so far?
Do you want individual attacks, group attacks etc.?

I guess the best it to balace whatever you like about the ranger with either of the two options. There is a balance with either option, it all depends on what you wish to acomplish.

Rushing Wind · Mar 14, 2005, 08:17 AM // 08:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgrape

I'm really at a loss here as I'm not sure which I want to play in the retail. I've tried both over the course of the betas and there seem to be pros and cons for each. Just seeing what other people's opinions are as I could use some help. So, pros/cons, party/solo, pvp, etc...

Fight!

Thats the beauty of all of this... choice! If you find out you don't like him... give him the axe!

They both sound like good possibilities. Personally, I haven't played either... yet! I have a War/Ele and enjoy his offensive/defensive tactics. I think being an elementalist is awesome because you wield great power and can smite one target or many... again, your choice. Mesmer intrigues me because you have so many hexes and "problems" you can cast upon enemies that they won't know what hits them before they are dead... if you play it right.

Either seems quite creative. Having a pet to sidetrack an enemy only gives you more time too... if you decide to have a pet as a ranger.

Whether you party/solo, PvE/PvP is up to your discretion. Thats where focus needs to be made. PvE is breath taking and awesome whether you solo or not... just make sure you can handle it if you solo it. I have a hard time with PvP and it frustrates me too but thats because I have a character that isn't terribly powerful yet. It'll become more enjoyable as I bring my enemies to my knees begging for mercy instead of me collapsing in front of them, gasping for my last breath as I become the bread that the hot, searing knife plummets through (hopefully that metaphor was understood

). Enough of all my play on words... I probably can't even follow it anymore.

If I were to choose one before the other though I would have to grab hold of Ranger/Mes. Just seems like he would kick ass and you'd tear up the playing field more! It just all boils down to your style of play and what you think works best for you. As for me, I'm still figuring that out!

Onward... to victory!

Dovi the Monk · Mar 14, 2005, 04:03 PM // 16:03

well ill just start out saying, in my personal opinion the ranger/elementalist is a more easier preoffesion, take a long and conjure and then use marks and expertise to kick arso with super charged arrows from conjure, i found a lot of people go ranger/elem for damage output. the ranger/mesmer is a more complicated proffesion combo tu pull of.

with ranger/mesmer a now gettin pretty popular thing is to bring along fragility from the illusion side, then pickin up some marks and s skills to use conditions and then attack the person damgin them extra through those conditions, with fragility. or u culd always pick up the rare skill fevered dreams and just become a conditions spreader with fragility, i think a mesmer/ranger would be better for this because u want a bigger energy to cast more fragilities and then spread them.

Nash · Mar 14, 2005, 06:20 PM // 18:20

Pure damage vs. caster shutdown...
Well, pure damage is more flexible since it's non-conditional. However, if your enemy can outheal your pure damage it's quite useless. Caster shutdown is much better against Monks, which are you primary targets in PvP. It's also good for preventing enemy casters from hurting you. However, caster shutdown is harder to time and requires more skill, and can be countered by condition/hex removal, and you can never kill anyone by shutdown alone.

Take your pick.

Shrapnel_Magnet · Mar 14, 2005, 07:28 PM // 19:28

Yeah, the Ranger/Memser is pretty specialized... however in the low level game, they can do just about anything (that said, most characters can).

I've played a Ranger/Mesmer for the past 2 Beta Events and I've had nothing but success. I have noticed that they are becomging increasingly popular though. I like to think the player base just follows whatever I do... *flexes* It's tough being this cool... Anyway... seriously though, I've never been too impressed with the Ranger/Elementalist.

If anything you should also be looking at the Ranger/Necromancer. I feel that this build is better suited for bringing down just about anything. I also think that this combo is ideal for Monk PROTECTION. It's a hard concept to deal with in PvP, since everyone is so focused on killing the other Monks at all costs... but I feel that this strategy is flawed. Then again, I'm not the expert of High Level PvP.

Either way, the Ranger/Elementalist is a nice build to work with, as well. Conjure Element* (Fire, Water, or Air) is definitely nice as the Ranger is rarely running any enchanments and it will stack with your Preparations. An Air Skill like Enervating Charge is nice for weakening warriors or other Rangers and Blinding Flash is pretty decent as well.

It really depends on what you want from the build though.

I still believe what Spooky said is true:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spooky

So really, creating a good build comes down to having a clear vision of a character, and what you want them to do.

Kha · Mar 14, 2005, 08:14 PM // 20:14

I think the main focus you have to deal with is how much of your secondary do you actually want to use. In my opinion, an elementalist will only be good for the conjure spells. All the other good spells cost more energy than a ranger should be spending at one time. The mesmer has a lot more appealing spells to go along with a ranger but the energy is a major factor.

If you want to go heavy on bow damage, go R/E.
If you want to go heavy on spell usage, go Me/R.
If you want something in between, go R/Me.

Weezer_Blue · Mar 15, 2005, 01:55 AM // 01:55

I played a Ranger/ Elementalist over the last weekend. While it was better than some of the other secondaries I have played as, it wasn't great. I'm going to test Ranger/ Mesmer next weekend. All you really get from /Elementalist is a conjure and maybe a couple high damage spells that will screw you on energy and make you less effective for the next minute and a half while you're waiting for your energy to recharge.

Mar 15, 2005, 06:13 AM // 06:13

If you decide to play a Ranger/Mes try not to get yourself side-tracked with too many shutdown abilties.