Curse

mattyb · May 24, 2005, 06:54 PM // 18:54

I am a r/me and i think anti-caster is the most contributing build to a party. For my ranger skills I have Tigers Fury & Barrage for attacking. Then ranger anti-casting I have debilitatin & distracting shot. My main hang up is what Mesmer attribute and skills to use. I can't decide between illusion or domination. Any help is appreciated.

absit · May 24, 2005, 07:15 PM // 19:15

Domination > Casters.

Gh0sT · May 25, 2005, 10:03 AM // 10:03

If you want to go anti-caster go Domination for sure...

Basically it comes down to:
Domination is the anti-caster line...
Illusion is the anti-melee line...
Inspiraion is the "help urself" line...

Makkert · May 25, 2005, 10:34 AM // 10:34

Well, this is a bit blunt.

I play Ra/Me myself, and am finding my way through the maze.

the big thing is that expertise does not lower the mesmer spells, so be carefull there.
I use debilitatin & distracting shot also. But considering dropping distracting for some energy draining skills. To interrupt is a hard battle for a ranger... the best is Incendary Arrows probably, which is a constant rain of interrupts. The time the arrow needs makes timing harder. ernergy drain on the contrary is a constant, altough harder against elementist....
therefor from the ranger side i would ssay:
- debilitrating and oath shot may be a nice combo, maybe added with one (or some) mesmer drains
- incendary arrows and distracting...

note that i'm still learning this character, as it isn't the easiest to play.

Myodato · May 25, 2005, 11:51 AM // 11:51

Domination is the obvious answer, but not necessarily the best.

As a Ranger you already have great anti caster abilities such as Distracting Shot, Concussion Shot and Debilitating Shot. Piling on Mesmer skills that just duplicate these but cost more to use is not a great plan. A good alternative is to take Inspiration for spells such as Ether Tap and Ether Lord to both minimise your enemy's energy supply whilst boosting your own so that you can use your Ranger skills even more. Add Serpent's Quickness (quicker skill recharge times) and you'll be spamming out attacks faster than any caster can deal with.

To balance the build out, use Apply Poison and Epidemic to spread Poison and Dazed around the enemy group. If you can squeeze in Hunter's Shot for bleeding and/or Pin Down for crippling and spread them aswell using Epidemic, all the better.

walder · May 25, 2005, 09:46 PM // 21:46

Echo + Debilitating Shot. Very simple and verry effective. You don't even have to use any attribute points for Echo becuase all a high Illusion does is allow you more time inbetween when you cast Echo and when you cast your next skill. Time that you don't need. I don't think you even need any interrupts from the Memser line. You can be fine with some utility skills from Inspiration such as Inspired Enchantment, or Power Drain for energy if you want.

Howling Wind · May 25, 2005, 10:04 PM // 22:04

If you can time it right then Arcane Conundrum + Distracting Shot/Savage Shot is quite effective against spell casters. This is in the illusion line of mesmer skills, at the same time you could also carry Clumsiness + Throw Dirt + Pin Down for escaping and holding back warriors, you could replace Barrage with marksman wager which will really help on the energy.

pHobac · May 25, 2005, 10:28 PM // 22:28

With my ranger mes I use domination. Backifire costs 15 energy, so its a lot for a ranger, but its worth it. Cast in on the opposing team's primary healer and start attacking him. The backfire will counter his self healing abilities and you can drop them like bricks. Also good for mesmers with a lot of fast casting, they can kill themselves before they even bother to look at their conditions list.

wingedcoyote · May 25, 2005, 11:34 PM // 23:34

For pure interruption, I think it's hard to beat Conundrum + ranger interrupts.

Alternately, you could pick up the classic Tiger's Fury + Fragility + Incendiary Arrows (with a 0 in Wilderness). IA makes each of your attacks interrupt, after all. Not as reliable for interruption as some other options, but has the added benefits of your target being very dead after a round or two.