Curse

Valerius · Apr 22, 2005, 02:16 AM // 02:16

Quote:

I went with a little bit different path than you but the same core of the build:

R/Mo

Exp
Marks
Smite
Beast

Barrage-E
Hunter's Shot
Penetrating Attack
Judge's Insight
Whirling Defense
Balthazar's Aura
Lightning Reflexes
Tiger's Fury

This way, you can use your Judge's+Tiger's+Barrage+Hunter's+Penetrating combo until your targets get close to you. Then let them surround you and throw on Whirling+Aura, then when Whirling runs out Lightning for more evade. After you get your evades going keep spamming your attacks, I probably wouldn't throw Judge's on again because you lose DPS. This should kill most enemies assuming you don't attract too much attention.

ok awesome... i ll keep that build in mind when i try out Smiting Prayers

William of Orange · Apr 22, 2005, 02:21 AM // 02:21

I was playing a Trapping Ranger/Monk during my PvP last Beta in the Tombs, and I felt that it was actually a pretty decent build. The only problem I had was with Energy; since I was only Level 19, I had an 11 in Expertise, so even with the decreased energy costs I was still dropping a lot of Energy if I was stacking Traps. I don't remember what I ran exactly, but I believe it was something like this...

Marksmanship: 10+1
Expertise: 10+1
Wilderness Survival: 7+1
Protection: 8/9 (can't exactly remember)

Whirling Defense
Dust Trap
Barbed Trap
Spike Trap
Penetrating Attack
Debilitating Attack
Troll Unguent
Shield of Regeneration {E}

Pretty much the whole premise behind this build was to follow up Warriors into the battle after they had engaged an enemy, throw on Whirling Defense, and get into the thick of the battle. Move up next to an enemy being engaged, then lay down some traps, preferably Dust Trap first for the Blindness, then Barbed Trap for Cripple and Bleeding, and topping it all off with Flame Trap for some nice scorching. After they're planted, run back out, I would either:

1) Find a caster of any profession, preferably Monks, and hit them with Debilitating Shot as often as I could.
2) Pick off any almost-dead enemies with Penetrating Attack to try and finish them off.

I actually had a lot of success with this strat, and I was hoping to hold onto it, but for the Energy issues, I'm inclined to have my PvP character a Ranger/Mesmer. Obviously it's not easy to let go of the extra Armor and +7 Health pips for 8 seconds I get with Shield of Regeneration, but if you ran a build somewhat like this...

Oath Shot {E}
Whirling Defense
Dust Trap
Barbed Trap
Flame Trap
Penetrating Attack
Troll Unguent/Debilitating Attack
Energy Tap

I would think you could have a pretty decent Trapping Ranger, since Energy problems will be lessened when stealing Energy and Oath Shot will pretty much be a guaranteed hit at a close range once I've emersed myself in the chaos.

Besides that though, I wouldn't use a Mesmer for a PvE character. The only skill I somewhat liked was Conjure Phantasm, and that's only really because of the first Beta I played and those Charr Mind Sparks kept slapping it on me...

Valerius · Apr 22, 2005, 02:56 AM // 02:56

hmm... just another question....

is putting 7 points into Beast Mastery really that useful? cause like... the only Beast Mastery skill i ll have is Tigers Fury.....is that skill really worth 7 points?

Scaphism · Apr 22, 2005, 03:05 AM // 03:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by walder

Then let them surround you and throw on Whirling+Aura, then when Whirling runs out Lightning for more evade. After you get your evades going keep spamming your attacks, I probably wouldn't throw Judge's on again because you lose DPS.

Before people start writing this down to try it out, it should be pointed out that Baltazar's Aura costs 25 energy. You wont have 25 energy to spend (especially since that's your starting max).

Also, 3 stances is pretty overkill. Tiger's Fury is a keeper because it helps your damage A TON, Whirling Defense has a decent duration and will definitely help you out if you get into trouble. Lightning Reflexes is pretty much a waste, however. It lasts ~10 seconds with a 60s recharge. It's just a mediocre combination of the two stances you already have- just use those two and find another skill to replace Lightning Reflexes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by William of Orange

Pretty much the whole premise behind this build was to follow up Warriors into the battle after they had engaged an enemy, throw on Whirling Defense, and get into the thick of the battle. Move up next to an enemy being engaged, then lay down some traps, preferably Dust Trap first for the Blindness, then Barbed Trap for Cripple and Bleeding, and topping it all off with Flame Trap for some nice scorching.

Expertise is your savior. You want a minimum expertise of 12, but you really want it up at 14 so you can use your 10 energy traps for only 4 energy, and 5 energy attack skills for only 2 energy.

Dust Trap is also a big energy hog, and I don't know why you're following warriors into battle to use it.
Dust trap is best used to protect your own monks- try standing near them to use it.
While you're at it, you could drop troll unguent for healing spring. It's more healing, and it's AOE, so it will help your team out (use it near your monks so they benefit from it. The disadvantage is that Healing Spring is immobile, and you can get disrupted while using it, but just be careful when you use it, and you should be fine.

It looks like your attributes need more work. You're spread over 4 attributes, and your priorities aren't clear.
If you're focusing mainly on traps, you may have to sacrifice some Marksmanship (MMS) to make your traps more effective. If most of your time is spent laying traps down, that's probably a better choice for you.
Also, I don't really like Shield of Regen as the elite in your build. It's a spell, so it's not affected by expertise, and it's your only protection skill. Rangers already have a lot of good elites available to them before they need to go looking into another line.

Either commit more to Protection, or find a Ranger elite you like.
Some suggestions:
Marksman's Wager- Should solve your energy problems with room to spare
Melandru's Arrows - I really like this elite if you already are specced in Wilderness Survival. Most teams are running lots of enchantments (especially on the monks) so it's like getting a free power shot in every time.

Finally,

Quote:

is putting 7 points into Beast Mastery really that useful? cause like... the only Beast Mastery skill i ll have is Tigers Fury.....is that skill really worth 7 points?

Yes, unquestionably. Raising your attack rate by 33% effectively raises your damage by 50%. Tiger's Fury at 7 BM gives you 8 seconds of increased attack speed goodness. Tiger's Fury is THE BEST reason to have points in Beastmastery right now.

Valerius · Apr 22, 2005, 05:18 AM // 05:18

heh...ok awesome....u sound like u know what ur talking about so i'm gonna take ur word for it

thanx again for all the help... u guys are great!

6 more days!!

walder · Apr 22, 2005, 05:29 AM // 05:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scaphism

Before people start writing this down to try it out, it should be pointed out that Baltazar's Aura costs 25 energy. You wont have 25 energy to spend (especially since that's your starting max).

Heh, forgot to mention... get a Zealous grip. Barrage enough to build up your energy then get cast Aura. With Exp helping Whirling Defense, I think regen will get you up to 25 in time to cast Aura. Or you could just do a weapon switch to boost your energy up to cast Aura. For a while you will have to just shoot normal arrows but its worth it to use Aura.

Edit*
To replace Lightning Reflexes I was thinking either Symbol of Wrath for more AoE damage or Throw Dirt for a more defensive play. Maybe even Retribution if I'm going to try to go to Riverside with this guy.

Valerius · Apr 22, 2005, 05:51 AM // 05:51

lol......... onnnnneeee more question

Quote:

Tiger's Fury at 7 BM gives you 8 seconds of increased attack speed goodness.

where did u find that out? in the game from experience? or is there a site i can go to to see the timing and stuff at certain lvl's?

Scaphism · Apr 22, 2005, 06:55 AM // 06:55

If you come to the Guild Wars Guru IRC channel, you can check specific skills at certain attribute levels by asking GWBot.
The channel is #gwguru on the gamesurge server.

Otherwise, you have to calculate them by hand.
Also, be warned that GWBot tends to be out of date, especially right after BWE, so take what he says with a grain of salt.

Finally, I'm going to have to disagree about Balthazar's Aura.
I love Zealous Bows + Barrage as much as the next guy, but you're not going to be sitting around with 25 extra energy to dump on yourself when you want to run Balthazar's Aura. It's unrealistic to expect it, even with a zealous bow.

NiknudStunod · Apr 22, 2005, 07:19 AM // 07:19

I seen a lot of ranger/necro in the gwe. Do they make a bad combo because that was going to be my alt?

Scaphism · Apr 22, 2005, 07:48 AM // 07:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiknudStunod

I seen a lot of ranger/necro in the gwe. Do they make a bad combo because that was going to be my alt?

Try checking out the Ranger Basics sticky in this forum. A lot of build ideas are already there. Or the Builds Directory on the home page.

When I'm not playing a monk I often play a Ranger/Necro. I think it's a great combination- you play mainly as a ranger, with a little utility: Rend Enchantments and Shadow of Fear are my favorites (for PVP).
In PVE you can leave Rend Enchantments behind, but Shadow of Fear will remain useful. You play mainly as a ranger, grabbing one or two useful skills from the necro line (which is about all it has to offer to start).

Valerius · Apr 23, 2005, 10:21 PM // 22:21

k.... i've thought about it and this is wat i'm thinking :

Ranger / Monk

Markmanship

- Barrage (5)
- Hunter's Shot (5)

Beast Mastery

- Tiger's Fury (10)

Expertise

- Distracting Shot (5)
- Throw Dirt (5)
- Whirling Defense (10)

Smiting Prayers

- Judges Insight (10)

No Attribute

- Penetrating Attack (10)

remember... this is for PvE action... i want to be able to hold my end on my own and be able to work well with a group... this look good? anything u think i should change?

also... i was wonderin' about Tiger's Fury... instead of that should i get Lightning Reflexes? ... this way i wouldn't have to have points in Beast Mastery and this move also gives me a 75% chance to evade attacks... the only flaw i can see in doing this Lightning Reflexes has a 60 sec CDT... where as Tiger's Fury only has a 5 sec CDT

Ensign · Apr 24, 2005, 04:04 AM // 04:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerius

i've thought about it and this is wat i'm thinking

I can't argue with that skill selection - you should do pretty good damage, and can stand in the way of an onrushing pack with Throw Dirt / Whirling Defense for a good amount of time. I'd think about squeezing in a Res somehow, unless you're on an all Monk team and catastrophe insurance isn't a big deal. But otherwise, you're solid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerius

also... i was wonderin' about Tiger's Fury... instead of that should i get Lightning Reflexes?

Absolutely not. The difference between being able to pump out solid damage continuously (with Tiger's Fury) and for a few seconds (with Lightning Reflexes) could not be more stark. Most of the time the evasion on Lightning Reflexes is wasted and you just have a short term speed boost - Tiger's Fury just keeps on going, taking breaks for a shot while the cooldown catches up. One's a nice bonus, the other is a machine.

Cooldowns are nearly as important as energy costs and cast times when it comes to evaluating skills. Skills that can be used more often will naturally have a larger influence on your character and the game - you must take that into account when deciding what to run. It's the difference between a character who always has skills at the ready to use, and one sitting around waiting for something useful to recharge.

Peace,
-CxE

Valerius · Apr 24, 2005, 05:02 AM // 05:02

Quote:

I'd think about squeezing in a Res somehow

is Res .. Rebirth? if so.. shouldn't that skill only be used when in a group... like i plan on getting it and all... but wouldn't i only want it in my slot if i am in a group.. cause it says : Description: Resurrect target party member, teleporting him to your current location. All of target's skill are disabled for 20 seconds. This spell consumes all of your remaining energy.

so can u not only use it on someone else? not urself?....

btw... if i were to switch in Rebirth... what out of the mentioned 8 would i want to switch it with most likely

Scaphism · Apr 24, 2005, 05:31 AM // 05:31

I'd drop Penetrating Attack first. Barrage is ready to re-use every 2-3 shots, so you'll basically go: Barrage, Hunters, Normal, Barrage, Hunter's.

If you absolutely can't live without Penetrating Attack, I'd drop either Throw Dirt or Whirling Defense. I'd probably drop Throw Dirt because Whirling Defense will protect you against Melee and Ranged attackers, but it's up to you. Whirling Defense is a stance so you can't use it with Tiger's Fury, but it's more likely to save you when you do use it, IMO.

Ensign · Apr 24, 2005, 07:26 AM // 07:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerius

is Res .. Rebirth?

Rebirth for team-based PvE, yeah. Obviously you ignore it and run what you have there if you're soloing, but when other people are around a Res is just too valuable to not run.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerius

btw... if i were to switch in Rebirth... what out of the mentioned 8 would i want to switch it with most likely

I'd drop Whirling Defense first. Throw Dirt is the better of the two because you can use it to defend teammates as well.

Another option would be to drop Hunter's Shot - it's cheap, but you can't use it nearly as much as Penetrating Attack. If you're just running one non-Barrage attack skill, you should have plenty of energy to play with, however. Penetrating hits harder and recycles faster - it's the best raw attack skill available right now.

Peace,
-CxE

Scaphism · Apr 24, 2005, 08:07 AM // 08:07

Trust Ensign to disagree with me.
At this point you're just nitpicking over one or two skills, and part of the fun will come from deciding which skills to bring depending on what type of group you're running with.

Early on I give the nod to Hunter's Shot over Penetrating Attack. DOTs like bleeding will cause a lot of damage in the early game, while monsters have lower armor so Armor Penetration is less valuable until you start fighting level 15+ monsters.

As for Whirling Defense vs Throw Dirt, it depends on who (if anyone) you're playing with. If they need to be protected, well, then Throw Dirt helps you both out. If you're solo, you could argue for either one- Throw Dirt lets you continue to use Tiger's Fury as your attack stance, so it's nice, but Whirling Defense will help more if you're overwhelmed and need to Escape. Ideally, if you're solo you wont be pulling a ton of monsters at once, so if you can keep the numbers of enemies low, Throw Dirt has a bit of an edge.

Tailor your final choices to fit the group you're with. If someone else can cause Bleeding damage, drop Hunter's Shot. If someone else is using Blind, you can probably leave Throw Dirt behind. Those choices will be easy to make with a bit of experience, but for now you have a solid foundation in place.

Valerius · Apr 24, 2005, 04:13 PM // 16:13

thx a lot dudes.. really appreciate it