Curse

XvArchonvX · Nov 15, 2006, 04:46 PM // 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

Skuld, you wound me to the quick!

Sorry Shakespear, but you're simply better off running choking gas + practiced stance + flurry (or frenzy if you know how to cancel stances well)

falling demon · Nov 15, 2006, 06:02 PM // 18:02

'My equipped skills are Barrage.'
'Acolyte Jin's equipped skills are Barrage.'
'Margrid's equipped skills are Barrage.'

'Nothing else?'

'My equipped skills are Barrage.'
'Acolyte Jin's equipped skills are Barrage.'
'Margrid's equipped skills are Barrage.'

^^ That's what gives Barragers a bad name, nothing to back up Barrage, no utilities, nothing that they actually USE other than Barrage, if every barrager brought Conjure, i'd take a barrager over a nuker anyday, that is, if i still played with people.. (heroes ftw)

Sir Mad · Nov 15, 2006, 06:11 PM // 18:11

^ You'd have much better results with a vamp string and flail if you don't need a hard rez from your secondary. And no energy management problems

And I dont agree at all when you say most of the barragers go with one skill. A few of them bring useless skills, indeed, but I'd bet 90% of the barragers have at least one interrupt for example.

Darkpower Alchemist · Nov 15, 2006, 08:09 PM // 20:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by XvArchonvX

Sorry Shakespear, but you're simply better off running choking gas + practiced stance + flurry (or frenzy if you know how to cancel stances well)

Was their a point to this comment towards me?

Stick to the topic. No one was talking to you in this thread.

XvArchonvX · Nov 15, 2006, 09:50 PM // 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

Was their a point to this comment towards me?

Stick to the topic. No one was talking to you in this thread.

The point was to note that Choking gas + practiced stance > Incendary arrows

Since this is a forum, direct conversation is not restricted to a 1 on 1. forums would be a bit limited if you could only respond when someone started talking about you.

Darkpower Alchemist · Nov 18, 2006, 07:07 AM // 07:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by XvArchonvX

The point was to note that Choking gas + practiced stance > Incendary arrows

Since this is a forum, direct conversation is not restricted to a 1 on 1. forums would be a bit limited if you could only respond when someone started talking about you.

Since we are on the topic of what's better, let's test that with visual aid;

[skill=big]Choking Gas[/skill]

[skill=big]Practiced Stance[/skill]

Together, they are a solid combination, damage and interuption being the motivation,but maintaining that interuption being primary to this particular combination.

[skill=big]Disrupting Accuracy[/skill]

However, this particular skill may be an alternative to Choking Gas. Not that I'm saying that it is better than the previous combination, but it has potential to be more useful in a total interupter build. It lasts longer and recharges faster, making it more accessible than Choking gas on natural levels of usage.

[skill=big]Incendiary Arrows[/skill]

As for this Elite skill, you are correct in saying that your 2 skills are better than this one. Never say I didn't acknowledge you knowledge of ranger skills and their practical application.However, any Elite plus another skill should equal up to or surpass the use of a single elite alone. The next question is, how many people have you seen running Practiced stance and get taken seriously. It has been bashed before, and even called useless(I don't agree, but that's what I have heard from others) in the past. But with skills like the previous two mentioned as well as Read the wind,apply poison,etc.,it may gain some needed exposure very soon.

A_Muppet · Nov 18, 2006, 09:04 AM // 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blkout

Your knowledge of Barrage is very limited it appears. Even if enemies aren't bunched up, with 13 points in Expertise, Barrage is a completely spammable skill that adds up to 16 points of additional damage per shot. It's tough to find a skill that adds that kind of damage that's basically free.

Ferocious Strike. Elite pet attack, gives +10 energy at 16 BM. Coupled with 9 expertise, it costs 3 enrgy instead of five to use. You don't just break even with energy costs, you profit.

Sir Mad · Nov 18, 2006, 01:43 PM // 13:43

Quote:

The next question is, how many people have you seen running Practiced stance and get taken seriously. It has been bashed before, and even called useless(I don't agree, but that's what I have heard from others) in the past. But with skills like the previous two mentioned as well as Read the wind,apply poison,etc.,it may gain some needed exposure very soon.

If you're a sin, I agree. But for a ranger, it's too conditional.

A_Muppet · Nov 20, 2006, 05:03 PM // 17:03

What, practiced stance? Nah, great elite. Take a bow that does +15% in a stance, Read the Wind, max out archery and off you go. Or Choking Gas. Or Apply Poison. Or... blast... can't remember the name. The preperation that makes your shots unevadable and unblockable.

Practiced stance on it's own is hopeless, yes. It's one of those skills which requires players to do something they never seem to do-think.

XvArchonvX · Nov 20, 2006, 06:55 PM // 18:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

[skill=big]Disrupting Accuracy[/skill]

However, this particular skill may be an alternative to Choking Gas. Not that I'm saying that it is better than the previous combination, but it has potential to be more useful in a total interupter build. It lasts longer and recharges faster, making it more accessible than Choking gas on natural levels of usage.

I don't think this prep is really comparable since it doesn't do the AoE interupt like Choking Gas and is very unreliable since the interupt only comes in critical hits, which occur less and less as you fight higher level enemies. If you have a Paragon running GFTE, then it would be pretty good, but I don't think I would really reccomend this in almost any scenario.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkpower Alchemist

[skill=big]Incendiary Arrows[/skill]

As for this Elite skill, you are correct in saying that your 2 skills are better than this one. Never say I didn't acknowledge you knowledge of ranger skills and their practical application.However, any Elite plus another skill should equal up to or surpass the use of a single elite alone. The next question is, how many people have you seen running Practiced stance and get taken seriously. It has been bashed before, and even called useless(I don't agree, but that's what I have heard from others) in the past. But with skills like the previous two mentioned as well as Read the wind,apply poison,etc.,it may gain some needed exposure very soon.

I understand that the advantage of many elites is that you can get the advantage of two skills in one, but since this skill only lasts about 8 of 24 seconds, it pretty much requires you to bring another prep and stop often during battles to cast it in order to maintain any sort of effectiveness. Since this skill also lacks the AoE effect of interupts, I don't see the burning on one target as making this one a legitamate choice.

I also must have a very different experience from you since I've never seen anyone bash Practiced Stance before. It could definately be argued that it is not worth the elite slot with most preps, but PS + CG is a match made in heaven. I honestly think the reason many people don't run this skill is because it is a Prophecies only skill found deep in Mineral Springs.

Manoe · Nov 20, 2006, 08:10 PM // 20:10

Have any of you actually checked the dmg output of barrage vrs most other elites along with energy usage? I either use burning arrow or barrage on missions. If we are taking down bosses I use burning arrow. Barrage works best on just about everything else.

Only morons dont target when they use barrage. I always target the proper targer when I use it especially now that they retreat and do not stay grouped.

I use my pet quite often. I have the spider and I can go with burning arrow and full pet skills and clean house. My pet does tons of dmg. NOt sure how you all play your ranger but most of this is far different from what I experience. Errr maybe try changing your skill points around.

Fury Incarnate · Nov 21, 2006, 02:26 AM // 02:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Mad

Nobody said barrage is not a good skill. It is when the monsters are grouped.

This is true, but even so, a +17 damage 0-2 energy skill that can be cast as fast as you can shoot is great even without groups. While it is certainly not the only good ranger elite out there, it is an extremely good one in a lot of circumstances.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manoe

If we are taking down bosses I use burning arrow. Barrage works best on just about everything else.
I use my pet quite often. I have the spider and I can go with burning arrow and full pet skills and clean house. My pet does tons of dmg. NOt sure how you all play your ranger but most of this is far different from what I experience. Errr maybe try changing your skill points around.

Exactly. My degen skill of choice is Poison Arrow, but essentially for anything other than boss hunting, Barrage is an excellent skill. And to say that a pet is bad coupled with any non-pet elite in a non-BP group is ridiculous. Pets add a significant amount of damage, even without beast mastery points, and if you have points there anyway for TF, a pet is a fantastic addition to the build. While neither skill is always good in every circumstance, both are a lot more useful than most people seem to give them credit for. (Admittedly, there are a lot of really crappy rangers out there who give the skills a bad name, but that holds true in any class...)

Bowstring Badass · Nov 22, 2006, 02:46 PM // 14:46

Barrage is a must on a ranger in PvE. It does great damage to mobs (max to 6 enemines) like 30-40 a hit to everything at the cost of 5 energy and even lower with expertise thats just fun.

Raithgason · Nov 24, 2006, 02:07 AM // 02:07

Barrage to me is a great skill. But to me its way to boring to do. Theres no real tactical effort to it. Its easy and sometimes fun to use but very repetitive. I find that i have way more fun using my ranger when i dont use barrage and go burning arrow + apply poison. Ah might in the end be all the same, but im one of those people who get bored quick and need something differant to keep me going.

Evilsod · Nov 24, 2006, 02:52 AM // 02:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowstring Badass

Barrage is a must on a ranger in PvE. It does great damage to mobs (max to 6 enemines) like 30-40 a hit to everything at the cost of 5 energy and even lower with expertise thats just fun.

No its not... i haven't even touched Barrage since i came to Nightfall. I can say i'm having alot more fun with Marauders/Punishing ranger spike heros than i would have spamming '1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1' for a while. Things also die ALOT quicker. Nothing is sweeter than dropping a Margonite Cleric in 1 wave of arrows.

Personally i'd never run Disrupting Accuracy. Choking Gas only works with Practiced Stance (and i guess Flurry/Frenzy), but the important thing is it interrupts (spells) everytime. If i was gonna interrupt something i'd either be aiming for it properly and not just 'catch' it or go Choking Gas and piss them off big time. Disrupting is just too likely to not work when you need it to or be a bit wasted if you bring interrupts too.

The 1 thing that annoys me about Barrage is people using it on quite obviously the wrong target. Just because the Monk should probably be killed first doesn't mean its priority. Barragers priority target is whichever will make you hit more things, not whichever should die first. The more things you hit, the more damage they have to heal off so you still win. The rest of your team should be able to kill the monk.

Barragers also can't run Seeking Arrows for when it really counts (like the areas that have a perma Shields Up...).

jesh · Nov 24, 2006, 08:13 AM // 08:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evilsod

No its not... i haven't even touched Barrage since i came to Nightfall. I can say i'm having alot more fun with Marauders/Punishing ranger spike heros than i would have spamming '1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1' for a while. Things also die ALOT quicker. Nothing is sweeter than dropping a Margonite Cleric in 1 wave of arrows.

Wow no one flamed you for such a crazy statement. It's about dang time someone else notice this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spawnofebil

You mean, instead of pressing 1 button, someone who presses three buttons whenever they recharge?

Barrage is a good skill because it frees up skill slots on your bar for other offensive/utility skills. You can interupt just fine with Distracting and Savage, as long as you have decent reflexes.

Yeah way to interrupt? As soon as they recharge? I'd love to see you have a whack at playing mesmer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadis

It's the typical "This skill is popular, so I must hate it to be different and cool!" mentality that a lot of RPG games have. People need to feel important and special, so they pick out popular skills and heap loads of unwarranted hate on it and those who actually, I dunno, have FUN with it as if they're superior because they use different builds.

As has been stated before, there are simply better skills that barrage. Why should I use what everyone else does, if it isn't even the best?? I don't feel superior to anyone besides people like THIS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markus_thom

The Necro then asked why you don’t have barrage, and left the party.
I told the necro to go play tombs some more.

Moral of the story.

Some people have done their brain mental damage from playing tombs for to long.

Maybe you should learn the moral too.

Program Ftw · Nov 24, 2006, 10:47 AM // 10:47

Until Incendiary Arrows gets a longer duration, it's worthless. End of story.

Bloodied Blade · Nov 24, 2006, 11:32 AM // 11:32

I only see incendiary arrows in RA...and frankly, a CG ranger is much more of a threat than someone that I only have to kite for a moment or two in order to avoid interrupts for the duration of the skill's recharge.

As for the whole "Stop bashing Barrage" thing-

There are better skills, get used to it. Barrage is not the be-all end-all of ranger skills, it's just really good at what it does and doesn't require as much attention in order to maximize dps. Other skills become more effective with specialized builds, but an entire skillbar is always going to outdo a single button spammer with a spirit.

Lordhelmos · Nov 24, 2006, 09:01 PM // 21:01

are you kidding Go for the Eyes! + Barrage is amazing...

Maria The Princess · Nov 25, 2006, 01:14 AM // 01:14

>.>

i was kicked out of a PUG in the last mission (where you beat abaddon) cuz i didnt have barrage/pet equiped... no idea why they wanted me to barrage abbadon... and even more clueless why they wanted my pet

i dared to equip poison+daze build... just like all necros are minion masters, all rangers are barragers