Curse

Valerius · Feb 03, 2006, 03:02 AM // 03:02

Quote:

Doesn't a composite bow have a shorter arc/flight time?

yeah... which is y imo they make the best bow to interupt with

Dary Jassem · Feb 03, 2006, 09:52 AM // 09:52

U forgot to mention NR (or maybe i didn't notice).
double cast time for enchatments + hexes. that helps alot.

if u r a R/Mo, i sugget u bring holy viel

cast it on who's getting hexes to double time the hex time. along with NR he'll get x4 casting time . Imagin all of those with dazed

.

Yamat · Feb 03, 2006, 04:51 PM // 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoozoc

um....RoF will still have a 1/2 second cast time which is to fast to interupt without firing prematurly.

I've not had a problem getting a Migrained RoF spamming monk when he's the target... especially when you're carrying 3 or 4 interrupt skills... Maybe what heist23 says has some bearing...?

SnipiousMax · Feb 03, 2006, 06:07 PM // 18:07

Interrupters should bring Antidote sig, or purge conditions, or someother such spell. You're pretty much worthless for interrupting (aside from spells) if you are blinded.

Jenosavel · Feb 03, 2006, 06:30 PM // 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by heist23

Equipment:
Your equipment matters, too. Well, not in a life-or-death kind of way, but it still matters. I generally use a short bow or Half Moon because of the faster firing rate. I haven’t confirmed if this actually helps you send out your interrupts faster, but I like to think so. I also like to keep a Zealous mod on said bow, since the above build is kind of energy heavy, and I don’t want to fit in any energy management skills. I know, I know, a good ranger should ALWAYS have 13 Expertise or he’s a useless piece of ****. Not in my experience.

So, settle with a Zealous Long Bow and Zealous Short Bow, varying on your situation. (i personally use Graygore's Zealous Short Bow and Elswyth's Long Bow as my main weapons, but you can choose whatever you want.)

I would have to disagree with this. I like to have a Short Bow around for dishing out damage; however, if I want to interrupt I invariably go with the Composite Bow.

The Composite Bow has a faster flight-time than the Short Bow when firing from the same distance but also has a longer range. Both of these are helpful when interrupting. The flight-time obviously helps your interrupts be more accurate while the range will allow you more versatility. By versatility, I'm referrig to when you notice someone that's not your current target standing around casting for a long period of time, you might not have a chance to run nearer to interrupt before the cast finishes so the range is helpful. This is more important in PvP where such things as Res. Sigs can usually be spotted if you're paying attention.

The draw-back to the Composite Bow is its refire rate. However, interrupt skills have a set activation time. This by-passes your refire rate and negates the weakness of the Composite Bow from an interrupting perspective. The only time you should be concerned with the refire rate of your bow is when you need the greatest number of attacks per minute, ie: when you're dealing damage.

I think the only point you missed, which led to our differing conclusions about bow choice when interrupting was here:

Quote:

I haven’t confirmed if this [faster refire rate] actually helps you send out your interrupts faster, but I like to think so.

While it wasn't always the case, bow interrupts do have a set activation speed now. Regardless of your refire rate, your interrupt skills will fire at the same speed, so you only need worry about what happens after the arrow leaves your bow. When the game was released, however, your refire rate did matter for Savage Shot and Punishing Shot (but not Distracting Shot... go figure). Thankfully, that has since been changed.

Overall good guide!

sartori · Feb 03, 2006, 10:01 PM // 22:01

great work. i honestly cant add much to it. well, maybe 2 things

1. Proximity vs. threat level - proximity is something to consider when interrupting simply because you can interrupt those spells that take 1/2-3/4 sec. much more easily if you are close to the target. warrior skills are not a problem to take out if you stand next to your monk early in the round, for example. unfortunately, you have to know when and where its a good idea to stand next to your target or they will turn on you and put you on the defensive. basically, being closer is better, but not if it will interfere with your target control.

2. the expertise you posted is rather inefficient. you have dedicated a major rune and thus sacrificed 50 health for no gain whatsoever. the difference in energy cost from expertise levels 9 and 11 is only noticable in skills that cost 15-25 energy.....the highest casting cost on the build you gave was 10. basically, there is no penalty for lowering your expertise to 8, using a minor rune, and having extra points (im not sure if that would give you another point of wilderness but if it did, you could use your major rune there for an extra healing pip). anyway, with the build you provided, expertise 9 or 13 is your best bet

SnipiousMax · Feb 03, 2006, 11:19 PM // 23:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by sartori

1. Proximity vs. threat level - proximity is something to consider when interrupting simply because you can interrupt those spells that take 1/2-3/4 sec. much more easily if you are close to the target. warrior skills are not a problem to take out if you stand next to your monk early in the round, for example. unfortunately, you have to know when and where its a good idea to stand next to your target or they will turn on you and put you on the defensive. basically, being closer is better, but not if it will interfere with your target control.

Another thing to consider is positioning. If I was interrupting a monk...and the monk died, would I be able to reach the person who tries to rez their teammate? I'm I'm interrupting a mesmer, and I see across the way someone casting a spell with a long cast time, would I be able to reach them as well? For me positioning is more important than proximity. Most of the time you should keep your self in place to be able to reach as many as possible. Which is why I prefer Composite over Short bows for interrupters.

heist23 · Feb 04, 2006, 06:14 AM // 06:14

once again, guys, thanks for the great feedback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenosavel

I would have to disagree with this. I like to have a Short Bow around for dishing out damage; however, if I want to interrupt I invariably go with the Composite Bow.

The Composite Bow has a faster flight-time than the Short Bow when firing from the same distance but also has a longer range. Both of these are helpful when interrupting. The flight-time obviously helps your interrupts be more accurate while the range will allow you more versatility. By versatility, I'm referrig to when you notice someone that's not your current target standing around casting for a long period of time, you might not have a chance to run nearer to interrupt before the cast finishes so the range is helpful. This is more important in PvP where such things as Res. Sigs can usually be spotted if you're paying attention.

The draw-back to the Composite Bow is its refire rate. However, interrupt skills have a set activation time. This by-passes your refire rate and negates the weakness of the Composite Bow from an interrupting perspective. The only time you should be concerned with the refire rate of your bow is when you need the greatest number of attacks per minute, ie: when you're dealing damage.

I think the only point you missed, which led to our differing conclusions about bow choice when interrupting was here:

*snip*

While it wasn't always the case, bow interrupts do have a set activation speed now. Regardless of your refire rate, your interrupt skills will fire at the same speed, so you only need worry about what happens after the arrow leaves your bow. When the game was released, however, your refire rate did matter for Savage Shot and Punishing Shot (but not Distracting Shot... go figure). Thankfully, that has since been changed.

Overall good guide!

well, i haven't been around that long. like i said, i just went on a hunch after i read sauseltous rex's Quickshot build (i think it was his) a while ago. i guess i've been proved wrong

i'll make the appropriate changes later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sartori

2. the expertise you posted is rather inefficient. you have dedicated a major rune and thus sacrificed 50 health for no gain whatsoever. the difference in energy cost from expertise levels 9 and 11 is only noticable in skills that cost 15-25 energy.....the highest casting cost on the build you gave was 10. basically, there is no penalty for lowering your expertise to 8, using a minor rune, and having extra points (im not sure if that would give you another point of wilderness but if it did, you could use your major rune there for an extra healing pip). anyway, with the build you provided, expertise 9 or 13 is your best bet

huh...honestly, i'm embarrased that i never noticed this....thanks for the info, i'll edit out the major rune i posted.

while i think that having a high amount in Expertise is a good thing, i generally don't believe in sacrificing my firepower for lower energy costs....that's why i started carrying Zealous bows around. i guess that's my biggest weakness

Brian Fuller · Feb 04, 2006, 09:19 PM // 21:19

I like your build, it's seems like it would be quite versatile and good at interrupting most classes. The only thing I would think of suggesting a change to would be dropping {E} Punishing Shot for {E}Marksmen Wager, PS is a good interrupt and all but I usually like to have some sort of way to keep my energy up. I seem to lose a lot when I interrupt, which might be attributed to my poor interrupting skills

.

Since your primary goal is to interrupt, it's nice to be able to constantly interrupt, PS and CS make that hard with their high energy costs, even with a high expertise. Just my suggestion. BTW very good job on the guide.

SnipiousMax · Feb 04, 2006, 09:39 PM // 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Fuller

I like your build, it's seems like it would be quite versatile and good at interrupting most classes. The only thing I would think of suggesting a change to would be dropping {E} Punishing Shot for {E}Marksmen Wager, PS is a good interrupt and all but I usually like to have some sort of way to keep my energy up. I seem to lose a lot when I interrupt, which might be attributed to my poor interrupting skills

.

There are much better energy management skills than Marksman's Wager (Offering of Blood comes to mind), but I'd take punishing shot over all of them. With a good level in Expertise you shouldn't have many energy problems.

heist23 · Feb 05, 2006, 11:53 PM // 23:53

i'd hate for this thread to get stuck on the next page....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Fuller

I like your build, it's seems like it would be quite versatile and good at interrupting most classes. The only thing I would think of suggesting a change to would be dropping {E} Punishing Shot for {E}Marksmen Wager, PS is a good interrupt and all but I usually like to have some sort of way to keep my energy up. I seem to lose a lot when I interrupt, which might be attributed to my poor interrupting skills

.

Since your primary goal is to interrupt, it's nice to be able to constantly interrupt, PS and CS make that hard with their high energy costs, even with a high expertise. Just my suggestion. BTW very good job on the guide.

i haven't capped Marksman's Wager yet, so i don't know it's full capabilites...but for me, i have Punishing Shot there so i can deal damage and interrupt at the same time. against a caster target, i can deal upwards of 70 damage when using Read.

the Zealous string is also an answer for my energy woes. combined with a short bow, i'll gain some energy relatively quickly.

so, no to MW.

tymeless · Feb 07, 2006, 02:26 AM // 02:26

good guide for beginners...
But the real skill in interrupting is prediction and knowing ur opponent. Watch ur targets and watch how and when they cast there skills, thats the only way ur gonna interrupt those 1/4sec casts consistantly. Learning to interrupt b4 the skills is cast is true skill.
Also, when interrupting a mo or any caster w/ fast casting spells, i try to stay as close as i can to them so my arrows will hit them faster. And i like to save distract shot for skills that are critical to that build and if somone dies on the other team, watch for the res sig and distract shot that person ASAP or if its recharging, spam ur other interrupts until distract shot is recharged and then proceed to ur normal target.
Interrupting res sigs make or break games.

SnipiousMax · Feb 07, 2006, 06:01 AM // 06:01

I like using distracting shot on Rez sigs.

heist23 · Feb 07, 2006, 07:35 AM // 07:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by tymeless

Interrupting res sigs make or break games.

i really, really, really need to add that.

wonder why i didn't in the first place.

Sol_Vie · Feb 07, 2006, 08:11 AM // 08:11

Alright so I used this build tonight in CA. Normally I am not a PvP player but when the mood strikes me I usually play a few matches. Upon seeing this build, the mood struck me like a stampeding elephant. I tried the original build and it work alright, though I found myself using Whirling Defenses not as often as I'd thought so I switched it out for Throw Dirt. I eventually switched throw dirt out for WD again and moved Lightning reflexes out for TF.

Although I used TF for the majority of my games, I found it to be more or less annoying and a waste of space. It's a good skill and useful but it didn't quite fit. I did notice however, that the people I was interrupting had a tendency to you know... run away. So as a precautionary measure against that I threw in Pin Down. I haven't tried it out yet, but I think it could help out some.

I hadn't seriously used Punishing Shot until tonight and my oh my- I love it! I came across a couple oddly outfitted players in the matches- one warrior was using Frenzy. As Punishing Shot reached the recharge I secretly prayed "Please use Heal Sig pleeeease!" Alas, it was not to be. I did get a 60+ damage hit on him though. I hit a couple other people for 80+ damage.

Overall great build. Lots of fun too. Thanks heist! I'll give info on my results with Pin Down soon.

LordMahal · Feb 07, 2006, 10:48 AM // 10:48

With marksmens wager active/maxed, and expertise high, you can actually fire at will, and gain energy. Granted wager is short in duration, but during that time energy will remain full. This comes in handy if you suddenly need to cast something that doesnt involve shooting an arrow (since wager only works per strike) and need that energy. Also helps if you like CS... It costs about 17 with 9 expertise, then you gain 8 when you fire. Follow it up with a couple arrows, and your energy is on its way to recovery. Its helpful for rangers with energy issues, or even for practicing. Of course, with serpents quickness, you could shoot CS twice? with one use of Wager... assuming you have more than 1 target.(FOW was a good place for monks in groups)
My question is... How long does choking gas hang around after the arrow hits?

Banebow · Feb 07, 2006, 03:49 PM // 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordMahal

My question is... How long does choking gas hang around after the arrow hits?

I do not think it does. It interrupts on hit, and then the rest is just eye candy.

Sol_Vie · Feb 07, 2006, 06:18 PM // 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banebow

I do not think it does. It interrupts on hit, and then the rest is just eye candy.

It interrupts repeatedly- and I believe spreads as well.

SnipiousMax · Feb 08, 2006, 01:43 AM // 01:43

Choking gas hits, then spreads, then interrupts. It doesn't hang around interrupting. Adjacent foes have to be casting at the time it hits your target...then it interrupts all adjacent casting foes. So its kinda a 'drop a quarter and hope its a jackpot' skill. Not to often you see people standing next to each other casting at the exact same time.

Choking Gas
Preparation. For (Min: 1 - Max: 12) seconds, your arrows deal (Min: 1 - Max: 8) more damage and spread Choking Gas to all adjacent foes on impact. Choking Gas interrupts foes attempting to cast spells.

Esrever · Feb 08, 2006, 02:24 AM // 02:24

Choking Gas needs to be used with Practiced Stance or cycled with Incendiary Arrows to be a decently efficient interrupt. That said, I really think that an Interrupt Spam Ranger is a better choice for disruption than a Choking Gas Ranger.

Not directly an interrupt, but worth mentioning, is Debilitating Shot. The 10 energy loss on an opponent is quite powerful. It got it's recharge upped, but for a long while you could use Echo and Serpent's Quickness to pump out Debil after Debil. Good times. I haven't used one in a while, but the build may still work.