Curse

SnoopJeDi · Mar 23, 2006, 03:39 AM // 03:39

After capping Practiced Stance at 1k on the cap, I decided I might as well actually use the skill. I couldn't think of any real super use in PvE, so I turned my attention to PvP. What follows is a build designed to be a royal pain in the ass. Spells are ruined, sigs are blown away, and monks can't get out the "wtf" fast enough.

Profession: Ranger/Warrior

Attribute Distribution
Tactics: 3
Expertise: 11 + 1 + 1 = 13
Wilderness Survival: 11 + 1 = 12
Marksmanship: 8 + 1 = 9

Unused points: 3

(this might need a little work, depending how you want to run the build. You could bump expertise down to 12 and tactics up. I didn't really give it much thought after an initial layout, to be honest)

Skill Layout
Pin Down
Healing Signet - *
Distracting Shot
Called Shot - *
Flurry
Practiced Stance {E}
Choking Gas
Resurrection Signet

Equipment
Personally, I find a shortbow the best to use for this, because the fast fire REALLY counts (CG only interrupts on a hit, it's not a persistant effect). I use the collector's shortbow from just outside of Destiny's Gorge. 5 dessicated hydra claws. I've modded a few with different ele strings, and plan on trying a vamp string on one. Most have defense mods, one or two have shelter.

Usage
When starting a match, quickly browse your enemy's layout using ctrl+shift to select targets. You may want to call out any monks or casters. Any caster will be a primary target, unless your team decides to focus elsewhere.

Just before engaging, hit Practiced Stance, then Choking Gas. As soon as this is up, use pin down on your target (this is the best skill to call to alert your team, it's the start of the interrupt). Throw flurry up and attack away. If you see a signet or non-spell skill that needs interrupting, hit the bastard with distracting shot. Keep spamming flurry, you will be fine on regen. Pin down again if the crippled is restored or wears off. Interrupting Reversal of Fortune (a 3/4 sec cast) is the best feeling ever.

The only problem I've had with this build is the extraordinary lack of damage-taking ability, due to the short range of the bow. Healing Signet doesn't strike me as the best idea with the armor penalty and decently long cast, but unguent is a big "please kd/power spike/etc. me now!" in my experience. I'm thinking about replacing it with "Shields Up!". A stance MIGHT work here, but that would not allow you to keep flurry up, in case you were close to killing a monk/etc.

Called shot is another skill that could be changed up. I picked it mainly for it's fast movement and decent spammability. Debilitating shot might be extra nasty here, sucking up energy and THEN interrupting the spells, wasting away an energy pool. I also want to try fav. winds here when I get a chance, for the speed increase, more than anything else.

Final Comments
This build was really fun to make and is really fun to play. I didn't want to run with Tiger's Fury because the points in Beastmastery seemed like a complete waste of attributes to me, as well as knocking out my ability to heal/etc. or re-prepare CG for it's duration. Flurry seems born for this kind of use. The build has fared at maybe 60-70% success in RA, due to the frequent bad partying, but I have nowhere else to test it (no actual guild for TA/HA/GvG, and PuGs aren't so keen on it) I think it will shine better with proper compliments from your own casters. Barbs may be a good choice for a necromancer, to give your attacks an extra kick, but I haven't had a chance. Hopefully you more experienced people can tell us what the right side dish to this build is.

Well, get to it, start choking people like the Vader man!

Leonof · Mar 23, 2006, 05:35 AM // 05:35

you have 12 WS and healing signet is linked to tactics which you are wasting your attrbiutes on. Using Troll Ungent is a better idea IMO. If you are having too much trouble with troll just switch called shot for a defensive stance .

SnipiousMax · Mar 23, 2006, 06:42 AM // 06:42

I was actually gonna try this the other day, but you beat me to it. I would drop tactics unless you wanted to bring something like "Watch Yourself" which you could use every four hits (which would be often with a short bow). But I would drop called shot in favor of Whirling Defense, and just use distracting shot as your precision interrupt. But I guess the problem with WD is that it would canel flurry...so maybe something like throw dirt? I'm not sure I'd use Pin Down, but I can see why you do. IMO With a short bow, it really wouldn't matter if they were moving, cause you'd rail em anyway, and they have to stop to cast spells, so I think I'd bring another skill.

Debiliating shot would indeed be an interesting combo with choking gas... I'd never thought of putting the two together. I may do that next time I'm in the mood for PvP.

I really like it.

Lykan · Mar 23, 2006, 04:06 PM // 16:06

CG ftw, I really like enjoy running it.
You may want to boost exp to 15 to get the full 150% boost for the stance and think about taking savage shot. And as Max said tactics arent really helping much.

no actual guild for TA/HA/GvG, and PuGs aren't so keen on it)

If a pug wont run it make your own team.

SnoopJeDi · Mar 23, 2006, 09:59 PM // 21:59

Even if you drop all the points out of tactics, you can't even bump marksmanship up. So I basically threw them in there because that's the only attribute I believe is worth experimenting with the flexibility skills in the warrior class. I see what your point is on Troll Unguent, and that's actually what I originally ran with, but other interrupters nailed it easily (not exactly a discreet skill, waving your arms about, almost yelling "interrupt me!") and the warrior who usually caused the need for it would use some kind of KD, etc.

A defensive stance is pretty much completely out the door, because if I almost interrupt a monk to death, and he manages to get a call on me and his warriors come sprinting over, I need to be able to push him over the edge, pin down a warrior, and run. Without flurry, I can't shut him down for that extra 2-3 seconds. I never thought about "Watch Yourself!", even though I use it all the time on my warrior. It certainly could be nice to use an adrenaline-based skill as opposed to the 30 second recharge on "Shields Up!". Thanks for the heads-up.

Savage Shot is usually part of my builds for anything, but I dropped it out of this build because it just sucks up too much energy to be useful. When I'm nailing the spells anyway with CG, distract covers sigs, etc.

Pin Down feels essential to me. I think I ran it without this at first, but chasing a monk doesn't look very inconspicuous, and there's usually ample bodyblocking, etc. to slow you down and get them enough time to recover. It also allows warriors to get in on the action faily easily too. Plus, it's the best attack animation the ranger has!

The 150% might be nice, but 13 expertise puts me right over the edge so that base 15-cost skills cost 7 and base 5-cost skills cost 2. The marjority of the build is 5-cost skills, and with an actual cost of 2, the regen works out (haven't tried it with a zealous string, but maybe if you crunch the numbers it comes out close. Not enough benefit for me personally). At 134%, the preparation lasts for much longer than it needs to recharge and recast, so I just deal with it.

I also want to try putting Favorable Winds on this bar, and see what kind of effect the extra arrow speed gives me. The extra damage will also be rather nice, actually putting me higher than slightly average+ (flurry does 25% less damage, but CG adds 7 damage at this level. I didn't see much difference in output without skills, but I wasn't paying a lot of attention to it)

Lady Lorwinia · Mar 23, 2006, 11:24 PM // 23:24

I use echo + debilitating shot.

that plus energy surge and energy burn is nice.

Your right. This is definetly not a damage build.

So you have to rely on your interrupting skills. If you suck at interrupting. Find a different build.

Nice work

SnoopJeDi · Mar 24, 2006, 12:10 AM // 00:10

I just ran a few trials using "Watch Yourself!" in place of Healing Sig, and Debilitating Shot in place of Called Shot. Works pretty well, because as pointed out, you can keep the shout up almost completely if you have a good rhythm. "Shields Up!" was also very effective, but the recharge made it more of a quick-fix skill instead of a long life extender. I'm becoming quite fond of the non-attribute skills, because there seem to be quite a few nice ones.

I also ran with Favorable Winds instead of Called Shot, which worked out ok, but the benefit was unnoticable to me. This one comes down to personal preference. 10 energy isn't going to destroy anybody's pool, but it can sink enemy warriors or rangers(especially R/E, R/Mo, etc.) in rather deep, so I prefer debilitating here.

Also note that you need to watch out (mainly in RA I suppose) for Energizing Wind casters. This will not really harm you, but you will have to adjust your strategy and be more conservative on distracting shot and pay more attention to your environment, because flurry will not be up all the time.

And yes, this build is for very active players. If you enjoy sitting back and spamming Poison Arrow, this build is not for you. It requires very high attention to be paid to the battlefield to be run successfully. If you recognize a bad move (ie. an ele casting ward on the ice in the icy arena, then standing there and casting), you need to take advantage of it asap.

Thanks for the feedback.

[edit]Actually just ran the math on "Watch Yourself!". Assuming your target is stationary, you use no skills, and you're not interrupted, you normally have a refire rate of 2sec with the shortbow. With flurry active, your refire is 1.33. "Watch Yourself!" requires 4 adrenaline, so 4 * 1.33 = 5.33. With Tactics at level 3, the shout lasts for 6 seconds. Ergo, you should theoretically be able to keep it up all the time, maybe your nearby pals will thank you