Curse

Timotheus Amadeus · Nov 25, 2007, 04:29 AM // 04:29

Well I got bored using a bow. So could anyone tell me a good beastmaster build for PVE and a good one for PVP (AB)!? Thanks alot guys!

MBP · Nov 25, 2007, 06:25 AM // 06:25

Bunny Thumper is always fun.

bilateralrope · Nov 25, 2007, 10:05 AM // 10:05

I'm also on the lookout for a decent pet based build. I don't want a build that deals damage from the pet and your weapon, so a bunny thumper build isn't what I'm after because it splits the focus between pet and hammer.

Epinephrine · Nov 25, 2007, 01:32 PM // 13:32

It's just silly not to have a weapon, simply auto attacking with a bow/spear/wand adds damage. Since a BM build will have expertise and Beastmastery, at the very least you can have a bow and use distracting shot to have an on demand interrupt. Pet interrupts are pretty horrible, so having an interrupt can help a bunch.

As well, pet DPS is pretty bad, so boosting it via a weapon is sensible.

Pet utility isn't very good - with Apply Poison you can easily keep 4+ enemies under degen, a pet will likely get one. Since they don't interrupt well you can forget that aspect. They have ways to apply cripple, but they're bad at it since pets seem to lag in attacking moving targets.

That pretty much leaves pets doing one thing: damage. If your goal is to apply damage, not boosting it via autoattacking is silly. In my mind you have three options when using a (real) pet build:

1) Use a pet + damage from a weapon: This allows you to get a pretty good overall rate of damage, generally with little utility. It may help in that you present an additional potential damage sponge, and that it takes 2 blinds to stop your damage, etc. The pet can also supply unblockable damage via Otyugh's Cry, useful in some areas.

2) Use a pet + utility skills: Many skills don't require any particularly deep investment to get the benefit: Distracting Shot and Savage Shot come to mind, putting some points in Apply Poison and using a poisonous bow is decent - 7 Wilderness survival and a poisonous string is enough for a 12 second poison, enough to maintain it on 6 tartgets with a short bow. This option would likely not supply much damage via the weapon itself, but helps by lending utility.

3) Pet + support skills: Might seem silly, but you can either use spells to support the pet directly, or do party-wide stuff (some command/motivation shouts, or possibly Aegis and skills like that). Probably better suited to a build using Ferocious Strike to generate energy, or on a non-ranger primary, but it's an option.

Other than that there are the typical normal build plus a pet for damage (think Barrage/pet), but since the pet is essentially only adding base DPS and body blocking those aren't really "pet" builds.

horseradish · Nov 25, 2007, 05:46 PM // 17:46

Trapping is fun...but i don't think it would be efficient in most PvP arenas.

Chthon · Nov 25, 2007, 05:58 PM // 17:58

Here ya go:

Attributes: 12+1+3 BM, 8+1 marks (or 9 spear if you want to go spear/shield), Remainder+X Expertise. (You can run a Sup expertise rune (yes, that is twin Sup runes) and get away with it if you really want to, particularly in PvE.)

[skill]enraged lunge[/skill]+[skill]brutal strike[/skill]
Is the best damage you're going to get as a beastmaster. In the best case scenario, you will be able to lay down +154 armor-ignoring damage every 5 sec on top of your base damage. Even the +117 in the non-optimal case is pretty good.

Add 2 or 3 of these long-recharge passive buffs to continuously proc enraged lunge for a low energy/time cost:
[skill]call of protection[/skill], [skill]call of haste[/skill],

, [skill]Predatory Bond[/skill], [skill]Otyugh's Cry[/skill], [skill]symbiotic bond[/skill]
I've got my favorites for PvE and (low-end) PvP, but I'll leave it up to you to pick the best choices for your situation.
Using 3 passive buffs means that you never have to use brutal to proc enraged, so you can time brutal more effectively and conserve energy if you're running low; using 2 leaves you a spare skillslot -- the choice is yours.

You need [skill]comfort animal[/skill]+[skill]charm animal[/skill] for obvious reasons.

Finally, add a rez if it's not AB.

Put whatever you like in any spare skillslots.

moriz · Nov 25, 2007, 08:17 PM // 20:17

pets have never been viable in pvp, simply because they are too unwieldy to be dependable. most pvp builds that features a pet usually have the pet perform a secondary role. you yourself will have to do the majority of the damage with the pet throwing some additional DPS and a condition or two.

Chthon · Nov 25, 2007, 10:32 PM // 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriz

pets have never been viable in pvp, simply because they are too unwieldy to be dependable. most pvp builds that features a pet usually have the pet perform a secondary role. you yourself will have to do the majority of the damage with the pet throwing some additional DPS and a condition or two.

Pets are viable in (low-end) disorganized PvP.

Timotheus Amadeus was asking abut AB. You can run nearly anything in AB and still win so long as you understand that your job is to kill NPCs.

I might also add that a fun variant on the beastmaster I posted above is nearing 100 glad points from RA. (I might post it when it gets to 100.) So I'd say pets are quite viable in RA.

Besides that, yeah, pets have no place in (organized) PvP.

MBP · Nov 26, 2007, 01:36 AM // 01:36

In Random Arena they work pretty darn well - and that's as disorganized as pvp gets

zling · Nov 26, 2007, 07:42 AM // 07:42

pure pet builds are possible but a lot less effective. you have a weapon for a reason, use it...
Barrage/Pet, Thumper and Pack Hunter are the 3 main builds that use a pet, combined with your weapon not instead.
if you insist on using those beast mastery elites that arent called Rao(Rampage as One) than I suggest you stick to PvE(and not the hard areas at that) RA, Aspenwood and AB to some extent.
your elite of choice should be either Ferocious Strike or Enraged Lunge.
you need 1 of 2 other attack skills to go with your elite.
you need 2 of 3 of those pet buffing shouts simply to keep him alive and make him somewhat effective.
you need Comfort Animal and Charm Animal for obvious reasons...
Res is somewhat optional but highly in demand almost everywhere, excluding AB of course...