Curse

Thom · Jun 21, 2005, 07:14 PM // 19:14

I've played a bit of ranger and put together a good deal of PuGs over the last year. You need to talk to your rangers and make it clear that you are aware of what they are capable of and that they are aware of what it expected. Here are the general strengths of rangers that you will want to look at:
1)Skill versitility--you can put them in multiple roles and the opponent doesn't know what they are doing.
2)Low target priority--no one is hunting rangers. Why? see number 3.
3)Great defense-- Rangers should be able to keep themselves alive.
4)Solid base damage--top bows do better than staffs + expertise allows rangers to spam a cheap spell.

There are two basic builds for a ranger: damage and disruption. There will be some overlap, but any ranger you invite should be able to focus on one or the other. Feel free to ask your invited rangers to focus on one area. Damage won't match a top elementalist or warrior, but you will also be getting utility from a ranger. You can also use a ranger to focus on a high priority target which is not being focused (off monks and mesmers). Most rangers should be able to put something together that takes these annoying casters out of play. Utility skills is where you get your bang for the buck in Tombs:

1)Rez, tough to interrupt when Whirling D is up and often go unnoticed.
2)Runner, be it flags or orbs, lightening reflexes+whirling D can rival warriors for this role.
3)Slowing--pindown or crippling shot+hunters shot for bleeding. Traps also drop in here.
4)Scouting/Annoying--send a ranger out ahead in a long boring standoff: long bow than run and see if you can draw the enemy out or waste their energy before an attack.
5)Ganking--A solid ranger should be able to solo a priest, make sure the ranger is solid before you send him out.
6)Area control--Shrines, altars and bottlenecks can be trapped and AOEd. Barrage is a nice AOE spam and a single trap can do much damage if the user can read the land.

I realize that warriors and mesmers can do some of these jobs better, but you must consider the whole package. People expect a warrior to run or gank, which give rangers some options. Obviously a single ranger can't fill all 6 utility roles listed, but if you don't have someone to fill a role a ranger provides an alternative. 1v1 a well rounded ranger can take most any player in the game, so a solid ranger can save your skin in a close fight.

Rangers are also plausible in a number of other builds (healing, tanking, melee, IW, condition spam/fragility, spirits of all types,pets), but the stuff listed above is can be reasonably put together by any level 20 ranger who has a variety of available skills. KISS is pretty much the rule for PUGs, so request any rangers who join you to drop the pets and spirits and focus on team utility.

DarkWasp · Jun 21, 2005, 07:46 PM // 19:46

Rangers with OathShot and be great AoE spreaders too. If you ever run across one of those heal area teams, just Glyph/Meteor shower/Serpants quickness/Oathshot/Glyph/Meteor shower, and it can be done another 2 times before you are exausted by to much.

And I always find it funny when A team runs back to save their preist and a bunch of spikes and dust and jets of flame come out of the ground, and they all end up burning,bleeding,blind,crippled.