24 replies to this topic

[SonofInnocence8309]

Hey everyone, first post here on GW2Guru so hopefully it's not a crazy question.

I haven't gotten the opportunity to play anything other than a Guardian and I've been researching each and every profession so I can decide for August 25th. The Ranger, as far as I can tell from videos and these forums, is extremely pet-focused. You're spending your time multi-tasking your attacks, what your pets are doing, and swapping between your two pets (to ensure they don't die and have the most effectiveness).

Now, that's my understanding of the profession. Since I've decided I want to play an "Adventurer" profession my big question is this: Do Rangers seem extremely repetitive, or do they have a lot of variation in their multi-tasking, allowing you to control the battlefield from a distance and wreak havoc?

Hopefully that makes sense. If not, I'll try to clarify some more. Thanks for your help and patience!

[Cellbuster]

You can say they are re"pet"itive.  Hah, thats a joke, we like to joke around here.  Anyways, ranger's seem to vary well enough like other classes especially because they have both very usable melee and ranged options.  Your most optimal strategy will be very dependent on how your foe moves and attacks (PvE-wise).  In terms of PvP, you may be more locked into a set strategy since viability is a big question in these situations. I would say bursting and condition classes tend to be locked into repetitiveness the most, while snare, trap, and control type's are very much on the fly. (as defensive type plays should be)

As far as pets go, it will only help to learn how to use them, as they are simply a resource given to you.  It's not hard to give very minimal managing and you will still benefit greatly. Simply coincide your attacks with the command attack key, and swap out when you hear the audible queue that it's dying. Think of the F2 skill as simply another utility (although I would choose a non-tentative one since the casting is a bit wonky).  At the moment, putting the pet on auto kill can get you into more trouble than it saves so I would strongly advise using passive mode.

If you like what you see, definitely go for it.  Like everything in this game it's easy to pick up, but hard to master.

Edited by Cellbuster, 18 August 2012 - 04:05 AM.

[SonofInnocence8309]

Definitely helps me out. Thanks Cellbuster! I really appreciate the quick reply!!! Honestly, I'm stuck between Thief, Ranger, and Engineer. I may just end up trying all three and seeing if I like the mechanics of one of them. I'm just trying to save myself time so I don't do my usual "alt-itis"!

PS: I actually chuckled pretty heavily. Re"pet"itive. *Snicker*

[Melon is omg]

Ranger should be called the beastmaster class.

If that still appeals to you, it's worth trying. A major function of the ranger is pet management

[Adrian_R]

Pets are a source of unpredictability, and ranger weapons are situational. As a result, I'd say rangers are less repetitive than other classes.

[SonofInnocence8309]

Adrian_R, on 18 August 2012 - 04:27 AM, said:

Pets are a source of unpredictability, and ranger weapons are situational. As a result, I'd say rangers are less repetitive than other classes.

I think you may have just sold me, right there. Was reading on Engineers and I don't know if the kits are really my 'style' of play. As for Thief, I may give them a shot at some point. Starting off, Charr Ranger (because I love the Charr for some sick horrible reason). Maybe it's the old Pokémon lover in me from when I was a kid? I've never seen pets handled very well in games, so hopefully this will step it up a notch for me.

[BloatedGuppy]

SonofInnocence8309, on 18 August 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

I think you may have just sold me, right there. Was reading on Engineers and I don't know if the kits are really my 'style' of play. As for Thief, I may give them a shot at some point. Starting off, Charr Ranger (because I love the Charr for some sick horrible reason). Maybe it's the old Pokémon lover in me from when I was a kid? I've never seen pets handled very well in games, so hopefully this will step it up a notch for me.

Engineers have a LOT of toys and a LOT of flash, and are the recipients of one of the most recent and extensive balancing patches, so if variety is your spice, you'll find lots to like in that class. Mind you, kits can be an acquired taste, and it's an extremely quirky class with a lot of unusual options. It can be very, very difficult to theme a build around one particular thing.

Rangers are a bit more straightforward, they use the more traditional weapon swap, and the pet handles like a pet in many other MMOs. There's variety in terms of utilities, and choice of pet, and pet skills, and situational decisions, but it is definitely a more straightforward class than the Engineer.

The easiest solution of course would be to play both.

[Siveon]

Like all profession it depends more on your play-style than the profession it self. The question of how repetitive they are is a bit subjective since they are all repetitive in their own way, you have to think more on the line of "Rangers have to deal with the pet, are you ok with that?". Many people see the ranger as a ranged class and they want to ignore the pet, but it is a integral part of the Ranger in both dmg and utility, so if you can't handle a bit of light management(its not that complex) its probably not for you.

One of the great things about the ranger is that hes flexibility goes beyond being melee or ranged in combat because you and your pet are a team, its a third arm which you can tweak to your liking. The pet can be a tank, melee/ranged DPS or even support, a devourer can even kite a bit.

Will you use the pet to balance your weakness or will you use it to enhance your strong points? It's up to you.

[SonofInnocence8309]

Siveon, on 18 August 2012 - 04:50 AM, said:

"Rangers have to deal with the pet, are you ok with that?". Many people see the ranger as a ranged class and they want to ignore the pet, but it is a integral part of the Ranger in both dmg and utility, so if you can't handle a bit of light management(its not that complex) its probably not for you.

One of the great things about the ranger is that hes flexibility goes beyond being melee or ranged in combat because you and your pet are a team, its a third arm which you can tweak to your liking. The pet can be a tank, melee/ranged DPS or even support, a devourer can even kite a bit.

Will you use the pet to balance your weakness or will you use it to enhance your strong points? It's up to you.

Had a big thing written, then my son hit the back button on my mouse. /facepalm Let's try this again.

Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for! I was scared it was so much micro-management that I'd be staring at the UI the whole time instead of actually playing the game. If it's easy to use but hard to master, I'm totally game with that. Seems like there is a lot of flexibility with the usage of pets!

Also, it never even occurred to me that Rangers can use melee weapons now. In GW1 I actually hated being stuck with just a bow in order to use my abilities. Melee will add that extra flair in case people get close (or to use the sklls that the close-range weapons bring).

I think I've OFFICIALLY decided on a Rangers. Thank you guys so much! You've sold me!

[nicefff]

SonofInnocence8309, on 18 August 2012 - 03:43 AM, said:

Hey everyone, first post here on GW2Guru so hopefully it's not a crazy question.

I haven't gotten the opportunity to play anything other than a Guardian and I've been researching each and every profession so I can decide for August 25th. The Ranger, as far as I can tell from videos and these forums, is extremely pet-focused. You're spending your time multi-tasking your attacks, what your pets are doing, and swapping between your two pets (to ensure they don't die and have the most effectiveness).

Now, that's my understanding of the profession. Since I've decided I want to play an "Adventurer" profession my big question is this: Do Rangers seem extremely repetitive, or do they have a lot of variation in their multi-tasking, allowing you to control the battlefield from a distance and wreak havoc?

Hopefully that makes sense. If not, I'll try to clarify some more. Thanks for your help and patience!

I personally fount them to be repetitive in pve, but that was switching from longbow to sword/war horn(or dagger). But i suppose it depends on your play style, i like the stay far back and put loads of damage out whilst your pet has aggro and then when the pets down you whip the sword out and then maybe switch back if you have muddy terrain to hold the foe in place.

i really think you just need to spend a while with the profession though, just because that build worked well for me dosnt mean it would for you, you might be more of a short bow sort person (which i hate tbh)

to sum up really, it is versatile depending what weapons you plan to use, and how much you want to change things up

[Azjenco]

There's been a lot of solid info given so far, but I'll just add my own 2cents.

During BWE3 I played quite a bit with a charr ranger, up till level 28, but it was sort of a let down. The class is a bit pet heavy, and man are they soft. It became a chore to keep them going, and so far they felt like a crutch rather than an effective tool. The way I understood it, and to an extent of how the pet functioned in GW1, they are supposed to be an extension of you. They're supposed to be something more, like an extra weapon, but it felt a whole lot more like I needed to babysit my pets. I had an extra character that required attention, only the second character was more of a chore than any help at all.

[SonofInnocence8309]

Azjenco, on 18 August 2012 - 03:44 PM, said:

During BWE3 I played quite a bit with a charr ranger, up till level 28, but it was sort of a let down. The class is a bit pet heavy, and man are they soft. It became a chore to keep them going, and so far they felt like a crutch rather than an effective tool. The way I understood it, and to an extent of how the pet functioned in GW1, they are supposed to be an extension of you. They're supposed to be something more, like an extra weapon, but it felt a whole lot more like I needed to babysit my pets. I had an extra character that required attention, only the second character was more of a chore than any help at all.

Mmm. That's definitely something I'll have to keep in mind when I try one. I'm definitely going to give one a shot, but I'll be sure to watch out for that. I mean, I may hit Lv. 30 and decide that I absolutely hate the Ranger. I may hit Lv. 30 and decide it's the most ingenious development of a "pet class" in the history of gaming. Either way, that's a good counterbalance for me to keep in mind and keep my eyes open for. Thanks Azjenco!

[Siveon]

Pets are a bit squishy in the early levels so starting with a bear is a good choice but you should not expect them to tank whole time while you hit them, in order to do that you need to invest at least 10 points in BM and take the trait "Master's Bond", that should make him a bit more tanky once he gets 25 stacks.

The alternative is for you to kite the mobs while using a more offensive pet to deal extra dmg, in this case crippling the target so your pet can deal more sustained dmg is key, so you might consider using muddy terrain and/or spike trap as utility skills, but these things you will pick-up as you play, the important part is that you enjoy your self.

[SlappedYak]

SonofInnocence8309, on 18 August 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Mmm. That's definitely something I'll have to keep in mind when I try one. I'm definitely going to give one a shot, but I'll be sure to watch out for that. I mean, I may hit Lv. 30 and decide that I absolutely hate the Ranger. I may hit Lv. 30 and decide it's the most ingenious development of a "pet class" in the history of gaming. Either way, that's a good counterbalance for me to keep in mind and keep my eyes open for. Thanks Azjenco!

I know you say you've made up your mind, but I'm a nosy loud mouth so I thought I'd add my opinion, you never know it might help

I'm a little biased, because I love rangers both in game and out, in the lore, in other games, I'm just a sucker for the whole "atuned with nature" thing - sort of love playing a tree-hugging hippy ninja But yes, the key to rangers is to look at pets not as "an annoying mechanic, urgh I have to deal with AI and it DIES all the time!" - pet's are the ranger's defining trait, like adrenaline to a warrior, stealth to a thief, death shroud for a necro etc etc...you get the idea.

Pet's do not require micromanagement to be played well, you can chose to go with the "high maintenance" pet hot swap kind of builds, using traits which give you and your pets buffs when you swap, thus encouraging you to do so often, or you can go with the "easier" but still really effective "uber-pet" builds - namely using master's bond (which encourages you to keep the same pet out for as long as possible). Keep a little eye on your pet, if it's getting pwned by aoe, heal as one is always there, and if you're using your pet to soak up damage picking the right pet is key. Bears/Drakes/Boars for dmg taking, felines/canines/avians for dmg dealing (and moas if you like the idea of party buffs, which I do, moa shrieks ftw!)

In terms of repetitiveness, like any profession, ranger's are not confined to one role, they have a particularly great ability to switch between ranged and melee and without changing their build still be pretty effective (re: longbow/greatsword, or shortbow/axehorn combos) so you can switch up your play style as often as you want. You genuinely can play the way you want to play in any class, so the deal break (or maker) is the pet mechanic, it might annoy you, or you might love it. But I guarantee if you ignore your pet, the ranger can feel "underwhelming" so it's worth a bit of time investment to get the hang of them

[Rp40]

O_O so you decided charr ranger

if you want to own WvW I recommend Battle roar and call of the wild and possibly some boon duration. 100% uptime on might and fury is VERY nice and can be done. (that of course is more support but if I were playing charr thats why I would do)

[Dark]

Is a ranger for you? Rangers are for every1! just so awesome

[sogeou]

SonofInnocence8309, on 18 August 2012 - 03:43 AM, said:

Hey everyone, first post here on GW2Guru so hopefully it's not a crazy question.

I haven't gotten the opportunity to play anything other than a Guardian and I've been researching each and every profession so I can decide for August 25th. The Ranger, as far as I can tell from videos and these forums, is extremely pet-focused. You're spending your time multi-tasking your attacks, what your pets are doing, and swapping between your two pets (to ensure they don't die and have the most effectiveness).

Now, that's my understanding of the profession. Since I've decided I want to play an "Adventurer" profession my big question is this: Do Rangers seem extremely repetitive, or do they have a lot of variation in their multi-tasking, allowing you to control the battlefield from a distance and wreak havoc?

Hopefully that makes sense. If not, I'll try to clarify some more. Thanks for your help and patience!

no

[SonofInnocence8309]

Rp40, on 19 August 2012 - 12:20 AM, said:

O_O so you decided charr ranger

if you want to own WvW I recommend Battle roar and call of the wild and possibly some boon duration. 100% uptime on might and fury is VERY nice and can be done. (that of course is more support but if I were playing charr thats why I would do)

Awww. You guys are just really suckering me in. ;-) Other than the fact that I LOVE how they look, I was really wanting to use Battle Roar as much as possible to help my team out. The combo of those sound great.

Oddly enough, I really love support but I felt the Guardian was extremely boring and sloppy to play. Simply put, it just wasn't for me.

[SlappedYak]

Rp40, on 19 August 2012 - 12:20 AM, said:

O_O so you decided charr ranger

if you want to own WvW I recommend Battle roar and call of the wild and possibly some boon duration. 100% uptime on might and fury is VERY nice and can be done. (that of course is more support but if I were playing charr thats why I would do)

They re-balanced battle roar (which is a good thing I think, racial skills should never be more powerful than other utilities) so it has a much lower duration, lower radius and lower stacks. It's still viable, but I never much liked it to begin with

Azjenco, on 18 August 2012 - 03:44 PM, said:

There's been a lot of solid info given so far, but I'll just add my own 2cents.

During BWE3 I played quite a bit with a charr ranger, up till level 28, but it was sort of a let down. The class is a bit pet heavy, and man are they soft. It became a chore to keep them going, and so far they felt like a crutch rather than an effective tool. The way I understood it, and to an extent of how the pet functioned in GW1, they are supposed to be an extension of you. They're supposed to be something more, like an extra weapon, but it felt a whole lot more like I needed to babysit my pets. I had an extra character that required attention, only the second character was more of a chore than any help at all.

Some people don't like pets in any profession, necro, mesmer, ranger so that's fair enough if you just don't get on with them ^.^  I would argue ranger pets are far more rewarding than other profession pets because if you get used to them, invest some time, learn to look at their health bars that little bit more (every time I glance at skill cool downs I automatically check on my pet to see if he needs a heal/buff/signet activation).

Like with most things, with pets you can either go dps or survivability, if you don't want to micromanage your pet, consider taking "masters bond" which encourages a lack of pet swapping and puts attribute stacks on your pet the longer it's in combat. Bears (or drakes/boars) are tougher than lynx/wolf/eagle etc - I usually swap between the two unless I'm playing a specific build. With relatively few points put into them, pets can deal some crazy good dmg...seriously, I love playing a melee ranger, with a feline pet, with shared boons, and we just tear it up together, it's pretty fun but of course, if pet's aren't your thing that's fair enough but if you love rangers and hate pets only because they die a lot...i'd urge you to give it another try

Edited by SlappedYak, 19 August 2012 - 08:37 AM.

[Segraine]

Ranger can also play very nice support. Healing Spring is one of the better water fields, and many pets have skills and F2 skills that provide healing and boons.

I plan on playing a support ranger that specializes in Moas and focuses on Healing Spring and traited traps for flexible defensive and offensive support. I don't like the Guardian's concept (although I really like the skills). The ranger can almost equal support if you build for it.

[SonofInnocence8309]

SlappedYak, on 19 August 2012 - 08:31 AM, said:

Like with most things, with pets you can either go dps or survivability, if you don't want to micromanage your pet, consider taking "masters bond" which encourages a lack of pet swapping and puts attribute stacks on your pet the longer it's in combat. Bears (or drakes/boars) are tougher than lynx/wolf/eagle etc - I usually swap between the two unless I'm playing a specific build. With relatively few points put into them, pets can deal some crazy good dmg...seriously, I love playing a melee ranger, with a feline pet, with shared boons, and we just tear it up together, it's pretty fun

That's super exciting!!! Now I have to survive the next few days until pre-launch. I'm definitely a "pet guy" but get frustrated in games where they seem to be absolutely useless. Mind you, I didn't really play WoW so I don't know what that was like. Pets in LOTRO weren't all that amazing (mostly boring) and GW1, you had to focus 100% on your pet or basically not bring one at all. So this seems like an amazing mix!!!

Segraine, on 19 August 2012 - 01:54 PM, said:

Ranger can also play very nice support. Healing Spring is one of the better water fields, and many pets have skills and F2 skills that provide healing and boons.

I plan on playing a support ranger that specializes in Moas and focuses on Healing Spring and traited traps for flexible defensive and offensive support. I don't like the Guardian's concept (although I really like the skills). The ranger can almost equal support if you build for it.

Super exciting!! I know I've heard that all classes can "support" but I don't really know what that looks like so far. I'll have to look into it! And yeah, I find Guardian skills look really cool, but they all feel similar and lackluster to me for some reason. Like you feel like you're doing the same thing over and over. OR, I just needed to play longer than Lv. 11. Either way, Ranger's going to be my next try.

Thanks for all the replies! You guys are very helpful. :-)

[Segraine]

Glad you like the idea of a support ranger. Here is my tentative build. I am using the Red Moa for Fury and Blue Moa for the protection boon. Most of the damage will be coming from your pet.

The idea is to let the pets provide boons and some healing, keep people going with Healing Spring, and toss traps into the frontline for combos or use the chill trap near people who need help escaping. Call of the Wild is also used to buff allies. Finally, Point Blank shot can get critters off an ally and the sword can be used for distraction.

Ranger also has spirits which provide boons for allies in the area. However, right now they are not very viable with their low health and how they are honey for aggro in PvE. The aggro problem really needs worked out.

Off note: I can see it being possible to exploit the spirit aggro problem and even make a form of the trinity using spirits to keep aggro near a couple of "tanks."

[Sheepski]

SonofInnocence8309, on 18 August 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Mmm. That's definitely something I'll have to keep in mind when I try one. I'm definitely going to give one a shot, but I'll be sure to watch out for that. I mean, I may hit Lv. 30 and decide that I absolutely hate the Ranger. I may hit Lv. 30 and decide it's the most ingenious development of a "pet class" in the history of gaming. Either way, that's a good counterbalance for me to keep in mind and keep my eyes open for. Thanks Azjenco!

I think that comes down to play style and the amount of effort you put into watching your pets. They can become an extension of your character with the right use of them.

Even in BWE1, I got used to switching pets, choosing the right ones for each battle, and managing them, and it was a vital tool. However a mate of mine just ran around with it tagging along and suffice it to say, the pet spent most of it's time dead and was a hindrance to him.

So keep with the ranger and learn how to use the pet for the best results

[SonofInnocence8309]

Sheepski, on 20 August 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

I think that comes down to play style and the amount of effort you put into watching your pets. They can become an extension of your character with the right use of them.

Even in BWE1, I got used to switching pets, choosing the right ones for each battle, and managing them, and it was a vital tool. However a mate of mine just ran around with it tagging along and suffice it to say, the pet spent most of it's time dead and was a hindrance to him.

So keep with the ranger and learn how to use the pet for the best results

I really appreciate that advice. It sounds like every profession has to be learned. Although I honestly wonder about necro if there is much to learn given their mechanic. I definitely will be sticking to the Ranger for a while and trying to learn him. Although I am second guessing and considering a Norn instead of Charr. Oh the dilemmas! I just really hope I fall in love with managing my pet!

[SonofInnocence8309]

Just thought I'd tell you guys that I REALLY appreciated the advice. Attempted a Ranger during the stress test today and it got me pumped. I LOVED it!!! Methinks I have myself a main. :-D