15 May 2007 at 06:35 - 4
first of all, while GW and D2 were developed by may of the same people and while the game mechanics seem similar, they are nowhere near the same game and what may have been good there (ie a whirling barbarian axe move) may not be as good in GW (cyclone axe). That being said, the best DoT skill for a ranger is apply poison. Use it along with something good like Burning Arrow, or Prepared shot. The second thing a ranger has going for it is the ability to interrupt things relatively inexpensively.
You also expressed interest in trapping. Traps in GW are easily interruptible, meaning that if you are getting hit while casting them, your trap will be interrupted. This being said, there are several ways to counter this problem. One way is to cast the traps faster, using something like trapper's speed. Another is to use the elite preparation Trapper's Focus. Also, you can chose to block attacks or just ignore the fact that you're getting interrupted. The mainstay of a trapper is dust trap. Armor-ignoring damage pulse and AoE blindness is pretty awesome. What you'll want to do as a trapper is either get right next to the mobs and trap them or trap a little further back in your backline so that when you pull back or if anything breaks through to your backline, you have defenses prepared. Remember, the first thing that hits a pile of traps will set it off so if you want a damage spike, stack traps in one location. if you want more overall defensive coverage, spread out your traps.
Overall, I would recommend the versatililty of a bow ranger. Interrupts are few and far between in most pve skillbars, so having a ranger who can actually do his job and interrupt stuff is always nice.[skill]Distracting Shot[/skill] is possibly one of the best skills in the game.
Also, remember that while secondary class combinations are viable and valuable in several areas, you are primarily first and foremost a ranger and you should strive to do what a ranger does well. This means that you should NOT be running something like Mark of Rodgorot Flare spammer on your ranger or a R/Mo with mending and orison of healing. Learn to use your primary attribute: Expertise is really amazing once you get used to it. It lets you throw out 10-15 energy skills like they're nothing, which would leave any other profession crippled for energy.
Feel free to explore the variety of builds available to a ranger, but always remember why you are bringing a skill and if there are any alternatives that are better. Try to bring the best things you can in your skillbar. This means, for example... that you shouldn't bring power shot... because there are much better alternatives. Pin down is fine, if you're looking to snare something, but in PvE, this isn't usually an issue.
PvP ranger is vastly different and my advice to you on playing a PvP ranger would be completely different.
Going back to PvE ranger (since i'm assuming this is what you're doing). Learn and understand the different types of bows available to rangers and what their advantages and disadvantages are. also, if you decide to be a trapper, you may want to invest in a staff for the extra energy, allowing you to lay down more traps when needed.
anyway, you'll figure out most of the rest of the stuff as you go along. Good luck!
