Build: Expert Edge

This is a pretty new build, I've only been using it in PvP for less than a day as of this post. I'm posting it now though because it's pretty freaking amazing, and way out of the ordinary.

This is a melee ranger. The role is pretty much identical to that of a Thumper, but I think it might be better (the interrupts sure as hell are anyway).

Ranger/Warrior
Weapons: Zealous Axe of Fortitude, Focus of Fortitude.
Insignias/Runes:+10 armor while in a preparation (all pieces), Superior Expertise, Minor Wilderness Survival, 2 Vitae, Superior Vigor.

Attributes:
12 Axe Mastery
12 (+4) Expertise
3 (+1) Wilderness Survival

Skills:
[skill]Keen chop[/skill] [skill]Critical Chop[/skill] [skill]Distracting Strike[/skill] [skill]Troll Unguent[/skill] [skill]Lightning Reflexes[/skill] [skill]Whirling Defense[/skill] [skill]Expert's Dexterity[/skill] [skill]Antidote Signet[/skill]



The two energy-based attacks have a 3 second recharge and 4 energy cost due to Expert's Dexterity. This allows you to spam them both, and rapidly charge Keen Chop for many hard-hitting axe criticals. A 3 second recharge interrupt for 4 energy is pretty crazy, too.
Having a zealous mod effectively reduces the cost of those attacks to 3 as long as they hit, and allow you to recover the lost energy in 3 hits, 2 if you count regular regeneration.

A good way to open is to use Lightning Reflexes, then Whirling Defense after that wears out. This will allow you to activate Lightning Reflexes a second time as soon as Whirling Defense ends.

You'll be very hard to hurt for physical characters because of the block stances, and casters will have an extremely hard time with you because of the many interrupts, the fact that you have 110 armor against elemental damage, and the great damage output (Keen Chop regularly hits casters for roughly 55 damage, and Critical Chop isn't far behind even on a non-critical.)

You also have absolutely no worries of blind because of Antidote signet, as well as some help verse degeneration, which is bad for this build.
The only things I've found so far that can really take this build out are physical classes with stance removers, and high-degen casters.
A real weakness of the build regardless of who you are fighting is the weak healing, but as you can tell it's pretty hard for you to take much damage in the first place, and people will have a hard time interrupting Troll Unguent due to the block stances. This is also the reason that the high health is fairly necessary, especially for if you fight someone with heavy degen.
Another issue this class has is with runners, though unless they have good enough run skills to get a good distance between you, they're screwed as soon as they stop anyway.

This build makes an amazing duelist if you like 1v1 scrimmages, and if you replace Antidote Signet with Throw Dirt, it'd probably rip Bison in half.



I'd really like some advice on how to improve this if anyone has some.

sounds ok for PvE, the Norn Tourny or being a nubby 1v1'er, but it's pretty bad for PvP.

it's like a toucher...just worse. touchers have speedboosts but are very vulnerable to snares. VERY. you have no speedboosts and are already very vulnerable to kiting, and snares make you absolutely useless.

you do not have a deepwound. you are a melee character.

your selfheal has a whole 4 points specced into the attribute, wow. stopping for a few secs to cast that useless thing and then having to catch up to your enemy will be pretty bad.

also keen chop is pretty useless.

i'd suggest Dismember in there, no blocking stances, a better IAS and a speedboost somehow..and a rez.

comparing the final result to a thumper..no, i don't think i would ever take that bar over one.

for PvE it's alright though! pretty much all of those points can be easily ignored for PvE and the interrupts are cool. i'd still take Keen Chop out for either deepwound or another interrupt, though. maybe distracting blow.

Thanks for the help.
I know the heal is bad, but it's the best one available to the build (+5 regeneration at 4 WS, at least it can counter some degen). The only other options were Healing Signet (2 second cast for +70 health at 3 tactics), or Healing Spring (the crappiness of that goes without saying.)
Maybe I could drop my axe mastery to 11 for roughly 7 tactics and use Healing Signet, would that be better? In fact, my skill choices would open up quite a bit with ~7 tactics.

The IAS actually isn't that important to the build, because it has two spammable half-second attacks, I actually just have that in there for the blocking. I was using Throw Dirt instead of it at first, but it only gave 5 extra seconds of avoidance, and although it was absolute avoidance, it was only against one person, and I had to be able to reach them, so I was getting my but kicked by rangers when I tried using it, and it could get healed off.

The blocking stances are actually pretty necessary, since the healing is so bad.
I find myself having multiple melees on me all the time.

If I'm in some sort of PvP that requires a rez, I've just replaced Antidote Signet with it.

I can't think of a good speed boost for this build, but I might be able to fit a crippling attack in there.

The advice about a new attack is great, I'll look into switching Keen Chop with something else.

And yeah, it does play a decent amount like a touch ranger, but with better damage and much weaker healing... I haven't had a chance to try it in PvE yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll have fun with it there.

IMO not really a good PvP build. Works better in PvE where you can use Club of 1000 Bears > "On Your Knees!" to sustsain Lightning Reflexes, and you don't need a snare or speed boost.

I tested it out and dropping axe mastery to 11 isn't worth it. The amount of tactics you can get for that only allows Healing Signet to heal for around 85 health, and putting it into WS only adds 1 or 2 extra regeneration.
This really would be more of a PvE build I guess because of it's weaknesses. And in PvE, there are some PvE only skills that combo amazingly well with this, such as the dwarf one that increases stance durations, or a high-rank "I Am the Strongest!"

You're better off dropping some expertise, since 16 is really overkill...

I suggest fitting in some PvE-only skills on that bar to improve it (maybe even ebon escape for heals?).

But yeah, definitely not a great PvP build...

people needs to realize that unique != good. especially if the "unique" build performs substantially worse than the alternatives.

remember the First Golden Rule Of Build-making (tm): if there's a build that's better, then don't bother.

If I drop Expertise to 15, the energy cost will go up to 5 and the reset would go up to 3 3/4 seconds.

And it's stupid to only use cookie-cutter builds rather than making your own.
Besides, I wanna play a melee ranger, and hammers aren't the look I'm going for with my character.

You guys may not agree with me, but after looking at the 3 versions of the Thumper on Pvxwiki, I can't imagine this not being better than one. (aside from the fact that Thumpers can't be kited)
As far as I can tell, Thumpers have no defense at all, usually no healing, slightly better than mediocre damage, and good, but worse than this build interrupts.

And that suggestion about using Club of 1000 Bears was freaking awesome for pve, I just checked it out. That'd be a condition-less knockdown with a 2.5 second reset. The only things I wouldn't be able to use it on are Corsairs, the White Mantle and the Norn Tourney. There's also those damn giants that are immune to all knockdowns though...

if you can't play a thumper properly, then You Are Baed (tm).

if you can't play without some crappy defense, then You Are Baed (tm).

perhaps you should brush up on some basic skills before making a build. even in pve, that build is pretty iffy. there are better alternatives.

also, remember that GW is a skill-based game. what you run isn't as important as how you run it. however, if you purposely run a subpar build, then You Are Stupid (tm). just because that build you posted can beat a bunny thumper, doesn't mean it's better than a bunny thumper in the field. i'd rather have a bunny thumper, who can pump out substantial amounts of damage and pressure, than your build, which for all intents and purposes can be ignored by anyone with half a brain.

Thumpers have much better pressure with a 33% IAS and 25% speed boost constantly for them and their pet. They can KD and daze, which is more dangerous than blindly spamming interrupts, and apply Deep Wound, which can kill.

Also in PvE take [skill]Dismember[/skill][skill]Agonizing Chop[/skill] for a deep wound and extra adrenaline-based interrupt. Since you have a permanent 33% IAS and 2 spammable 1/4 second attacks adrenaline will flow in quickly.