Important question!!!!!!!!

Hey im getting this game for my birthday in 1 week and i know that a ranger is kinda not wanted in many partys...at least thats what ive heard, so im making a ranger/monk. will this be wanted anywhere and be usefull in battle? i dont want an answer that says "well it has pros and cons" can someone tell me if this is good. remember i want a pet(lol it seems cool) and ive played many other mmorpg's and love rangers. Thanks for any help in advance. Oh yea 1 more thing...i hear u can make 4 files? can u delete them and make others in there place? Again thanks for any help in advance!

Well there are pros and cons.

It would not be surprised if you find yourself having trouble getting into groups on occasion. The /monk really doesn't help you get into groups because a ranger lacks the mana to help the group heal.

Rangers are quite useful in battle, especially once they get traps. All by themselves with no realy need for a secondary to be useful. The monk secondary has some interesting choices that could add some flavor to the build as well. However, if a group doesn't UNDERSTAND the Ranger's role, you could become a weaker contributor by not being allowed to do your job.

Pets are considered weak in the late game. Cannot personally comment as my own ranger is only level 15 in Druids Overlook right now. At the moment, my pet is a serious component to my arsenal when I am soloing or running around with henchmen. I typically pack more utility skills and drop the pet, or at least the pet's attack skills for a group, though.

You say you've played other MMORPG's. Pulling is a little different in this game. Don't expect to single out mobs.

My advices:

Don't play as a ranger because 90% of all rangers suck. Unless you got a good bow and some skill.
Mesmers aren't for beginners. It's the hardest profession to play as.

Rangers are commonly not percieved as useful, and in addition, appear to be difficult to play well.

If you want to have a pet, I'd use the Ranger class as your secondary. As far as primary choices go, it appears that the warrior class appear to be the simplest to start with, while mesmer and rangers appear to be more subtle in their application.

However ALL classes have their applications and the subleties of dealing with this are part of the appeal of GuildWars. Generally its a Paper Scissors Stone scenario where one build may beat others or certain monsters with ease and will get beaten with ease by other types of monsters.

Warrior, Monk and Elementalist appear to have the most obvious uses (Warriors hit things, Monks heal things, Elementalists throw fireballs at things)

However, playing them properly is definately something that comes with practice.

The other professions should definately not be overlooked as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Necromancers are capable of causing damage and summoning corpses to do some of the fighting for them. Rangers can lay traps and disrupt and cripple enemies quite effectively, as can Mesmers, putting the hurt on magic using enemies.

I would suggest that once you've installed the game go through the training level (referred to as pre-searing) a couple of times with different characters and see which class suits your playing style. If you don't get on with a particular profession, you can delete the character, with no harm done, and only a couple of hours spent.

One GW account can have 4 characters. So you get some versatility but a lot of people want to keep more than 4 characters. Certainly for the first while you can get away with only needing one, maybe two characters.

Enjoy the game.

Dont ever let anyone tell you that Rangers are "bad", because their not, and niether is any other class. Wabbits right in saying their difficult to play, especially later on, but as long as your comited and put a bit of thought into what you do rangers can be just as good as any other class, if not better.

Rangers suck just as much as all the other classes (perhaps just a bit more), if you do not know how to handle or appreciate them. The most important thing to remember as a ranger: do not think you are a tank

Funny I thought rangers could be really useful in PvP, if played right...

True there is a bias towards recruiting other classes over rangers in PvP and it's also true that rangers are a harder class to perfect than other ones, although if you like playing as a ranger, who cares what other people think . If you're good, then you'll gain fame. If you gain fame, you'll get recruited .

I got 2 rangers by the way, i know what im talking about

you'll have difficulty. most people don't understand the role of the ranger...because it's not outwardly evident that we're doing damage....

my ranger tanks as well as a warrior does.....

I have this problem with my Ne/El at times... trick is recruit warriors and monks then others will over look you and join... I'm working on a monk now... It is very easy to find a group with monk... joined a lvl 10 part at lvl 5 and they didnt mind at all. But yes all proffesions have their uses and pro s and cons

pets wont be effective late game if u don't spend points in beastmastery, just like every other skill trees. it's a line of skills by itself, so don't expect much if you're not going to invest in beastmastery.

Ever tried to tank the bulls in the underworld? You'll start to notice that your armor isn't quite up to the task.

I love when rangers tell me this when my tank warrior groups with them for the first time. I always let them control the group so that they learn their lesson as quickly as possible. More often than not I get instructions to tank sooner rather than later. If not then the ranger usually gets frustrated and quits the group. Needless to say, we generally do better after someone like that leaves.

When played with a lot of skill the ranger is a formidable character but they aren't tanks.

Rangers are not built to tank but by no means can they not. A ranger has many skills built around denying damage giving them tanking abilities. The thing is you have to build for it. Strait up with out using skills a ranger can not tank but if your ranger has the correct skills a long with the right player he can easily outlast a warrior. The reason I can do this is because a ranger has one of the best self heal skills in the game while the warriors self heal well is pretty much crap. My R/Mo with throw dirt, whirling defense, Troll Ugnent(spelling?), and healing breeze can live for a long time while tanking. But I solo this build all the time so I'm use to taking all the damage. Anyone that does not solo tries to tank will drop fast. I've seen them in my group and laugh at them when they run ahead and die. Granted when I'm in the group I let the tank tank but to say that rangers can't tank is an understatement. Its up to the player wether or not you can tank other classes but any player can tank a warrior.

My Ranger/Monk is a pretty good tanker. I was the tank in Hell's Precipice with a group of only casters. No warriors or primary monks. We had 2 secondary monks other than me. After our 8th try we finally finished, lol. And it was only at the end that we were failing.

And last night was my first try at being a healer instead of damage dealer. I loaded 5 monk skills and was the other healer behind our primary monk. This was at Thunderhead Keep fyi. I did throw out a few penetrating and power shots when the battles were going our way though.

But typically I just bring Rebirth and 7 Ranger skills. Power Shot, Penetrating Shot, Barrage (elite), Distracting Shot, and I shuffle thru the traps, Serpent's Quickness, Tiger's Fury and maybe Troll Unguent if we're low on monks. I'll tell the monk to not worry about me because I can heal myself and I know when to retreat. I've saved a mission many times because of Rebirth.

Rangers are specialists. They have skills that do very specific things. When you make a skill bar up for a ranger you really have to think... what am I doing with this skill bar? A warrior pretty much says, how am I going to do damage and stay alive? A ranger is much more versitile in town, but once he gets to the field he's made his choice as to what he wants to do. That's why people don't want rangers... they pretty much don't know what they are getting.

that is why you advertise...i'm a trapper, i'm a beastmaster, i'm an interrupter/healer, i'm a damage dealer

what can a warrior advertise? i hit things lol

It's a great skill ain't it?

Hey hey, warriors have interrupts too! But hitting things is so much fun!

seeing as i still play the role of beastmaster i also got myself some level in wilderness survival and now i got so much candy to choose from it makes me go crazy

Well, what i said isnt completely true. Rangers can be excelent tanks, but you really need the right build for it.

I think ranger is the best class in the game in terms of versatility. I have a R/Me and know how to tool for each different mission I go into, PvP arena, Tombs or GvG. It's all about what you bring to the fight each time, you can't just be 1 type of ranger or you'll find yourself useless half the time.

thnx for all the help guys i really think i could put some time into my ranger and figure out how to make a good skill bar. thnx again!

healing spring -> throw dirt -> endure pain -> sever artery -> throw dirt -> healing spring -> poison arrow.....I can tank as well as a warrior

i think i might go to being a ranger for my second character cuz i love the bows and the range attack that they have.... too bad i need to get some decent skills and weapons to get into a group! currently im a W/E and it easy to get into group since most of them want a tank character

Algren, you ever been to the underworld yet? I've seen a lot of Rangers like you trying to tank, and they get wiped out in 5 hits. When two Battle Aatxes are ripping you appart, you try to cast healing spring. By the time it's taken effect, the next hit on you you're dead. I don't disagree that rangers CAN tank, but by no means can they take even close to what a warrior can. Plain and simple, leave tanking to the warriors. Every time I see a ranger take charge and tank, he's dead in 10 seconds flat, and he's done no real dmg to the enemy. Leave the dmg dealing to the Nukers, you concentrate on traps. Warriors are there to take the hits. Like it or not, that's the tactic, and any group using otherwise is gonna get slaughtered in the later stages of the game.