How to Use Ranger Traps Effectively

As the title says, how do you? When I play around with traps in PvE I always get killed fairly easy. They just don't do enough damage and the effects wear off too fast. I found myself running away more than anything. In PvP, I really have no idea how to use them. Most of the time I run up to an enemy and use the trap, or use it when they're attacking me. In the end, I still haven't succeeded very well with traps and would like some tips on using them effectively.

get higher wilderness survival. and running away is the point. set all your traps in one spot, lure the baddies, and run away.

The thing is that the effects,such as crippled and blinded, wear off too fast so I can't reset my traps. I end up getting mauled when trying to relay them.

use storm chaser or a similar skill to escape and set the traps up again. wash, rinse, repeat.

Hmm, I'll give it a try again. Thanks

They last a long time, so the idea is to bring 3-4 traps and set them each twice in the same spot (Serpent's Quickness helps with this) and lure an enemy over it. The enemy should be either killed or almost killed by the traps. Also, you should have high Expertise and Wilderness Survival and ideally have other trappers in your party to add their own traps to yours. I've been in quite a few all-trapper parties in the FoW/UW (using Healing Spring for healing) and we've done very well.

Also, dodge skills -> Dust Trap lets you trap enemies who are already attacking you without being interrupted.

yeah this is true. dryder's defenses will allow you a good chance of setting your traps again.

and yes, you should always set more than one trap. the traps will last quite a while before they expire, so you have plenty of time to continue setting them.

O ya, forgot about being able to lay more than one trap at a time. What seems to work when I was testing it a little while ago was to lay the traps, lure them over while using a doge skill, then use oath shot to regen them all. Seemed to work fairly well. But laying more than one of the same trap more than once was such a no brainer, wonder why I didn't realize it before.

EDIT: Those dodge skills really help in resetting my traps as well as laying more than one of the same trap. Still can't say I'm an expert, but I can now use them and not get slaughtered doing it. Thanks all.

If you want to lay traps during combat, you'll need Glyph of Concentration or Mantra of Resolve to guarantee a succesful cast-- the defensive stances can still let attacks through to interrupt you. Of the two, I prefer Glyph of Concentration because, even though you have to cast it before each trap, it is much more mana efficient than Mantra of Resolve if you get hit at all, and it doesn't require any attribute points to have its full effect.

In PVE, also consider laying a spirit on top of your traps to lure monsters into them.

I have found that I am still easily interupted so I'll take a look at those two skills, but laying down a spirt. Most of the places I've found there aren't many mele mobs. So I've found that using a spirt to lure doesn't work well in getting mobs to go over the trap.

EDIT: Looking for those two skills, they appear to me elementalist and mesmer skills. So I can't use them.

this is how I do it....

I bring barbed trap, dust trap, and flame trap, throw dirt, and whirling defense.

I also bring either Energizing Winds AND Quickening Zephyr OR just Serpents Quickness.

my weapon of choice? not a bow. I use a Protective Icon +21 Energy and an Earth Wand... +3 energy. I put my Druids armor set on and I have approximately 53 or 54 energy.. I forget which.

I then cast my spirits if I am using them.
then in this order
Dust Trap(longest Regen)
barbed trap
serpents quickness(if im not using spirits)
flame trap
Barbed Trap
Flame Trap
Dust Trap

pull the mob into the traps...cast barbed trap one more time underneath them. Then throw dirt. flame trap and then dust trap one more time.

Wilderness Survival : 13
Expertise: 13(or 12...I honestly can't remember)
Marksmanship: 3

Bring Oath Shot, Whirling Defence/Throw Dirt, run into a mob, use 2 or 3 traps, recharge with oath shot, and reuse the traps.

btw, where or when you find or become able to lay traps?

Nearly-perpetual Whirling Defense has to be one of the greatest parts about being a trapper. Check out some of the builds in the Campfire under Ranger Basics. In the Beta events I was able to handle every EA and most missions with a trapper and 1 friend on monk. When dealing with 4 or more monsters sometimes even whirling defense isn't enough, so he'd handle aggro for a short stint while I laid traps mid-combat. He used Shield of Judgement when we were outnumbered to keep the rate of attack down, then when SOJ went down I handled tanking.

At the time, however, Flame Trap was a lot stronger. The damage was reduced before retail, so I don't know if it would still be as effective with only two traps (Barbed + Flame).

Well i dont have acess to traps yet but i was wondering if this would work

Enemys walking down |
|
V

BARBED TRAP

FLAME TRAP


Since barbed trap cipples them they would be in the flame trap for the full durration correct. instead of just going thorugh for 1 second and on fire. They would be in it for most of the 3 seconds i belive. correct me if wrong. probaly am. So any1 tried that. Or is like 4 more traps needed to actualy inflict damage.

I'm pretty that once the trap is enabled, the enemy takes the full force of it. In same of the places I've been, you can lay two of barbed, flame, and dust traps and will kill the enemies instantly when trigured, granted that they were low to mid teens in level.

But like when ur at like ventaris refure and those things (forget name) leave the flame traps. if u run right through it. u only get 14 dmgish and set on fire instead of 14x3dmgish and set on fire. guess ill have to expirement and see once i get them. whens earliest u can obtain a trap

After looking in the skills directory, barbed trap is the first you can get. You can either buy it from the skils person in Amnoon Oasis or get if from the quest Price of Steel near Quarrel Falls.

If you're gonna trap, I think you get more out of taking trapping seriously and bringing all the traps you possibly can. You can end up doing fun stuff, like low numbers of trapper in UW. Most people seem to build groups for 5 or 6, but I've enjoyed 4- and 3-trapper UW groups a lot. Every time you drop a trapper, though, everyone left has to be that much better.

Trapper groups are something I would recommend highly. A well-run trap group can be loads of fun. I usually run with one of these two skill sets:

Defensive Trapper: R/Mo

Serpent's Quickness
Barbed Trap
Dust Trap
Flame Trap
Troll Unguent
Quickening Zephyr
Protective Spirit
Rebirth


Offensive Trapper:

Serpent's Quickness
Spike Trap {E}
Barbed Trap
Dust Trap
Flame Trap
Troll Unguent
Energizing Winds
Throw Dirt / Whirling Defense


I'm looking forward to partnering up and trying 2-person trap groups - though due to time constraints on trap laying it may easily not work.