New RANGER

I just started playing. I picked a ranger for various reasons and have a couple of quick questions:

Is it better to pick a secondary profession or stick with ranger until I "master" it?

Does choosing a pet take away from the character's experience advancement?

What do I do with "Quest Items" I have no use for?

Any help is appreciated.

You will have to take a secondary before you can advance further in the game. You don't have to invest points into your secondary if you don't want to. In my experience, rangers rarely do.

No

Look where your backpack is in your inventory menu. There should be 5 icons. The last one is a trash can. You can get rid of items there. Or just drop them on the ground I guess.

Rico

I thought about trading them in towns, but haven't yet.

you can sell them for some quick gold to others that don't want to get the quest item.

You should get a secondary just for the skills if you plan on doing pvp in the future.

if you really dont want a secondary go monk, a re-birth ranger is valuable.

and Judge's Insight can be funny if used right

I use an elem as secondary for conjure frost with icy bow string to get more damage. You can also use conjure flame or conjure lightning with the right bow string.

I'd say just run round pre-sear, get a feel for the Ranger. When you're happy, try out all the secondarys without commiting to one and choose whats most fun for you.

To be honest, now I'm level 20, I rarely use my secondary, but sometimes, if I want to go full interupt, then I will take a few of my mesmer skills to help shutdown casters. But all the professions will help you out in some way. Warrior can give nice defense skills. Monk heals. Ele gives extra damage or defense. Necro can give you some nice curses or energy management. It's all just a matter of what fits your play style

From a PvE point of view, you will rarely use skills from your secondary profession playing as a ranger. You usually need to spread your skills out in at least three ranger attributes and that doesnt favor your secondary much.

In my experience, new players worry too much about secondaries. No matter what you pick, its guaranteed that you'll find something that works well. Rangers shouldnt worry about secondary professions at all, they can do almost anything by themselves.

In the Desert (later in the story) you can start changing secondaries, and from there you can earn money and buy skills in any of the secondaries...before that you probably wont even be using much of your secondary.

Quest items can only be trashed or dumped (no merchant takes them).

Quest Rewards (Blue weapons with weird modifiers) can be sold for alittle gold at merchants.

Some to keep would be the Grim Cesta reward from "Cities of Ascalon" quest [started in Piken Sqaure] in post-searing. It's mods look horrible, but later in the game you can sell it for a pretty penny to some monks (about 5-10k now). The staff you get from "Fires in the North" (I think its north..meant be east) also a post-searing ascalon quest is also good to keep at this point int he game. Not worth much, but later as a ranger you get some skills you might want a staff equiped to use.

Yeah you will want that Staff. I sold mine off when I firsat started and before I knew much about the game. Ended up having to buy one (paid 2k I think) but its been well worth the investment, and I have gotten that back and then some using it while trapping in the UW. Now I just need the Insightfull staff head for it.

But I agree, I only use my secondary fro Rebirth as its a reuseable Rez skill. If not chances are the slot would be a rez sig anyway.

Rangers don't use their secondary skills??? As a R/e and R/Mo I always dedicate 2-3 slots (depending on the mission) to being part of my second.
Countless times in pugs i have been the last standing as everyone is dead panicking thinking that the last 30 minutes has been a waste and typing "dude do u have rez right?" Umm ya! hello dosn't everyone? Guess not.
I have Re-birthed and rez'd my fellow team mates many times to go on and win the mission or quest. I also make it a point to watch everyones health and help the Mo's with Heal Party when things get a bit hairy.

My answerer, to C R A F T, is choose your second wisely. Remember that if you enjoy PvE, you have to play as a team and this means loading some skills to help your fellow team mates, even if it means sacrificing a few slots.

Athis