Ranger PvE | Dungeon Sword/Warhorn, Greatsword | Damage Open more than a ziplock bag, dps ranger build
Table of Contents
Summary
This build takes advantage of the combination of Remorseless and Harpy Feathers to have almost 100% opening strike uptime, providing massive dps. At the same time, this builds provides massive team survivability and dps support, as well as even more survivability of the user.
I. Weapons and Skills
-
- Kick¼Kick your foe, crippling them for a short time.Damage: 202Crippled: 2 sRange: 400Range: 130
- Pounce¾Leap at your foe, striking them. Your pet gains might.Damage: 235Might: 5 sRange: 430
-
- Monarch's Leap¾Leap back into the fight, crippling your foe.Damage: 336Crippled: 3 sCombo Finisher: LeapRange: 600
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- 0Vulnerability:
-
- Cold Snap20Your frost spirit releases a freezing blast of arctic air, chilling nearby foes.Chilled: 3 s
-
- 0Vulnerability:
Weapon and Skill Details
Sword/Warhorn is simply the best dps: solo, and party. The fury uptime on 5 is amazing for groups, the 4 is excellent for stacking RAO stacks on your pet while dishing out dps, 2 and 3 are the main sources of survivability and finally 1 dishes out the main dps.
Greatsword will be used as the opening weapon. 2 as the first strike will instantly allow your team to dish out 10% more damage on their first hits, and the 5 is a fast way to drop a defiance stack before switching to S/W.
In theory, the meta is based around everyone being able to live forever because of their ability to dodge and the standard healing ability. This is certainly not true, as anyone is aware. Fingers slip, the boss won't get off a players back, or simply someone messes up, but we all know people will lose health and get downed. Healing Spring can heal everyone in your party, as well as cure conditions and grant regeneration. Not only does it practically ensure the lives of your party members, you can use S/W 5 to blast a party wide heal. The minor cooldown on healing spring is simply icing on the cake, and makes it too good to pass up.
Sic' Em and Quickening Zephyr are simply the best dps utility skills on the Ranger.
Frost Spirit gives a party wide 70% chance to deal 10% extra damage. This is also too good to pass up. 7% dps is what it calcs out to.
RAO is simply the best dps ability once again.
II. Traits
Marksmanship
Skirmishing
Wilderness Survival
Nature Magic
Trait Details
Well, I guess this is where I need to type whats been sitting in my mind for the past few weeks.
Let's break this down trait by trait.
MARKSMAN 1: Opening strike
Opening strike is the entire reasoning behind this build. The 5% vuln stacks are amazing team wide 5% damage boost, especially since it does not hinder you at all to use it, such as charge time or non-damaging ability use.
MARKSMAN 2: Steady Focus
10% extra damage when endurance is full is very nice, especially considering the amount of evade time on all of S/W abilities this should be up almost the entire fight, plus the fact that healing spring uptime and the vitality on the armor allows one to take a few hits without dodging.
MARKSMAN 3: Alpha Training
Pets having the ability to have opening strike is amazing too, considering its 100% chance of critting and an extra 5% team wide damage to the opponent through the 5 stacks of vuln.
MARKSMAN 4: Spotter
Although you will not be critting when opening strike is down, your team that will be running zerkers will. Spotter is a nice source of team wide dps. No other marksman trait can fill the spot better.
MARKSMAN 5: Precise Strike
This is the other reason we are taking advantage of multiple opening strikes. Everytime opening strike is gained through our stealth, we will be critting again. Since we will be gaining opening strike so often, bezerker stats can be opt out of. Nearly the same damage will be dealt with the power and ferocity from valkyrie, but the team wide support is irreplaceable.
MARKSMAN 6: Remorseless
This is the bread and butter of this build. Regaining opening strike allows us to gain 100% Crit and apply another 5 stacks of vuln. During mob fights you will be regaining this very quickly, and during boss fights you will be regaining this by using harpy feathers. The harpy feathers can be bought at arca lake from a skritt, and grant stealth on use. Using these during boss fights will regain the opening strike. The feathers have an extremely low cooldown, around 1 second after you use one you can use another.
SKIRMISHING 1: Tail Wind
Useful for skipping. S/W 5 then swapping to GS for 4 will allow you a very long swiftness uptime.
SKIRMISHING 2: Companion's might
Granting might to your pet on critical hit increases your pet's damage even further. Combined with Sic' Em, your pets will be doing massive amounts of damage. This will be activated every time you use an opening strike because of its 100% crit.
SKIRMISHING 3: This will activate when swapping from GS to S/W in the beginning of the fight and will increase your dps on the few hits that are not opening strike.
SKIRMISHING 4: Your pet will have opening strike crits, fury, and ability crits during the fight that will be doing 30% extra damage from this trait. Jaguar gain critical chance when stealthed but do not gain opening strike.
NATURE MAGIC 1: Rejuvenation
Not a bad source of survivability, another reason you can keep the extra 10% damage from not dodging.
NATURE MAGIC 2: this will increase the benefit of the frost spirit from 3.5% party-wide damage increase to 7%, as well as allow it to survive the stray aoe and mob that may hit it. The only reason Frost Spirit is taken is because of this trait.
NATURE MAGIC 3: Helps with fury uptime on pet from Furious Grip (SKIRMISHING 3) and helps pet survive with Rejuvenation (NATURE MAGIC 1)
NATURE MAGIC 4: Strength of Spirit
This is another major reason to take Valkyrie over Berzerker. The 7% vital to power will be much more beneficial than precision that will never be used because of the almost permanent 100% crit chance. This comes out to a 128.5 power increase with full exo gear, no ascended armor or trinkets
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 26702 (+10780)
- Vitality 1994 (+1078)
- Armor 1980 (+0)
- Toughness 916 (+0)
- Attack 4053 (+2187)
- Power 3055 (+2139)
- Critical Hit 11% (+11%)
- Precision 1137 (+221)
Secondary Stats
- Boon Duration 20% (+20%)
- Condition Duration 30% (+30%)
- Critical Damage 84% (+84%)
- Damage 998 (+5%)
- Defense 1064 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 1269 (+1269)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Power: 100
Ferocity: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (1hr)
- Power: 100
- Ferocity: 70
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain power equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain power equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 97
- Power: 60
- Vitality: 43
- Ferocity: 43
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 97
- Power: 45
- Vitality: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 338
- Power: 134
- Vitality: 96
- Ferocity: 96
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 157
- Power: 45
- Vitality: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 218
- Power: 90
- Vitality: 64
- Ferocity: 64
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 157
- Power: 45
- Vitality: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 1064
- Power 594
- Ferocity 399
- Vitality 299
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Scholar- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Accessories & Jewels
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 15
- Vitality: 15
Accessory Totals
- Power:630
- Vitality:409
- Ferocity:430
- Precision:21
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Vitality: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 814-900
- Power: 120
- Vitality: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
Superior Sigil of the NightOutgoing damage is increased by 10% at night.
- Weapon Strength: 995-1100
- Power: 239
- Vitality: 171
- Ferocity: 171
- Weapon Strength: -
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior Force+5% damage.
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Vitality: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Vitality: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Water Weapon I
Water Weapon II
Upgrade Item Details
Valkyrie is better than Berzerker because of the almost 100% crit uptime from the opening strike. Valkyrie will allow you to survive longer without dodging, to take advantage of the 10% damage boost from having full endurance, as well as being able to take advantage of Strength of Spirit (NATURE MAGIC 4). Strength of Spirit turns 7% of vital into power, which amounts to 128.5 power increase with full exotic items, no ascended armor, weapons or trinkets. Using ascended or legendary items will only increase that number higher. Scholar runes are still the best because of the power and ferocity as well as the above 90% health which can be obtained through the frequent heals and regenerations, as well the the 3 built in evades in S/W. Sigil of Force is the go-to sigil, as 5% damage boost is amazing, and Sigil of Night is the standard dungeon sigil because most dungeons take place during night time. Sigil of Superior Air will help burst down the enemy extremely fast, since every fight will be opened with GS 2, including trash mobs.
V. Basic Gameplay
The build revolves entirely around the fact that the consumable Harpy Feathers can be used to gain stealth, even during combat. Using these during combat allows you to gain opening strike which will have 100% crit chance and inflict 5 stacks of vuln. The cooldown is around 1 second so it will have very close to 100% up time on opening strike. This build allows the user to dish out similar if not more damage than the zerker build while still providing support to the party through frost spirit, frequent healing springs, and frequent vulnerability stacks on the enemies.
Harpy Feathers can be obtained by talking to the skritt on the north bridge after the event on the north-west side of Hirathi Hinderlands on the area called Arca Lake.
A Valkyrie Longbow should always be accessible in the inventory for times such as the beginning of every AC path and the beginning of the Grawl fractal. Longbow 4 can help its dps stay fairly high by stealthing you without using Harpy Feathers.
Main Skill Rotation
make sure to use harpy feathers after this beginning combo whenever you can to regain opening strike. If the team needs a heal, cast healing spring then blast it with S/W 5, Call of the Wild.