Mesmers and Rangers

[Machete]

When it comes to interrupts, degen, damage, and versatility, I'm torn between playing a mesmer or a ranger...is there anyone that could shed some light on the 2 classes and tell me which one has more of the 4 qualities I seek?

[Drec Sutal]

Interesting. Both certainly can do any of those things.

Rangers, though, can have their interrupts blocked - except choaking gas, which will require an elite slot to keep up.

Mesmers interrupt faster and don't need line of sight and can't don't need to hit and so can't be "blocked", but to interupt a non-spell skill you'll need to use an elite. Also, skills that block spells (like spell breaker or obsidian flesh) can block most mesmer interupts.

Ranger has cheaper and more varied degen abilities, easily maintaining 9 or 10 degen - but condition removals abound in today's metagame, and the ranger must hit its target to apply conditions.

The mesmer doesn't have to hit, and uses hexes instead of conditions - these are less likely to be removed, though it still certainly happens. Mesmers degen costs more energy, and/or does less degen.

As for versatility, mesmer and ranger have perhaps the most of all classes. Rangers can effectively run any melee class due to energy reduction allowing them to spam expensive spells. They also have a variety of spirits and preparations that modify their effects. Rangers also have 70 armor and +30 vs elemental damage.

Mesmers have insane amounts of hexes, several of which can render either a caster or a melee character worthless. They have have more choices for interrupts, under several attributes. Their interrupts nearly all have an interesting secondary effect, like draining energy, giving the caster energy, dealing a pretty good amount of damage, and more. Their fast casting abilities makes them able to use long casting time spells with more effect then many primary profession characters - for example they often use res spells that monks rarely carry due to casting time.

As for damage... rangers have better consistent damage by a long shot. Many of their skills are attack skills like melee classes, and deal pretty good ranged damage. Mesmers, on the other hand, *can* deal more damage through their hexes if the targets are ignorant of their effects or just don't care. In PvP this doesn't happen often, and so they stop the other team from causing damage, or doing their job, rather then causing actual damage.

Also, you really aren't going to get all 4 of these on one character with either class. You could set up a ranger *or* mesmer to do perhaps two of these things at one time. They preform the jobs differently, and in some cases do different jobs, but due to frequent balancing neither does their job better.

[Aries De Lyle]

Interesting. Both certainly can do any of those things.

Rangers, though, can have their interrupts blocked - except choaking gas, which will require an elite slot to keep up.

Mesmers interrupt faster and don't need line of sight and can't don't need to hit and so can't be "blocked", but to interupt a non-spell skill you'll need to use an elite. Also, skills that block spells (like spell breaker or obsidian flesh) can block most mesmer interupts.

Ranger has cheaper and more varied degen abilities, easily maintaining 9 or 10 degen - but condition removals abound in today's metagame, and the ranger must hit its target to apply conditions.

The mesmer doesn't have to hit, and uses hexes instead of conditions - these are less likely to be removed, though it still certainly happens. Mesmers degen costs more energy, and/or does less degen.

As for versatility, mesmer and ranger have perhaps the most of all classes. Rangers can effectively run any melee class due to energy reduction allowing them to spam expensive spells. They also have a variety of spirits and preparations that modify their effects. Rangers also have 70 armor and +30 vs elemental damage.

Mesmers have insane amounts of hexes, several of which can render either a caster or a melee character worthless. They have have more choices for interrupts, under several attributes. Their interrupts nearly all have an interesting secondary effect, like draining energy, giving the caster energy, dealing a pretty good amount of damage, and more. Their fast casting abilities makes them able to use long casting time spells with more effect then many primary profession characters - for example they often use res spells that monks rarely carry due to casting time.

As for damage... rangers have better consistent damage by a long shot. Many of their skills are attack skills like melee classes, and deal pretty good ranged damage. Mesmers, on the other hand, *can* deal more damage through their hexes if the targets are ignorant of their effects or just don't care. In PvP this doesn't happen often, and so they stop the other team from causing damage, or doing their job, rather then causing actual damage.

Also, you really aren't going to get all 4 of these on one character with either class. You could set up a ranger *or* mesmer to do perhaps two of these things at one time. They preform the jobs differently, and in some cases do different jobs, but due to frequent balancing neither does their job better.

He pretty much said everything lol

In terms of survival, Rangers are better, but annoyance, Mesmer.

[Machete]

Awesome! That's just about what I was looking for, thank you very much

[MagzX]

What about Elementalist or Ranger as my first profession? I want to do a combo of both but which one has better primary/advantages?

[Drec Sutal]

Ele and ranger together isn't seen very much, but there are a few useful combinations.

A ranger will often get an elemental bowstring and use the elementalist spell "conjure *element name here*" to deal extra 10-11 damage with each hit, especially with barrage (which fires up to 7 arrows at once). A popular element is water, since there are a couple other useful spells the ranger can bring (usually one of the +armor enchantments).

An elementalist ranger usually does one of two things. It might use Quickining Zepher in combination with Energizing Winds to quickly spam high costs spells. Also popular especially in the ring of fire is bringing the spell "winter" to turn all elemental damage to cold, which deals extra damage against fire creatures.

There are of course other combinations, but those are probably the two most useful.

As for which has better primary advantages... well both are doing very different jobs. The Ranger reduces the energy cost of skills... but not spells, which is all the elementalist has. The elementalist has a bigger energy pool, but since it can't use the marksmanship runes its damage with a bow will be much less.

If you plan on doing degen and interupts and such then ele is a bad primary choice. All in all ele is much more useful as a secondary then ranger since at least half of a rangers skills deal with a bow and only the ranger can use runes that increase bow damage.

[Shrakzara]

Interesting. Both certainly can do any of those things.

Rangers, though, can have their interrupts blocked - except choaking gas, which will require an elite slot to keep up.

Mesmers interrupt faster and don't need line of sight and can't don't need to hit and so can't be "blocked", but to interupt a non-spell skill you'll need to use an elite. Also, skills that block spells (like spell breaker or obsidian flesh) can block most mesmer interupts..

I disagree. Mesmers can interupt without an elite slot. Cry of Frustration, Signet of Disruption, Web of disruption, etc.

Ranger has cheaper and more varied degen abilities, easily maintaining 9 or 10 degen - but condition removals abound in today's metagame, and the ranger must hit its target to apply conditions.

The mesmer doesn't have to hit, and uses hexes instead of conditions - these are less likely to be removed, though it still certainly happens. Mesmers degen costs more energy, and/or does less degen.

I disagree. A Mesmer can easily do health degen of -10 or more (max is -10 health regen) with less skills. Conjure Phantasm + Conjure Nightmare = -5 + -8 which is max -10. Phantom Pain can do -1 to -3 and does deep wounds when it ends (lowers max health by 20%).

As for versatility, mesmer and ranger have perhaps the most of all classes. Rangers can effectively run any melee class due to energy reduction allowing them to spam expensive spells. They also have a variety of spirits and preparations that modify their effects. Rangers also have 70 armor and +30 vs elemental damage.

Mesmers have insane amounts of hexes, several of which can render either a caster or a melee character worthless. They have have more choices for interrupts, under several attributes. Their interrupts nearly all have an interesting secondary effect, like draining energy, giving the caster energy, dealing a pretty good amount of damage, and more. Their fast casting abilities makes them able to use long casting time spells with more effect then many primary profession characters - for example they often use res spells that monks rarely carry due to casting time.

Melee classes do not use spells typically. Melee weapons are often adrenaline driven, which is not affected (as far as I know) by Expertise. Skills (like Vampiric Touch, Wild Blow, Barrage(e)) are affected by Expertise however.

As for damage... rangers have better consistent damage by a long shot. Many of their skills are attack skills like melee classes, and deal pretty good ranged damage. Mesmers, on the other hand, *can* deal more damage through their hexes if the targets are ignorant of their effects or just don't care. In PvP this doesn't happen often, and so they stop the other team from causing damage, or doing their job, rather then causing actual damage.

Also, you really aren't going to get all 4 of these on one character with either class. You could set up a ranger *or* mesmer to do perhaps two of these things at one time. They preform the jobs differently, and in some cases do different jobs, but due to frequent balancing neither does their job better.

I agree. However, a Mesmer can do very well with Mantra of Recovery (e) and do nice damage and cripple just about anyone. Rangers are still considered to be the best at interupts and a jack-of-all trades type of character.

[soulwar]

I disagree. Mesmers can interupt without an elite slot. Cry of Frustration, Signet of Disruption, Web of disruption, etc.

Drec was talking about the ranger's unblockable Chocking Gas.

[Estic]

Drec was talking about the ranger's unblockable Chocking Gas.

If he was he should have put the sentence "Also, skills that block spells (like spell breaker or obsidian flesh) can block most mesmer interupts.." before "but to interupt a non-spell skill you'll need to use an elite."

I agree with Shrakzara, mesmer don't need an elite skill to interrupt non-spells. Leech signet is on all my heroes just because it gives them a little energy return and a non-spell interrupt.

Having said that, I would go for the ranger. Energy wise it's much more efficient to shoot broad head arrow at a ele-boss instead of using all kind of interrupts to stop him. Besides, you can focus on the second ele (or monk) in the group while you henchies/teammates pound him. For damage, barrage works great in tight areas. Degen works great with the new burning arrow elite of nightfall.

[stanisbest]

me=ranger for ever lol i posted that in like 3 threds already im sry =)