Rangers are some of the most flexible players in Guild Wars 2. Whether you prefer ranged or close quarters, there aren’t a lot of things you can’t do with a ranger. We’ll take a look at some of the best builds for different scenarios in the game, including WvW and PvP.
PvP
Let’s get Conquest out of the way first. For this build, you’ll be using either a sword or a warhorn as your primary weapon, while keeping a greatsword at your disposal. Set up your commands with the following, depending on your chosen weapon:
| Sword or Warhorn | Greatsword |
| Slash | Slash |
| Monarch’s Leap | Maul |
| Hornet Sting | Swoop |
| Hunter’s Call | Counterattack |
| Call of the Wild | Hilt Bash |
For your remaining abilities, put in Healing Spring for healing, Protect Me! and Quickening Zephyr for your utilities, and Strength of the Pack! for your elite skill.
Next, we’ll tell you how to set up your specializations:
| Nature Magic | Wilderness Survival | Beastmastery |
| Rejuvenation | Natural Vigor | Pack Alpha |
| Search and Rescue | Oakheart Salve | Resounding Timbre |
| Fortifying Bond | Companion’s Defense | Loud Whistle |
| Windborne Notes | Refined Toxins | Two-Handed Training |
| Lingering Magic | Rugged Growth | Pet’s Prowess |
| Protective Ward | Wilderness Knowledge | Lesser quickening Zephyr |
WvW
For WvW, we recommend sticking with a greatsword, while keeping a sword or ax as your alt weapon. Here’s how to set up your abilities:
| Greatsword | Sword/Axe |
| Slash | Slash |
| Maul | Monarch’s Leap |
| Swoop | Hornet Sting |
| Counterattack | Path of Scars |
| Hilt Bash | Whirling Defense |
Use Bear Stance for healing, Dolyak Stance, Signet of the Wind, and Muddy Terrain for your utilities, and Entangle as your elite. Set up your appropriate specializations as you see below:
| Skirmishing | Beastmastery | Soulbeast |
| Tail Wind | Pack Alpha | Prelude Lash |
| Primal Reflexes | Potent Ally | Live Fast |
| Furious Grip | Loud Whistle | Furious Strength |
| Spotter | Two-Handed Training | Essence of Speed |
| Hunter’s Tactics | Pet’s Prowess | Twice as Vicious |
| Vicious Quarry | Honed Axes | Leader of the Pack |
PvE
If you’re sticking to the open world, we recommend going with a Druid build as a ranger. This allows you to freely swap between ranged staff attacks and melee hits with an axe or warhorn. Here’s how you can set up your hotbar:
| Staff | Axe/Warhorn |
| Cosmic Ray | Ricochet |
| Astral Wisp | Splitblade |
| Ancestral Grace | Winter’s Bite |
| Vine Surge | Hunter’s Call |
| Sublime Conversion | Call of the Wild |
Healing should come from We Heal as One! while your utilities will be Search and Rescue!, Protect Me!, and Signet of the Wild. For your elite skill, stick with Entangle.
Finally, here’s the spec sheet for the open world:
| Beastmastery | Nature Magic | Druid |
| Pack Alpha | Rejuvenation | Celestial Avatar |
| Resounding Timbre | Search and Rescue! | Druidic Clarity |
| Loud Whistle | Fortifying Bond | Live Vicariously |
| Natural Healing | Windborne Notes | Natural Stride |
| Pet’s Prowess | Lingering Magic | Natural Mender |
| Lesser quickening Zephyr | Protective Ward | Grace of the Land |
About the author
Adam Nystrom
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