I love this PVP build! What do you guys think?

[malisivo.5264]

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAoYVnE8CtsglrAerAUtgFHBLv42cfuNLgMXHgJAM5qcl4wnA-jZRZAB5+AAAoMwwnCAjPCAHu/AA (Let me know if this link doesn't work.)

 

I may be a minority in this, but I love, love, love my condi trapper soulbeast! It is heavily dependent on bleeds, poison, and immobilizations, but the reapplication of them all is what makes this build so fun. A well-placed trap (and stealth from the Trapper rune) makes you an annoying opponent. :) Lots of opportunities to clear conditions while you kite away and restrict or impede the opponent's movement. Just a really fun build for 1v1s and +1-ing. I know, I know, it's kind of like a pseudo thief build, but it's just fun annoying people with it. ^^

[malisivo.5264]

You know, even if you don't like the build, I still want to know what you guys think. ^^

[Durzlla.6295]

Gotta say, haven’t seen a trapper build in a while, nice to see it still works at least a little bit!

 

Glad you’re enjoying it though!

[Ralkuth.1456]

Ran into a Survival Trapper + Scourge combo, now that was nastiness defined.

 

Gotta try out that Condi Ranger thing again.

[malisivo.5264]

I know Power Soulbeast is pretty meta right now, tho. >.

[EnderzShadow.2506]

As long as your enjoying yourself, that's 90 percent of it right there.

 

I don't like shorbow and most rangers don't like mainhand dagger, but don't let that stop you.

If you're having fun, keep playing it. You may just find some niche that others haven't.

I know personally I've probably become too complacent and comfortable with certain builds and I don't feel like trying things out I've tried before.

I played a sword torch Axe dagger trapper runes Base Ranger for a while. It was either amazing or horrible depending on the comp and map. Some classes had so much condi removal it felt underwhelming at times. And there were other times where people just melted before they knew what was happening.

 

Looking at your build, it seems to me that you would have to play very carefully with your immobs and positioning, because other than your melded snow owl leap and shorbow 3, you're not getting very far from your opponents. Kinda reminds me of boxing, in close ducking and dodging. I had a lot of fun using sword with the last trapper build I played. Honestly that's the only thing I don't like looking at your build, the lack of movement. If I play druid, staff 3 is a lot of movement, sword 2 and gs 3. All those weapons are gap closers and gap creaters. Not to mention, 2 traps isn't really that much stealth. I can get more stealth with longbow and gs and smokescale.

 

What classes do you succeed/struggle against most commonly?

What are your favorite maps with that build?

[malisivo.5264]

Hey, thanks for your feedback, guys!

 

@"EnderzShadow.2506" Hm, my mobility comes mostly from being at range with shortbow. I'm constantly moving regardless of the weapons I use, but I can turn my camera and position myself easiest with shortbow. I use daggers mainly for the reapplication of poison and bleeds. My gap closer is almost always owl F1. Plus, the 2secs of superspeed really help. XD I think the 1v1s I win are mostly ones where I hit first.

 

I struggle against CC-heavy builds and mesmers. Always mesmers. Even when I find the right one, they burst me before I can get to them. This build has worked against some core necro builds, but not minion master. Scourge sometimes, if I get them down before their shades are up. I went up against thieves, guardians, a few revenants, other rangers, non-weaver elementalists, non-holo engineers, and core warriors and survived for the most part. XD But, really, the main objective of this build (I feel) is to be annoying. ? To draw the attention of the enemy so that your teammates can focus on decapping and other objectives.

 

I noticed that this build works best in Khylo and Temple, where there are many places to stealth and kite away. But, maps like Capricorn and Coliseum are horrifying to play in.

[Eleazar.9478]

Yeesh, I'm glad your having fun but I think your build needs some cleaning up to make it a bit more effective.

 

1st off with only one stun break, I'd suggest switching live fast to unstoppable union, the quickness and fury really is not going to do alot for you since your power damage and boon duration is really low and I've found trapper builds to work better un-merged (also having more unblockable cc by merging and using your sb is a better set up)

 

2nd your sigils, purgeing is fine but you should really get rid of those power sigils, 5% of critical do damage for 200 is nothing. I'd take energy and/or annulment (more endurance and having some boon strip is fantastic if you put it on your sb for ripping stab/resistance hopefully and landing your cc

 

3rd maybe try sages it will lower your damage but might give you some more survivability giving you nice meaty heals

 

4th do not 1v1 with this build focos on plusing fightings and hopping in and out, if your mmr is weak (yes unranked still uses mmr just not to the degree of ranged from my understanding) it may work but once you start improving or climbing your build is going to start falling of in effectiveness as most builds run multiple CC's (especially duelers) and that's going to be your downfall.

 

5th try sword, ya you'll lose Condi damage but you'll gain survivability and as dagger stands now good lock trying it against any class except other rangers simply cause everyone as anti melee and will punish you if you stay too long. Having sword would allow you to kite when they're doing thier bursts and then either counter burst with sb or kite them through your traps

 

6th power ranger (all 3 core, soulbeast and druid )are the best for pvp a reason. It's simply because power ranger can rely on it's burst skills from weapon damage and fill the bare with uttilty not to mention the power weapons due so much more while doing instant burst damage. This frees you up to go uttilty crazy fill your bar with cleanse (which you have to sense everyone runs lots of stab and stunbreaks).

 

 

Your build as is would make a really good build to punish during matches for example I tend to run sic em and if I saw you running this with no stone I'd call target and would "bully" your build this keeping your team at a 4v5 the entire time. Quite honestly it's better to go druid if your trapping since you can cover the lost uttilty. I'm all for running new and off used stuff but I wouldn't even need to run a dueling build to take this apart.

 

 

 

 

[Ralkuth.1456]

> @"Eleazar.9478" said:

> 5th try sword, ya you'll lose Condi damage but you'll gain survivability and as dagger stands now good lock trying it against any class except other rangers simply cause everyone as anti melee and will punish you if you stay too long. Having sword would allow you to kite when they're doing thier bursts and then either counter burst with sb or kite them through your traps

 

No kidding, GS was doing great just because that weapon is exactly designed to hang on in melee for a moment, deliver the burst and get the hell out with your Swoop and ranged block, so you can start kiting and doing your LB4 thing.

 

> Your build as is would make a really good build to punish during matches for example I tend to run sic em and if I saw you running this with no stone I'd call target and would "bully" your build this keeping your team at a 4v5 the entire time.

Condi Ranger with no Signet of Stone in PvP can be a problem, because they don't have access to defensive amulets, or higher stats to make it threatening. Rangers do have very good healing coefficients so custom builds in WvW can actually make it very strong.

 

I admit seeing Stone pop or absent is all the motivation I need to mark target and Rapid Fire. This also highlights how poor the Ranger's traits are outside of Power builds in PvP.

 

Hmm, if you go Moa Stance for the protection stacking then you may lose too much offensive power trying to fit condition removal, stunbreaks and offensive traps into those limited slots. That's not much different from using Signet of Stone, is it? Back to the drawing board...

 

 

[InsaneQR.7412]

> @"EnderzShadow.2506" said:

> I don't like shorbow and most rangers don't like mainhand dagger, but don't let that stop you.

 

 

Daggers are actually a quiet funny meme atm. MH is only a real thing in PvE and OH only in PvP. Improving both in a direction to give them use in both game modes would finally make D/D soulbeast a thing.

[malisivo.5264]

@"Eleazar.9478" Hey, thanks for your feedback! Just to let you know, I have been running this build for about two or three months (maybe longer? Lol, I forget) and while it's good to win fights, the main objective in PVP is always capping nodes and the other objectives in the maps. Overpowering was never the goal, but if the team wins because the other team is too busy chasing me, then my day I made. *I don't think this is a viable build for ranked.* But, if you'd like something off-the-cuff and fun to play? I can say I like it a lot. ?

 

And oops, I forgot that I have already switched Live Fast to Unstoppable Union and have been working on going in and out of beast mode. I hated having the pet fight for me, but Unstoppable Union has helped me out of really sticky situations.

 

Hm, I'll try those changes to the sigils, but I've tried it with the sword before D/D and while I'm more mobile, it isn't quite as fun. ? This is mainly a poison build, not a damage build anyway. And no, I don't 1v1 in fights unless I have to. I get in, get out, and run away. Hm, I'll try it with Sage... I had it before and remember swapping to Carrion to up the damage, but it made me a heck of a lot squishier.

 

True, I die by power builds. I may have a really high health pool, but they can half my health with one hit. No matter, that's why I rely on my teammates to help me with those. +1-Ing is lots of fun!

 

Don't know how many times people said, "I can't believe I got downed/killed by a CONDI ranger!" Or "Ugh, your traps!" I quite like being annoying. Then, they can focus on me while my team can traverse the map. But, yeah, I'll definitely consider your suggestions! Thank you!

[jcbroe.4329]

> @"Eleazar.9478" said:

> Yeesh, I'm glad your having fun but I think your build needs some cleaning up to make it a bit more effective.

>

> 1st off with only one stun break, I'd suggest switching live fast to unstoppable union, the quickness and fury really is not going to do alot for you since your power damage and boon duration is really low and I've found trapper builds to work better un-merged (also having more unblockable cc by merging and using your sb is a better set up)

>

> 2nd your sigils, purgeing is fine but you should really get rid of those power sigils, 5% of critical do damage for 200 is nothing. I'd take energy and/or annulment (more endurance and having some boon strip is fantastic if you put it on your sb for ripping stab/resistance hopefully and landing your cc

>

> 3rd maybe try sages it will lower your damage but might give you some more survivability giving you nice meaty heals

>

> 4th do not 1v1 with this build focos on plusing fightings and hopping in and out, if your mmr is weak (yes unranked still uses mmr just not to the degree of ranged from my understanding) it may work but once you start improving or climbing your build is going to start falling of in effectiveness as most builds run multiple CC's (especially duelers) and that's going to be your downfall.

>

> 5th try sword, ya you'll lose Condi damage but you'll gain survivability and as dagger stands now good lock trying it against any class except other rangers simply cause everyone as anti melee and will punish you if you stay too long. Having sword would allow you to kite when they're doing thier bursts and then either counter burst with sb or kite them through your traps

>

> 6th power ranger (all 3 core, soulbeast and druid )are the best for pvp a reason. It's simply because power ranger can rely on it's burst skills from weapon damage and fill the bare with uttilty not to mention the power weapons due so much more while doing instant burst damage. This frees you up to go uttilty crazy fill your bar with cleanse (which you have to sense everyone runs lots of stab and stunbreaks).

>

>

> Your build as is would make a really good build to punish during matches for example I tend to run sic em and if I saw you running this with no stone I'd call target and would "bully" your build this keeping your team at a 4v5 the entire time. Quite honestly it's better to go druid if your trapping since you can cover the lost uttilty. I'm all for running new and off used stuff but I wouldn't even need to run a dueling build to take this apart.

>

>

>

>

 

Piggybacking off of this feedback to add to it:

 

* You're traited for both Survival skills and Traps but aren't using Troll Unguent or Healing Spring, both of which are superior heals than Bear Stance that you'd see much more mileage with.

* A lynx or Iboga would make a fantastic pet choice.

* Dropping Spike Trap for a more defensive utility like Signet of Stone or Dolyak Stance would increase the staying power of the build immensely.

 

Just food for thought, hope it gives you some ideas you can try OP (orginal poster).

[EnderzShadow.2506]

I started playing traps in pvp when I started spvp lol...this was a bit before they changed traps from throwable to non throwable.

I got a lot of unriendly comments from randoms and some helpful comments from Rangers who had previously played traps.

 

Traps are a sore spot for me as it's a play style I enjoyed and I wanted it to work but it's just not flushed out for higher ranks of play.

The condis are easy to remove

The condi burst is too slow

The threat from the condis is too low

 

It's hard for me to see where it actually fits into a ranked match? @"malisivo.5264"

Troll build for sure :)

I imagine you laughing maniacally like the joker

 

 

[Koen.1327]

Healing spring is a must, makes you and your team very strong on point. It's also the only trap which won't reveal your stealth so great to swoop away afterwards in case of danger.

 

 

 

 

[voltaicbore.8012]

Yeah I can't tangle well on point with trapper soulbeasts on point, but my power soulbeast can easily overwhelm a trapper from moderate range. I find the trapper builds die easily if you treat them like thieves, in that if you give chase they have enough tools to really troll you to death, but if you can bait them back to you too early (before they've had a full reset) or lock them down in key windows of vulnerability, not really a problem.

 

But with mobility, stealth, and surprise, I'd welcome a decent trapper ranger on my team. Definitely has utility, even if it's slightly overshadowed in both the condi upkeep spam and mobility departments.

[shadowpass.4236]

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV4YnEqAtsgN8CmrAUtgFHBjJAM5qcNLgYVHI/42cjulI94A-jZxHAB+/AA4vMQz7PAwFB47jAAA

[malisivo.5264]

So, I've made a few adjustments (maybe more when I finally get a chance to this week, lol). Instead of sigil of compounding on MH dagger, I have sigil of opportunity. And I switched over to Jacaranda and Hawk as opposed to Forest Spider and Owl. Wanted to avoid meta pets, but dang, my dear Shrubberi (Jacaranda) is a total beast! ^^

 

And yes, you guys warned me, I've been punished heavily by this build. Had a ranger (using a Soulboons build mind you) chase me down in the FFA Arena constantly one night simply because he "hated my build". I asked if he had ever been killed by my build and... He didn't answer. XD There's no reason to hate a build that isn't viable in ranked, if you know what I mean. I was a bit frustrated when I went on a losing streak one time, but i just had to remember that I'm not a 1v1 build and the fun resumed. ?

 

Anyway, thank you for the advice, all! I'm still making adjustments to see what goes well with my playstyle. ?

[Durzlla.6295]

@"malisivo.5264" our of curiosity, why did you choose to go with Hawk? Idk about you but I normally take my birds for their burst via F2, and hawk/eagle doesn’t do that as well.

 

And Your build is quite useable in ranked, I’ve seen several trapper Soulbeast with it (or maybe it was the same Soulbeast?)

[malisivo.5264]

@"Durzlla.6295" Hm, I just needed something to kite away and the extra boost in Condi dmg while melded is nice. I also have hidden barbs traited so, bleeding galore. ? But, I'm still trying to find that secondary pet that will keep me mobile and help me deal damage either in or out of beast mode. I'm open to other options, though. Ze birdies are too awesome to pass up. ?

 

Also, I don't know if I'll have much fun with the build in ranked... People be salty if a casual noob isn't "playing the right build" to "optimize the team comp". ?

[malisivo.5264]

Oh, @""jcbroe.4329" and @""Koen.1327" you're both right. Healing Spring was a much better choice. Been helping my teammates out of bad situations and that extra stealth and speed is well worth the change. ? Thank you!