Rather than defining builds by certain skillsets, I will attempt to explain the
combinations of skills that are effective “Themes” when designing a ranger
build.  While there will be examples of full skillset builds, these are only
used for illustration purposes and should not be considered a definitive build.
Hopefully, the sample builds and the themes will give you inspiration to create
your own effective Ranger build.

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- Ranger-only Themes (gwrg5a) -
——————————-

Like all class combinations in Guild Wars, using a secondary class is purely
optional.  The Ranger is no exception, and there are several effective themes
that make use of only Ranger skills exclusively.

Anti-Caster
===========
Rangers are well-known for their ability to shut down casters with their arrows.
They also can lay down a Quickening Zephyr to make spellcasters leak Energy like
crazy.

Sample Build:
1. Incindiary Arrows (Elite)
2. Debilitating Shot
3. Concussion Shot
4. Distracting Shot
5. Dryder’s Defenses
6. Quickening Zephyr
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Other useful skills: Choking Gas, Disrupting Lunge, Pin Down, Savage Shot,
Spike Trap (Elite), Punishing Shot (Elite)

Factions skills: Broad Head Arrow (Elite)

Nightfall skills: Magebane Shot, Disrupting Accuracy

Artillery Support
=================
AKA “Barrager”

Barrage is one of the few Elite skills that warrants an entire theme, as the
limitations and strengths of Barrage require careful thought and management.
A high Marksmanship is obviously required, and high Expertise is needed so the
Barrager can continually spam the Barrage skill against enemies.

Sample Build:
1. Barrage (Elite)
2. Favorable Winds
3. Winnowing
4. Distracting Shot
5. Lightning Reflexes
6. Tiger’s Fury
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

The Artful Dodger
=================
This theme focuses mostly on the Ranger’s excellent ability to avoid damage. It
focuses mostly on the Expertise attribute, and relies on dodging skills to
prevent damage to the Ranger.  Typically, you will want at least two skills to
overlap, as the cooldown times on those skills tend to be quite long.

Sample Build:
1. Bow Damage Skill of choice
2. Lightning Reflexes - Increased Attack speed and dodging
3. Whirling Defense - Defensive Skill
4. Throw Dirt - Applies Blindness, Defensive Skill
5. Dryder’s Defenses - Defensive Skill, resists elemental damage
6. Escape (Elite) - Increases Speed, Defensive Skill
7. Troll Unguent/Healing Spring - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Other useful skills: Dodge, Dust Trap, Oath Shot (Elite)

Factions skills: Zojun’s Haste

Nightfall skills: Natural Stride

The Beastmaster
===============
One of the definitive themes of the Ranger class, the Beastmaster focuses on
his or her Pet.  Since Beast Mastery is a skillbar hog, most who choose this
theme tend to focus on it, dedicating at least half of their slots to Beast
Master skills. Obviously, this theme is heavy on the Beast Mastery attribute.

Sample Build:
1. Charm Animal - Needed for pet
2. Comfort Animal - For healing/resurrecting pet
3. Call of Protection - Damage reduction for pet
4. Symbiotic Bond - More protection for pet, and Health regen
5. Disrupting Lunge - For disruption
6. Ferocious Strike (Elite)
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

The Machine-gunner
==================
This theme utilizes Quick Shot and skills that lower cooldown times so that the
Ranger can lay down a fast stream of arrows.  You’ll be firing slightly faster
than the attack rate of most swords/axes.

Note that in a Quick Shot build, you won’t get much benefit from Serpent’s
Quickness, but you will get a benefit from Tiger’s Fury and Quickening Zephyr.

Sample Build: This build needs a high Expertise (preferably 13 total from Rune
or Mask), and a high wilderness survival tends to help as well for adding damage
through the use of preparations. Use a Zealous bowstring to reclaim energy
quickly.

1. Quick Shot (Elite)
2. Dual Shot
3. Quickening Zephyr
4. Favorable Winds
5. Tiger’s Fury
6. Kindle Arrows
7. Troll Unguent
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Factions skills: Needling Shot

The Nature Ritualist
====================
AKA The “Spirit Spammer”

This theme made a splash in Summer of 2005 PvP metagame. This Ranger uses
spirits to change the “rules” of the battlefield, while using Oath Shot (Elite)
or Quickening Zephyr/Serpent’s Quickness to reduce the long cooldown times.
Spirits can be used as a temporary obstacle, and the dedicated Ritualist often
plants multiple spirits to increase coverage and provide insurance against
Spirit destruction.

Sample Build: High levels of Beast Mastery and Wilderness Survival are helpful
for this PvP-specific version of the Ritualist.  This particular sample build
works best in a team with few/no enchantments, and it is designed to make the
lives of the opponent’s Monks and Aeromancers difficult.

1. Greater Conflagration (Elite)
2. Quickening Zephyr - Reduces cooldowns while increasing Energy costs
3. Nature’s Renewal - Delays enchantments/hexes
4. Favorable Winds - Increases bow damage
5. Frozen Soil - Prevents resurrection, for locking in a win
6. Fertile Season - More armor and HP reduces the power of Aeromancer spiking
7. Troll Unguent - Self-heal
8. Free slot (Res Signet)

Other useful skills: Some folks use Oath Shot (Elite) to lower the cooldown
times of their spirits.

The Skirmisher
==============
Skirmishers are Rangers who choose to harass and harry their opponents by the
application of Conditions (especially Cripple and Poison).  A Skirmisher is
often the first person to attack and lure a monster, focusing on weakening
monsters before the rest of the party uses Focus Fire on it.  They also can use
bow preparations to apply area effect splash-damage, causing much grief for
groups of enemies.

Sample Build:
1. Poison Arrow (Elite) - Poison
2. Pin Down - Crippling
3. Hunter’s Shot - Bleeding
4. Ignite Arrows - Splash damage
5. Dual Shot - Damage multiplier
6. Whirling Defense - Defensive skill
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Other useful skills: Choking Gas, Incindiary Arrows (Elite), Melandru’s Arrows
(Elite), Kindle Arrows, Distracting Shot, Concussion Shot, Dust Trap, Flame
Trap, Barbed Trap, Spike Trap (Elite), Throw Dirt

Nightfall skills: Burning Arrow(Elite), Barbed Arrows, Toxicity, Screaming Shot

The Sniper
==========
The Sniper is the quintessential archer, focusing on doing the most damage
against a single target with each arrow.  Using Marksmanship skills in concert,
the Sniper picks off opponents one by one, stacking as much damage as possible.

Sample Build:
This build is particularly light on the Wilderness Survival skills. Most
Rangers choose to increase their Wilderness Survival skills and go part Sniper,
part Skirmisher.
1. Penetrating Attack - Increases damage per shot
2. Power Shot - Increases damage per shot
3. Read the Wind - Increases damage, based on Marksmanship
4. Favorable Winds - Increases damage
5. Marksman’s Wager (Elite) - Energy Management
6. Lightning Reflexes - Defense
7. Troll Unguent - Healing
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Other useful skills: Hunter’s Shot, Distracting Shot, Dual Shot, Kindle Arrows,
Concussion Shot, Tiger’s Fury, Apply Poison, Poison Arrow (Elite)

Factions skills: Marauder’s Shot, Sundering Attack

Nightfall skills: Crossfire, Keen Arrow, Forked Arrow

The Trapper
===========
The Trapper focuses on Traps and the Wilderness Survival attribute. Trappers
know when to use traps as passive elements to “soften” up targets as well as
using traps actively in combat to add area-effect damage while hiding behind
a tank.  The conditions added by such traps are invaluable for support, and a
high Expertise prevents the Trapper from being hit while laying down traps.

One common place that a Trapper is in demand is in the Underworld, where there
are many powerful enemies who do not use Ranged attacks (Bladed Aatxes come to
mind).  Dust Trap and Barbed Trap help to soften them up before the group can
focus and kill these creatures.  See “All-Trapper Party in the Underworld”
below in the PvE section for a look at this.

Sample Build:
1. Dust Trap
2. Flame Trap
3. Barbed Trap
4. Healing Spring
5. Whirling Defense
6. Dryder’s Defenses
7. Throw Dirt
8. Free Slot (Res Signet or Signet of Capture)

Other useful skills: Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, Escape (Elite), Spike Trap
(Elite), Muddy Terrain, Quickening Zephyr (quickly recharge traps), Energizing
Wind (reduce the cost of Dust Trap and Barbed Trap)

Factions skills: Snare, Viper’s Nest (linked to Beastmastery), Trapper’s Focus

Nightfall skills: Trapper’s Speed, Tripwire, Smoke Trap