[Jake]

Well, my shipment has been delayed and I'm getting my computer in on Wednesday.
Which is cool since I'm off work wednesday AND thursday

And I was thinking... should I play a Ranger or Elementalist?
I honestly have no idea how either of those classes play so I thought I'd ask you guys.

[Neraphym]

Elementalist!!!!!!! Nukers rule at life.

[Zoo]

Dangerous question, you'll probably get several more answers than the number of people actually answering . I'll give you the non-technical answer, 'cause that's the one thing I'm definitely good at in this game .

I'm much more comfortable with a ranger, probably 'cause I started with one, and Pantheo (he's my second) has about 700 hours on him now. I like running around with my Kitty, but it's hard to find good pet builds. I guess I like being able to attack at range, but an ele can do that too. Completely not a reason to choose a particular class, but I like the ranger armor best (well, some of it...), and that's a personal preference anyway. Interrupts are useful, 'specially if you can daze a caster or stop self-heals. Though from what I've seen mesmers are better at interrupting. And to be honest I can't explicate much more past I just like it. (maybe if I didn't suck so much with words)

Elementalists definitely do a lot of damage >_<. And they have a -lot- of energy, though it tends to get used up (which may be different if one is any better at playing an ele than me ). Blowing things up and setting things ablaze (especially ice) are definitely fun. NPC eles are generally pretty scary, so a good human ele would be more so. And... that's about it, I've not played mine very much.

[Rylkan]

Elementalist!!!!!!! Nukers rule at life.

Come now, but you die SO easy.

Really though, I am with Zoo in terms of it being a tough answer. I love Rangers, but they are less straightforward than other classes. Elementalists have a huge energy pool and lots of power. Just hit the button with certain glyphs or enchants on, and the enemy is dead. Rangers can run various things at once and are capable of lots of damage too, but take a bit more to operate effectively.

It's up to you. I suggest that since you get 6 character slots to start, you just make both and try them both.

[Neraphym]

Come now, but you die SO easy.

Excuse me, who was it that solo tanked TWO stygian demons on hard mode?

Also, most cookie cutter PUGs for elite areas involve 2-3 eles and 1 ranger. Either way, you're fine. There are also trapping groups, but even ele's can manage decently in those, too.

[Rylkan]

Indeed, and that WAS cool. Though I wonder, I think I could solo them with my armor of earth/stone striker ranger. Would be neat to see.

But yeah, Eles are very useful, and having more than one never hurts. I will admit having more than one ranger can be silly. I just like them anyways. So have fun with whatever you choose, or both. (:

[Jake]

I suppose I'll just stick to an Elementalist until I find out what everything actually does.

[Aaron]

I suppose I'll just stick to an Elementalist until I find out what everything actually does.

Good choice to start with. I have both, so I can't really answer which is better .

[Ratty]

I've got an ele and a ranger (But didnt get very far with the ranger, unfortnately). Casters just suit me better in the way that I play. You really should just start playing with one, see if it suits you, if not, try out the other =P

[Jake]

Soo... any particular server/realm/world/thing I should join?

[Ratty]

Nope, you'll be able to go from American to European and International at will. Makes it easier to play with people.

[Goto]

Yeah, you can play with pretty much anyone at will. Because everything but the towns is instanced, they don't bother with different servers or realms. When you enter a town it will randomly assign you to a 'district', but you can change district at will if you want to meet up with other people.


I think the best indication as to what class you should pick is what kind of classes you tend to like in other games. Elementalists are your typical spellcasters, mostly functioning as damage-dealers. Their skills are split up into the four different elements. Fire is supreme at doing large amounts of damage to groups of enemies. Air can do a lot of damage to single enemies (and often ignores armour), as well as knockdowns and blinding. Earth has more of a focus on defense, such as increasing your armour or creating ward spells to help your allies. Water is good for 'snaring', slowing your enemies down. They're all useful in their own ways, although probably most people use fire since it's the most direct. They have the most energy (mana) of any class, so they can use lots of high-cost spells, but Rylkan is right that they're not the most survivable of classes if you're under direct attack. That's why they should be staying towards the back, most of the time.

Rangers are more of a scout class. They specialize in bows, and have a bit more armour than most of the casting classes. Not really enough to tank properly, though. They're a bit more of a strange class in that there is no set role they should be fulfilling, there's a number of things they can do. They can use bow attacks to interrupt enemy spells or to inflict conditions such as bleeding or poison. They can set traps underground that hurt enemies that run into them, or use nature spirits that affect all creatures within their range. They can also charm an animal to fight alongside them, as a pet.

[x..]

Elementalists. Have 3. <3 them.


Aeromancers ftw.

[Aaron]

As Goto pointed out, Rangers are bit of a jack-of-all-trades. They can fill a lot of roles, but they aren't particularly strong in one area. Paragons (Nightfall) are similar. Reporters fit this description as well .

[Jake]

I just started and... good god I'm lost.