Bunny Thumper

From Guild Wars Wiki

Thumpers (or Bunny Thumpers) are melee Rangers who use a combination of Hammer attacks and Beast Mastery skills to inflict pressure damage. The name is given from the awkward "hopping" animation seen when a Ranger carries a hammer. The name "Bunny Thumper" was coined by Izzy, shortly after game release.

1 Advantages
2 Disadvantages
3 Variants
4 Notes
5 Trivia

[edit] Advantages

Creates high single target pressure
Difficult to kite
Hammer Bash is used as an adequate knockdown.
The most common variants use Irresistible Blow, which can punish enemy targets using common melee counters such as Guardian and Aegis.
Crushing Blow inflicts the Deep Wound condition, creating a sudden spike in the pressure damage.
It has flexible skill slots.
Rampage as One is frequently used as the elite for attack speed/move speed purposes. The pet (required for RaO to activate) is also used for Bestial Mauling, which dazes the knocklocked target.

[edit] Disadvantages

Lack of self healing. The common 3 attribute spread between Expertise, Beast Mastery and Hammer Mastery makes it difficult to fit in a self-heal.
Low armor against physical attacks means thumpers are a vulnerable target to spikes and counter-pressure. (in case of rangerspike, paragon spike, or melee spike, not against the majority of caster spikes)
Rampage as One requires your pet to be alive. This can become more and more difficult throughout the game, as your pet also accumulates Death Penalty.

[edit] Variants

The most commonly used elite is Rampage as One, which functions as both a speed boost, and an attack speed increase for you and your pet. A wonderful pressure tool and it is priced accordingly in terms of energy. A zealous hammer is suggested when used with this elite.
Both Enraged Lunge and Ferocious Strike can find themselves in skill bars of thumpers in conjunction with Tiger's Fury or Bestial Fury.
Irresistible Blow is an attack skill that is commonly used on thumper skill bars, due its fast recharge, low energy cost and ability to knock down blocking opponents.
Pet attacks such as Bestial Mauling or Poisonous Bite are effective.
You can choose between an Elder, Dire or Hearty Pet if you are using a PvE character.
Occasionally other elites are used, such as Heal as One. These variations are not common, and may not be as effective as the more canonical versions seen in organized play.
Useful nature rituals can be easily packed on to a thumper skill bar, such as Fertile Season. These spirits are more commonly seen in teams running in HA.
As an extreme and uncommon variant, the hammer can be substituted for another weapon, such as a Scythe, Daggers, or even a Spear. While not technically thumpers, these rangers have many of same capabilities and play in a similar fashion.
- Thrashers are scythe wielding melee rangers with incredible damage outputs, but lacking the knockdowns of the traditional thumper. Common skills include Rampage as One and Chilling Victory.