Talk:Touch ranger

GWW:CONTENT

From the GWW:CONTENT page: "...we retain all content that documents or describes current mechanics, terminology, game play, skills, equipment, strategy, and canon..."

I therefore am requesting we keep this page as is since it is a strategy that involves skills and is shown as such. A limited number of skills may be in use thus making it resemble a build article but it is commonly seen and current (more of a guide and how to play a strategy or defeat it). I see no reason to eliminate this article as there is no reason to delete it either. -- Vallen Frostweaver 02:13, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

KEEP. A Touch Ranger is still a valid build and terminology used by players. Touch Rangers are still widely played in AB and I even use a Touch Ranger build to farm. josəph 18:43, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

I think it's a legitimate build worth keeping. I don't have one myself (might invest in the equipment later) but it works fine. Just because people get killed by it all the time doesn't make it unfair. Vanguard18:46, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

The issue is the sections on build and if this is to be interpreted as only applying to specific builds or all information in some way related to builds. Backsword 18:57, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Oh I see, perhaps it should have it's own "common useage" part in the ranger page? Vanguard18:59, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

SKILLS SECTION

This statement seems over simplistic: "a touch ranger will always equip Offering of Blood to counteract the build's still-significant energy usage".

Offering of Blood

Pro: gives you enough energy to use 3 touches for 195 health steal (actually 234 over 3.6 touches)

Cons: 20% sacrifice (reduces the health gain of the touches). The sudden health drop can trigger your backline to prot / heal you, even if not needed. Useless unless used with the touches, so ties you up: you always have to be in contact with the enemy, and are vulnerable to snaring and AoE skills like Firestorm.

Life Transfer

Pros: Can be used as a starting (ranged) attack to degen a clump of enemies. Not vulnerable to snares. Steals 154 blood from a single target, which is the same net life gain as Offering of Blood + 3 touches, but only takes 1 second to trigger, at range. Therefore it doesn't tie you up (e.g. you can cast it on enemies, then continue running a bundle, Blood Ritual your monk, move out of the AoE of a well or Firestorm, whatever). For PvE, good synergy with Necrosis for high non line-of-sight damage.

Cons: slow damage, can be removed

Vampiric Spirit

Pros: Steals / regenerates for 241, spammable. Takes 1 second to trigger. Doesn't tie you up.

Cons: low damage, can be stripped.

For either of these elites, the ongoing and high regeneration means you don't have to spam the Vampiric touches to stay alive. You can mix one or two low-energy damage or degen skills in with them, like Touch of Agony, Point Blank Shot, Poison Tip Signet, Necrosis, Ear Bite or Brawling Headbutt.

PvE eg1: (Norn Fighting Tournament). Using a wand and +health shield.

Use Vampiric Spirit and blocking stances to stay healthy. Idle away (low energy) with wand strikes / Ear Bite / Vampiric Bite / Plague Touch (against condition spammers) until they are damaged and adrenaline is built up. Use Brawling headbutt and spam the vampiric touches for the kill.

PvE eg2: Using any bow. I ran a Candy Cane for a long time.

Precast Posion Tip Signet, use Life Transfer on a clump of enemies. Spam Necrosis and Point Blank Shot. Use Vampiric Bite to recoup against melee attackers and to finish off enemies in blocking stances. Very versatile: most counters only cause partial shutdown. Works well in an open fight, but can also kill through walls, which is useful in places like Thunderhead Keep and Riverside Province. Hollowboy 03:11, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Don't forget Escape. You can use Signet of Agony with Angorodon's Gaze for non-elite energy management, or just not bother at all. I should mention that a +10AL blood staff is the ideal weapon to pair with the basic 405 health, as you want to minimise health sacrifice while maximising durability, so ditch the wand/focus/shields as the mod options are inconvenient. Cirian 15:47, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

Originator

I find the subject of the creator of this build questionable, as it is highly possible (and, in fact, what I personally suspect) that one would just say they made it. Shall we either come to consensus on this point, or agree that this is equivalent to vandalism? I am, of course, referring to line 1 at this point in time. Chaiyo Kaldor 01:33, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Whoever they are they sure do have a touching mania. Seriously, touchers suck (NPA to anyone, but it's true). They do have counters, but the only counters you'd see on somebody's bar in pvp are diversion and hex-based snares. Ninjas In The Sky 10:53, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

hello, my name is dshot 68.54.150.61 20:35, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

Hey, mine is blocking skills in Expertise. Ninjas In The Sky 09:32, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

On top of that a mesmer with Diversion alone still loses. Yeah, blocking AND IMS stances are often forgottoen by a Toucher's foe as Plaguesending against Crippling is. Kinda non-OP UB, if you'd ask me. Noctarch 11:35, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

For all it's suckness i found Warrior's cunning coupled Dwarven Battle Stance (once you remove the blind he trows at you) is a sure way to nail toucher down. In AB after fight or two with me they won't go anywhere near my party.77.70.60.74 18:36, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Warriors's Cunning AND Dwarven Battle Stance? Then you take on the role of the one left alone (with no energy by the way). Noctarch 01:45, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

On the contrary Dwarven Battle Stance is very good offensive skill versus anything & a zealous hammer is enough to provide you with ample supply of energy. Also apart from those two my bar is adrenal so no problem with energy.77.70.60.92 19:57, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Don't bother with an originator. I discovered the "toucher" archetype independently for myself in Prophecies as a PvE build, and I imagine many others created their own variant independently too. It's just not that obscure a character type due to the popularity of vampires, which is what I was trying to make at the time. Cirian 15:17, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

The originator was a player character named Silvite Sentry. This character made waves with this seemingly impossibly immortal build against the IWAY teams that were popular at the time. Offering of Blood was a key skill to the build at the time. Mesmers were a hard counter for this build at the time as well. Silvite "*" was a common player character during the Kryta frog Q/A days.

Expansion

79.87.202.89 is me, I forgot to sign in >.< Anyway, I've played these sorts of characters for so long that I wanted to expand the page out and cover more of the variety within "touch rangers". For all the maligning they get, they've existed for well over 4 years and have cemented themselves in Guild Wars infamy! Most impressive :) Cirian 01:02, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

February 25, 2010 update

With the blood magic changes there are now several "new" skills one could find use for this build like Demonic Flesh, which will deal 17 to adjacent foes with each touch. Jaundiced Gaze could serve as enchantment removal utility skill that also goes well with Demonic Flesh. And Oppressive Gaze synergizes with Throw Dirt. Life Siphon's decreased duration can also be handy. —ZerphaThe Improver 10:50, 27 February 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, those changes were interesting. I put a few updates in. OG + Throw Dirt sounds hilarious and I found a place to squeeze it in. Nice spot! Cirian 04:44, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

I've just added a note to highlight the latest Barbed Signet (PvP) functionality. It's pretty much a dream combination with Angorodon's Gaze; yet one more reason to play Escape over OoB. Cirian 16:43, 6 December 2010 (UTC)

Pretty typical

So there was an edit by Manifold that I read, and I realised my wording wasn't clear enough because Manifold had misunderstood "life cost" to be "energy cost" when I was talking about sacrifices with respect to maximum health. I.e. less health = cheaper in absolute terms. So I've put an example in, and then I saw something else, and I'm sure other editors will sympathise when I just got really into doing a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway, I hope it's all a bit clearer and better than my last big revision ~18 months ago, which seems like yesterday. This month's Hidden Talent flux has me thinking about turning my ranger into a vampire again... Cirian 10:56, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

I disagree about "more health has a drawback because you sac more life". Imagine you have the choice between having $100 and being taxed 10%, and having $130 and being taxed 10%. You'd rather have the $130, right? You still have more money, regardless of the tax. And maybe you have to go to the doctor and it could cost between $80 and $100. You'd want that $130 option to avoid going into "debt" (to close off the analogy, dying). Manifold 14:50, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Touchers should have the highest hitpoints available with superior vigor, radiants and rune of anti cripple. Basically more health = more resilience against degeneration, which, lets face it, is very common everywhere. File:User Chieftain Alex Chieftain Signature.pngChieftain Alex 16:12, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Equipment Section

I doubt anyone still cares about this but there's some bad advice in this section. Staves should be used for the energy and damage type, Wands and Foci should not be used. Touch skills are not seplls and do not benefit from HCT or HSR. While you can use an aggressive weapon set for +15% damage, it only applies to your basic attacks, not the touch skills, you cannot get the +1 Blood Magic (20% chance) bonus from a Wrapping of Mastery, because it only activates during spells, not touch skills. 212.50.188.36 08:22, 18 June 2015 (UTC)