What is the Best Ranger Elite Skill?

There is no best as some players would tell me if I asked the same question, this is totally subjective, so to my subjective view, the best elite I personally love is cripple, but to tell the truth, I love them all. I like cripple, but I also like barrage... I just wish you could equip more than one elite skill.

I think for PvE Barrage is pretty much a permanent fixture in many people's skill bars. It's spammable, does extra damage, and attacks up to six baddies at once. It's hard to find a skill that compares to it.

I think Punishing Shot is my favorite skill in PvP, but a close second would have to be Crippling shot. Punish shot is my favorite cause it deals extra damage uncondtionally and is an interrupt to boot. Agreed. Barrage is difficult to beat for PvE purposes. That's why rangers are cleaning house in tombs...

I think Punishing Shot is my favorite skill in PvP, but a close second would have to be Crippling shot. Punish shot is my favorite cause it deals extra damage uncondtionally and is an interrupt to boot. I have to agree actually, it is one of my fav skill as well, just that I have been using it so much I did not see it as one single skill, but together with dual shot and savage as a set.

Yes, I love it, but I dont know if I can love it more then CS, very hard for me to say, which is best.

Barrage and Punishing Shot are all well and good, but what about some of the elites I seem to hear less about in the PvE environment. For instance, Oath Shot certainly appers to be overlooked in any ranger build tht has nothing to do with trapping ( I have a particularly wicked interupt build that is centered around this skill...haven't tried in in PvP yet though). I would also like to see more builds that make use of practiced stance. That being said i probably use Quick Shot the most, but again, the usage of elites depends completely on the situation. Problem I have with oath shot, is that most ranger attack skills are quick to recharge already, it's very rare that I've used them all and have not a one on my skill bar to use. And with spammable skills like Quick Shot and Barrage, it falls by the wayside in use. Another skill I have little use for is Marksman's Wager. I've never had a problem with energy, even with a monstrous spamming of quickshot, so I don't see why Ranger's need a mediocre, conditional energy management skill.

Quickshot is another I really like. I've not been using it the most effectively (I've been solidly a barrager) but I've been tinkering with it to find a way to use it in PvE.

The elite preperations (Melandru's Arrows, Incendiary Arrows) are alright, but they usually appeal to paticular players, few choose bleeding over poison, and the 'on fire' condition last much to little time.

I like Melandru's Resiliance with Marytr builds. Or maybe anti-VIM. But I don't see much application in PvE.

Spike trap is the best of the the trapping line, but many trappers would rather take Oath Shot as it means more traps down on the ground quicker.

As for other elites...what is there? The elite pet attack isn't all that great (most rangers don't need adrenaline) when compared to disrupting lunge. Escape is great, but most people don't wanna use an elite for a defensive skill. Greater Conflageration is a bit hard to use, and you'll always have someone complain about the fire damage. Practiced Stance would be great, but if you look at your preperations only Incendiary Arrows (which is an elite so you couldn't use both anyway) and Choking Gas would benefit from using this... most of them last 24 seconds, and recharge in 12...so....is there really a point in bringing practiced stance?

Anyway that's what I see in em.

Barrage and Punishing Shot are all well and good, but what about some of the elites I seem to hear less about in the PvE environment. For instance, Oath Shot certainly appers to be overlooked in any ranger build tht has nothing to do with trapping ( I have a particularly wicked interupt build that is centered around this skill...haven't tried in in PvP yet though). I would also like to see more builds that make use of practiced stance. That being said i probably use Quick Shot the most, but again, the usage of elites depends completely on the situation. I'd have to throw in my hat for Oath Shot. There's a ton of creative stuff you can do with it.

However, my personal all-around favorite elite is by far Oath Shot. Neverending Whirling Defense is just awesome, and so is Distracting Shot - Oath Shot - Distracting Shot chain, against just about anything. I love the idea of an Oath Shot, however, my problem with it is that, if you play a marksman, there are only defensive stances that the Oath shot would benift from, the rest of the skills rechange pretty quickly, and any quicker, one may not always have the ENG to support it. If I want to keep interup your foe's action, I would rather take another skill beside savage, such as distracting shot instead of Oath Shot. Oath Shot refreshig the skills are good when you are trying to doge incoming blows all the time (when you refresh the stances), but it may not get you to kill much.

So if you actually want to kill some, Oath Shot really benifts if you play a trapper.