Build:R/any Tank Master

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This build has been designed for the following use:

1 Attributes and Skills
2 Equipment
3 Usage
4 Variants
5 Notes
6 Templates

This is a PvE build. It also works well in PvP against Necromancers, Mesmers, and other rangers. It is also an excellent build for evolving a new pet into a dire pet (see animal companion for details), as the pet does incredible damage with Enraged Lunge. This is a Prophecies+Factions build.

[edit] Attributes and Skills

Ranger / Any	Attribute Rank
Beast Mastery	10 + 2
Expertise	11 + 1 + 2
Wilderness Survival	10

See "Variants" on the choice of healing skill.

[edit] Equipment

Use a Longbow or a Flatbow to get your pet to attack foes while keeping the foes out of your aggro area.
While your pet is attacking, use a staff that maximizes energy and health (Kole's Torment, Illyana's Staff, Bohdabi's Spire or a maximized Insightful Staff Of Fortitude are ideal). The sole purpose of the weapon is to tell the pet who to attack.
Use Explorer's Armor to maximize health.

[edit] Usage

General usage of this build:

As soon as you enter the explorable area, use Symbiotic Bond and Call of Protection. These will protect your pet, and will be the first two skills that will be recharging for you.
As soon as combat starts, use Call of Haste and Predatory Bond.
Now that you have 4 skills recharging, use Enraged Lunge repeatedly for +80 damage every 5 seconds.
Use Troll Unguent repeatedly, as your pet is sharing your health.
On the rare occasion that your pet does take heavy damage, use Comfort Animal to restore its health.

Key mindset of this strategy:

With the exception of Charm Animal and Comfort Animal, no skill should ever remain fully charged in combat. You need your skills to be constantly recharging to fuel Enraged Lunge.
With a high Expertise you should not run into any energy issues except when fighting multiple bosses. This is because each time a boss dies, your skills reset. With this build you need your skills to be constantly recharging, so killing a boss means a slight energy drain from using your 4 shouts again.
Remember that you can use any of the shouts and the Enraged Lunge even while you are activating Troll Unguent.

[edit] Variants

Replace Call of Haste and/or Predatory Bond with one or two pet attacks, such as Brutal Strike, for more damage. When using multiple pet attacks, however, remember to watch the pet's damage closely to ensure that the first attack hits before the second attack is played. Otherwise, only one of the attacks will succeed.
If you are playing a R/W, replace Troll Unguent with Healing Signet, and redistribute all attribute points from Wilderness Survival into Tactics. This provides more healing (230 vs 160 over a given 10 second period), and uses less energy.
Otyugh's Cry can replace Call of Protection, giving your pet an Armor bonus and unblockable attacks for a short time.
If it will not be needed for a run, replace Symbiotic Bond with an optional skill.
- An extra pet attack: Brutal Strike or Disrupting Lunge are good. Disrupting Lunge can be very annoying in PvP. Be sure to go R/W and carry Healing Signet if you do this so you don't have to spend energy healing.
- A nature ritual like Symbiosis or Edge of Extinction
- A defensive stance or shout like Whirling Defense or Watch Yourself!

[edit] Notes

Your pet can take 900+ damage (with Symbiotic Bond, the pet shares your hit points)
Deals 80-120 points of damage every 5 seconds in addition to normal level 20 dire pet attacks.
Prevent up to 17 damage per hit (Call of Protection)
Attack 25% faster (Call of Haste) and gain 25 points of life per hit (Predatory Bond).
Ability to flee personally while still dealing damage with the pet, and the ability to resurrect the attacking portion (Comfort Animal).
Ability to continuously attack while healing (Troll Unguent).
Enraged Lunge only requires 3 skills to be recharging to deal its maximum damage if you have 13 beast mastery, as it counts itself as recharging.
If using Zojun's Haste to solo, start the pull with the bow. Shoot two arrows, activate Zojun's Haste, and flee. Move until the encounter is about on the edge of the mini-map. Sit back, spam pet attacks and healing signet. After your target has died, select another quickly and move to attack, but cancel your attack immediatly; this will cause the pet to move to the new target. This works well with most mobs but large ones will kill the master due to Healing Signet being overwhelmed by the redirected damage from Symbiotic Bond.