General trapping guide

Overview
This guide discusses rangers specialized in using traps to overcome their enemy. Traps are a powerful weapon when used correctly, but in inexperienced hands they turn against their user. This guide is intended as a starting guide for new trappers, but it includes more detailed information and tips for more experienced trappers.

General Concepts and Theory
There are many ways in which one could describe a theory or general concept behind the usage of traps, but deriving from common knowledge of traps in the real world and in the form of a definition, one could simply say it is the setting up of a device or an idea which catches an enemy unaware- and it is in this way that Guild Wars implements them. Unless an opponent is targeting a Trapper specifically and taking note of the skills being used, traps can be set up without the detection- that said, this means there are different tactics one needs to be aware of depending on trap usage during PvE, PvP or GvG.

Player Vs. Environment
PvE Trapping might be considered the easiest form of trapping within the game, if only that the enemy A.I. does not detect traps and will generally not react if one is being set up- of course, any attack on the trapper will negate the trap immediately. That said, those using traps generally plan ahead of time and plant traps outside of the aggro radius of an enemy in an area where one can easily invoke the enemy to chase over, activating the trap. This minimizes the risk of the trap being interrupted while setting it up, and ensures that as long as the enemy follows suit it will become affected by the trap.

Player Vs. Player
PvP Trapping, on the other hand, is generally more difficult, and not just for reasons in that the enemies are actual players- this becomes immediately apparent when those that are grouped for PvP happen to be random players and strict coordination to plant a successful trap is required. Forethought and making it known that a player plans to use traps is almost mandatory, and not everyone may have the forethought in terms of skills to compliment those traps. This does not mean that traps are not practical in PvP, only that a greater demand of coordination is present.

Guild Vs. Guild
GvG Trapping may not be as difficult as PvP Trapping unless the guild members are unreceptive of trap usage, and in the right situations and with correct usage, can become deadly tools when one needs to block off a path or defend an area. The use of team voice-chat interfaces can greatly increase the effectiveness of traps when one is being announced. However, one must be aware that, like PvP, any enemy aware of a player setting a trap needs only to attack to put a stop to it, meaning that inconspicuous behavior and discretion must be practiced.

How a Trap Works
Every trap will normally require 2 seconds to activate (reducable with Trapper's Speed), provided no hexes inhibit this activation time. After that, traps will generally be active for 90 seconds after they are set, after which they will trigger automatically whether or not anyone is within its effective radius. Almost all traps available in the game will cause some type of damage, and almost every trap will inflict a particular condition on its victim- the only exception is Healing Spring, which heals allies every 2 seconds for 10 seconds. The cost of a trap varies between each type of trap, ranging from 5 to 25 energy, and all are affected by the Ranger's Expertise attribute. Healing Spring affects all adjacent allies, while all other traps have a radius that affects all "Nearby" targets (about 20 feet, 3 circles outwards at the Battle Islands training center), which is a generous range.

Classes and Trap Contributions
More often than not, a trapper will be a Ranger primary due to the solid armor rating, the option of being able to equip energy-increasing armor, having a larger base energy pool than a Warrior (not to mention a faster Energy regeneration rate), and access to the Expertise attribute. Preference of a secondary class for a trapper will vary greatly, but notable candidates include Warriors, Mesmers and some Assassin builds. Support for trappers are usually Monks and Warriors.

Depending on what primary or secondary class is used, different skills and tactics are employed to bring out the fullest potential in trapping:


 * Assassin that set traps in the middle of fighting may find Shadow Form a nice support skill to use, negating all spells and attacks on the Assassin. Any skill employing a Shadow Step may be helpful when the need to quickly retreat while setting the trap arises. Shadow Step also helps when one needs to aggro/lure enemies past the trapped location.


 * Mesmer trappers will find that their Fast Casting attribute will not affect traps, but the use of Mantra of Concentration (or better still, Mantra of Resolve) while setting them provides a reasonable assurance of success.


 * Warriors investing in their Tactics attribute will benefit from a number of stances which reduce the chance of, or completely prevent them from being hit.


 * Ritualists may use the skill Tranquil Was Tanasen to prevent them from being interrupted while setting traps.


 * Rangers themselves provide an immense contribution to trapping skills in general. Trapper's Speed and Serpent's Quickness can reduce the recharge time of the trap skills (normally 20 to 30 seconds depending on the trap), while Oath Shot can recharge them completely. Several other stances can prevent interruption while setting a trap. Quickening Zephyr can halve recharge times at the expense of increased energy cost (which can be mitigated by adding points to a primary Ranger's Expertise attribute). Finally, Rangers equipped with Trapper's Focus (which is also affected by Expertise) prevent normal attacks from interrupting them.

Tactical Trapping
Tactics on trap usage vary depending on the situation. Generally, a group will try to ensure a group of enemies is damaged and affected by a trap, and so careful planning and coordination is required.


 * In narrow corridors where it is hard to maneuver, laid traps are highly impossible to avoid, making these prime areas for traps- unless it is doubtless that an enemy will pass through a specified area, trapping in wide open spaces may be fruitless, and the enemy may not come anywhere near the area.


 * Particularly noted in missions like Thunderhead Keep, traps can be activated by an enemy passing directly under a trap that has been set up above the position, and vice-versa, so setting up a trap directly above an area where traffic is guaranteed is a suitable tactic.


 * Particularly of note to those farming the Underworld are groups of Trappers that set up multiple traps in a specific location, using skills that reduce the recharge time to set up a large number of traps before the 90 second limit is up- while all the traps are still active, a player will aggro a mob past the location, and the mob will suffer all the damage from every trap they encounter.


 * Though it may be something of a longshot in GvG matches, if a snaring trap is laid on the path that a flag runner might take, it presents a rather juicy target and an opportunity to prevent the runner to take position of the flag stand or Obelisk for their team.


 * Farming groups in many areas will find the use of traps, coupled with Edge of Extinction, a fatally effective combination. Though great care and coordination is required, whole mobs can be eliminated in this manner with satisfying results.

Wilderness Survival
Wilderness Survival is the most important of the attributes of a trapper. All of the traps in the game, excluding Viper's Nest, use Wilderness Survival. Therefore the trapper should have the maximum possible points in Wilderness Survival, currently 16 (12 + 1 from mask + 3 from a superior rune). This increases the damage output of the traps and the duration of additional effects such as blind, cripple and bleeding. WS also increases the duration of many Nature Rituals.

Expertise
Expertise is also very important for trappers. It lowers the huge energy costs of the traps so that the trapper is able to set many more traps than he normally could. A trapper should have a very high expertise rank, preferably 12 or 13.

Beast Mastery
Beast Mastery is not always needed, but the trap Viper's Nest and some Nature Rituals benefit from it. If you use Beast Mastery based skills you should usually have rank 6 in it.

Secondary attributes
Depending on the task at hand the trapper might want to use skills from a secondary profession or the Marksmanship attribute. The trapper will generally have only a few attribute points to spend on these skills and he should never spend the points to more than one secondary attribute.

Traps
Without traps there wouldn't be a trapper. A trapper with only the Prophecies Campaign usually uses all 4 traps available to him - Barbed Trap, Dust Trap, Flame Trap and Spike Trap. Access to the Factions Campaign skills adds more variety with Snare and Viper's Nest. Access to the Nightfall Campaign skills adds more variety with Tripwire and Smoke Trap. Each trap has its pros and cons and the trapper should carefully decide which traps to include depending on the task he wants to have.

If the traps' main purpose is to deal damage, taking Snare is a bad choice. If you want to prevent the enemy from dealing damage, take Dust Trap to cause blind, Spike Trap to knock down and Barbed Trap and Snare for crippling the enemy. All of the traps cause one or more conditions. The trapper should examine them carefully and decide which ones he needs. Taking note of the energy costs is also wise, even though high Expertise rank and some other skills might affect it.

Depending on the team and fighting place the traps are used in different ways. If you are playing PvE with a full trapper team, all members set traps in one spot and pull the enemy to them. If the trapper is part of a mixed team he closes in on the enemy with the teams warriors, setting traps to deal damage or stays with the casters to protect them from harm. Selecting the proper traps is crucial, so discuss your game plan with the team before beginning.

Nature Rituals
Nature Rituals are possibly the most efficient way for a trapper to lower the high energy cost and shorten the long recharge time of traps. Nature Rituals can also boost the damage of traps and cause other positive effects.

Full trapper teams often use Energizing Wind and Quickening Zephyr together as this both lowers the energy cost and shortens the recharge time. Some teams only use EW and shorten the recharge time with the stance Serpent's Quickness. Winnowing and Brambles add damage to the traps and Edge of Extinction makes it easier to kill whole enemy mobs at the same time.

Stances
Stances are often used by trappers. One of the most useful stances is Trapper's Speed which shortens trap recharge and activation by 25%, thus reducing the long recharge and casting times of traps greatly. With high expertise, Trapper's Speed can be maintained at all times. Another very useful stance is Serpent's Quickness which shortens the recharge time of skills by 33%, helping mitigate the long recharge time of traps. However Serpent's Quickness itself suffers from a long recharge time and cannot be maintained permanently.

Stances which provide you with a chance of evading or blocking attacks or preventing interruption, like Whirling Defense or Mantra of Resolve, are great when the trapper is needed to set traps while being under attack, or has to pull enemies into traps.

Preparations
Preparations don't generally help trappers, but those who have Guild Wars:Factions might want to consider the elite skill Trapper's Focus. It prevents your traps from being easily interrupted, but you will not be able to take Spike Trap.

Miscellaneous skills
There are many skills which a trapper should consider when creating his build. Resurrection skills are often taken in case something goes wrong. Energy management skills might come in handy, especially in prolonged trapping situations.

Various unexpected other skills might solve unusual or special situations. Go through the list of skills and think about the places you are going to use the build in. If you are entering the Underworld your build is very likely to be a lot different than the build of a trapper in a PvP team.

Armor
Traps cost a lot of energy to use, so a trapper has to maximize his energy. In addition to lowering the energy cost of traps with skills a trapper should also rise his maximum energy. The Druid's Armor is the only real choice for a trapper. The 7 extra energy allows to set up more traps, where the additional armor or hit points from other armor types do not benefit a trapper as he shouldn't be taking a lot of hits from attackers.

Runes
The trapper will of course want the best possible Vigor rune available as there are no penalties for having one. As discussed earlier, a superior Wilderness Survival rune is almost a must. Minor Expertise and Beast Mastery runes should also be taken as they don't have any penalties.

Weapons
Most beginning trappers bring only their usual bow with them, but a trapper doesn't have a high Marksmanship to use a bow. A bow is sometimes used for pulling in PvE, but only if the group doesn't have a real puller who aggroes the enemy mobs. You shouldn't usually change to a bow even when a mob doesn't die to the initial traps, as you will lose the energy bonus from your other equipped items. If you want to use a bow, the best one to use is probably the Candy Cane Bow, because it has no requirements.

The more important weapon to bring is a staff or wand/off-hand combination. Rangers don't typically use these type of weapons but the benefits of +10 to +20 energy these magic weapons provide is uncanny. These magic weapons don't have to be the most expensive or rarest around. Any weapon that gives the additional energy will help. Doing so increases an average ranger's energy from 32 to 47-52, depending on the weapon.

There are many choices for trapping equipment. Staff of the Forgotten, Staff of Despair, Shelkeh's Hex Eater and their collector counterparts currently constitute the best staves for trappers, offering +20 energy and +30 health. Failing those, you can use the former "trapping staff" stars at +15 energy and +30 health that are Flint's Fleshcleaver, the Handsmasher, Brohn's Staff, Villnar's Staff, Willcrusher, Milius' Pillar, Wenslauss' Faith, Illyana's Staff or Kole's Torment.

The Fires in the East quest reward is a staff that provides 13 energy, and can be upgraded with a perfect Insightful Staff Head, for a total of 18 energy, bringing the trapper to a total of 50 energy. Adding a +5 AL or a +30 HP staff wrapping upgrade to this in addition to the head will make this one of the best staves a Tyrian character will have early access to.

Other sources

 * See Build:Team - Underworld trapping for an Underworld team trapping guide
 * See Build:Team - VIMWAY for a PvP team trapping build