I love my Sylvari ranger. I’m actually pretty surprised at how much fun it is – normally, I abhor classes that have pets because I’m just not good with the micromanagement. I also loathe elven-type characters because I think that in fantasy, elves are some of the most overplayed and overhyped races, sort of like how the horror genre is drowning in sparkly vampires and sexy zombies. Although the Sylvari are obviously the elvish race in the game, they have plenty of differences. For starters, they’re the youngest race, not the oldest, and generally shorter than humans. They’re not described as being magically or intellectually superior to humans – the Asura are. Sylvari are described as being curious adventurers, and while they may resemble elves because of the pointy ears, are much more like dryads or nymphs.
Previously, I wrote about how difficult it was to venture around solo, but it’s been a lot easier as a Sylvari. The pet management has been surprisingly easy and with several buffs and stamina skills acquired along the way, we’re a pretty survivable team. There have only been a couple of times where the pet AI has bugged out but for the most part, he attacks what I tell him to and switches targets accordingly. I also named the pet after my own furry four-legged buddy, which has quickly made him very endearing to me. (I should note that he’s far more useful than my little couch potato too….)
Even though I’ve been exploring pretty diligently, the most beautiful place in the game (so far) has been The Grove. I was expecting a nature-based city for the Sylvari but the aesthetics and layout went above and beyond what I had imagined. I spent a fair bit of time hanging out at the bottom level, running up and down ramps with the speed boost, and reviving players who died while trying to get to one of the more difficult Scenic Vistas. There are other locations in Western Tyria which are close to being as beautiful, such as Rata Sum (which has a jungle temple kind of atmosphere), but so far, The Grove is where I’ll be parking my character after hitting level 80.
Click to view slideshow.Focusing on getting 100% on the map achievements has also made leveling a lot less tedious. I recently hit level 40 and it snuck up on me – I was too busy enjoying Signet of the Hunt, which gives a 25% speed increase as a passive ability. It’s not the same as having a mount, but I think it’s the closest I’ll ever get in Guild Wars 2.
My current progress:
