I) Intro:
 

Hey everyone, This guide was written by myself, originally for the the PSC forums, which as we know it are currently down, and a lot of good stuff has been lost, thankfully i did keep a back-up of this, and have gone through it to make sure, all  is up to date! It covers everything from gear, to skills, into builds then hunting! 

-Cheers, Lord Arrow.

II) Credits:

I Lord Arrow I

Original page


III) Gear: 

 

Gear can be important Depending on what you do, luckily bonus bows are easily available to most players, if you do not have one, worry not! The Charr will drop many beautiful purples.

Bow Type: Longbows and Flatbows were always preferred in Pre above all others because of their ability to pull, but with the new quests any type of bow can be effective depending on your play style, here is a chart of a bow type's stats (Range, arrow movement speed, Firing rate)

Flatbow: Maximum firing rate and maximum firing range Arrows easily dodged and slow to interrupt 
Longbow: slow Firing Rate and maximum firing range good Arrow Movement Speed
Hornbow: 10% armour penetration More damage based on enemy's Armour rating Slow firing when not using Attack skills 
Recurve Bow: Well balanced and fastest arrows 
Shortbow: Maximum firing rate Shortest range Moderate Arrow Speed 

Most bows people use are generally 11-17 and up (12-20=max dmg in Pre) the bare minimum for people who don't have much money should be at least 10-15 damage, they're generally not expensive even with a good inherent mod, the most sought after inherent mods are xx% more damage while health is above 50% (aka: xx^50) the max for those is 14^50, the other mods people look for are:
xx% damage while hexed
xx% damage while health under 50%
xx% damage while in stance (for frenzy rangers)
xx% damage while enchanted (not very popular only really used by R/Mo)
You can also attach some mods to your bow, the grip and bowstring most people prefer Charr slaying grips and sundering strings but those can be expensive and a grip of fortitude (more health) is a good replacement for the poor.

Now that you have your bow(s) settled we're moving onto armour and runes I'd suggest using collectors armour but it doesn't really matter anymore the Vanguard armour bonus sets your armour to an unchangeable amount which changes with your level, so that also means all +armour runes/insignia's are useless! I'd suggest Radiant and survivor insginia's (energy/health) as for runes, of course pick up the new mask from the Yak outside Ranik for 50 flowers, put on a Minor marksmanship rune, other runes you'd use are Minor Vigor, Minor Beast Mastery, Minor Expertise, and Minor Wilderness Survival.

IV) Builds: 
 

There are different builds and skills in Pre (believe it or not) some of them are very very viable for both Charr & Vanguard mobs, others can be mostly preference based or a build just for the fun of it! 

1: R/? No Secondary Ranger
 

*Skills:
Point Blank Shot, Dual Shot, Read The Wind/Ignite Arrows, Troll Unguent, Comfort Animal, Resurrection Signet, Optional, Optional.

Use: Point blank and Dual Shot are to be used for hardcore damage,Troll unguent should be permanently maintained,Comfort animal is for your pet (you don't need charm animal anymore) and Resurrection signet is for fallen allies. The 2 optional Skills can be what ever you want depending on the temporary secondary you're using. I'd suggest the Warrior's Healing Signet or a Mesmer's Ether feast, as both are quite good with out attribute points thrown into them.

Attributes: Marks = Priority #1, Wilderness = Priority #2 then try to balance your Beast mastery, and expertise depending on what you feel more important for your play style.

2: R/W Frenzy Ranger 

*Skills:
Point Blank Shot, Dual Shot, Read The Wind/Ignite Arrows, Healing Signet, Troll Unguent, Frenzy, Comfort Animal, Resurrection Signet

Use: Point blank and Dual Shot are to be used for hardcore damage, Healing Signet in emergencies, and Troll unguent should be permanently maintained, Frenzy can be used when ever you're not taking too much damage Comfort animal is for your pet (you don't need charm animal anymore) and Resurrection signet is for fallen allies.

Attributes: Marks = Priority #1, Wilderness = Priority #2 then try to balance your Beast mastery, tactics, and expertise depending on what you feel more important for your play style.

3: R/E Firestorm Ranger 

*Skills:
Point Blank Shot, Dual Shot, Read The Wind/Ignite Arrows, Glyph of Lesser Energy, Firestorm, Troll Unguent, Comfort Animal, Resurrection Signet

Use: It's all in all pretty similar to most ranger builds but before you engage a mob you should put up not only Troll unguent but also Firestorm onto the casters, Use the Glyph for e-management with Firestorm be sure to hide behind objects if possible, let the melee come to you while their casters get smashed by Firestorm.

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Attributes: Marks = Priority #1, Fire Magic = Priority #2 then try to balance your Wilderness, and expertise depending on what you need more. (health/energy)

4: R/Mo Defensive Ranger 

*Skills:
Point Blank Shot, Dual Shot, Bane Signet, Read The Wind/Ignite Arrows, Troll Unguent,Healing Breeze, Comfort animal, Resurrection Signet

Use: Point blank and Dual Shot are to be used for hardcore damage,Bane Signet is a free Knockdown Troll unguent should be permanently maintained,Comfort animal is for your pet (you don't need charm animal anymore), Healing breeze is good quick and powerful long term healing that can also work on allies (imp) and Resurrection signet is for fallen allies. I suggest using Radiant Insignia's for this build.

Attributes: Marks = Priority #1, Pick either Healing prayers or Wilderness Survival to focus on next, and expertise or Smiting Prayers are focused on last

5: R/W Melee sword/hammer/axe ranger 

*Skills: 
Optional, Optional, Healing Signet, Troll Unguent, Frenzy, Comfort Animal, Resurrection Signet, Optional

Use: the first 2 optional's Depend on your choice of weapon, if you use a sword they should be: Sever Artery and Gash, if you use an Axe they should be: Cyclone axe, and Executioner's Strike, if you use a hammer the should be: Hammer Bash, there's unfortunately only 1 hammer skill in Pre, Healing Signet in emergencies, and Troll unguent should be  permanently maintained, Frenzy can be used when ever you're not taking too much damage Comfort animal is for your pet (you don't need charm animal anymore) and Resurrection signet is for fallen allies.

Attributes: Depending on your weapon axe sword or hammer, your priority attribute changes among those three, a close second priority is Wilderness, you should keep those two attributes close by as Troll Unguent will be vital to your survival. Then Tactics and Beast Mastery are next important, you'll want to keep the 4 attributes you used fairly balanced, you can tweak them depending on your need for Survival or damage. I'd suggest adding a Wilderness rune to your mask for this build.

MORE TO COME (you're welcome to post your ranger builds in the format shown above i will test them, and add them with your name under them)

V: Hunting
 

Charr hunting is the bread and butter of any good Pre-Searing player! Right out of the gate you'll run straight until you see a small wall section with 2 groups of Charr lurking about. The red circled group on the compass below is stationary, you'll likely want to kill them first, the blue squared group however patrol and wonders the area the best choice of action is to wait until they're out of the picture, then assault group the circled group. there's a wall you can hide behind to heal if needed, after you're done, kill the second group and move due east.