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Lune
07-03-2014, 04:30 PM
Preface:

Ah yes, the ranger. The butt of every joke, victim of every death touch, perennial LFG-er, frequent corpse. I see people asking about rangers sometimes, and one of the most common questions is:

"Are they really that bad?"

Yes and no. The answer you'll get is far from unanimous. But for better or for worse, I was drawn to this class. I wanted to play a melee dps and I found monks and rogues to be boring, inflexible, and most importantly, lacking in pretty spells. Playing a ranger to 60 was a journey quite unlike anything you might experience with any other class. It is a challenge. You have to face discrimination, misconceptions, ignorance, completely justifiable rejections from groups, an experience penalty, and some substantial weaknesses. But you also have the opportunity to prove people wrong, win hearts and minds, and play a DPS class in EQ that can actually be stimulating.

Part I: Gearing

I've seen a whole lot of people sink hundreds of thousands of platinum into rangers and make pitiful gear choices to the extent that their characters will turn out underwhelming compared to a shrewdly geared 30k character. On that note, simply playing the ranger class is like taking 8 inches of raw classic EQ right up your pooper-- it hurts but you learn to love it. Explaining the life of an un-twinked ranger requires a sexual metaphor that would probably get me banned from the forums. I'm not saying 'don't do it', I just want you to know what to expect.

On any given piece of gear, you should be looking for three things:

http://i.imgur.com/DB5rY9r.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DJigcrR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZK5BOw2.jpg

---

You are there to deal damage, but being able to tank will add a ton of flexibility and utility, and will benefit you enormously both solo and grouped. Search for pieces that have the highest compromise between STR and survivability. The idea is to crush your opponent with overwhelming strength while weathering his blows.

http://i.imgur.com/09P51EU.gif

As for weapons, definitely avoid dual wielding in favor of Silver Swiftblade (1-19), and then Woodsman's Staff (20-Epics). (If you can't afford a Woodsman's Staff, pick up a Springwood Stave (http://wiki.project1999.com/Springwood_Stave)). Not only have I consistently parsed the Woodsman's Staff at higher DPS than any combo of droppable 1handers, but the ability to either occasionally (no clarity) or consistently (clarity) throw in spells between swings makes it a no-brainer.

http://i.imgur.com/7bx4IPP.jpg

It's quite high good sir, that's why you noticed.

I've made a guideline for how you may choose to gear a low-end char:


Head: Crested Helm (http://wiki.project1999.com/Crested_Helm)
Face: Sarnak Hide Mask (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sarnak-Hide_Mask)
Ears: Sapphire Electrum Earring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sapphire_Electrum_Earring)
Neck: Sebilite Scale Neckguard (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sebilite_Scale_Neckguard) or Sapphire Platinum Necklace (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sapphire_Platinum_Necklace)
Shoulders: Bloodstained Mantle (http://wiki.project1999.com/Bloodstained_Mantle)
Chest: Ivy Etched Tunic (http://wiki.project1999.com/Ivy_Etched_Tunic) or Brigandine Tunic (http://wiki.project1999.com/Brigandine_Tunic) or Tree Weave (http://wiki.project1999.com/Tree_Weave)
Arms: Ivy Etched Sleeves (http://wiki.project1999.com/Ivy_Etched_Sleeves)
Back: Werewolf Skin Cloak (http://wiki.project1999.com/Werewolf_Skin_Cloak)
Waist: Sebilite Scale Belt (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sebilite_Scale_Belt) or Straw Spun Belt (http://wiki.project1999.com/Straw_Spun_Belt)
Wrists: Hero Bracers (http://wiki.project1999.com/Hero_Bracers) and Sebilite Scale (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sebilite_Scale_Bracelet) / Kylong Bracer (http://wiki.project1999.com/Kylong_Wrist_Guards)
Hands: Iksar Scaled Gloves (http://wiki.project1999.com/Iksar_Scaled_Gloves)
Legs: Silver Plated Leggings (http://wiki.project1999.com/Silver-Plated_Leggings) or Ivy Etched Leggings (http://wiki.project1999.com/Ivy_Etched_Leggings)
Feet: Dwarven Work Boots (http://wiki.project1999.com/Dwarven_Work_Boots)
Fingers: Platinum Fire Wedding Ring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Platinum_Fire_Wedding_Ring) (5/55 rings)
Weapon: Silver Swiftblade (http://wiki.project1999.com/Silver_Swiftblade) until 20, and then Springwood Stave (http://wiki.project1999.com/Springwood_Stave) or Swarmcaller (http://wiki.project1999.com/Swarmcaller)
Ranged: Trueshot Longbow (http://wiki.project1999.com/Trueshot_Longbow)


Beyond that, the wiki (http://wiki.project1999.com/Main_Page) is an excellent resource. It has a feature (http://wiki.project1999.com/Special:ClassSlotEquip/Ranger/Chest) which allows you to search for gear by slot, class, and statistic.

For mid-higher end players, here is how I geared my ranger before no-drops were available:


Head: Hammerhead Helm (http://wiki.project1999.com/Hammerhead_Helm)
Face: Mask of Wurms (http://wiki.project1999.com/Mask_of_Wurms)
Ears: Diamondine Earring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Diamondine_Earring) and Ivandyr's Hoop (http://wiki.project1999.com/Ivandyr%27s_Hoop)
Neck: Runed Lava Pendant (http://wiki.project1999.com/Runed_Lava_Pendant)
Shoulders: Imbued Granite Spauldors (http://wiki.project1999.com/Imbued_Granite_Spauldors)
Chest: Fungus Covered Scale Tunic (http://wiki.project1999.com/Fungus_Covered_Scale_Tunic)
Arms: Mithril Vambraces (http://wiki.project1999.com/Mithril_Vambraces)
Back: Hooded Black Cloak (http://wiki.project1999.com/Hooded_Black_Cloak)
Waist: Sash of the Dragonborn (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sash_of_the_dragonborn)
Wrists: Hero Bracers (http://wiki.project1999.com/Hero_Bracers) and Sebilite Scale Bracelet (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sebilite_Scale_Bracelet)
Hands: Gauntlets of Potence (http://wiki.project1999.com/Gauntlets_of_Potence)
Legs: Dark Scale Greaves (http://wiki.project1999.com/Dark_Scale_Greaves)
Feet: Dwarven Work Boots (http://wiki.project1999.com/Dwarven_Work_Boots)
Fingers: Gem Encrusted Ring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Gem_Encrusted_Ring) and Djarn's Amethyst Ring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Djarn%27s_Amethyst_Ring)
Weapon: Woodsman's Staff (http://wiki.project1999.com/Woodsman%27s_Staff)
Ranged: Rain Caller (http://wiki.project1999.com/Rain_Caller)

For some slots I carried alternates depending on whether I was taking any damage or not... str rings, Str shoulders, targishin's bone mask, and some tolan's. I was too poor to afford good haste but I still kicked ass.


Part 2: Playstyle

This chapter is all about winning hearts and minds. You want people to see you for the raging lion in your heart, not the 110 lbs nerd you are.

---

How you see yourself:

http://i.imgur.com/8d14ZVG.jpg

How others see you:

http://i.imgur.com/Po6up46.jpg

---

So here are ten simple rules for being a competent ranger:

1. If you are outdoors (including Mistmoore and Unrest, two of the game's most popular leveling zones.), Harmony allows you to pull more effectively than a monk. It takes some getting used to, and quite a bit of knowledge of the zone, but good pulling is an invaluable skill. Harmony can be cast through walls and does not require line of sight. Mistmoore is your personal playground and with some practice you can really blow people's socks off.

2. If you are indoors, you can pull with root. Would the pull be four mobs? Root one to agro them, root another while they run to you, and then root one more after the remaining two hit you. Bring the last one to your group and it should be close to dead by the time roots start breaking. At higher levels you need to be more careful about getting hit, but it can still be invaluable to root particularly nasty pulls to give the enchanter a better chance to get it under control.

3. Always snare mobs that run. Depending on group dps, snare around 50-60%. If you're getting resisted constantly, snare earlier. I can't tell you how many otherwise exceptional groups I've been in on other characters have wiped due to lack of snare.

4. Got clarity? Heal the tank, enchanter, or anyone else who is injured while the puller is out pulling. Tanking? Heal yourself between pulls. Individually your heals are bad, but they add up if cast consistently.

5. Soloing? Got downtime? Your mana ticks every 6 seconds. Sit down. As soon as your mana ticks, stand up and cast a heal, then immediately sit back down to catch the next tick. Repeat for more efficient downtime. Congratulations, you're a shaman.

6. Cast spells between your Woodsman's Staff swings. Nukes or heals cast consistently between swings really add up.

7. If charm breaks and a hasted, dual-wielding mob starts beating your enchanter to death, spam snare on it. Sometimes a single snare will pull agro, allowing the enchanter to recharm without interruption, and if there is even a little room to maneuver, you can avoid being hit yourself.

8. Root uncontrolled mobs. If mobs are running wild beating on clerics and enchanters and you keep hearing that awful bone crunching sound, root them!

9. Cast thorns on the tank. More than likely the damage will be negligible because of slow and because your thorns sucks, but I've had a few tanks notice and it's always good to be a tryhard kiss-ass when you're a ranger.

10. Be willing to tank. You bring a unique blend of DPS and knight-like snap agro that does not exist anywhere else. It doesn't take an ironclad tank to handle the damage of a low level or slowed mob, and if your group has mana regen and your gear is decent, the cleric's mana will not suffer. Congratulations, you don't have a zero-DPS knight tank dragging down your group's killing power, and your shaman will enjoy being able to slow the mob as early as he likes.

You will find that if you play your ranger like a ranger, and not like a rogue, people will notice. And then they will be moderately less unhappy to invite you to their groups.

Part C: Know Your Place

Or: Accept the realities of a Ranger Life and learn to live with them.

Playing a ranger is like getting shitfaced drunk on a Sunday morning and then going to church. Fun for you, but you can't do anything very well, no one wants to have anything to do with you, and they wish you would leave and go have your fun elsewhere.

Chances are you know damn well that rangers have disabilities, but you chose to play one anyway because monks are just too easy and boring and you love the way it feels to wipe your ass with a cactus. If you do it right, you'll find rangers aren't half as bad as people say, and can excel in certain niches. Unfortunately, you'll also find that monks are pretty much better than you at everything and just generally superior. Velious will come with some improvements to the ranger class, including the ability to fear-kite animals and solo easily to 60, and the removal of your experience penalty. But it ultimately won't bring you any closer to monk godhood. If you don't relish a challenge, and you don't deeply enjoy the stimulating playstyle / flavor that the ranger class can offer, I would think twice about investing in one. If however you are interested in investing in one, I have a Woodsman's Staff I can sell you for 18k.

That said, if you follow all of my tips that I've stolen from other rangers over the years, you too can be a successful ranger and attract all the high elf women.

---

http://i.imgur.com/QTJxVca.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N7Z4q1L.jpg

---

I've updated a handy flow-chart I made in a past life to help you decide whether the ranger class is right for you, or if you should re-roll something else:

http://i.imgur.com/6HC0BrS.jpg

Yumyums Inmahtumtums
07-03-2014, 04:38 PM
11/10 will bang rangers

Thulack
07-03-2014, 04:43 PM
11/10 will bang rangers

Very good guide. I'm worried with the love lately though people are gonna actually start to realize rangers can be useful. I like having all the ranger gear to myself :D

Bboboo
07-03-2014, 04:46 PM
Fuck Rangers.

*After this thread*

Rangers aint that bad.

Yumyums Inmahtumtums
07-03-2014, 04:50 PM
In all honesty it's a great guide. A lot of overlapping knowledge for multiple non-melee classes.

My favorite thing about rangers is that it's one of the few classes where you need ALL of your tricks in order to be really effective. It's a really fun class to play amidst a very competent group because it keeps things really busy. With that said it's easy to see why there are so few good ones (I'm looking at YOU you lazy afk'ers).

daasgoot
07-03-2014, 05:12 PM
i endorse this post

iruinedyourday
07-03-2014, 05:20 PM
That kiss joke at the end is amazing

Cecily
07-03-2014, 05:56 PM
Woo made it to the end of the flow chart.

iruinedyourday
07-03-2014, 06:00 PM
man the stats on your mid-higher end dude makes me think that a good ranger looks like a hobo :(

Clark
07-03-2014, 06:24 PM
Haha nice thread.

GinnasP99
07-03-2014, 06:41 PM
Preface: If however you are interested in investing in one, I have a Woodsman's Staff I can sell you for 18k.



Woodsman staff is worth like 6k

Swish
07-03-2014, 06:55 PM
need more threads like this :)

http://gifsec.com/wp-content/uploads/GIF/2014/03/clapping-gif-11.gif

blondeattk
07-03-2014, 07:11 PM
test this out with vel beta buff.

sk were more fun. Ranger have too much down time on this server.

Nice guide. However this is a class that is erm classically flawed!

Lune
07-03-2014, 07:31 PM
Woodsman staff is worth like 6k

Not for long, I didn't make that post one long sales pitch for nothing.

Pan
07-03-2014, 08:34 PM
Kunark is the absolute nadir of the Ranger power curve for sure.

I'd disagree a little with the gearing choices (esp. here on p99) in that I'd trade HPs for AC and surely strength if it were close. For my playstyle, stacking HPs makes me way more effective than STR. And once you start raiding and eating AoEs regularly, that can make a real difference, too.

Dex isn't a bad option, either, if you solo a lot and rely on the Swarmy proc. And often, as you mention, getting a group isn't the easiest thing.

My build for day-to-day looks like Regen =or> Haste > HP > prettymuch all else. YMMV of course, which is one of the elegant things about the class. Think Swiss Army Knife...and figure out primary and secondary uses for all the blades. That's the biggest fun in ranger-ing, imo.

Also, maybe add sneak pulling indoors (anywhere) to your list. Very useful in groups and tagging and and and and...

Final thought - you can save others spell gems. How annoying is it to be playing a shaman and be asked for SoW on a raid? How annoying is it to be a necro and ALWAYS have to ask for regen? (granted, chloro isn't regen, but having it on from a spot-on ranger all the time is WAY better than nothing). Stuff like this. Put em on timers and keep up on them.

Be the grease in the cogs of the group or raid. They might not value you much while you're there, but there will be a vacuum when you're gone. Nearly everyone appreciates a well-played ranger.

Last last thing...did you know you can tash as a ranger? Slow as a ranger? Pull from farther away than any other class (eyes aside) as a ranger? Look at the WHOLE ZONE (usually) as a Ranger? Be the nearly the fastest on the push as a ranger (think gating mobs). You have SO many tricks up your sleeve. Learn to use ALL of them. That's what ranger-ing is.

SCB
07-03-2014, 08:38 PM
Wurmslayer + any offhand > Woodsman's staff for tanking in groups (which you should be doing pre-50) imo.

Can still spam flame lick between swings, and you'll hit for as much dps.

For solo: vastly different story of course.

Itching
07-03-2014, 09:09 PM
Is it worth leveling up fletching or should you just stick to cheap arrows / tolan's bracer 46+?

SCB
07-03-2014, 09:12 PM
Is it worth leveling up fletching or should you just stick to cheap arrows / tolan's bracer 46+?

If you're soloing, fletching is definitely worth the cost even to just 100+. If you don't intend (or can't twink enough to) solo at all, I wouldn't worry about it. Tolan's is a waste of cash no matter how you slice it. If you can afford a Tolan's Bracer, you can afford to A) max fletching and B) get way more efficiency out of your arrows, saving you more time than a Tolan's bracer.

If soloing, fire an arrow, cast a nuke, fire an arrow again as soon as nuke finishes, run, rinse and repeat. Once mob is low enough in hp, dot up and finish in melee. ("Low enough" depends entirely on your gear level/charlevel)

Yinikren
07-03-2014, 09:48 PM
My only addition is that (at 48) I consistently parse higher with one handers (Fayguard Parrying Blade/CSS) than I do with a woodsman's staff, including the lack of spells since I don't cast much with one handers out.

I occasionally get strings of good hits with a 2H and do some respectable dps (45-50) but that is quickly evened out by a string of three or four misses or hits for 13. Average dps with a Woodsman's Staff for me at 48 is around 30. Average for my 1Hs is closer to 35-40, consistently, at 84% Haste.

IMO, at this point in the timeline, 2H damage bonuses and dps isn't what its cracked up to be. Velious should fix that.

YMMV.

Itching
07-03-2014, 10:11 PM
Okay am I just in the dark or something, what program do you guys use to parse logs/DPS?

Lune
07-03-2014, 10:40 PM
Wurmslayer + any offhand > Woodsman's staff for tanking in groups (which you should be doing pre-50) imo.

Can still spam flame lick between swings, and you'll hit for as much dps.

For solo: vastly different story of course.

Let's say for the sake of illustration you are level 40.

The 1-hand damage bonus is (level -25 /3).

The 2-hand damage bonus at 40 is (level - 25 / 2).

So, for the Wurmslayer: (40 - 25 / 3) = 5

And for the Woodsman's Staff: (40 - 25 / 2) = 7.5

The Woodsman's Staff will swing 8 times for every 7 times the Wurmslayer swings.

Max damage is Weapon damage x 2 + damage bonus

So over a period of 28 seconds:

Wurmslayer: (50 x 7) + (5 x 7) = 385
Woodsman's Staff: (62 x 8) + (7.5 x 8) = 556

Add in a CSS offhand. A 40 ranger will have a dual wield skill no higher than 210, probably lower, which will swing 50% of the time. Formula = (Skill + Level/500 = Chance)

CSS: No damage bonus, so it's simply max hit dps over 28 seconds, divided by half: 140 Damage,

Wurmslayer + CSS: 525
Woodsman's Staff: 556

Keep in mind your casting will clip your offhand swings and potentially lower that first number slightly. When tanking, the Woodsman's Staff will deal better riposte damage, and the dual wield combo will mean you get riposted more. As you get into the 50's, I think dual wield combos catch up to the Woodsman's Staff, but are still a little bit less amenable to casting. (Though I will admit haste gets a little ridiculous and casting will delay swings even with a slower weapon). I hope my math is correct.

My only addition is that (at 48) I consistently parse higher with one handers (Fayguard Parrying Blade/CSS) than I do with a woodsman's staff, including the lack of spells since I don't cast much with one handers out.

I occasionally get strings of good hits with a 2H and do some respectable dps (45-50) but that is quickly evened out by a string of three or four misses or hits for 13. Average dps with a Woodsman's Staff for me at 48 is around 30. Average for my 1Hs is closer to 35-40, consistently, at 84% Haste.

IMO, at this point in the timeline, 2H damage bonuses and dps isn't what its cracked up to be. Velious should fix that.

YMMV.

I had the opposite experience parsing a Woodsman's Staff against a Lupine Dagger/CSS extensively in the mid 50's. But I didn't have nearly the amount of haste you do, and I couldn't begin to explain how all of that really plays out in practice. There was one session where I consistently out-dpsed a ranger using his epics in Sebilis by casting constantly (We had c2). Yes, my Sebilis group had two rangers.

I think it's safe to say dual wielding is fine, possibly better, in the 50's/high 40's, but I wouldn't do it at lower levels if you have a Woodsman's Staff available.

fastboy21
07-03-2014, 10:50 PM
your flowchart made me laugh laugh laugh...thankies.

Yinikren
07-03-2014, 10:59 PM
nm math was wrong



I had the opposite experience parsing a Woodsman's Staff against a Lupine Dagger/CSS extensively in the mid 50's. But I didn't have nearly the amount of haste you do, and I couldn't begin to explain how all of that really plays out in practice. There was one session where I consistently out-dpsed a ranger using his epics in Sebilis by casting constantly (We had c2). Yes, my Sebilis group had two rangers.

I think it's safe to say dual wielding is fine, possibly better, in the 50's/high 40's, but I wouldn't do it at lower levels if you have a Woodsman's Staff available.

Yeah, plus RNG and all that could vary the numbers a lot. Mainhand damage bonus is very underrated as far as dps goes, but my main hand only had 1 less delay than yours and a silly 29 damage proc. At some point I may have to get a hold of another staff and see how the parses change as levels (and the damage bonus) goes up.

Lune
07-03-2014, 11:03 PM
Okay am I just in the dark or something, what program do you guys use to parse logs/DPS?

Gamparse (http://gambosoft.com/Pages/GamParse_Features.htm)

Yinikren
07-03-2014, 11:22 PM
math

Just nitpicky, but you forgot the bonus to maxhit you get from str. I have it in the melee thread somewhere, let me find it.

Edit: got it. Just for all those math nuts.

((Offense+STR)/100)*WeaponDamage+DamageBonus+1=Maxhit.
So, a 60 Ranger with 200 STR:
(240+200)/100=4.2.
4.2*X+12=MaxHit. Replace X with weapon damage.

Also, something to think about going into Velious would be the guaranteed damage via mainhand damage bonus. Some mobs, if I recall, have higher AC and mitigation, so you hit for minimum a lot more. That might actually make something like a Revultant Whip outdamage something big and slow in the mainhand, or a 2H.

fahlen
07-04-2014, 01:13 AM
Woodsman goes absolutely hard in the paint once you've gotten past the early level damage caps. A fungi, fbss (or any other haste item), and a woodsman with a bunch of cheap raw ac/hp items and you're set. If you know your shit (and group, even as a twink) people will absolutely notice. I had little to no problems getting groups on my ranger. Tanks are often hard to come by. People will take your lvl 30 fungi wearing ass, double attacking for 120 np. If they don't, solo outdoors somewhere - you have to pretty much go out of your way to die. I did 1-50 in a little over a month. Didn't pick up a fungi til mid 30's. Can't recommend making one if you can't afford a woody + haste item though, but to each their own. And don't pay 18k for a woodsman.

Ciroco
07-04-2014, 01:51 AM
But I didn't have nearly the amount of haste you do, and I couldn't begin to explain how all of that really plays out in practice.

It doesn't. It's haste; it has no effect on the relative DPS of any weapon(s).

HeallunRumblebelly
07-04-2014, 01:53 AM
Is this another one of those feel-good posts about how no one likes you but it's okay if you're having fun?

Clark
07-04-2014, 03:02 AM
Wurmslayer + any offhand > Woodsman's staff for tanking in groups (which you should be doing pre-50) imo.

Can still spam flame lick between swings, and you'll hit for as much dps.

For solo: vastly different story of course.

Wurmslayer super underrated. Max haste and buffs makes it insanely good. Woodsman staff not too shabby though.

fadetree
07-04-2014, 09:39 AM
This guy knows his stuff. I would quibble about the focus on STR, I go HP/STA/DEX/STR. I know STA doesn't really matter at low levels, but dex is important and the thing about STR is you get a ton of it anyway on gear without trying.

Silver swiftblade is the single most important buy a young ranger can make. Archery is kind of useless, but in later levels if you've skilled up it can let you solo things with patience. As you level, get a tolans bracer, and a tolans hat. Get a swarmcaller. If you can root/snare a melee mob, you can kill it with arrows eventually.

Pan
07-04-2014, 10:23 AM
Fadetree...an old ranger of the Glade!

fadetree
07-04-2014, 12:11 PM
Indeed! I miss that board.

HeallunRumblebelly
07-04-2014, 12:19 PM
This guy knows his stuff. I would quibble about the focus on STR, I go HP/STA/DEX/STR. I know STA doesn't really matter at low levels, but dex is important and the thing about STR is you get a ton of it anyway on gear without trying.

Silver swiftblade is the single most important buy a young ranger can make. Archery is kind of useless, but in later levels if you've skilled up it can let you solo things with patience. As you level, get a tolans bracer, and a tolans hat. Get a swarmcaller. If you can root/snare a melee mob, you can kill it with arrows eventually.

Assuming it doesn't summon, anyway.

Messianic
07-04-2014, 02:38 PM
This guy knows his stuff. I would quibble about the focus on STR, I go HP/STA/DEX/STR. I know STA doesn't really matter at low levels, but dex is important and the thing about STR is you get a ton of it anyway on gear without trying.

Silver swiftblade is the single most important buy a young ranger can make. Archery is kind of useless, but in later levels if you've skilled up it can let you solo things with patience. As you level, get a tolans bracer, and a tolans hat. Get a swarmcaller. If you can root/snare a melee mob, you can kill it with arrows eventually.

Do you have any evidence that Dex is more impactful than STR? Str has a noticeable impact on DPS via max hit, but particularly for non-bow combat I have no idea why you'd pay attention to dex at all.

Pan
07-04-2014, 02:48 PM
I stack dex for the swarmcaller proc - no amount of dps or regen or is gonna help me (melee) solo my guy at 55 if I don't get that proc. Otherwise, I find it fairly useless until /disc true.

Messianic
07-04-2014, 03:08 PM
Makes sense. Do you know how much additional % to proc you get out of the additional dex?

Pan
07-04-2014, 03:11 PM
No, it's probably all a combination of superstition, guesswork, and confirmation bias. No good numbers at all.

I could probably go thru logs and show that after I glove-buff my shaman, he procs OT hammer more quickly on average than without the dex boost, but that's all the real math I could provide. And even then, without combing thru the logs it's still anecdotal.

captnamazing
07-04-2014, 03:19 PM
Makes sense. Do you know how much additional % to proc you get out of the additional dex?

always stack dex when you need a proc ;P

Cecily
07-04-2014, 03:24 PM
Epic procs stop me from ranger gating solo so yeah I pump dex atm, but I figure 215 str self buffed is decent.

Bow shot for 2x dmg. Pull somewhere safe. Root, immolate, and swarm dot.
Run in and melee for awhile with regen + DS and hope for a slow proc.
Curse the gods when Earthcaller doesn't proc, re-root before my hp gets to 10%.
Dot, dot, and sit on med ticks and shoot arrows in between.
Regen to 40-50% and get back into melee. Eventually the mob runs.
Snare it and swap to Runed Blade trying to get a rune proc for next fight.
Heal up and do it again.

Pan
07-04-2014, 03:48 PM
Is it worth leveling up fletching or should you just stick to cheap arrows / tolan's bracer 46+?

I'm really stodgy/picky about ranger-ing (as you can probably see in this thread).

But if you don't bring 350 range to the table (group/raid), you're doing it wrong, imo.

That said, Tolan's arrows are great for day-to-day use.

(also, you don't need to fletch 150 range arrows - see Wiki for "Flight Arrow")

Cecily
07-04-2014, 03:52 PM
It takes like 30 mins max to be able to craft your own 150s, and it's really dirt cheap if you stick with the 1 dmg version.

Pan
07-04-2014, 03:56 PM
It takes like 30 mins max to be able to craft your own 150s, and it's really dirt cheap if you stick with the 1 dmg version.

Yeah, but if you're as disorganized as I am with bagspace and everything else, sometimes it's just easier to click "buy" a few times with the shift key held down. Granted, it's way more expensive... Point was, tho, that you could get max range w/o fletching (assuming you bought the Raincaller rather than quested it from scratch).

Itching
07-04-2014, 04:13 PM
Epic procs stop me from ranger gating solo so yeah I pump dex atm, but I figure 215 str self buffed is decent.

Bow shot for 2x dmg. Pull somewhere safe. Root, immolate, and swarm dot.
Run in and melee for awhile with regen + DS and hope for a slow proc.
Curse the gods when Earthcaller doesn't proc, re-root before my hp gets to 10%.
Dot, dot, and sit on med ticks and shoot arrows in between.
Regen to 40-50% and get back into melee. Eventually the mob runs.
Snare it and swap to Runed Blade trying to get a rune proc for next fight.
Heal up and do it again.

Does the proc on Runed Blade require you to have Jasper in your inventory?

fastboy21
07-04-2014, 04:45 PM
Does the proc on Runed Blade require you to have Jasper in your inventory?

no

phacemeltar
07-04-2014, 08:07 PM
you didnt address the fact that during early game most rangers hog aggro from less-geared tanks. sometimes backing off and firing a few arrows in the fray can be a great idea to avoid burning healer mana and sustain dps.

Pan
07-04-2014, 09:09 PM
you didnt address the fact that during early game most rangers hog aggro from less-geared tanks. sometimes backing off and firing a few arrows in the fray can be a great idea to avoid burning healer mana and sustain dps.

I need to stop weighing in on this FANTASTIC THREAD and derailing a little. It's a great piece on rangers and I applaud it.

On aggro: probably the key job (at least conceptually) for rangers during the Kunark era is understanding how aggro works and how to avoid (and even shed) it. It's a tough time in the life of the class.

Flipside of that is knowing how to snap aggro offa people who should have it less than you. And often it's more efficient to heal even a squishy ranger than it it is 4 other group members.

phacemeltar
07-04-2014, 10:02 PM
i think posts like this should be consolidated into guides and either put on the wiki or stickied in class forums.

Gaffin 7.0
07-04-2014, 10:38 PM
goog post, pretty accurate, always invited skilled rangers back to my group...

pull faster than the best monks in outdoors, you cant outpull aoe harmony+bow

i sold my lvl 56 ranger when it was legal on forums, miss that mofo fun class

Dragonsblood1987
07-04-2014, 11:10 PM
Fuck Rangers.

*After this thread*

Rangers aint that bad.

Yeah.. after reading that guide, the thought of wiping my ass with a cactus doesnt actually seem all that bad..

fadetree
07-05-2014, 09:51 AM
Do you have any evidence that Dex is more impactful than STR? Str has a noticeable impact on DPS via max hit, but particularly for non-bow combat I have no idea why you'd pay attention to dex at all.

I like dex for procs, which keep me alive as a primarily solo ranger. The effect of dex on procs is well established.

fadetree
07-05-2014, 09:52 AM
you didnt address the fact that during early game most rangers hog aggro from less-geared tanks. sometimes backing off and firing a few arrows in the fray can be a great idea to avoid burning healer mana and sustain dps.

Root mob next to tank, they will experience visions of grandeur. Keep snare handy.

fadetree
07-05-2014, 09:53 AM
I need to stop weighing in on this FANTASTIC THREAD and derailing a little. It's a great piece on rangers and I applaud it.

On aggro: probably the key job (at least conceptually) for rangers during the Kunark era is understanding how aggro works and how to avoid (and even shed) it. It's a tough time in the life of the class.

Flipside of that is knowing how to snap aggro offa people who should have it less than you. And often it's more efficient to heal even a squishy ranger than it it is 4 other group members.

QFT. Use the high aggro of flame lick and snare ( and heal if you have the mana ) to peel from the chanter, root mob. Profit. YOu lose DPS on the mob being tanked, but it beats a dead chanter/cleric. Yes, they can root too, but they are usually busy doing important stuff. Protip : once you have the add parked, switch target and hit him with a flame lick a couple times as you fight the target mob, then when it breaks he will head for you to be parked again. Parking a caster mob is kind of a mixed bag if you dont have a chanter, but group shoulda switched to him anyways. If you have a chanter in the group, be aware that flame lick will prevent mezz, so make sure you mention your plans to the chanter.

On a multiple pull, as they approach snare the one that isn't going to be the main target on inc, and he will peel off and head for you to be parked or mezzed. Just let him beat on you til the chanter gets him mezzed. Resnare ( don't use flame lick ) as you wait.

Oh, also, don't forget ranger clarity : spamming your crappy little heals on a shaman or necro as they canni will be of great benefit.

Get a journeyman's walking stick - it procs an MR debuff. Handy item.

Lune
07-05-2014, 11:31 AM
spamming your crappy little heals on a shaman or necro as they canni will be of great benefit.

Oh yea I forgot about this one. Loved this on my shaman when I was starved for mana.