Baby ranger weapons/shield question

[Kich867]

Originally Posted by Chinetter [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Newbie ranger here, just hit level 17. That's when we get dual wield and I have trained that skill at the trainer.

I've acquired two magic 1H slash weapons, one is 24delay 7dmg, other is 22delay 6dmg. [One of them has a proc but not until lvl25 so that part is irrelevant to my considerations right now.] I also have a Shiny Brass Shield.

Am I better off wielding the best weapon plus the shield, or both weapons? Is my ideal setup different depending on whether I am soloing or grouping? Some other variable?

If the best answer is the two weapons, then which weapon logically goes into which slot?

All experienced comments are very welcome. And no need to assume that I know even the basics about rangering...

In regards to which weapon you want in your main-hand, the highest DPS weapon. So in this case the 7/24 weapon.

Divide the damage by the delay to get a weapon's ratio:
7/24 = 0.291 <-- Better
6/22 = 0.272

Your offhand will only attack every so often, your main-hand will attack every chance it gets, so maximize your damage output.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kich867 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

In regards to which weapon you want in your main-hand, the highest DPS weapon. So in this case the 7/24 weapon.

Divide the damage by the delay to get a weapon's ratio:
7/24 = 0.291 <-- Better
6/22 = 0.272

Your offhand will only attack every so often, your main-hand will attack every chance it gets, so maximize your damage output.

In addition, at level 28, there’s a main-hand damage bonus you want applied as often as possible, so at level 28 and beyond I would roll with the 6/22 (which will effectively be 7/22) in MH and 7/24 in OH.

{Main hand bonus} is always 0 for non-melee characters, and weapons wielded in the off-hand.
{Main hand bonus} for one handed weapons is: ({Player Level} - 25) / 3 (rounded down)

[Keebz]

Originally Posted by YendorLootmonkey [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

In addition, at level 28, there’s a main-hand damage bonus you want applied as often as possible, so at level 28 and beyond I would roll with the 6/22 (which will effectively be 7/22) in MH and 7/24 in OH.

8/24 is better than 7/22 tho? Also after 25 with ebony bladed sword main hand you will get more root procs, which is something to consider.

[YendorLootmonkey]

I stand corrected, I did not play out the entire formula.

[Chinetter]

Thanks for all these comments folks, that's exactly the sort of feedback I was hoping for.

To clarify, yes my 24/7 weapon is an Ebony Bladed Sword. The other, the 22/6 one is a Silverish Scimitar. For late-teens/early 20s it seems to be an effective combo even though I'm not getting the first one's proc yet.

I'm a bit surprised that a 2HB which I could plausibly afford would out-damage that combo, I must be misunderstanding the math there. But I'll keep an eye out for one and will try it if the opportunity arises.

When soloing I've been experimenting with using both weapons versus using the Shiny Brass Shield. E.g. I cleared a couple sets of the Nybright Sisters each way, did some Crushbone Legos each way, etc. The outcomes thus far are not hugely different though it does seem as if I do maybe a bit better using the two weapons. My dual wield skill is now in the 80s and yes I did notice the thing where I got skill-ups even when using the shield, heh.

The fact that the shield is a decent light source factors in a bit. Wood elf vision is just okay and I personally find game-nighttime EQing to be more pleasant with the shield on. The little light-source spell that rangers get at lvl 15 is lame.

For grouping, at these levels my role in the group varies. Sometimes I'm asked to tank, other times to DPS/off-tank. (Which is fine, variety of experiences is one reason I'm enjoying playing a ranger and I'm more of an EQ tourist than an aspiring endgame raider.) Seems obvious that in groups I should use the shield when face tanking and the two weapons when not....what makes it viable to be carrying them all is that a few levels ago I lucked into a Box of Abu Kar. (Some high level folks were going around Faydwer killing guards and left a box to rot and called it out in /ooc.)

====
Spotswood, level 17 Ranger on Green

[Tethler]

Originally Posted by Chinetter [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm a bit surprised that a 2HB which I could plausibly afford would out-damage that combo, I must be misunderstanding the math there. But I'll keep an eye out for one and will try it if the opportunity arises.

The 2h does well in that range compared to dual wield because at low dual wield skill the offhand attack doesnt happen very often. So just getting meaty 2h swings will do more until that offhand starts landing more regularly.

Also, there is a nodrop 2h with 6 str from the undead in Kithicor that you can get for free as a rot if people are there killing during the night cycle. 0 plat is a nice price.

[formallydickman]

I've recently leveled a Ranger to 30 and here's my opinion fwiw. Kiss the shield goodbye and embrace Dual Wield and Two-Handers. The best option for you is a two-hander until your off-hand is striking enough in a fight.. usually around 130~ skill it starts really being noticeable and 150+ you can dual attack on your OH attacks. I used a Shiny Brass Halberd and it blew any of my dual wield combos out of the water until lvl 26 or so. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the basic calculation when comparing weapons is (bonus dmg + (wep dmg*2)) / delay right? So the melee bonus isn't actually making it a 7/22 more like a 6.5/22. At every level 1-50 the SSoMorin is inferior to the Ebony Bladed Sword and should be relegated to the OH slot to be replaced with another Ebony Bladed Sword, Sharkjaw Cutlass, or (eventually) Electrum Bladed Wakizashi.

Ebony Bladed Sword 0 7 24 0.5833333333
Short Sword of Morin 0 6 22 0.5454545455

Ebony Bladed Sword 1 7 24 0.625
Short Sword of Morin 1 6 22 0.5909090909

Ebony Bladed Sword 8 7 24 0.9166666667
Short Sword of Morin 8 6 22 0.9090909091

[Chinetter]

Originally Posted by formallydickman [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

And correct me if I'm wrong, but the basic calculation when comparing weapons is (bonus dmg + (wep dmg*2)) / delay right? So the melee bonus isn't actually making it a 7/22 more like a 6.5/22.

A followup question: which bonus damage is that referring to? What is the source or cause of the bonus damage that is referenced there in that formula?

[YendorLootmonkey]

Originally Posted by Chinetter [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

A followup question: which bonus damage is that referring to? What is the source or cause of the bonus damage that is referenced there in that formula?

Main hand damage bonus. It's 1 pt at level 28 and adds a point every 3 levels.

[gherron]

Originally Posted by Chinetter [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

A followup question: which bonus damage is that referring to? What is the source or cause of the bonus damage that is referenced there in that formula?

https://wiki.project1999.com/Game_Me...s#Melee_damage

here you go. this will be handy to have.