Rangers, decent tanks?

[tinidas]

Ah thanks, still a ways away from that one [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Chicka]

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

Ah thanks, still a ways away from that one [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Did I mention it sells for cheap?

[eqholmes]

People just like to jump on the bandwagon and say things like ranger gate and crap like that. Truth be told a decent geared ranger is a great tank, I tanked 98% of the time in all the groups I was in from 1-50. Truth be told yes once at 50 and doing things more like FG's and things that hit over 140 a sk/pal/war are the better choices for a true tank. Anyone I leveled my ranger up with I'm sure would vouch for how good a ranger tank can be for leveling.

Yes, in Kunark I don’t plan to tank much if at all, but I can easily enough off tank to CC things with root, and yes things like root make us awesome to level up with. Ranger’s dps is also a lot better than most people think.

Holmes 50 Nerco DA
Gretzky 50 Ranger DA

[YendorLootmonkey]

With the right gear and buffs, rangers can tank. Do they take a bit more mana to keep up due to AC/mitigation issues? Yes. Do they make up for it by utilizing flame lick and dual root-proc swords to keep the mobs OFF the rest of the group? Do they make up for it by being able to harmony pull outdoors dungeons like Mistmoore and Unrest (and later Karnor's Castle and City of Mist, etc?) Do they make up for it by being able to ghetto-mez (root) adds if you don't have a chanter/bard? Do they make up for it with all of their utility spells, being able to snare runners, etc? I don't know, that's up to the members of the group.

I would agree our utility is slightly diminished in indoors dungeons.

Can other classes fulfill all of these needs in a group as needed when the situation changes? Yes. A druid is the closest, but they ain't tanking. Nor is your druid going to be out pulling, most likely. And rangers have farther range on track.

A well-played ranger is a significant addition to any group. At least, I would hope any group I've been in has appreciated my contributions. I've tanked in groups and it hasn't been that bad. Nukers are pretty much able to nuke with impunity. And if things get rough, I cast root (or wait til my swords proc it) and back off and let the mage pet tank. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] Yes, I would prefer a plate class... but when they're hard to come by, a properly-equipped/buffed ranger can do just fine, and can hold aggro the same as a Pally/SK.

Rangers that just sit there and swing swords at a mob and don't use all of their tools... yeah, probably not ideal to have in your group because they're not playing to their potential. For instance, I don't respect fellow rangers who don't pull for their groups (unless you're in a FD-required-to-split situation, of course). I don't respect rangers who aren't rootparking adds (especially on incoming if they pulled them) if there's no chanter/bard in the group (son't make the healer use their mana to rootpark your shit!).

But no, rangers aren't as bad as the propaganda makes them out to be. I played one to 65/200AA on Live, and if that were true, I would not have re-rolled one this time around knowing what I was getting into. Unless I'm functionally retarded, which is debatable.

[Bubbles]

We all poke fun, but believe me, this isn't a server of casual players. We *know* what Rangers and Paladins and ShadowKnights and Bards bring to the table. We *know* that there is a good 90% chance the person behind the toon is an EQ vet who's going to be a valuable member of the party.

But we also know the lag behind... I swear half the reason rogues and warriors get played so frequently is that they get DW/DA earlier than the rest, and those first 17 levels (Ranger) to 20 levels (DA for SK/PAL) are hell and you don't bring as much to the table for dps until then. That's where a lot of the silly fun-poking comes from.

And lets be honest, it's a bit more likely than the 90% guess i threw out earlier that the poor level 14 ranger LFG in Unrest probably isnt a uber talented EQ vet and never saw the "14 ranger LFG" curse coming. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[guineapig]

My bard has tanked in Lower Guk and SolB now with no problems. If my bard can tank in these zones (not uber gear), so can a ranger.

[Bubbles]

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

My bard has tanked in Lower Guk and SolB now with no problems. If my bard can tank in these zones (not uber gear), so can a ranger.

Plate vs. Chain. Although I'm sure a ranger is typically going to have more avoidance and defensive caps than bards, it's hard to make up for plate vs. chain.

[Danth]

"Plate vs. Chain"

Until you reach planar gear, plate classes don't gain much AC over what chain classes can access. Chain quest armor (ivy etched) has the same AC as fine plate and better than bronze. Many slots offer high AC options anyone can wear (azure sleeves, etc). Most chain users have bad AC because they don't focus on it as a stat, favoring offensive stats instead.

In short, Rangers can tank adequately for 1-50. So can Bards and Monks, various caster pets, and correctly-geared Clerics and Shamans. True 'tanks' aren't all that necessary at this stage of the game. Once Kunark and Velious roll around and NPC damage increases faster than player defenses, that becomes another matter.

Veteran players, particularly those who spend too much time raiding, sometimes develop blinders and start to think, "since class X cannot do this in raids, he must not be able to do it, ever." There always has been a sort of trickle-down effect across all MMORPG's where a class's performance at the high end influences the player base's perception of its capabilities at all level ranges. As such, 'myth debunking' threads like this serve a useful purpose.

Danth

[Waedawen]

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

People just like to jump on the bandwagon and say things like ranger gate and crap like that. Truth be told a decent geared ranger is a great tank, I tanked 98% of the time in all the groups I was in from 1-50. Truth be told yes once at 50 and doing things more like FG's and things that hit over 140 a sk/pal/war are the better choices for a true tank. Anyone I leveled my ranger up with I'm sure would vouch for how good a ranger tank can be for leveling.

Yes, in Kunark I don’t plan to tank much if at all, but I can easily enough off tank to CC things with root, and yes things like root make us awesome to level up with. Ranger’s dps is also a lot better than most people think.

Holmes 50 Nerco DA
Gretzky 50 Ranger DA

I was waiting for Gretzky to post.

This guy is a fucking monster, my favorite tank 1-50

[truzek]

Lol you people are out of your fucking minds if you think rangers or even bards can be efficient tanks. Have you ever played a ranger? They drop like flys even at very low levels, its pathetic. Warriors, paladins and SKs have alot more hp and much better damage mitigation skills.