[PC] PVE Archery soloish player build advice please (and some newb questions at the bottom)

eqmesme

Hi there

I'll start off explaining that I am both very new to the game (started less than 2 weeks ago) and that I am a disabled player (left/mouse arm because I am extra lucky), so I don't/can't PvP or Melee (both require sharper/faster movements that I can perform).

Due to my disability I can only play limited time due to pain - I tend to manage about 6 hours a week. Because of this I won't and don't see myself joining a guild or raiding because I cannot be counted on, although I do miss it as I used to be a hardcore raider back in the day.

I have tried several classes (after getting advice from the general forums of best classes to play with my disability), but I absolutely love the archer HR. I have a wonderful wardog as a companion, and me and Fred work great as a team so far.

I have tried to search for HR Mod 10 builds, as I read that there were quite a few HR class changes in Mod 10, but there don't seem to be that many builds around that are non-PvP or non-Melee. The only one I've found is:
http://www.neverwinterstore.com/news/340--neverwinter-hunter-ranger-archery-crit-build-with-stormwarden-mod-10
and I am adjusting it very slightly for how I play and some of the skills I prefer atm (admittedly I am only lvl 39).

Does this build seem good for a ranged PVE only? I do do the daily dungeons, and hope to eventually have the courage to do the Epic Dungeons one day when I get big and strong etc etc, so would like the build to also take that in mind, but generally I'll be soloing my little ranger butt off.

What would you recommend as good companions for her?

I read a thread that recommended getting the VIP thing for 3 months (and as I normally pay for my MMOs I did this) so I can purchase the more expensive companions, and it would be nice to know which ones to save up for as well.

This leads to my newb question and one I can't get my head around, really sorry.

So I have my main companion out, but I have, lets say, 3 others in their slots, do I get some sort of bonus from them? And is it similar for the mounts? Everytime I try and read about it, my brain goes *dwibble*

Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any replies, it really is appreciated (in case I don't respond - it hurts to type, took just under an hour to type the above heh)


Deeply Dippy

lirithiel

Dat site...

About companions. At lower levels you get less companions to access but as you level up they gradually increase until you have five active slots open. You can have five active companions, which gives you all their active bonuses, but only one of them as summoned to run around with you. I always wanted the War Dog on my Archer but I took it on my Combat HR instead (that companion really should be account unlock and reclaimable on all your toons). It's active bonus isn't great but the War Dog is a good tank and prones normal mobs if you have Combat Advantage with Aspect of the Pack slotted. It doesn't have an AoE taunt but Rain of Arrows should quickly deal with the trash so the War Dog can focus on one mob. Stay close to the War Dog and kite the mobs into the Rain of Arrow radius - it's bigger now so mobs will die faster - by moving around it.

The companions you want to aim at regardless of whether you plan to play casually or not are Fire Archon, Air Archon, Blink Dog/Intellect Devourer (CA companions are still good) - basically anything that increases your damage output. I tried the Wild Hunt Rider a while back - way before Mod 10 changes - and its active bonus didn't seem to proc much. Other options are Pseudodragon, Earth Archon, Siege Master.

The SW Archery high Crit build I posted on this forum isn't all that different from what any Archer would use. It just makes sense to stack Crit which you will want to do eventually.

What I suggest is get a feel for the playstyle - you have only been playing for 2 weeks and don't have any of the real cool powers yet. You should be using Aimed Shot and Rain of Arrows for sure. Obviously there will be less useful powers to select when choosing how to spend your Power Points but just use your discretion. Most Archers I have spoken to use the same power load-out as I do and there are very few situations where I will change out more than any 2 powers on a fight. Everything stays the same whether I am doing quests, a lair, dungeon run or Demogorgon.

Do the Benign Order of the Third Eye campaign for the retraining token you can buy once completing it. Then once you get to level 70 and feel there are some things you want to change, use the retraining token.