Question for Cryptic about Hunter Ranger.

jarfaru

So i just started playing one and was wondering from reading post about using a bow build how its bad. So how is this class to be played then? Most the post here don't use a bow but melee with it. So why did you make a bow class that no one seems to use? I guess people play Ranger like the Trickster Rogue or something like that. Maybe its time for the Devs to look at this class if its so bad. Is a bow totally useless?

plasticbat

No, Archer HR is not totally useless.

drartwhodent

plasticbat said:

No, Archer HR is not totally useless.

Agreed. The only time my HR goes into melee stance is if/when I hit the tab key by mistake.
Along with a decent defender type companion, an archer HR can solo anywhere a comparably equipped char of any other class can go.

rickcase276

Only time mine goes into melee stance is when I choose to cast plant growth. Other than that I have no need to go into melee on her.

jarfaru

OK its nice to see people that don't think it sucks. Go to the class forum and its all you read.
Thanks for the replies guys.

hustin1

My main has always been an archer-build HR. Anyone who knows me knows that she is the one in the glass case that says, "break in event of world-ending catastrophe". She's the one I call on when we need to go where angels fear to tread.

jarfaru

hustin1 said:

My main has always been an archer-build HR. Anyone who knows me knows that she is the one in the glass case that says, "break in event of world-ending catastrophe". She's the one I call on when we need to go where angels fear to tread.

LOL nice

clericalist

Two parts to this issue:
1) Yes the class does need some work, people who have a class with a bow want to use it, I am also one such person.

2) No the class is not as terrible as many people seem to repeat. For all my classes this is the hardest (and most fun) to get right, you will need to eke out every small advantage you can get to boost your damage. You will need to learn to double tap the the tab to get the stance change damage, you need to always be aware of your distance and your position before and during combat, you need to understand each enemy more than any other class, you need to make sure you deal with enemy mobs in the correct order more than any class, you need to manage your threat reduction more than any other class as the archer is a squishy class as well if the mob is on top of them. Since all of this is needed, plus the fact that archers lose out on a lot of party buffs because of distance, it needs a damage boost. It really is the games glass cannon and thus needs the appropriate glass cannon damage boost.

As things currently stand I have at times beaten 15k+ gwfs in the paingiver rankings in skirmishes like the Prophecy of Madness or Dread Ring, one can pop off enormous aimed shots before the rest can get to the newly spawned mobs, sadly others like Cradle are truly awful for archer types to have potential to deal big damage.

iandarksword

Streamer greyhastur has a really good archer build. Look him up if you have questions.

pitshade

Archery tree isn't suited to the full buff meta in endgame content due to the long range feat placing the HR outside the area of AA, HG, etc... It also suffers from the fact that Predator is a debuff rather than a personal buff. The more debuffs a party has on the mobs/boss, the worse the capstone performs. Outside the context of the Full Buff Meta, those problems don't exist.

One of my alts is a TR created shortly before Mod2 launched for the express purpose of being a Whisperknife. Years later, she still is and has completed every bit of solo content and much of the group content apart from the endgame stuff. Whisperknife has pretty much never been seen as 'good' even relative to TR in general. Your character doesn't have to fit the endgame meta in order for you to play the game and have fun.

You might consider playing with loadouts to have a more optimized build for endgame, or you could just choose to wait until that content isn't so exclusive in the way that FBI isn't the nightmare it was a year ago.

time2011

i disagree, archery doesnt have to be so far away to deal damage optimally. i run an archery spec that does great amount of dps with the group up close that doesnt rely on distance. i personally prefer up close combat as archery and optimize my hr to handle taking damage and healing it right back. i no longer saw an actual advantage being far away when all the buffs are in the frontlines just like how a dc/cw/sw doesnt have to be far away to contribute their dps or buffs. if you build an archery hr to handle taking dmg, mitigating it by giving them a negation or barkshield enchant and are careful what you can take or can't its not that much of a problem playing your favorite tree. and can also utilize the shift feature to use it at the moment of a big attack to negate all the dmg and control u suffer. while longstrider is nice and all there are better powers to maximize damage output. i use rain of arrows(more often since the fix) split the sky(and throw caution) and cordon of arrows for all purposes single or mob killing. just because you play an archery doesnt mean you have to only use ranged stance. the only thing with archery is it buffs the ranged powers dmg but you can also hybrid archery with combat for the crit sev boost or with some trapper for the encounter dmg buff when using melee then ranged or vice versa. archery requires more effort and work to make it viable for all situations.

time2011

jarfaru said:

OK its nice to see people that don't think it sucks. Go to the class forum and its all you read.
Thanks for the replies guys.

people say it sucks because they wont put in the effort and time it takes to bring out its potential and just assume you have to be far away to do well, also you don't need a defender pet to do things alone only if your new and very squishy that you can't deal good enough dmg then that can be acceptable.

vheeshane

I got so fed up with my 70 HR and his horrid melee skils, that I deleted him. I tried with him i really did, now all his weapons, enchantments were either sold and all funneled off to my other toons I was so disenchanted. had him for over a year, well I traded him up for an OP/Justice and I now do NOT regret the choice (I only have 4 slots) MUCH happier now, and the OP is using his hand me down wpn and armor enchants.

plasticbat

vheeshane said:

I got so fed up with my 70 HR and his horrid melee skils, that I deleted him. I tried with him i really did, now all his weapons, enchantments were either sold and all funneled off to my other toons I was so disenchanted. had him for over a year, well I traded him up for an OP/Justice and I now do NOT regret the choice (I only have 4 slots) MUCH happier now, and the OP is using his hand me down wpn and armor enchants.

Combat HR? Boy! That was one of the easiest to play and has good DPS too especially AOE. She is my 6th character and she is currently the one I like to play most.

rafaelda

i have a 13k HR and i can run Archer on any instance,, ofcourse is much eayer as Combat loudout but i still have some fun sniping in other areas doing weekly's and skirmishes...