Hunter Ranger: Not too Impressed

leatherannlace

I don't want to seem like a Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy but........

I am not liking the Hunter Ranger class. When I first played this game about a month ago I chose Hunter Ranger out of pure interest. I had NO idea it was the "new" class. So, I'm realizing a lot of people are running around with bows and arrows. Whenever I need to team up for dungeons or need to do something that requires a party no one ever needs a HR. People are searching for GWF or GF. I have actually been turned down from parties because I was an unneeded Hunter Ranger.

I just don't see anything particularly great about this class aside from the fact that I look especially cool with my bow and arrow :cool: When I was a low level I had no problem doing dungeons successfully. Now, I'm noticing I lose my health so quickly. As far as damage goes with the different skills, there's only a few I enjoy and think deals nice damage. In PvP I felt completely useless.

I started a new character because I was a little bored with the HR class. It was just not working out for me.
Rangers, how has your experience been? Reading some of the threads I know some love it and some hate it.

I'd love advice as well! How can I improve my experience with the HR class?

tickdoff

I have 7 characters at 60, and the HR is FAR AND AWAY my favorite to play.

Part of the problem with joining groups is the sheer number of HRs that are looking for groups. As much as I love my HR, there is not much incentive to have more than 1 in a group, you can do most content with 2 HRs (I have), but most people would rather have a CW or TR instead of a 2nd HR.

charononus

The dungeon problem is just the sheer number of hr's at the moment. Most groups someone tankier is a benefit and a control wizard is benefit, many groups also want dc's, that means you have 2 spots for dps. You can do other group make ups, but that is a well rounded one that many people like. when you consider hr's are the most popular atm that means that you aren't going to be in high demand.

As far as the squishiness goes, you need to learn to control your aggro, hold off a few secs on split shot etc. Stacking some regen thru the artifacts will help too. Your dodges are shorter and don't give as much immunity which means you have to be on top of dodging the reds or you'll go squish as well.

Without knowing your build, etc there's not a lot else that can be said done to help you. There are several hr guides here on the forums though that should help you out.

leatherannlace

I will definitely check those out. Because, I like the concept of the Ranger but I'm not enjoying it as much as I should be I think.

Agree with the dodging as well.

I know every class has their pro's and con's, but I just keep seeing more con's with the Ranger.

obsidiancran3

Find a guild that runs dungeons a lot if that is your focus (happy to help you with that if you want, just PM) and they should help you out with the dungeons & PvP if they have some good HRs.

I have toons for every class and HR is my favorite to play. Its not always the right character for the job but it does its job really nicely thanks and its fun for me to play.

If you are just puging you are always going to struggle to get a group because there is a strong community attitude of CWs + DC and a tank and go, and the tank is often optional. Sadly this attitude is nigh impossible to change and every new class will run into that wall. Unfortunately we are fighting the "if its not broke don't fix it" mantra, combined with people's expectation that a change should bring a clear and obvious net positive (ie the HR would have to be truly OP); just keep in mind that every new class is going to have this problem.

There is also nothing wrong with a class not being for you; that's me and the TR its a class I just cannot get the hang of at all. So my TR is just going to sit there waiting for another free respec to try another build and see if I can make it work for me. But ultimately I think its playstyle just doesn't suit me as a player. I prefer swashbucklers when I play rogues not skulkers and the TR is fundamentally a skulker.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

destinyknight

Simply put. Every class isnt fitted for everyone. Thats where preference and playstyle comes in. Everyone wont like like every class and thats fine. Thats natural diversity.

And of course you'll have trouble finding parties. Its like that for every damage dealing class, because thats what everyone wants to be.

Add to the fact that people who make custom parties usually tend to put together the most optimal classes for a party. Which I myself kind of dislike.

My recommendation is to start making your own parties.
And if you cant get a cleric, try making a party without one and rely on potions, that would be better than sitting around calling for a cleric for an hour that may never come cause everyone else is looking for one.

angrysprite

My first character right after Beta was a Devoted Cleric (I prefer ranged combat to melee) and managed to level that DC all the way to 60. Then I started playing a Trickster Rogue, which for me is the most fun I've ever had with a Melee character. My GWF and GF made it to level 20-ish and have been nothing but Invokers ever since (now leveled up to the 30-somethings all by invoking.

I've found my favorite class to play is my Control Wizard - I absolutely love it.

Then along comes the Hunter Ranger - so, of course I created one. I also love my HR, though not quite as much as my CW. My own play style is pretty casual and I admit my HR is almost caught-up with my CW in level standing. So here's the thing, at least the way I see it:

HR and CW are both ranged combat, which I like.
HR is about shooting objects and killing things, where CW is about controlling (CC) things

My favorite of HR powers is the split shot. I like taking out several bad guys at once.
My favorite of CW powers is probably Entangling Force - I like freezing the bad guy while I pummel him.

My advice to the OP: there's nothing wrong (perhaps even encouraged) with rolling a second, alternate class of character and begin leveling it. I've rolled character only to delete them by level 20 just to try something else (I'm fortunate that I have six slots). I've settled on playing my CW and HR the most, the DC is just an inventory mule right now.

I think the HR is a lot of fun, though not as much as the CW (for me) - my point being that there's no reason to toss your HR. Create a second character and play them both. If you find that you like the second one more than the first, what's wrong with that?

vengefulfury

I've tried all races and HR is the one that I'm most skilled with heck I've started over about 4 times now and never get bored because i just enjoy this class.

For me GWF and GF are wayyyy too sluggish, i can't stand it to be honest. I'd rather be a HR in a squad, taking down the MoB's trying to flank, than being in the front swinging a tanker around.

I believe that a HR takes skill and i am pretty **** good at it now. Will i change class all because HR isn't needed as much? Hell no, why should i?

Like yourself, i didn't even know that HR was a new class, i chose it because it looked cool and also matched the fighting style that i desired. I like to be able to be tactical in combat, not sluggish.

I'd say that my second fav class is CW but even then it's not as fun... After that it has to be Rogue but even that is too close quarters for my tastes.

I am leveling up my CW slowly when i feel like it, maybe I'll level up my Rogue as well as I'd like to see how they progress but so many people seem to use CW. I've hardly seen any Rogue's around, not even in party's so it makes me wonder why but I think I'll just level it up when i get bored.

I'm not the sort of person that follows a class 100% i like to make my own hybrids and see how things go but always have a normal one as backup in case the hybrid doesn't work so well.

vengefulfury

Oh i thought GF's used swords and shield... Not sure which version of NW I've been playing lol.

obsidiancran3

And that right there is why finding a good guild is so important.

h3vn

Hi, I have to agree that it isn't easy to get into party for DD, as many still prefer the CW for crowdcontrol/dps or TR for single target dps for boss fight, but that's what guild are for try to get into a guild that don't mind bringing along a HR.

Not sure if you are playing range or melee, but hope here's some of my take on HR I wrote on another topic helps (if ur plaing a melee HR give me a ping in game and I can advise how you can build your charc for PVP).

Here's my take on it:-
Range HR
- Good in PVE
- does great damage to both adds and boss mainly from using SS and AS (but you will have to contend your place with other DPS class CW,TR and des GWF)
- Okey in PVP (when really geared well),
- you typically kill those glass cannon instantly
- against tank with great gap closer you can typically put up a white flag (eg. against GWF (IV), all they need to do to get out of ur SR is sprint to u and TR if you dodge back even better for them cuz the roots will go out of range when they TR u again and the roots will disappear; rather than dodging back u need to dodge twice forward to ensure the GWF stay rooted but once they fix this bug of root going through CC Immune range would be harder to play in PVP)
- Animation for at-will and encounters are slow thus when being rush you typically have a hard time

Melee (combat) HR
- Bad in PVE (DD not solo content, solo content isn't an issue with Melee)
- Many can say that Melee isn't that bad in PVE, when they pump in everything into DPS but doing so makes you a glass cannon that can't really take any hit in the frontline leaving you without any surviving skill to play in higher tier DD (TR have ITC, des/sent GWF have unstoppable, GF their block on critical moments)
- limited melee encounter's that deal great AOE damage; not bad single target melee encounter for PVE (Fox strike is the only melee encounter that does great single target dps, boar does decent)
- You have a okey AOE at-will (clear the ground) but the damage isn't that good
Good in PVP
- Melee HR are meant for PVP and they can be a beast in it, but like all PVP the most important thing is to be tanky
- Almost all your melee animation are super quick = very hard for opponent to react and dodge and can only predict and dodge.
- You have great gap closer encounter (MR is one of the longest gap closer i have seen, and does decent damage)
- You only have 1 prone encounter but still it is good (boar does decent damage, have quite a range and super fast animation, just beware there's a small sec that you can't attack after casting it so if miss dodge for ur life)
- Great single target encounter (Fox strike does great damage when burst it on a single target, take note that there is a slight delay of about 0.3sec before FS hits so best to prone ur target before using it, also prone makes ur target unable to use deflect)
- Awesome feats - 10% to deflect, 10% to crit chance and MOH = mini tene (before the tene nerf). You can just imagine how quickly you can bring down a tank and how tanky you can be.


FYI. I am playing a Melee HR now, and i stay away from bugs as they will eventually get fix I don't use root and SSA (not really geared yet as still using some rare gear and haven't gotten many boons or only 1water arti, using lesser bile and lesser elven), and here's just some of my stat to show you can compete well with other class with stat like this in a 1v1 PVP but of course PVP isn't so much about 1v1 but how the team coordinate:-
HP - 28k (due to r5 rad)
Regen - 1100
Dr - 30%
Deflect - 39.7%
Crit chance - 34.5%
Arpen - 15.8% + 8%
recovery - 16%

rhoric

The guild I am in, set up days to do DDs and members can sign up for it and depending on those who sign up and what they need. They then decide what Dungeon to do. If you get into a good guild then you will find your char has it's uses. I have 2 lvl 60 rangers.

s4v10rx

leatherannlace wrote: »

I don't want to seem like a Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy but........

I am not liking the Hunter Ranger class. When I first played this game about a month ago I chose Hunter Ranger out of pure interest. I had NO idea it was the "new" class. So, I'm realizing a lot of people are running around with bows and arrows. Whenever I need to team up for dungeons or need to do something that requires a party no one ever needs a HR. People are searching for GWF or GF. I have actually been turned down from parties because I was an unneeded Hunter Ranger.

I just don't see anything particularly great about this class aside from the fact that I look especially cool with my bow and arrow :cool: When I was a low level I had no problem doing dungeons successfully. Now, I'm noticing I lose my health so quickly. As far as damage goes with the different skills, there's only a few I enjoy and think deals nice damage. In PvP I felt completely useless.

I started a new character because I was a little bored with the HR class. It was just not working out for me.
Rangers, how has your experience been? Reading some of the threads I know some love it and some hate it.

I'd love advice as well! How can I improve my experience with the HR class?

just got my TR to 60 n currently lvling HR and GWF, to be honest, HR have a deep learning curve especially if ur hr build is dps, so far i'm enjoying playing the HR at low lv as i'm able to annihilate others n assist random toon in my team as long as they did not have epic/legend item n enchantment, i hate going against others with their epic item especially low lv as they can 1 hit kill anybody which i've come across personally =(

hidahayabusa

The random queue system is bad and usually bugs out (usually = 99% of the times). The LFG group ONLY searches for CWs and DCs, so I will just echo the rest of the replies.

Get a good guild and you will enjoy PvE/PvP. Otherwise, level a CW or DC.