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Ranger Class Advice/Preferences
manholio
Member Posts: 493 Bounty Hunter
Okay, I'm going to try this again as a mod closed the first thread I started before I recieved any useful information...
I'm looking to start leveling a Ranger on 12/5 when Module 2 is released. I just wanted to hear from some folks who have been leveling Rangers on the test shard. What Race seems to be the best choice for Ranger? What Encounters/At-Wills/Dailies are most desirable? Any build advice?
The first thread I posted had links to some other threads, but after scrolling through pages of posts, I didn't see any advice along these lines. Mostly just folks moaning about different nerfs that have already occured on the Test Shard.
I'm looking to start leveling a Ranger on 12/5 when Module 2 is released. I just wanted to hear from some folks who have been leveling Rangers on the test shard. What Race seems to be the best choice for Ranger? What Encounters/At-Wills/Dailies are most desirable? Any build advice?
The first thread I posted had links to some other threads, but after scrolling through pages of posts, I didn't see any advice along these lines. Mostly just folks moaning about different nerfs that have already occured on the Test Shard.
Post edited by manholio on
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You know, maybe.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
So no one has any preferences or opinions as of yet? You know, maybe?
Not looking for a cookie cutter build so much as a solid jumping off point.
IMHO The best Races for DPS/Balanced Builds being focused in dex/wis/Str Go to Half-Orc Drow and Wood Elf and roll 18dex 15wis and 15str imho thats a extremely strong roll with campfire you can hit 18str/wis 22wis/str and 25dex. Its also flexible enough to let you wander off In to Int Or Cha for more exotic builds with campfire you can get a 18 in Wis & Str with 18 into Int Or Cha and still have 25 dex.
If your leaning towards a more tanky/survivability playstyle because HR is a very flexible class i advise Dwarfs Half-Elves and Halfling.
If your a halfling Roll till you get 17dex 14con and 15str with 13wis Put every thing in Con and Wis and that will give you 21con 20wis/Dex and 18str. P.S Halflings can maximise deflection Builds also just to add on to so can half elf to a slight degree.
If you pick Half-Elf AND Dwarf Roll 15str 14con 15wisdom and 15dex its odd i know but Put 3 in both Dex and Wis 6 in Con and Boom with campfire buff thats 20 dex/wis 21 Con and 18 Str. If the half elf racial bonus point goes into Con i believe they can have the highest con of any race with this class.
There are fast recharge Builds for Sun and Moon Elves you can get fast Recharge Builds out of them By rolling 14Int 17dex 13wis and 14Str, Put 5 In Int 1 in Str and 6 in wisdom.That will give you 20Dex/Wis/Int and 18str with campfire buffs. That action point racial they have is so sexy imho I also believe there is a Boon and Pet that give action point gain also. I see lots of daily spamming not to mention if combined with there feats. Bumping up recharge is good for buffing builds imho this build and forest lord armor is fun on the bun also stormstep action and disrupting shot nuff said. I didnt lope tiefling in this build category because they don't get dex bonus but i suppose you could do a recharge build with them if you wanted.
If you are a Tiefling There a Odd race to pick HR with But Charisma Builds for people who like using Aspect Of pact for combat advantage Roll 15Str 15dex 14Cha and 13Wisdom Put 2 in dex 4 in wisdom and 5 in Cha that will give you 18 str 20/dex/Cha and 18 wisdom. if they get around to fixing their racial then its even better There be a combat advantage dmg pet also and artifact. But make sure you put the other two racial points into con you should be able to hit 15 con with this build with out even investing any thing into it.
And for human i would just run a plain 16dex 15Str and 15Wis Build DPS and them 3 extra feat points and 3% defense racial are quite lovely same flexibility as the Drow Half Orc and Wood Elf Builds
Any way this is just my personal playstyle after testing a few things with each race i try and make use of all the races attribute states this is all my Opinion but hey i find this class exotic in it own right.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I have been having a lot of fun, and a lot of success, with my HR. I breezed through almost all of the content on my way to 60. I did slot a few enchants at lvl 20ish, but nothing more than rank 5s and I plan on using them on live as well (considering how easy/cheap it is to move them to new pieces of equipment).
Here is my build (play style notes will follow):
Moon Elf: Wanted to try out this race, but I will be rolling either Human, Halfling or Wood Elf on Live.
STR: 13 (+3) : 16
CON: 10 (+2) : 12
DEX: 20 (+6) : 26
INT: 10 (+2) : 12
WIS: 13 (+5) : 18
CHA: 10 (+2) : 12
I prefer WIS over STR for the extra +crit, but the AP from STR is also very nice, I think a HR can do very well with either STR or WIS as the secondary stat, or with a balance between them.
Class Features: Aspect of the Serpent (3), Stormstep Action (3)
I enjoy the fast pace of frequent stance switching and Serpent makes it more effective. It is quite easy to get the required stacks with my power set-up and the damage boost is noticeable. Stormstep works wonderfully with some of our Dailys and the 3 seconds reduction in our encounter powers is extremely handy.
At-Wills: Rapid Shot (3), Split Shot (3)
I want to like Aimed Shot and Electric Shot, but right now I don't. ES just does not do enough damage unless you have a BUNCH of mobs close together (usually needs either a GF or CW to maintain that grouping), and Aimed Shot takes too long and is too easily interrupted for my play style. Rapid Shot is good, but it is still a little light in the damage department, hopefully it will be buffed soon. Split Shot needed a *slight* nerf, but they overdid it. Now it needs a slight buff. However, it still works well and it makes stacking the melee' buff of Serpent very quick.
Encounters: Marauder's Escape (3), Constricting Shot (3), Fox's Cunning (3)
Marauder's Escape/Rush is just too good not to use. The Escape is great to maintain distance and to dodge while the Rush gets me into melee' for some quick attacks and does good damage on the way in. Constricting Shot is a great power to use on anything that you want to interrupt and slow down and Steel Breeze (the melee' aspect) is a decent PBAoE that assists with stamina and does a great job of fueling my Aspect of the Serpent. Fox's Cunning is a great power, both solo in in groups. The damage that you can avoid with this power should not be underestimated. Fox Shift is a solid attack on groups and is even better against 1 enemy. Against groups it also helps stack my Serpent Aspect.
Dailies: Forest Ghost (3), Disruptive Shot (3)
Disruptive shot only takes 25% of our AP and recharges in about 9 seconds. It is basically another encounter power that does decent (but not great) damage and applies a small stun. With Stormstep Action it reduce our cool downs by 3 seconds. Between Constrictive Arrow and Disruptive Shot you can do good damage and really keep a caster from casting. Forest Ghost is a great aggro dropper that does decent damage along with providing some protection. A great combo is to Use FG and then charge in with Marauder's Rush and use Fox Shift. Since FS hits each enemy 1 time, and so does FG, the damage can stack up quite fast. Then use Escape and keep up the damage with Split Shot.
Complete list of powers:
Rapid Shot: 3
Split Shot: 3
Marauders Escape: 3
Seismic Shot: 3
Aspect of the Falcon: 3
Hindering Shot: 3
Rain of Arrows: 3
Forest Ghost: 3
Thorn Ward: 3
Aspect of the Lone Wolf: 1
Aspect of the Pack: 3
Constricting Arrow: 3
Aspect of the Serpent: 3
Boar Hide: 3
Split the Sky: 3
Hawk Shot: 3
Disruptive Shot: 3
Stormstep Action: 3
Binding Arrow: 3
Commanding Shot: 3
Fox's Cunning: 3
Feats:
Weapon Master:3
Toughness:3
Swift Footwork: 5
Agile Combatant: 3
Endless Assault: 3
Disciple of Dexterity: 3
Archery Path:
Black Arrow: 5
Bloodthirsty: 5
Correcting Aim: 5
Prime Critical: 5
Master of Archery: 1
Combat Path:
Seeker: 5
Agile Hunter: 5
Basic opener: Bow Stance-> Fox's Cunning->Split Shot->Constricting Arrow-> {Stance Switch}-> Marauder's Rush-> Steel Breeze-> Fox Shift-> [maybe some melee attacks, depending on how many mobs]-> {Stance Switch}-> Marauder's Escape-> Split Shot-> Disruptive Shot-> [evaluate situation].
I have had a great time with my HR on the Preview Server and I can't wait for it to go live. Hopefully with a few needed buffs.
(Note: I realize that, currently, Constricting Shot does not have a melee component (Steel Breeze has been removed), but I do not think that this will be permanent. I think that they are adjusting something with the power and have simply removd it for the time being. I fully expect it to return)
Regarding the threads that are already up, I'm a voracious reader and I enjoy perusing the boards, but many of the HR threads are 40-50 pages long and they are all over the place in terms of content.
I really just want to make sure that I start from a viable point Race wise. Again, many thanks to voltomey and tickdoff for all the great info.
1) The random roller appears to prioritize Dex -> Str -> Wis.
2) Any race with a Dex buff can make a solid ranger readily; 18 Dex is recommended for starting with, just for the DPS boost in lower levels.
3) Arguably Wood Elf and Drow make the best choice for race, halflings with their racial boost to Dex/Con and Deflect make a good choice (superior to Half-Orc that really only benefits from the Str/Dex combo).
4) While leveling Split Shot/Rapid Shot/Hindering Shot/Maruder's Escape are your friends.
5) Rain of Arrows is a low priority to boost; however it is good for forcing enemies that don't move to do so or for firing in front of you and then luring the enemies into the rain by opening fire with Split Shot. You will nearly always replace Rain with Thorn Ward once TW is available.
6) Large AoE generators are the hardest thing to deal with as a HR, small and medium AoEs can be dodged easily enough, but large ones will catch you more readily so knowing your enemies helps.
7) Staying close to big hard hitting enemies like Ogres is a good strategy, the short dodge lets you move around them avoiding their big hard hitting attacks while peppering them with Rapid Shots, Hindering and Rain of Arrows/Thorn Ward/Split the Sky. (This is harder on really big things like the Shocktroopers in Helm's Hold, but still works as long as you don't get a lag spike...pesky Seismic bug...)
Once I have the patch done, I'll get the details of my current 2 HRs, I haven't reached 60 with any HRs yet but have done many to level 10 to check for leveling ease at the start of the game.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
1.The random Roller has five 16 Dex Rolls it can give two prioritises Strength over Wisdom By giving 16&15 in the attribute and 14&13 in the lower attribute and Vice Versa Another One gives 14 in both, The 16 13 15 roll is the best imho HR don't need more then 18 strength not matter what the race. We have a lot of Arm Pen gear so its easy for us to hit the cap.
2. While any race with a dex Racial make arguably the best dps Build for Ranger i pointed out in my comment above that any other race can also take a more exotic route in build creating.But I think Tieflings Sun and Moon elves and Half elves come in close second to a dps dex build if they roll 14 charisma and use aspect of the pact.
3.I will have to disagree with you Half orc make just as good a rangers as drow and wood elves. Half-Orc have a more reliable flat bonus from the racial the crit sev witch makes them slightly better or well harder hitting in archer builds. Other then that drow and wood elves can get the 16 12 16 roll and get wisdom but they lose to much strength IMHO to make it worth it.
No race is gonna be at a disadvantage in rolling HR it all depends on what kinda build you want to run.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Then I just need the next Class to hit for a Dwarf...
Hmm now that I've done some number crunching, despite my "gut instinct" of Wood Elf > Half-Orc it may be the other way around as long as we can keep the Half-Orc's crit chance within 2 or 3 of a Wood Elves.
Will do some checking once I have access to the server again...leaving it to patch while I sleep.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
Defelct is an important stat for HRs so the boost to it from Halfling matters.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
I run a Bow focus, with melee as a last resort (until the attacks stop being half as good as using a bow)
So stats;
Str: Provides stamina regain, ArP and DoT damage resist.
Con: HP as usual.
Dex: Damage Bonus, AoE Resist, Deflection Chance (1/2 bonus)
Int: Recharge bonus
Wis: Crit Chance, Control Bonus, Control Resist
Cha: Companion Bonus, Combat Advantage Bonus
My personal priority is Dex > Wis > Int & Str > Con > Cha
However if you want to maximize CA by using Aspect of the Pack you should swap Cha and Int.
My Tiefling will have the following stats at level 60 (without Campfire)
Str 16
Con 14
Dex 22
Int 14
Wis 18
Cha 12
Daily Powers;
Seismic Shot/Forest Ghost/Disruptive Shot/Cold Steel Hurricane - rotated as needed with Disruptive/Ghost as solo default.
Encounter Powers;
Binding Arrow, Constricting Arrow, Marauder's Escape, Fox's Cunning, Thorn Ward, Split the Sky, Hawk Shot, Commanding Shot, Boar Hide - Rotated as needed depending on group/enemy composition.
At Will Powers;
I like all 4 of them tbh.... this is going to be the hard thing to settle on however atm I'm leaning towards;
Rapid Shot & Aimed Shot or Rapid Shot & Split Shot, at least while Electric remains crippled.
Passives:
Stormstep Action/Twin-Blade Storm I'll hit at least 1 if not 2 dailies every encounter (Disrupting & Ghost default pair) and have a lot of multi-target stuff. While leveling Aspect of the Serpent and Aspect of the Pack are good and may be rotated in still depending on need.
My Wood Elf has the same power array but stats at 60 (without Campfire) are;
Str 15
Con 12
Dex 25
Int 17
Wis 17
Cha 13
Heroic Feats;
Weapon Mastery 3/3, Toughness 3/3, Predatory Action 2/5
Agile Combatant 3/3
Endless Assault 3/3, Lucky Skirmisher 3/3
Disciple of Dexterity 3/3
Paragon Feats
Archery Focus
Black Arrow 5/5, Bloodthirsty 5/5, Nature's Grasp 5/5, Correcting-Aim 5/5, Prime Critical 5/5, Snipers Aim 5/5, Master of Archery 1/1
For a little more flexibility but lower Ranged DPS;
Archery
Black Arrow 5/5, Bloodthirsty 5/5, Correcting-Aim 3/5, Nature's Grasp 2/5, Prime Critical 5/5, Master of Archery 1/1
Combat
Retreat Technique 5/5 (faster AP gain)
Nature
Nature's Blessing 5/5 (more effective healing effects on you)
More controller, but depends on Hawk Eye, Split the Sky and Cold Steel Hurricane being slotted;
Archery
Black Arrow 5/5, Storm Caller's Arrow 5/5, Nature's Grasp 3/5, Correcting-Aim 2/5, Prime Critical 5/5 Master of Archery 1/1
Nature
Nature's Blessing 5/5, Hawk Style 3/5, Nature's Fury 2/5
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
The halfling part is more due to me most likely playing with a friend and might try and make as "tanky" a ranger as i can.
While this may not sound too difficult at first, the fact that encounters have cool downs, coupled with the dual nature of the Hunter Ranger, means this may be a difficult technique to master. I will not lie and say that anyone can do it, because it just may not suit some people's play style preferences. However, in the hands of someone who can use and/or master this technique, you'll find the Hunter Ranger is very effective.
I am going to share some quick videos of my own game play using the Hunter Ranger. I don't expect that everyone will try to use the class in the manner that I do, but for those who wish to see what the Ranger is truly capable of in the hands of an expert using it's dual nature, then you may pick up a thing or two from this. I will also do my best to explain a few vital points which I believe contribute to the ranger's success.
Please note that in these videos, I have no companion summoned, I have no artifact equipped, I am using nothing but green gear, and I am fighting enemies which are quite often three levels higher than my character. I did this because I wanted to show what the raw capability of the class is (when used as I do).
Ghost Stepping
This is a technique which primarily benefits you when you are forced to or decide to go into melee combat. The principal behind the ghost step is to remain within melee combat range, as close to your opponent as possible, whilst dodging the enemies attacks. This is best used against single targets (usually the elite enemy that's left standing after you rain death on them, but you'll see that later:cool:)
Since the Ranger's shift covers such a short distance, it is ideal for this technique as it allows for immediate attacks following the dodge without breaking the engagement. This means you consistently dish out damage in as short of a time as possible while your encounters may be cooling down. Here is an example of the technique against a slower attacking enemy (the kind I suggest you practice against.)
Ghost Step Demonstration
Now if you notice, after each step I was still within range to continue attack whilst taking no damage myself. Also each step was directly through the enemy. This is done to place you outside of any cone of effect that the enemy may be using without disengaging. This helps to bring down the baddies faster and makes it so that you don't have to run all the time whilst awaiting cool downs to expire. Here's another video showing the technique against a somewhat faster opponent.
Ghost step 2
Now if you notice, the cadence for each series of step to attacks was different for each enemy. If you know your enemy like any good Ranger should, you will be able to figure it out and implement. If you are having trouble evading them all like my video, then focus on ghost stepping just the telegraphed (big wind up animation) and red area attacks until you get the hang of it.
Rooting the Enemy
Archer Rangers pay attention to this!. Rooting the enemy is a unique ability that the Hunter Ranger has which will cause an enemies movement to be restricted when moving away from the spot that the rooting effects happened. This is accomplished by using abilities which have the grasping roots effect applied to their attacks. Now each time a rooting effect is applied whilst a previous one is still in effect, it stacks and amplifies the effect. I'm going to show you a video for what this can do to an enemy now, even one who has a rush attack.
Rooting demonstration
Now if you notice, even after he performed his rushing attack, he was immediately pulled back away from me establishing range once again. This is the effect that rooting will have on an enemy which will allow you time which can save you from making frequent trips to the campfire re-spawn. The best way to use this technique is to single out the meanest baddy and stack rooting effects on him alone to give you time to deal with the smaller adds. You'll want to target him and chain rooting effect powers on him whilst relying on your at-wills to deal with weaker opponents. This is especially important for those of you who want to play primarily as an archer, don't want to have to run for your life every encounter, and don't ever want to put the bow down. If you master rooting, then the Hunter Ranger can be played as an archer.
I am at lunch from work right now, and I will post more videos and tips when I get the chance to, but for now to hold you over, here's some game play footage of me in various encounters against single and groups of enemies with mixed abilities. Some are spell casters, others are melee based, but the end result is all the same. I slaughter them taking as minimal (if any) damage as possible, and I look good doing it :cool:
Melee tough baddie
Spell caster tough baddie
Melee group with tough baddie 1
Melee group 2 (I get hit because I get greedy in the group melee portion)
I will post more at higher levels against stronger foes. Hope this helps those some of you who are struggling with the class, or are eager to see what an expert can do in solo play with it.
Gloom level 60 Control Wizard
Dusk level 60 Trickster Rogue
Dawn level 60 Devoted Cleric
Eclipse level 60 Hunter Ranger
Wrath level 60 Great Weapon Fighter
Jinx level 60 Scourge Warlock
I'll echo that I was on the move constantly, but it's not always necessary to dodge if you can just step. And yes, I was also moving towards-and-through, rather than back-and-away. Tight circles.
I would use the grasping roots to keep my toughest opponent pinned down into an AoE encounter, while circling around continuing to use my at-wills. If you don't move out of reaching distance, they won't chase you and leave your AoE. It doesn't mean they'll hit you.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
But yes the move around the enemy is the way to go.
Also use your range to lure the enemy into places that give you an advantage.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
He did, but the point of the video was to show the slowing/pulling effect rooting has on enemies. I'll post some more vids for those who want pure archer using nothing but ranged and bow.
Never had the need to pull enemies into any terrain for an advantage myself, but that could just be my play style. I wouldn't doubt it will help for pure archery.
Gloom level 60 Control Wizard
Dusk level 60 Trickster Rogue
Dawn level 60 Devoted Cleric
Eclipse level 60 Hunter Ranger
Wrath level 60 Great Weapon Fighter
Jinx level 60 Scourge Warlock
I just stopped using Hindering because that meant I needed Marauder's slotted as well to take full advantage of it, now for trash clearing I run Constricting, Stag (because 2k temp hp & a damaging debuff is always handy), and Thorn Ward with Disrupting as my "other" encounter. I rotate Split/Rapid/Aimed in the at-will position depending on what I am fighting. (eg atm I'm using Split/Aimed because Drow & Spiders)
I use the short dodge/constricting/disrupting to avoid damage from attacks, its only when everything is on cooldown that I start taking any sort of noticeable damage.
I'm not a particularly skilled player (but improving) and the only time I have a real problem is when I mess up, rather than a fault with the build.
Obsidian Oath - Warlock
A whole lot of other Obsidian toons as well.
I will try to post some encounter videos using nothing but archery by tomorrow.
Gloom level 60 Control Wizard
Dusk level 60 Trickster Rogue
Dawn level 60 Devoted Cleric
Eclipse level 60 Hunter Ranger
Wrath level 60 Great Weapon Fighter
Jinx level 60 Scourge Warlock
These are some of the best tips I've seen since starting my HR, I love shifting through the enemies, and it hadn't occurred to me to do so. Thanks