Curse

Amy Awien · Jan 02, 2012, 05:24 AM // 05:24

You could off course also try to use your two braincells and learn how to use it properly. GoLE is an interesting idea, despite the 30 sec recharge.

Wenspire · Jan 02, 2012, 09:22 PM // 21:22

Meeting the condition requirement for ScavengersStrike probably wouldn't be an issue since I am guessing someone in the party would have WeakenArmor equipped (aoe and pretty fast recharge). You just have to be more aware of your pet's positioning and action while using SS.

Swingline · Jan 03, 2012, 12:42 AM // 00:42

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Originally Posted by Marty Silverblade

EDIT: You can also see this with Ancestor's Rage. It's both lightning damage and armor ignoring. I haven't tested this to check the damage type though.

Don't bother. Its getting fixed. Hopefully tomorrow

Kunder · Jan 03, 2012, 09:56 PM // 21:56

Quote:

You could off course also try to use your two braincells and learn how to use it properly. GoLE is an interesting idea, despite the 30 sec recharge.

Works just fine on its own, really. Its timing coincides with when you actually need the EBSoH. Between 20s and 30s after casting EBSoH you are almost always finishing up the mob and moving on to the next. It will be up for the 95% of the time you want it, and even if you had infinite energy you wouldn't usually waste casting EBSoH a second time at 21s just for the last enemy of a group. The only instance a true 100% uptime on EBSoH is really desirable is for defend-the-area type usages.

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Meeting the condition requirement for ScavengersStrike probably wouldn't be an issue since I am guessing someone in the party would have WeakenArmor equipped (aoe and pretty fast recharge). You just have to be more aware of your pet's positioning and action while using SS.

Well, weaken armor has very little usage currently since 80% of damage a team brings is armor ignoring. After the ele update teams will start bringing more armor respecting damage, but assuming enemys' armor reverts to lvl20-standard then every caster in the game will be unaffected since cracked armor doesn't reduce below 60AL. Also, its only Adjacent AoE, which means most of the time its probably hitting 1 enemy max. That enemy is also somewhat hard to find because the condition is very inconspicuous.

The other problem is that things in PvE tend to die so fast that you can't get a pet hit on them quick enough. If we assume that the average time an enemy lives after coming under sustained attack as ~5s (not too unreasonable, 4 enemy group = 20s), then you only have 3 seconds to apply a condition (if its a hero then you have to wait until they do...), get the pet next to them, and use SS. Thats a hard timeline to hit, considering that you need to do it correctly 100% of the time or else you have no energy and do nothing for 10s.

The only options are true condition spam builds that lay it on everything, and even then its still ridiculously annoying compared to 'press x, gain energy' that every other class has. Not that I have a problem with energy management that takes skill to use, but Rangers are far worse than even Monks in terms of trying to find ways to get energy that aren't horrible.

Splinter Barrage · Jan 04, 2012, 01:08 AM // 01:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

If all you want is damage per arrow, R/E Conjure + EBSoH + GoLE will give you ~+30 damage per shot (+15 damage per hit for the rest of the team) and costs a grand total of 5e.

Well, Splinter is my primary source of damage. The per-arrow bonus is just that, a bonus. That said, if heroes are handling Splinter then /E might not be a bad move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

[Y]ou can't use Vamp weapons with Conjure.

Actually, you can (as long as it's Conjure Flame), through two means. (1) If you bring Kindle Arrows as your prep, it converts the damage type. R/E using this trick could potentially provide the highest dmg vs. single targets it's possible to deal with a bow, but your attributes would be spread a little thin (since you'd have to put points in both Wilderness and Fire Magic). However, I'd rather use Ignite in most situations since it's AoE (but lacks the conversion), and in the particular situation being discussed I can't use either (since Barrage doesn't work with preps), so (2) you can bring Conflagration (yes, another annoying nature ritual).

As for using Weaken Armor to trigger Scavenger Strike, I'd rather use it with Body Shot, since that way I don't have to go through a pet at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

That enemy is also somewhat hard to find because the condition is very inconspicuous.

If you're going /E, you could also bring Mark of Rodgort and inflict burning without having to use an elite (e.g. Burning Arrow or Incendiary Arrows). It would take effect every time you hit an enemy, and it's the most visible condition in the game. It would also only cost 5e as long as it was one of the spells you used with Glyph.

/E is definitely one of the secondaries I will experiment with again, once I get my heroes to put Splinter on me to my satisfaction. I begin to despair of that day ever coming, though: I just duo'd an area with Xandra, and when I pressed 9 to tell her to cast Splinter, she put it on herself! -_- No joke.

Wenspire · Jan 04, 2012, 02:12 AM // 02:12

Tough call on using Scavenger vs BodyShot. It's true that they both trigger using WeakenArmor, but Scavenger is much easier to meet condition-wise (EN gain on any condition on target). If the only condition your party utilizes is CrackedArmor then I can see BodyShot being the better choice.

Kunder · Jan 04, 2012, 04:36 AM // 04:36

Quote:

Actually, you can (as long as it's Conjure Flame), through two means. (1) If you bring Kindle Arrows as your prep, it converts the damage type. R/E using this trick could potentially provide the highest dmg vs. single targets it's possible to deal with a bow, but your attributes would be spread a little thin (since you'd have to put points in both Wilderness and Fire Magic). However, I'd rather use Ignite in most situations since it's AoE (but lacks the conversion), and in the particular situation being discussed I can't use either (since Barrage doesn't work with preps), so (2) you can bring Conflagration (yes, another annoying nature ritual).

Well, #1 is out because of barrage, and #2 isn't really workable without summon spirits. Knock yourself out if you want to spike the Master of Damage with Triple Shot though (pity Asuran Scan got changed).

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As for using Weaken Armor to trigger Scavenger Strike, I'd rather use it with Body Shot, since that way I don't have to go through a pet at all.

Not really enough energy that way IMO. You can certainly handle spamming barrage but as soon as you start throwing in EBSoH and other PvE skills you still need to rely on zealous for most of your energy needs.

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If you're going /E, you could also bring Mark of Rodgort and inflict burning without having to use an elite (e.g. Burning Arrow or Incendiary Arrows). It would take effect every time you hit an enemy, and it's the most visible condition in the game. It would also only cost 5e as long as it was one of the spells you used with Glyph.

As part of the pet/Scavenger's Strike build, multiple attribute syndrome makes it rather unwieldy (and makes you less energy efficient in the first place thanks to lowered expertise). Nevermind that a pet, SS, GoLE, Fire Conjure, Rodgort, Barrage, and EBSoH total 7 skill slots, that's crowding out a lot of other nicer things.

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Well, Splinter is my primary source of damage. The per-arrow bonus is just that, a bonus. That said, if heroes are handling Splinter then /E might not be a bad move.

/E is definitely one of the secondaries I will experiment with again, once I get my heroes to put Splinter on me to my satisfaction. I begin to despair of that day ever coming, though: I just duo'd an area with Xandra, and when I pressed 9 to tell her to cast Splinter, she put it on herself! -_- No joke.

Best way is to disable it and manually cast it. Bind a key to target self and get used to the key combination of doing it. I've got skill 1-3 of heroes 1-4 bound to numpad w/targetting keys bound to the surrounding areas, easily able to cast most of the important stuff near instantly.

Sometime 2 copies of Splinter is good if the area begs for AoE (many caster classes have an easy open secondary). N/Rt and Me/Rt builds can run SS/Ancestor's well, and Rt/Mo with RoJ is also effective (though sadly you can't use SoH). I really can't overstate how much putting it on your ranger lowers damage, even if the other caster isn't Rit primary the secondary benefit of not stopping your Barrage for 2s every time SW needs to be cast does a lot for sustaining the AoE.

Splinter Barrage · Jan 05, 2012, 12:27 PM // 12:27

I finally set up 7 Hero Support, with a few modifications (e.g. put the res on the monk and the running skill on the 2nd mesmer instead, increased her Divine Favor and decreased his Fast Casting--it makes more sense this way, I don't know why they had it the other way around). I'm thinking of some bigger changes though, like bringing 3 necros (the 3rd with Discord). (Hooray, more builds to think about besides my own!) Seriously though, I really like how my heroes' builds are extensions of one another; there's an overarching goal but the parts are interchangeable. Like, modular, dude.

Targeting myself before ordering Xandra to cast Splinter works like a charm whenever I don't automatically get it (which, thankfully, I do most of the time now). Thanks for that tip, Kunder!

FYI, I played around with Glyph + Conjure, and the damage was nice; but even though the buff was free, everything else was too expensive, and I couldn't get Scavenger or Body to work well (not because of implementation, just because the energy yield wasn't high enough). So I switched back to zealous, and . . . wouldn't you know it . . . turns out that's the solution to everything. ^_^;;;; (Having half energy when targets are too few, is better than having none with max targets; having 100% energy most of the time is just, sick. It's like a Scavenger or Siphon with every shot. I wish the choice weren't between no energy and too much energy! Maybe I should just swap more.)

The heroes buff me, and I buff us all with PvE skills--it's brilliant. Saves slots, attributes, and worry.

I've been bringing S.Y. and a 'rupt, and even Throw Dirt (in case melees rush us); my points are all in Exp and Marks, so I switched to minor runes. *shrug* I've also been using a flatbow without Winds, and so far I've concluded . . . that I only miss when foes are at distances where a shortbow couldn't hit them either; yet most of the time it hits them even at those distances, so it's still better than a shortbow, I guess. (You're right Kunder, it looks as if flight time is really only important in PvP.)

The heroes do so much damage without me, it makes me wonder if I wouldn't be better off playing an Imbagon instead.

There's nothing like a coordinated team. HM is easier than NM used to be! (Just gotta practice flagging everyone at the beginning of the second level of T.o.t.P.K. . . .) I'm going to get my Vanquisher and Cartographer titles at the same time.

Amy Awien · Jan 05, 2012, 07:00 PM // 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

Works just fine on its own, really. Its timing coincides with when you actually need the EBSoH. Between 20s and 30s after casting EBSoH you are almost always finishing up the mob and moving on to the next.

True enough. GoLE lways seemed a bit strange on a ranger, but EBSoH just pushes energy demand a little too far and I see it is an option. I might try it, even though the pet serves other purposes.

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Well, weaken armor has very little usage ...

I still put weakness on the curses necro, which is near-AoE rather then adjacent. I tend to lock the pet to it's own, usually low priority target, like enemy melee and have him open the fight and draw initial enemy fire, so there little problem with target switching. Otherwise, you're right about stuff dying too fast, I've tried Enraged / Brutal / Scavenger's but they'd be dead too quickly.

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... but Rangers are far worse than even Monks in terms of trying to find ways to get energy that aren't horrible.

I agree at least partly, seems to me our options are either mediocre and non-elite (body shot), niche usage (Storm Chaser) or elite and completely overdone (Melandru's Resilience, Scavenger's Focus) giving more energy then you could ever use up, unless you want to build an Orders-Ranger.

Splinter Barrage · Jan 05, 2012, 08:58 PM // 20:58

It's too bad we can't use GoLE to gain energy, like by following it with Auspicious Incantation + Deep Freeze (would need a tertiary profession). At least if you're using Barrage though, a zealous string is the ultimate solution to energy management. It's something a caster couldn't avail of, and it doesn't require any slots.

Just a note: Using a flatbow with EBSoH (instead of FW) allows me to stand with my heroes so we all get the ward on us, which is nice. I was totally wrong about it being more useful at melee range.

Kunder · Jan 05, 2012, 09:33 PM // 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amy Awien

I still put weakness on the curses necro, which is near-AoE rather then adjacent. I tend to lock the pet to it's own, usually low priority target, like enemy melee and have him open the fight and draw initial enemy fire, so there little problem with target switching. Otherwise, you're right about stuff dying too fast, I've tried Enraged / Brutal / Scavenger's but they'd be dead too quickly.

Yeah, I love Enfeebling Blood too (one of the most underrated skills in the game IMO, a mini cast-once SY for enemy physicals). It is still a real pain to micro on heroes or scan what the heroes hit while you simultaneously are trying to work your own bar, though.

On a secondary thought regarding Necromancer methods of condition delivery, Withering Aura on a pet might be nice. Don't even need a high death spec, though Necro bars are generally cramped for space so whether it's worth it is highly dependent on what other skills you are trying to push on them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinter Barrage

Just a note: Using a flatbow with EBSoH (instead of FW) allows me to stand with my heroes so we all get the ward on us, which is nice. I was totally wrong about it being more useful at melee range.

EBSoH is really the one trump card Rangers/Paragons and to a (much) lesser extent Eles have to try and keep up with melee. Melee can't recast it every time they move 10 feet in one direction, caster/ranger/paragon balls can cast it once a battle and have it work on most of the team together.

Splinter Barrage · Jan 06, 2012, 02:06 AM // 02:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinter Barrage

Targeting myself before ordering Xandra to cast Splinter works like a charm whenever I don't automatically get it[.]

Where it's most useful, however, is right before I pull, at the very start of a fight. I have my heroes put Splinter and Judge's on me while I'm making EB, and right when monsters ball up I say hello with a bang.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

Melee can't recast [EBSoH] every time they move 10 feet in one direction, caster/ranger/paragon balls can cast it once a battle and have it work on most of the team together.

I suppose so. But it depends; if there's a minion master in the party, for example, the minions will be right there with you. Also, the positioning sometimes works out anyway, since enemy melees rush your heroes and you end up playing defensively. Finally, in terms of the ability to keep it up perpetually, that needn't be a problem for a warrior, at least, since Warrior's Endurance + IAS + AoE attacks = constantly maxed energy.

A perpetual EB in the front lines is a fine thing.

Kunder · Jan 07, 2012, 01:42 PM // 13:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinter Barrage

I suppose so. But it depends; if there's a minion master in the party, for example, the minions will be right there with you.

Yeah, but Bone Fiends camp the EBSoH just the same, and attack 50% faster to activate the +15 bonus 50% more often.

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Finally, in terms of the ability to keep it up perpetually, that needn't be a problem for a warrior, at least, since Warrior's Endurance + IAS + AoE attacks = constantly maxed energy.

A perpetual EB in the front lines is a fine thing.

Its not just energy cost, its also time cost. 1.75s casting a +15 damage buff isn't worth recasting for every individual enemy if the enemies are dying in 5s, because just auto attacking would have done more damage.

Chrisf · Jan 13, 2012, 11:53 AM // 11:53

Sort of deviating from the build-talk real quick. Been reading over a lot of this. I'd like to lay out my array of bows here and ask if I'm...well, doing something "wrong" with the way I choose to arm myself. To be clear, I'm almost exclusively a PvE player; I spend the bulk of my time Vanquishing and clearing Hard Mode missions and dungeons. Here goes.

Vampiric Tormented Shortbow of Marksmanship
Damage +15% (Health ^50%)
Life Draining: 5
Health regeneration: -1
Marksmanship +1 (20%)

This is my go-to weapon. I used to use a +30 Fortitude grip (though I now readily accept that +5 AP is superior), but I've recently moved from Sab/Discway on to more balanced H/H team builds, most of which I play Barrage for, and have gone in the direction of trying to up my damage in whatever way. The short range doesn't entirely bother me considering monsters aren't that huge of a threat (most of the time), and I'm a huge fan of the quick firing rate. Next, I've got some rather circumstantial weapons.

Vampiric Shortbow[s] of Deathbane/Demonslaying/Charrslaying/Dwarfslaying
Damage +15% (Health ^50%)
Life Draining: 5
Health regeneration: -1
Damage +20% (vs. Undead/Demons/Charr/Dwarves)

Once again, all shortbows. I've read mixed reviews here about whether shortbows are more or less useful than, say, recurve or flatbows in PvE, which is why I bring this up. I craft a lot of experimental team builds for things such as FoW, UW, DoA, ToPK, and various HM dungeons, so I like to have these specialized bows on hand to really push my output.

Poisonous Tormented Recurve Bow of Fortitude
Damage +15% (Health ^50%)
Lengthens Poison duration on foes by 33%
Health +30

I don't usually PvP but, when I do, I understand the usefulness of a recurve and I run poison-spamming builds 90% of the time, hence the string. However, I'm torn between +30 health and +5 AP. I understand that AP is superior in PvE, but does that carry over to non-competitive PvP? There doesn't tend to be a lot of degen in PvP, which moves me towards Fortitude, but is it worth the loss of mitigation versus everything else?

Naturally, I've got a longbow set aside for pulling (Arachni's Longbow), so that's not a thing. I'm curious though, considering that I'm a very HM-happy player, (1) should I be pushing so hard for extra damage, or should I be using my bow grip slots for AP bonuses (or health?) Furthermore, (2) in the interest of maximizing damage output, am I "doing it right," or is there something I should change? I'm of course referring strictly to my weapons.

It may be worth noting that all of my bows are Q9. I haven't found anything definitive about whether they do or don't, (3) but do Q8 weapons offer any amount of additional damage at the same attribute level (i.e. will a Q8 shortbow do more damage at 12 Marksmanship than a Q9 shortbow will, no matter how slight the difference?) Finally, (4) is there any special weapon or weapon set that I should look into picking up for hard modes? Thanks for any input you gents can provide!

Ugh · Jan 13, 2012, 10:34 PM // 22:34

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Originally Posted by Chrisf

post

For PvP, I generally go with +armor because it reduces damage constantly throughout the battle. +Health is just sitting there the whole time being useless until you're almost dead. If you do ever need an emergency health boost, you can swap to a defensive set with +Health.

(1)Doesn't really matter in PvE. If you're dying or almost dying or your backline is having energy trouble, you can go ahead and go for defensive grips. It won't make that much of a difference, though, so I'd probably just go for damage.

(2) "Attribute +1" mods are pretty weak; it's basically just +2-3 bonus damage for every 5 skills you use.

You could use flatbows instead of shortbows, since mobs don't tend to dodge much. The arc stresses me out, though, so I don't like flats. And actually, if you're just using barrage instead of barrage+volley+ias, you could go for recurve or longbow, since the faster attack speed of shorts and flats would be limited by the 1s recharge of barrage anyway.

Vampiric is good for barrage. If you feel limited by energy, go zealous.

(3) To my knowledge, lower q weapons offer no advantage over higher q weapons, as long as you meet the requirement. q8 weapons are mostly just valued for rarity. The only real practical purpose is for shields to be used by monks with less investment.

(4) Um, I guess not. You pretty much just need a bow. You could get daggers or a spear if you wanna do a pet build, if that's what you mean.

Kunder · Jan 13, 2012, 10:49 PM // 22:49

Only thing you need is some kind of Zealous bow to use when energy is low. +1 Marksmanship is really, really weak, but OTOH nothing else in that mod slot can improve damage so its your call. Rangers are about the last class in the group in need of +armor or +health, but if you have the choice go +armor.

Tests have shown that faster firing bows beyond longbow and/or IAS do affect Barrage rate, at about ~50% effectiveness. e.g., With a Shortbow you can Barrage approximately every 2.2s vs 2.4s for a long bow (normal Shortbows attacking every 2s). Shortbow + 33% IAS can hit as fast as 1.8ish seconds per attack.

That said, the difference is hard to notice in regular gameplay. To achieve those speeds you need to jam Barrage really, really fast. If you hit it "only" 5x a second then your 2.2s per Barrage creeps up to 2.3s per barrage because of the lag time. To accurately track those speeds I had to set up a macro to spam barrage 50x a second. Your ping time also factors into sub-2.4s Barrage rates, and a 200 ping will add another .2s per Barrage. Suffice to that using a longbow isn't going to kill you, and trying to spam Barrage would probably kill your fingers.

Chrisf · Jan 14, 2012, 09:12 AM // 09:12

Thank you both for your input. I've set myself up a Zealous shortbow (go figure), though I don't expect it to see too much use. After attributes, I rune for energy, so it's never really an issue for me. On a side note, I've considered using AP glyphs, but I use a lot of builds which don't include my pet, so I figured it was best not to. I do have extra sets of armor, but I'm too in love with my Obsidian and Chaos Gloves, even if it is overdone.

I figured the Marksmanship glyph would be pretty weak, but in the end there aren't too many options for me to look at in terms of increasing damage against non-specific types of foes. Though, I suppose I could ask: in your opinion, should I replace the +1/20 Marksmanship with a +5 AP bow grip on my Tormented Shortbow? Marginal damage versus marginal survival in hard mode content is the question.

Wenspire · Jan 14, 2012, 09:38 AM // 09:38

Could always go with +7 vs physical since rangers already get so much armor vs elemental.

Splinter Barrage · Jan 17, 2012, 09:56 AM // 09:56

Wenspire's right, Of Shelter probably makes the most sense on a defensive set for a Ranger. However, it depends. . . .

I got to max Deldrimor rank this weekend (yay!), and now that Dwarven Stability + Lightning Reflexes gives me 22 seconds of 75% block, in addition to the IAS I bring it for, extra armor isn't really more useful than in PvP (where I'd rather have the health, since I'm basically invulnerable to everything but hexes). However, because I'm just using minor runes now (no investment in my secondary as it's only for an allegiance skill, and my heroes buff me), I also have high health, so Fortitude isn't needful even for escaping rough situations. The defensive skills on my heroes are also overkill (the ST rit provides an additional 75% chance to block, etc.), so that I rarely take any damage. (It's probably also in my favor that I'm the only non-caster in my party, so the AI largely ignores me.) . . . Thus defensive mods, in general, have become redundant.

This carries over to armor, where I've discovered neither Beastmaster's nor Survivor do much to get me, unscathed, through more fights sooner (the ultimate goal of anything, I should think); whereas modding for energy (Radiant + Attunement) actually works wonders. . . ! I noticed when I was playing in Asuran territory that, with the title displayed, I had enough energy to last through any fight; and I realized this would be the case anywhere if I runed for energy. So that's what I'm doing now, and it makes a bigger difference than I ever expected it to. Once again I use vampiric primarily, with a zealous swap in case of serial aggro, and I carry a sundering bow between fights because it doesn't degen (and if I don't swap in time, at least it has a chance of doing extra damage).

I too have an EQ pack full of bows of common monster-slaying. I'm also considering getting grips for uncommon monsters and using a perfect salvage to fit my bows beforehand for a given area, since kits are cheap to craft (now that I have enough Asuran rank) and HM areas pay for themselves. Of Marksmanship may not do much damage, but any damage increase is going to be more useful than extra defense at this point, so I could see it as an option for the vampiric bow (I think I'll leave fortitude on the sunder and armor on the zealous, though--the former for recovering from a fight, the latter for late in a battle when energy's too low to recast defensive skills). I just wish it were perpetual, since that really wouldn't be imbalanced, and I could see coming up with builds that depended on it. (A req 9 bow with +1 marks 100% of the time would effectively be a req 8 bow; but even if they made the +1 req-dependent, it would still be as good as a minor rune, and could protect you from Weakness. Either way it might also make higher-req bows, like that q13 Dryad Bow you wish you could use, more feasible.) It's a viable alternative to Monsterslaying vs. general mobs. If it worked more than 20% of the time, I would definitely start using it. As it is, no suffixes except Monsterslaying really do anything for me, so I'd have to say it's your call. It all depends on your/your heroes' build(s). (I know this line of discussion was intended to be a departure from build-talk, but that's really what it boils down to.) Of Enchanting might even be useful (if not for a conjure, then for heroes' heals/buffs). . . .

What I'd like to see is "Of Insight"/Attunement for a bow. . . . Barring that update, my long-term goal is to acquire every Of Slaying bow grip in the game and fill an entire mule inventory with identical crafted/collected feathered flatbows, each fitted with a different grip. (Yes, I know, I'm a nerd.)

EDIT: The largest, or even second-largest EQ pack will suffice, as there are only 11 Of Slayings in the game. (No need for the mule, lol.)

Splinter Barrage · Jan 17, 2012, 04:57 PM // 16:57

It occurs to me one's four weapon sets might be put to optimal use thus:

#1: Sundering Long/Flatbow of Enchanting* - For prepping/pulling/recovering after fights (no degen)
#2: Vampiric Shortbow** of Marksmanship - For general fighting
#3: Vampiric/Elemental*** Shortbow of Monsterslaying - For specific fighting
#4: Zealous Shortbow of Defense**** - For long fights/multiple fights with no break

- Use "Don't Think Twice" on #1 if you have any pre-combat spells (like EBSoH). A longbow will get you into the action as quickly as possible, whereas a flatbow will provide an extra second to run back to your heroes and swap before the fight starts.
- "I Have the Power" works well on #4 if you're waiting till the last minute to switch weapons, but if you swap sooner you can get away with a +15% inscription. Practicing this swap will enable you to maximize your average DPS.
- You can't go wrong with "Strength and Honor" on the vampiric bows. Depending on your build, you could use something like "Dance with Death" or "Guided by Fate"; however, the <5% of the time my health drops below 50% I'm either instantly healed or about to die, and since S&H doesn't depend on any skills you can save energy on recasts.
- Either perfect salvage different Of Slayings onto #3 as needed, or carry a few different slaying bows with you to any given area and equip them in that slot as needed. If this is too much trouble or you don't have über heroes, Defense will do instead (or Fortitude if you block a lot), and you'll only need 3 weapon sets. (Note: You can easily acquire Charrslaying, at least, from a collector in Piken Square for 3 Charr Carvings, or craft it at the weaponsmith in Eye of the North [outpost].)

* If you're using a conjure or Dwarven Stability, for example, the effect will carry over after you swap (and you'll only need to cast D.S. once per two activations of L.R.). If you have no enchantments, use Fortitude on #1 to help recover HP after a fight.
** It's true flatbows only rarely miss moving targets at far range (which a shortbow couldn't hit either); however, interrupts and shouts are both more effective with a shortbow. The former was designed for pulling, whereas during combat the extra range isn't needful; in fact you will want to be in the bubble of your heroes, whether casters or melee, so they attack when you do (and in those rare cases, it may be better to take a step forward and hit than to fire where you are and miss). Also, a shortbow gains energy through zealous/adrenaline (e.g. for "Save Yourselves!") half a second sooner, and ends fights half a second faster with the last shot; so, arguably, it has slightly more DPS.
*** Since some monsters have -20 AR vs. elemental dmg, it makes sense to use such a bowstring rather than vampiric. Specifically: Shocking of Tenguslaying, Fiery of Pruning, and Icy of Marksmanship (vs. Destroyers).
**** In my previous post I was employing the same logic whereby most people determine Sentinel's Insignias are the best for a warrior (resulting in 100 AR vs. both physical and elemental); however, +7 from Shelter grants maybe 1 extra dmg reduction over the +5 from Defense, and the latter works vs. anything, so it's really better.

(Tip: You can avoid hunting for a bow in your EQ pack by giving each one a unique appearance. As it happens, there's a skin suited to every mod. There's the Charrslayer Bow of course; and for example you could have a Bramble Bow of Pruning, an Undead Bow of Deathbane, a Tengu Bow of Tenguslaying, a Deldrimor Bow of Dwarfslaying, a Skull Bow of Skeletonslaying, a Norn Bow of Giantslaying, a Tormented Bow of Demonslaying, etc. This way you can tell at a glance which one you're looking for.)

Additional weapons:

- For a straight 'rupter build (probably the best role for a ranger hero), a Silencing Recurve.
- For PvP, a Poisonous Recurve of Fortitude.
- Reuse your elemental bows: an Icy string is better than vampiric against many monsters in the Fire Islands; fiery is also widely useful in the Shiverpeaks; and there's no Grawlslaying, but they are susceptible to Shocking damage.
- A vampiric flatbow of marksmanship can be useful for instances where you want the same DPS but a little more range. E.g. for hitting the Terrorweb Dryders up on the ledges in Tomb of the Primeval Kings; the Margonites on the walls in the City of Torc'Qua; or the tower guards in Riverside Province. (In each of these examples, due to the foe's height, the arc is actually helpful too.)

I'm pretty sure that covers general use/common areas. Anything else would be confined to one area (for example, using an elemental bow against Glint in the bonus for The Dragon's Lair), highly build-dependent (like using Judge's Insight to deal holy dmg), or a matter of personal preference (flatbow vs. longbow). Stats are stats however, so for anyone interested in performance this is likely as objective and concise a list as is possible to compile under the (inherently pretentious) category of "best bow."

/Close thread?