Curse

Shadowlion · Dec 11, 2010, 07:05 AM // 07:05

I am thinking about play a ranger, my main char got some good bow string, especially the vampiric and silencing, which one will be the best for Barrage ranger?

MidnightOokami · Dec 11, 2010, 07:29 AM // 07:29

I would always suggest using a zealous bow string (the one that gives you one energy a hit). You would be able to spam Barrage as long as you hit about two or three monsters with Expertise added in. Vampiric I wouldn't probably use unless I was very desperate for health gain but your monks should be good enough doing the healing unless you just want to make their lives easier. That's really up to you though, I just always forget that I have multiple other weapons on the weapon slots so I just go with a zealous bow if I plan to Barrage and just forget about it.

Caw521 · Dec 11, 2010, 07:31 AM // 07:31

Silencing won't do you much if you're running barrage, as concussion shot is the only non elite bow attack that can potentially daze. Vampiric may be useful in large mobs where you can steal much more health than in trash mobs. Personally, I usually use zealous bows while barraging large mobs to offer more spammability, but it really depends what kind of barrager you're looking at (conjure barrage, splinter barrage, SY barrage, ect).

*Edit*

Err, yeah, vamp bows with splinter weapon are just fun to watch the screen explode with blue and numbers.

End · Dec 11, 2010, 07:34 AM // 07:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidnightOokami

I would always suggest using a zealous bow string (the one that gives you one energy a hit). You would be able to spam Barrage as long as you hit about two or three monsters with Expertise added in. Vampiric I wouldn't probably use unless I was very desperate for health gain but your monks should be good enough doing the healing unless you just want to make their lives easier. That's really up to you though, I just always forget that I have multiple other weapons on the weapon slots so I just go with a zealous bow if I plan to Barrage and just forget about it.

Vampiric isn't about the health gain...it's about the added dps. Which stacks up when your hitting multiple targets.

Captain Bulldozer · Dec 11, 2010, 07:36 AM // 07:36

There isn't really a "best" bow string to use with barrage. With zealous you'll generally gain a good amount of energy, which is useful for other skills you might have on your bar (especially for fueling some of the PvE only skills which are not affected by expertise).

With Vampiric you'll do 5 more dmg per hit and gain as much life for each hit.

Also a good option CAN be an elemental bow string if used with a conjure spell of the same damage type (i.e. lightning bowstring with conjure lightning on your bar). This can really kick up the damage output a good deal, unless you're fighting something with resistance to that kind of dmg.

Even sundering CAN be useful, but the others are more so. Don't use silencing with barrage, as it will do practically nothing. It only affects daze, so consider using it with skills that cause daze (like Broad Head Arrow).

Amy Awien · Dec 11, 2010, 09:17 AM // 09:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowlion

... the vampiric and silencing, which one will be the best for Barrage ranger?

Vampiric, zealous only if you find you are running short on energy - which shouldn't happen.

You can use the silencing string on another bow, for those occasions that you use Broad Head Arrow or Concussion Shot.

Edit: On a side note, strings that increase condition duration also 'work' with skills that apply these conditions without bow, such as You Move Like a Dwarf!, Technobabble and Epidemic.

Xsiriss · Dec 11, 2010, 10:48 AM // 10:48

I find zealous better for HM where you'll obviously have to use mroe energy to take enemeis down, but it never hurts to make sure you have a vamp bow when there are less/unbunched enemies.

Faure · Dec 11, 2010, 11:41 AM // 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by End

Vampiric isn't about the health gain...it's about the added dps. Which stacks up when your hitting multiple targets.

That^

My favourite barrage-string as well.

Balky · Dec 11, 2010, 12:40 PM // 12:40

Hornbow with sundering string and splinter weapon is actually very effective with barrage.

You`ve got a min of 10% armour pen on every arrow spiking to 30% at times

RedDog91 · Dec 11, 2010, 01:03 PM // 13:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balky

Hornbow with sundering string and splinter weapon is actually very effective with barrage.

You`ve got a min of 10% armour pen on every arrow spiking to 30% at times

customize it and now you got +30% always and a max of +50%
same for all other bows except its +20% with max of +40%

Balky · Dec 11, 2010, 01:08 PM // 13:08

Customising just adds to the damage not the armour pen though.

RedDog91 · Dec 11, 2010, 03:01 PM // 15:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balky

Customising just adds to the damage not the armour pen though.

I'm working on 30 minutes of sleep over the past 2 and half days.
I can make mistakes

Bandwagon · Dec 11, 2010, 04:13 PM // 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balky

Hornbow with sundering string and splinter weapon is actually very effective with barrage.

You`ve got a min of 10% armour pen on every arrow spiking to 30% at times

Unless your dealing with foes stacking upwards of 180 AL, the 10% armor pen does not make up for the fact that the hornbow attacks every 2.7 seconds, while Long/Recurve is 2.4 and Short/Flat is 2.0.

Assuming no IAS (the IAS will clip your auto attacks every other barrage), Short and Flatbows are the ideal barrage bow. Then again, barrage was never really the ideal ranger damage bar.

To the OP: Keep a minimum of two bows on you, one with Zealous, the other with Vamp. Use Zealous when you need more energy, use Vamp when you don't so you deal more damage.

Thock · Dec 11, 2010, 04:36 PM // 16:36

Don't forget elemental strings, a lot of mobs have 20-60 less armor against elemental than physical. There are also mobs that take more damage from certain elements such as destroyers.

Shadowlion · Dec 11, 2010, 04:50 PM // 16:50

I don't have zealous and perfect sundering(15%), got fire, earth, vampiric and increase all the durations.

Chthon · Dec 11, 2010, 08:20 PM // 20:20

Best string for Barrage is to sit in vamp and swap to zealous if you need energy.

Why vamp? Because it adds the most damage.

Re Zealous: Generally zealous is bad for bows because they barely shoot fast enough to make up for the lost pip of e-regen, much less make a significant gain. Barrage changes that equation with its multiple arrows/shot.

RE hornbow: They stink. The slow refire rate is fatally bad. The one sort-of exception is Barrage. Because Barrage is on a 2sec recharge (and because of the way the timing works for activation and recharge on bow attacks), you only need to get down to a firing speed of 2sec/shot to take maximum advantage of Barrage. That's possible with a hornbow at >= 25% IAS.

Balky · Dec 12, 2010, 05:25 PM // 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowlion

I don't have zealous and perfect sundering(15%), got fire, earth, vampiric and increase all the durations.

Hit me up ingame, got a few spare strings i can give you

Balkarra Dmort IGN

LifeInfusion · Dec 12, 2010, 09:02 PM // 21:02

I'd echo the others here: Vampiric, Zealous are the only things I would run with Barrage.

Zealous is only good with Barrage since it hits multiple targets and also has 1 second activation. The only thing that can compare activation wise + recharge wise is Quickshot spam, which is bad.

I have quite a few Zealous bow strings. I can give one to you.

gw_poster · Dec 13, 2010, 04:44 PM // 16:44

I don't use barrage except for specific builds/farms, but when I do I'll run a zealous bowstring typically (for mass mob missions - consulate docks comes to mind, or "elite" like urgoz, etc.), or a fiery bowstring for really specific farm builds where conjure flame is used (dragon moss, for example)

since damage stacking was mentioned, I have this question: do the following damage modifiers/buffs all stack?:

+25% BUH! (at r10 deldrimor)
+15 hp EBSoH (at r10 ebon)
+13 hp conjure flame (at 8 fire magic)
+20% pruning bowgrip
+15% (over 50% health)
+20% customized
+19 hp barrage (at 14 marks)
+15-28 max damage bow

I come up with 104.96 damage given a max hit of +28 on the bow...if an enemy is more susceptible to fire [plants (dragon moss), for instance] what extra damage does that imply - or does that just mean a higher probability of a critical hit - which, in that case is another damage buff of ~1.4x the bow's max damage of 28hp...so for all you math majors - what is the maximum damage one arrow will do to one target with all of the above (I got -116.16)

Kunder · Dec 13, 2010, 05:20 PM // 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by gw_poster

I don't use barrage except for specific builds/farms, but when I do I'll run a zealous bowstring typically (for mass mob missions - consulate docks comes to mind, or "elite" like urgoz, etc.), or a fiery bowstring for really specific farm builds where conjure flame is used (dragon moss, for example)

since damage stacking was mentioned, I have this question: do the following damage modifiers/buffs all stack?:

+25% BUH! (at r10 deldrimor)
+15 hp EBSoH (at r10 ebon)
+13 hp conjure flame (at 8 fire magic)
+20% pruning bowgrip
+15% (over 50% health)
+20% customized
+19 hp barrage (at 14 marks)
+15-28 max damage bow

I come up with 104.96 damage given a max hit of +28 on the bow...if an enemy is more susceptible to fire [plants (dragon moss), for instance] what extra damage does that imply - or does that just mean a higher probability of a critical hit - which, in that case is another damage buff of ~1.4x the bow's max damage of 28hp...so for all you math majors - what is the maximum damage one arrow will do to one target with all of the above (I got -116.16)

AFAIK all of the % increases except for BUH will only apply to the base bow damage of 15-28 + critical hit rate. I'm getting around 140ish damage as the max assuming critical hit and that the target has 60 armor.