Curse

CHUIU · Jul 29, 2006, 12:29 AM // 00:29

So here I was farming faction with my monk and I get stuck with 3 rangers.

R/A
R/P
R/W

Guess what they were? Daggers, Beastmaster with Spear, and Thumper. Now its nice ANET likes to introduce unique builds to get us thinking about skills (see R/P and R/A) but the best Rangers I've ever seen in this game have been ones packing bows and either running spike builds or interrupt builds. Thumper is the best of these 3 builds but it tends to lack the damage a hammer warrior can dish out so it relies too greatly on kd's. Rangers with daggers never delt much damage to begin with. And the R/P build is just as weak as the dagger build.

I would love to see rangers using bows again! Please think of your profession. :O

Oh yeah, and every Paragon build lacks one critical thing people might want to consider when making one ... none of the builds meet the minimum req for their shields. You need 9 Command or Motivation (2 more for both P/ builds to meet the req or 9 more for the R/P build to meet the req).

Mega Storm · Jul 29, 2006, 12:33 AM // 00:33

Rangers still use bows. You have to think about where you were and what you were doing for starters. FF Ranger builds do not require a bow, and their builds are set to farm faction more efficently not use a bow for any reason at all. Hope it sheds some light.

CHUIU · Jul 29, 2006, 12:37 AM // 00:37

Yeah but not a single one of those builds is more effective than a cripshot or interrupt ranger, even in CA. I'm sure a touch ranger (another ranger that doesnt use a bow - go figure) would have been effective but they're always on the opposing team for some reason (just my luck).

some guy · Jul 29, 2006, 12:46 AM // 00:46

i use a bow, but my profession build looks like a touch ranger.

i only picked necromancer for the flesh golem which i'm gonna cap today

KamikazeChicken · Jul 29, 2006, 12:51 AM // 00:51

You havn't been watching R/P being played correctly, if you think they're weak. o.O Most rangers tend to be thumpers (possibly soon to be R/P with Nightfall, but we'll cross that bridge when it gets here), but there are still a lot of normal crip shot rangers running around. >.>

Saix The Spartan · Jul 29, 2006, 12:51 AM // 00:51

I remember you, i was in that group. I was the Thumper,i agred with you.

shadowfell · Jul 29, 2006, 01:32 AM // 01:32

Of course rangers still use bows.. how else would they manage to fire off oath shot every 25 seconds....

Puolian · Jul 29, 2006, 02:19 AM // 02:19

[edit] Lol didn't read the subject correctly. :P

Curse You · Jul 29, 2006, 03:54 AM // 03:54

I notice many rangers hardly ever use a bow in PvP, and most of the ones that do just get killed by melee attackers.

It seems that a combination of bows not being very good against other people (they just run up to you) and the fact that expertise is so powerful when it comes to non-spell skills.

XvArchonvX · Jul 29, 2006, 04:05 AM // 04:05

Ranger still use Bows, but they are one of the primary classes that is blessed enough in versatility that they can play the role of other primary professions just as well and sometimes better with the right build.

I personally prefer my love my ranger characters (working on a 3rd one now =P), and generally use my bow, even in PvP. However I have liked running a R/A from time to time since I find I have more success with this build than any primary Assasin builds I have ever tried.

SnipiousMax · Jul 29, 2006, 03:54 PM // 15:54

R/A, R/P, R/W. All three very solid builds, and require a certain finesse in order to get the most out of them. You must have been incredibly lucky this weekend to not have faced a pack hunter group. I went 20 in a row with a dual dervish/ dual paragon group. We took down pressure, hex, balanced, etc. But the group that finally took us down was the Pack hunter group. It's a very solid build. R/A's you'll either hate them or love them. R/W's are devestating in the right situations. The fact that they can launch a knockdown as often as they do is very crippling. They are very good for pressure, not so great for spiking.

Now, all that said, I think the single greatest PvP Ranger build is the Cripshot/Apply Ranger. And sadly, every other ranger build will be held to that standard!

Sha Noran · Jul 29, 2006, 05:12 PM // 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHUIU

Thumper is the best of these 3 builds but it tends to lack the damage a hammer warrior can dish out so it relies too greatly on kd's.

Untrue, regarding the idea that it doesn't dish out suffecient damage. Intelligent use of your skills and Primary attribute allow you to spam Energy costing skills such as Irresistable Blow much more frequently than a Warrior can. Combine this with the possibility of having a furry companion, and you've got... quite a lot of damage.

That said, Ranger's with bows are far from dead; it's simply important to realize that you've really got to use the right build for the right situation. A solo spiker build (i.e. Conjure Flame/Dual/Savage/Punish/Kindle/Vamp) is not going to beat a Boon-Prot in RA even, if they've got themselves together. A Thumper, R/P or even R/A applies much more effecient pressure in the situation you faced (according to the information you've provided).

Try some Choking Gas/Practiced with an IAS. That will pretty much own the grand majority of RA Casters that don't know what's going on.

Delillo · Jul 31, 2006, 04:37 AM // 04:37

I have more fun playing melee rangers

esp this weekend with my Bunny Chucker, I mean, Pack Hunter.

.defekt · Jul 31, 2006, 07:41 AM // 07:41

Haha. Just goes to show that you can play anything with a Ranger

XvArchonvX · Jul 31, 2006, 08:05 AM // 08:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnipiousMax

Now, all that said, I think the single greatest PvP Ranger build is the Cripshot/Apply Ranger. And sadly, every other ranger build will be held to that standard!

Agreed. From all the builds I have tried, I gotta admit that the interupt/poison/crippling builds I tried always brought the most success. The Crippling Shot did make the skill a little harder to manage, but it still works fine.

Orange Milk · Aug 01, 2006, 01:57 PM // 13:57

I still use a bow, in fact I run R/N, but not a toucher, I've never run a toucher.

I keep getting kicked from AB teams latley for not being a toucher, I just laugh.

I use Necro second for the healing aspects, I run a low e build for attacks then use Soul Feast and/or Taste of Pain to heal. There are always corpses around as well as opponets under 50% health, and with the low e atacks I have the energy to cast Soul feast twice in a row if need be getting back over 300 hp in 3 or 4 seconds

Darkpower Alchemist · Aug 01, 2006, 02:00 PM // 14:00

In PvE,I have used my Ranger for Crowd Control. I now employ Barrage/Splinter weapon in Factions. It does awesome damage when facing the large groups that tend to be the norm there.

I switch builds in PvP situations, such as Punishing Shot/Distract/Savage/Needling/Read the Wind for pure abusive power. Put apply in there instead of read,and its a poison build, or hunter's shot to make them bleed, and your master archer is at the top of the food chain.

The Bow is the weapon that the ranger is made for, but rangers are just so good at other things,too. I have been a smite ranger, and that worked really well in certain places dealing with undead.

Touchers are solid in the since of team play. Can't fault a solid parasitic build like the toucher from catching on.

A spear weilding ranger may be interesting,if played properly, as for any Ranger alternative build. It's not the weapon that changes the tide of a battle,but the person wielding it!