Curse

Stranger The Ranger · Apr 08, 2007, 01:20 PM // 13:20

~15 Marks
14 Expertise
Vamp Hornbow

[skill]Favorable Winds[/skill]
+
[skill]Read The Wind[/skill]
+
[skill]Penetrating Attack[/skill]
+
[skill]Quick Shot[/skill]
+
[skill]Sundering Attack[/skill]

Spam like this:
Penetrating -> Quick -> Sundering -> Quick -> Repeat

Rangers arent really designed for DPS... but yea, this works... kinda :P Just dont spam it too much or you'll be out of energy soon.
Pene/Sunder Attack are quite overlooked... both skills are quite decent, really.

Oh, and dont use Barrage... It's one of the most overrated skills in GW history =.= ... Well, it fails anywhere other then crouwded PvE Areas and certain farming builds...

Div · Apr 08, 2007, 01:44 PM // 13:44

Barrage/splinter for groups. Conjure flame+kindle+quick shot for single targets. Barbed arrows+poison arrow for heavy degen. Hammer+pet for all purpose damage.

Epinephrine · Apr 08, 2007, 01:51 PM // 13:51

Love how nobody reads his post.

He has ONLY PROPHECIES.

Why try to do high DPS anyway? Rangers excel at being flexible, offering shutdown and other bonuses.

If you want high-ish DPS using prophecies skills the preparation +quickshot stuff is ok, Barrage is super with grouped foes, but you may want to try something non-DPS based.

Try trapping for example, or maybe a choking gas build - it can be fun to shut down groups of foes, especially versus creatures like hydras that might otherwise tear inexperienced parties apart. I prefer my ranger to any other character, in part as I can play pretty much any role.

Ariena Najea · Apr 08, 2007, 03:10 PM // 15:10

Factions would be a good buy for you if you're getting another campaign, here's why.

In response to the [skill]Barrage[/skill] + [skill]Splinter Weapon[/skill] post earlier, it's absolutely devastating to large groups.

*Note these results ARE typical in high level areas, I routinely do even more damage in other areas.

Here's my generic build, which may be edited depending on the area you're using it in, note the interrupts for killing bosses and other tougher enemies. The build is only optimal when facing groups:

Barrage
Splinter Weapon
Distracting Shot
Savage Shot
Antidote Signet
Lighting Reflexes
Dodge
Flesh of my Flesh

Marksmanship 12 + 3 + 1
Expertise 8 + 1
Channeling Magic 10

For high level areas you should note most of your damage will come from the splinter, you may want to run 12 in expertise rather than marksmanship for longer Barrage spam.

Hope the build helps =D

Program Ftw · Apr 08, 2007, 03:52 PM // 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evilsod

What? Forked Shot is... useless. No really, its useless. Unless you really want to screw up your entire party set up by making sure you have no useful prot monk or bring Divert Hexes just for you.

The closest you'll get to a high DPS that doesn't rely on the enemy standing together just as you fire off a Barrage doesn't count. Splinter Weapon is useless is general PvE unles you know you'll be fighting large mobs that like to group. Barbed Arrows/Poison Arrow. -7 degen on everything in sight is very powerful, even if it doesnt look like it, but doing 14 damage a second on maybe 8 things has its merits (if you like to do damage that way anyway).

Prepared Shot ftw imo.

Forked Shot OWNNZZZZzzzz

Thanks,
Pr0gram~

XvArchonvX · Apr 08, 2007, 04:09 PM // 16:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epinephrine

Love how nobody reads his post.

He has ONLY PROPHECIES.

*puts on his reading glasses* Doh!!!

I still think that degen condition builds are a strong choice for a bow ranger. Barrage is of course a good option if you expect to encounter large amounts of grouped up mobs and along with [skill]conjure flame[/skill], [skill]mark of rodgort[/skill] and [skill]glyph of lesser energy[/skill] you can do some good AoE damage (about 9 att in fire is usually best for this setup and for use in PvE), but you will probably still want to keep this with a group that uses fiery weapons/spells for best results. When going against single enemies, I suggest Apply Poison. Punishing Shot is a good choice as well for both damage dealing and interuption. Just make sure you have a strong investment into expertise when you run like this. If possible, try to get 14 in expertise.

Div · Apr 08, 2007, 04:54 PM // 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epinephrine

Love how nobody reads his post.

Our education system doesn't focus very much on reading, only coming to conclusions

Bloodied Blade · Apr 08, 2007, 06:28 PM // 18:28

For single-target damage, I'd say probably [skill]dual shot[/skill] + [skill]kindle arrows[/skill] + [skill]favorable winds[/skill] + [skill]conjure flame[/skill] (on a fiery bow). It hits very, very hard. Throw in Quick Shot and you have some very high dps.

For AoE I'd just switch in [skill]Barrage[/skill] as your elite, dump kindle (useless w/barrage) and bring [skill]Mark of Rodgort[/skill].

edited for skill pics, oh...and its Forked *Arrow*...not 'shot', that's why it didn't work on the pic ([skill]Forked Arrow[/skill])

ume kurosaki · Apr 12, 2007, 07:37 AM // 07:37

granted i know rangers don't do high dps, the most i can do is

prepared shot {E}
keen shot
crossfire
an increase attack speed here
RTW
defense skill
heal skill
and rez

took a vamp hornbow along for this

you could probably take out one of the attack skills for marauders. I think I ran a build without defence though (i do not recommend this) and took another attack. so with IAS and prep shot and constantly spamming skills..i do respectable damage. It's not enough, though. I preferred running burning arrow with interrupts.

then again, with defense, it leaves you hungry for more attacks, and without defense, well, again i don't recommend that.

for proph only: try out barrage, despite the hate it gets. Also, cap Punishing shot, it's a great skill. As listed in the previous posts, poison arrow is great for spreading conditions. quick shot + apply posion is good too.

from my perspective, even though I know I listed a damage build, rangers are a very good support class with their interrupts and conditions.

hope this helped.

- ume

Benster · Apr 13, 2007, 03:25 PM // 15:25

If you are either using hench or in groups, as a ranger you might think about being more of a utility class instead of a damage dealer. Ranger's have great interrupt ability and conditions. I keep the following three skills on my build always unless doing very specialized tasks:

[skill]Broad Head Arrow[/skill]
[skill]Tiger's Fury[/skill]
[skill]Throw Dirt[/skill]

The first two when combined with a short bow can completely shut down a casting class (ele, mes, some necros, some dervishes, and most significantly monks) while your teammates or henches do the damage.

Throw Dirt with decent expertise can shut down melee classes for a respectable amount of time as well. Then throw in any damage skills you want. Apply Poison is always a plus too.

Note: Broadhead is from Factions, so if you are still only in Prophecies it won't help you, but you can take choking gas or something else with similar capabilities.

Evilsod · Apr 13, 2007, 04:52 PM // 16:52

Oopsy, missed the proph only bit

I guess that means your stuck with Barrage related builds. Penetrating Shot is sadly the best you'll get in Prophecies... even though its absolutely crap compared to the Nightfall and Factions bow skills, the Proph ones really need a buff.

exaN · Apr 27, 2007, 04:17 PM // 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by drupal

Please, don't talk shit. GftE/Splinter Barrager on mobs and Vow of Strength + RtW + Heket Rampage on single targets.

True. Those are my favorite ranger general PvE builds:

[skill]Vow of Strength[/skill][skill]Heket's Rampage[/skill][skill]Read the Wind[/skill][skill]Vital Boon[/skill][skill]Signet of Pious Light[/skill][skill]Favorable Winds[/skill][skill]Antidote Signet[/skill][skill]Resurrection Signet[/skill]

[skill]Fevered Dreams[/skill][skill]Apply Poison[/skill][skill]Pin Down[/skill][skill]Concussion Shot[/skill][skill]Screaming Shot[/skill][skill]Serpent's Quickness[/skill][skill]Troll Unguent[/skill][skill]Resurrection Signet[/skill]

Very good DPS

.

Nkah Sennyt · Apr 27, 2007, 05:46 PM // 17:46

Guys, read his post. He only has Proph. That means don't suggest non-Proph stuff. Try to help the dude out.

zling · Apr 27, 2007, 06:19 PM // 18:19

it's true that Rangers arent the king of DPS, they arent meant to but there are ways, even with just Prophecies to deal a hefty amount of damage. as people here have said Barrage is the most popular option(especially coupled with the new Factions and Nightfall skills) but even without them... however non of you mentioned the Trapper!!!
trapping can deal a large pack of damage to an area and you can continue doing so endlessly, assuming you have the elite [skill]Oath Shot[/skill](Prophecies only so dont worry) to keep recharging your traps.
basically you have [skill]Dust Trap[/skill] [skill]Flame Trap[/skill] and [skill]Barbed Trap[/skill] as your traps and Oath Shot to keep recharging them. the rest is utility. you can go /Mes for [skill]Mantra of Resolve[/skill] to neglect the "easily interruptable" while you lay the traps, especially useful for offensive trapping, which means you go to the mob and trap around them. while less useful and needed for defensive trapping, luring the mob to your traps. you can bring spirits such as [skill]Energizing Winds[/skill] to reduce the cost of your traps, you dont care about the extra recharge due to Oath Shot, [skill]Muddy Terrain[/skill] to slow down your enemies and keep them inside your traps, [skill]Healing Spring[/skill] or [skill]Troll Unguent[/skill] as your self heal and whatever else you want, condition removal such as [skill]Antidote Signet[/skill] or something from a secondary profession is also highly recommended.

XvArchonvX · Apr 27, 2007, 08:40 PM // 20:40

While trappers in theory can deal strong damage, their dps in practice is generally low since it relies on an enemy standing in a trap for a long period of time. Also, muddy terrain is generally a bad idea to use as a snare since it hinders your party just as much as the enemy. It's really a skill that only finds use in certain PvP builds that aren't very mobile. Mantra of Resolve also isn't a very good option anymore since it got nerfed a long while back even though it used to be an excellent choice. Oath Shot with Whirling is really the only legitimate way to trap with Prophecies only skills unless you are using a specific farming build (which is where trapping is used the most anyways).

If Factions and Prophecies is available, Enraged Lunge with Brutal Strike does some excellent single target dps and paired with Otygh's Cry, it is unblockable as well.

Falconer · Apr 27, 2007, 10:13 PM // 22:13

I have to agree... traps are nice. But they're best described as 90s of prep and 5s of cold stark terror especially when farming. The ONLY trap which really contributes and stacks up for DPS purposes is dust trap. All the rest are reliant on the conditions they spread as their primary damage vector. And any conditoin based attack is fundamentally limited in it's DPS by the degen limits. And it doesn't matter how many times you apply burning per second it's still only 14dps... (max of 20dps no matter how many conditions you add).

Dust trap is best for damage and utility (it better at 2.5x the normal 10 energy cost!), w/ flame trap a close second. But flame traps frankly don't stack up well. Neither to barbed or spike traps or that BM poison trap that nobody uses! All the rest of the traps are much moreso utility skills (daze, blind, cripple, knockdown.... or very weak degen bleed/poison).

I disagree that oath is the only way to go w/ prophecies. Ever since the 20->25s nerf I feel it's somewhat subpar and only marginally usefull for fast charging 60s recharge spirits... it's utility for fast recharging traps w/ a lower recharge than it has been hurt as well as it's old ability to constantly keep whirling up for an eternity if you used it immediately after activating the stance.

You can make a pretty decent combat trapper using 2 non-elite defensive stances. EG: whirling + Lighting for prophecies only, then pack 4 traps. If you use LR first... it gives you plenty of time to lay 4 traps (including an elite one like spike or smoke), when they cycle switch up to whirling and do it again (whirlings longer duration means it's still there when dust trap finally decides to recycle too)... and w/ LR's 30s recharge now, it'll be ready agian for the 3rd set of traps. (not many fights go for longer than a minute in PvE... and in PvP this is still pretty teneble as you have 41s of 75% block every 60s. 66% uptime on a 75% defense is pretty good. Alternatively natural stride works well in there too if you need kiting ability and are willing to accept the higher chance of interupts w/ 50% block over 75%.

Really, if you're after straight DPS about the only way to go is to add a pet to another weapon... spear, bow, hammer.... it's the closest thing to 'dual wielding' in the game if you view the pet as an off-hand weapon. However in order to do so, you'll be giving up almost all your utility in the process.

Even rage as one still functions on a R/P running adrenal attack skills plus a pet. If you give up the vamp spear for a zealous you can really rake in the energy at the same time as well.

Evilsod · Apr 28, 2007, 12:12 AM // 00:12

Yeah tbh if your gonna play Ranger you need the other campaigns. While i loved playing mine in Prophecies... in comparison the skills for it are absolutely bollocks now. Barely any of the bow attack skills get a mention anymore.

Marverick · Apr 28, 2007, 12:22 AM // 00:22

I'd suggest a Thumper then. The skills are all prophecies.
Bow damage isn't really useable without Prepared + Penetrating + Sundering Shot.

Beastmaster 10+3+1
Expertise 8+1
Hammer Mastery 12

Ferocious Strike {e}
Tiger's Fury
Counter Blow
Crushing Blow
Brutal Strike
Call of Haste
Comfort Animal
Charm Animal

jon0592 · Apr 28, 2007, 02:20 PM // 14:20

I would buy Nightfall over Factions for skills like

[skill]burning arrow[/skill] or [skill]prepared shot[/skill]

But then again Factions has its skills...

[skill]glass arrows[/skill] or [skill]broad head arrow[/skill]

Sophitia Leafblade · Apr 30, 2007, 01:17 PM // 13:17

For a Prophecies only one i go:

[skill]Echo[/skill][skill]Dual Shot[/skill][skill]Penetrating attack[/skill][skill]Savage Shot[/skill][skill]Read The Wind[/skill][skill]Favorable Winds[/skill][skill]Comfort Animal[/skill][skill]Charm Animal[/skill]

With a Vampiric Hornbow.

U can echo one of the attacks (normally Dual shot, Penetrating when in High AL areas, Or Savage when in large amount of Casters areas)