Ranger Farming Guide

There are many farming threads for monks and warriors out there, but hardly any for rangers. Often I have seen the question: "What is a good farming build for a ranger." Most of the time people answer: "Uhhh... lay traps I guess." While trapping does work, it is painfully slow. I'm an advocate of finding more creative (and efficient) ways to farm as a ranger. I have done a lot of experimenting and have found methods that work.

I've decided to contribute my ideas in the hope that people will start to find more creative farming builds.

Without further ado... here goes...

The Ettin Farmer

This build works well for farming the ettins in North Kryta.


R/ME - (Drakescale Armor)

Domination: 10
Inspiration: 3
Expertise: 10 (sup rune)
Wilderness: 12 (min rune)
Marks: 9 (min rune) (mask)


-Troll Unguent
-Apply Poison
-Hunters Shot
-Ignorance
-Dodge
-Storm Chaser
-Elemental Resistance
-Greater Conflagration

You will laugh at the ettins as they try to hurt you... Greater Conflagration + Drakescale armor + elemental resistance means the ettins will be doing ~ 3 - 8 damage to you per swing, except for irresistable blow ~30. To make this work, simply put up greater conflagration (out of aggro range of course), then fire up elemental resistance. Use apply poison and hunters shot the first ettin as it runs at you. Use ignorance to deny them the use of signets. With practice you will learn when the best time to use ignorance is. Dodge and storm chaser are there in case you mess up and have to run. They are also useful for avoiding tengu / blogs / mergoyles en route to the ettins.

Here is a screenie:
Ranger Ettin Farm.jpg

Edit: Cleaned up thread by deleting some of my posts and moving the info up

As per request I have added more screenies showing the path.


The first half of the run Bergen -> North Kryta
(Don't fight anything here just use storm chaser, dodge, and troll ungent to get past the tengu)
run1.jpg


The second half North Kryta -> Scoundrel's
(Farm Ettins on the way, avoid blogs and mergoyles while you are fighting the ettins)
run2.jpg

Then just keep going back and forth North Kryta following the route.


Also I have a modified version of the build:

Same Specs, but replace apply poison and hunters with:
-Kindle arrows
-Empathy

now it takes no more than one minute to down a mob.

Good luck!

Edit Again Revised build

best I've found so far

Expertise 15 (sup rune) + hat
Wilderness 12 (min rune)
Marks 9 (min rune) (my bow req 9)
Inspiration 3

-Kindle
-Point Blank Shot
-Distracting shot (better than savage because it eliminates ability to reuse sig)
- Same damage negation, running, and healing skills as before

This is the fastest I've found so far with this style of build.

If people like this guide... I may consider submitting my sand drake farming build. Good luck!

When it comes to mitigating damage my vote would be Throw Dirt + Oath Shot. The rest of the buildset is up to the individual. If you are going to invest so much into Dom why not use Empathy, Throw Dirt, Oath Shot, etc.

Throw Dirt
Distracting Shot
Penetrating Shot
Dust Trap
Barbed Trap
Oath Shot
Storm Chaser
Troll Ungent

Quote: Originally Posted by Vexed Arcanist

well... it seems obvious that that build works, however....

you are doing base bow dmg the majority of the time to kill ettins, with occasional dmg spikes from hunters shot, and slow degen from poison; so wouldnt that take FOREVER to kill anything? In my eyes a 4-5 ettin mob seems like it would take around 10-15 minutes. Hmm, not sure if its worth the effort.

But hey, if its fun to you, then enjoy! Cheers to creativity!

EDIT:: And now to offer something more constructive. Try squeezing in a trap or two, keep your core idea for tanking, but add say flame trap or dust trap, for for dmg output. I dont believe they use interrupts, and since you will be tanking multiple enemies at once, a trap would do AoE dmg before they had time to react (btw, do monstas run from traps?)

Quote: Originally Posted by Batou of Nine

can you make a video or show a map of where the ettens are ^^ i know they are around hotsprings or bettletun ^^

Quote: Originally Posted by munkieix

please and thank you ^^ i wanna make use of my ranger lol

cool thanks ^^

A little off-topic but Mob = Mobile Object in rpgspeak, not a group of anything. A single enemy would be a mob.

Yes, nice guide! I will use it when my ranger gets to a higher level.

i have expremented u should take out ignorance and put in savage shot ^^ more damage .. only use savage when u see heal sig ... no heal sig and more damage and less energy ^^

Quote: Originally Posted by RoF

Just use ignite arrows....the AoE scares the sand drakes...

why don't you use epidemic with throw dirt + oath shot? it's very iffecient and also works with dazed from concussion shot and skull crack in FoW if u carry a mesmer or SS necrop in FoW that is.

Epidemic seems the best way to work with blind (in my opinion) and should work better than just spamming throw dirt.

baconsoda: using epidemic you'd be assuming that the enemies would be adjacent to one another (which is the spell's AoE). Interesting thing is that Throw Dirt's AoE is to enemies adjacent your target as well.

.. so it'd be a bit redundant to use a 15 energy cost spell to spread a condition that (assuming this character is being mobbed, and the ettins are surrounding him).. reapplies what has already been applied.

Meh, I'd rather go with Poison Arrow + Kindle. Add in Penetrating and Dsitracting and it's less than a minute for each group of three.

I usually farmed Ettins using Barrage, but no more than 3 Ettins for one fight. I tried many builds usually taking Throw Dirt and Lightning Reflexes + Short Bow. To enhance damage (no preparations with Barrage) I used Favorable Winds (spirit gives dmg and additionally twice faster arrows) and for example Conjure Flame, Frost, Lightning for R/E (depends on bow string used) + Armor of Frost, Armor of Earth (those skills don't need many AP for huge armor, best if both used). Another idea is R/Mo Barrager with Vampiric Bow, Mending on +3 (to reduce -1 regen from Vampiric and give additional +2 to regen) and Vigorious Spirit + Throw Dirt, Lightning Reflexes also. Vigorious Spirit is also used to cover Mending on Tengu Wild (vs. Shatter Enchantment skill). For this build also Short Bow is best choice.

Hey, one question, is farming ettins like the best?
So, I can get WAY better stuff from ettins than farming the whole magumma jungle from ventari's going to reed bog to the falls?

Try R/Mo with Barrage, Lightning Reflexes, Throw Dirt, Troll Unguent, Vigorious Spirit, Mending, Favorable Winds, Dodge. Use Short Bow with Vampiric String 5/-1. Shot 3 Ettins at one time using Barrage all the time with stops only to recast Vigorious Spirit, Throw Dirt or Lightning Reflexes. Favorable Winds before fight. Unlucky 3 Ettins at once is max probably but killing all 3 takes about 35-45 seconds (and you get hp constantly on each shot from all 3 Ettins by using Vigorious Spirit and Vampiric String). Another idea is Live Vicariously and Vigorious Spirit but without Mending and Vampiric String. And take at least 13 Expertise for the price of Barrage at 2 mana. Dodge and Troll Unguent use only if there will be any problems (to escape or just heal). Remember you don't need high Wilderness Survival for the use of Troll Unguent (only 4 AP gives +5 regen). Don't remember exact numbers in AP now but it was probably: Marksmanship 12 or even higher, 13 or 14 Expertise, Healing 8-10, rest in Wilderness Survival (8 in Healing gives +3 in Mending but 10 is better without Mending, when using Live Vicariously + Vigorious Spirit). And don't be afraid to use 2 Superiors (Marksmanship and Expertise) if lacking on AP points.

I must once check the idea of using R/Me with Elemental Resistance and Greater Conflagration (but no Barrage with it ((, so no such fast killing). I tried once using Barrage with Conjure skills from Elementalist, also using Armor of Frost + Armor of Earth for max armor, that was also really nice on Ettins.

All my ideas give huge chance of survive only with 3 Ettins at once. More than 3 is a bit of problem.