"The upfront ranger"
by Adam Walter/Mousemaster
(PLEASE read the FAQ and/or have some basic knowledge of the game mechanics before reading this guide, or else a few terms may be confusing)
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9/2/02
I am no longer playing DAoC, and my guide here will be deleted when I leave the University of Delaware... but it won't be gone for good. See my Grouping guide for info on where this guide will end up...
Oh, and I would like to have a word with all the naysayers out there:
HA!
When I first wrote this guide, I was getting feedback like "That strat is stupid, A ranger's true power is stealth and bow". Now, this template and slight variations thereof is the most popular ranger strat out there, due to changes in buffs and stealth. I hope everyone who told me I was an idiot 10 months ago is feeling good about themselves now... a shame I won't be around to see their faces.
And no, I never got a chance to experiment with Realm Abilities. Oh well.
5/9/02
Despite the large numbers of patches that have changed the way a lot of skill work, I still find my ranger, in the style I describe here, to be just as effective as he has always been since day 1. Nerfs to buffs and boosts to CD cancelled each other out I guess ;P
However, with the new realm skills in place, I now feel I need to do some additional research into which skills would best suit this style of play. Since I stopped my ranger at 41.5 (to go play an alt Skald), I am only at Realm Rank 2L1, giving me only 11 Realm Skill Points to spend. I'll do what I think would be a good choice with them, and report my findings here. By all means, if there are any high realm-ranked Ginsu Rangers out there who have already trained some of their realm points and would like to offer feedback, please do. Remember, I'm after feedback on skills that benefit a GINSU ranger, not a stealth sniper :).
2/22/02
Version 1.0 - Lots of other websites ask to use this guide. I usually tell them go ahead, just don't modifiy the content in any way, and give me due credit. However, rather than just direct-linking to this files, they make copy of it and reformat it to look nicer. I have no problem with that, but that also means they never check back to look for updates. Hopefully, If I put changes up here rather than noted within the document, and people copy the version notes section to, it will remind them to come look every so often.
So without further ado, here it is, I dub thee version 1.0 :)
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DISCLAIMER: I have only ever played my classes in this style. I rarely, if ever, do anything with stealth... that is NOT TO SAY stealth is bad. In fact, stealth can be just as deadly in PvP as the bow you carry. I, however, always choose to play the "good" rouge; no sneaking, no pickpockets... just Trap detection and disarmament, along with a high output of offense (at any range) at the cost of Defense. That's just me... it's why I was a ranger in EQ, and again here. If this style of play is not for you, then please ask elsewhere for your strategy guide.
Now... onto the basics:
I) General
II) Skill point choices
III) PvE
IV) PvP
V) Advanced tricks and tactics
I) GENERAL
-> Class Selection
To start with, you will have to choose your class. Duh. You have 3 options of people you want to play as, if you want to be a ranger: celt, elf, and lurikeen.
The celt has the highest STR rating (for carrying purposes) and the highest CON rating (for higher HP counts over time). This is my personal choice for reasons I will describe later.
The Lurikeen has the highest DEX and QUI ratings, so they will be the best rangers at dealing out damage. These make great ginsu-grouping rangers, but their low hp causes them some solo difficulty.
The elf falls in between the other 2 choices in all categories... however, it is not a 1 to 1 rate: the elf sacrifices 5 extra points out of STR and CON and has them in INT instead. Since INT is of no current use to a ranger, for all intents and purposes, these 10 points have gone to waste.
Translation: if you want to live the longest, be a celt. If you want to be the most damaging ranger you can be, be a Lurikeen. And unless you have some incredible desire to RP an elf (which don't forget in this game means RP'ing that you have a distaste for celts and firbolgs and no nature ties whatsoever), you'd best off playing one of the other 2. Of course, having written this, Mythic will implement some way to make INT useful to a ranger... ;P.
I have found a rather huge number of people have decided to play elven rangers anyway... I asked a few, and they either tell me "because elves always have innate bow abilities" or "because the extra INT helps my fletching skill"... or even worse explanations than this. People, I know that almost every ranger you have ever played has been an elf, but they are different in this game. Don't choose them for reasons like "I like the look of them better". Not only are the 10 wasted points going to hurt you, they are also hurting your whole realm.
Also of note: I think that the INT does actually raise your total power pool, but since I can cast all of my buffs real fast and still have 20% of my power left over, there is no need for extra mana.
-> Starting points
Ok, you get to divide up 30 points. Given the way the game works, that means you can either put:
10 into 3 different stats
15 into 1 stat and 10 into another
18 into one stat.
The first and second are valid choices, but the 3rd is rather... stupid IMO. Since this is MY strategy guide, and I get to say what I think works best, here is my recommendation:
i) Choose 15 into DEX and 10 into QUI for maximum damage output, or
ii) 10 into DEX, 10 into CON, and the other 10 into either STR or QUI as you see fit.
(I will be going 10 each into DEX, STR, and CON)
Note: your primary skill is DEX, meaning you will gain 1 point of Dexterity every level after you become a Ranger at level 5. Your secondary stat is QUI, so you will gain 1 point every other level after 5. And your tertiary stat is STR, so you will get a point every 3rd level after 5.
I chose to put 10 points each into DEX, STR, and CON. For the ginsu ranger, I definitely recommend you do the same... hp is going to be a vital stat to you. In fact, you might even go so far as to put 10DEX and 15CON... Moreso for a celt than a lurikeen though, since celts are the ginsu's designed to take abuse, and lurikeens are the ones designed to deal the most of it.
-> What to do the first 5 levels
Just fight stuff, but make sure you talk to your stalker trainer after each level to see if any quests have opened up for you.
Also, at level 3, make sure you upgrade your weapon from the newbie dagger you are given to something that cons yellow to a level 3. Don't worry, you will have the money. Also, the newbie monsters will drop pathetic armor, but armor nonetheless, so you should have at least SOME armor by level 3. You shouldn't need to worry about your armor till you upgrade from Stalker to Ranger (AKA level 5)
DO NOT spend ANY skill points for your first 5 levels. Wait until you have changed into a Ranger before doing so. That way you will have your Bow skill available to train some of the points from your first 5 levels into.
-> Equipment
Even though I am an archer class, I don't find myself dying OR spending enough on arrows to ever end up in money troubles. Figures. As such, you should be able to afford all con-yellow equipment all the time. Exception: Quest stuff works well while it's blue too, so don't chuck any quest equipment until it's either been blue for 5 levels or it goes green. If you do end up in a money pinch, go find some green con mobs to knock over for lots of easy money.
II) Skill point + playstyle choices
My choices are all bow-centric. This is because rangers, even though they can do more melee damage than a blademaster (if properly trained and not counting Triplewield), can not take NEARLY the abuse a tank is required to do. True, an all-melee ranger can still fire his bow for fair damage, but trying to be a no-bow ranger late in life will get you no groups, and your solo ability will be limited to low yellow tops. Further, you won't have much of a role in PvP. So I'd strongly advise against it.
-> The survivor (*giggle*)
-be a celt
-MAX BOW
-High pathfinding skill (75-85% of your level)
-Training in 1 weapon of your choice (blades or pierce), to a level of your choosing, but no less than 30% of your level.
*I giggle because expecting a ranger to tank under any circumstance is pretty funny... but for PvE purposes, if done right, it can be effective*
The theory behind this is you will be using a Shield in your offhand. This has a tradeoff effect: the downside is, your melee output will be lower than your normal ginsu ranger. The upsides are that at least a shield will block a small amount of attacks at you, but more importantly if you choose to only do 30-40% training in the weapon skill, you will have some points left over. Given the other skills are pretty covered, this means you, indeed, will have a small Stealth ability. It won't help your PvE much, and most good enemy thieves will be able to see you in PvP anyway, but its still better than having no stealth if you plan on trying to hide from PvP opponents. Do note: the 6th pierce skill is pretty decent, so you will still be doing some fair melee damage, just not as much as...
-> The Ginsu machine
This is me in a nutshell. It goes like this:
-MAX BOW
-High pathfinding (at least 36 at level 50)
-A fairly high dual wield rating
-fair training in the weapon style of your choice
This strat will not leave you with many points left over, so stealth is all but out completely (unless you use the points from the 1/2 levels after 40, but then you won't be a ginsu ranger, you will be the standard one everyone plays :). And many people also say that Celic Dual (CD) is not a very worthwhile skill, and I have to partially agree with that. But here's the thing: Buffs by themselves are so-so. CD by itself is so-so. But combine CD with a high level damage adder (I've got the 4th one at skill level 36), and you become a melee monster. Ranger's can't take that much damage, but with max bow as well, the monsters won't be getting to you with many HP either, so they will fall quickly, unless you miss so many shots that you just spelled your name out in the ground behind your target. This strat works guys, trust me.
My choice at level 50, and not including the points at the 1/2 levels after 40, I hope to have:
50 bow
36 pathfinding (The 4th level adder spell is nice)
27 dual
20 pierce (and I have 7 points left over).
Either of the above choices are suitable for the remainder of this guide, just be aware of your limitations based on which way you choose. I.E. if you pick the Shield route, you probably won't be doing much melee in a group environment, etc.
I'm still level 41, as I have been playing a skald Alt alot recently, and have started Wizardry8 as well. What this means is, I have not seen a large amount of extra points from the 1/2 levels from 40 to 50 yet. I'm not sure what I want to do with them... I'm thinking more melee of course, but perhaps just enough stealth to get the abilities that a ranger can get from stealth (I think that's distract and danger sense). Different sources have told me that rangers can and cannot get these skills though, so I'm up in the air about whether to train stealth until I find this out for certain. If you know, please tell me :).
III) PvE
Ok, just by you playing a ranger, you have predetermined your life as an archer. That being the case, most solo battles as a ginsu ranger go like this:
-You line up a critical shot;
-You fire a critical shot;
-you fire off 2-3 more arrows as the mob runs at you;
-you whip out the weaponry once it closes;
-you finish off the injured opponent up close with your blinding speed attacks.
If you are good and have a fast connection, there is a second option:
-You line up a critical shot;
-You fire a critical shot;
-you fire off 2-3 more arrows at the approaching mob;
-you take one hit, so that the mob thinks it is "meleeing" you (and therefore is less likely to run away from anti-kite code);
-you sprint away;
-when your sprinting is near to run out, you turn around;
-you fire 2-3 more arrows at the mob, which is enough to kill it.
Rangers, I might add (and archers in general) are the very best choice to kill ranged mobs; your bow not only does good damage, but it also interrupts their attempts to shoot you (which they must stand still for). In some cases, you can kill casters without taking a single hit, even con Orange ones. Archers and their blasted studded (which affects magic damage too) in PvE might be better to just shoot con yellow though :)
Solo, for maximum kills with minimum downtime, you will want to fight High Blue cons in normal situations, and low yellow cons in ideal situations (ideal = they are weak to your bow and/or melee weapon, while your armor is strong to their attacks). In both cases your chances of dying are extremely minimal. If, however, you are after a maximum MONEY intake with fair (but not best) exp to go with it, then fight high ideal yellows.
Once you hit about level 20, you will find it quite hard to discriminate (or even find regularly) what I define above as "low con yellow" mobs. As long as all of your equipment is up to par, go ahead and find a camp with all ranges of yellow mob, and take on any of them. The higher yellows may give you more of a beating, but unless you end up like Casey at the Bat, you should still win every fight. The extra downtime from a high yellow is outweighed by the time you save running aroud trying to find a different hunting area.
As part of a group, you will have a different role. Group dynamics vary hugely, but here is my experience:
A) If your group is fighting casting mobs, you will be the star. Your long-range attack will continuously interrupt a mob's attempts to cast a spell at you, which they must stand still to attempt; so not only will you be doing heavy damage, but you may even outright kill the casting mob. If nothing else, the caster will be in severe pain when it reaches your group.
B) If your group is fighting melee-type mobs, you will be responsible for doing considerable damage; but you will want to make sure you do NOT outdamage the tanks of your group. It is their job to take the hits, and if you do too much damage, you will quickly find out why it is not YOUR job to take the hits. Seeing as most groups tend to fight monsters somewhat higher in level than anyone in the group, only a few attacks from one can ruin your day. Any ranger can fill this role with his bow; the ginsu ranger can also do it with his melee. And as luck would have it, Mythic was kind enough to reduce the aggro generated by a bow, so your life in this role is easier than it was in beta.
C) If your group is fighting whole groups of enemies (and pray your group is smart enough to only be fighting groups they can handle, AKA enemy groups of similar levels), then your responsibility is first to drop enemy nukers, second enemy healers (which your tanks will usually be on by this time anyway), 3rd damage everyone else.
(PLEASE NOTE that in the above examples, basic grouping smarts still apply. If your group is fighting against a melee and a caster at the same time, and someone mezzes the caster, then hit the melee-mob instead until the mez breaks.)
SPECIAL EXCEPTION GROUPS:
(1 ginsu ranger + 1 healer) "The melee showoff"
Target mob is high orange. Play this like you would any solo fight, just make sure your healer isn't stoned. With the downtime reduction provided by the healer and the damage potential provided by you, you and he will usually both do better in this method than if you both soloed, assuming you 2 are the same level.
(any number of Rangers + 1 optional bard) "The firing squad"
There are 2 target level opponents for this: High level solo enemies (the more rangers the higher the target), or groups of enemy casters similar or just SLIGHTLY lower in level to your group.
Critical shot is a skill that can not be used on mobs once they have aggro'ed on someone; however, there is a delay between when you fire your bow and when the arrow lands, and mobs don't aggro until it does... so a well trained group of archers can all fire off their critical shots at the SAME TIME. The optional bard is there to donate his endurance song, which all but keeps your little green bar full at all times. You may never have to sit down unless a mob actually survives to melee range.
In the case of a high-level solo mob, the method should be obvious by now, but the plan is that the mob dies BEFORE it reaches you. If the mob does NOT die before it gets to you, don't give up hope yet... the ranger who is currently being hit should turn on his Escape Speed buff, run the mob to about the extent of the range on the bows of the rest of the group, and then circle the group allowing the other rangers to plunk more arrows from long range. If the mob then charges the center again, have the old target return to the central group and the new target pick up where the old target left off. If ALL of the rangers exhaust their Timer-based Speed boosts... then you either had the worst accuracy in history, or you chose to attack a mob just a tad too high for you. In any case, if the bard is still with you, do NOT, repeat, NOT let him heal you guys. That will just draw the mob toward him, and since his speed song doesn't work if he is being hit, he will be in dire trouble.
In the case of enemy caster groups, just have each ranger pick a target and try and drop him from range like normal soloing vs. casters. Any ranger who finishes his target can then assist one of the rangers who missed a shot. If you think this is a waste of time for EXP purposes, think about this: let's say your group is 4 people, and you attack a group of 4 casters. Although you each individually only got credit for 1 (4 kills / 4 groupmates) kill, you
a) Had a safety rope you don't normally do in the form of groupmates,
b) will probably have less downtime as a result of a) above, but best of all...
c) just got credit for 4 "group" bonuses, since grouped mobs can give out bonuses as high as 50% the EXP take for the mob alone.
(any large number of nukers and rangers + 1 optional bard) "Heavy artillery"
Target monsters: small groups of casters similarly leveled to you.
"Heavy artillery" is the most fun pure-long-ranger-damage classes in groups can have. If you haven't guessed by now, this just involves finding groups about ½ your group's size of mostly casters and assigning every 2 of you to every 1 of them (for best results, 1 ranger and 1 nuker per target). The mobs fall flat, your group hardly takes a hit, and if you have the optional bard, mana-regenerating downtime will be minimal.
The reason for similarly leveled targets is because higher level targets have a tendency to resist caster's magic far too often. Oranges may be ok to try, but reds are out.
(any number of archers + 1 or 2 shield-carrying tanks) "Harassment Plus"
Ok, it took me forever to figure out how to do a group with only archers and tanks, but i got it working finally.
Have all your archers pick a target and pull off the "all crit at once" that you should be good at by now. Then, as the mob is approaching, have your tanks run up and shield stun the mob on approach. Each stun they pull off will give you time to fire 1 more arrow; and 2 tanks with REALLY good shield stuns can keep a mob in place long enough for you to mow it over under any circumstances (assuming the stuns connect). Simple yet effective.
IV) PvP
Ok, before reading into PvP (if you haven't read this guide before 11/5), be aware that the gates leading from hibernia to the frontiers are VERY dangerous places to hunt. The only people who are going to be out this far are large groups of high level opponents. If you want to find slightly lower enemies, warp to one of your opponent's frontier areas.
Ok, so if you are reading to this point, you know that you have NO REAL STEALTH to deal with. That being the case, you will fall painfully short of your stealth-specc'ing brethren in terms of the "lurking sniper" style of play. If you plan on soloing in PvP, do it in areas where the range on your bow can be used to its advantage. If both you and your target see each other at the same time, your bow will be your victory or your defeat. True, hiding in tree-cover may help cover you from your enemies, but you will find even more often that while you were sneaking around behind trees, YOU just got snuck up on by a stealth-specc'ed opponent.
As a solo PvP'er, don't be afraid to use stealth, just be aware of it's limitations. If the opponents do not know you are there in the first place, then you can still get a headsup beating on the before they knew it was coming. However, you will not be able to track a moving group, nor will you be able to use stealth as an escape measure (ahh, thank goodness for your speed buff...), so the stealth is only an opening move, nothing else. If you are found, it's time to sprint.
My brother has shown me multiple times that even his paladin can surprise people from behind trees, but be aware you are asking to be sniped. It's happened to him too.
Anyway, enough pessimism. Let me tell the big advantage to *not* sneaking around.
The lurkers have a habit of not being buffed. Why? Because to cast a spell they have to drop their cloak of stealth, which would usually be fatal to them. You on the other hand will always be buffed, meaning you can carry huge amounts of arrows and fire with greatly improved DEX numbers, not including your Damage-add. You can usually drop non-buffed archers and casters of equal or lower levels in this method; the caster will be suffering from chronic Interruption syndrome, and unbuffed archers will have longer drawtimes than you do.
Also, piercing rangers will have an interesting surprise in store for casters who think they are smart by sprinting into melee (interrupting your bow use), and then quick-casting a spell to knock you on your rear. Your buffed piercing speed is usually FASTER than even a quickcast spell! This may not interrupt them, but you will still get off a few swings before their spell fires, and mages have a tendency not to be able to take melee very well in the first place... this doesnt happen often, but don't fear to try it. The worst that can happen is a 10 minute run back.
But still, solo assassination is not going to be the specialty of a non-stealth specc'ed ranger. If you are following this strat, and slow stalkings are not for you , then you will be happy to know you will be VERY welcomed in hunting parties (the ginsu rangers are a tad more useful than the Shield type though). You have more to bring to a group than rangers with stealth, since most large groups don't go around hiding their archers. You will be responsible for the stopping of enemy mages (surprise ;P), and the interruption of opposing healers.
More specifically why you will be wanted:
A) Roots are rather useless against you. If they root one of your tanks, that guy is dead in the water. If they root you, you just pull out your bow and plunk at anyone and everyone. If the only people attacking you are the opposing casters, you should be able to hold your own... if tanks are on you as well, you should feel honored that you are that dangerous, as well as be happy in the knowledge that YOUR tanks are probably free to go smash the guy that rooted you so he can't do it again, and you can sprint to safety before firing even more long-range death.
B) You are a Long-range damage machine with Reinforced armor. True, your lower HP than most and non-usage of Scale armor means that you can't take a WHOLE lot, but you can still take 2-3X what a mage can. If a RvR skirmish turns into a long-range battle, archers are the best choice for either side for this reason. Your self-AF buff helps in this area too.
C) You are melee Death to enemy archers. Want to REALLY surprise that scout you are having a firefight with? Activate your Speed spell to close to melee range in a hurry, and demonstrate to him the penalty Shields take against guys who Dual-wield. Odds are the opposing tanks and healers are busy trying to get your group's tanks off of their nukers, and won't worry as much about your skirmish with the Scout. As for opposing Midgard Hunters... I wouldn't have believed this myself, but my ginsu ranger does more melee damage over time than my equal level (and FULLY spear-specc'ed) hunter does because of the Damage-add spell. As long as the hunter doesn't have a pet smacking you around from the side at the same time, all it takes is 1 missed spear swing from a hunter to turn a melee war of the Archers in your favor. (Conversely, 1 Critical hit from a hunter's spear may as well be instant death, but such is the way of Random Number Generation ). Besides, Not only am I the only ranger I know who doesn't put points into stealth, I was also the only Hunter I know who fully-spear-and-beastcraft specc'ed rather than bow. Most hunters won't have close to 100% training in spear, and the ones who do either have no bow training or buffs sub-par to yours.
And I would like to mention that trying to surprise enemy archers with your melee potential is only good if you both are awares of each other's existance. If you start getting plunked by a hidden sniper, you will probably already have taken too much damage to win by the time you find him. In this case, just hit your speed boost and jet.
(All of the above assume that the battles start out rather even. If they are lopsided... well, even if your group doesn't have a bard, you DO have your Speed Boost spell for evac purposes).
As for the large scale mass-combat...
If you get invited to one of the groups, great. Follow above grouping strategies, and make sure you follow your leader and don't get separated. If no group...
Ok, here's what you do: go find a huge mob of your realm, and stand in the middle of them. You have so many beneifts from there it's not funny. You can:
A) turn on your low-trained stealth if you hear there is a stealthed archer nearby (even with poor training, they wont be in range to see you from their bow distance, so they wont be able to fire at you)
B) fire at the opposing mob with huge group cover, including some nice PC's who will even heal you out of group if they see you hit (not something you can count on, but nice nonetheless). If an opponent can't click on you, he can't fire at you, no matter how badly he wants to.
C) get ressurrected in the case you fall (in large mob combat that will happen often)
D) get to choose your target based on what you want to fire at (no one will tell you to fire at person X, it takes too long to type), with the added benefit that the targets you SHOULD be choosing are the ones that will benefit the rest of your realm anyway.
V) Advanced strategies
This is sort of a work in progress. "Advanced" can mean just about anything, and what is super-advanced one day may be common knowledge the next and easily avoidable... oh well, here it goes anyway.
A) Aquaman
(requirements: you are a lurikeen)
If any fights take place near water, you are going to get a chance to show off why being bigger isn't always being better. Lurikeens (and these don't even have to be rangers) can almost COMPLETELY submerge in bodies of water, meaning that unless they "stand up" to cast a spell or fire a bow, you will have almost no way to find them in the water. Especially if they are wearing a light blue cloak. Just wait for the target of your choosing to turn its back, fire away, and hide back under the water before he turns around to see what hit him .
B) Dishonorable Discharge
(requirements: you have No conscience)
Finding weakened targets isn't really an advanced strat... but stalking them UNTIL they have been weakened by a fight is. This takes cunning, guts, lots of luck, and morals so low you'd cheese-grate a live kitten for a buck. Of course, we all know that the scum of the other realms does the same, so why not do it? ;P.
Given you have no stealth training, this means you have to avoid detection without cloaking yourself. It is best done from the cover of woods, which is where the luck aspect comes in; you have got to hope against hope that there are no lurking snipers in the woods to cut your plans short.
Why exactly is this dishonorable? Well, because If a mob is responsible for a great % of their damage, it would appear than rather than dying a PvP death, they die a PvE one, complete with exp and con loss. And YOU get no rewards. That's why.
C) "Setup"? What means this "Setup"?
(requirements: you are grouped with a couple other rangers, most of which can stealth at least somewhat)
Most often, when someone sees a person firing a bow at them, they will either run or charge (mages run, tanks charge). But they also have the habit of running a straight line from/to you. That being the case, if you can organize it so that you place rangers at several locations around a target, they may end up running right into them as well... or more specifically, straight into their bow range. You all get credit for the kill anyway, if you are grouped.
The albion-armor lookalike method no longer works, so I removed it :(.
That's it for now, I will be adding to this as I get more knowledge... and feel free to donate some if you want to see your name in this guide :).
But so no one gets it in their head to take credit for my own blood, sweat, and chafed fingertips...
This document is MINE. © See? See that symbol? I, Adam Walter, wrote it. Trevor Moore, headmaster of the Classes of Camelot site where it will be posted, will vouch for this. If anyone else would like to use all or part of it, you must contact ME at mmaster@udel.edu to ask permission. Of course, feedback to the above address is always welcomed, whether you like my guide or think it is missing something important.
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9/2/02
I am no longer playing DAoC, and my guide here will be deleted when I leave the University of Delaware... but it won't be gone for good. See my Grouping guide for info on where this guide will end up...
Oh, and I would like to have a word with all the naysayers out there:
HA!
When I first wrote this guide, I was getting feedback like "That strat is stupid, A ranger's true power is stealth and bow". Now, this template and slight variations thereof is the most popular ranger strat out there, due to changes in buffs and stealth. I hope everyone who told me I was an idiot 10 months ago is feeling good about themselves now... a shame I won't be around to see their faces.
And no, I never got a chance to experiment with Realm Abilities. Oh well.
5/9/02
Despite the large numbers of patches that have changed the way a lot of skill work, I still find my ranger, in the style I describe here, to be just as effective as he has always been since day 1. Nerfs to buffs and boosts to CD cancelled each other out I guess ;P
However, with the new realm skills in place, I now feel I need to do some additional research into which skills would best suit this style of play. Since I stopped my ranger at 41.5 (to go play an alt Skald), I am only at Realm Rank 2L1, giving me only 11 Realm Skill Points to spend. I'll do what I think would be a good choice with them, and report my findings here. By all means, if there are any high realm-ranked Ginsu Rangers out there who have already trained some of their realm points and would like to offer feedback, please do. Remember, I'm after feedback on skills that benefit a GINSU ranger, not a stealth sniper :).
2/22/02
Version 1.0 - Lots of other websites ask to use this guide. I usually tell them go ahead, just don't modifiy the content in any way, and give me due credit. However, rather than just direct-linking to this files, they make copy of it and reformat it to look nicer. I have no problem with that, but that also means they never check back to look for updates. Hopefully, If I put changes up here rather than noted within the document, and people copy the version notes section to, it will remind them to come look every so often.
So without further ado, here it is, I dub thee version 1.0 :)
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DISCLAIMER: I have only ever played my classes in this style. I rarely, if ever, do anything with stealth... that is NOT TO SAY stealth is bad. In fact, stealth can be just as deadly in PvP as the bow you carry. I, however, always choose to play the "good" rouge; no sneaking, no pickpockets... just Trap detection and disarmament, along with a high output of offense (at any range) at the cost of Defense. That's just me... it's why I was a ranger in EQ, and again here. If this style of play is not for you, then please ask elsewhere for your strategy guide.
Now... onto the basics:
I) General
II) Skill point choices
III) PvE
IV) PvP
V) Advanced tricks and tactics
I) GENERAL
-> Class Selection
To start with, you will have to choose your class. Duh. You have 3 options of people you want to play as, if you want to be a ranger: celt, elf, and lurikeen.
The celt has the highest STR rating (for carrying purposes) and the highest CON rating (for higher HP counts over time). This is my personal choice for reasons I will describe later.
The Lurikeen has the highest DEX and QUI ratings, so they will be the best rangers at dealing out damage. These make great ginsu-grouping rangers, but their low hp causes them some solo difficulty.
The elf falls in between the other 2 choices in all categories... however, it is not a 1 to 1 rate: the elf sacrifices 5 extra points out of STR and CON and has them in INT instead. Since INT is of no current use to a ranger, for all intents and purposes, these 10 points have gone to waste.
Translation: if you want to live the longest, be a celt. If you want to be the most damaging ranger you can be, be a Lurikeen. And unless you have some incredible desire to RP an elf (which don't forget in this game means RP'ing that you have a distaste for celts and firbolgs and no nature ties whatsoever), you'd best off playing one of the other 2. Of course, having written this, Mythic will implement some way to make INT useful to a ranger... ;P.
I have found a rather huge number of people have decided to play elven rangers anyway... I asked a few, and they either tell me "because elves always have innate bow abilities" or "because the extra INT helps my fletching skill"... or even worse explanations than this. People, I know that almost every ranger you have ever played has been an elf, but they are different in this game. Don't choose them for reasons like "I like the look of them better". Not only are the 10 wasted points going to hurt you, they are also hurting your whole realm.
Also of note: I think that the INT does actually raise your total power pool, but since I can cast all of my buffs real fast and still have 20% of my power left over, there is no need for extra mana.
-> Starting points
Ok, you get to divide up 30 points. Given the way the game works, that means you can either put:
10 into 3 different stats
15 into 1 stat and 10 into another
18 into one stat.
The first and second are valid choices, but the 3rd is rather... stupid IMO. Since this is MY strategy guide, and I get to say what I think works best, here is my recommendation:
i) Choose 15 into DEX and 10 into QUI for maximum damage output, or
ii) 10 into DEX, 10 into CON, and the other 10 into either STR or QUI as you see fit.
(I will be going 10 each into DEX, STR, and CON)
Note: your primary skill is DEX, meaning you will gain 1 point of Dexterity every level after you become a Ranger at level 5. Your secondary stat is QUI, so you will gain 1 point every other level after 5. And your tertiary stat is STR, so you will get a point every 3rd level after 5.
I chose to put 10 points each into DEX, STR, and CON. For the ginsu ranger, I definitely recommend you do the same... hp is going to be a vital stat to you. In fact, you might even go so far as to put 10DEX and 15CON... Moreso for a celt than a lurikeen though, since celts are the ginsu's designed to take abuse, and lurikeens are the ones designed to deal the most of it.
-> What to do the first 5 levels
Just fight stuff, but make sure you talk to your stalker trainer after each level to see if any quests have opened up for you.
Also, at level 3, make sure you upgrade your weapon from the newbie dagger you are given to something that cons yellow to a level 3. Don't worry, you will have the money. Also, the newbie monsters will drop pathetic armor, but armor nonetheless, so you should have at least SOME armor by level 3. You shouldn't need to worry about your armor till you upgrade from Stalker to Ranger (AKA level 5)
DO NOT spend ANY skill points for your first 5 levels. Wait until you have changed into a Ranger before doing so. That way you will have your Bow skill available to train some of the points from your first 5 levels into.
-> Equipment
Even though I am an archer class, I don't find myself dying OR spending enough on arrows to ever end up in money troubles. Figures. As such, you should be able to afford all con-yellow equipment all the time. Exception: Quest stuff works well while it's blue too, so don't chuck any quest equipment until it's either been blue for 5 levels or it goes green. If you do end up in a money pinch, go find some green con mobs to knock over for lots of easy money.
II) Skill point + playstyle choices
My choices are all bow-centric. This is because rangers, even though they can do more melee damage than a blademaster (if properly trained and not counting Triplewield), can not take NEARLY the abuse a tank is required to do. True, an all-melee ranger can still fire his bow for fair damage, but trying to be a no-bow ranger late in life will get you no groups, and your solo ability will be limited to low yellow tops. Further, you won't have much of a role in PvP. So I'd strongly advise against it.
-> The survivor (*giggle*)
-be a celt
-MAX BOW
-High pathfinding skill (75-85% of your level)
-Training in 1 weapon of your choice (blades or pierce), to a level of your choosing, but no less than 30% of your level.
*I giggle because expecting a ranger to tank under any circumstance is pretty funny... but for PvE purposes, if done right, it can be effective*
The theory behind this is you will be using a Shield in your offhand. This has a tradeoff effect: the downside is, your melee output will be lower than your normal ginsu ranger. The upsides are that at least a shield will block a small amount of attacks at you, but more importantly if you choose to only do 30-40% training in the weapon skill, you will have some points left over. Given the other skills are pretty covered, this means you, indeed, will have a small Stealth ability. It won't help your PvE much, and most good enemy thieves will be able to see you in PvP anyway, but its still better than having no stealth if you plan on trying to hide from PvP opponents. Do note: the 6th pierce skill is pretty decent, so you will still be doing some fair melee damage, just not as much as...
-> The Ginsu machine
This is me in a nutshell. It goes like this:
-MAX BOW
-High pathfinding (at least 36 at level 50)
-A fairly high dual wield rating
-fair training in the weapon style of your choice
This strat will not leave you with many points left over, so stealth is all but out completely (unless you use the points from the 1/2 levels after 40, but then you won't be a ginsu ranger, you will be the standard one everyone plays :). And many people also say that Celic Dual (CD) is not a very worthwhile skill, and I have to partially agree with that. But here's the thing: Buffs by themselves are so-so. CD by itself is so-so. But combine CD with a high level damage adder (I've got the 4th one at skill level 36), and you become a melee monster. Ranger's can't take that much damage, but with max bow as well, the monsters won't be getting to you with many HP either, so they will fall quickly, unless you miss so many shots that you just spelled your name out in the ground behind your target. This strat works guys, trust me.
My choice at level 50, and not including the points at the 1/2 levels after 40, I hope to have:
50 bow
36 pathfinding (The 4th level adder spell is nice)
27 dual
20 pierce (and I have 7 points left over).
Either of the above choices are suitable for the remainder of this guide, just be aware of your limitations based on which way you choose. I.E. if you pick the Shield route, you probably won't be doing much melee in a group environment, etc.
I'm still level 41, as I have been playing a skald Alt alot recently, and have started Wizardry8 as well. What this means is, I have not seen a large amount of extra points from the 1/2 levels from 40 to 50 yet. I'm not sure what I want to do with them... I'm thinking more melee of course, but perhaps just enough stealth to get the abilities that a ranger can get from stealth (I think that's distract and danger sense). Different sources have told me that rangers can and cannot get these skills though, so I'm up in the air about whether to train stealth until I find this out for certain. If you know, please tell me :).
III) PvE
Ok, just by you playing a ranger, you have predetermined your life as an archer. That being the case, most solo battles as a ginsu ranger go like this:
-You line up a critical shot;
-You fire a critical shot;
-you fire off 2-3 more arrows as the mob runs at you;
-you whip out the weaponry once it closes;
-you finish off the injured opponent up close with your blinding speed attacks.
If you are good and have a fast connection, there is a second option:
-You line up a critical shot;
-You fire a critical shot;
-you fire off 2-3 more arrows at the approaching mob;
-you take one hit, so that the mob thinks it is "meleeing" you (and therefore is less likely to run away from anti-kite code);
-you sprint away;
-when your sprinting is near to run out, you turn around;
-you fire 2-3 more arrows at the mob, which is enough to kill it.
Rangers, I might add (and archers in general) are the very best choice to kill ranged mobs; your bow not only does good damage, but it also interrupts their attempts to shoot you (which they must stand still for). In some cases, you can kill casters without taking a single hit, even con Orange ones. Archers and their blasted studded (which affects magic damage too) in PvE might be better to just shoot con yellow though :)
Solo, for maximum kills with minimum downtime, you will want to fight High Blue cons in normal situations, and low yellow cons in ideal situations (ideal = they are weak to your bow and/or melee weapon, while your armor is strong to their attacks). In both cases your chances of dying are extremely minimal. If, however, you are after a maximum MONEY intake with fair (but not best) exp to go with it, then fight high ideal yellows.
Once you hit about level 20, you will find it quite hard to discriminate (or even find regularly) what I define above as "low con yellow" mobs. As long as all of your equipment is up to par, go ahead and find a camp with all ranges of yellow mob, and take on any of them. The higher yellows may give you more of a beating, but unless you end up like Casey at the Bat, you should still win every fight. The extra downtime from a high yellow is outweighed by the time you save running aroud trying to find a different hunting area.
As part of a group, you will have a different role. Group dynamics vary hugely, but here is my experience:
A) If your group is fighting casting mobs, you will be the star. Your long-range attack will continuously interrupt a mob's attempts to cast a spell at you, which they must stand still to attempt; so not only will you be doing heavy damage, but you may even outright kill the casting mob. If nothing else, the caster will be in severe pain when it reaches your group.
B) If your group is fighting melee-type mobs, you will be responsible for doing considerable damage; but you will want to make sure you do NOT outdamage the tanks of your group. It is their job to take the hits, and if you do too much damage, you will quickly find out why it is not YOUR job to take the hits. Seeing as most groups tend to fight monsters somewhat higher in level than anyone in the group, only a few attacks from one can ruin your day. Any ranger can fill this role with his bow; the ginsu ranger can also do it with his melee. And as luck would have it, Mythic was kind enough to reduce the aggro generated by a bow, so your life in this role is easier than it was in beta.
C) If your group is fighting whole groups of enemies (and pray your group is smart enough to only be fighting groups they can handle, AKA enemy groups of similar levels), then your responsibility is first to drop enemy nukers, second enemy healers (which your tanks will usually be on by this time anyway), 3rd damage everyone else.
(PLEASE NOTE that in the above examples, basic grouping smarts still apply. If your group is fighting against a melee and a caster at the same time, and someone mezzes the caster, then hit the melee-mob instead until the mez breaks.)
SPECIAL EXCEPTION GROUPS:
(1 ginsu ranger + 1 healer) "The melee showoff"
Target mob is high orange. Play this like you would any solo fight, just make sure your healer isn't stoned. With the downtime reduction provided by the healer and the damage potential provided by you, you and he will usually both do better in this method than if you both soloed, assuming you 2 are the same level.
(any number of Rangers + 1 optional bard) "The firing squad"
There are 2 target level opponents for this: High level solo enemies (the more rangers the higher the target), or groups of enemy casters similar or just SLIGHTLY lower in level to your group.
Critical shot is a skill that can not be used on mobs once they have aggro'ed on someone; however, there is a delay between when you fire your bow and when the arrow lands, and mobs don't aggro until it does... so a well trained group of archers can all fire off their critical shots at the SAME TIME. The optional bard is there to donate his endurance song, which all but keeps your little green bar full at all times. You may never have to sit down unless a mob actually survives to melee range.
In the case of a high-level solo mob, the method should be obvious by now, but the plan is that the mob dies BEFORE it reaches you. If the mob does NOT die before it gets to you, don't give up hope yet... the ranger who is currently being hit should turn on his Escape Speed buff, run the mob to about the extent of the range on the bows of the rest of the group, and then circle the group allowing the other rangers to plunk more arrows from long range. If the mob then charges the center again, have the old target return to the central group and the new target pick up where the old target left off. If ALL of the rangers exhaust their Timer-based Speed boosts... then you either had the worst accuracy in history, or you chose to attack a mob just a tad too high for you. In any case, if the bard is still with you, do NOT, repeat, NOT let him heal you guys. That will just draw the mob toward him, and since his speed song doesn't work if he is being hit, he will be in dire trouble.
In the case of enemy caster groups, just have each ranger pick a target and try and drop him from range like normal soloing vs. casters. Any ranger who finishes his target can then assist one of the rangers who missed a shot. If you think this is a waste of time for EXP purposes, think about this: let's say your group is 4 people, and you attack a group of 4 casters. Although you each individually only got credit for 1 (4 kills / 4 groupmates) kill, you
a) Had a safety rope you don't normally do in the form of groupmates,
b) will probably have less downtime as a result of a) above, but best of all...
c) just got credit for 4 "group" bonuses, since grouped mobs can give out bonuses as high as 50% the EXP take for the mob alone.
(any large number of nukers and rangers + 1 optional bard) "Heavy artillery"
Target monsters: small groups of casters similarly leveled to you.
"Heavy artillery" is the most fun pure-long-ranger-damage classes in groups can have. If you haven't guessed by now, this just involves finding groups about ½ your group's size of mostly casters and assigning every 2 of you to every 1 of them (for best results, 1 ranger and 1 nuker per target). The mobs fall flat, your group hardly takes a hit, and if you have the optional bard, mana-regenerating downtime will be minimal.
The reason for similarly leveled targets is because higher level targets have a tendency to resist caster's magic far too often. Oranges may be ok to try, but reds are out.
(any number of archers + 1 or 2 shield-carrying tanks) "Harassment Plus"
Ok, it took me forever to figure out how to do a group with only archers and tanks, but i got it working finally.
Have all your archers pick a target and pull off the "all crit at once" that you should be good at by now. Then, as the mob is approaching, have your tanks run up and shield stun the mob on approach. Each stun they pull off will give you time to fire 1 more arrow; and 2 tanks with REALLY good shield stuns can keep a mob in place long enough for you to mow it over under any circumstances (assuming the stuns connect). Simple yet effective.
IV) PvP
Ok, before reading into PvP (if you haven't read this guide before 11/5), be aware that the gates leading from hibernia to the frontiers are VERY dangerous places to hunt. The only people who are going to be out this far are large groups of high level opponents. If you want to find slightly lower enemies, warp to one of your opponent's frontier areas.
Ok, so if you are reading to this point, you know that you have NO REAL STEALTH to deal with. That being the case, you will fall painfully short of your stealth-specc'ing brethren in terms of the "lurking sniper" style of play. If you plan on soloing in PvP, do it in areas where the range on your bow can be used to its advantage. If both you and your target see each other at the same time, your bow will be your victory or your defeat. True, hiding in tree-cover may help cover you from your enemies, but you will find even more often that while you were sneaking around behind trees, YOU just got snuck up on by a stealth-specc'ed opponent.
As a solo PvP'er, don't be afraid to use stealth, just be aware of it's limitations. If the opponents do not know you are there in the first place, then you can still get a headsup beating on the before they knew it was coming. However, you will not be able to track a moving group, nor will you be able to use stealth as an escape measure (ahh, thank goodness for your speed buff...), so the stealth is only an opening move, nothing else. If you are found, it's time to sprint.
My brother has shown me multiple times that even his paladin can surprise people from behind trees, but be aware you are asking to be sniped. It's happened to him too.
Anyway, enough pessimism. Let me tell the big advantage to *not* sneaking around.
The lurkers have a habit of not being buffed. Why? Because to cast a spell they have to drop their cloak of stealth, which would usually be fatal to them. You on the other hand will always be buffed, meaning you can carry huge amounts of arrows and fire with greatly improved DEX numbers, not including your Damage-add. You can usually drop non-buffed archers and casters of equal or lower levels in this method; the caster will be suffering from chronic Interruption syndrome, and unbuffed archers will have longer drawtimes than you do.
Also, piercing rangers will have an interesting surprise in store for casters who think they are smart by sprinting into melee (interrupting your bow use), and then quick-casting a spell to knock you on your rear. Your buffed piercing speed is usually FASTER than even a quickcast spell! This may not interrupt them, but you will still get off a few swings before their spell fires, and mages have a tendency not to be able to take melee very well in the first place... this doesnt happen often, but don't fear to try it. The worst that can happen is a 10 minute run back.
But still, solo assassination is not going to be the specialty of a non-stealth specc'ed ranger. If you are following this strat, and slow stalkings are not for you , then you will be happy to know you will be VERY welcomed in hunting parties (the ginsu rangers are a tad more useful than the Shield type though). You have more to bring to a group than rangers with stealth, since most large groups don't go around hiding their archers. You will be responsible for the stopping of enemy mages (surprise ;P), and the interruption of opposing healers.
More specifically why you will be wanted:
A) Roots are rather useless against you. If they root one of your tanks, that guy is dead in the water. If they root you, you just pull out your bow and plunk at anyone and everyone. If the only people attacking you are the opposing casters, you should be able to hold your own... if tanks are on you as well, you should feel honored that you are that dangerous, as well as be happy in the knowledge that YOUR tanks are probably free to go smash the guy that rooted you so he can't do it again, and you can sprint to safety before firing even more long-range death.
B) You are a Long-range damage machine with Reinforced armor. True, your lower HP than most and non-usage of Scale armor means that you can't take a WHOLE lot, but you can still take 2-3X what a mage can. If a RvR skirmish turns into a long-range battle, archers are the best choice for either side for this reason. Your self-AF buff helps in this area too.
C) You are melee Death to enemy archers. Want to REALLY surprise that scout you are having a firefight with? Activate your Speed spell to close to melee range in a hurry, and demonstrate to him the penalty Shields take against guys who Dual-wield. Odds are the opposing tanks and healers are busy trying to get your group's tanks off of their nukers, and won't worry as much about your skirmish with the Scout. As for opposing Midgard Hunters... I wouldn't have believed this myself, but my ginsu ranger does more melee damage over time than my equal level (and FULLY spear-specc'ed) hunter does because of the Damage-add spell. As long as the hunter doesn't have a pet smacking you around from the side at the same time, all it takes is 1 missed spear swing from a hunter to turn a melee war of the Archers in your favor. (Conversely, 1 Critical hit from a hunter's spear may as well be instant death, but such is the way of Random Number Generation ). Besides, Not only am I the only ranger I know who doesn't put points into stealth, I was also the only Hunter I know who fully-spear-and-beastcraft specc'ed rather than bow. Most hunters won't have close to 100% training in spear, and the ones who do either have no bow training or buffs sub-par to yours.
And I would like to mention that trying to surprise enemy archers with your melee potential is only good if you both are awares of each other's existance. If you start getting plunked by a hidden sniper, you will probably already have taken too much damage to win by the time you find him. In this case, just hit your speed boost and jet.
(All of the above assume that the battles start out rather even. If they are lopsided... well, even if your group doesn't have a bard, you DO have your Speed Boost spell for evac purposes).
As for the large scale mass-combat...
If you get invited to one of the groups, great. Follow above grouping strategies, and make sure you follow your leader and don't get separated. If no group...
Ok, here's what you do: go find a huge mob of your realm, and stand in the middle of them. You have so many beneifts from there it's not funny. You can:
A) turn on your low-trained stealth if you hear there is a stealthed archer nearby (even with poor training, they wont be in range to see you from their bow distance, so they wont be able to fire at you)
B) fire at the opposing mob with huge group cover, including some nice PC's who will even heal you out of group if they see you hit (not something you can count on, but nice nonetheless). If an opponent can't click on you, he can't fire at you, no matter how badly he wants to.
C) get ressurrected in the case you fall (in large mob combat that will happen often)
D) get to choose your target based on what you want to fire at (no one will tell you to fire at person X, it takes too long to type), with the added benefit that the targets you SHOULD be choosing are the ones that will benefit the rest of your realm anyway.
V) Advanced strategies
This is sort of a work in progress. "Advanced" can mean just about anything, and what is super-advanced one day may be common knowledge the next and easily avoidable... oh well, here it goes anyway.
A) Aquaman
(requirements: you are a lurikeen)
If any fights take place near water, you are going to get a chance to show off why being bigger isn't always being better. Lurikeens (and these don't even have to be rangers) can almost COMPLETELY submerge in bodies of water, meaning that unless they "stand up" to cast a spell or fire a bow, you will have almost no way to find them in the water. Especially if they are wearing a light blue cloak. Just wait for the target of your choosing to turn its back, fire away, and hide back under the water before he turns around to see what hit him .
B) Dishonorable Discharge
(requirements: you have No conscience)
Finding weakened targets isn't really an advanced strat... but stalking them UNTIL they have been weakened by a fight is. This takes cunning, guts, lots of luck, and morals so low you'd cheese-grate a live kitten for a buck. Of course, we all know that the scum of the other realms does the same, so why not do it? ;P.
Given you have no stealth training, this means you have to avoid detection without cloaking yourself. It is best done from the cover of woods, which is where the luck aspect comes in; you have got to hope against hope that there are no lurking snipers in the woods to cut your plans short.
Why exactly is this dishonorable? Well, because If a mob is responsible for a great % of their damage, it would appear than rather than dying a PvP death, they die a PvE one, complete with exp and con loss. And YOU get no rewards. That's why.
C) "Setup"? What means this "Setup"?
(requirements: you are grouped with a couple other rangers, most of which can stealth at least somewhat)
Most often, when someone sees a person firing a bow at them, they will either run or charge (mages run, tanks charge). But they also have the habit of running a straight line from/to you. That being the case, if you can organize it so that you place rangers at several locations around a target, they may end up running right into them as well... or more specifically, straight into their bow range. You all get credit for the kill anyway, if you are grouped.
The albion-armor lookalike method no longer works, so I removed it :(.
That's it for now, I will be adding to this as I get more knowledge... and feel free to donate some if you want to see your name in this guide :).
But so no one gets it in their head to take credit for my own blood, sweat, and chafed fingertips...
This document is MINE. © See? See that symbol? I, Adam Walter, wrote it. Trevor Moore, headmaster of the Classes of Camelot site where it will be posted, will vouch for this. If anyone else would like to use all or part of it, you must contact ME at mmaster@udel.edu to ask permission. Of course, feedback to the above address is always welcomed, whether you like my guide or think it is missing something important.
Copyright © 2001-2009 Trevor Moore, Nathan Wilcox & Classes of Camelot
