Is it possible for a Range solo build with disarm/spot/open lock?

[happypuppy]

First of all I dislike melee, I usually play caster in all the games I play.
Most people zerg or the vets know the dungeons like the back of their hand, I wish to go at my own pace and actually explore the dungeon and be surprised at what happens (ie fake chest, ambush, the medic is a spy).

So I'm looking for a build where I can solo on normal using a range Weapon, since I don't know where traps are I would like to disable them and open locks. I've read some things about range combat that is not so good but doable.
I have no problem casting spells or cc, the only problem I have is taking TWF or something like that. A Ra/Ro would be the obvious choice but most of the builds I read have TWF or some melee in it.

My dream build would be Range weapon+trap+lock and maybe if it doesn't screw my char some sort of spells or cc but I'm guessing that's too much.

So any help, suggestion, advice would be much appreciated.
Also today or tomorrow I'm becoming a VIP, while in most games I hate dungeons this game has made them exciting :D

[GordonAbney]

Rangers get TWF as part of their class progression (they get the best of both worlds in ranged combat AND TWF). You don't have to use it.

[Angelus_dead]

So I'm looking for a build where I can solo on normal using a range Weapon
Using a ranged weapon is a fairly bad idea. The effectiveness is very much below melee weapons.

Don't take my word for it: Try it out. Go into Collaborator and kill some cultists first with a bow and then with a greataxe. See how much slower it is? And the bow only gets worse from then on.

[elldur]

Personally I have found a ranger build to be about the most efficient for surviving in solo play. If you are not opposed to a lower strength build you may wish to consider a halfling ranger rogue. The important aspect of this build is to provide enough intelligence to keep the rogues skills up, since most players recommend only 1 level of rogue. (14 intel seems to be a minimum unless you have access to some tomes) Rogue is taken at first level, incidentally, as this is where you receive the most skill points.

It is harder to accomplish everything you need if you have not unlocked the 32 pt. build, but with a supreme tome of ability available to level 3's in the new DDO store you can now go a lot further to making a realistically viable character.(this tome adds +1 to each of your abilities) Remember also that rangers get access to divine type spells at level 4 but they need at least 11 wisdom to be allowed to choose a spell.

The important point about playing a ranger is to always have enough ammunition, and to scout the dungeon or wilderness terrains to locate good spots to shoot from in relative security. Level 6 of ranger opens up the line of enhancements that allow for specialization, but most require pre-planning from lower levels, and even creation, to ensure that you can achieve what you desire. There is a site named www.rjcyberware.com/ddo that helps to pre-plan a character. There are many threads, as well as a request-a-build thread, that might already have just the thing you are looking for; type in 'ranger build' to search. By the way, halflings get a bonus for thrown weapons and there are some darn good "returning" throwing weapons out there.

Good luck and welcome to DDO!

[happypuppy]

First thanks for saying it's not hopeless. Ok i've been doing some more reading and you suggested a Halfing.
Wouldn't it be better to choose a Drow? I get nice passive bonuses like Keen senses and Spell saves besides the stats.
With a Drow I can get my stats to look like this, took your advice about Int and Wis.

8, 16, 14, 14, 12, 14

Don't know if my Cha is low or good, also didn't knew I could cast spells as a Ranger (awesome).
About skills which are useful to max and what are secondaries for my type of build?
At first I get 40pt which I can go crazy but then I only get 8 when I go Ranger, should I dump it all on search, spot, disable device, open lock, umd. Just wondering if it's worth to max them all.

I did search the forums for build templates but it's mostly people putting down range weapons and saying TWF and WF. For now I'm not worrying about feats it's pretty straight forward for the bow damage.

Thanks

[Angelus_dead]

Wouldn't it be better to choose a Drow? I get nice passive bonuses like Keen senses and Spell saves besides the stats.
The "senses" are completely worthless and the saving throws are less than what a halfling could get.


8, 16, 14, 14, 12, 14
That's a laughably low strength. Strength should be your highest or second-highest; check out the level 1 ranger class features to see why.


I did search the forums for build templates but it's mostly people putting down range weapons and saying TWF and WF. For now I'm not worrying about feats it's pretty straight forward for the bow damage.
There's a reason everyone says ranged weapons are bad. If you won't believe popular opinion, fine, but go give it a try yourself. Test a few Korthos quests with ranged and then melee and see what happens.


For now I'm not worrying about feats it's pretty straight forward for the bow damage.
If you want bow damage you must be an elf. Not drow. There is no other choice.

[Callavan]

Using a ranged weapon is a fairly bad idea. The effectiveness is very much below melee weapons.

Don't take my word for it: Try it out. Go into Collaborator and kill some cultists first with a bow and then with a greataxe. See how much slower it is? And the bow only gets worse from then on.

Um... pardon my froobish ignorance, but could you explain exactly why you'd want to use a bow at melee range? I always thought those were for sniping...

[Bosco]

First of all I dislike melee, I usually play caster in all the games I play.
Most people zerg or the vets know the dungeons like the back of their hand, I wish to go at my own pace and actually explore the dungeon and be surprised at what happens (ie fake chest, ambush, the medic is a spy).

So I'm looking for a build where I can solo on normal using a range Weapon, since I don't know where traps are I would like to disable them and open locks. I've read some things about range combat that is not so good but doable.
I have no problem casting spells or cc, the only problem I have is taking TWF or something like that. A Ra/Ro would be the obvious choice but most of the builds I read have TWF or some melee in it.

My dream build would be Range weapon+trap+lock and maybe if it doesn't screw my char some sort of spells or cc but I'm guessing that's too much.

So any help, suggestion, advice would be much appreciated.
Also today or tomorrow I'm becoming a VIP, while in most games I hate dungeons this game has made them exciting :D

My suggestion is a real high dex heavy or light repeater rogue with a fearsome robe so you can reverse kite them when you get hit. It will be painfully slow to take down a lot of the mobs after level 5 or so but you can do it.

Get your umd up so you can use wands and scrolls. Not my cup of tea but it may work. Adding maybe six levels of fighter into the equation may help. It would get the one rank of kensei so you can specialize in the wep and to damage and free up some feats. Then again 18 levels of rogue might get you the vorpal attacks, aka insta kill, this may work but not sure if range applies to assassin 3 or not.

[Angelus_dead]

Um... pardon my froobish ignorance, but could you explain exactly why you'd want to use a bow at melee range?
What makes you ask that?


I always thought those were for sniping...
DDO isn't a sniping game. I've heard TF2 is good for that...

[Beld]

doable, but you will need to keep your eyes out for a decent bow as your progress. And you will need to melee sometimes, when enemies are in melee range and you have your bow out backing up, you are easier to hit and take more damage (I think, not 100% sure tho, maybe some more veteran player knows). But my ranger is TWF specc'd and built and he can still own with a bow from the right locations/situations.

P.S. Once you get Manyshot at Ranger lvl 7, for 20 seconds every 2 min, you can rain death from above :)

[happypuppy]

@Angelus_dead
Yeah I know melee is superior but I still want use a strictly range build, it's my playstyle. Not a melee type of guy but I don't know if you are really reading what I'm typing.


doable, but you will need to keep your eyes out for a decent bow as your progress. And you will need to melee sometimes, when enemies are in melee range and you have your bow out backing up, you are easier to hit and take more damage (I think, not 100% sure tho, maybe some more veteran player knows). But my ranger is TWF specc'd and built and he can still own with a bow from the right locations/situations.

P.S. Once you get Manyshot at Ranger lvl 7, for 20 seconds every 2 min, you can rain death from above :)

Well ok that's something nice to hear, I will still try to avoid melee but if it really calls for it I will show them my swords :(

[Callavan]

What makes you ask that?


DDO isn't a sniping game. I've heard TF2 is good for that...

What makes me ask that is that bows aren't a melee weapon and you're suggesting that someone try them out in a melee situation. That seems rather silly to me. So I asked why you'd want to do it. Come to think of it, why would you even suggest it?

Never played TF2, though I'd have assumed they eschew bows in favor of deadlier and more accurate weapons. I *have* come across plenty of sniping situations in DDO, though. That's what I use bows for. I certainly don't whip them out in a sword fight... unless I click the wrong button by mistake. lol

[isldur]

The "senses" are completely worthless and the saving throws are less than what a halfling could get.


That's a laughably low strength. Strength should be your highest or second-highest; check out the level 1 ranger class features to see why.


There's a reason everyone says ranged weapons are bad. If you won't believe popular opinion, fine, but go give it a try yourself. Test a few Korthos quests with ranged and then melee and see what happens.


If you want bow damage you must be an elf. Not drow. There is no other choice.
Your kind of a dink aren't you.




OP
You will rule with a good bow early. It will become less useful as you level, tho not quite as bad as some think. Especially if you use sneak and hide in shadow ect. Charisma will be your dump stat. You get the use of healing wands and spells as you level as a ranger.

You should put the bow away if things get close as you will receive -4 to ac when a mob is in melee with you.

Get the silver bow from the vampire quest or off the auction house as soon as you reach level 6.
Enjoy the game.

[Uska]

Ranged is sadly to gimped for you to truly count on it as your primary damage solo or even grouped most of the time, you can use it to soften mobs some what or even kill some but you will always be better off doing melee this is sad but true.

[Angelus_dead]

What makes me ask that is that bows aren't a melee weapon and you're suggesting that someone try them out in a melee situation.
Nope: I told him to try it in a quest situation. Fighting monsters indoors is what this game is about. I could have picked Misery's Peak or Baudry Cartomon or anything. Actually, Baudry is a really good demonstration! He should try it too... but I chose Collab because a new character can reach it very soon.

If you say that Collaborator is a "melee situation", then you'd have to apply that description to most of DDO's combat.


Never played TF2, though I'd have assumed they eschew bows in favor of deadlier and more accurate weapons.
Not so much (http://www.teamfortress.com/sniper_vs_spy/day01_english.htm).


That's what I use bows for. I certainly don't whip them out in a sword fight...
Clearly you've missed the subject of this thread. It concerns a player who hopes to use a bow for the large majority of his combat encounters.

[Angelus_dead]

Your kind of a dink aren't you.
Your kind of a troll aren't you.

[isldur]

Your kind of a troll aren't you.


Please explain why I'm a troll

[Brennie]

While I'm also on the "Bows Stink" from personal experience, you can easily acheive the build you are looking for.

Start 1 level of rogue, and then follow up with a multitude of levels in ranger. Elves will excel here due to their racial enhancements to bows.

Charisma is your dump stat, useful only for UMD. Strength, on the other hand, gets applied to your bows attacks thanks to ranger "Bow Strength" feat at first level. An 8 strength would give you -1 damage to bow attacks regardless of being ranger or not. Max dex (or if points are tight, let it sit at 18 or 19), get 14 int, and then dole out the rest into strength and con. Eventually you will want to be able to acheive 14 wisdom, but you will only need 11 (INCLUDING ITEMS!) by level 4. You can easily pick up a +1 wisdom item to get that, if you start with 10 wisdom.

You *will* need to max out your Spot, Search, and Disable. Just for the sake of roundness, you will also likely want to max out Open Lock. Hide and Move Silenty are very optional for group play (Where most of your sneak attacks come from simply not being the target), but in solo play you will also want those maxed.

Invest in Ranger Skill Boost in order to take out tricky search and disable checks in harder (or elite) dungeons. Rangers get poor "action boosts", so you might want to snag rogue haste boost or damage boost enhancement. Obviously, pick up your racial and ranger dex, and elven bow mastery enhancements. Eventually, you will most definatly want to get Arcane Archer enhancements, so look those up in the compendium and see what pre-reqs you need to take care of.

Because Ranger takes care of your feats, you have some wiggle room there. Point Blank shot, shot on the run, Weapon Focus: Ranged, Improved Critical: Ranged are all good things to look out for.

Another completely different route is to pick up a Heavy Repeating Crossbow. They do great damage, but do not benefit from elven bow enhancements, Arcane Archer enhancements, or some of the ranged feats (Manyshot, for example). They also require spending a feat to gain profeciency.

And one last thing: remember that you must be within 10 paces (Give or take) in order to qualify for sneak attack damage with a ranged weapon!

[Vahyor]

I rolled a pure ranged character just to try something different. I can say that it is extremely slow getting through a quest compared to your standard melee build, but if you're not in it just to rush to cap it can be very fun. You will also be very survivable and use very little in the way of resources (Tangleroot elite solo @ level 5 without suffering a single point of damage) if you play it smart.

Just make sure that if you ever plan on grouping even a little, that you have a decent set of melee weapons to use, because groups won't be happy to have you in the back with a bow all the time.

[Callavan]

Nope: I told him to try it in a quest situation. Fighting monsters indoors is what this game is about. I could have picked Misery's Peak or Baudry Cartomon or anything. Actually, Baudry is a really good demonstration! He should try it too... but I chose Collab because a new character can reach it very soon.

If you say that Collaborator is a "melee situation", then you'd have to apply that description to most of DDO's combat.


Not so much (http://www.teamfortress.com/sniper_vs_spy/day01_english.htm).


Clearly you've missed the subject of this thread. It concerns a player who hopes to use a bow for the large majority of his combat encounters.

Collaborator is most assuredly a melee situation. You're locked in a room full of cultists and not much of a chance for kiting them in a straight line long enough to make good. That does not describe a quest like Misery's Peak, where you've got long lines of sight and plenty of room to line up your shots and knock 'em down. Two entirely different situations.

The subject of this thread doesn't say anything about locking yourself into close combat and whipping out your ranged weapons. The OP begins with the words "I dislike melee..." In light of that, your suggestion to test ranged combat by starting a quest in which you're locked in a room to fight a bunch of close combat seemed pretty ridiculous to me.

I'm not entirely sure I'm the one who missed the point there, given the OP. He said he wants to be able to USE a ranged weapons, not that he plans to hack his way through rooms full of melee opponents with a bow like a simpleton. I assumed he has the power to tell when ranged combat just won't cut it.

If I assumed wrong, I apologize, and in that case I'd advise the OP that while ranged combat is a lot of fun to set up, it definitely pays to have a good sword handy, cause you're going to have to drop the bow and go hand-to-hand quite often. Yes, there's a lot of melee combat in DDO, but just because dungeons happen to be indoors doesn't mean there aren't any good bowfights to be picked. My rogue has had very good results sneaking up on kobolds that happen to be standing downrange in long corridors...

tflol (http://www.teamfortress.com/1308.htm)

[sephiroth1084]

I've manage to level an archery-only character to lvl 16 (mostly grouping but with some soloing) who fits your specifications. I will say, that it will become very difficult to work by yourself fairly quickly, since you just cannot take on a lot of monsters at one time by yourself. Then, as you progress in level, it will become even more difficult due to the low damage you deal vs. the continually increasing HP of your enemies.

That said, here's what I did and enjoyed:

Go elf for the bonuses to key abilities (Dex, Spot, Search) and bow-related enhancements (attack & damage).

Str 14
Dex 17 (all level up points here)
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 8

1. Rogue - Point Blank Shot, points into Spot, Search, Disable Device, Open Lock, Tumble, Balance, Jump, Use Magic Device (MAYBE), Hide and Move Silently.
2. Ranger - put points into Spot, Search, Disable Device (x2), UMD (x2) (MAYBE), Move Silently and Hide.
3. Ranger - Dodge
4. Ranger
5. Ranger
6. Fighter - Mobility, Shot on the Run, points into UMD (x2) and Jump (x2)
7. Ranger from here on taking Improved Critical: Ranged, Weapon Focus: Ranged, Toughness and maybe Empower Healing.

Key enhancements:
-Elf Weapon Attack: Bow
-Elf Weapon Damage: Bow
-1 or 2 ranks in Spot, Search and Disable Device (no more than that necessary)
-Favored Enemy Damage and Attack
-Spring Boost
-Rogue or Fighter Haste Boost I
-Skill Boost (I or II should be enough)



When you get to a high enough level that the -4 penalty for attacking while moving no longer has any impact, swap out Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack for more useful feats. Maybe Mental Toughness if you find that you're self-healing from spell points a lot, maybe Extend for longer lasting buffs, perhaps additional Toughness feats, or even Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Heavy Repeating Crossbow and Rapid Reload.
You'll want to be attacking on the run or from a safe perch almost all of the time. Try practicing jumping around a target, turning in the air to continue facing that target and continue firing. It's tough, but worth the effort.
If you're in a group and grab aggro, run the monster(s) back to the melee so that they can deal with it. If it's a dangerous target that you cannot take down on your own or needs to be dropped quickly, and the melees are having a hard time hitting it while it chases you, stop, pull out a shield and shield block while they take care of it, or pull out your own melee weapons.
Be patient!
Keep your eye out for good bows and repeating crossbows (even before you take the xbow feats). You should especially be looking for:
-Elemental (Shock, Frost, etc...) bows of Great [whatever] Bane as these are the best damage you'll have available to your for a long time!
-Paralyzing bows: excellent weapon for an archer! Well worth spending every penny you have to acquire ASAP (level 10 I believe).
-Wounding and/or Weakening bows (tacking on Puncturing or Enfeebling, respectively, is nice, but not necessary)
-Make sure you have one transmuting bow, preferably of pure good, a ghost touch bow, and try to get a Banishing, Smiting and Disruption bow
-Best general DPS bow you can get is the Silver Longbow, which drops in the end chest of The Church and the Cult (House P, lvl 10). The bow itself is ML 6, so if you can find one on the auction house that you can afford, get that ASAP! It has a base damage of 1d10, is Holy, and has a threat range of 19-20, which stacks with Improved Crit, giving you a 17-20 threat range!
Get House D favor ASAP! The first tier nets you a vendor who sells decent quivers and +3 arrows, while the second tier allows for purchase of +3 75% returning arrows! (saves a ton of space) and some very good quivers (3 slots of stacks of 1,000 arrows). May not be terribly important with Arcane Archer. The vendor also sells Silver, Byeshk and Cold Iron arrows, which will be necessary for bypassing some types of damage reduction (most notable the devil bosses at end game, and the reavers in Threnal).
Be patient!
As for other equipment, try to maintain the best possible Spot, Search, Disable Device and Open Lock items available.Try to keep around some decent Thieves' Tools (+5 are the best, but go with what you can obtain).
Keep up your Dex, Con, Str and Wis (in that order). You will need an 11 Wis to cast 1st level spells, a 12 to cast 2nd, etc... Simply wearing a Wis item that puts you at that score will be enough so long as you are wearing the item.
Keep Cure Light, Moderate or Serious Wounds wands on you at all times (the best of the bunch that you can use/afford according to your level).
Pick your battles. Don't aggro too much at one time.
Try to keep Heroism potions on you at all times so that you can give yourself a boost to attacks and skills for difficult to hit bosses and handling difficult traps!
Be patient! :D

[sephiroth1084]

Collaborator is most assuredly a melee situation. You're locked in a room full of cultists and not much of a chance for kiting them in a straight line long enough to make good. That does not describe a quest like Misery's Peak, where you've got long lines of sight and plenty of room to line up your shots and knock 'em down. Two entirely different situations.

The subject of this thread doesn't say anything about locking yourself into close combat and whipping out your ranged weapons. The OP begins with the words "I dislike melee..." In light of that, your suggestion to test ranged combat by starting a quest in which you're locked in a room to fight a bunch of close combat seemed pretty ridiculous to me.

I'm not entirely sure I'm the one who missed the point there, given the OP. He said he wants to be able to USE a ranged weapons, not that he plans to hack his way through rooms full of melee opponents with a bow like a simpleton. I assumed he has the power to tell when ranged combat just won't cut it.

If I assumed wrong, I apologize, and in that case I'd advise the OP that while ranged combat is a lot of fun to set up, it definitely pays to have a good sword handy, cause you're going to have to drop the bow and go hand-to-hand quite often. Yes, there's a lot of melee combat in DDO, but just because dungeons happen to be indoors doesn't mean there aren't any good bowfights to be picked. My rogue has had very good results sneaking up on kobolds that happen to be standing downrange in long corridors...

The problem, though, is that you will invariably find yourself in close combat with nowhere to run more than occasionally, and will have to deal with the monsters in that situation, so The Collaborator is an excellent way to truly witness the difference between ranged and melee combat.

Yes, in many situations one may minimize risk by kiting or perching, but there are so many places in the game where you're stuck in a small room, have some obstacle impeding/preventing tactical movement, or are surrounded. A skilled archer can usually get through those situations, but even then, they are very difficult, especially if you do not know the quests very well.

[Angelus_dead]

Collaborator is most assuredly a melee situation. You're locked in a room full of cultists and not much of a chance for kiting them in a straight line long enough to make good.
Whoever said anything about linear kiting?


That does not describe a quest like Misery's Peak, where you've got long lines of sight and plenty of room to line up your shots and knock 'em down. Two entirely different situations.
And yet, ranged combat sucks in Misery's Peak as well. Just roll up an optimized archer and give it a try at level 2... I did.


The subject of this thread doesn't say anything about locking yourself into close combat and whipping out your ranged weapons.
Incorrect. The guy wants to use ranged combat for his primary attack style in DDO. But the game is Dungeons and Dragons, meaning that the normal environment is exactly the kind of place where a person might be locked in confinement.


The OP begins with the words "I dislike melee..." In light of that, your suggestion to test ranged combat by starting a quest in which you're locked in a room to fight a bunch of close combat seemed pretty ridiculous to me.
As already explained, the encounter distances in Collaborator are about the same as in typical DDO quests. It is a representative sample of what combat is like in this game. If a combat style is ineffective there, it won't be a good choice for specialization.

[kamimitsu]

If you usually play a caster, and you want to do traps... it seems like a WF Wiz/Rog would be the way to go. Your solo-ability at low levels will be marginal (but doable) and surprisingly good at higher levels. There are plenty of WF Wiz/Rog builds out there.

[sephiroth1084]

If you usually play a caster, and you want to do traps... it seems like a WF Wiz/Rog would be the way to go. Your solo-ability at low levels will be marginal (but doable) and surprisingly good at higher levels. There are plenty of WF Wiz/Rog builds out there.

Yes. Another possibility would be doing a Rogue/Wizard combo, or perhaps an elf wizard or sorcerer who takes Arcane Archer. I hesitated to suggest either the first due to its dependence upon purchasing WF and the difficulty at the early levels, and the latter because I have never attempted such and have no clue how it would turn out.

I will say, though, than an Arcane Archer Wizard might be what you want, as it has crowd control, self-buffing, some aptitude with bows (poor Base Attack Bonus, and subsequently poor access to ranged-related feats, but not terrible...maybe), and the option to just go with spell damage.

[Angelus_dead]

6. Fighter - Mobility, Spring Attack, points into UMD (x2) and Jump (x2)
Sure you mean Spring Attack and not SOTR?

[happypuppy]

Charisma is your dump stat, useful only for UMD. Strength, on the other hand, gets applied to your bows attacks thanks to ranger "Bow Strength" feat at first level. An 8 strength would give you -1 damage to bow attacks regardless of being ranger or not. Max dex (or if points are tight, let it sit at 18 or 19), get 14 int, and then dole out the rest into strength and con. Eventually you will want to be able to acheive 14 wisdom, but you will only need 11 (INCLUDING ITEMS!) by level 4. You can easily pick up a +1 wisdom item to get that, if you start with 10 wisdom.


Ah that makes sense, since I read strength doesn't apply to bow damage I ignored it. Thanks for explaining the why on the stats. :D


*advice*

Wow thanks for all the help, that is really detailed and helpful. Going to follow your advice.
I was thinking I was going to use a Repeater but bow is also cool.

If I get really frustrated at higher levels and it becomes non-fun I will reroll a Rogue/caster. I'm still set on disabling traps and not using melee. Also learned from making this thread that Warriors are more versatile than I thought and if i get a melee itch I could make a repeater/mele warrior.

Thanks

*while typing this poped up*

I will say, though, than an Arcane Archer Wizard might be what you want, as it has crowd control, self-buffing, some aptitude with bows (poor Base Attack Bonus, and subsequently poor access to ranged-related feats, but not terrible...maybe), and the option to just go with spell damage.

Wait wait, so you're saying I can have it all? I can disable traps, use a bow or xbow at first and then switch to spell damage.
This interests me.
Going to search the forums for Arcane Archer Wizard, also in a parallel world we were going to be guildies but I went with MAC instead.

[Wave_of_Mutilation]

Eh, I've yet to see how ranged is gimped in this game. Then again, I don't solo much and never planned to because the Ranger was listed as a "Specialist" class so I figured I'd be more of an asset to a party than a one-man-army. I'm just about at level 7 now with a pure elf ranger. While on Korthos using a bow wasn't too feasible for most of the quests and the bows I had to choose from sucked.

I do really well on the waterworks quest line and "Depths" line in the House of D. I can take out shamans, clerics, archers and wizards before they're a threat to the rest of my party. Sure, I may not be a killing machine (though manyshot can make me seem like one 20 seconds at a time) but I feel like as long as I'm not taking damage and take out the high-value targets I'm doing my share to help the party. Solo-ing isn't as fun for me with this character though as things move pretty slow.

The only thing I regret about the character I'm running right now is that I don't have as much str as I want. I started with a preset path and my dex is really high while my str lacks. Elf and ranger enhancements buff dex so if I were to do it again I'd probably put more str.

If you're going to solo, you're probably going to have to melee a bit. If you can find parties with a strong melee character or two, you'll be able to range and be effective (at least up to level 6 where I am...not sure about after that yet).

The capstone for Ranger gives a nice buff to ranged attack so you may want to weigh that in when you consider multi-classing.

As a side note: I used to play TF2 alot...so maybe that's why I like the ranged.

[sephiroth1084]

Sure you mean Spring Attack and not SOTR?
Good catch A_D! Shot on the Run is what I meant! Going back to edit post.

[sephiroth1084]

Wait wait, so you're saying I can have it all? I can disable traps, use a bow or xbow at first and then switch to spell damage.
This interests me.
Going to search the forums for Arcane Archer Wizard, also in a parallel world we were going to be guildies but I went with MAC instead.

Well, I'm not sure how good such a character would be, but both rangers and elves can take arcane archer. Elves gain proficiency with bows and the enhancements. Wizard has some bonus feats, so you could take some archer feats with your generals... The real problem is that it would be much slower to develop probably.

I have no idea how I'd really want to go about doing such a character, but I might consider some rampant multiclassing...

Maybe 2 rogue, 16 wizard and 2 levels of either ranger or fighter...probably fighter. It would take a long time to develop, but you would probably transition from using bows in the early game to relying almost exclusively on spells later on.

I'd probably just make a wizard in that case, but it could be interesting. At the very least you'd have the capability to pull out a bow and contribute a little bit of damage when low on SP. Stats would be a ***** though... I think you definitely need 32 pt. buy for this, but I would probably go with the following for 28 pts.

Str 12
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 16
Wis 8
Cha 8

Anyone else have experience with this? Am I way off base?

[happypuppy]

As a side note: I used to play TF2 alot...so maybe that's why I like the ranged.
One of the least classes I play is the Sniper but mostly cause I suck at it. I play the non-aiming classes Spy, pyro, medic and occasionally Engy. I really don't like FPS but this one has a twist I enjoy, it's so rewarding to land a backstab.


Maybe 2 rogue, 16 wizard and 2 levels of either ranger or fighter...probably fighter. It would take a long time to develop, but you would probably transition from using bows in the early game to relying almost exclusively on spells later on.
I have no problem with that. This char I want to create will be in a way disposable. His purpose is only to get to know the dungeons myself after I know them there is no problem playing with others, just want to go at my own pace and as for the end content well I think I would prefer to group.
Since I would be using an Elf wielding a repeater would be a waste right? So bow is my choice right?

Update: I just went with a Shadow Mage quite different of what I had in mind but hey it's working. Thanks for all the input.

[sephiroth1084]

Update: I just went with a Shadow Mage quite different of what I had in mind but hey it's working. Thanks for all the input.

Probably a good idea. You'll have just as easy or an easier time seeing the dungeons, and will be a bit easier to play, and more worth playing as the game progresses. Enjoy!

[Noctus]

Eh, I've yet to see how ranged is gimped in this game. ..... I'm just about at level 7 now with a pure elf ranger.

You answer your own questing.

Archery:
1-5 = okay
6-10 = still feasible, although noticeable less DPS than melee
11-14 = gimped
15-20 = hello mister group-liability

[Brennie]

You answer your own questing.

Archery:
1-5 = okay
6-10 = still feasible, although noticeable less DPS than melee
11-14 = gimped
15-20 = hello mister group-liability

I guess that answers my question of whether an Elven pure ranger with Arcane Archer maxed, bow enhancements and feats maxed, the Ranger capstone, and a nice weapon (like the Silver Bow, which has a low +enhancement bonus, but that is easily covered by the +5 arcane archer arrows), and all the ranger and elven dex enhancements for a pretty stellar "to hit", not to mention manyshotting and improved precise shotting through several targets, could pull out some amount of effectiveness by endgame.

It seems the answer is a resounding no.

[sephiroth1084]

I guess that answers my question of whether an Elven pure ranger with Arcane Archer maxed, bow enhancements and feats maxed, the Ranger capstone, and a nice weapon (like the Silver Bow, which has a low +enhancement bonus, but that is easily covered by the +5 arcane archer arrows), and all the ranger and elven dex enhancements for a pretty stellar "to hit", not to mention manyshotting and improved precise shotting through several targets, could pull out some amount of effectiveness by endgame.

It seems the answer is a resounding no.
Yup. :(

I can't speak to the capstone, but it certainly doesn't help during the 10 or so levels preceding 20 where being an archer really blows.

If you were only Manyshotting through a quest, then it would be a good style (maybe too powerful), but no group is going to quest for 20 seconds every 2 minutes. Sometimes fights are just spread out enough, but that's rarely the case.

Special ranged items like the Arrow trinket from Weapons Shipment might help, but I haven't gotten my archer past 16 just yet.

[Angelus_dead]

I do really well on the waterworks quest line and "Depths" line in the House of D.
Characters well above level 3-4 would naturally do well in level 3-4 quests.


I can take out shamans, clerics, archers and wizards before they're a threat to the rest of my party.
You should probably experiment with taking out those monsters with melee attacks, to compare the effectiveness.

Most rangers can easily go between archery and melee just by switched equipped weapons, but with a low strength you might not be able to perform that experiment accurately.


I feel like as long as I'm not taking damage and take out the high-value targets I'm doing my share to help the party.
I'm afraid you aren't actually taking out those targets.


If you can find parties with a strong melee character or two, you'll be able to range and be effective
Sounds like those strong melee characters are being effective instead of you.

[sephiroth1084]

I'm afraid you aren't actually taking out those targets.


That's not really true or fair. At low levels it's entirely possibly (and not that difficult) for an archer to take down certain threats before they get within range to be dangerous, and before the melee reaches them: casters, archers and the few enemies that hit hard (whether talking about damage or special effects of some kind) but do not have a ton of HP (and sometimes those as well).

It's against things with huge HP and/or regeneration that archers suffer. Even at endgame, my archer is one of the most effective characters in the group at taking out enemy spellcasters and archers, as I can hit them before they even know we're there, and usually kill them before they get within range to cast a harmful spell. Also, I can hit them even while they are running away, or hiding behind/in a fog or storm.

[whysper]

Yeah I know melee is superior but I still want use a strictly range build, it's my playstyle.

The only problem with that is that the enemies prefer melee, and are not shy about letting you know that.

Also, whoever claimed to have soloed TR Elite at level 5 without a single point of damage, going to need a video capture of that :D