So, Tempest I enhancement... Worth it or not?

[Gol]

For the 3 dragonshards I burned getting it, -36 HP and -2 attack (dropped weapon focus, toughness x 2, and dwarven axe attack 2), I'm not convinced. While the AC bonus is bugged in our favor, I think I'll keep it. But after they fix it... I'm undecided.

About the only benefit is that Spring Attack lets me move to break the swing animation (preventing the dreaded 5th attack) without a penalty.

[Puke]

Only with experience with the builds will we really know. But as of right now, I don't think any of the new Ranger builds are worth it.

For Tempest, you have to give up three feats and on the 4th feat, buy the Tempest which gives you a +10% melee increase. This means you probably have to drop some feats that gave you some pluses to-hit and so you are probably now missing 10% more than before and I think it becomes a wash. And this then also pushes back getting Improved Crit until the 12th level. I'm very skeptical. I did build a Human Ranger and had him sitting at level 6.5 for more than a month awaiting this update and last night bought him the Tempest and so I'll see how this goes in the future. Also, I feel there is no real point to Spring Attack because you end up bouncing off the monster you are chasing swinging away and missing until maybe the 7th swing when your swing happens to time things just perfectly and you actually get a die roll.

I also had an Elf Ranger at 6.5 waiting for Deepwood Sniper. Here, you end up having to buy six enhancements at a cost, I think, of nine Enhancement Points. That meant some pretty important stuff has to go and for what? So I can sneak past monsters? Plus, this is a clickie! What a major pain in the butt. I set the clickie to the #1 slot of my main shortcut bar and I guess in a fight, when I'm looking at the targets, I'll just have to blindly mash that key over and over. And hopefully chance has it that this one particular shot does roll a critical. And when you do, you'll take aggro...the monster will run towards you really mad...you are designed for bow fighting so it's time to kite the thing but oh no, you have all these points in sneaking and does it work for you now? Nope. My Ranger lost his Haste Boost enhancement which is actually a lot more important in this game in these situations than sneaking ever is. I think I lost some other pretty good enhancements too. Oh, and Deepwood Sniper I is it. Even up to 16th level in the Enhancement list, there is no Sniper II. Even Barbarians get a +2 to their crit threat and that's permanent without any of this silly mashing of a clicky for the rest of your life.

Arcane ARcher? I don't know much about this one. I looked at it a while ago and thought, all that for only that? Just to create your own arrows? I bet my to-hit is better if I do NOT take Arcane ARcher than it is as an Arcane Archer and those +4 arrows. Big stinking deal.

Yeah, I'm skeptical. We'll see how my two new Rangers work out. I still have my three other "normal" Rangers to compare them to and so we'll see.

My $.02.

[kingfisher]

i liked it. definitely noticed the added attack speed, when spell/pot hasted and haste boosted for the big fights the attack speed was hard to follow. i thought they were fixing the bug with the 5th attack? i don't have 15 BAB yet anyway so it is moot for me at this point. my AC went up by 2, which is what i thought was supposed to happen, how is it bugged?

[EinarMal]

Maybe the best type of build would be more of a Fighter 10/Ranger 6 type build? Certainly the feat cost would be much less of an issue. It does indeed stink that you have to take Dodge-Mobility-Spring Attack for it. If that chain was good at all it might not be too bad, but those 3 feats are not on the "stellar" list.

[CSFurious]

i have a 10ranger/4fighter that is all set for tempest when i get around to playing her (it is tough finding the time right now when you have multiple capped characters)

i cannot imagine how a pure ranger could do it or would even bother trying

[Illuminati]

i have a 10ranger/4fighter that is all set for tempest when i get around to playing her (it is tough finding the time right now when you have multiple capped characters)

i cannot imagine how a pure ranger could do it or would even bother trying

Dex Based
1. Wep Finesse
3. Dodge
6. Mobility
9. IC: Pierce
12: Spring Attack
15. Power Attack

Works just fine.

Strength Based
1. Dodge
3. Mobility
6. Spring Attack
9. IC: Whatever
12: Power Attack
15: OTWF

Works just fine as well.

[rpasell]

I really like the Arcane archer on my ranger rogue.

I took Deepwoods Sniper on my pure class ranged ranger, and also like it. It's more of a memory issue with "oops 10 seconds are up, hit the button again". But for on crit effects, it really helps.

[Illuminati]

Maybe the best type of build would be more of a Fighter 10/Ranger 6 type build? Certainly the feat cost would be much less of an issue. It does indeed stink that you have to take Dodge-Mobility-Spring Attack for it. If that chain was good at all it might not be too bad, but those 3 feats are not on the "stellar" list.

Free plug:

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=133721

Pretty sick at level 6 so far =p

[Kerr]

The great thing about DDO is there is no cookie cutter build. Each to their own.

Don't like it, don't take it. I am taking it as soon as I get the 4 APs for it in level 15.

[Xithos]

I just came back to level a couple new characters after a nice long break and look at the new tempest enhancement as "hopefully" being a gateway to something better when they bump the cap up again. Superior TWF did not seem to make it into this mod as far as I can tell, but if it has a Dex requirement of 19 then the Tempest II enhancement could be a real boon to strength rangers if it actually did do something like grant that feat for free without the dex requirement. Also, if the Tempest II did not add any additional requirements beyond Tempest I with additional ranger levels and continued improving attack speed I would probably end up a believer. As I see it now, expending 3 feats and AP for Tempest I seems..... meh..... at best. Hopefully some experience with it will change my mind, but I am very excited about the Ram's Might spell.

[QuantumFX]

Hmmm...

So far I can say that is has made my rangers even bigger haste junkies than they already were. But thanks to the level cap increase I haven't seen a loss in performance. (I traded Toughness and Mental Toughness on both elves to get Dodge and Mobility.)

With Baalric (see signature) I'm hoping to see a bigger difference. Why? I'm building it into the character and awaiting the actual in play results.