Torthur Hareft; str based pure ranger

[Seregon]

go with what you know is good now. mod 9 could bring a whole host of new items you will want to wear more, and they could be on any slot. planning for a future you can't predict is silly.

haste clickies are nice, but in a party you're almost always hasted, so it's less valuable. i vote the bracers, you'll always use them to regen mana and HP, I doubt they'll usurp that in the next mod.

Yeah, I agree, think I'm going the cleanse bracers.

[Fennario]

Nice build. The original post is a little hard to read, but very well done. I suggest breaking those paragraphs up a little, because I almost didn't read it when I first saw it.

I have a pure str based ranger that I have been playing since 32 point builds came out. I went more of the pure dps route with him, and he tears things up exactly like he is supposed to do.

I wanted to thank you for your take on ranger healing. It is often overlooked by most rangers... myself included.

There is no way that I can fit maximize into my build. I just am too in love with power attack to ever consider dropping it. And since tempest 3 is going to require another feat at 18, its probably never going to make it into my build.

However you did inspire me to fit in the ranger devotion enhancements. Then I put on that paladin only (umd 12 or so) superior devotion 4 necklace from the wizard king quest that I had laying around on my mule.... perfect since rangers only cast level 4 spells. Now I just swap in the silver flame necklace when needed.

Its made a real difference with self healing abilities. I'm still no cleric, but with almost 450 health a cure pot or wand doesn't do a whole lot. I do have umd, but not enough for reliable heal scroll use.

So thanks again... makes a significant difference in survivability.

[Seregon]

Nice build. The original post is a little hard to read, but very well done. I suggest breaking those paragraphs up a little, because I almost didn't read it when I first saw it.

I have a pure str based ranger that I have been playing since 32 point builds came out. I went more of the pure dps route with him, and he tears things up exactly like he is supposed to do.

I wanted to thank you for your take on ranger healing. It is often overlooked by most rangers... myself included.

There is no way that I can fit maximize into my build. I just am too in love with power attack to ever consider dropping it. And since tempest 3 is going to require another feat at 18, its probably never going to make it into my build.

However you did inspire me to fit in the ranger devotion enhancements. Then I put on that paladin only (umd 12 or so) superior devotion 4 necklace from the wizard king quest that I had laying around on my mule.... perfect since rangers only cast level 4 spells. Now I just swap in the silver flame necklace when needed.

Its made a real difference with self healing abilities. I'm still no cleric, but with almost 450 health a cure pot or wand doesn't do a whole lot. I do have umd, but not enough for reliable heal scroll use.

So thanks again... makes a significant difference in survivability.

Your very welcome, and thank you, it makes me happy everytime some one comes on here and posts a success story.

Yeah the problem you describe was what inspired me to find a way to make self healing a viable alternative. I, like you, had over 400 hit points, and drinking pots or wand whipping simply took way too long, and ended up being way to costly as I'm not a rich player by any means. I was also always ending quests with at least 50% mana. So I said to myself, there has to got to be a way to make my CSW spell more effective. I also want to say right now that self healing is addicting, the more you do it, the more you will want to make it better. So I went out and got the ranger healing enhancements(rangers devotion IV), a greater devotion of concentration item, and the reaver gloves so I would have a chance to crit on my heals. At this point with everything equiped my avg CSW was doing 55-60pts, with a critcal doing 120pts. For me it was still not enough, so I dropped toughness, took maximize, and can now heal for 120(avg non-crit) up to 345(highest crit), which I am finally happy with. However even without maximize CSW will do 55-60pts on avg, which is still significantly more than a pot or a wand.

Yeah I really do understand what ya mean by breaking up the paragraphs(as your not the first to suggest it) but theres just so much information to convey, however I will still try to find a way to make it more read-able.

Also, I think now is a good time for this statement, as you have proven, you definetly do not need to follow my guide exactly 100% to get the benefits from it. The best part of this guide is you can pick and choose what you need for your build. I really want to say that my guide is in no way, the best way, or the only way, to play a ranger. All it is, is simply my way.

[tazman]

yep my bad i miss read it so i was wrong not shure what i was thanking.i might of had a brain fart lol.no big deal but on the same hand if they don't have a lot of mana it will stilll help with most builds.

i also have a self healling ranger and i love it 58 ac self and can heal my self best build i ever made / 11ranger/3 pally/ 2 monk
str base great dps.

[Seregon]

yep my bad i miss read it so i was wrong not shure what i was thanking.i might of had a brain fart lol.no big deal but on the same hand if they don't have a lot of mana it will stilll help with most builds.

i also have a self healling ranger and i love it 58 ac self and can heal my self best build i ever made / 11ranger/3 pally/ 2 monk
str base great dps.

No problem, every makes mistakes. Yup I hope when new players read this they pay special attention to the self healing aspect because it helps to create a truly powerful character. The ability to break combat and heal yourself in 1-3 rounds is truly amazing. Anyone have any questions regarding self healing?

[PEROMAN]

I read this about a month ago and I just got my guy capped (I play other toons as well) today.

I just wanted to mention that this is an awesome build in most cases (I dont have all the equip the OP has), but when all is said and done....this guy has built an awesome chararcter!! He has beaten out alot of other GOOD players in kill counts. He has been able to solo just about everything at the same level if not a level or so higher.

I'm looking forward to the items needed to make him uber and I'm hoping everything pans out for him in mod 9.

...with that said, I'd like to mention some good comarisons I've come across....
15 rogue/1 monk and the dps monster..6 ranger/2 monk/ 8 fighter. The dps monster I like, but the rogue/monk has a zeal I've never felt. These 3 builds have literallly shown me they are the best route to take if you want to be self sefficient, in terms of being able to self heal. Sure the barbs are able to do mad damage but they also take a gang load of damage and most cannot self heal other than pots (which in my opinion makes them garbage).

so, to reintroduce this thred to noobs that wanna build a tight ass dps character, go this route first...you'll learn a ton and you cant go wrong ever!!

[Seregon]

I read this about a month ago and I just got my guy capped (I play other toons as well) today.

I just wanted to mention that this is an awesome build in most cases (I dont have all the equip the OP has), but when all is said and done....this guy has built an awesome chararcter!! He has beaten out alot of other GOOD players in kill counts. He has been able to solo just about everything at the same level if not a level or so higher.

I'm looking forward to the items needed to make him uber and I'm hoping everything pans out for him in mod 9.

...with that said, I'd like to mention some good comarisons I've come across....
15 rogue/1 monk and the dps monster..6 ranger/2 monk/ 8 fighter. The dps monster I like, but the rogue/monk has a zeal I've never felt. These 3 builds have literallly shown me they are the best route to take if you want to be self sefficient, in terms of being able to self heal. Sure the barbs are able to do mad damage but they also take a gang load of damage and most cannot self heal other than pots (which in my opinion makes them garbage).

so, to reintroduce this thred to noobs that wanna build a tight ass dps character, go this route first...you'll learn a ton and you cant go wrong ever!!

Right on man, thanks for the bump, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the build. I definetly havn't forgotten about this post and am going to update it fully for mod 9, I just want to wait till release.

[AussieEngineer]

Hey man,

I too wanted to add my voice to those here who thanked you for this build plan/guide.

Since reading about 2 months ago, i was prompted to re-roll my newly started Tempest ranger build, and follow many of your build ideas.

It was well thought out, and the explanations for various decisions made definitely helped me to decide on where to differ.

I started with *mostly* the attribute point distribution you suggested, except a couple more points in dex, and an extra point in Strength. I took these from Intelligence, starting with 12, and getting a 13 by buying a +1 Int tome off the AH, ready for Combat Expertise (when I take it, which will likely be after I craft a Shroud HP item).

It has been a lot of fun playing this guy. I just made it to level 16 a couple of days ago, and have been having a blast.
I really liked the self-survivability you detailed, and I look forward to getting some of the raid loot over time, to be able to more fully capitalise upon your build ideas (namely the Torq for sp regeneration... that will make a difference).

My first character was a Fighter, who at high level felt like such a drain to play. Very low self sustainability, where I felt like I needed a personal cleric around purely to keep me alive while I ran him. His 16th level I actually took a level of Ranger purely to get wand usage for healing, etc. I just don't play him anymore.

This guy is lots more fun. Evasion, Decent hit points, self-healing for around 120hp atm... Very survivable, and I don't feel like a drain on others resources at all (though I do like a haste when I can get one!).

In your post, I liked the gear loadout specifications too, as it helped me to realise what gear is out there, and how to fit some of it together to increase survivability.
The Bloodrage symbiont would have to be one of my favourite items! I love it!
A lot of people hear "-2 Con" and immediately run, but as you described, it is continuously saving much more HP than the loss I take for equipping it.

I've yet to complete any 12 person raids on my guy, but I look forward to trying to get some of the items that you have specified, and I look forward to seeing my guy improve over time with that stuff.

All in all a good guide on how to build a really good character, and some of the gear to keep an eye out for on the way!

Cheers!

[~RockHaven]

ACK! I tried to build this tune and realized it's a 32 pt build....this returning player isn't anywhere close to unlocking 32 pt builds.....Can ya set me up as a 28 pointer? I know I will re-do it when I do get 32 pts but for now I'm stuck as a 28pt'er

Thanks!

also looking for a guild on Sarlona......

[Zacaretas]

ACK! I tried to build this tune and realized it's a 32 pt build....this returning player isn't anywhere close to unlocking 32 pt builds.....Can ya set me up as a 28 pointer? I know I will re-do it when I do get 32 pts but for now I'm stuck as a 28pt'er

I would recommend the following for a 28-pt dwarven ranger:

STR 15 30 (+6 item, +2 tome, +5 levels, +2 Ram's Might)
DEX 14 23 (+6 item, +3 enhancements)
CON 16 24 (+6 item, +2 enhancements)
INT 12 13 (         +1 tome)
WIS 12 14 (         +2 tome)
CHA 6

__________________________________________________
Feats
__________________________________________________

1 Dodge
3 Mobility
6 Spring Attack
9 Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons (until mineral II)
12 Maximize (for the cure mod and then cure serious spell @ 14)
15 Combat Expertise
18 Two-Weapon Defense or Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting 

Or ...

1 Dodge
3 Mobility
6 Spring Attack
9 Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons (until mineral II)
12 Toughness
15 Combat Expertise
18 Two-Weapon Defense or Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting 

__________________________________________________
Skills
__________________________________________________

Hide 4
Jump 4
Move silently 4
Spot 4
Balance 4
Tumble 4
Use Magic Device 4

I went with UMD on my ranger. UMD or Tumble can be swapped for Concentration if you choose to go with the Maximize feat.

I want to say thanks to Seregon for posting this guide. It's opened up some new possibilities for me that I haven't thought of before, such as not starting with an 18 STR and putting points elsewhere, as well as the importance of self-healing.

[Seregon]

Hey guys, real life has been really busy lately so I have not had time for the ddo forums unfortunately.

AussieEngineer, thanks alot bro, I'm really happy that the guide cleared up some character choices for ya, and I hope your bloodrage symbiot is treating you well.

RockHaven, tomorrow night I'll post up a 28pt stat distribution and a full explanation. Also good catch I'll edit the post to make it clear that it is a 32pt build.

Zacaretas thank ya very much, both for the compliments and for helping Rockhaven out, I'm glad the guide has helped you out.

Going to retype and edit this tomorow but I saw your guys posts and wanted to respond. I probably will not actually play much until mod9 but as soon as that hits and I start playing again feel free to shoot me a tell on ghallanda at anytime, for anything and Ill try to help out as best I can. Until then, cheers.

Edit*
Rockhaven I would go with 15str 14dex 16con 12int 12wis 6cha. I kept the str, dex, con and wis the same for the reasons listed in the original post. I dropped int by 2 but kept it 12 so you can still easily get combat expertise with a +1 tome. Just pick any one skill you don't think you need, that is all you loose by dropping int by 2. I dropped starting cha from 8 to 6 because all that will affect is your UMD which if you follow this guide goes from a self buffed +34 to a self buffed +33, not a big deal.

[Aaxeyu]

Torthur Hareft, str-based, dwarven, pure ranger built for Mod 8...

Wow.. That was a long post.

A few comments..

Your stats are bad.
14 int is waay to high for a ranger, unless you want your build to be pure flavor with alot of useless skills.
12 wisdom is a waste if you're not splashing monk.
You can get 6 wisdom from your shroud SP item anyways.
You should have gone with 18 str. It would be better.

Obviously a monksplash and rogue would make this build atleast twice as effective, but I'm sure that you know that already.

Human is a better race for rangers. Your saves will be pretty high anyways, and khopesh deal more DPS than DAs.
Human also gives some statpoints to more important stats than con, along with healing amplification, which is awesome for your CSW.

[baddax]

Wow.. That was a long post.

A few comments..

Your stats are bad.
14 int is waay to high for a ranger, unless you want your build to be pure flavor with alot of useless skills.
12 wisdom is a waste if you're not splashing monk.
You can get 6 wisdom from your shroud SP item anyways.
You should have gone with 18 str. It would be better.

Obviously a monksplash and rogue would make this build atleast twice as effective, but I'm sure that you know that already.

Human is a better race for rangers. Your saves will be pretty high anyways, and khopesh deal more DPS than DAs.
Human also gives some statpoints to more important stats than con, along with healing amplification, which is awesome for your CSW.

Wow you read the whole post!
I applaude you sir!

[Aranel12]

Wow.. That was a long post.

A few comments..

Your stats are bad.
14 int is waay to high for a ranger, unless you want your build to be pure flavor with alot of useless skills.
12 wisdom is a waste if you're not splashing monk.
You can get 6 wisdom from your shroud SP item anyways.
You should have gone with 18 str. It would be better.

Obviously a monksplash and rogue would make this build atleast twice as effective, but I'm sure that you know that already.

Human is a better race for rangers. Your saves will be pretty high anyways, and khopesh deal more DPS than DAs.
Human also gives some statpoints to more important stats than con, along with healing amplification, which is awesome for your CSW.

LOL wow so i guess i need to make a human ranger/monk and just to be godly. Khopeshes are eh as in for dwarfs due to the fact he can increase his dmg by racial DA enchancements and also gets the feat for free. 14 int he has that due to the fact he can use umd and skills that will help the party. 12 wisdom is nice due to the fact doesn't have to worry about switching items just to cast and waste sp. Any race can play an effective ranger it is what u want to do with the character. pure rangers get fair saves and a good amount of spells. and actually a DA can deal more dmg then a khopesh but the crit range is only 19-20 unlike 17-20. he's already got an healing amplification from items.

so lets see

1. khopeshes are really not the uberest thing i mean dwarven with axes tempest on what he want it fits well.
2. Wisdom being low he have a better save with 12 then 8 at end game
3. being a dwarf he can get a high dex mastery and if used right can become powerful.
4. Granted human with amplification but can get those stats from greensteel and levik's
5. starting with a max stat aka 18 str is like i will max this stat out but it will hurt the rest.

[Aaxeyu]

LOL wow so i guess i need to make a human ranger/monk and just to be godly. Khopeshes are eh as in for dwarfs due to the fact he can increase his dmg by racial DA enchancements and also gets the feat for free. 14 int he has that due to the fact he can use umd and skills that will help the party. 12 wisdom is nice due to the fact doesn't have to worry about switching items just to cast and waste sp. Any race can play an effective ranger it is what u want to do with the character. pure rangers get fair saves and a good amount of spells. and actually a DA can deal more dmg then a khopesh but the crit range is only 19-20 unlike 17-20. he's already got an healing amplification from items.

Well, halfling would work, but human is the best option.

DAs with the axe enhancements deal less DPS than khopeshes. Calc it yourself if you don't believe me.
If you go human you get an extra feat, use that to get khopeshes and throw your "DAs are free" argument out the window.

He should always be wearing a +6 wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP. If he swaps it out he loses spellpoints.

Yes, every race might be effective, but some are better than others.

Human healing amp stacks beneficially with items, so the more items he have, the better are the human enhancements.

so lets see

1. khopeshes are really not the uberest thing i mean dwarven with axes tempest on what he want it fits well.
2. Wisdom being low he have a better save with 12 then 8 at end game
3. being a dwarf he can get a high dex mastery and if used right can become powerful.
4. Granted human with amplification but can get those stats from greensteel and levik's
5. starting with a max stat aka 18 str is like i will max this stat out but it will hurt the rest.

This build is less than optimal, if you wanna defend it's superiority you will fail.
It's lightyears away from a ranger/monk/rogue.

It might still hold it's own due to the fact that DDO is easy, but that doesn't change the fact that the build is "gimped" in comparison.

[Seregon]

Wow.. That was a long post.

A few comments..

Your stats are bad.
14 int is waay to high for a ranger, unless you want your build to be pure flavor with alot of useless skills.
12 wisdom is a waste if you're not splashing monk.
You can get 6 wisdom from your shroud SP item anyways.
You should have gone with 18 str. It would be better.

Obviously a monksplash and rogue would make this build atleast twice as effective, but I'm sure that you know that already.

Human is a better race for rangers. Your saves will be pretty high anyways, and khopesh deal more DPS than DAs.
Human also gives some statpoints to more important stats than con, along with healing amplification, which is awesome for your CSW.

The only useless skill I have currently is search(bc truesight on goggles reveals hidden doors, and I have no rogue abilities), and in mod 9 im going to max out concentration using 5skill pts per level, the other two will go into UMD and balance. The main reason however that I started with a higher int was that I needed atleast 13 for combat expertise.

The reason why I started with 12 wisdom was so with a +2wisdom tome, I could cast every ranger spell in game without needing an item. I also wanted to have certain items on at all combat times which precluded my build from wearing a wisdom item full time. I also started with a higher wisdom to get higher will saves. Not sure why your stating that you can get +6 wisdom from a shroud item, when everyone knows that, especially myself who runs with 3+ pieces of cleansed GS items, and 2 weapons.

Could you elaborate with valid and sound reasons why starting with 18str is better than starting with 15 str instead of just making claims? My reasoning for starting with 15str was with all available gear I could easily reach a self-buffed to hit of +35, so I did not need the extra +2 to-hit, and +2 damage that would cost 8 ability points at char creation, that cost was not worth the gain to me.

For the build I wanted, human was not a better choice because 1) I wanted to use dwarven axes, dwfs get the feat for free humans do not, and tempest rangers do not have alot of extra feats 2) a dwarf will have higher continuous saves than a human, they start with a +2 feat bonus, and get +3 (stacking) through enhancement bonus 3) dwarves have higher hitpoints 4) khopheshes do not always outdamge dwarven axes.

Also could you post your character name and server so I know who I'm talking to?

Torthur Hareft

[Seregon]

Well, halfling would work, but human is the best option.

DAs with the axe enhancements deal less DPS than khopeshes. Calcs i yourself if you don't believe me.
If you go human you get an extra feat, use that to get khopeshes and throw your "DAs are free" argument out the window.

He should always be wearing a +6 wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP. If he swaps it out he loses spellpoints.

Yes, every race might be effective, but some are better than others.

Human healing amp stacks beneficially with items, so the more items he have, the better are the human enhancements.



This build is less than optimal, if you wanna defend it's superiority you will fail.
It's lightyears away from a ranger/monk/rogue.

It might still hold it's own due to the fact that DDO is easy, but that doesn't change the fact that the build is "gimped" in comparison.

My favorite part of your post is when you say "He should always be wearing a +6 wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP. If he swaps it out he loses spellpoints." For two reasons, 1) the part where you say "he should always be wearing a +6wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP". LOL when did wisdom start giving hp. That is plain and simple false. 2) The part where you say "If he swaps it out he looses spellpoints" because once you fully buff your party with barskin and you take off a +6 wisdom you will not loose mana, because its already spent, just put the +6 wisdom item on again before you shrine.

I never said this build was superior to any other build all I ever said was that it was my build and how I play. I never wanted a multiclass ranger/monk/rogue I wanted a pure class ranger so your statement doesn't really apply. Lastly this build is not gimped, ask anyone who has ever played with me, oh and btw- whats your character name and what server do you play on?

Torthur Hareft

[Justicar]

My favorite part of your post is when you say "He should always be wearing a +6 wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP. If he swaps it out he loses spellpoints." For two reasons, 1) the part where you say "he should always be wearing a +6wisdom item, as it may also give him alot of SP and some HP". LOL when did wisdom start giving hp. That is plain and simple false. 2) The part where you say "If he swaps it out he looses spellpoints" because once you fully buff your party with barskin and you take off a +6 wisdom you will not loose mana, because its already spent, just put the +6 wisdom item on again before you shrine.

I never said this build was superior to any other build all I ever said was that it was my build and how I play. I never wanted a multiclass ranger/monk/rogue I wanted a pure class ranger so your statement doesn't really apply. Lastly this build is not gimped, ask anyone who has ever played with me, oh and btw- whats your character name and what server do you play on?

Torthur Hareft

Dont mind him bro, from the posts of his that I have read, he is always right, you are always wrong. It doesnt matter what you want in your build or if you want something other than cookie cutter. He has a preconceived notion on builds and if your ideas dont coralate with his, then you are wrong. End of story.

[Comfortably]

Dont mind him bro, from the posts of his that I have read, he is always right, you are always wrong. It doesnt matter what you want in your build or if you want something other than cookie cutter. He has a preconceived notion on builds and if your ideas dont coralate with his, then you are wrong. End of story.

So I am not the only one to notice that? hrmm...

[Rhymer25]

RANGERS SUCK!


Woot Corgath> Torther


I just ownt this post