The New Archer

[Xyfiel]

So I was thinking about Zen archery and playing with builds last night and came up with what I think is the most versatile and dps specced "Archer".

Drow(for shurikens)
20 Ranger(capstone)

[34]16str +3tome+5levels+6item+2rams+2madstone
[30]16dex +3tome+6item+3Ranger+2Drow
[26]13con +3tome+6item+4Madstone
[12]10int +2tome if you want
[20]11wis +3tome+6item
[14]11cha +3tome

Feats:
heavy repeater, light repeater, rapid reload, improved crit ranged, quickdraw, weapon focus ranged, point blank shot
You now have the best Ranged speed for all ranged weapons, and proficient with all(ok maybe not great xbow). Last two are for deepwood.

To hit: 43
20bab+4gh+1haste+2tumbleweed+10dex+5weapon+1weapon focus

Skills:
balance, hide, ms, jump, tumble, umd, spot

Hps: 445
20base+30gfl+10Draconic+45shroud+20minos+160con+16 0Ranger

Lightning II Bow for manyshot volleys
1d10+12str+5weapon+2rams+14FE+Holy+shocking Burst/blast

Repeater for on crit effects and regular dps
2d8+5weapon+2rams+14FE+X

Shuriken for Vorpal


Twf as needed. You don't have Stwf or Tempest Speed, but you still can out melee a lot of characters. You still get FE & rams damage, plus you high str. This Ranger also has high sneak for scouting/avoiding. I included +3 tomes since the rumor is they will drop from chests.

[Ikuryo]

Interesting choices. If you are going drow just for shurikens for vorpal you could also look for a vorpal throwning axe and skip the need for drow, you could then go normal elf for the bow dmg enhancements or human for another feat or dwarf for more str and con. You would also be able to assign the full 32 points as you wish instead of getting 28 points with a higher then normal race set of stats.

[Xyfiel]

Ah yeah forgot about axes. Human or Elf would work better then.

[drac317]

has anyone heard how zen archery will work in ddo? in 3rd it just allowed you to use wisdom to hit and stacked with dex if you were an Order of the Bow iniate.

[maddmatt70]

Not bad just not sure why you would want to use repeaters or thrown weapons anyway. Just go bow with manyshot and melee when not manyshotting at least from a power gamer standpoint. Change the build to reflect that..

[spifflove]

I would go bard.

[Xyfiel]

Not bad just not sure why you would want to use repeaters or thrown weapons anyway. Just go bow with manyshot and melee when not manyshotting at least from a power gamer standpoint. Change the build to reflect that..

Why would a build designed to be the most versatile and dps specced "Archer", be reworked to be a melee build? There are hundreds of cookie cutter Tempest builds here.

From a powergamer standpoint, nothing in this game has more damage potential then a high str Ranger with capstone during a manyshot. Nothing in this game has more insta kill ability then a 20 Ranger with capstone using a vorpal returner. Nothing in this game can out kill a repeater 20 Ranger with capstone when using w/p, banishing, smiting.

The problem with ranged is mainly the missing shots, a good ranged character can outkill anyone. It just takes knowing how to do that. Improved precise shot is the most overpowered feat in the game yet 99% of players don't play to it's strengths. Most people like playing melee and hate chasing the kiting mobs. Yet pulling rooms of mobs to a chokepoint and hitting 10 at a time while kiting is faster and requires less healing. The same is true for fascinate, a good virtuoso can fascinate a whole quest and only have to kill the bosses. No one wants to play a melee to look at fascinated mobs, so it gets little use these days.

I think too many people here get stuck in the dps/healer thinking and can't think outside that box to see that other strategies do work, and sometimes better.