Ranged DPS

[munglee]

Hello new to posting builds... was thinking of maxed ranged DPS build either 14 Fighter/ 2 ranger, or 12 Fighter/ 2 Ranger/ 2 rogue for Eva, and Elf for the bow damage.

Starting stats/Ending stats
Str 18/24 (+1 tome, 2 lvl ups, and fighter enhancements)
Dex 18/24 (+1 tome, 2 lvl ups, and elf and ranger enhancements)
Con 12
everything else would be 8

So with fighter wep spec, would this build do decent ranged damage or am i just wasting time, and yes i know ranged sucks but *** y not, and yes no HP, or healing, but all things aside this toon prob could dps either way ranged or melee, just no tempest...i know i know tempest is god...but *** there are to many tempests...

So what do you guys think?

[Guildmaster_Kadish]

Once Mod9 comes out, 20 ranger will probably be the best... hard to compete with 25% alacrity and 18ish FE/Ram's Might damage.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

A Ftr based Archer can indeed do some decent damage.
Maybe as much as a slightly above average mellee.

But let's put that in perspective.

A super duper, all the ranged specced you can get Archer build......
Is at best equal to a slightly above average melee guy.

Sad.

Exception is manyshot. Which can be very impressive.

Another exception is special arrows. Arrows stack more than people think.
And you can get some really nice combos.

But even with quivers this is extrmely difficult to manage.

And it is also extrmely difficult to get more than a handful of good arrows.
Even with a bunch of other chars mailing your archer every cool arrow they ever pull from a chest.......

Sad.

And then there is that fact that your Ftr archer will be the greatest archer ever to set foot in Stormreach! Until one day he comes face to face with a lvl 20 Rgr who shoots 25% faster than he can ever hope to shoot.

Sad

(Mod 9 killed my Archer...a book by the famed Blackfeather of Argo..retired Ftr14/Rgr2)

[Uska]

Unless they do something to help ranged combat the only way to go is pure ranger that way at least you can maybe take tempest and still have some use, ranged combat is sadly gimped in ddo, although I am playing with a arcane archer and its giving me some mild satisfaction

[Jay203]

Unless they do something to help ranged combat the only way to go is pure ranger that way at least you can maybe take tempest and still have some use, ranged combat is sadly gimped in ddo, although I am playing with a arcane archer and its giving me some mild satisfaction

screw them pure rangers!
i'll stick with my Arcane Kensai Archer that sings after he's done sniping enemies in the head

[Demoyn]

was thinking of maxed ranged DPS build

This comment is getting disgustingly common these days.

[Uska]

screw them pure rangers!
i'll stick with my Arcane Kensai Archer that sings after he's done sniping enemies in the head

To bad we wont be on same server otherwise we could have a contest.

[captain1z]

I was very surprised when a build I created for melee picked up a bow lined up 3 of the 4 bosses in the shroud part 2 and unleashed a manyshot with precise shot on and got agro from all 3 bosses despite the parties efforts to get them off me for the duration of manyshot.

It was a shocking burst longbow of righteousness that crit for 99 pts base + shock damage that went by too quick for me to add up. Was very cool to see that happen with a ranged attack.


Will range ever out DPS melee in the long run.......not likely
will ranged ever be worth it at endgame...... for 20 secs every 2 mins yeah (the rest of the time u should consider having a decent sword handy...just in case)

[Demoyn]

Will range ever out DPS melee in the long run.......not likely
will ranged ever be worth it at endgame...... for 20 secs every 2 mins yeah (the rest of the time u should consider having a decent sword handy...just in case)

The funny thing about that, though, is that a dual wielding tempest ranger gets manyshot too. The difference is that they're useful for 2 minutes out of 2 minutes.

[Thrudh]

I'm building an elven Arcane Archer 18/2 Favored Soul/Ranger...

For.The.Win.

(okay, just for fun...)

[Worker1179]

For 20 seconds a ranged character can do obscene damage to or just vaporize large groups of monsters. For 100 seconds you have to mop up with your servicable melee or a bit of kiting. No big deal. In a group, the 20 seconds of of death raining on the bad guys parade every 2 minutes seems worth the invite. If a ranged dps knows their business, they make my mouse more comfortable. They make my speakers sound better. They make my monitor more crisp. I want a ranged dps in every group. With my bard, my arcane, my cleric, my rogue, and my tank. I'm just saying, anyone who wants to roll a ranged dps, don't let the naysayers talk you out of it. These guys do just fine.

[Demoyn]

In a group, the 20 seconds of of death raining on the bad guys parade every 2 minutes seems worth the invite.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAH



Ok, I'm done...








No wait...







HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA




In a group the melees have two choices when an archer is invited: either spend half the quest chasing around monsters that the incompetent archer keeps pulling, or just keep going with the quest and grab the archer's stone before the boss fight (if at all). Either way it slows down the group to have an archer and they provide NOTHING (not even manyshot, since tempest rangers get it also) to compensate for their gimpitude.

[cpito]

In a group the melees have two choices when an archer is invited: either spend half the quest chasing around monsters that the incompetent archer keeps pulling, or just keep going with the quest and grab the archer's stone before the boss fight (if at all). Either way it slows down the group to have an archer and they provide NOTHING (not even manyshot, since tempest rangers get it also) to compensate for their gimpitude.

This illustrates the biggest issue I have with ranged rangers and I'm sorry you have yet to find a player competent at playing an archer. A properly played archer with a paralyzer can be all the cc a group needs. The same applies to debuffing with a cursespewer of shattermantle. Allowing a ranger to pull the mobs to the ground of your choosing and trapping them in a corner (excepting giants, there are few mobs a ranger shouldn't be able to jump over) so no one has to chase anything is good strategy for any quest, not just shroud 5. And if half the mobs are dead, wounded, punctured etc by the time the get to said corner... all the better. It also helps when archers know when to use IPS and when to turn it off! Augh! I could rant all day about the do's and don't's of archery and related dps (it really, really doesn't have to be all about dps)...

[sigtrent]

In a group the melees have two choices when an archer is invited: either spend half the quest chasing around monsters that the incompetent archer keeps pulling, or just keep going with the quest and grab the archer's stone before the boss fight (if at all). Either way it slows down the group to have an archer and they provide NOTHING (not even manyshot, since tempest rangers get it also) to compensate for their gimpitude.

You just haven't played with the right people in the right quests.

I have a ranged specialist and he's gotten 1st kill count in groups with barbarians and fighters in maps with large outdoor areas (storm cleave, gwenyins etc..) It takes experience though. You don't kite monsters around in a fight unless the party is in trouble (and then you do it to take the heat off them. You don't use your bow in close quarters. You don't attack a mob you can't kill by the time it gets to you unless someone else has its agro. You focus on spell casters when they are present. You pull monsters into your melee characters or spell effects by positioning yourself properly. You use tumble when monsters get into melee range instead of speed kiting them. You have enough bows to handle different monster types and combat situations etc...

And lastly you know when the bow just won't cut it and you pull out some melee weapons.

Archers can also save your party bacon when the main crew falls apart. I've had a number of "saves" with ranged capable characters because when everyone else is dead they can finish off the straggling mobs from range or perch and then come scoop up the stones.

[Ssmooth]

Rangers use bows?? Huh.

[Noctus]

You just haven't played with the right people in the right quests.

I have a ranged specialist and he's gotten 1st kill count in groups with barbarians and fighters in maps with large outdoor areas (storm cleave, gwenyins etc..) It takes experience though. You don't kite monsters around in a fight unless the party is in trouble (and then you do it to take the heat off them. You don't use your bow in close quarters. You don't attack a mob you can't kill by the time it gets to you unless someone else has its agro. You focus on spell casters when they are present. You pull monsters into your melee characters or spell effects by positioning yourself properly. You use tumble when monsters get into melee range instead of speed kiting them. You have enough bows to handle different monster types and combat situations etc...

And lastly you know when the bow just won't cut it and you pull out some melee weapons.

Archers can also save your party bacon when the main crew falls apart. I've had a number of "saves" with ranged capable characters because when everyone else is dead they can finish off the straggling mobs from range or perch and then come scoop up the stones.

Yes, this is quiet possible. But sadly that level of ranged combat skill is only found in about 1 in 20 or so Archers you get.

The rest steal aggro and kite, kite and then die; use their bow in melee; have zero (0) melee capabilities; never switch between melee and ranged; claim that their meager DPS is the shiznizzzle and you are a nooblett for suggesting that they melee a Portal in Shroud part 1 when off manyshot, instead of using their Bow.....

[Ssmooth]

Yes, this is quiet possible. But sadly that level of ranged combat skill is only found in about 1 in 20 or so Archers you get.

The rest steal aggro and kite, kite and then die; use their bow in melee; have zero (0) melee capabilities; never switch between melee and ranged; claim that their meager DPS is the shiznizzzle and you are a nooblett for suggesting that they melee a Portal in Shroud part 1 when off manyshot, instead of using their Bow.....

Lol. Reminds me of the time in part 2 of the shroud when i had to ask the barbarian to stop shield blocking the kobold and swing. His respose was, "But my DT armor does more damage." When I pointed out that he was a level 16 barbarian who should be doing more damage by raging and swinging, he got all mad and dropped group, lol.

[Valezra]

Stop it guys.

These dudes are just yanking your chain bro. Mixed class fighter Archers are the highest DPS in the game. Make sure you use shortbows too... they fire faster which more than makes up for the smaller base damage. Be sure to get a good set of Deception bows too... makes getting sneak attack damage that much easier.

Val

[spifflove]

Stop it guys.

These dudes are just yanking your chain bro. Mixed class fighter Archers are the highest DPS in the game. Make sure you use shortbows too... they fire faster which more than makes up for the smaller base damage. Be sure to get a good set of Deception bows too... makes getting sneak attack damage that much easier.

Val

Barbs are. Then rangers. If they offer bow strength as a feat then a pure fighter can compete.

[Valezra]

Barbs are. Then rangers. If they offer bow strength as a feat then a pure fighter can compete.

Agreed, definately make a pure fighter archer in mod 9. They will be in high demand.

Val