How do the monster / the cannon fodder builds rank up to the exploiter?
Your focusing way too much on builds... It's not the build it's the player. (and the equipment to some degree). You said Tempest, Trap Monkey, TWF...with the exploiter build you can do all of it. Your moving deeper into Opinionland where people will start righteously and vigorously advocating one build over another to the benefit of no one. There is no master build. Find a job you like...try a few builds and then run with it. You aren't locked into one style. I'm a registered altaholic so I switch around to stay fresh. Here is what I can tell you about my ranger... I'm survivable, I can self heal, I can emergency heal, I can throw good buffs, I can kill a lot... We all know kill count is fairly meaning less (but there isn't much else to use as a DPS barometer) at 9-12 on TS I usually lead in kills (sometimes by a lot so much so that I'm shocked when looking at what some of the other fighter types are getting). This may slacken as I approach higher levels but right now I have DPS, AC, Evasion (can run the trap room on Crucible and make the swim), healing, and I'm having fun with it.
“If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed.”
It depends on what you're doing, I wouldn't trust the monster build to take care of traps
Cannon Fodder = better defense. Monster = better offense (on paper, I'm building one now to see). Exploiter = versatile as hell.
What's nice about build that can do multiple things is it makes grouping muck easier. When levelling up my exploiter we never had to wait for a rogue because he could handle traps/locks for everything. In levelling up my monster I'm running mostly with a guildie who though has 2 rogue levels for evasion has the rest fighter so his skills suck, we often have to wait if we're doing hard/elite for the right group. With the Exploiter it was take the first 5 other guys and roll.
18 ranger levels also gives you a bunch of spell points for buffs and some healing when in a pinch. In a Stealer of Souls our cleric fell off during the Cloud giant part, I kept the party alive until he came back.
At the same time the jack of all trades is master of none. My AC isn't enough for epic, my DPS is good but not ubber. Even with his AC he's a borderline glass-cannon with 400 un-buffed HP (will be 495 after getting my GS finished and a TR). On a recent ToD our Horoth tank died and I had to jump in at the last second to "hate tank" while everything got back together. I BARELY had the hit-point "well" to do it, and this was on normal.
I'm currently building my monster for one thing and one thing only: to beat the ever-loving **** out of raid-bosses and survive when they hit back. I picked dwarf because I just don't want to play a WF and D-axe is a great weapon against fortified targets (most raid bosses have 50% fort). The Toughness enhancements will allow for a large HP pool for when he gets hit. I won't be as solo-friendly, self-healing will be wands, I'll need a rogue for traps, etc . . . but hopefully the one thing I want him to do he'll do very well.
Alright we'll I've started my exploiter - we'll see how it goes...thanks again for all the feedback.
Argonessen...where all my toons live so far.
Started running around on this guy already, and so far its pretty fun to be good at both melee and ranged, being able to sneak and do traps, etc etc...I'm assuming it only gets better.