Improving my Ranger

[k1ngp1n]

I'm looking for advice on improving my ranger (Ilyrae), and I direct it at Sarlona mostly because I think play improvement is needed more than build improvement overall, but I could be mistaken I suppose.

Since MyDDO sucks, and doesn't update - her current stats are at such:

32 Str unbuffed. (No Exc. ring yet)
545 HP (20 more available from tome/exceptional con 1) unbuffed
There are also a couple gear things changing, but they won't massively change her survivability.

I personally don't think 545 hp qualifies as too squishy, but she seems to die a little too much. Last night she popped twice in a ToD, once when an elemental blew her up (her reflex saves suck - 28 with GH and Resistance 5, which I didn't have last night either so I was at 23. Lag meant I didn't see the failed save and it didn't update til she was dead - not exactly sure how since I disabled my combat log.) and once when the tank died and Horoth decided she was hot or something - whether due to lag (which was horrendous that run) or something else, she received no incoming healing and went down pretty fast. She does pull aggro a lot (even when I'm not trying to) so that could also be a contributing issue.

I see a couple contributing factors, and would appreciate some input (in particular from those who have run with me).

1.) She's a ranger - that is PUG clerics rarely assume that I might be running over 600 hp, but thats pretty common with me and she normally only gets hit with cure serious or something. In a PUG raid it seems most people just assume she's squishy and don't heal accordingly. I will be attempting to fix this problem with a LR to pick up some UMD - pots don't help much with that much HP.
2.) She pulls aggro pretty frequently. Not sure why as I don't think her DPS is that spectacular.
3.) Her reflex save is ****. Starting dex of 13 means a dex of 26 with enhancements and such. Fire elementals seem to be a consistent source of death, so I'll prolly be switching a FE to elementals (though I'm loathe to give up FE: Dragon).
4.) I suck, and play her wrong.

So, any comments? Anybody noticed me making mistakes that might be contributing to this? Too aggressive? Too slow? I really just don't know, and its frustrating - improving her and me playing her is my current game focus.
Thanks.

[Quikster]

Though i dont recall running with you off the top of my head, and there are prolly several issues here, first let me say that ranger dps isnt as bad as you hear here on the forums.

Being the only class with 100% off hand attacks, and the amount of FE damage, PER HAND, adds up very quickly. Dont be so quick do dismiss your dps. While rangers may not be at the top of the food chain currently, dont assume they are gimped because of that.

Learning how to not pull agro in a pug can be tricky. I usually start with the lower threshold of my dps and start adding things slowly. A raid like tod is perfect as there are several opportunities to test out how fast you will steal agro from others in the group.

Once you have that established, you need to learn how incredibly hard it is to actually pull agro on Horoth when compared to other raid bosses. Usually once hes locked in on someone, he doesnt change. It takes a lot of burst dps to get him to turn, usually only dark monks and palys can achieve this. But occasionally a well built kensai or barb will pull agro as well.

There are ways to improve your reflex, but most of it can be mitigated through items, especially fire damage. I have melee with no evasion and mediocre reflex saves that can stand up to those eles on elite strictly due to items and hitpoint pool (and dps )

Thats all for now, i might respond more later after some other trolls drop by....

[Pallol_One-Eye]

Though i dont recall running with you off the top of my head, and there are prolly several issues here, first let me say that ranger dps isnt as bad as you hear here on the forums.

Being the only class with 100% off hand attacks, and the amount of FE damage, PER HAND, adds up very quickly. Dont be so quick do dismiss your dps. While rangers may not be at the top of the food chain currently, dont assume they are gimped because of that.

Learning how to not pull agro in a pug can be tricky. I usually start with the lower threshold of my dps and start adding things slowly. A raid like tod is perfect as there are several opportunities to test out how fast you will steal agro from others in the group.

Once you have that established, you need to learn how incredibly hard it is to actually pull agro on Horoth when compared to other raid bosses. Usually once hes locked in on someone, he doesnt change. It takes a lot of burst dps to get him to turn, usually only dark monks and palys can achieve this. But occasionally a well built kensai or barb will pull agro as well.

There are ways to improve your reflex, but most of it can be mitigated through items, especially fire damage. I have melee with no evasion and mediocre reflex saves that can stand up to those eles on elite strictly due to items and hitpoint pool (and dps )

Thats all for now, i might respond more later after some other trolls drop by....

^ THIS

Cause Quik is the smartest dual box piker you will ever meet.

[grodon9999]

Anyone can roll a 1. If a fire elemental one-shotted you it was an unlucky break. My rangers normally stall the Orthon in part 1 while the other 11 kill the chicken. I UMB fire-shield scrolls and equip Firestorm greeves if I remember to take them out of the shared bank. It's a little insurance for those unlucky moments.

Tharne's set, 20% less melee aggro. Not bad to have, I use in epics so the mobs stay on the firewalls.

My ranger has fewer HP than that and survives just fine, hell my gimp did it a few times like less than 400.

[moops]

What Quik says, don't discount your DPS, the 100% off hand is huge, esp in pugs where people might not be wielding the best weapons. Even my Dex Based Finesse Ranger pulls aggro now and then, and I work at not pulling aggro. But if you are dying, just learn to manage your aggro, no reason to go all out if you are not the person trying to hold the hate. Try blocking if you don't, carry a hound shield just for blocking. All my alts with low reflex, even if they have evasion, carry greaves. The threat Bracers are a good idea, my ranger even carries them around for places where a few point of AC don't matter to me.

As for the cure serious thing, I know my FVS only has the Heal Spell and Cure Serious and Scrolls--single target healing is rough for her, if im healing the main tank and its a pug, chances are both the "heals" are on timer and Im throwing a cure serious on you just to keep you up if Im in the kinda of raid where the main tank is high maintenance--if you take alot of damage all of a sudden, even throwing a quickened Mass heal is too slow. Its more ideal that you don't get in that situation in the first place.

[k1ngp1n]

Thanks guys so far. I've made a few changes to my SOP. I'd build up a habit after playing my paladin of setting certain buffs in certain places so that I always had them running. On my ranger I have my haste boost in one of those locations, and so my habit has been to smash that as soon as I run in. I'll be changing that. I've also moved my Greaves from my cleric to my shared bank, and will switch as necessary. Oversights such as those go a long way, and are why I asked.

Any further additions are more than welcome. In the meantime, +1s to those who gave advice.

[bendover]

I'm looking for advice on improving my ranger (Ilyrae), and I direct it at Sarlona mostly because I think play improvement is needed more than build improvement overall, but I could be mistaken I suppose.

Since MyDDO sucks, and doesn't update - her current stats are at such:

32 Str unbuffed. (No Exc. ring yet)
545 HP (20 more available from tome/exceptional con 1) unbuffed
There are also a couple gear things changing, but they won't massively change her survivability.

I personally don't think 545 hp qualifies as too squishy, but she seems to die a little too much. Last night she popped twice in a ToD, once when an elemental blew her up (her reflex saves suck - 28 with GH and Resistance 5, which I didn't have last night either so I was at 23. Lag meant I didn't see the failed save and it didn't update til she was dead - not exactly sure how since I disabled my combat log.) and once when the tank died and Horoth decided she was hot or something - whether due to lag (which was horrendous that run) or something else, she received no incoming healing and went down pretty fast. She does pull aggro a lot (even when I'm not trying to) so that could also be a contributing issue.

I see a couple contributing factors, and would appreciate some input (in particular from those who have run with me).

1.) She's a ranger - that is PUG clerics rarely assume that I might be running over 600 hp, but thats pretty common with me and she normally only gets hit with cure serious or something. In a PUG raid it seems most people just assume she's squishy and don't heal accordingly. I will be attempting to fix this problem with a LR to pick up some UMD - pots don't help much with that much HP.
2.) She pulls aggro pretty frequently. Not sure why as I don't think her DPS is that spectacular.
3.) Her reflex save is ****. Starting dex of 13 means a dex of 26 with enhancements and such. Fire elementals seem to be a consistent source of death, so I'll prolly be switching a FE to elementals (though I'm loathe to give up FE: Dragon).
4.) I suck, and play her wrong.

So, any comments? Anybody noticed me making mistakes that might be contributing to this? Too aggressive? Too slow? I really just don't know, and its frustrating - improving her and me playing her is my current game focus.
Thanks.

We'll talk in game next time you're on bro. What I would do is drop like 12 levels of ranger for 12 levels of FvS and then you'd be just perfect.

[SEMPER]

We'll talk in game next time you're on bro. What I would do is drop like 12 levels of ranger for 12 levels of FvS and then you'd be just perfect.

Do not gimp yourself like this i mean who thought this was a viable build obviously its gimptastic and only noobs would roll this build up to cap lmao

[bendover]

Do not gimp yourself like this i mean who thought this was a viable build obviously its gimptastic and only noobs would roll this build up to cap lmao

Don't forget about going through the pain of the leveling up process as a double TR.

[SEMPER]

Don't forget about going through the pain of the leveling up process as a double TR.

Even more of a reason not too make this build but its definitely a fun one to run around with , but how would i know that


back to the topic Quik has hit most of the right points to concentrate on and obviously don't listen to all the bs talk that rangers dps sucks because even if its on the bottom of the graph now were will it be in a month or 3 months ..... you get the point and also your ranger might not be the gimp compared to all the other non geared barbs/fighters out there so keep doing what your doing and you will be fine