Favored Enemies

[Evan_Arrr]

Hey all,

I'm about to hit level 5, and took Undead as my first favored enemy, as I figured in D&D, you can always count on fighting undead no matter what level you're at. Now, since I'm about to hit level 5, I get to choose a second favored enemy.

In PnP, this would be based on my character and his role-play, but here, well, it really depends on what I'm going to be fighting the most of, and since every enemy type is pretty much set in stone, barring any future updates, was wondering if more experienced players could let me know what my best choice(s) would be for all my levels of favored enemy, since I'm going pure ranger.

[Fishcatch22]

The 5 useful Favored Enemies are generally considered to be Undead, Evil Outsider, Construct, Giant and Elemental. Of those 5, Giant or Elemental are the most flexible.

[Hailia]

Level 1 = Undead
Level 5 = Giant
Level 10 = Elemental
Level 15 = Evil Outsider
Level 20 = Construct

[smithtj3]

I agree with what others have said but I'm going to take Evil Outsider and Lawful Outsider to double up on damage for Amarath and The Vale content (this comprises a good chunk of the end game content currently) because I want those monsters to go down as fast as possible and leave out giant. This assumes these damages stack, I can't find anything that conclusively confirms it either way but it's something I'm going to test this time around. I also take Reptilian early on instead of elemental. The reason being is you fight a lot of kobolds and what have you early on in the game and later on you run in dragons. I was told by a PnP player, much wiser than I, that dragons also qualified as reptiles (this could be erroneous). In either case elemental still isn't a bad choice at all.

[Kielbasa]

I would take Elemental before I would take Giant. You fight far more annoying elementals at levels 5-10 than you do giants.

[Glenalth]

I agree with what others have said but I'm going to take Evil Outsider and Lawful Outsider to double up on damage for Amarath and The Vale content (this comprises a good chunk of the end game content currently) because I want those monsters to go down as fast as possible and leave out giant. This assumes these damages stack, I can't find anything that conclusively confirms it either way but it's something I'm going to test this time around.

They should not stack. Never bothered testing it myself, but there are a couple angry posts buried in these forums from people that found that it didn't.

[Lord_Legolas]

I would agree that they do not stack. I don't remember where - but somewhere there's a listing of the different types of mobs that fall under the favored enemies... And if you do find it, you will see that they're different, maybe one or two will be in both... But EO covers much more than LO.

[smithtj3]

They should not stack. Never bothered testing it myself, but there are a couple angry posts buried in these forums from people that found that it didn't.

Aside from your post and the one below it, I found a few forums posts of people saying they don't think that the FE's stack but what they hey, might as well put it to rest for sure. I'll just swap it out if it doesn't.

[Glenalth]

Aside from your post and the one below it, I found a few forums posts of people saying they don't think that the FE's stack but what they hey, might as well put it to rest for sure. I'll just swap it out if it doesn't.

Have fun with your respec.

[smithtj3]

Have fun with your respec.

Someone's got to do it.

[Glenalth]

Someone's got to do it.

They already have.

[yawumpus]

I would take Elemental before I would take Giant. You fight far more annoying elementals at levels 5-10 than you do giants.

This is depends largely on if you have sorrowdusk or not. Trolls, ogres, and giants all count as giants. I'd still stick with giants and swap them out later with constructs (if you splashed a couple of levels) or abberations* (for pure rangers).

*mostly to kill beholders quickly. A weakening bow can do the trick almost as easily, and now I have to respec my ranger at level 20 (ouch!).

[Hailia]

This is depends largely on if you have sorrowdusk or not. Trolls, ogres, and giants all count as giants. I'd still stick with giants and swap them out later with constructs (if you splashed a couple of levels) or abberations* (for pure rangers).

*mostly to kill beholders quickly. A weakening bow can do the trick almost as easily, and now I have to respec my ranger at level 20 (ouch!).

Agreed. Take Giants before Elementals.

As for abberations dont bother. Put on Deathblock and use a Paralyze bow that will take care of the beholders. Ive killed them at point blank shot.

[Hailia]

I agree with what others have said but I'm going to take Evil Outsider and Lawful Outsider to double up on damage for Amarath and The Vale content (this comprises a good chunk of the end game content currently) because I want those monsters to go down as fast as possible and leave out giant. This assumes these damages stack, I can't find anything that conclusively confirms it either way but it's something I'm going to test this time around. I also take Reptilian early on instead of elemental. The reason being is you fight a lot of kobolds and what have you early on in the game and later on you run in dragons. I was told by a PnP player, much wiser than I, that dragons also qualified as reptiles (this could be erroneous). In either case elemental still isn't a bad choice at all.

They do not stack.

[Kielbasa]

This is depends largely on if you have sorrowdusk or not. Trolls, ogres, and giants all count as giants. I'd still stick with giants and swap them out later with constructs (if you splashed a couple of levels) or abberations* (for pure rangers).

*mostly to kill beholders quickly. A weakening bow can do the trick almost as easily, and now I have to respec my ranger at level 20 (ouch!).

Interesting never knew that trolls and ogres count as giants. Guess I'll have to brush up on what exactly is covered by all the favored enemies when I play one of my rangers again.

[wax_on_wax_off]

I agree with what others have said but I'm going to take Evil Outsider and Lawful Outsider to double up on damage for Amarath and The Vale content (this comprises a good chunk of the end game content currently) because I want those monsters to go down as fast as possible and leave out giant. This assumes these damages stack, I can't find anything that conclusively confirms it either way but it's something I'm going to test this time around. I also take Reptilian early on instead of elemental. The reason being is you fight a lot of kobolds and what have you early on in the game and later on you run in dragons. I was told by a PnP player, much wiser than I, that dragons also qualified as reptiles (this could be erroneous). In either case elemental still isn't a bad choice at all.

As I see that people have handled the question of different FE's stacking I'll tackle the other one: Dragons are creature type: Dragon so reptiles won't do you much good there.

FE choice comes in 2 flavours, pure or splash. For a melee ranger - though it might be off topic - I must point out that splash > pure. This is also likely true that for a ranged ranger splash > pure due to the way that the capstone doesn't stack like it should with other alacrity or give the bonus that it says that it does.

There is also an important question when it comes to FEs on what sort of content is your ranger planned for, regular end game or epic. Rangers are not very well suited to epic content due to the diversity of epic foes and the consequent DPS loss and as I've never designed a ranger for epic I wouldn't presume to suggest.

Non-epic ranger
1. evil outsider, undead are the 2 top-tier FEs that all rangers should have
2. construct and elemental are very high on the list as they are immune to critical hits so it is a good place to up DPS
3. giant would be the primary FE on the second tier
4. aberration is an option
5. reptile and goblinoid are options for people who are happy to swap feats around

Epic ranger
Umm. Possibly the same, possibly not, more incentive go be pure ranger to pick up another FE, also more incentive to NOT go pure ranger to get more DPS that is applicable to all foes.

[ddobard1]

My choice in descendent order would be:

1-Undead
2-Giant
3-Elemental
4-Aberration
5-Evil Outsider

[TheHolyDarkness]

Snip.

Sigh. First of all, favored enemy does not stack. It automatically scales as you level.

+2 at levels 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20.

What this means is +10 if you're pure, +8 if you're an 18 splash. +6 if you're a 12 Splash.

Take the full enhancement line of FE IV, and that's a total +14 for pure, +12 for the 18 splash. 12 splash can only go up to FE III, so that's +9.

Next, I'd like to address that no, dragons are not reptiles (and lore wise, they have a tendency to resent those who mistake them as such).

Third, FE:Undead is overrated, and I resent taking it. Yes yes, undead are everywhere at first. But once you're past level 14, they all but vanish. There is no endgame (levels 18-20) content littered with the undead, nor are there enough Epics featuring them as common adversary. You don't need it. Feat swap it once you're around levels 10 or 11ish before its too late.

Instead, I'd like to inform that the only enemy types you do see consistently throughout the game, are elementals and giants. Fire Elementals, Stone Elementals,Trolls and Orges never gets old for Turbine. Not at low levels, not at mid levels, nor at the endgame of Shavarath and epic. They are a consistent foe you can always count on.

The idea that FE:Undead is mandatory probably stems from a simpler time, back when levels as 10 or 12 were considered cap. Evil Outsiders are the primary antagonist as both grunt and raid boss, and making it the only other FE you truly can't settle without.

As for construct, it too is overrated. Like undead, it starts to fade in its usefulness around the same level range. By endgame, when the designers want to throw something "big and tuff" at you, its generally another Stone Elemental.

So what's left to consider? For a non-epic endgame ranger, all you've ever really needed was Evil Outsider, Elemental and Giant anyway. So what's left?

Based on what types of quests you'll be running on Epic, the viable options remaining are likely to be Aberration and Monstrous Humanoid. Beholders still occasionally show up in the Vale and Subterrane, and this FE also enables you to better handle Drow Scorpions if you later make a home in the Desert for Epic Offering of Blood.

Monstrous Humanoid is not only useful for the Minotaurs that plague Gianthold, but also for the fights of Epic VoN1 and various quests featured within Sentinels. Not to mention the Sahuagin of Epic Red Fens. If you can get both of those, great. If not, either one is good.

But the only undead a level 20 might possibly encounter is with the Abbot (a raid most people gloss over anyway) and within Epic Wizard King. Its overrated. I want a feat swap.

~TheHolyDarkness Out~

[karl_k0ch]

As for construct, it too is overrated. Like undead, it starts to fade in its usefulness around the same level range. By endgame, when the designers want to throw something "big and tuff" at you, its generally another Stone Elemental.

For golems, smiting weapons are enough. However having a grudge against pillars and portals will help any end-game ranger participating in raids.

I want a feat swap.

Talk to Lockania.

[grodon9999]

Since I'm running mostly epics now I've gone with:

1-Undead
2-Giant
3-Evil Outsider
4 - Monstrous humanoid

I'm half tempted to drop Giant for drow, but it leaves the Trolls covered and i still do enough RR that giant's worth it. The drow typically don't have as many HP anyway.