Arcane Archer at Level 25 --shoot me.

[WraithfaceMacabre]

You know, I posted this big analysis at the end of another post but want some feedback on my own build theories. So this is basically a Level 25 after a Reincarnate to drop low level anchors. Sorry I didn’t post it as a char builder, but wanted to justify my thoughts along the way.

Level 25 female Elf, True Neutral.
Why female? If I’m going to be spending hours looking at someone’s behind, even if it is a cartoon...

Stats—Don’t waste points on 3/stat, Con and Str I’m talking to you. Max each of Str, Con, and Dex to their 3/stat maximums. I think this is like 17 dex, 16 str, and 14 con. You want 12 Wisdom to get your level 4 spells with the minimum of a +2 tome. I chose to raise my Int to 10 to get my full 6 points to enhancements per level. If you have an Int of 9 you lose out on 40 points by L20.

I pumped my leveling stat increases into Con mostly and a couple into Str. A Ranger needs as many HP as we can muster because our potential armour sucks. By L25 Str and Con were equal to within 1, I think my STR was higher. Place nothing into Dex because you get free Ranger and Elf bumps , 6 in total I think.

Your skills honesty are a mess IMO <= was in reference to the other post.
Balance –max it for no other reason than most everything else is useless for Rangers.
Bluff –0, never use it, melees rush in too fast.
Concentration –0, a waste as you never cast spells in melee besides Rejuvenation Cocoon, and by then you’re running away.
Diplomacy –MAX IT. With our Epic Destiny, Shiradi, you want Joy of the Queen.
Haggle –0, all your $$ comes from AH.
Heal –0, utterly useless, just cast a **** cure light on the unconscious dude (after you tea bag him first of course, ha!).
Hide –0, get and invis clicky for 5000 on the AH.
Intimidate –0, Rangers run away from threats, we don’t encourage them. If you want aggro just Money Shot a guy and you’ve got it.
Jump –10 or 40, your call if you always want to be casting Jump.
Listen –I’d maybe throw 20 there, it actually is useful against sneakers.
Move Silently –0, by endgame everyone can see you and hear you, plus see Hide and Bluff. If the party needs a real sneaker hire a Rogue.
Repair –0, pff.
Search –0, you can’t find traps and you Detect Secret Doors 100% with Shiradi.
Spot –Lots, maybe 30, but it’s really pretty useless too. I’ve had it maxed and minned and never saw a difference.
Swim –Why is this even a skill? Just throw on Underwater action. The only place I’ve seen a Swim skill maybe matter is in, is it Cabal? Where you get shoved around. Other than that who cares?
Tumble –1. Yup. One point gets it. And no one ever actually tumbles in combat. You hit to kill or bounce away shooting.
Use Magic Device –0? I’ve never maxed it. But aside from Rez scrolls, which I don’t think you could ever get, useless. You’ve got plenty of gear.

Feats: (in order if leveling) Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus Range, Mental Toughness, Toughness, Improved Critical Range.
I took capstone as much for the hope that Damage is fixed as for the Dodge. Epic Combat Archery, come on, you’re a Ranger!

Favoured Enemy –I think I had mine specced for GH and Menace: Undead, Elf (Drow), I chose Vermin for millions of spiders, Giant, Evil Outsiders, +?

Enhancements:
Max your Dex bumps, Range/Favoured Damage, toss “to hit” you only miss on a 1 anyway, Sprint Boost one level only, ever, I never took the Terrain Lores, your choice I suppose, all the Arcane Archer stuff, I never took Ranger Extra Action Boost either.

One thing I need to mention is Defence. Our AC sucks so do everything not to get hit. This includes –Blur 20%, Ghostly 20%, or whatever max they are, and Dodge. I had a 19 Dodge from items and Destinies and Feats, came in real handy.

With this build I was always top 1-2 kills, drove Monks and Barbarians crazy, BUT, everyone has a role and top kills means nothing if there isn’t someone dealing massive damage on the bosses while you keep the trash off the casters and healers and other DPS. The meat heads don’t seem to understand that. 20 mobs running rampant, each damaging the party, wreaks havoc and drives healers to drink. Bugs me when a healer says smugly, “You didn’t get healed because you weren’t with the DPS group.” This may be true, but I feel is trumped by ending a raid with top kills.

Rangers take a lot of shots for being nerf. Most underestimate the damage we’re doing because we’re not nose to nose with the enemy but a well built, well played Ranger is a killing machine.

“Killing” Sprie Willowseed

[SiliconShadow]

Stats—Don’t waste points on 3/stat, Con and Str I’m talking to you. Max each of Str, Con, and Dex to their 3/stat maximums. I think this is like 17 dex, 16 str, and 14 con. You want 12 Wisdom to get your level 4 spells with the minimum of a +2 tome. I chose to raise my Int to 10 to get my full 6 points to enhancements per level. If you have an Int of 9 you lose out on 40 points by L20.

I pumped my leveling stat increases into Con mostly and a couple into Str. A Ranger needs as many HP as we can muster because our potential armour sucks. By L25 Str and Con were equal to within 1, I think my STR was higher. Place nothing into Dex because you get free Ranger and Elf bumps , 6 in total I think.

You want to be hitting around 60 strength at 25 raid buffed and 32 dex, 30 con, 22 wis, I can hit 66 with titans, ship buffs and party buffs. This may be subject to change in 2 weeks.

Balance –max it for no other reason than most everything else is useless for Rangers.
Bluff –0, never use it, melees rush in too fast.
Concentration –0, a waste as you never cast spells in melee besides Rejuvenation Cocoon, and by then you’re running away.
Diplomacy –MAX IT. With our Epic Destiny, Shiradi, you want Joy of the Queen.
Haggle –0, all your $$ comes from AH.
Heal –0, utterly useless, just cast a **** cure light on the unconscious dude (after you tea bag him first of course, ha!).
Hide –0, get and invis clicky for 5000 on the AH.
Intimidate –0, Rangers run away from threats, we don’t encourage them. If you want aggro just Money Shot a guy and you’ve got it.
Jump –10 or 40, your call if you always want to be casting Jump.
Listen –I’d maybe throw 20 there, it actually is useful against sneakers.
Move Silently –0, by endgame everyone can see you and hear you, plus see Hide and Bluff. If the party needs a real sneaker hire a Rogue.
Repair –0, pff.
Search –0, you can’t find traps and you Detect Secret Doors 100% with Shiradi.
Spot –Lots, maybe 30, but it’s really pretty useless too. I’ve had it maxed and minned and never saw a difference.
Swim –Why is this even a skill? Just throw on Underwater action. The only place I’ve seen a Swim skill maybe matter is in, is it Cabal? Where you get shoved around. Other than that who cares?
Tumble –1. Yup. One point gets it. And no one ever actually tumbles in combat. You hit to kill or bounce away shooting.
Use Magic Device –0? I’ve never maxed it. But aside from Rez scrolls, which I don’t think you could ever get, useless. You’ve got plenty of gear.

Order of importance here is:
Balance: If you can't stand you can't fight.
Tumble: You want this at 42 end game no compromise. Feather fall is to slow for an AA, you have to jump those falls and take hardly any damage. Yes I always back flip to kite and stutter the enemy so mellee can keep up and kill safely.
UMD: Unless you splash rogue you won't make this that useful.
Diplomancy: You pass this DC with gear alone, no point unless you want a useful diplo (DC20) but if you are sensible and have pinion you won't use shiradi if you want to build for dps.
SWIM: You are the best swimmer in the game, max it, use it with your high reflex to do things easily other classes struggle at.
Spot: Max this so you can see enemies further away, self buffed I hit 85 and I see all.
Search: Leave this at starting value, useless unless you are a rogue splash
Hide/Sneak: These will be good for deepwood, for AA pointless, invis is useless in epics they all have see invis.
Heal: If you have the points spare do it, it helps dramatically with shrining.

Feats: (in order if leveling) Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus Range, Mental Toughness, Toughness, Improved Critical Range.
I took capstone as much for the hope that Damage is fixed as for the Dodge. Epic Combat Archery, come on, you’re a Ranger!

Feats are okay, there isnt room to do anything else really unless you are human.

Favoured Enemy –I think I had mine specced for GH and Menace: Undead, Elf (Drow), I chose Vermin for millions of spiders, Giant, Evil Outsiders, +?

Undead, Constructs, Evil Outsiders are the groundwork, the others you can switch out for the quests you run the most. I like Giants and Dragons personally as they are the largest HP mobs you will face.

Enhancements:
Max your Dex bumps, Range/Favoured Damage, toss “to hit” you only miss on a 1 anyway, Sprint Boost one level only, ever, I never took the Terrain Lores, your choice I suppose, all the Arcane Archer stuff, I never took Ranger Extra Action Boost either.

One thing I need to mention is Defence. Our AC sucks so do everything not to get hit. This includes –Blur 20%, Ghostly 20%, or whatever max they are, and Dodge. I had a 19 Dodge from items and Destinies and Feats, came in real handy.

...

Rangers take a lot of shots for being nerf. Most underestimate the damage we’re doing because we’re not nose to nose with the enemy but a well built, well played Ranger is a killing machine.

“Killing” Sprie Willowseed

Don't forget devotion for healing and don't discount sprint boost 2. Boost 1 is fast enough for 80% of the content, 2 is faster than all. This in the end is a moot point as we will have a new system out soon to plend AA/DWS/T up together to make a new machine.

Rangers are killing machines, but with the current state of the game, tempest II is far superior when splashed for twf than any others.

Example:
My temptest - no movement penalties, capped dodge, 92ac, first number 110~150 before crits, x2 on 17~18 x3 ib 19~20, 32 action boosts in total using Dreadnaught and massive amounts of dps he also has 6d6+16 sneak attack die and 6% double strike. Takes out 2 trash mobs in the time an AA can take out one with many shot. However on LARGE trash pulls the AA will pull ahead with IPS by a significant amount, especially if he can keep the trash between him and the boss.

Next patch AA will be even more powerful, however what stats we need will be guess work. We can only go by the DDO Wiki for now.