Arcane Archer: How an eternally ranged player sees the PrE (now post U19!)

[Pwesiela]

What can I say? Now that the new enhancement system has been live for a bit, and now that I’ve had the chance to play around with it and see what’s new and what’s the same, I’ve decided to follow through with my promise and update the old thread. That having been said, the old thread had a lot of good stuff in it, so I decided to just make a new thread. Like the old thread, I figure I may help the community out a bit by offering this little manual.

Some disclaimers are still in order. First, my first and main character is now a completionist ranged ranger. On every life feasible, I made her a ranged character (pretty much all but Barbarian, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Artificer – yes, I had her as an AA druid/cleric/fvs/etc.). She’s been so for the last 7 years as I’ve played DDO. I really enjoy her, and I like playing her. That having been said, I recognize (more than many, I’m afraid) the weaknesses still inherent in the ranged combat system in DDO. This post is not about that. I heavily endorse pulling out your two weapons and fighting in melee. I’ll post on that below. Next, ranged combat is not for everyone. I heavily suggest that before you try working in ranged combat that you roll up a front line melee character first so that you get a feel for it, and for how annoying a poorly played ranged character can be.

This guide is intended for first timers/new to the AA PrE individuals who don't have the background knowledge in DDO to make a truly creative AA. It is not for min/maxing. It is for a solid core AA that helps and doesn't hinder a party.