"Strimtom's Acid Arrow", Maximum Bow DPS, F2P/new player Friendly

[Strimtom]

Er... Why? I mean you already can use haste as a wizard, and you also get more atk speed from higher bab. I thought about using shiradi with this build. I`m not realy know a lot about destinies, but this one look cool - i think spellpower+ranged power is what this build needs. + nice theme

There isn't really a better feat at 27 than blinding of speed. You could take epic damage reduction since you have haste, but my build just uses burst of speed.

The reason it is important to focus on the physical damage is because the elemental damage caps out really fast. Ranged weapons can't attack fast enough for just the elemental damage to do the work in epics. Shiradi is also not the best destiny of choice for that reason. You don't attack fast enough for the procs to become better than your base damage. Shiradi works well with repeating crossbows and magic missile because of the fast hits. Legendary Dreadnought and Fury of the wild will do more damage per hit, which is what bow users need.

Your build idea looks cool, but as far as I can tell it will be less effective at damage. My build gets dex to damage at level 2 and acid arrows starting at level 4 which is when the game becomes trivial because the damage is too high. Your build gets int to damage at level 3, and acid arrows at level 8. At that point, the acid will be the same, but once you get to quests like the archon chain or devils gambit where monsters have 3k HP, you won't have the damage to keep up. The same can be said for all of the level 18+ quests. This build will probably do fine in EN, shouldn't do epic hard until 24 when you have a thunderforged bow, and probably won't be able to do EE.

Most importantly, I could be wrong! My own personal policy is that you can't know how good or bad something is until you put 80 hours into it, which is how I came across this build. Do it up and let us know if it works

[Loromir]

There isn't really a better feat at 27 than burst of speed.

I assume you are speaking of "Blinding speed"?

[Hobgoblin]

There isn't really a better feat at 27 than burst of speed.

not knocking you, but i have to disagree with this.

epic reflexes is better.

+2 reflexes is nice, but changing to a no fail reflex is awesome

you can simulate the epic feat of speed by chain jugging haste pots while you are in the fight if you solo or begging the caster for haste if in a group

[Strimtom]

I assume you are speaking of "Blinding speed"?

I am. Edited for clarification.

not knocking you, but i have to disagree with this.

epic reflexes is better.

+2 reflexes is nice, but changing to a no fail reflex is awesome

This is correct, I forgot about this feat. Epic reflex is better.

[CThruTheEgo]

Attackspeed from wizard is negated when at level 27 you can take burst of speed and have 15% attack speed bonus all the time.

Er... Why? I mean you already can use haste as a wizard

There isn't really a better feat at 27 than blinding of speed. You could take epic damage reduction since you have haste, but my build just uses burst of speed.

you can simulate the epic feat of speed by chain jugging haste pots while you are in the fight if you solo or begging the caster for haste if in a group

There is a misunderstanding in this discussion about the value of ranged attack speed provided by haste and blinding speed. They do not offer the same amount. I confirmed this in game just a few days ago when this was pointed out to me in another thread. Haste, and speed XV items, provide 15% ranged attack speed. The level 27+ epic feat blinding speed, and the artificer spell armor of speed, provide 22% ranged attack speed. Haste also used to provide 22% ranged attack speed but was changed several updates ago. Because of this difference, blinding speed is a must have for any bow user focused on dps. The only bow user that wouldn't benefit from this feat, is one who uses Epic Sapphire Sting all the time, which provides 25% ranged attack speed.

[Hobgoblin]

There is a misunderstanding in this discussion about the value of ranged attack speed provided by haste and blinding speed. They do not offer the same amount. I confirmed this in game just a few days ago when this was pointed out to me in another thread. Haste, and speed XV items, provide 15% ranged attack speed. The level 27+ epic feat blinding speed, and the artificer spell armor of speed, provide 22% ranged attack speed. Haste also used to provide 22% ranged attack speed but was changed several updates ago. Because of this difference, blinding speed is a must have for any bow user focused on dps. The only bow user that wouldn't benefit from this feat, is one who uses Epic Sapphire Sting all the time, which provides 25% ranged attack speed.

hmmm. this does change my plans a lil bit.


im planning on following your sniper build as a i have said. some changes i had planned - and didn't want to do but were kinda of forced into, are taking completionist at 3 instead of toughness, taking reflexs at 27 and 30 was open. now im taking speed at 30, but considering switching them around

[CThruTheEgo]

hmmm. this does change my plans a lil bit.


im planning on following your sniper build as a i have said. some changes i had planned - and didn't want to do but were kinda of forced into, are taking completionist at 3 instead of toughness, taking reflexs at 27 and 30 was open. now im taking speed at 30, but considering switching them around

For my build, between blessed blades and morphic/metalline/aligned arrows, I find I am able to use Epic Sapphire Sting all the time, so I'm actually considering dropping blinding speed. But I haven't been playing that build enough recently to bother changing it yet, so I also haven't changed it in the thread either. If you find yourself in the same situation, then I'd say don't even worry about blinding speed at all. Epic reflexes is certainly a good alternative.

[LrdSlvrhnd]

Any longbow in AA hands.

As I said, I've never been able to get confirmation one way or the other that such effects affect bursts (or other similar effects, such as Heartseeker). If you have, cool.

Er... are you saying that i shoud not pick ips? i thought that it is must have for any ranged build 0_o
If i went 6 ranger i`ll anyway need dex for ips. So the reason to go ranger is for dex-to-damage with bows. But then you rogue skills will lag behind.

I was tossing it up as a possible option. IF you plan on not getting IPS, then you don't need as much DEX. That makes ranger a clearly better option because then you can dumpstat it even more since you won't need to worry about needing enough DEX for Manyshot when you want it. Personally, I think that Ranger is still a better option even if you do go for enough DEX for IPS. (Also, I agree, IPS pretty much is a requirement for ranged).

You want, at a minimum, PBS, PS, IPS, MS, IC:Ranged, and Rapid Shot. Fighter feats would give you four of those, requiring you to use 2 regular feats. Ranger gives you three of those, as well as Bow Strength, TWF & ITWF (if you ever want to pull out swords for any reason), two favored enemies, 2 L1 spells, more SP (hey, a couple hundred extra SP is a couple hundred extra SP), better reflex saves, and Die Hard (Not a feat I'd probably ever take, but it's saved my life on occasion). If Bow Strength does add the STR when using INT (or DEX, for that matter) for damage - again, something I haven't tested so no idea if it does or not - then it's a clear gain even if you dumpstat STR, between Ram's Might, Rage, Tenser's, Primal Scream, and any item you equip.

Even if Bow Strength doesn't work with INT to damage, and you never pull out swords or go below 0 HP without dying in your life... IMHO, the two enemies, spells, SP, and saves outweigh the extra feat you'd get as a fighter. Especially since the "+2 to damage" from Ram's Might should still work even if the boost to STR doesn't indirectly affect it.

[Hobgoblin]

have you thought about rejiggering your enhancments? going for dws capstone instead of aa?

basically its 20 ds over 20 rp. i think the rp is worth it...... but havnt crunched numbers.

[losvtranse]

If Bow Strength does add the STR when using INT

It isn`t. Only one stat can be used for damage. KtA not in question - it is a buff, not passive]

basically its 20 ds over 20 rp.

Rp gives 20% bonus to weapon damage. 20 ds gives bonus to whole bow damage (weapon, aa arrows, on hit, etc) (if i read it correctly)

[Hobgoblin]

It isn`t. Only one stat can be used for damage. KtA not in question - it is a buff, not passive]

Rp gives 20% bonus to weapon damage. 20 ds gives bonus to whole bow damage (weapon, aa arrows, on hit, etc) (if i read it correctly)

ya but rp scales the damage of the arrows as well

[LrdSlvrhnd]

It isn`t. Only one stat can be used for damage. KtA not in question - it is a buff, not passive]

That's about what I figured but I wasn't sure. I still think even without that, Ranger > Fighter. SP, Reflex, spells (including +2 damage from Ram's Might), +4 vs. two types of enemies... I think all that is worth the feat. Add in (I)TWF and Diehard, and you've just got icing on the cake.

Rp gives 20% bonus to weapon damage. 20 ds gives bonus to whole bow damage (weapon, aa arrows, on hit, etc) (if i read it correctly)

ya but rp scales the damage of the arrows as well

Nope, AA imbues scale with spellpower. So it's +20% for the base bow damage, vs. +20% chance of an additional shot that includes base bow damage, any enchantments on the weapon, any damage augments, AA imbue, Shiradi procs, arti elemental damage, arrow proc if you're using special arrows, sneak attack, any special attacks you happen to be clicking, Smiting from DT armor, any "on-hit" effect from your ED...

[CThruTheEgo]

have you thought about rejiggering your enhancments? going for dws capstone instead of aa?

basically its 20 ds over 20 rp. i think the rp is worth it...... but havnt crunched numbers.

Rp gives 20% bonus to weapon damage. 20 ds gives bonus to whole bow damage (weapon, aa arrows, on hit, etc) (if i read it correctly)

Nope, AA imbues scale with spellpower. So it's +20% for the base bow damage, vs. +20% chance of an additional shot that includes base bow damage, any enchantments on the weapon, any damage augments, AA imbue, Shiradi procs, arti elemental damage, arrow proc if you're using special arrows, sneak attack, any special attacks you happen to be clicking, Smiting from DT armor, any "on-hit" effect from your ED...

Three other things to consider. First, the deepwood stalker capstone assures you are always in sneak attack range as well as point blank shot range (an additional +[W]). So if you consistently fight enemies far away, the deepwood stalker capstone has an advantage. Second, ranged power applies 150% to sneak attack damage. So if you've invested in sneak attack damage, either through the deepwood stalker tree or gear, then the deepwood stalker capstone has an advantage. And there are plenty of ways to induce sneak attack damage on a pure ranged ranger (e.g. sniper shot, deception/improved deception gear, pin, otto's whistler, not sure if nerve venom induces sneak attack damage). Third, you have to consider the value of 20 ranged power when you have a very high doubleshot already, that is, when you have full shots of killer and manyshot is active, and/or zeal of the righteous if you run in divine crusader. For example, 20 ranged power applied to 235% doubleshot is going to offer more damage then another 20% doubleshot at that point.

It's not as cut and dry as 20 ranged power vs 20 doubleshot. It depends a lot on your particular build and playstyle. I did crunch the numbers for my specific build (White Feather Sniper in my sig) and found the deepwood stalker capstone came out ahead overall. I calculated average damage under varying conditions and then compared them: the arcane archer capstone in and out of point blank shot range with and without max bursts (i.e. full stacks of killer and zeal of the righteous with manyshot and ranged power boost), and the deepwood stalker capstone with and without max bursts. In point blank shot range with no burst effects, there was almost no difference between the two capstones. In point blank shot range with max boosts, deepwood stalker came out ahead by about 8%. Out of point blank shot range, the deepwood stalker capstone came out ahead with no boosts by about 13%, and pulled way ahead with boosts by about 23%. See post #39 in my thread for more details.

Keep in mind, these results are for my specific build, with the gear, enhancements, destiny, etc. listed in the OP. So results may be different for a different build. I think the choice of which capstone is better is not universal and really needs to be determined on a case by case basis. But taking into consideration some of the factors I mentioned above is a way to determine if you're build and playstyle may favor one over the other without crunching the numbers yourself. If you run with a very high doubleshot, always fighting enemies far away, and expect a decent amount of sneak attack damage, then the deepwood stalker capstone will probably offer you more. If you run with a lower doubleshot, always fighting enemies in shorter range, don't have a lot of sneak attack damage, and have a lot of on proc damage effects, then the arcane archer capstone may offer you more.

EDIT: I also wanted to ask LrdSlvrhnd if we can get the wiki entry for haste updated to remove the 22% ranged attack speed? I'd do it myself but I don't see an option to edit. As I mentioned in my post above, I confirmed in game that it now only provides 15% ranged attack speed. It is easy to verify because attack speed is shown on the character sheet.

[Strimtom]

I just updated the wiki.

It's not as cut and dry as 20 ranged power vs 20 doubleshot. It depends a lot on your particular build and playstyle.

Exactly this. My favourite destiny for this build was Draconic incarnation because it was the most fun to have cool spells that go along with your hail of arrows. It was not the best, but it was the destiny I spent my time in the most. I always swapped to LD when jumping into raids or EE, since it was stronger, but everything else was done in incarnation.

[unbongwah]

Haste, and speed XV items, provide 15% ranged attack speed. The level 27+ epic feat blinding speed, and the artificer spell armor of speed, provide 22% ranged attack speed. Haste also used to provide 22% ranged attack speed but was changed several updates ago.

According to Eth, Haste spell went back to 22% ranged alacrity in U28. Are you saying you just retested and it's not working?

[CThruTheEgo]

According to Eth, Haste spell went back to 22% ranged alacrity in U28. Are you saying you just retested and it's not working?

I tested within the last week or so. Within the last two weeks at most. I only looked at the effects as reported in the combat log and character sheet, though. I did not do any actual firing tests to determine if those reports were accurate, so take it for what it's worth, I suppose.

[Krewl]

To whom it may concern,

I am currently following this guide and having a great time leveling my first life elven ranger. I just hit level 9, picked improved critical ranged weapon as my feat and inspected my silver longbow stat. To my chagrin, the critical roll stat remained 18-20/x3. I was under the impression that it should improved to 17-20/x3. I tried, removing and re-equipping the bow and logging off logging in my account without success. The critical roll stat for my silver longbow is still 18-20/x3. What am I doing wrong?

Concerned Gamer
Krewl

[Glenalth]

To whom it may concern,

I am currently following this guide and having a great time leveling my first life elven ranger. I just hit level 9, picked improved critical ranged weapon as my feat and inspected my silver longbow stat. To my chagrin, the critical roll stat remained 18-20/x3. I was under the impression that it should improved to 17-20/x3. I tried, removing and re-equipping the bow and logging off logging in my account without success. The critical roll stat for my silver longbow is still 18-20/x3. What am I doing wrong?

Concerned Gamer
Krewl

You're looking in the wrong place. The bow itself is not affected by Improved Critical Ranged.

[Krewl]

You're looking in the wrong place. The bow itself is not affected by Improved Critical Ranged.

http://i.imgur.com/aDr9hYM.png check this captured image of OP's silver longbow. Crit profile is showing 17-20. How can I make mine, look like that?

[Shoemaker]

http://i.imgur.com/aDr9hYM.png check this captured image of OP's silver longbow. Crit profile is showing 17-20. How can I make mine, look like that?

http://m.ddowiki.com/page/Item:Silver_Longbow with http://m.ddowiki.com/page/Improved_critical I'm guessing.