Returning Player: Need AA Build

[Ebrith]

Hi all, I've been away from the game since before Menace, which means that my character has become extremely outdated.

My main character, a pure level 18 Ranger AA who was built before half-elves were released is still one of my favourite characters of all time. I would prefer keeping her as an AA for now.

Therefore, I need advice: should I GR and respec to a better choice (ie. my character is horribly gimped and unplayable) or should I play this character to 20 at least, grab a reincarnate and come back with an AA build in a different life?

Stats are as follows:

Str 18 (20 with +2 from tome)
Dex 20 (21 with +1 from tome)
Con 12 (14 with +2 from tome)
Int 8 (10 with +2 from tome)
Wis 10 (14 with +4 from tome)
Cha 8

From what I understand, the race enhancements for elves now allow for a dex-based damage build for bows, which I could probably grab with no problem.

In terms of items, she isn't anywhere near the old GS endgame tier items, so I'd also appreciate and suggestions for new gear to farm on her.

[Kadrios]

What feats do you have at present?

If I recall correctly, if you've been away that long, you should have 1 (possibly 2) raiders boxes awaiting you in your inventory, as well (I think) a +20 heart of wood.


if you do have the raiders box, it will give you the choice of one of the weapons from the Caught in the Web raid. You'll want to grab Pinion if you are planning to continue as an AA, and will be able to use it from level 23.

Arcane archers now get a number of bow attacks whose DC benefits from bonuses to enchantment spell DCs (these abilities also add +1 to enhancement DCs, for a total of +4 if you have all 4 of the attacks), so you may want to consider grabbing at least Spell Focus Enchantment if you have a spare feat slot. The DCs for these attacks are based on Wisdom.

[Grailhawk]

Here are some links with good info on Archer Rangers

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...or-New-Players

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ed-pure-ranger

[unbongwah]

From what I understand, the race enhancements for elves now allow for a dex-based damage build for bows, which I could probably grab with no problem.

Improved Weapon Finesse (tier-2 Deepwood Stalker) applies DEX to dmg with short-/longbows, as well as thrown and Finesseable melee weapons. So any AA rgr build can go DEX-based, not just elves.

Anyway, the good news is AA rgrs are stronger than they used to be (despite the caterwauling from certain corners). See also: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...layer-Friendly

The most important changes are:

• Turbine eliminated the Doubleshot penalties from Manyshot and Ten Thousand Stars. This means your out-of-MS/TTS DPS goes up, as long as you invest in Doubleshot; which in turn makes the +25% Doubleshot in AA tree a lot more important than it used to be.
• MS & TTS functionality has changed; they now apply Doubleshot & Ranged Power bonuses. TTS is based on both WIS and # of monk lvls, so it's less powerful on heavily-MCed monkchers.
• AA imbues are boosted by the relevant Spellpower; you can also specialize in a single element winding up with 9d8 imbues.
• +1 crit range bonus at lvl 12 DWS core and +1 crit multiplier bonus at lvl 18 AA core; this means regular bows become 18-20/x4 w/IC:Ranged. [Named bows with larger-than-avg crit ranges like Bow of Sinew or Pinion become 16-20/x4.]
• The DC-based imbues like Paralyzing are now boosted by your WIS mod and any bonuses to Enchantment DCs (Spell Focus feats, gear, etc.). However these abilities are still primary imbues, which means one of your first build decisions on an AA is whether you focus on DPS or CC.

[longhorndb]

I am in the same boat as you. I originally was pure Ranger 20 and then TR'd now a 14/5/1 Ran/Wiz/Rog with Artificer Delittante INT based ranger with a super high UMD (39). WIth Tombs I could push that above 40. Pre update my HP is lower at around 421 buffed and SP over 1000....I have no new gear (still using Sora Kell) and am going to farm a HoW or a reroll. I never got any high destinies stuck at level 21 and nobody wants to run with a L21 - it's all 23 and above.

My next build with either be a Kenssai Fighter STR build or I might go again as a Helves Angel Int based build....although the guy who created now has a better Tempest build called Cuisanart.
I love the ranger aspect (although most of their spells are silly the whole point is healing, so maybe someday a dragonmakred halfling I have I"ll take to level 20). Having a TR 20 with the 25% speed capstone is nice, but honestly the fighter kensai can accomplish that with haste boost and you also get better armor. I think I'll improve the Tankiness and either go Deepwood Sniper or AA but I'm getting jazzed about the DS after teh enhancement passed un-nerfed that skill tree...AA is still somewhat cheezy with no slayer arrows (it's still a spell that has a long arse cooldown), and with the manyshot cool down you need something else to fill the time void. I'd still throw in the Artificer delly just for the improved UMD with devices...and it's a nice build all around, not quite soloable but a good 2nd or 3rd dps'er and healer in a pinch that can CC through the use of para/terror arrows and Envenomed Blades.

Personally, I think if you're going to have a ranger in this game, you have to level them 3 times to level 20 then TR so you can have all that past life benefit stacked up but maybe get another 1 or 2 past lives thrown in to make it fun....or captsone all classes and be a D&D elite, which I think sounds good, but screw that. Cheers.

Hi all, I've been away from the game since before Menace, which means that my character has become extremely outdated.

My main character, a pure level 18 Ranger AA who was built before half-elves were released is still one of my favourite characters of all time. I would prefer keeping her as an AA for now.

Therefore, I need advice: should I GR and respec to a better choice (ie. my character is horribly gimped and unplayable) or should I play this character to 20 at least, grab a reincarnate and come back with an AA build in a different life?

Stats are as follows:

Str 18 (20 with +2 from tome)
Dex 20 (21 with +1 from tome)
Con 12 (14 with +2 from tome)
Int 8 (10 with +2 from tome)
Wis 10 (14 with +4 from tome)
Cha 8

From what I understand, the race enhancements for elves now allow for a dex-based damage build for bows, which I could probably grab with no problem.

In terms of items, she isn't anywhere near the old GS endgame tier items, so I'd also appreciate and suggestions for new gear to farm on her.

[Lorianus]

However these abilities are still primary imbues, which means one of your first build decisions on an AA is whether you focus on DPS or CC.[/LIST]

I am thinking about whether I should go full WIS and run in LD (CC from AA tree and damage from ED) or full DEX with the elemental imbues and stay in Shiradi for Nerfe Venom. The Venom has no DC but Double Rainbow and Tea seem to get weaker every update. (Or does it only feel week now because the ranged power from LD is a scaling bonus?

[Loromir]

Hi all, I've been away from the game since before Menace, which means that my character has become extremely outdated.

My main character, a pure level 18 Ranger AA who was built before half-elves were released is still one of my favourite characters of all time. I would prefer keeping her as an AA for now.

Therefore, I need advice: should I GR and respec to a better choice (ie. my character is horribly gimped and unplayable) or should I play this character to 20 at least, grab a reincarnate and come back with an AA build in a different life?

Stats are as follows:

Str 18 (20 with +2 from tome)
Dex 20 (21 with +1 from tome)
Con 12 (14 with +2 from tome)
Int 8 (10 with +2 from tome)
Wis 10 (14 with +4 from tome)
Cha 8

From what I understand, the race enhancements for elves now allow for a dex-based damage build for bows, which I could probably grab with no problem.

In terms of items, she isn't anywhere near the old GS endgame tier items, so I'd also appreciate and suggestions for new gear to farm on her.

Here is a build that has been floating around the forums for the past few days. It's not a bad build.

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...layer-Friendly

[Ebrith]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and sharing their own experiences!

I've since been playing a lot more and leveling to end-game. I think my current plan to stay at 30 and possibly TR down the road when I'm done farming gear will work just fine.

Grabbed one of the free Hearts that Turbine so kindly provided and LRed to fix some of my stat point allocation issues. I've been having a blast, though the lack of self-sufficiency can get quite irritating sometimes in EE quests though that's expected because of the lack of gear.

Shiradi Champion's been quite a lot of fun, I'm working on Fury of the Wild at the moment and probably going into Legendary Dreadnought later.

At the moment, I could use more advice on gear:

What Legendary GS items/combinations would you run on a CC-focused AA?

I'm currently at level 24 going on to 25, I LOVE my Pinion and will be upgrading it soon... it's been a lot of fun so far.

[CThruTheEgo]

My next build with either be a Kenssai Fighter STR build or I might go again as a Helves Angel Int based build....although the guy who created now has a better Tempest build called Cuisanart.

Well, I did not create the Helves Angel build, but I did create the Divine Cuisinart (link in sig). If you're looking for a primarily melee tempest with a ranged backup, the Cuisinart is a solid build. If you prefer a full time archer, my White Feather Sniper (link in sig) is a solid build. It takes deepwood stalker tier 5s and capstone for higher dps, but goes into arcane archer to offer some solid CC through paralyzing arrows. I've been having a lot of fun with it lately.

I am thinking about whether I should go full WIS and run in LD (CC from AA tree and damage from ED) or full DEX with the elemental imbues and stay in Shiradi for Nerfe Venom. The Venom has no DC but Double Rainbow and Tea seem to get weaker every update. (Or does it only feel week now because the ranged power from LD is a scaling bonus?

You don't have to go fully wis based to reach an effective DC for paralyzing arrows. Check out White Feather Sniper in my sig for an archer with solid dps and a legendary elite effective paralyzing arrows DC. You want a 60+ DC for current endgame. In the link, you can find a breakdown of how to reach that with minimal investment. You can also find a link to another thread where I list a (semi) max breakdown.

I've not been impressed with shiradi on any ranged build I've ever played. In my opinion, fury, dreadnaught, and now divine crusader are much better dps options. Fury is ideal if you want max burst dps, but you want tier 5s in arcane archer for slayer arrows to do that. For more consistent dps, you want tier 5s and capstone in deepwood stalker combined with either dreadnaught or divine crusader. Divine crusader's dps goes in waves due to the fading nature of zeal of the righteous. You start with 50 stacks which fade 1 every 3 seconds. I haven't tried the build in dreadnaught yet, but it should offer solid and consistent dps if you keep stacks of blitz up, which should be easy enough with improved precise shot.

At the moment, I could use more advice on gear:

What Legendary GS items/combinations would you run on a CC-focused AA?

I've not looked at legendary greensteel gear for my build yet, but I do have a lootgen gear set listed for White Feather Sniper in my sig. It is also CC focused with a 64 DC paralyzing arrows, but takes tier 5s and capstone from deepwood stalker rather than arcane archer. They are essentially the same kind of build, though, so the gear should not be significantly different. You can take a look at that if you want some gear ideas.

I'm currently at level 24 going on to 25, I LOVE my Pinion and will be upgrading it soon... it's been a lot of fun so far.

Consider Epic Sapphire Sting from Temple of Elemental Evil as an upgrade to Pinion. As was pointed out to me, against 0 fort targets, it is competitive with tier 2 Thunder-Forged as well. With 25% fort bypass from precision, 20% from the level 12 and 18 deepwood stalker cores, and another 25% from mark of the hunted, it should be fairly competitive against targets with fort also, especially if combined with some armor-piercing which is now commonly found on lootgen. I don't know how it compares to legendary greensteel weapons. From what I have read on the forums, the jury is still out about the value of legendary greensteel weapons.

[Ebrith]

Well, I did not create the Helves Angel build, but I did create the Divine Cuisinart (link in sig). If you're looking for a primarily melee tempest with a ranged backup, the Cuisinart is a solid build. If you prefer a full time archer, my White Feather Sniper (link in sig) is a solid build. It takes deepwood stalker tier 5s and capstone for higher dps, but goes into arcane archer to offer some solid CC through paralyzing arrows. I've been having a lot of fun with it lately.



You don't have to go fully wis based to reach an effective DC for paralyzing arrows. Check out White Feather Sniper in my sig for an archer with solid dps and a legendary elite effective paralyzing arrows DC. You want a 60+ DC for current endgame. In the link, you can find a breakdown of how to reach that with minimal investment. You can also find a link to another thread where I list a (semi) max breakdown.

I've not been impressed with shiradi on any ranged build I've ever played. In my opinion, fury, dreadnaught, and now divine crusader are much better dps options. Fury is ideal if you want max burst dps, but you want tier 5s in arcane archer for slayer arrows to do that. For more consistent dps, you want tier 5s and capstone in deepwood stalker combined with either dreadnaught or divine crusader. Divine crusader's dps goes in waves due to the fading nature of zeal of the righteous. You start with 50 stacks which fade 1 every 3 seconds. I haven't tried the build in dreadnaught yet, but it should offer solid and consistent dps if you keep stacks of blitz up, which should be easy enough with improved precise shot.



I've not looked at legendary greensteel gear for my build yet, but I do have a lootgen gear set listed for White Feather Sniper in my sig. It is also CC focused with a 64 DC paralyzing arrows, but takes tier 5s and capstone from deepwood stalker rather than arcane archer. They are essentially the same kind of build, though, so the gear should not be significantly different. You can take a look at that if you want some gear ideas.



Consider Epic Sapphire Sting from Temple of Elemental Evil as an upgrade to Pinion. As was pointed out to me, against 0 fort targets, it is competitive with tier 2 Thunder-Forged as well. With 25% fort bypass from precision, 20% from the level 12 and 18 deepwood stalker cores, and another 25% from mark of the hunted, it should be fairly competitive against targets with fort also, especially if combined with some armor-piercing which is now commonly found on lootgen. I don't know how it compares to legendary greensteel weapons. From what I have read on the forums, the jury is still out about the value of legendary greensteel weapons.

Yes, I saw your build when I was thinking about how to LR my character. I love the flavour behind it, as well as how fun it can be. Fury of the Wild with Slayer arrows has been quite fun, Mark + Adrenaline + Manyshot + Slayer = burst damage that just takes down most things.

I'm thinking about getting a Thunderforged bow as well, the effects seem pretty good... Probably a good idea to get a GS item first. What are your thoughts on helms to replace Minos Legen?

[CThruTheEgo]

What are your thoughts on helms to replace Minos Legen?

The ideal helm, imo, is Sightless from DoJ because as far as I know it's the only item in the game that offers +6 ranged power. Because of the inflated values on lootgen, however, it's outdated in terms of con and PRR/MRR. Those effects on it are still high enough that you could settle with them if you wanted or needed to though.

Lootgen is powerful enough now to offer compelling options for any slot, especially if you are just looking for a quick upgrade. Wisdom (called prudent) is available in the helm slot, so that is a quick option if you want to improve your DC. The helm slot also offers int (called astute) and insightful int to boost spell power or know the angles, if you use that; accuracy for legendary elite content where to hit actually matters; PRR/MRR (called defensive) as well as insightful PRR/MRR; insightful fort (called reinforced); resistance and parrying; and UMD if you need a boost to that.

I just learned today that Halcyonia from The Archon's Trial has +2 quality wis on it, as well as devotion 150, healing lore 20, insightful heal 2, and a green slot. So it's a way to boost both your DC and healing capability.

Those are just a few options that come to mind.