Build help please - AA or DWS for Sun elf+Ranger PL

[Hulligan]

Hey there. I seek advise regarding how to plan my next 3 TRs as a Sun Elf + Rager past life.

Background:
The toon itselft is a multi TR build, has all epic past lives and 3 PL of all relevant classes (rogue, monk, warlock, barb, etc but no ranger) but I have little to no experience on how to properly build a ranged toon. Basic gear is no issue, weapons (bows) will be however. See below.

What I look for:
- Since I have now all iconic PLs but sun elf, I decided I want to make it a sun elf, so that's a pillar. I'll need the 3 ranger PLs because end life will be ranged (rogue mechanic repeater build).
- Because of sun elf 1 level of cleric is a must, and I'm not willing to buy heart of wood to lesser it out.
- Since I have to splash anyway I was thinking of 1 level (or more, see below) of rogue for basic trapping.
- This will be a TR build 15-to-30, I have no intention to play on level 30 - gears and feats are to be adjusted and taken into consideration accordingly.
- I'd like to play it full ranged thus I'm not interested in tempest nor other melee functionalities at all. Pure ranged. Also I read that xbow vs bow wise bow is the way to go if you take ranger.
But I'll be playing this for 3 life thus is should be playable and more importantly enjoyable.

Adivse I'm looking for:
- Since I'll have no capstone, is it still worth better to go for DWS t5 or go AA slaying arrow ?
- More importantly - I have the chance to get AA capstone from sun elf AA - would that be stronger than a capstoneless (silly word) DWS ?
- Shiradi vs Fury vs Dreadnought ? Which one to chose ?
- considering all the 3 points above, shall I go 18 ranger / 1 cleric / 1 rogue OR (since I can get AA full tree, even if a bit later, from Sun Elf) 13 ranger / 6 rogue / 1 cleric?
I'd definetly not go below 12 ranger since DWS core 3 Advanced Sneak Attack +1 Competence Bonus to Critical Threat Range.

I skipped feats and enhancements on purpose; I'm trying to get a basic guideline on what build to make - Feat and enhancement wise I read enough feedback here to know what to look for, it's not the question at the moment. But the forum is full of pure ranger concepts which I'm not interested in since it's not what I'm making.

- What weapon should I use ? I have basicly no bow on the character. I could get a Pinion from the Anniversary token, Silver Bow is no issue to acquire... but in general what bows do you guys suggest for levels 15-30 ?
I bet Pinion would be a great asset from lvl 23 to 30, especially if I get it and upgrade it before TR.
Any better option ? What shall I use until then ? Any help/advise is appreciated.

[Marshal_Lannes]

There are at least 3 AA/DWS ranger threads here. Even if you are not going pure virtually everything applies - you just won't be quite as powerful as a pure ranger. 18 Ranger/1 Cleric/1 Rogue (traps for XP bonus) seems your best bet. My Analysis of an Elven Ranger has substantial discussion on Bows so I direct you to that weapon wise. Quickly the bows are Silver Bow/Bow of Sinew/Unwavering Ardency and then Pinion. My thread goes into greater detail about nice to have bows and the pros and cons. Good luck.

[unbongwah]

- Because of sun elf 1 level of cleric is a must, and I'm not willing to buy heart of wood to lesser it out.
- I'd like to play it full ranged thus I'm not interested in tempest nor other melee functionalities at all. Pure ranged. Also I read that xbow vs bow wise bow is the way to go if you take ranger.

Well, here's where the question becomes which is more important to you: trap skills for bonus XP (which means rog or arty as your third class); or upping your ranged DPS via monk 6+ for Ten Thousand Stars?

Or you could do something unconventional, like rgr 12 / rog 7 / cleric 1 using repeaters: T5 Mechanic + T4 DWS has a lot going for it, particularly if you're not adverse to exploiting AA bugs for now. *whistles innocently*

Another question mark: do you intend to build for Paralyzing DCs or will you focus solely on ranged DPS?

- Since I'll have no capstone, is it still worth better to go for DWS t5 or go AA slaying arrow ?
- More importantly - I have the chance to get AA capstone from sun elf AA - would that be stronger than a capstoneless (silly word) DWS ?

Unfortunately, racial Shadow Arrows enhancement is still bugged: "Shadow Arrows bonus to critical damage multiplier is not triggering correctly for the Elven Arcane Archer." So a rgr 18 / cleric 1 / rog 1 split using rgr AA for working crit multiplier bonus might come out ahead of one which goes for AA capstone. Not sure which way works better.

- Shiradi vs Fury vs Dreadnought ? Which one to chose ?

For burst DPS, I still consider FotW the way to go: Adrenaline + Slaying Arrow (or Sniper Shot) FTW. For sustained DPS, I would prefer LD or Crusader: LD is more powerful overall, IMO, but requires sustaining Blitz; whereas DC is about timing Zeal of the Righteous for max benefit. EDIT: also the Doubleshot bonuses are more useful if you intend to use Paralyzing, IMO.

- What weapon should I use ? I have basicly no bow on the character. I could get a Pinion from the Anniversary token, Silver Bow is no issue to acquire... but in general what bows do you guys suggest for levels 15-30 ?

Probably my ideal progression (excluding crafted bows) would be: Sapphire Sting or Silver Longbow -> Unwavering Ardency or Bow of Sinew -> Pinion -> eSting. Adjust based on available gear, obviously.

[Sunnie]

Unfortunately, racial Shadow Arrows enhancement is still bugged: "Shadow Arrows bonus to critical damage multiplier is not triggering correctly for the Elven Arcane Archer." So a rgr 18 / cleric 1 / rog 1 split using rgr AA for working crit multiplier bonus might come out ahead of one which goes for AA capstone. Not sure which way works better.

It's still on the list? That's odd.
When I played my Elf Arcane Clonkcher, the crit multiplier increased as it was supposed to when I took Shadow Arrows from the racial AA tree. I've TR'd several times since then so I can't exactly go back and recheck it again, but I'd heard it was bugged when I made the character and made it a point to check and see if the multiplier changed or not. And it did.
Possibly there're variables that make it work in some cases, but not in others?