Is mastering Improved Precise Shot the hardest class skill in the game?

[darkniteyogi]

-Targeting the mob at the back of the pack
-Switching once that mob dies via "next target" or "previous target"
-Trying to get all of them in a single line
-Trying to run around mobs so that you are aligned to hit 2 or more of them
-Trying to hit them after turning off mob select and aiming through your scope
-Trying to move while aiming through your scope
-Constantly switching from IPS and PS
-Navigating through the different terrain and slopes and angles, sometimes too low or too high to hit mobs at the back
-All this while cycling through your special attacks, buffs, Manyshot, 10k stars, etc.

Is it fun for you? Is it a good design? Do you find it difficult and clunky to use? Or have you mastered using it?

How often are you (ratio) in IPS compared to PS as a Bow user?
I notice I am using more of PS than IPS in my current heroic playthrough.

[Stoner81]

CC is your friend especially built in CC to your build. I only really use Archers Focus for big boss fights, the rest of the time I use IPS.

Stoner81.

[darkniteyogi]

CC is your friend especially built in CC to your build. I only really use Archers Focus for big boss fights, the rest of the time I use IPS.

Stoner81.

I will give paralyzing arrows another try. I tried it at level 11 but it was taking too much DPS from elemental arrows. Let's see how it works at level 16-17. Thanks!

Im assuming you are referring to paralyzing arrows, but are Terror arrows any good for this purpose? I've never thought of trying them


I'm using Falconry tier5, Deepwood Sniper, and Arcane Archer.

[Enoach]

-Targeting the mob at the back of the pack IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

-Switching once that mob dies via "next target" or "previous target" Setting Auto Targeting On, or using soft targeting can help here

-Trying to get all of them in a single line Trick here is to wide circle the group and then run in a straight line away. Using abilities depending on your race/class choices can assist here in changing the speed of the mobs so that some are slowed thus creating that line. Entangle does serve a purpose.

-Trying to run around mobs so that you are aligned to hit 2 or more of them You are a ranged character, why not strategically hit them so that they run to you when it is not safe to circle strafe?

-Trying to hit them after turning off mob select and aiming through your scope Not my preferred way to run, I prefer to use the soft target option

-Trying to move while aiming through your scope Again, I prefer to use the soft target

-Constantly switching from IPS and PS Hot Key your stances, if you have a mouse with macro keys that can help put the stances in a good position to change easily. The rest is simply working the optimization between the Multi-target vs Single target modes

-Navigating through the different terrain and slopes and angles, sometimes too low or too high to hit mobs at the back This is the same for any class/build that has ranged options, and is more effected by the racial (size) choices then we sometimes think

-All this while cycling through your special attacks, buffs, Manyshot, 10k stars, etc. No different than any build that has multiple attacks and doesn't depend on clicking auto-attack and point at mob to kill



Is it fun for you? I have a lot of fun playing my 12/8 ftr/wiz elven arcane archer
Is it a good design? I've played other games with ranged attack mechanics, this one is much better implemented.
Do you find it difficult and clunky to use? No
Or have you mastered using it? As stated above, with my suggestions, you can be the judge, but I've not had trouble playing

How often are you (ratio) in IPS compared to PS as a Bow user? As an Arcane Archer specializing in CC, IPS most of the time, Archers Focus for targets that cannot be CC'd, or when DPS is more valuable then CC for the party I'm running with. This has more to do with build focus then maximizing DPS.

[FranOhmsford]

-Targeting the mob at the back of the pack IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

Red really doesn't show up well on these forums - It's readable but not great.

I'd suggest

Yellow
IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

Gold
IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

Lime
IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

or

Cyan
IPS goes by the path, sure targeting the one in the back of the pack can help with the angle, but if you target the one in front it will still go through them to the targets behind

for it to really POP

-Trying to move while aiming through your scope Again, I prefer to use the soft target

Could you quickly explain for the layman how you "use the soft target" exactly?

[Enoach]

Red really doesn't show up well on these forums - It's readable but not great.

...



Could you quickly explain for the layman how you "use the soft target" exactly?

I will keep the color in mind, was simply trying to differentiate between the question and text. I will be honest the colors you suggested, were not good for me (I tend to use a muted background). So I'll look for something else.

With auto-targeting off, you soft-target only when your mouse pointer is directly over what you are aiming at. With these types of ranged attacks, this type of targeting works well for me to quickly move target to target.

[mobrien316]

Once I get IPS, I don't ever switch back to Archer's Focus.

I find it's easy to tab to a mob in the back of the pack and hit some along the way. I've never found it frustrating or difficult to use.

[Seph1roth5]

I love AA paralyzer, but I don't solo so that might be a big difference. The power definitely goes way down but that's what my meat shields are for.

As for IPS, I always target the enemy furthest back and finagle my way into a line. Works pretty well most of the time. When you can back up a bit they'll line up for ya anyway.

I tend to stay in IPS in most quests I think, unless the quests aren't very mobby. Otherwise, I'd switch to archer's focus for boss types.

[IlIllI]

Some notes from someone who has played exclusively bow/dex rangers since starting in DDO in June 2020:

1) IPS isn't just a single straight line. It seems to be more of a not extremely narrow path.
I have seen 2 mobs that had literal clear space between them - as in can fit a 3rd mob in between without touching, still get blinded simultaneously by a Sniper shot. So you don't need to be extremely precise (hah hah) for IPS to work.

2) Shooting the front mob does work, but it is still not as effective as shooting the back mob because if there is any terrain elevation delta - shooting the front mob is much more likely to send the shot over/under the rest of them.
Soft targeting with a mouse has the same problem but with the added burden of mousing to target. I prefer to have 1 hand doing hotkeys for aimed/sniper/etc shots plus tab-targeting while the other hand is doing the movement - but I use a keyboard. YMMV.

3) IPS is good for crowd control but it also reduces damage by 20%. This is worse than it seems because Archer Focus - you can get 3 stacks just by kicking off with an aimed shot (adds 3 stacks = 15 ranged power).
I will still use IPS for groups of more than 3 situationally, but archer focus + aimed shot allows you to build up to the 25 ranged power stacks and carry over to the next fight, if said next fight is fairly close. Each stack lasts all of 5 or 6 seconds, but that's still significant time if you have 25 of them.
And note: the stacks do contribute to critical hit multiplied damage.
Thus carrying over AF stacks = faster kills = more carried over stacks = more frequent killer +DS stacks present.
To be fair, if you're going to run and gun - then IPS definitely makes more sense. However, once you get a PRR in the 80s for Epic - which is trivial with crafted gear - you can stand and arrow down even moderate groups of mobs in AF.

4) On the other hand, IPS with say, Sniper shot or Aimed shot, can trigger multiple crits. I used to think these (IPS + specialty) were bugging in some way since mobs that should have taken 4 or more shots to kill normally would just lie down - but it seems more likely that it is just the increased crits/damage at work because it absolutely does not happen all the time.

5) Shadowdancer has a circular AOE crowd control: dark imbue.
It also has Executioner's Shot which I'm experimenting with to see just how effective it can be. I can probably get DC into the mid-80s - it was already working at L24 with DC of 70. The problem is that there just isn't any type of high +assassinate items like you see with tactical DCs (+18 combat mastery! vs +7 max assassinate item stat, even on named).
Shadowdancer is nowhere as effective as Furyshotting but the specialty stuff may hold up better at higher difficulty levels. Certainly DC-based attacks scale much better with focused attention on gear/past lives/feats.

6) Acid/elemental arrows: they matter a lot more at low levels. Frankly, at Epic - I go entire sessions without noticing my corrosive arrows have gone silent. Particularly if I'm doing Furyshotting.
In fact - the one quibble I have with Strimtom's Acid Archer build is the Merciful Shot. Yes, 500 pts if below 50% but I'd much rather have Aimed Shot and its +3 stacks of AF at the start of every combat.

Consider this: even at L20, I have +60 or so bonus damage on the arrows. So while I'm using a pathetic Ethereal bow (Borderlands) and have 3.3[w], in reality the base arrow is 72 average damage. The acid arrows in a Strimtom build would be 8d6 = 28 average damage. Yes, I can pump my acid spell power to the 400s range at L20 so the 28 becomes 140. But a ranged power of 100 gets my regular arrows to 144 - and this scales up visibly with AF/aimed shot/sniper shot whereas the acid don't. Note I'm not tossing out the acid arrows - experimenting with various other configurations shows that it is still worthwhile to have them, but focusing on them isn't optimal at all vs. ranged power/deadly/ranged alacrity/PRR.
Now add in the +400% dam/+16 crit confirm for adrenaline - that's how I can get 8K to 9K hits at L20 and 14K+ at L30.
I've even switched from the AA +20DS to the DS +20 ranged power.

For Epic - I have found that the specialty arrows just aren't that helpful. I never use smiting, banishing - even force arrows (only for the secondary boss mob in one of the Gatekeeper quests because that one is healed by acid, and now I just turn off).
Instead, putting those APs into my elven tree for +2 dex and +4% to hit seems more effective. Admittedly, I am no longer maxing acid spell power but I just don't see the gaudy main arrow damage multipliers from crits with the acid arrows.
I even switched from Long Shadow to Beast's Mantle.