Newbie Deepwoods Stalker Build - 12 Ranger/7 Rogue/1 Fighter

[ImaginaryLogic]

I am going to TR my 1st life Paladin soon and wanted something different, with more DPS and with trapping ability. I decided that Carpone's U52 Bow build looked very close to what I wanted. However, it didn't give me quite the trapping skill scores I wanted, plus I wanted the Jorasco dragonmark for healing.

- I went from 20 Dex to 18 and raised Int, giving me some more skill points.
- I swapped Barbarian to Fighter for an extra feat slot
- I ditched the Harper and VKF enhancements and put the points into Halfling and Arcane Archer. I didn't quite fit paralyzing arrows in, I might try reducing halfling AP for that.

Here is the code I came up with:

Rogue Ranger
12/7/1 Ranger/Rogue/Fighter
Chaotic Good Halfling


Level Order

1. Rogue . . . . . 6. Ranger. . . . .11. Ranger. . . . .16. Rogue
2. Ranger . . . . .7. Ranger . . . . 12. Ranger . . . . 17. Rogue
3. Ranger . . . . .8. Fighter . . . .13. Ranger. . . . .18. Rogue
4. Ranger . . . . .9. Rogue . . . . .14. Ranger. . . . .19. Rogue
5. Ranger . . . . 10. Ranger . . . . 15. Ranger . . . . 20. Rogue


Stats
. . . . . . . .32pt . . Level Up
. . . . . . . .---- . . --------
Strength. . . . 10. . . .4: DEX
Dexterity . . . 18. . . .8: DEX
Constitution. . 16. . . 12: DEX
Intelligence. . 12. . . 16: DEX
Wisdom. . . . . 10. . . 20: DEX
Charisma. . . . 10. . .


Skills
. . . . .Rg Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Fi Rg Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg
. . . . . 1 .2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
Jump. . . 4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 23
Disable . 4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .½. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 22½
Open Lo . 4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .½. 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 22½
Search. . 4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 22
Spot. . . 4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 . . 1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 22
Listen. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 10
Balance . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 10
Tumble. . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 10
UMD . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . .1. 1 .1. 1 .1. 10
. . . . .------------------------------------------------------------
. . . . .36 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .3. 9 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .9. 9 .9. 9 .9


Feats

.1. . . . : Least Dragonmark: Healing
.3. . . . : Point Blank Shot
.6. . . . : Precision
.8 Fighter: Dodge
.9. . . . : Improved Critical: Ranged
12. . . . : Mobility
15. . . . : Shot on the Run
18. . . . : Spring Attack

.2 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Construct
.6 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Undead
13 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider


Spells

1. Jump (5), Resist Energy (7)
2. Cure Light Wounds (11), Spike Growth (13)
3. Cure Moderate Wounds (14), Wild Instincts (15)

Enhancements (78 of 80 AP)

Deepwood Stalker (41 AP)

• Far Shot, Sneak Attack
  1. Favored Defense III, Stealthy III
  2. Survivalist, Improved Weapon Finesse
  3. Survivalist, Thrill of the Hunt III, Aimed Shot, Dexterity
  4. Survivalist, Killer III, Merciful Shot, Leg Shot, Dexterity
  5. Extra Favored Enemy: Monstrous Humanoid, Heavy Draw, Strikes Like Lightning, Head Shot, Improved Archer's Focus

Halfling (20 AP)

• Halfling Luck, Dexterity, Halfling Luck II, Dexterity II
  1. Jorasco Dragonmark Focus III, Acrobatic III
  2. Lesser Dragonmark of Healing, Nimble Reaction III
  3. Improved Dodge III

Arcane Archer (14 AP)

• Arcane Archer
  1. Shock Arrows, Awareness III
  2. Force Arrows III
  3. Terror Arrows

Thief-Acrobat (3 AP)

• Staff Control
  1. Fast Movement

Any thoughts? I don't think I broke the build with my changes. I'm also going to run with a guild mostly but still want good solo power.

What is some good heroic ranged gear? I have Bow of the Elements for level 10, not sure what else is good. Someone recommended I farm slave lords gear, is that good in practice?

Thanks

[Hobgoblin51]

ranger is less damage then rogue and less trap skills.

the extra fighter feat is worth less then move speed imo


aa.... well it might be better now with imbues but rn hw/dws/vkf


what hw or harper gives you is a trance. trance is very very nice

[Hobgoblin51]

you are missing a crit multi in there


do you have horizon walker?


if not pure or almost pure will work. 18 1 1 rog barb

need 21 tempest for multi

[unbongwah]

- I swapped Barbarian to Fighter for an extra feat slot

Barbarian Fast Movement stacks with Acrobat, giving Carpone's non-HW build +17% runspeed. It's amazing how much one misses extra runspeed when you don't have it. The upside to fighter splash is cheap access to Haste Boost, although it's also available in the Acrobat and Tempest trees.

I ditched the Harper and VKF enhancements and put the points into Halfling and Arcane Archer.

Did you change enhancements because you don't have those trees?

AA imbues are pretty weak right now, although they might get better in the next update. With low WIS and no Enchantment bonuses, you're not going to get much benefit from Terror or Paralyzing Arrows. Consider investing in Assassin instead for extra sneak attacks plus Venomed Blades.

you are missing a crit multi in there

No, they're not: Heavy Draw adds +1 crit multiplier to bows.

[Hobgoblin51]

Barbarian Fast Movement stacks with Acrobat, giving Carpone's non-HW build +17% runspeed. It's amazing how much one misses extra runspeed when you don't have it. The upside to fighter splash is cheap access to Haste Boost, although it's also available in the Acrobat and Tempest trees.

Did you change enhancements because you don't have those trees?

AA imbues are pretty weak right now, although they might get better in the next update. With low WIS and no Enchantment bonuses, you're not going to get much benefit from Terror or Paralyzing Arrows. Consider investing in Assassin instead for extra sneak attacks plus Venomed Blades.

No, they're not: Heavy Draw adds +1 crit multiplier to bows.

is that new? i dont remember that, but i havnt been back to t5 dws since hw came out

[Coffey]

I would suggest Silver Longbow for level 8. It is easy to farm running the level 9 quest "The Church and the Cult" quest. On Hardcore league i started farming for it at level 7 on Normal difficulty. Got it at the end chests on the 4th run.

At level 14 Bow of Sinew is a very easy to get in "Harbinger of Madness" four quest line end reward. The quest is level 15 but you can enter under level and get it quite easily.

GL and HF!

[ImaginaryLogic]

Barbarian Fast Movement stacks with Acrobat, giving Carpone's non-HW build +17% runspeed. It's amazing how much one misses extra runspeed when you don't have it. The upside to fighter splash is cheap access to Haste Boost, although it's also available in the Acrobat and Tempest trees.

I'm of two minds about this - I essentially sacrificed the Barbarian speed for the Jorasco healing ability. I'm open to reverting back - do you think the character would be too fragile without it? I can always do pots since I am reincarnating into this build. I could also go from 12 Ranger to 11 and add a level of Barb.

Did you change enhancements because you don't have those trees?

Correct, no Horizon Walker either.

AA imbues are pretty weak right now, although they might get better in the next update. With low WIS and no Enchantment bonuses, you're not going to get much benefit from Terror or Paralyzing Arrows. Consider investing in Assassin instead for extra sneak attacks plus Venomed Blades.

This seems logical.

I would suggest Silver Longbow for level 8. It is easy to farm running the level 9 quest "The Church and the Cult" quest. On Hardcore league i started farming for it at level 7 on Normal difficulty. Got it at the end chests on the 4th run.

At level 14 Bow of Sinew is a very easy to get in "Harbinger of Madness" four quest line end reward. The quest is level 15 but you can enter under level and get it quite easily.

GL and HF!

I will note that down - thank you!

[Hobgoblin51]

I'm of two minds about this - I essentially sacrificed the Barbarian speed for the Jorasco healing ability. I'm open to reverting back - do you think the character would be too fragile without it? I can always do pots since I am reincarnating into this build. I could also go from 12 Ranger to 11 and add a level of Barb.

you cant. max of 3 classes


with umd you can scroll heal scrolls



halfling marks are nice, but i find more damage to be a comfort


another nice bow is sapphire sting both heroic and epic

[ImaginaryLogic]

Ok, I'll ditch the dragonmark. It's probably better to be more effective at high levels than low.

[unbongwah]

is that new? i dont remember that, but i havnt been back to t5 dws since hw came out

Not really: it was added in Update 45, along with +10% Alacrity to Improved Archer's Focus and +10% Alacrity to Shot on the Run for bows. Those attack speed bonuses were later nerfed around the time Horizon Walker came out (U50), returning SotR to its original irrelevance.

But it's why Carpone's U49 bow build was a pure ranger with tier-5 DWS + captone IIRC; while almost all of the archer builds since then have been Horizon Walkers with heavy rogue investment.

I'm of two minds about this - I essentially sacrificed the Barbarian speed for the Jorasco healing ability. I'm open to reverting back - do you think the character would be too fragile without it? I can always do pots since I am reincarnating into this build. I could also go from 12 Ranger to 11 and add a level of Barb.

If it were up to me, I would switch back to barbarian and dump the Dodge/Mobility/SotR/Spring Attack feats, which don't add much to this build IMO - certainly not enough to justify the 4-feat tax you're paying and losing +10% runspeed.

Leveling order: rogue 1 / ranger 1-8 / barbarian 1 / ranger 9-12 / rogue 2-7

Feats: Point Blank Shot (1), Precision (3), Least Dragonmark (6), Empower Heal (9), Improved Critical->Ranged (12), <filler> (15), Nimble Fingers (18), Combat Archery (21), <filler> (22), Overwhelming Critical (24), Doubleshot (25), <filler> (27), Law or Chaos (28), <filler> (30), Legendary Aim (31), Scion of the Ethereal Plane (32)

Rangers don't get Cure Light Wounds until ranger 8, hence why I delay the barb splash so I can take Empower Heal at level 9. Alternatively you can level rog 1 / rgr 1-6 / barb 1 / rgr 7-12 / rog 2-7 and just swap the order on Empower Heal and Improved Critical.

Enhancements:

• 40 Deepwood Stalker (all cores & tier-5s)
• 16 halfling for Dragonmark line and max Guile
• 13 Acrobat for Fast Movement, Haste Boost, and Shadow Dodge (+3 DEX)
• 11 Assassin (3 cores, Venomed Blades, SA) OR Arcane Archer (3 cores, Conjure Arrows, imbues)

That's probably about as good as a strictly F2P version of Carpone's build (+Dragonmark) is going to get. I believe it takes Nimble Fingers for the Shadowdancer enhancement (+1d6 sneak attack), but the skills bonus is a free perk.

Sneak attacks: 4d6 rogue levels + 3d6 Deepwood Stalker + 3d6 racial Guile + 2d6 Assassin + 7d6 Shadowdancer + 6d6 Ethereal Plane = 25d6 sneak attacks. Not bad for a majority-ranger archer build.

[Hobgoblin51]

Not really: it was added in Update 45, along with +10% Alacrity to Improved Archer's Focus and +10% Alacrity to Shot on the Run for bows. Those attack speed bonuses were later nerfed around the time Horizon Walker came out (U50), returning SotR to its original irrelevance.

But it's why Carpone's U49 bow build was a pure ranger with tier-5 DWS + captone IIRC; while almost all of the archer builds since then have been Horizon Walkers with heavy rogue investment.

If it were up to me, I would switch back to barbarian and dump the Dodge/Mobility/SotR/Spring Attack feats, which don't add much to this build IMO - certainly not enough to justify the 4-feat tax you're paying and losing +10% runspeed.

Leveling order: rogue 1 / ranger 1-8 / barbarian 1 / ranger 9-12 / rogue 2-7

Feats: Point Blank Shot (1), Precision (3), Least Dragonmark (6), Empower Heal (9), Improved Critical->Ranged (12), <filler> (15), Nimble Fingers (18), Combat Archery (21), <filler> (22), Overwhelming Critical (24), Doubleshot (25), <filler> (27), Law or Chaos (28), <filler> (30), Legendary Aim (31), Scion of the Ethereal Plane (32)

Rangers don't get Cure Light Wounds until ranger 8, hence why I delay the barb splash so I can take Empower Heal at level 9. Alternatively you can level rog 1 / rgr 1-6 / barb 1 / rgr 7-12 / rog 2-7 and just swap the order on Empower Heal and Improved Critical.

Enhancements:

• 40 Deepwood Stalker (all cores & tier-5s)
• 16 halfling for Dragonmark line and max Guile
• 13 Acrobat for Fast Movement, Haste Boost, and Shadow Dodge (+3 DEX)
• 11 Assassin (3 cores, Venomed Blades, SA) OR Arcane Archer (3 cores, Conjure Arrows, imbues)

That's probably about as good as a strictly F2P version of Carpone's build (+Dragonmark) is going to get. I believe it takes Nimble Fingers for the Shadowdancer enhancement (+1d6 sneak attack), but the skills bonus is a free perk.

Sneak attacks: 4d6 rogue levels + 3d6 Deepwood Stalker + 3d6 racial Guile + 2d6 Assassin + 4d6 Shadowdancer + 6d6 Ethereal Plane = 22d6 sneak attacks. Not bad for a majority-ranger archer build.

arnt you missing some sneak from sd? 4 for the cores 3 from t2 1 from t1?

[unbongwah]

arnt you missing some sneak from sd? 4 for the cores 3 from t2 1 from t1?

Good catch: I either forgot the cores or I forgot Dance in the Dark. I forget which I forgot.

Sample build (zero tomes or P2P trees):

Half-Pint F2P Stalker
12/7/1 Ranger/Rogue/Barbarian
True Neutral Halfling




Level Order


1. Rogue           6. Ranger         11. Ranger         16. Rogue
2. Ranger          7. Ranger         12. Ranger         17. Rogue
3. Ranger          8. Ranger         13. Ranger         18. Rogue
4. Ranger          9. Ranger         14. Ranger         19. Rogue
5. Ranger         10. Barbarian      15. Rogue          20. Rogue




Stats
               28pt     Level Up
               ----     --------
Strength         8       4: DEX
Dexterity       18       8: DEX
Constitution    14      12: DEX
Intelligence    16      16: DEX
Wisdom           8      20: DEX
Charisma         8      24: DEX
                        28: DEX


Skills
         Rg Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Bn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg Rg
          1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
         ------------------------------------------------------------
Heal         4  2  1  1  1  1  1  1     2  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Disable   4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Open Lo   4     1  1  1  1  1  1     1              2  2  2  2  2  2  23
Search    4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1     2  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Spot      4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1     2  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
Listen    4  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  23
UMD       4                          1              3  3  3  3  3  3  23
Concent            1  1  1  1  1  3        3  3  3                    17
Balance   4                                                            4
Jump      4                                                            4
Swim      4                                                            4
Tumble    4                                                            4
Haggle    4                                                            4
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         44  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  9  7  9  9  9  9 11 11 11 11 11 11




Feats


 1        : Point Blank Shot
 3        : Precision
 6        : Least Dragonmark: Healing
 9        : Empower Healing Spell
12        : Improved Critical: Ranged
15        : Luck of Heroes OR Maximize Spell
18        : Nimble Fingers
21 Epic   : Combat Archery
22 Destiny: Holy Strike
24 Epic   : Overwhelming Critical
25 Destiny: Doubleshot
27 Epic   : Watchful Eye
28 Destiny: Embodiment of Law OR Harbinger of Chaos
30 Epic   : Epic Damage Reduction OR Epic Reflexes
30 Legend : Scion of: Ethereal Plane


 2 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Undead
 6 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Construct
12 Ranger : Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider




Enhancements (Spent: 80 +0r +0u / Max: 80 +0r +0u AP)


Deepwood Stalker (40 AP)
Far Shot, Sneak Attack, Called Shot: Sniper Shot, Advanced Sneak Attack
Favored Defense I, Stealthy III
Survivalist, Action Boost: Melee/Range Power Boost III
Survivalist, Thrill of the Hunt III, Favored Hunter III, Aimed Shot
Survivalist, Killer III, Merciful Shot
Extra Favored Enemy: Giant, Heavy Draw, Strikes Like Lightning, Head Shot, Improved Archer's Focus

Halfling (16 AP)
Halfling Luck, Dexterity, Halfling Luck II
Jorasco Dragonmark Focus III, Cunning I
Lesser Dragonmark of Healing, Break out the Leeches, Halfling Guile
Greater Dragonmark of Healing, Halfling Guile
Halfling Guile

Thief-Acrobat (13 AP)
Staff Control
Thief Acrobatics I, Charming III, Fast Movement
Haste Boost III
Shadow Dodge III

Arcane Archer (11 AP)
Arcane Archer, Morphic Arrows, Metalline Arrows
Conjure Arrows, Elemental Arrows: Shock Arrows
Force Arrows I, Elemental Arrows: Elemental Damage

Leveling Guide
(Bank 4 AP)
(Bank 8 AP)
(Bank 12 AP)
AA0 Arcane Archer; AA1 Conjure Arrows; DS0 Far Shot; DS1 Stealthy I, II, III; DS1 Favored Defense I; DS0 Sneak Attack; DS2 Melee/Range Power Boost I, II, III; DS2 Survivalist; DS3 Survivalist
Hlf0 Halfling Luck; Hlf0 Dexterity; Hlf1 Cunning I
Hlf1 Jorasco Dragonmark Focus I; Hlf2 Lesser Dragonmark of Healing; Hlf2 Break out the Leeches
DS0 Sniper Shot; Hlf1 Jorasco Dragonmark Focus II, III
Hlf3 Greater Dragonmark of Healing; DS3 Thrill of the Hunt I, II, III
DS3 Favored Hunter I, II, III; DS4 Killer I
DS4 Killer II, III; DS4 Merciful Shot
DS4 Survivalist; DS3 Aimed Shot
Hlf2 Halfling Guile; Hlf3 Halfling Guile; Hlf0 Halfling Luck II; Hlf4 Halfling Guile
(Bank 4 AP)
DS0 Advanced Sneak Attack; DS5 Strikes Like Lightning; DS5 Heavy Draw; DS5 Improved Archer's Focus
DS5 Head Shot; DS5 Extra Favored Enemy: Giant
AA1 Shock Arrows; AA0 Morphic Arrows; AA2 Elemental Damage
AA2 Force Arrows I; AA0 Metalline Arrows; TA0 Staff Control
TA1 Fast Movement; TA1 Charming I, II
TA2 Haste Boost I, II, III; TA1 Charming III
TA1 Thief Acrobatics I; TA3 Shadow Dodge I, II, III



Destinies (Spent: 52 (40 +12pdp) / Max: 52 (40 +12pdp) AP)


Shiradi Champion (35 AP)
Fey Favor, Vision, Audience with the Queen
Prism, Wild Magics I, Good Luck III, Shiradi Strike: Hunt's End, Fey Sight III
Stay: Stay Good, Phase Double III, Shiradi Power: Pin, Healing Spring
Double Rainbow, Pierce Deception, Improve Shiradi Power: Otto's Whistler, Fey Force: Fey Force
Fey Form, Track, Enemy of my Own, Overwelming Force: Overwhelming Force
Stay II: Stay Still, Lore of the Hunt, Feywild Attunement, Epic Moment: Inexorable Advance

Shadowdancer (14 AP)
Shadow Training, Step Through Shadow, The Darkest Luck
Cover of Darkness III, Technician III
Dance in the Dark III
Shadowcaster: Shadowstriker

Primal Avatar (3 AP)
This is your Nature: Nature of Heart
Rejuvenation Cocoon

Luck of Heroes, Nimble Fingers, and Watchful Eye are taken for the Epic Destiny abilities which stack with them: Good Luck (+6 luck bonus to saves), Technician (+1d6 sneak attack), and Pierce Deception (+5% Doubleshot).

[ImaginaryLogic]

Looks like a new update is coming that will shake things up a bit. Here are the bits that will affect this build:

Imbues
Ranger:
(Ranger - Tempest) 1d8 Electric, melee or ranged power
(Ranger - Arcane Archer) 1d8 Fire/Cold/Acid/Electric, appropriate Spell Power
(Ranger - Arcane Archer) 1d8 Force, force spellpower
(Arcane Archer) Tiers 2, 3, 4, and 5 grant +2 Dice each
Note: All other primary Arcane Archer Imbues are also now Imbues in this system.

Rogue:
(Assassin Tier 1) 1d8 Poison, melee or ranged power (note this swapped places with Toxin Affinity which is now tier 2)
(Assassin - Toxin Affinity) moves to t2 (swaps with Imbue), +1/2/3 dice

HP changes

Bard, Artificer, and Rogues now have a Hit Die of d8.
Ranger has been increased to d10.

Ranger
Tier 5 Tempest's Dual Perfection now grants a +25% Competence bonus to Hit Points in addition to its original bonuses.
Rogue
Tier 5 Assassin's Light Armor Mastery Rank 3 now grants a +25% Competence bonus to Hit Points in addition to its original bonuses.
Tier 5 Acrobat's Staff Specialist now grants a +25% Competence bonus to Hit Points in addition to its original bonuses.

Other

The spell Longstrider now makes you ignore the effects of shallow water.

Overall looks like the build is getting buffed at no cost: more hp, Tempest gets an imbue, and walk fast through shallow water which I will greatly appreciate. Not sure why they went this direction, I thought it was melee builds that needed buffing.

[Hobgoblin51]

HP changes

none of what u mentioned will affect your build other then the d10 vrs 8 which is like 64 hp at cap.

the imbues are interesting and may be worth it with both aa tempest and assassin giving u dice

longstrider is neat.

something you didnt mention was the phase spider and scorpion change. will be so much nicer!