Ranger Archive
Thread: Rangers quickly becoming obsolete
Currently I am a 2/1/2/1 Ranger and I am staring not to feel very confident about tryng to master it. I really enjoy the concept but I am feeling that the skillpoints could be used much better elsewhere. I don't neccasarily need to be the most powerful 1v1 combatant but I do want to have some effectivness for group missions and support in pvp(wheter it be in the battlefield or be the support class inbewteen battles).
Areatrack is nice if I want to find a specific baby creature(I am trying to also achieve master CH) and for findin groups of creatures but it with the speeders it won'tbe hard to find things to kill. The thing I think it could be rerally useful for is finding players that you know are on the opposite faction before they even know your there but then you would have to know they are factioned inthe first place. Maybe the Devs could make creatures and such non spawn while you are on a speeder or have it that creatures don't show up on your minimap at as far as ranger while on them so tracking would be quicker. Plus if there are no creatures or too few in an area maybe have areatrack have a chance to force spawn some, and depending on the level of the rangers ability in tracking spawn higher level creatures.
The camps I am kinda saddened by, as I will be dropping my medic skills as I gain more CH skills so I won't need the crafting station to experiment or create high level/quality item. I can just plunk down a basic camp kit andcall out what creatures I want with less resource cost. It would be nice if the Rangers had war camps at Master or high level that add a defense bonus and/or to-hit bonus for all people in your group(Or add them to a access list via a the camp console like the options on a house) that are withtin the camps radius as well as not disband if you enter the fighting. The crafting station is nice if I am grouped with someone who needs the station for experiments and such but I don't think I have ever grouped with too many medics, doctors or combat medics.
I really dislike the traps at ranger level, I really like the AoE concept but I only use p-darts and/or glow-wire traps and don't really use the currect flash bomb. It would be nice to have an AoE snare so that it could get groups out of sticky situations or be able to take on nests of creatures. I mean we are supposed to be the ultimate creature hunters so we are only masters of a piece of PvE which in turn is only a piece of the combat. There is a difference bewteen masters of creature hunting and only able to hunt creatures because we we only get a to-hit bonus for using non special manuevers against animals. I found, trapped, and hid from creatures just fine before becoming ranger and haven't really had too much improvement in the field besides some small boosts in performance.
I definitly think the ranger needs some attention since it a s full elite profession and takes quite a bit of skill points to achieve. I don't want ultimate killing machine, if I wanted that I could go BH and still have my scout but I do want to be of use to people and by use I don't mean setting up a circus camp and crawling on my belly fast while telling you where little jimmy is hiding and throwing flashing light bombs everywhere especially since I don't want entertainers killing me for diverting the attention away from their dancing and music. Now it will be still hard for me to drop ranger as it has a certain charm and respect that goes with it but I also like being effcient and want to be useful in light of vehicles.
You know, as I read this ranger board every few nights, its struck me that I've played a lot of other MMORPGs and have never seen a class that feels itself so utterly useless. Whoever said that the ranger class skills are novelties, not necessities, had it right. We are not an ELITE class as advertised. We are a novelty, just like many of the smuggler skills that seem incomplete. Folks we're paying for the largest beta test in history! One has to ask why we keep banging our heads against the wall.
The only reason I like a ranger at the moment is that I feel that if I travel on an undeveloped world, like an Endor, that I will be able to survive longer without having to return to a major city on another planet. Camping makes it possible to recover from severe damage without having to come out of the woods. That with a functional mask scent we can choose when we want to be damaged by critters and when we dont want to. This is an advantage for ranger adventurers, especially solo ones, compared to other classes. Granted maybe not a large one....but next time your down on yourself, go to endor, go deep in the woods, and pitch a camp and be happy that your the only class that can bring that mobile base to a heathen world.
Has it occurred to anyone that maybe they are giving love to one or two professions at a time for a reason other than programming difficulties? I think it is being used in the same way Holo's were introduced. People would start a profession (and due to human nature resisting change) they homestead that profession. So they show some love toa profession, give some extra incentives, and just like the actions of using a holo.......the homesteaders migrate over to the new Dev pet profession. Its all rather obvious. MAKE people move around and try the different professions and it keeps the game interesting so they stay.
Another possibibily is maybe....just maybe....they are setting Ranger up for the big space expansion which will make the introduction of pets, mounts, and vehicles look like childs play. Just a little reflection on some thoughts about the whole mess. Cheer up. Enjoy what we have while we can. Mainly make friends and play nice.
Now it will be still hard for me to drop ranger as it has a certain charm and respect that goes with it but I also like being effcient and want to be useful in light of vehicles.
This is the killer line in an earlier post for me, I'm Master Ranger and still dont really know why, I think it's nothing but a funky scout and totally undermined by the arrival of vehicles and all the other reasons above, yet I really, really dont want to drop the Master title, but I'm getting closer to doing so every day....!
I'd have to agree most of our stuff has become obsolete since the last few large patches. I was tracking last night some King Gurks to help with the RIS quests because of what they drop, and I'd say it was mildly useful as i tracked maybe one nest, and the rest were tracked by people on speeders. I do like the fact that i can harvest a little more than a master Scout, but really its not that much more.
I saw a thread saying that the Devs vision for Ranger is Creature hunter basically. I think they got it all wrong. A Ranger should have hunting Attributes as well as PVP attributes. I mean a Master Scout can do most of what we do with hunting abilities, But Ranger should be different as it should be able to use the Wilderness skills against enemies similiar to what the Army Rangers do in real life. They should be able to combine their Combat Skills with their knowledge, and skill to be able to live in the wild, and conquer the harshest terrains.
If I wasn't making money off the harvesting I do then I might be opt to drop Ranger also, and maybe keep a couple of the lines. we do need some love, and we need to be different than Scout not just Super Scout.
As of now, yes, the Ranger profession is little more than glorified scouts. And yes, vehicles have made us less of a factor in the game. If we are ever able to get the ear of a Dev I feel this profession could be a great one without revamping the whole system.
I'd say that most of us chose Ranger b/c we like the PvE aspect of the game and exploring the world in general. Just as the smuggler line is very diverse, I feel Ranger should also be that way. Add one line of supplementary combat. Not all out combat, but one that can build on even the basic combat trees. After all, shouldn't a Ranger (who is at one with the natural world) be a major force in PvE, specifically creatures? Why not give some specials that are highly effective on certain creatures. Allowing us to bypass armor, resistances on creatures? Also give us other means of making money other than harvesting. Camps (that actually do something) and traps that work for everyone regardless of skill.
And finally, dont get me started on removing conceal from NPC's. Completely ridiculous move there.
"does anyone have a link to the Dev thread about the vision for Ranger?"
It's not much to read. 
Synopsis (Dev quote):
- "Rangers are "creature" profession"
Or myinitial hack from the Top 5 Bug Responses post:
- "Rangers are Ultimate Creature Hunter"
I am now pushing for:
- "Rangers are Ultimate Outdoorsman"
I used to read this profession thread and not post at all because usually things were pretty informative and, well, quite frankly, I'm one of the accursed dabblers. But this is getting weird.
Rangers, once and for all, are not useless or obsolete!!!!!!!!!
There. Now that everyone hates me, please allow me to explain.
As one of the accursed dabblers, I have focused on mainly the harvesting aspect because that is what I like to do. But there are other parts that are great.
Rangers have AreaTrack, one of the single most wonderful skills in the game. I'm just a novice, and I've been paid to track critters of all kinds for all kinds of reasons, AFTER the introduction of vehicles. Believe it or not, there are people that enjoy a nice relaxed big game hunt, and they are happy to play in with it, hunting, talking, planning tactics depending on what you find. I've also been paid to find NPCs. The funniest one was when someone actually gave me creds to find the local trainer because they had been begging for training and no one could help them. Yes, AreaTrack could be improved so that you get more at higher levels, but it is still an amazingly useful skill to have.
Rangers can camoflauge others. This is brilliant! In fact, they should be able to do it better than they currently can, thus making TACTICS a good thing. Imagine being able to sneak around a bit more in the stupid war. Imagine hunting something huge and everyone being able to get within ideal range so that at the signal, you can all hit it with everything you have and have a chance of surviving. Imagine the carnage as everyone has a chance to line up properly and do what they do best, because they weren't seen before they got where they needed to go.
Rangers can harvest more than anyone else. Admittedly, this is built on top of the Scout line, but I guess that Doctors should be annoyed that they can heal faster than Medics, or CH's should be angry that they have to understand how to kill an animal before they can learn to tame it. Oh, I know. Architects should be angry that they have to learn to build small stuff before building houses. The point is, that this is simply building off of what is below. It does not make either class less useful. However, it does make the Ranger more useful to other professions at large because most of these other professions need something that the Ranger can provide.
Therefore: Yes, the Ranger line does need some improvements (who doesn't?). But to say that the Ranger is obsolete seems rather silly from my point of view.
You may all now commence to slaughter me for opening my big trap.
Your points are well taken. There are definitely some disappointments with the profession, but I have to save probably less so than say "Chef" or "Droid Engr".
This Master Ranger would like to thank you for reminding us that we are something to be looked up to... EVEN IF THE DEVS DONT THINK SO!
Likewise I wont flame, you make your case, nothing wrong with that, indeed I welcome it. However, for there is always one...!
Read your own post again, you start by listing the good points about being a ranger but then you start using words like: -
Rangers can camoflauge others. This is brilliant! In fact, they should be able to do it better than they currently can...
Imagine being able to...
I think that one view point I see regularly on this forum is that Rangers "should" be able to do things that clearly define them as something more than a slightly (for it isnt greatly) more effecient scout. The example you give from Medic to Doctor is valid to a point, but the difference in the effectivness of their skills is quite significant, far more so than that of Scout V Ranger.
But there you go, all classes want more and more goodies I know, but in essence I agree with you, I dont see it as being obsolete by any means. I'm currently Master Ranger and was Master Marksman, I've developed an interest in the medical skills now and am dropping the various marksman points in preferance to the Ranger ones. I'm going thisroute because I believe that once the numerous holo-grinders have finished doing their thang we Rangers (and to a lesser degree Scouts) will become far fewer as we once were. With a solid Medical skill tree I see the Ranger once again being the support man that perhaps he should be.
After all I can engagein healing on the hunt without my camp disbanding, but if I so much as poke a beastie in the ribs with my little finger my camp turns to dust. For me, the single most important improvement that could be made to the class...!
As for the grinders, I have never been so sought after to provide Ranger skill teaching, I had to pay for most of mine from the NPC trainer as Rangers were so few. Also take a look at "camp city" just south of Coronet City, all AFK watching telly I guess..? I always make a point of running through the camp on my way in and out, the thinking being the quicker they get up the tree the sooner they will start back down it again :-)
OK, thats my lunch break used up..! - Have a good day all :-)