Ranger Archive
Thread: Galactic Ranger Fieldbook How to Hunt and Trap Successfully
jmatt:
Since camoflauge attracts critters from 100 meters away I didn't talk about it.
Never saw a Ranger trap do anything, so didn't mention 'em.
Ranger bases have same principle as scout, except forgot to mention crafting stations and regen rates.
Rescue has saved someone on my team from an incap or slay on almost every hunting trip.
Really, all the other stuff is Scout Level stuff, but applicable to Rangers.
If you think of anything else, throw it in! Hopefully we'll have a comprehensive list with tactics for animals, melee rangers, etc.
-- YP
Personally I have a CDEF, scout blaster, FWG5in my second row toolbar. For knockdown or warning shot I switch the CDEF because I want the effect, not damage, and the CDEF action costs are almost nothing. May sound like a lot of work but it's just another mouse click, and if you have to spam a few shots of it it's not NEARLY as bad as keeping the FWG5 in your hand.
-- YP
Thanks Ypiana, very informative overall. I'm glad you recognized the glaring hole left for melee rangers. Perhaps if I have a little free time I can fill in that hole for you. I'll reply here when I can.
When running from a pack of animals, run through other, non-aggressive creatures. Most of the time, the ones you have run through will attack the aggressive creatures, taking their attention from you (as long as you are not firing/attacking). This is especially useful when attacked after you have used your burst run and been attacked before you finish recovering from running.
Totally forgot about that, Porag, and yellow-con mobs are something I always aim for when something's got me in hot pursuit. Sometimes even red con mobs can be helpful, I've seen Purbole stalkers and Reptilian fliers grab ahold of Baz Nitches while I'm fighting the Baz's.
-- YP
Hopefully we'll have a comprehensive list with tactics for animals, melee rangers, etc.
The only thing I can think of to add as a melee ranger is that I found harvesting to be vastly easier than ranged kills, at least for easy to kill creatures.
When I was hunting with a rifle, I found it difficult to locate my kill in the tall grass. And the radar was little help because it was surrounded by a dozen other Xs from the prior kills. So I'd kill something, run up and look for it, harvest it, run back to 50m range and fire on the next. Back and forth, back and forth. It was a lengthy process. And if you didn't do them just one or two at a time, you'd find yourself trying to harvest the same corpses over and over.
But as a melee ranger, whenever I drop something, it's laying right there at my feet. I can usually harvest it before it even hits the ground-- and I'm instantly on to my next one. I can tear through lairs three times as fast as I used to.
The only other piece of advice I can think to offer at the moment concerns adhesive mesh traps. If I'm soloing and aggro something I didn't mean to, I'll throw an adhesive mesh trap to root it so I can escape. But don't make the mistake of taking a poke at it before you're on your merry way, because it will unroot the critter and he'll be all over you like a cheap suit.
I agree that the Phecnacine Darts are incredibly useful, and they (along with Adhesive Mesh) have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.
For secondary traps, however, as a Ranger/Rifleman I am quite fond of Sharp Bone Spur or Noise Maker traps. The damage to the target creature's mind pool is quite helpful, and most lower-level mobs can be finished off with one or two head shots, long before the snaring effect from the Phecnacine Dart wears off.
I suspect that different peoples' preferred "secondary" traps reflect the manner of weapon they are using while hunting.
A very useful guide, by the way Ypiana. I often forget about Warning Shot, much to my chagrin. I have had my fair share of "unintentional suntans" on Tatooine and other places as a result. 
Very good. I'm glad to know I seem to be doing things right, and what other rangers are doing.
I can fully attest to the P. Dart and glow wires traps being the main onse. I ALWAYS keeps some of those on hand and in hot bar. The bone spur is good for blindng, but I now use the flash bomb. Not because it's an AE but because I have better success success rate with it, especially on higher level mobs.
The running up hills thing is very good advice. I know that in the Game Guide/Manual thing it says don't run up hills to escape things, but they didn't mean that for Rangers. I have escaped certain death a few times by running up hills and hitting peace.
Another peace of advice. If you are running past a pack of mean agros, like say dune lizards or squills, and one agros on you, run to safe distance. You don't want to stop and try to fight it, because you run a high risk of the others suddenly agroing and join the fight. If that single one agros on you, run to at least 50m 100m is better. While you're running throw a P. Dart at it, and get away from it. Then start doing the suggested things above. I have managed to survive potential death from multiple agros, many times doing this.
Great advice, everyone!
I was wondering if any of you have found a way to target an aggressive creature that attacks you from behind when,say, mask scent or camo wears off. I find it extremely difficult to target a creature who attacks me without turning around (and thereby closing the distance between us) to target so I can throw a p-dart. I try to use mouse wheel and zoom out but I often can not see the creature behind me. Any suggestions?
....yeah, hit alt so the green target icon comes on and you can spin a lot quicker. Also I usually just stand still and watch the radar to see which mob is going rabid on me because my maskscent broke at 100 meters. Then when you see the dot making a beeline for you rotate in that direction and his HAM bar will be visible without targeting him.
- YP