Ranger Archive

It isn't really being point-blank that is the problem with the rifle, but when you are point-blank with a dozen little things. Go read the rifleman board for examples of rifleman soloing AT-STs and Krayts (at relatively low rifleman levels) followed by the same people complaining of being beat to death by baby kreetles and durni. With a 2.5x melee penalty, those 40 point pokes turn into 100 point hits. With everything in the game having gone social all of a sudden with a relavitely unintelligent method of triggering being triggered, rifleman have a tough time out in PvE when they really shouldn't. With many SWG Rangers comparing themselves with modern hunters or army rangers, rifles are the only weapon they would consider.

It would just be nice, that as rangers, we get bonuses that make us powerful in player versus aminal combat regardless of the weapon we use. The central complaint is that Bounty Hunters and Pistoleers (even without any ranger skills) make better hunters than a Master Ranger does with any other combat profession (even mastered). Probably can chalk this up to the significant handicap on rifle range and the way social critters decide to agro on them. Pistols are, by far, the most versatile weapon in the game, but that's also why some people decide not to use them.

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Keito :

But hey if you think you can take on social creatures with melee go for it, i have far more tools available to me with ranged support specialist, pistoleer, ranger than any melee will ever have against multiple targets. Fanshot is in fact a cone attack and does quite a bit of damage to multiple creatures, i've taken down 3 white cons using nothing more than phecnacines and fanshot andhealthshot 1& 2 and bodyshot2 all at once mind you.

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This not a slam Keito but with One-Hand spin Attack 1 and my Fencer sword I have taken outas many as 7whites at one time and I have absolutely no healing abilities at all. I can do my area attack and hit all targets for 600-2000 damage with one swing. Again not a slam just pointing out that melee is more then viable against multiple targets. I usually take 3-5 swings using One-Hand spin Attack 1 then its harvest time for the dead bodies collecting at my feet and just think by the end of the week I will have One-Hand spin Attack 2

--- Yurosh Essani, Ranger - Fencer

I pretty much know nothing about rifles, but I do know I love hunting with my pistol. I'm closing in on master ranger and will be a few boxes shy of master pistoleer, but I'm still pretty effective with a sliced fwg5 or dx2. Pistoleer is great for hunting, I pretty much use the same cycle of shots for every creature (besides the one-shot one-kill critters). I start with suppression from I think the marksman tree, then health shot 2, then some variation on body shot 2 x3, stopping shot x3, body shot x3... Basically since most of the better shots are random HAM damagers, I throw in a little insurance with the body shots and bleeder, making sure that the health bar is going to take a whooping.

Oh, and if you have no points for CH, like me, just get a rock beetle as agro/social bait and do the same thing. The beetle may eventually die, but Imake sure tobleed every critter that swarms him, then start lighting up one at a time. Or if I'm feeling particularly lazy that day, I'll just bleed the swarmers and keep feeding him pet stims until they drop (this is for my own amusement, Ienjoy seeing my beetle defeat 2 bolle stompers on Endor, think it's funny).

So Fred, if you plan on staying in the game for awhile and have the stamina to climb another weapons tree, give pistoleer a long look. We're fast, ranged, and work great with non-CH pets.

ps- just got a krayt fwg5, 1.0 speed246 max damage unsliced, unfortunately got a speed slice (ack, useless I know) so it's now .7 speed 350 max damage with powerup. Can't wait to slay some heat vulnerable critters with this puppy.

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Keito_Temreh wrote:

Ranged profession rangers are much more effective than melee rangers will ever be. I'd like to see you tank a red con CL 37 or higher creature by being a master melee/master ranger. Even with major spices you'd get your butt handed to you in no time.

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Your first statement is debatable. Your second statement displays an astounding lack of knowledge. I've solo'd CL 50 creatures without the intervention of native wildlife. I can probably solo a rancor though I haven't tried. Of course if I dropped ranger and picked up master doctor I could probably solo a full lair. Might have to wear armor for that, though.

Oh, and this is without a pet.

Learn about melee classes before posting about how useless theyare.

Like I said I never solo'd a rancor though I should try it someday. But CL 37? Please. I'll take that bet any day. And smugglers can solo a Giant Krayt (CL 300). Go figure. It's all in the bleed/FD. It's a nicestrategy but itwon't last based on what Holo has said.