Ranger Archive

I just became a Ranger and was a little let down by the current state the class.

So I got to wondering...why did I want to be a Ranger? What does it mean to me? So I'll share with you if you share with me.

I don't see it as being an Indian Scout, putting my ear to the ground and that nonsense.

Being a Texan, the first thing I thought of was being a Texas Ranger. What is a Texas Ranger? This quote from a writer in the 1800's pretty much sums it up, he said that a Texas Ranger could "ride like a Mexican, trail like an Indian, shoot like a Tennesseean, and fight like the devil." The Texas Ranger was an amalgamation of many different skills that made him a force to be reckoned with. If the devs are looking for creating an identity and making it different from the Scouts, this would be a great place to start. Before they were called "Texas Rangers", they were called by many names: ranging companies, mounted gunmen, mounted volunteers, minutemen, spies, scouts and mounted rifle companies. I hope there are HUGE bonuses for Rangers when it comes time to implement mounts.

Anyway...what does being a Ranger mean to YOU?

I am not sure how to anser the question, but the main reason that I became a Rnager is because I have seems to fall into the Scout profession more than any other. I like to harvest creatures and build camps. I like the bounus for traps. And when I sawe the +10 Creature to hit bonus on Field Bio Sci 2, I wanted to get it.

If the Ranger Profession changes, I would agree that it could move more in the Hunter direction. But I don't really see much need to change it right now. At least in relation to other Professions that need much more attention. i.e. Commando, Smuggler, Droid Engineer, Amoth Smith, Bounty Hunter, and Creature Handler.

I just graduated out of scout into ranger today, and I don't regret my decision at all. I think rangers should have tworoles: the solo hunter, and the hunting guide. The ranger can hunt solo for days, building his camps/traps fromharvested hides and bones.The ranger should also be able to serve as sort of a "safari leader"; in this role he could get skills akin to the squad leader, but only for creatures (i.e. /groupmaskscent, group to-hit and damage bonuses for creatures). Besides that, what's the point of having a five man camp if you can't offer much else?

I like the idea of mounted gunmen though, that would be a really neat touch to make our class unique.

Astartes Crestingsun - Ranger, Rifleman, Hunter, and Naturalist

Hunter Schmunter.... thats what a Bounty Hunter is folks... if we're supposed to be Hunters then we should be required to master Marksman and Scout just like BH...

If you haven't noticed... WE'RE AT WAR!!!!!

Star Wars???? Ya know... WAR.... As in Military Vs Military????

I don't want to see any other so called "definition" of Ranger other than that of a "Military Ranger" because thats what we should be focused on...

As I've said before... if I have to start bugging Yogi to stop stealing picnic baskets .. then you can have your 63 park ranger points back while I go buy something more usefull like Pistoleer....

- Zarn

What isa SWG Ranger?

Well not a Texas Ranger. A Texas Ranger, at least from my limited, non-texan knowledge, is a lawman. You are not going to pin a badge on a Ranger and send him into Mos Eisley to arrest that pesty Bounty Hunter or Smuggler. You would probably end up with a dead Ranger at the nearest cloning center.

A SWG Ranger is simply a more advanced scout, a big game hunter.

A Ranger is focused on killing critters and surviving, exploring and thrivingin the big outdoors. The top tier Scout titles tell it all, Survivalist, Hunter, Trapper, Explorer. That is, in a nutshell what a Ranger is.

In my own humble opinion, a true Ranger, will never own a house. A Rangers home is what is beneath his/her feet. A Ranger may come into town to pick up supplies andvisit the cantina. However,soon thoughts of the next big critter making that glorious big thud as it slams to the ground and issues its last groan, entice the Ranger back "out there."

How does a Ranger fit into the big picture of the war. Well I think most Rangers, with their focus on the wild, would consider the war simply "politics", something to be ignored. Some Rangers may find themselves dragged into the conflict if something personal happens to them. Maybe a family member is killed by one side or the other and the Ranger joins the fight.

I would think that a Master Ranger,would have the best chance to kill the meanest nastiest beasts, more so than a Master Carbineer or Master Bounty Hunter etc. Those professions although they should be quite capable of killing most critters, are focused on battle and fights between people, PC's or NPC's.

For those who do become involved in the war, Rangers should be the best at scouting out enemy positions, spying on those forces and getting real close without being detected.A Master Ranger with significant Rifle skillsshould be a real nusance to those remote enemy installations. Sniping and then fading away into the wilderness.If this work needs to be done in a city or populated area a smuggler would be much better at this task.

When a battle occurs, the Ranger would focus on the pets of any enemy Beast Handlers as this plays to the Rangers strong point.

Well that is my humble opinion on what a Ranger should be. I am not saying it is the right and only true thoughts on Rangers.What is, andwhat will be reflected in the actual gameplay as the developers change and grow the game, and the profession,and how people actually see their view as Rangers is an entirely different matter......

/sarcasm on

So you're saying that chefs/entertainers/dancers/engineers/etc. Should*all* be military professions too, right? Because in times of war, all citizens of all involved countries cease to be civilians and all become military warriors. After all, Luke Skywalker's Aunt and Uncle were fighting the empire with their super secret moisture vaporator torpedoes, right?

/sarcasm off

The preceeding wasmeant purely in jest, so please don't take it personally. If you want a military scout, then play a squad leader. If you want a commando, play one. What's so wrong about having a profession that hunts creatures and (maybe someday) lays traps? I like PvE, and I probably won't ever PvP at all. If the ranger gets bonuses to creatures, then it'll just be better for people like me.

Just my $.02, agree or disagree.

I agree with you Alfgand, I've even gone so far as to role-play anaturalist when I'm in town (talking about urban blight, the fields of harvesters exploiting the land, etc.) Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I just don't really see rangers playing a big part in PvP (except maybe as a sniper), that's what bounty hunters are for.

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XionLion said

Hunter Schmunter.... thats what a Bounty Hunter is folks... if we're supposed to be Hunters then we should be required to master Marksman and Scout just like BH...

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Uh, the Hunter we are talking about is a Big Game Hunter. A Bounty Hunter does not hunt big game, they hunt people in order to get the bounty on them.

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If you haven't noticed... WE'RE AT WAR!!!!!

Star Wars???? Ya know... WAR.... As in Military Vs Military????

I don't want to see any other so called "definition" of Ranger other than that of a "Military Ranger" because thats what we should be focused on...

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Uh, yes but have you actually looked at the Ranger skillsets.

Advanced Trapping: Does not work to well on Storm Troopers. Its not allowed.

Field Bio Science: Also for some reason, you cannot strip the hide, meat and bones from that pesty Rebel Sargent.

Wayfaring: Well its handy to use to run away from a fight. lol

Frontiering: While a Field Base camp may help fend off wild animals it is a nice target for the enemy soldiers.

I am not saying a Ranger would not have a use in the "Star Wars", but they are clearly are not a primary battle class, like Commando, Squad Leader, Rifleman, Carbineer etc.

From the Ranger Skill set you can see a Ranger is focused on Hunting Animals, Wilderness Survival, Animal Trapping and Animal Harvesting.

I think ofsomeone like JRRTolkiens Aragornwhen I think of ranger. I wouldsee the rangers as people that keep the wild and evil things away fromthe common folk through constant vigalance and hardship, without requiring thanks. Theyare slight outcasts not because of thier deeds but because so little isreally knownabout them. They are consumate woodsmen and trackers. They shouldnt have to mingle in a city for anything other than RnR. (which is kind of the case now...the only thing i have to go back for is to get rid of VF)

A ranger should be able to lead a party quickly and safely to any destination on the planet, and when trouble hits they should be able to forage for whatever goods are needed to keep thier party healthy. I like a earlier idea that a ranger should be able to forage for plants that can heal wounds, stop bleeding etc, not just whimpy buffs.

A ranger should be the first thing people want if they are doing any real deep questing around a planet. We should be like point men. we should be at the front of a column finding the safest way through an area. We should know our home planets at least like the back of our hands. maybe have something where a ranger can "drop" a series of waypoints that makes a safe path others in his group can follow, like checkpoints