Ranger Archive

Ok, I did some testing on Lok & Tatooine. I'm a master rifleman/master ranger template and was hunting without armorand this is what I found.

/Cover was VERY erratic. Quite often I'd get it the first time but if I was discovered and tried again, it rarely worked and if it didn't work on the first try it seldom worked on repeated tries. I'm wondering if there's a hidden timer or something involved. It's also possible that I was too close to a different critter then I was hunting or something.

Unfortunately, even if you /cover successfully and do conceal shot, it seems to work but in fact it doesn't. You get the exact same number of shots if you start the attack prone from the same distance (they discover you on the third shot. Conceal shot does some nice damage tho).

Snipper shot works some times and does _really_ nice damage (~50% more damage then other shots) but it uncovers you immediately. I have no real idea why it works sometimes and not others (I'm getting REALLY annoyed with the lack of feedback on failures, there's no real excuse for it in my book)

Knee-cap does in fact slow the creature down while they are +SNARED+ and you can get quite a few shots off while it's in effect. However, the slowdown is very small. For me runningaway at full speed (not in bustrun mode), the critter will catch up with me slowly and incap me but when it's knee-capped, it stays about even. I don't think this is much help for non-master rangers tho, unless you have a long flat plain to run on. Also, aggresive creatures pretty much left me alone while I was walking around looking for things but if you run past them while fighting something else, they join right in (not really helpful).

Unfortunately, the only way I was able to hunt creatures my own level was to move into about 60m, go prone and get off 3 shots then knee-cap and run like the wind until I got away (firing all the time). If the creature gets too close, I unequipped my rifle and could get away with out the weapon slow down. Then I'd run back, pick up the creature I started on and repeat the process, this time I could usually kill it.

All told, it took me about 3 hours to figure this out and clear a lair of 15 lvl 82 creatures for about 5200 exp and about 600 units of bone each (chalk it up to a huge stubborn streak). I later tried a 78th level bull bantha lair on Tatooine in about 30-45 minutes but there I was able get the lair knocked out without killing all the bantha. I've heard that you shouldn't be able to solo at 80th level and, while technicallyIcan do it, I wouldn't call it a fun (or productive)time yet.