Ranger Archive

Hehe, I think Creature Handler makes more sense. Ever seen a serious bird-hunter without their trusty huntin' dog?

Right now, ranged professions are in a much better situation in combat than melee professions. So, rifles would be best.

You don't see many big game hunters go out into the wild after a rhino or a buffalo with a broadsword. Vosien, I'd say your argument has merit.

dont get me wrong..i love the rp aspect of it. but its gotten to be so impractical. *sighs* and i have so many pretty blades...heh

I think using a rifle is an excellent hunting weapon. Of course, I'll admit to being somewhat biased, being a master rifleman as well as master ranger....

I'm fond of using that cover/conceal shot special. If things go well, I can usually have a mob down to half its health before it notices I'm beating on it. That's a tremendous advantage.

The disadvantage is that if you are using a high damage rifle, you will become the Master of Aggro (unless your group also has a shooter). Rifles are also limited in the specials it can toss off (no roots, sadly. I miss my mesh). And in a group, since distance is usually the rifleman's friend, it also means that others closer will probably get at any special loot drops.

As is often the case, it all comes down to a matter of style. There are many rangers here who use weapons other than rifles, and will have a better insight on those than I.

I was M. Ranger/M. Swords pre-cu. It was an absolutely devastating weapon in PvE. But, I've since tested out a variety of scenarios and just found that ranged is the way to go. Although there is no single uber combat prof, IMHO, I think that any ranged choice is a good one and you should choose the one that works best for you. I'm carbs because I find it a good mix of range and specials. I didn't go for rifles because, while it's a great range, the lack of specials was disappointing. Pistols is also a great option as it has some of the best specials in the game and some powerful DPS weapons. Those are just my thoughts - take 'em with a grain of salt.

This is an issue I took to heart while I was playing around with my respec. I think its generally true that ranged came out on top of the CU, however this is not the same as saying that melee has no place. On naritus, you find many more instances of rangers grouping up to go hunt, and in light of that you have to think about your general role in the group, a well rounded group of rangers will do better than a group that consists entirely of riflemen, and yes that means swords as well. Swords includes a truly great area taunt skill which can buy just enough time for the rest of the group to bring down the targets. Ultimately it all boils down to your own personal style, ranger is whatever you want to make it to be.

I'm TKM/Master Ranger. I club them on the head, then bite into their necks and rip their throats out with my bare teeth...then I do a crazy dance under the moonlight, all covered in blood.....

Actually, I just dig healing my own wounds and not having to wear armor....but the dancing in blood IS kinda nice.....