Ranger Archive

Greetings.

I'm currently aMaster Ranger and have been using pistols as my weapon of choice since I created the character the day that Tempest opened. With the recent changes to Camoflage and Maskscent, being a pistoleer, while glorious, fun and action-packed, doesn't seem to synergize well with the Ranger skillset.

Along with this new realization, the coming changes to Creature Handler have made me decide to drop my levels in that class and focus on mastering an elite weapon profession. I had hoped for a balance of skill points between CH and a weapon profession, but the game mechanics don't support that as heavily as they used to. Not that I'm complaining! I thought CH needed some changes and I think the changes proposed are going to be fine, it just doesn't give me the options it used to, and I don't want to invest any more in it to get back to where I was.

That said, and with the recent smattering of posts advocating Rifleman as the elite weapon class of choice for Ranger, I'm pretty sure I want to switch. The question I pose to you, my Ranger brethren, is a complex one:

Would it be better to master Pistoleer given my investment in the class to this point, or should I switch to Rifleman knowing that the class synergy between the two will be better?

Take your time. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful responses.

it all depends on what you want to do. IF you are going to eventually hope for opening your FSCS then you might as well go ahead and master Pistoleer, and get it out of the way. then drop it as you climb the rifle tree.

Pistoleer is now exceptional in PvE circumstances. I'm a Master Pistoleer, Master Ranger with 1414 in Marksman.

Here are the reasons why:

1) Melee defense has improved dramatically...specifically, using that combo, I now have +50 something melee defense.

2) Dodge works and it works well. The chance of dodging is around 50% at max and the chance of success is based around the creatures "to hit" value(or in NPC/player terms..accuracy).

3) The introduction of the Republic Blaster gives an effective energy based alternative to the pistol profession.

4) With mask scent/conceal now sticking and mob AI altered combat wise...its far easier to engage in combat safely.

So the question is, how does this perform? I have, without a pet, soloed individual Bolle Bols, Nocuous Karimuths and a few others creature types. Sometimes I can survive a 2 on one with creatures of that level and higher depending on creature speed and alignment.

The main pro that Rifleman has to Ranger is the now functional conceal shot that lets you potentially attack the critter without it being able to find you...an advantage I hope that future trap/camps available to Ranger will be able to compensate for. Yes Rifleman works very well with Ranger...but I find Pistoleer now works extremely well too. In fact, my main worry anymore isn't that the creature will directly kill me...but instead, that I can fire so quickly that I might virtually incap myself by draining my Action hyper fast

Atomic,
Great post...I am a master ranger/ master pistoleer/ Novice CH
So far i have soloed a lot of the mid level, and some relatively high level with good tactics, traps and a wise use of specials that dont drain my too quickly. The advice that was give to me when i was doing the pistol/ rifle debate, was watch how you play...do you get in the fight..do you run around? Or do you stalk and wait. Watch how you've played and pick the weapon that supports that style of play. I reallly enjoy pistoleer and esp now with the bonuses. someday i will master rifleman, but not right now..

thanks again for the post.. and good hunting mate

"Would it be better to master Pistoleer given my investment in the class to this point, or should I switch to Rifleman knowing that the class synergy between the two will be better?"

Synergy is highly over rated, what matters more is what you wanna do.

If you like using Pistol stick with it, Play with what makes you happy. You'll See alot of Ranger/Rifleman and Ranger/Pistolleers. It is more about your play style and what you like doing.

-Advantages/Disadvantages of Rifle
2.5x Melee Damage Mod, Warping Creatures (universal issue) Low DPS at novice lvl compared to other elite combat professions at novice. all specials us mind. Instant Spice addict. Most specials work , suprise shot (cough), One of the more powerfull Combat Classes at Master level , rifle is all about the speed at which your mind will drain. oh ya melee defense + accuracy mods. Mind pool is the only targetable area, everyother shot is a Random Pool attack , Insane Mind Bleeds

-Advantages/Disadvantages of Pistol
Melee Defense, pistol whip, better DPS at novice lvl then Novice rifleman. Health shots, and Health Bleeds
now accourding to the pistoleer forum there are a few busted shots that aren't working right or have the same damage as lower skills but with more ham costs (body2 vs body3)

Now I'm a Master Rifleman, Master Marksman , Bounty Hunter, Hunt Master Ranger, I went this route because I was sick of nuna's capping me when they got in melee range, and it is nice when you can whip out a pistol and do somethings you wouldn't dream about doing with a rifle in your hand.

Now if im Groupped on Endor the rifle comes out and I strole my way around with the party outdamaging most of the group, but i have down time. the perfect chance to camp Now this is my play style and how I like to Play.

Others well preach and preach, Bottom Line Take a Combat line you enjoy.

Here is something for you to check out

What a Rifleman is - Strenghts and Weaknesses 101
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=rifleman&message.id=28674

Just a Side note here, if you ever intend on trying something else remember to keep at least one column of weapon xp in your given skill tree, that will keep your Capped weapon xp for a combat profession at 900k, if you decied that you don't like another profession you can learn 1st and 2nd tier skills with just what is stored from your Weaponxp previous adventures. If your aware of this then cool -

I was climing Pistoleer myself. I found it very dull and lacking strategy. Bleed, Bleed, shoot shoot, kd, shoot shoot, etc. Over and over again.

I'm now working up TKA and I'm having a blast. I'm only 0-1-0-1 but the power is already apparent. Something to consider if you're looking for things other than ranged combat.

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SolrFlare wrote:

2) Dodge works and it works well. The chance of dodging is around 50% at max and the chance of success is based around the creatures "to hit" value(or in NPC/player terms..accuracy).

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As a master ranger / master pistoleer, I'm dodging mob attacks a lot since the patch. Dodge alone is almost worth being a pistoleer.

And the republic blaster is basically a rapid firing rifle thanks to it's range. I have a feeling the range on it is a bug though, probably won't last.