Ranger Archive

First off, this email is for suggestions to help create a unique identity for Rangers. My first priority would be in simply fixing and balancing the Ranger abilities and skills. All of this stuff would come after the main issues have been delt with, however, I feel it is no less imporant.. otherwise.. why be a Ranger? What makes you a Ranger?

As a Ranger, you are in essence, a big-game hunter who travels the galaxy hunting creatures for hides and bones. You should have the best bonuses related to hunting creatures throughout the galaxy. Thus, as a Ranger, I feel that there should be ranger specific enhancements to showcase your skills other than simple camps and traps.

I feel that Rangers need some specifics to really flesh out their role and identity vs the plethora of Scouts out there....

Since Rangers end up crafting quite a bit (Traps give general crafting xp) I've come up with some crafting suggestions as well as general abilities that would enhance our roles.

Suggested Ranger Craftables:
- Bone Necklace (think New Zealand Bone Necklace or even a teeth strand)
- Patchwork Animal Hide Coat -
- Creature Hats (anyone for a Grix Mask?)
- Texidermy! Let me make a stuffed Razorcat to place in my house.
- Trophy Bandolier -ÂBoba has wookie scalps on his outift...
- Creature Heads - I want to show off the largest creature I've capped on my house wall
- Camo Parka - You know... those Ranger parkas that make you look like a shrub.

Suggested Ranger Skill enhancements - Benefits:
- Visual Camoflauge - Show me a Ranger who doesn't know how to effectively camoflauge his appearance. this could be in the form of FACE PAINT or even the above mentioned Camoflauge Parka
- Foxholes - if I can camp, I should also be able to dig a hole to give myself a ranged defense bonus as long as I'm in the hole... although it would be BAD if I'm in the hole against a melee. Even give me camping xp for sitting in my foxhole and fighting! What better way to camp a hive than to set up a hunting zone...
- Targetted Forage - PLEASE let me select an item to look for... I'd much rather say... look for food or look for drink.. or look for this specific item. (think LOTR - Search for Kings Foil! - how much more ranger can you get??)
- Creature Hunting Specialization - As a Master Ranger, let me select a Creature as my preferred specialty to hunt so that I get a +10 to hit or dmg bonus against that creature (or type or family). Anyone for MasterÂKrayt DragonÂHunter?? Or would you prefer - Crazed Durni Slayer
-Dual-Wield Pistols - nuff said
- Tracking - Let me select a creature type and waypoint me to the nearest one
- Camp Cooking - Let higher level camps feed people with food you've prepared.

All in all... I'd be happy as a ranger with any of the above enhancements and I feel that most of them are specific enough to qualify as Ranger only.

I like.

Crafters already have a camo parka. =D Not by that name, though. Think it's Spec-Ops Duster.

The whole taxidermy thing is a good idea, although I'm not too keen on any of the clothing ideas. Clothing should be left to the tailors - I don't want to take from another class. But the masks were a good idea.

~Casslyn

THANK YOU. Ever since I started on the road to Ranger, I've wanted some better abilities. I don't know how many times I complained to my friends "Man it would be so much easier if I could just type /track rogue bantha and a WP could be created to the nearest one." Lots of good ideas here, I hope the devs take notice and implement some more stuff for the Ranger

Trapper Edo Vahn

Radiant Galaxy

I want to be a ranger not a crafter. Making traps and camps should give trapping and survival xp, not gcxp.

Making stimpacks gives medical crafting xp. Making weapons (other than the newbie artisan ones) gives weapon crafting xp. Why are scouts and rangers getting gcxp for traps and camps? Artisans can't make traps, just like they can't make stimpacks.

I really like the Targeted Forage and Favored Enemy ideas...

Another thing I think should be added:

Bestiary - basically an extra datapad that contains the full information of every creature we've examined, so we can look it up at a later time. This could also be tied into the 'tracking' skill which would give you waypoints to the nearest creature of that type..

bump. these all sound good. as soon as the big stuff is covered lets get that ranger identity rolling.

Suggestion Additions:

Hunting Camp Remove healing ability in exchange for a "bunker-like" bonus... Think hunting blind or similar.

Camp Power Supply I'd enjoy having a High Level Camp addition of a Power Supply that I could use to recharge bots. I have a power droid now to help recharge other people's droids, but I can't resupply my own. This would be so people in the field don't have to wait a long time to recharge their droid on the datapad.

Tranquilizer Dart I'd like to be able to fire a special shot have a special weapon to use as a take down but not kill weapon. This could be similar to a trap save the fact that you don't need to have a trap... you just fire your weapon with the special shot.

Automated Trap (harvester) This would act in similar fashion to a harvester, save that it is set to harvest small creatures for hides and bones. I could set it up in a particular location, set it to trap a particular type of creature, then any creature that comes within range is trapped and harvested.

Plant Tree: Unlike an organic harvester, this would allow us to plant a foraged fruit or similar, then create a tree that would produce that fruit provided it was maintained with water. The harvest could be small, but it would be a way to auto-forage (not to mention it would look better than the industrial revolution of harvesters about the countryside).

Creature Lure Similar to what actual hunters do, we could use a sample of a creature's smell (or some method of selecting what we were hunting)in order to attract (pull) a creature away from a nest. This would be helpful to seperate a single pack creature from the rest without aggroing with combat.

Base Camp: I'd like to be able to make a high level camp permanent on the map similar to a house that could act as my "home" with permission, etc for usage.

Wow, keep em coming.

I realy like...

---

Hunting CampRemove healing ability in exchange for a "bunker-like" bonus... Think hunting blind or similar.

Creature LureSimilar to what actual hunters do, we could use a sample of a creature's smell (or some method of selecting what we were hunting)in order to attract (pull) a creature away from a nest. This would be helpful to seperate a single pack creature from the rest without aggroing with combat.

Base Camp: I'd like to be able to make a high level camp permanent on the map similar to a house that could act as my "home" with permission, etc for usage.

---

a hunting blind, that would put the ranger in high demand!

As usual, these are all great ideas. Just don't get your hopes up for a fast fix. I wouldn't expect SOE to start tinkering with profession balance for at least a few months into the game, except to address MAJOR imbalances (CH anyone?).

Hey guys, I have been playing a ranger for about 2 weeks now. I have to say that every day I become a little more embolden with this class that is half completed. How about we look forward in time to the Space:Expansion and petition for skill changes that improve with that Expansion. I mean for example, someone has to Explore Space and find those nice little mining areas or set up the first camps on NEW uninhabited planets.

I can see ways to keep the EXACT skill tree and only change what the skills offer at each level to make a Ranger more like an advanced exploration profession than a Scout II.

Until then, I am traing all Level I Ranger skills and a few Level II skills on Corellia in Kettemoor.

Ie'ota

Suggestions for what to do with Maxed-out Skills:

In every profession, you eventually max out your experience points in the skills you use often. For a Ranger, this means that eventually you will max out your Trapping, Scouting, and Wilderness (hah not likely) experience once you have made mastered those trees.

I suggest that they offer high level perks for each professions that can be purchased with experience points (similar to faction point perks). You could go to a Ranger trainer and he would allow you to spend your various experience points on disposable items that you could use.

Here are some examples of what Ranger perks could get with your experience points. Keep in mind that these are single use items so that way you have something to continually spend your extra xp on.

UberTrap: pay 30,000 trapxp (gives you a couple big traps that are the strongest trap in game)
CamoPaint: pay 30,000 scout xp (gives you paint which can be applied to your face to give you +25 camoflauge for x amount of time)
UberCamp: pay 30,000 wilderness xp (gives you a camp similar to the highest level camp but with some added perks... maybe higher healing, longer duration, or even an improved visual look)

These are just basic examples, but I feel that they would allow you to keep finding use for the experience you gain on a regular basis:

- Zarn of Corbantis