Ranger Archive

Just looking for some feedback from any melee Rangers out there.

I've been a Ranger/Carbineer since day 1 and have had no ends of fun, but recently I've found the good time that is melee combat and after Mastering Brawler I'm dropping my Carbine and Marksman skills to master an elite melee profession. The question is which one is good for Ranger style PvE hunting?

Right now I'm leaning towards Swordsman or Pikeman. I didn't like the unarmed part of Brawler and I see Fencer as PvP focused. Pikeman looks the coolest to me but they seem to have some SOE 'lovin' issues while Swordsman appear to be pretty effective in PvE.

Any advice from any of the melee Rangers out there would be appreciated.

Shaden

I'm doing TKA, but if that's not your thing, it's not your thing.

If I wasn't a TKA, I'd probably go fencer or swordsman for PVE. I think that it's a misconception that Fencer is a PvP only class. They don't do as much damage as a TKA or swordsman, but they have awesome denfenses, and their Center of Being works the best from what I hear. So they stay in the fight by slowly wearing their target down while avoiding damage, rather than dealing massive upfront damage like a TKA or using huge mind bleeds like a swordsman.

I've never been very far up an elite ranged profession, but I feel that I'm a far more effective hunter as a meleer, since I have skills to deal with melee attacks, which is what 90% of creatures deal in.

Good Question

I was a master pistoleer and i had a great time with it. I could solo pretty much one of anything that was out there, given enough time and luck.

Now im a TKA (4.3.4.4) and as a profession, it is fun. TKA, like the previous poster said, is nothing like unarmed in brawler, it is very much a unique class and I am finding it a lot of fun.

If I decide to change classes, it would be another melee class. I think that while the damage output on most melee classes is less than most ranged, they are very self sufficient and since the critters you fight use mainly kinetic/ melee damage, the defenses are amazing. I have never stood up for so long solo as a master pistoleer. The tactics (obviously) are much different, but the rewards are worth it.

For example, as a master ranger/ pistoleer, I couldnt solo huurton lairs unbuffed, I would get hit, and since my melee defense was sooo low, I would drop fairly quickly. As a melee ranger, I am soloing assistive animal lairs that I was previously unable to do.

Ive been thinking about pikeman too...regardless of what you choose, please post back and tell us what you think

Im a 1/4/4/4 fencer working on blademaster and I love it. I'm a wookiee so the dodge bonuses help a ton and the damage isnt that bad either. Slap a few Bleeds on and go to work with body hit 3 and you can take down some tough stuff. Spin 2 with blind is very nice too.

Unarmed in Brawler is nothing like TKA. I've loved TKA from the moment I read the description in the strategy guide and as I learned more of the story behind TK's I love it even more. I recently dropped it all (was TKM, Master Brawler, and Duelist in Fencer) and went master scout and now ranger. I'm loving ranger and decided to forgo Duelist and work up to survival 4. Currently working my way up to TKM again and loving it.

Pikeman as it is now is a hassle. You really need to be all buffed out to use the specials, otherwise it's default attack all the way with the AP weapons. 2h sword is very powerful. Fencer is strong, but has oodles of defense. With a good sword 1hhit2 can do up to 1800 damage or so to something with no armor.

I think TKA fits ranger more than those though because like ranger, TKA's are self sufficient. All they need is a trip to the cantina now and then. You can dump nearly all your stats to your mind and boost your stats temporarily, you can heal your own wounds and bleeds/poisons/diseases are nothing to a TKM. If you get incap'd there's always /force of will to get you back right away. The real limit to TKA's is large armored opponents..the one Swordsman and Pikeman are ment to handle.

Thanks everybody for the input, I really appreciate it! I've reconsidered all four professions based on feedback here. So far I'm leaning towards Swordsman as it's pretty fun now (with only Master Brawler skills), however the Fencer defenses sound very usefull for extended hunting trips and so I'll try my one-handed sword for a few days and see if it catches

Shaden

Just remember that after the next patch bleeds wont stack...

I am a TKM, but I would go Swordsman if I were you. It's nice to have that blast damage hammer.