Ranger Archive

Well, I've finally worked my way up to Pistoleer and master Scout (*bow*) and I'm trying to see where my points will be end game. I've had my sights set on picking up Smuggler for quite some time and, more recently, master Ranger. Now obviously this wouldn't leave one such as myself with a whole lot of points to mess around with.

I was looking for my character to be very solid in PvE, which I'm sure mastering Ranger will provide, but I also want to PvP from time to time (I understand Ranger is the first choice for PvP, but being able to kite people seems quite enticing). Additionally, I was interested in having some form of income that wouldn't tie me into constantly maintaining my home, vendors, and harvesters.

So, needless to say, I have a few questions;

-I realize that Hides/Bone is in pretty solid demand from crafters (and Meat for the Chef), but would I be able to make a living off of /shouting and the bazaar? After seeing Slicers swarmed by eager folks presenting their weapons, smuggling seems quite attractive.

-If I do balance my skills between Smuggling, Pistoleer, and Master Ranger, is my damage output going to be severely affected? Moreso, does putting points into higher tiers of pistoleering mean higher damage? Or does it just mean bonuses to accuracy, speed, etc. and abilities that will provide the damage difference. I am just afraid of smashing points into Pistols and doing similar damage to a pistol specialist.

I guess the important part to keep in mind is that I enjoy all three and I would be quite happy with any of them. I am interested in being capable in both pve and pvp while being able to sustain myself financially.

I thought I had more questions, but that's all I can think of for now. I would appreciate anyopinions I can get on the matter. I am often annoyed by the staggering number of "How many points should I put in _______" threads across the boards, so I tried to keep this as far from those as possible. Hopefully this will help spark some ideas or help other people.

Thank you and thank you, Rivern

First off, yes your DOT out put will drop significantly if you chose MR over say commando or BH. Second, you need to form contacts in the rangering society on your server in order to find the best hide/meat/bone to rake in the dough (or to use as barter) or you could just travel alot (i do this). You then need to find clients. Search for a high end armorsmith and a doctor, and sell your good harvest to them. Or you can find a novice armor/doc/be and sell low end stuff to them so they can grind, creating a working relationship, then once they reach master you have been with them long enuff that you can get fair prices off them and they trust you. You then use the bazaar to sell scraps you have leftlow qual stuff and any loot you find.

Pistoleer - It's a combat class (obviously haha) so it's good for both PvP and PvE. It won't make you any money unless you enjoy running missions.

Smuggler - I was a Smuggler for a long while (and I plan on going back eventually), and you can definitely make a very good living slicing (and selling spice if you can get good customers). Combat-wise the only thing Smugglers have is the Dirty Fighting tree. Feign Death is nice in PvE as it can save you from a trip to the cloning facility, but it's useless in PvP since they can see you're faking and will just wound you endlessly as you lie helpless. Panic Shot is good, but you have to be careful with it since it's a cone of fire attack. Low Blow does decent damage and it has knockdown which is great for both PvP and PvE. I never got Last Ditch before I quit smuggler. The Underworld tree (which may be totally revamped) is good if you're into PvP as you get can get perks at a reduced cost or lose less FP when you die in PvP. Overall the Smuggler can be played either as a businessman or as an adventurer (note I did not say combat class since the Smuggler combat skills are NO match for anything like BH, Pistoleer, Carbineer, etc.)

Ranger - No PvP benefit that yet (if any are coming), but good PvE benefits. The traps may not be great, but they do provide some help against creatures. Camo is going to be fixed so that will be a huge plus also. I'm not sure about making money as a Ranger, since it's not where I get my income from.

Overall I'd say your decision should be based on two things:

1. What do you have enough skill points for? You can get both Master Pistoleer and Ranger, you can get both Master Pistoleer and Master Smuggler, you cannot get Master Smuggler and Master Ranger (I think you fall about 9 points shy).

2. Do you want your money-making separate from your combat? To have a business as a Smuggler can require anywhere from very little to a ton of effort. If you just slice weapons and armor then you only need equipment (some of which you have to either make yourself or buy from other Smugglers), but if you sell Spice then you'll need even more resources, plus you'll need to get the Business skills in Artisan so you can have a vendor (which may prevent you from being able to get both Master Smuggerl and Master Pistoleer). Don't look to become a Smuggler for great combat skills, and don't look to Ranger for PvP skills. If you feel you want a lot of a good combat skills or to be a strong combat character then you'll really want Pistoleer. After that you have to decide if you want Smuggler to make money (and how you'll make that money since as I said before you'll need a vendor to sell spice) and get some extra combat skills, or if you want Ranger to make a little money (or a lot if you meet a good Armorsmith) and be pretty much self-sufficient (I've found I don't need much money as a Ranger).

Sorry I can't really give you an answer saying what you should definitely do. There's just so many differences between the 3 classes. Smuggler should be the big "if" in your equation, since it might require you to pick up other skills (the entire Artisan tree is useful if you focus on the business side of being a Smuggler) and it also uses up more skill points to even GET TO because of the Brawler Unarmed skills you need to have.

I make about 300k a week by selling meat.

I have so much to do that I just take mail orders from people. And I only sell top quallity meat, and for 20c/unit

So I guess money is not a problem for me

Aetlon Surbaa<SITH> Master Ranger -----------Bria