Ranger love = introducing crossbows and making them Predator Only weapons

[ScoobRo]

<DIV>Nice high powered player crafted and quested crossbows that do not need expensive arrows to do great damage would show that SOE really cares.</DIV>

[Jay]

<FONT size=2>BAH! I agree with your intent, but a crossbow is blasphemy to any ranger, IMO. Can you imagine how ridiculous we would look lugging this big ugly machine around, stopping to fire a bolt, then sitting around while we crank or latch the bowstring back, place another bolt, then lifting...bah!! Heresy!! <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </FONT>

[ScoobRo]

<DIV>This is EQ2.  SOE doesn't have to be totally accurate.  They can just create a crossbow using ultra lightweight material that has some fast-loading capabilities on par with our bows.</DIV>

[Selkie22]

<DIV> <DIV>Crossbows take a considerable amount of time and strength to load, in realistic sense.  They're extraordinarily inaccurate too but hit with a heck of a punch that punctures a lot of forms of plate mail. They should technically be ranged weapons for Guardians instead of Guardians using Bows which has always bothered me that Guardians use bows, but Warden's don't when Warden's are just healer-rangers.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What bothers me is that Crossbows are on the main website weapon listings, but clearly they're not in the game. what the heck is with that?</DIV></DIV>

[Flatus Maxim]

Why not just cut the bow reload time in half for rangers? <div></div>

[NuclearWinter1]

Who cares about realism, a crossbow would be really cool, especially if we got special hand-crossbows <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. <div></div>

[GoNom]

Personally I think it would be more intune to an Assasin or rogue, not a Ranger.  Cool yes but not one of the images I conjure up when  think "Ranger".

[Merkad]

Personal preference, but I would not be caught dead with a crossbow. Long bow all the way. Merkades, 48th Ranger <div></div>

[Alluna E]

<P>In R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden books (who is a dark elf ranger), the dark elves all carry mini crossbows.    </P> <P>I think both from a storyline standpoint and a game balancing standpoint this idea is feasible.    </P>

[Sirlutt]

i guess i am different. I see alot of other ways to improve the class without doing this.. ways that are alot easier.. Outdoor group sneak. (assasins get indoor group sneak) Tracking harvesting nodes (not rares.. just the nodes themselves) .. ie being able to find the nearest wood or rock node (with in a certain area) - This would make us a very useful class to artisens. a charm / mezz type skill for animals (not monsters)... this would give us alot more utility as potential CC some nicer looking woodland type armor. but before any of that stuff we need to fix the current bugs. <div></div>

[Teksun]

<div></div>I agree with many of the posters here. I don't want a crossbow, and will never use one. HOWEVER, I do think that we should be the only class allowed to use the longbow. I believe that NO tin cans should have any bow other than crossbow.  I like this breakdown: Fighters - Crossbow only (decent damage, short range) Scouts - Crossbow, thrown Rogue/Bard/Predator - Add short bow Ranger - Add Longbow     <div></div><p>Message Edited by Teksun on <span class=date_text>03-23-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:04 AM</span>

[MaenaBowy]

<P>Mages should be the guys stuck having to use crossbows.</P> <P> </P> <P>I have no problem with warrior types having access to bows (of either variety)</P>

[Pil]

I would LOVE to see crossbows in the game, but I would definitely make the accraccy and rate of fire on them to be far INFERIOR to longbows.  And then make Longbows Predator only, or so inneffective for non-rangers that they become undesireable.  Let the other classes have plenty of ranged weapons that are short range, innacurate and slow.  Rangers specifically should be experts in this area.

[Jay]

<DIV><FONT size=2>Aye, I wouldn't mind crossbows being in the game - for non-rangers. I guess I wouldn't care if they were available to rangers, as long as I wasn't compelled to use one (i.e. longbows were always as good or better). Crossbows were used by regiments of foot troops to punch through enemy armor during sieges and open battles. Heavier crossbows took two people to reload and fire, IIRC. To me, Ranger = Longbow. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>That said, I don't really want to see any single weapon type made restricted only to a single class, including longbows to rangers. There are too many artificial barriers in this game already, and I can't think of any examples where one sub-class is the only one with access to a particular weapon type...? I agree that plate tanks using longbows is a little silly - ever tried to draw a bow wearing heavy armor? Me neither, but I bet it's near-impossible. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> But yeah, this is a game, and I agree with Sirlutt that we have a lot of other problems / ideas that are higher priority. </FONT></DIV>

[Mr Shiniga]

<div></div>It seems odd that for all the thrown weapons we have access to, that launcher weapons only consist of bows. I'd like to see crossbows included, with maybe bonuses granted to the ranger class in terms of re-load time - yes, it's not realistic, but then we're playing in a fantasy world using characters with amazing abilities, so the 'realism' issue is slightly redundant. But yeah, not only crossbows, but maybe even blow pipes, slings and primitive muskets too - and don't raise your eyebrows, you can always go down the traditional gnomish invention schpiel-back story to justify it. As for perhaps seemingly going against my 'the realism aspect is redundant' comment', in terms of their integration for pure gaming balance, I'd make crossbows appealing to tanks wishing to pull, by making them more accurate and slightly more powerful, but hella slow to reload - they could be the one-shot range alternative to these classes, without being viable enough to used quickly as a ranger would his bow. Maybe ammunition could be harder to obtain, more expensive? All just suggestions of course. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Mr Shinigami on <span class=date_text>03-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>08:40 PM</span>

[Moussacoy]

<P>I have a dwarven ranger (hunter) in WoW who uses a musket, and it is a blast!</P> <P>Why do I not play a dwarven ranger in EQ2?</P> <P>Because there are no muskets in EQ2, otherwise I would... for that matter, gimme a hunting hawk that is worth a [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] as well!</P> <P>Nothing wrong with muskets or crossbows in fantasy, in fact they stir the pot a little bit... Cannons and muskets were an integral part of medieval warfare in the later Renaissance period.</P> <P>But it might be a little too WoW for SOE</P>

[Sulas]

No offense intended Mous, But you should stick with WoW, muskets just dont belong in EQ and I like the absence of Crossbow.  If they did add them, I'm with Teksun. <div></div>

[lilmohi]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Sirlutt wrote:<BR>i guess i am different.<BR><BR>I see alot of other ways to improve the class without doing this.. ways that are alot easier..<BR><BR>Outdoor group sneak. (assasins get indoor group sneak)<BR>Tracking harvesting nodes (not rares.. just the nodes themselves) .. ie being able to find the nearest wood or rock node (with in a certain area) - This would make us a very useful class to artisens.<BR>a charm / mezz type skill for animals (not monsters)... this would give us alot more utility as potential CC<BR>some nicer looking woodland type armor.<BR><BR>but before any of that stuff we need to fix the current bugs.<BR><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>I hate to derail the thread but Rangers really should have superior tracking abilites to all other scouts.  Tracking nodes might be a stretch but extended range and possibly the ability to track red cons within a certain level range.  Would also be sweet if they added mob distance to the tracking screen.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Back on topic...i think crossbows should be in game (and i anticpate they will eventually) but as a ranger i wouldn't use one.</DIV>