Greenhorn Ranger Seeking Advice

[JoshuaRowan]

<DIV>I finally made it to Level 20 last night with my Ranger and I have to say that so far he has been the most fun for me to play so far. This is my 5th character that I've brought up to the 20's as I've been trying to learn what class is the best fit for me and I can definitely say that I feel I've finally found it. Just the sheer versatility of the Ranger - from sneaking to DPS to ranged attacks to good mitigation to tracking to just plain old cool-looking skills, I am enjoying every single aspect of what this profession has to offer.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So with that said, I'm hoping that some of you long-time Rangers can share some wisdom of this class with a newbie, especially as it relates to the 20's and 30's. What are the best places for a soloist to hunt with this class (i.e. loot that is relevant to our class), what techniques work best (for instance, I discovered the option of...errrr, "Running Around In Circles While Firing My Bow Until the Monster Is Down to 1/4 Health Before Meleeing" technique last night), what are the best weapons and armor for us to use, what skills are the best and which ones can I go ahead and just throw out, etc, etc. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks in advance!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[KannaWhoopass]

<P>Well i would say 1st and formost a ranger must have up to date equipment. I have had the most luck as a solo predator/ranger up to lvl 22, getting 100% of the drops has allowed me to have a large bank account by selling all i find, so i can update my equipment often. If possible try to keep all equipment yellow and orange. This will make all of the difference in the world. I tend to only kill green ^^ and ^ encounters with the occasional blue ^^. I find that these can be solo'd leaving you with red health bar <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. I purposly hunt for  therse mobs and will camp areas where they spawn. Doing so i have leveled my ranger to 22 in 4 days, and kiled 500 gnolls along the way(betray) BB is now a lake of gnoll blood <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. </P> <P> </P> <P>BB was a great area from 15 to 21 as most encounters are heroic.</P> <P>As for equipment after 20 i would try to find a set of pristene forged leafblades (lvl 18 -19 for forged non pristene ones ) as i find they are a good balance of dammage to speed, and look cool and give good agility bonus.</P> <P>As for armour i would do all of the Armour Quest asap from given from Ian in the docks as soon as you hit 20, im wearing this armour still at lvl 29 .</P> <P>You will find that after 20 soloing will slow down but Stormhold still offers alot of heroic opportunities and if you do the quests from dead guy near door you will end up with Stormfire , the best bow you will see for a long time.  It is important for me to see my exp bar moving after i have ran out of adventure vitality, obe thing i have learned is keep tack of where ^^ mobs are even if they are too tough for you right now. as soon as you level 2-3 levels past the mob they will be green and prime for killing for big exp and good drops, a green ^^ kill will net more exp that a orage mob in my experience. So dont loiter in areas where kills are easy (Just my style) Dying to a mob isn't bad when the debt will be gone in 3 kills .... grinding off debt using non heroic encounters is pain.</P> <P>If you want a break from exp hunting in Stormhold i would hit Varsoons in Thunfering stepps get in a group and get ready to get some great drops for cash.</P> <P>I was in mid 20's when i switched to Nek forest and foud it no problem ... not alot of solo content .. at least not worth killing if hunting exp but a fun area with a ton of quests and great fun .  At this point i switched to rapiers and whips and daggers as at this level my leafblades were going white, and weapons at this level had great damage output. at Lvl  30  i will upgrade to leafblades again.</P> <P> </P> <P>Remember Rangers are underated and most groups dont notice the goodness Rangers bring, sometimes finding a group may be hard in the 20's just keep your weapons upgraded , keep upgrading you skills, for god sakes use poison .. soloing is not possible without them . And if you want to drive the point home get a log file parser from the web which will display group damage to the party. Once they see that you are doing 30% of the damage , and perhaps only being beaten by a mage class, you will be added to their friends list and will be called upon to group more often.  Have fun .... Rangers are the best class <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P> <P>Message Edited by KannaWhoopass on <SPAN class=date_text>04-20-2005</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>09:09 AM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by KannaWhoopass on <span class=date_text>04-20-2005</span> <span class=time_text>09:42 AM</span>

[Zholain]

<div></div><font size="1"><font face="Arial">Hiya Josh.  Welcome to a great community.  I'm sure all the classes will claim this, but Rangers are a special breed, and it's a unique mentality that chooses the path of the ranger.  I'm certainly no expert, but I'll share at least what I've experienced so far. Armor:  There is some debate on this, but medium armor is the heaviest we can wear, as I'm sure you're already aware.  According to Blackguard, SOE CSR, the mitigation of medium is not significantly greater than that of light.  Some have teken this and forsaken the wearing of medium in favor of light armor when they find a piece that offers better stats/mods than medium.  I, personally don't fall into that category so I can't comment on light.  But in your 20's if you choose medium armor you essentially have 3 choices.  Iron, carbonite, and steel.  In my early 20's, I wore a set of player-crafted iron, and switched to carbonite in the mid-20's.  It's pretty affordable and easy to come by.  I was fortunate around lvl 27 and got my hands on a complete set of pristine forged steel.  This is by far the best, but you can expect to pay over a platinum for a set, even more if you want the imbued stuff.  Also, player-crafted, regardless of the material offers a greater lifespan than most dropped/looted stuff. Weapons:  Personal choice, but you'll find that most rangers choose to dual-wield.  Piercing/slashing doesn't really matter in the 20's.  I personally used a player-crafted carbonite sabre and the Deathbringer stiletto for nearly the whole of the 20's, but now that I'm in the 30's I use a player-crafted feysteel crescent axe and feysteel leafblade.  If you choose a one-handed sword, the Dwarven Sword of Cleansing from the Firemyst Gulley quest is an excellent choice, and it's proc is really neat looking and effective.  The shield I swapped a lot as I found ones with better stats.  The Willow Wood Bow of Service served me well all the way up to lvl 28 by which time I had completed the Stormfire Bow quest in Stormhold.  As a ranger, you can not disregard the possiblity of doing this quest.  The quest is a HUGE pain, but this bow is AMAZING, and will keep you going into your mid-30's, providing your aren't wealthy and get your hands on some obscene player-crafted bow. Poison:  Never leave Nettleville(I assume you're Kerran judging by your icon) without poison in your pockets.  Mordant Goo worked well for me until I could afford some player-made stuff.  Currently, there are huge gaps in skill requirements in NPC bought poisons, so you'll just have to get what you can afford and find.  My advice would be to make good friends with a nice alchemist.  Purchase from him regularly, and he'll appreciate your business and offer price-breaks as he can.  Again..DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR POISONS. Soloing:  Hmmmmm...how should I say this...Soloing is....difficult....as a ranger.  The bears and wolves near Caltorsis Keep are good, just be careful of the 'enraged' flavors.  Even the standard offer some surprises.  You'll kill a dozen of them with no problem, then for no apparent reason, you'll get one that will send you running like a little schoolgirl.  Also, the bears/wolves on the hill at Gnollslayer Keep are good as well.  You can stand at the edge of the water and they won't agro you, so you can run up, pull him, then kite back to the water and fight only one in relative safety.  Just don't depend on that [Removed for Content] Tillin to help you if you need it. Skills:  Don't throw out any of them until they con grey to you.  I have found nearly all of them to be useful at some point.  And by the time one goes grey, you've generally got a pretty decent replacement for it. Sorry to be so long-winded.  I hope this will be of <i>some</i> help.  Also, don't take my word as gospel.  There a lot of techniques and opinions out there, and you'll find that your fellow rangers are always willing to help, and long as you are constantly trying to learn and attempting to play your class well.  Learn the Ranger dance when in groups, meaning get behind the mob while the tank does his job, throw in your backstabs, back up to range and loose some arrows with your ranged combat abilities(without drawing agro..this is a <i>feel</i> thing and just takes practice), go back in and continue the backstab thing.  It's more fun than you can possibly imagine...hehe. And check this thread and look at Jay's post near the end.  The message is sort of a sattire, but it holds a lot of meaning. http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=39&message.id=7508#M7508 Welcome abord, and above all......HAVE FUN....that's what playing a ranger is all about. Edit:  Ignore my suggestions for solo spots..most of those mobs are probably green to you at this point.  It's been long enough ago, that my memory failed me.  The above posters'(sorry in edit, and can't rememer who it was) suggestions are much better. </font></font><div></div><p>Message Edited by Zholain on <span class=date_text>04-20-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:41 PM</span>

[RangerCalis]

<DIV>As far as armor and equipment goes, buy what you need to get by without paying too much.  You're only going to end up having to upgrade it in a few levels, so save up your coin for when you get to be in your mid to late 40s.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Same goes with CAs. Don't get better than Adept I for anything until you obtain the CA, "Crippling Blade".  Upgrade that to Adept III, or better yet Master I, and keep upgrading from that point on as needed.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Soloing is a pain, find yourself a nice healer buddy and duo exp together.  In my experience, it's the best exp you can get.  There are a lot of ^^ mobs that are appropriate for duo exp in TS (I hate nektulos, too drab).  Once you graduate from TS, go to EL, Zek, and eventually RE when your level is right.  If you do take the duo route, it's best that you invest in medium armor.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you do solo, there are plenty of places to solo in Zek (grunts, various animals, etc), EL (coast line turtles, goblins, etc).  This is good to do while LFG, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That's my 2cp, take it for what it's worth!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Falamezar]

<P>Welcome Ranger!  </P> <P>as far as weapons and armor goes, I would try to keep one piercing and one slashing to use.  That way you work on both skills at the same time.  You don't want to finda really nice piercing weapon and realize that you can't hit a thing because you have used all slashing. (happened to me :smileyhappy: ) You'll waant slashing up there 'cause the PGT is almost a must for us.  And the serated bone dirk I am told is a good thing to get.  Work on your armor quests when you can, Good stuff that will last you a while and best of all, is free.  the quests are a pain sometimes, but the gear is good.  Get Stormfire if you don't have a good bow.  </P> <P>as far as abillities go, I have been told that Nek forrest drops more then TS.  I personally never saw any evidance of this but you can look around.  Don't forget about the black market as our abilities are alot cheaper there for Adept 1.   </P> <P>Of course, poisons, poisons, poisons.  I discovered them late and have been kicking myself since.  Player crafted proc better and last longer(more uses) then the merchant stuff, but they can be more expensive and there isn't a whole lot of Alchies that sell them on the market.(at least on My server) So you're gonna have to have a alchie friend.  You might be able to work out a deal with them to get them cheaper.</P> <P>on a last note keep practicing the kiting.  Invalueable tool for the solo ranger.  Another good dual combo is an Enchanter as they can root and keep your power up.  </P> <P>Take care and Happy hunting. </P>

[Jay]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Zholain wrote:<BR> <FONT size=1><FONT face=Arial><BR>And check this thread and look at Jay's post near the end.  The message is sort of a sattire, but it holds a lot of meaning.<BR><BR>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=39&message.id=7508#M7508<BR><BR>Welcome abord, and above all......HAVE FUN....that's what playing a ranger is all about.<BR></FONT></FONT> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><FONT size=2><squints to read Zho's post></FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2>Hey! That was really nice! <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Thanks much, very kind of you. That post was a bit tongue-in-cheek at first, but it's clearly tapped into some collective ranger unconscious given all the great responses. If it didn't come off as horribly egotistical, I'd post that bit every time we welcomed a new ranger, just to get / keep them excited about the class. Link below, btw - for some reason Zho's didn't end up an active link.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#cc99ff size=2><A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=39&message.id=7508#M7508" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=39&message.id=7508#M7508</A></FONT></P> <DIV><FONT size=2>Thanks again, Zholain. You're too kind. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></FONT></DIV>

[RangerCalis]

Man, that is truely poetic.  I began reading it thinking, "pfft corny" and ended the reading saying to myself, "wow, I understand exactly what he's saying", and I'm not even the roll playing type.

[Ranja]

All of this is great advice. It makes me proud to see all of the rangers getting together and helping each other.  One thing I would add is do not count on soloing much further than 25.  Rangers are prolly the worst solo characters as our hatred of physical contact and no heals leaves us lacking.  Unless you want to kite the whole time soloing anything bigger than a green or blue solo mob is about all a ranger can do.  I can kite ^^greens and blues but it is really boring.  Grouping will be faster. I reserve kiting for named mobs or large mobs that I need to solo for a quest when I can't get a group.  <div></div>

[Jay]

<P><FONT size=2><STRONG>Calis:</STRONG> Thanks kindly for the compliment, very appreciated. It definitely started off as intentionally corny, and then I found myself kinda caught up in the drama of my own recollection. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> It's definitely a defining moment for any ranger, and I think we all experience that at some point. </FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><STRONG>Bentgate: </STRONG>I actually solo'd far more effectively around 30 than I ever did prior to 25. Results may vary, but I couldn't solo much at all early on. After I picked up Stormfire at 28 and then decent armor at 30, I routinely solo yellows and oranges without a problem. And it's <EM>very</EM> fun. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </FONT></P>

[Sotaudi]

<DIV> <P>As others have said, it is critical to keep your equipment up-to-date.  With medium armor, you want to have as much protection as you can get.</P> <P>Get Makeshift Arrows Adept 1 (level 21 spell, I believe).  It gives you 30 carbonite arrows with each use.  It will save you a lot of time and money at least until you start needing higher level arrows.</P> <P>Melee tactics through the 20s stays about the same as you used as a Predator.  Cycle HOs using Lucky Break and Dirty Tricks (or its upgrade, Corner) to lock the HO then complete it with one of the melee hits.  Alternatively, you can slip in a stealthed or positional attack using Cheap Shot.  As you should know by now, use Cheap Shot to stun, turn off auto attack to keep from breaking the Stun, then stealth and/or move into position and use a stealthed or positional attack.  What you may not have thought about is that Cheap Shot can complete an HO starter chain.  So if you start an HO with Lucky Break, use Cheap Shot and turn off Auto Attack, you can then use your stealthed/positional attack to compete the HO.  Shadow Blade or its upgrade, Shadow Lunge can complete an HO.  But these require position as well as stealth.  I usually use Shadow Flame for a solo stealthed attack.  It does a little less damage, but it does not require position, only stealth, so it is easier to get off.  However, it does not have a dagger icon, so if I start an HO with Lucky Break plus Cheap Shot, and use Stalk (or its upgrade, Shadow) plus Shadow Flame, I have to remember to follow it with one of the normal melee attacks with a dagger icon to complete the HO.  But otherwise, you are basically just using the same tactics for melee as you did as a predator.</P> <P>But since you are now a Ranger, you will be getting more bow-centered specials than the other Scout classes, so that is what I would like to focus on here for you.</P> <P>The two key things to know through the 20s with bow specials is that there are two types.  One type allows you to move (Open Shot or its upgrade, Flaming Shot, and Triple Shot).  The other type does not allow you to move (Back Shot or its upgrade, Sniping Shot, Wounding Arrow, Trick Shot, and Hidden Shot).  With that in mind, I see a solo attack using an opening bow sequence in four stages.  The first stage is where the mob is unaware of you.  You can move into position and fire any shot you want (provided you are in a position and/or stealthed state required by the shot).  At this stage, the length of time it takes to cast (i.e., charge the shot) is pretty irrelevant because the mob will not aggro until the shot actually fires.  So unless it moves to close, you can use any shot in your arsenal.  Once you have fired the first shot, the mob will start to close on you.  This second stage gives you a short period of time to fire any shots that require you to be stationary.  Thus, it is important to use a long bow in that its longer range will generally allow you to set up at  a distance where you can get off two stationary shots before they get too close to use the bow.  A short bow typically allows you to get off only one shot in the second stage.  Once the mob closes to a range too close to use the bow, you can either go directly into melee, or start backing up and use your specials that allow you to move while shooting.  You can slow the mob down with Ensnare/Impede to create a little more room while you back pedal waiting for your other shots to fire.</P> <P>After this third stage, you can then go into your desired attack sequences (melee, which is normal, or continue kiting).</P> <P>At level 20, you have three bow specials, one for each of the above stages.  Back Shot and Wounding Arrow cannot be fired while moving.  Open Shot can be.  Back Shot requires a flanking position, so if you do not use this first in a solo situation, you will not get much of a chance to use it once the fight begins.  It is also your best damage shot.  So get in position, fire Back Shot, then Wounding Arrow.  When Wounding Arrow fires, back up and queue Open Shot.  When Open Shot fires, stop and move into melee mode.  Since you are only firing one shot during the second stage, you may not need to back up to get off Open Shot, but Open Shot has one of the largest cast times, so you will have greater success if you do.</P> <P>At level 24, you get Trick Shot.  This shot is intended to transfer aggro to the next person that hits the mob (doesn't work well, but this is it's intent).  So it is designed for pulling and letting the tank take the blame for the pull.  But it does good damage so there is no reason not to use it solo even though the aggro transfer is obviously moot in a solo situation.  Add this shot after Wounding Arrow in the second stage.</P> <P>At level 26, you get Hidden Shot.  Hidden Shot requires Stealth, but not position.  So this, too, is hard to use in a solo situation unless it is the first shot.  Since it does less damage than Back Shot, but does not require position, you can go into stealth and use this as an alternative starting shot for when you cannot get behind your target.</P> <P>At level 28, you get Triple Shot.  This shot allows you to move while shooting it, but it is not on the same timer as Open Shot, so you can use them both.  Add this shot into stage three.  I use this shot before Open Shot because it does more damage than Open Shot and it has a shorter cast time, so it is better to fire Triple Shot first.  If you run out of room and can only fire one of them, then it is better to get off Triple Shot.</P> <P>At levels 29 and 30, you get Sniping Shot and Flaming Shot, respectively.  Sniping Shot is the Back Shot upgrade, and is on the same timer.  Flaming Shot is the Open Shot upgrade, and is on the same timer.  Therefore, these shots replace those shots in the sequnce.</P> <P>So by level 30, you would use the following sequence.  If you can get behind the opponent, get in position and fire Sniping Shot (Back Shot before leve 29).  If you cannot get behind the target, stealth and fire Hidden Shot.  While the target charges, fire Wounding Arrow, then Trick Shot.  When Trick Shot fire, start backing up and fire Triple Shot and Flaming Shot (Open Shot before level 30).  Once these shots fire, hit Lucky Break and move into a melee sequence and complete the HO.</P> <P>In conjunction with poison and Blade Fury Procs, you can do a tremendous amount of damage.  The only thing is that you need a lot of room to fire both Triple Shot and Open Shot/Flaming Shot (mainly because of Open Shot/Flaming Shot's charge time).  So you need to make sure you have a lot of room to maneuver.</P> <P>In a group situation, you can start with the same opening sequence.  However, be aware that if you use this full sequence right of the bat, your tank may not be able to pull the aggro from you.  If you find this a problem, and you are the puller, start with Trick Shot and turn off auto attack (either Ranged or melee) to keep from hitting it again.   Pull the mob back to the tank and let him get aggro, then move into position.  At the appropriate time, go ahead and fire the rest of your bow shots.  If you set up at the right distance, you can use both ranged and melee shots without moving.  Get behind the target at this ideal position, and fire off your remaining bow shots.  Debuff with Dirty Tricks/Corner and Pierce/Lunging Thrust, stick a bleed with Bleed/Leaping Cut.  Then move into your stealthed sequeces.  Use Hunt to move into Stealth, use Shadow Blade or Shadow Lunge, its upgrade, hit Shrouded Strike and turn off melee, then Shadow Flame (once you get it) or some other Stealthed attack (Pounce or Ambush or even Hidden Shot if you did not use it earlier).  You then have Stalk or Shadow to go into stealth and use another Stealthed attack if you have it.  Once you have run this sequence, move through your regular attacks and wait for your bow/stealthed skills to recharge.</P> <P>Hope this helps.</P> <P>Good luck.</P></DIV>

[Davilan]

<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>Welcome ranger! <SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>:smileyhappy:</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>I did the same thing as you. I got 5 various toons in the 20’s and a Wiz to lvl 33. I wanted to see how the various roles were in this game compared to the other games Ive played and wanted to find the one I would love. And I have to say I love my ranger more than any other toon I played in any MMORG because of the various skills we have and how good and fun we are at them. Ranger isn’t just a name of a class anymore, its an actual feel in this game which is so awesome cause I always love the ranger role.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>First advice I can add is at lvl 20 is buy as many adepts as you can! and FINISH ARMOR QUESTS ASAP! I finished these within a few days. AQ 1 and 2 I had no trouble soloing. I even soloed the named in AQ 2 but it was a pain but it was a good way to develop personal kiting skills. 3 had to find a group for some mobs but soloed the knights. I think without adepts it would have been more of a pain, and without poisons impossible. AQ4 needed a group. AQ5 soloed it. AQ6 soloed most and duoed with an assassin on the same part as me and we got an SK to help kill the named giant to finish. With a little patience, u can finish AQ pretty quickly, and the armor, XP, and goal is way worth it! I don’t have problem with money cause I made quite a bit as a 28WW and gaining with my previous characters, but still had to finish AQ cause u cant beat it, plus it looks cool very rangerish IMO hehe</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>After AQ I recommend finishing the 1st part of “Polished Granite Tomahawk”<SPAN>  </SPAN>I found giant groups and at lvl 24 soloed giants to get the idols in TS West of RoV. If you run from RoV and head west, you will hit the canyon where the giants are, I soloed them til I killed them all (got 2 idols), ran to RoV to go into TS2 did the same thing got 1 more and finished that part. Im not high enough to continue but its nice to get it over with. </FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>Now Im just grouping for XP til Im 28 and going to work on PGT some more and either StormFire or work on WW to make my own not sure. RoV or higher giants/goliaths are good for this. RoV more cause of the nice loot and more groups. I found with my wiz RoV was nice XP til I was 29 then it got slow and EL or Zek are the next steps up.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2><SPAN>Im not that much farther than you, so this is the best advice I can give at the moment. But all I can say is there is lots of things to do thats for sure. And congrats on your class decision cause rangers are AWESOME!</SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <P><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2><SPAN>But all I can say is Im really enjoying my ranger and give the Devs tons of props for making the ideal ranger class in a lot of peoples eyes.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P><p>Message Edited by Davilan77 on <span class=date_text>04-22-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:18 PM</span>

[Jay]

<BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Davilan77 wrote:<BR> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV> <P><SPAN><FONT color=#ffffff><FONT size=2>Now Im just grouping for XP til Im 28 and going to work on PGT some more and either StormFire or work on WW to make my own not sure. RoV or higher giants/goliaths are good for this. RoV more cause of the nice loot and more groups. I found with my wiz RoV was nice XP til I was 29 then it got slow and EL or Zek are the next steps up.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT size=2>Let me humbly suggest that you proceed directly to Stormhold and start (or continue) Valinayle's quests to get Stormfire. You'll want to use that baby the instant you hit 28; no need to wait til you get there as it's a long series of quests that you can start working on in your early 20s. Now that imbues are in, you have more options for player-crafted bows, but IMO Stormfire is well worth it. The quests can be hell (and the camp for Gydak was five hours of tedium for me) but I'm still using Stormfire at 34 and it's great. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></FONT></DIV>

[Davilan]

<BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <P></P> <HR> Jay42 wrote: <P> </P> <DIV><FONT size=2>Let me humbly suggest that you proceed directly to Stormhold and start (or continue) Valinayle's quests to get Stormfire. You'll want to use that baby the instant you hit 28; no need to wait til you get there as it's a long series of quests that you can start working on in your early 20s. Now that imbues are in, you have more options for player-crafted bows, but IMO Stormfire is well worth it. The quests can be hell (and the camp for Gydak was five hours of tedium for me) but I'm still using Stormfire at 34 and it's great. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></FONT></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>I appreciate your suggesstion Jay :smileyhappy: I turned 28 and man do I wish I had that bow!! lol</P> <DIV>I just killed Dyana last night. I searched these forums and other sites for people saying how long they waited, and 1 guy said he waited 9.5 hours so I got a flag from someone what time he spawned yesterday morning, showed up 10 hours after, and sure enough there he was :smileyvery-happy: I hope Dyana was the longest one. But still 5 hours is still quite long :smileysad:</DIV> <P><BR> </P>

[Jay]

<FONT size=2>LOL, for your sake I hope Dyana is the longest one, too. Gydak is the last, he's down in level 4 of Stormhold, and that was the longest wait for me at around five solid hours. Decent XP in the meantime, though. Just make sure you rotate back to Gydak's chamber (the cavern with the Dreaded Lawn Chair of Bone up on the raised part) and clear his placeholders every 10-15 minutes. Good luck!</FONT>

[JoshuaRowan]

<P>Hi all,</P> <P>I just wanted to drop a note and say THANKS to every one of you for all the great advice you've been sharing! I was expecting a few tidbits and words of wisdom, but all you have shown me an incredible amount of insight into this class, far more than I was expecting. I want you to know that I've been using it and finding a lot of success - just over the weekend I shot up from 20th to 23rd, and mostly due to what I learned here. So again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P>