Q: Which Skills?

[MortiferaInfe]

<DIV>Hi all,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I played an Inquisitor as my main when EQ2 began and saw pretty much all the content then stopped just before the combat revamp went in. I used to have a level 32 ranger, but when I restarted 2 weeks ago, I decided to start a new ranger from scratch, untwinked and to have some fun a bit.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now, I'd like your opinions on the skills that we can choose as we level. Which ones did you pick and why do you consider them the best choice? I'm sure this question has probably already been asked, so my appologies for that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've found this list elsewhere in this forum:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><U>Level 14 Master II<BR></U>Shadow Blade<BR>Bleed<BR>Hunter's Instinct<BR>Impale</FONT> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 24 Master II<BR></U>Wounding Arrow<BR>Makeshift Arrows<BR>Shadowflame<BR>Shadow Lunge</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 34 Master II<BR></U>Miracle Shot<BR>Pouncing Attack<BR>Salvage Arrows<BR>Crippling Arrow</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 44 Master II<BR></U>Hidden Fire<BR>Triple Fire<BR>Blazing Thrust<BR>Leg Shot</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 54 Master II<BR></U>Backup Quiver<BR>Dire Blade<BR>Fatal Reminder<BR>Stealthy Fire</FONT></P></DIV>

[Crychtonn]

<P>If I was starting from scratch and leveling a new ranger I'd go with:</P> <P>Shadow Blade</P> <P>Wounding Arrow</P> <P>Crippling Arrow</P> <P>Leg Shot</P> <P>Stealthy Fire</P> <P> </P>

[Deml]

<DIV>When I did the respec for the combat changes I was already 50 so the lower level ones I didn't pay attention to but here's what I would choose, or what I think I did choose.  The last 2 options are definitely what I took though:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><U>Level 14 Master II<BR></U>Shadow Blade - This is the one that will give you the biggest damage hit of these 4.<BR>Impale - Second choice</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Bleed - Third Choice<BR>Hunter's Instinct - Last choice of this group<BR></FONT></DIV> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 24 Master II<BR></U>Shadow Lunge - Again, this is 1st choice for me because it would probably give you the biggest hit of the list.<BR></FONT><FONT size=2>Wounding Arrow - Second choice.  This is a good opening skill so that when you close to melee your weapons hit harder.<BR>Shadowflame - Third choice.  Should do nice damage but Shadow Lunge is probably your best bet still.<BR></FONT><FONT size=2>Makeshift Arrows - Taking this is a waste of a master 2 skill.  You do NOT have enough bow skills to even remotely use the number of arrows master 2 of this would generate.  Use adept 1 and forget about this one.</FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 34 Master II<BR></U>Crippling Arrow - First choice.  The snare on this will really let you add in more damage before the mob gets to you.<BR>Miracle Shot - Second choice.  You're starting to use more bow skills now so this would be a good if you didn't want to pick snare.<BR>Pouncing Attack - Third choice.  Good for melee stuff but at this point you're starting to move more towards bow than melee.<BR>Salvage Arrows - Last choice.  same as with makeshift arrows, you won't go through arrows fast enough to warrant getting this as a master 2.<BR></FONT></P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 44 Master II</U> This is where you start getting into big debates between rangers.<BR>Leg Shot - I took this because at master 2 it gives you a 64% snare which is very very noticable on pulls.<BR>Triple Fire - A close second.  This will deal some major damage as M2.  It's your choice between this and leg shot<BR>The last 2 just don't compare when placed next to Leg Shot & Triple Fire for options.  Get one of those 2 and forget these others.</FONT><FONT size=2><BR>Hidden Fire<BR>Blazing Thrust<BR></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 54 Master II<BR></U>Stealthy Fire - Took this one and have never regretted it.  Starting fights with a 2-3k dmg shot works great.  Follow it up with Triple Arrow then Leg shot and you've got a poisoned, severely hurt mob that is now snared and you are off to the races.<BR>Backup Quiver - This is a possible second option for the amount of arrows you go through with stream of Arrows at 55, but I'd still say go with Stealthy Fire.</FONT></P><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>You're mainly a bow user now, with very little melee.  Why blow a master 2 on a melee CA?<BR>Dire Blade<BR>Fatal Reminder<BR></FONT></DIV>

[ken]

<P>Shadow Blade - most bang for yer buck.</P> <P>Shadow Lunge - In yer late 20s archery starts to become more viable, but through most of your 20s you'll still rely heavily on your melee damage.</P> <P>Salvage Arrows - You start burning through arrows pretty fast by this time and find it hard to keep ammo without buying arrows or upgrading this.  I still use the summoned arrows from this one even with backup quiver at adept 3.  65 every 10 minutes is barely enough to keep me stocked on ammo.</P> <P>Triple Fire - Huge damage - the triple line is one of those lines I use an awful lot.  Not only do you get the damage from the arrow but also the poison/gleaming strike/Quick shot procs for each successful attack.</P> <P>Stealthy Fire - nice, big damage</P> <p>Message Edited by kenye on <span class=date_text>11-08-2005</span> <span class=time_text>01:13 PM</span>

[~Mercu]

<P>I took Impale because at 14 I didn't know my class so well. I should've taken Shadow Blade, but I think impale is the second choice because you use melee CAs so much.</P> <P>I took Shadow Lunge - but I'm thinking Wounding Arrow might've been better. Both are great though because you don't have all your bow CAs so you use backstab quite a bit more.</P> <P>Crippling Arrow - hands down a deffinite.  You can move and fire with this.  I use this CA in almost every encounter.</P> <P>I'm 41 now but I plan to take Leg Shot because I solo so much.  Although I currently have Triple Arrow at adept 3 and it's Godly, so Triple Fire at master 2 is very tempting.  Still I'm going with the snare because I'm a soloer!</P> <P>Stealthy Fire is the obvious choice so far for me here.</P>

[Jay]

<DIV><FONT size=2><U>Level 14 Master II<BR></U></FONT><STRONG>Shadow Blade </STRONG>- melee CA damage is key at this level; stealth attacks are your bread and butter. Soloers might pick Impale, but this is my choice. <FONT size=2><BR></FONT> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 24 Master II<BR></U></FONT><STRONG>Shadow Lunge </STRONG>- the big backstab for the same reasons as above, but Wounding Arrow is a contender here. </P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 34 Master II<BR></U></FONT><STRONG>Crippling Arrow </STRONG>- my choice for additional effects. Miracle Shot is decent but it's more of a special-purpose attack than a mainstay of your arsenal. Pouncing Attack might be better now but I almost ignored that whole line prior to the revamp. </P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 44 Master II<BR></U></FONT><STRONG>Triple Fire </STRONG>- This level is the toughest choice yet. Different rangers choose Leg Shot, Triple, or Hidden and all have good reasons for doing so. Pick whichever best fits your playstyle - if you solo a lot, Leg or Hidden, if you're grouping, go Triple. I picked Triple and I've never regretted it - can get some fantastic damage from this skill. </P> <P><FONT size=2><U>Level 54 Master II<BR></U></FONT><STRONG>Stealthy Fire </STRONG>- This level is odd, with less good choices than 44. I actually looked at that list and kinda shrugged; nothing appealed to me immediately. I've never been a big fan of the Hidden Shot line. The two melee attacks will be fine as eventual Adept IIIs (for me), and the extra arrows from Backup Quiver would be nice but BQ is a T5 skill that you can use a ruby to upgrade, so I'd rather put the Master II in a T6 skill. Stealthy Fire won out, and I've been pleasantly surprised - definitely using this skill much more often now that it does 2000-3000 dmg every time. </P></DIV> <DIV>These are just my choices and the reasoning behind them; there is no "right" decision here. Enjoy. </DIV>

[Te]

<P>A fight usually goes in this order  for me wich is what makes me choose what to pick first.</P> <P>Solo i jump some of these but order is still the same.</P> <P>1 Pull.</P> <P>2 Aggro/deaggro</P> <P>3 Debuff</P> <P>4 high damage CA</P> <P>5 Aggro/deaggro</P> <P>6 More damage CA</P> <P>7 Auto attack (melee or bow wichever you prefer)</P> <DIV>8 repeat from 2.</DIV>

[xandez]

<div></div><blockquote><hr> <div> </div> <div><font size="2"><u>Level 14 Master II</u>Shadow Blade --> <font color="#ff9900">Would take this, since its the big nice attack... othes are not that good even with upgraded vs. this one</font>BleedHunter's InstinctImpale</font> <p><font size="2"><u>Level 24 Master II</u>Wounding Arrow --> <font color="#ff9900">Would take this, since i love to use my bow and a it gives a very nice debuff </font>Makeshift ArrowsShadowflame --> <font color="#ff9900">Close 3rd</font>Shadow Lunge --> <font color="#ff9900">Close 2nd</font> </font></p> <p><font size="2"><u>Level 34 Master II</u>Miracle ShotPouncing Attack --> <font color="#ff9900">Could be possible if you love to melee a lot... </font>Salvage ArrowsCrippling Arrow --> <font color="#ff9900">Definite winner here... </font> </font></p> <p><font size="2"><u>Level 44 Master II</u>Hidden Fire --> <font color="#ff9900">I took this, since i had it at app1 and had triple fire already at adept3</font>Triple Fire --> <font color="#ff9900">otherwise, definite winner</font>Blazing ThrustLeg Shot --> <font color="#ff9900">and this also has very nice snare, althou i have survived with the adept1 version also... cant remember how much it is, 45% maybe?</font> </font></p> <p><font size="2"><u>Level 54 Master II</u>Backup QuiverDire BladeFatal ReminderStealthy Fire --> <font color="#ff9900">Will take this one, then i maybe will /respec and take the legshot master II (or triple fire... tempted to do that <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />)  <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></font> </font></p></div><hr></blockquote><font color="#ff9900"> </font><font color="#ff9900">My picks there...</font><font color="#ff9900"> </font><font color="#ff9900"> </font><font color="#ff9900"> </font><font color="#ff9900">++Xan</font>

[MortiferaInfe]

<DIV>Thank you all for your replies, some similar patterns emerge and I'll consider your comments to make my choices!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Mentla]

<span><blockquote><hr>MortiferaInferi wrote:<div>Hi all,</div> <div> </div> <div>I played an Inquisitor as my main when EQ2 began and saw pretty much all the content then stopped just before the combat revamp went in. I used to have a level 32 ranger, but when I restarted 2 weeks ago, I decided to start a new ranger from scratch, untwinked and to have some fun a bit.</div> <div> </div> <div>Now, I'd like your opinions on the skills that we can choose as we level. Which ones did you pick and why do you consider them the best choice? I'm sure this question has probably already been asked, so my appologies for that.</div> <div> </div> <div>I've found this list elsewhere in this forum:</div> <div> </div> <div><font size="2"><u>Level 14 Master II</u>Shadow BladeBleedHunter's InstinctImpale</font> <p><font size="2"><u>Level 24 Master II</u>Wounding ArrowMakeshift ArrowsShadowflameShadow Lunge</font></p></div><hr></blockquote>Bet I was the only one stupid enough to go for Makeshift arrows at lvl 24  <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span><div></div>

[Akam]

<P>I still use makeshift arrows master II all the time at 55+</P> <P>I craft t6 arrows when I need them for raids or kiting etc.</P>

[BlackAdderDr]

THe observation that you are a melee clas till mid to late 20s is a very good point... upgrade your melee skills with the master choice at 14, but  at 24 I would be awful tempted to get makeshift arrows as you are vry soon going to start burning thru arrows vry vry fast.  Wounding arrow is the other good choice at this lvl.  If u can get a jasper(shouldnt be hard) I would adIII the makeshift and master the crippling arrow.  Additionally do not forget to adIII your triple shot at 28, it wont get replaced til 42 and its your big boom shot.  31 Introduces arrow Flurry...  buy, beg or borrow to adept III this... wont get updated til 45 and it will boost your DPS bigtime.  And although noone has said it ... always *ALWAYS*  use poison.  And as far as poison goes you get more bang for your buck off High DD low DOT vs.  low DD high dot. Happy Hunting -Alaulai 57th Ranger of Nektulos

[Korb]

Glad I get to /respec! I picket Salvage arrows at 34 (I'm only 35 now)... lol <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[TaleraRis]

<P>I didn't find Shadow Blade all that helpful at level 14. It wasn't as much ofan upgrade for me, so I chose Impale. I still use Impale and it is rather tasty to end a melee HO with a Master II Impale.</P> <P> </P> <P>At 24 I took Wounding Arrow, I believe, although I may respec and take Makeshift Arrows. WA has been helpful, but more often than not now I pull with Hidden and I run out of arrows entirely too often.</P>

[Mentla]

So I wasn't a total idiot getting the arrows?  Cool. <div></div>

[TaleraRis]

<P>I don't think so. My DPS is great and I rarely use WA to pull since getting Hidden. Where I lack now are arrows, and so I think Makeshift was a wise choice in retrospect.</P> <P>I may have a bit more of an advantage, though. I have one of every tradeskill class but armorsmith, so I can make my own upgrades if I just have raws and don't need to pay out the nose. As such, I have App IV ready right when I ding while others may not upgrade so easily or soon. For me, the differences with App IV and Master 2 haven't been enough to warrant choosing something like my backstabs over other options.</P>

[Mentla]

Who makes arrows?  I have someone to make me poisens and armor but need to roll someone for arrows - just for the hell of it  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <div></div>

[Star]

Woodworkers make arrows of all sorts. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I know, I'm a Woodworker, Crushbone server.

[Quillian Feetfa]

<BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Demlar wrote:<BR> <DIV><FONT size=2><U>Level 34 Master II<BR></U>Crippling Arrow - First choice.  The snare on this will really let you add in more damage before the mob gets to you.<BR></FONT></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>I checked my Crippling Arrow last night and I don't remember seeing anything about a snare on it.  Here is the description from the EQ2Players site where they list the Ranger CAs:</P> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr> <P>A precise ranged attack that cripples target's parry, deflection, and blocking skills</P></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>It's really more of a debuff then a snare.  I was confused by this statement and wanted to clear it up for some of our younger Rangers out there.<BR></P>

[Jay]

Thanks for clarifying - FWIW, Leg Shot is the snaring line; the Crippling line is meant as a debuffing ranged attack.