New ranger needs some advice

[Dogfood76]

<DIV>Okay, so I just recently picked up EQ2 (just this week in fact) and I'm having fun.  I started up a Kerran Ranger and I'm really enjoying it so far.  Sure, I'm level 8 but still it seems an enjoyable play style for me.  I am hoping to get some advice.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are there any quests I should be sure to complete in Qeynos?  Should I pick up a tradeskill so I can make my own poisons?  I haven't really looked into the crafting part of the game at all, so I'm a little worried about learning all that stuff as well as how to just kill things, but I don't want to miss out on any part of the game.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Another little thing I've run into is when doing the stun->move sideways->sidestab maneuver.  I use WASD for movement and I seem to have problems strafing and turning at the same time.  Does everyone get this effect?  Do you use mouselook instead?  I really like the maneuver but I'm having trouble making it work reliably because of the interface (or my clumsiness).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also there seems to be some disappointment amongst rangers on the boards.  Is that due to high-level raid issues or is it something that comes up earlier in the ranger career?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anyway, thanks in advance for any help/advice you can offer!</DIV>

[Prandtl]

<P>Do as many quests as you can. They are great exp, and some decent items will come your way, too.  A MUST DO quest at your level is the Gregors Old Bow quest.  You get it from an NPC in the bow shop in the northeast part of the Eldarr Grove.  The reward is a decent longbow that is ideal for a young ranger.</P> <P>The stun combo takes some practice to get proficient.  Try steping directly through or jumping over the mob after you stun, rather then going to the side.  That almost always seems to work for me.  Also... are the mobs heroic?  Stun duration is very short on heroic mobs.  Don't neglect to use poisons, either!  Player crafted are best, but at your level the vendor ones are probably cheaper.  You can get them from alchemist shops.</P> <P>Good luck, and enjoy your ranger!</P>

[Teksun]

Prandtl got it right. I'll just add a bit <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />The level 20 armor quest is a fun way to level to 30. Starts in Qeynos Harbor up towards the bank. I'm not sure how it compares to other armor, but it is fun to do <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />99% of the ranting you hear is due to High End raiding, so take my advice and ignore it. When you get there the game will have change twice <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> (even if it doesn't a lot of it is exageration)I DO suggest a tradeskill. If for NO OTHER reason it gives you something to do when you summon your arrows. The biggest problem with being a Ranger is the arrow cost, and unless you take the downtime to summon your own you will have to buy them. Alchemy is a good route, but anything will do (I'm a Carpenter and have never looked back)When you get up higher in level and decide to respec: Take your second to the last M2 as summon arrows. It will come in handy in a pinch<div></div>

[Shadowbain]

<DIV>My advice is DON'T spend coin on items save what you can and just wear the gear you get from quests tell you hit about lvl 40. Just grind out the lower lvls as quick as you can and save what coin you can get cause you will out grow the lower lvl items fast. Just buy the cheep arrows from the broker at those lower lvls and cheep caustic poison <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also do as many quests as you can find as it will give you AWESOME AA xp as well and normal xp.  as a ranger you will need to get 100 AA's as quick as you can to maximize your class.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Dogfood76]

<P>Okay, so now I'm level 14 and having a great time with my ranger.  Doing quests is fun and easy with Tracking, I can move pretty quickly, and I have no trouble soloing stuff.</P> <P> </P> <P>I have a new question though!  When does my bow damage surpass my melee damage?  I have so many melee CAs right now that I do a ton of damage and have lots of buttons to mash when I'm stabbing stuff, but my bow doesn't seem that great.  Sure, its wonderful to pull with, but at what point will I be better off kiting rather than just meleeing monsters down?  Is there a particular CA that refreshes quickly that will make me want to stand back and shoot all the time?</P> <P> </P> <P>Also, right now I'm using a long bow because I usually only get one shot off before the bad guy closes on me.  Is there any advantage to using a short bow other than the firing rate?</P>

[LoreLady]

<div><blockquote><hr>Dogfood76 wrote:<div>Okay, so I just recently picked up EQ2 (just this week in fact) and I'm having fun.  I started up a Kerran Ranger and I'm really enjoying it so far.  Sure, I'm level 8 but still it seems an enjoyable play style for me.  I am hoping to get some advice.</div> <div> </div> <div><b>Are there any quests I should be sure to complete in Qeynos?  Should I pick up a tradeskill so I can make my own poisons?  I haven't really looked into the crafting part of the game at all, so I'm a little worried about learning all that stuff as well as how to just kill things, but I don't want to miss out on any part of the game.</b></div> <div> </div> <div>Another little thing I've run into is when doing the stun->move sideways->sidestab maneuver. <b> I use WASD for movement and I seem to have problems strafing and turning at the same time</b>.  Does everyone get this effect?  Do you use mouselook instead?  I really like the maneuver but I'm having trouble making it work reliably because of the interface (or my clumsiness).</div> <div> </div> <div>Also there seems to be some disappointment amongst rangers on the boards.  Is that due to high-level raid issues or is it something that comes up earlier in the ranger career?</div> <div> </div> <div>Anyway, thanks in advance for any help/advice you can offer!</div><hr></blockquote>Do as many quests as you can - and delete them once they go grey..Hold onto your mouse at all times, I use the wasd keys myself with one hand on the mouse.. You will make a great ranger if you already have these habbits down, all you need to do is learn to hit the 1 to = keys without looking, while using diffrent hotbars..With the wasd habbits, I predict that this ranger is eventually going to top most of you here <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div>

[Monstage]

<P>I remember thinking the same thing when I was a baby ranger but dont worry. Have a look at this list on ogaming (<A href="http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/abilitylist.html?class=rng" target=_blank>http://eq2.allakhazam.com/db/abilitylist.html?class=rng</A>) and you will see the combat arts you will be getting in the future. You will see that by level 30 you will have a predominance of ranged attacks, this is where the longer range of the bow comes in.  </P> <P>A good way to take down single mobs is to get at extreme range for your bow and then if possible hit with the back shot line attack which has to be from behind but slows the enemy. This will give you a little more time to get some bow CA's in before it gets to you. At this point you can then cheap shot, runs through the mob so its back is to you, hit hidden attack to go into stealth, then either shadowlunge or shadowflame. You might even have time to hit surveil to invis again and then hit shadowlunge/shadowflame.</P> <P>depending on the mob you are fighting it should be almost dead now so you can either just stand and melee or cheap shot to stun, step back a little and hit it with the bow. Don't forget to switch back to melee mode after though.</P> <P>One thing about using the bow combat arts is that they cant be used when standing toe to toe with the mob, so you will have to stun/root it then step back before you can use them. This can take a little practice but it soon becomes second nature. I set up all my bow CA's on a hotbar with those with the quickest to cast time on the left and the longest  cast time on the right. </P> <P>If you are fighting group mobs you wont be able to use the stealth attacks because you will be knocked out of stealth when you are hit. Instead try and kill the first mob quickly then take the second mob by cheap shot or lunging thrust (root)  /step back/bow CA/melee then repeat. The last mob can be taken like a solo with the stealth attacks.</P> <P>As for kiting, you must be careful. It is really easy to end up pulling adds. better to try the tactics above or search the ranger boards for other ranger tips. They are a helpful bunch  and very knowledgable, you are sure to find lots of help. </P> <P>Also you will need to know your role in groups, which is a new style of playing to soloing. One tip is to always try and convince your tank to turn the mobs back to you so you can use the rear bow/melee attacks (it's surprising how often you find tanks who forget to do this). Just remember to ask nicely <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> .You will also find it useful to stand at the 'sweet spot'. This is where both your ranges and melee attacks will work (i.e. they wont be greyed out on the hotbar)</P> <P>other tips - buy a quiver, use dual wield for melee but keep a one handed and shield handy for the odd occasion where you might need to tank or need a little more defense in melee, read a posting on poisons and always keep some handy for that extra advantage in DPS, hate reduction, etc. Oh and ignore the postings here that say rangers are crap/dont do good DPS/etc etc etc. All that may or may not be true, I just dont care. It wont matter to you until you are much much higher in level and get into raiding. </P> <P>Just enjoy the ranger style and have fun. </P> <P>Hope this helps.</P> <P>Monstage - level 66 Ranger on Nektulos</P>