LvL 70 Crappy Ranger needs your help . . . . Please Help me become Tier 2 DPS

[Darkzman]

<div>Ok i know there are some GREAT Rangers out there, I need your help because I stink at least thats what I been told by my Raid Guild and I have to agree with them I stink. With a lot of coaching from them I was able to be Tier3 damage and every so often Tier2 damage. Please read below and provide the feed back so that I can improve.</div><div> </div><div>1. What Bow should I be using at my lvl?  I currenly have Grizfazzles Bow.</div><div> </div><div>2. What types of arrows do I need and what loaction is the best place to buy them? Does the type of arrow really make a difference?</div><div> </div><div>3. How should I arrange my Hot Bar to be more efficient I have tried diffent combos but does not seem right.</div><div> </div><div>4. Whatare the poisons I should be using are they worth using? Where is a good place to buy poisons at my lvl?</div><div> </div><div>5. In what order should I fire my shots off in a Raid, when should I rush in for some close combat? Should I always be in offensive mode?</div><div> </div><div>6. Fighting with hand weapons should I hit the debuffs right off, etc.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Thanks Your help is appreciated.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div> </div><div> </div>

[Deml]

<div></div><div></div><p>Raid DPS relies a LOT on the group setup.  Troubador (hate reduction/procs/faster casts), Inquisitor (dps increase/faster casts), illusionist (haste), conjuror (ember seed dmg proc), wizard (flametongue dmg proc), berzerker (berzerk dps buff), paladin (hate reduction/divine dmg proc), fury (str/int buffs/dps).  All of those classes help add a lot to your overall damage.  Tell your raid leader that if they setup your group with some of those classes they will see you put out higher numbers (mine tripled when I had a zerker and inquisitor added to my group plus upgrading some spells.)  Get all your combat arts to ad3 or higher as soon as you can.  Use Killing Instinct and Focus aim a LOT now.  Primal Agility isn't needed if you have the illusionist in your group as you're already at the haste cap.  If your inquisitor took the aa that reduces your cast times by half then coordinate with them on when they are using that (message to the group) and when you hit focus fire then go through your CA's.  Keep in mind, this generates a TON of agro so be very very careful with it (launch the bird first). </p><p>Setup your hotbars however you are most comfortable.  My hotbars aren't setup anywhere near what I would consider the optimal design for us, but it's something that I've used for so long it feels strange trying to hit they keys in a different order.  Remember that with the new changes to try and trigger your CA's between autoattack shots, not just spam through them.</p><p>Poisons.  For straight damage, it seems that Grandmaster Caustic is the best, followed by Adeste, then Caustic.  The life tap poison is also useful to have during AE fights.  Ignorant bliss is almost a must have as well since it reduces agro when it procs (anything to keep you off the mobs radar is a good thing).</p><p>Lead off with your debuffs, yes.  Try to always have Forester's Noose/Vines on the mob before you hit Emberstrike or Precise Shot since both of those do fire damage.  There is no "right way" to trigger all of your CA's though, it is all situational.  Just remember things like you can use Focus Aim while Stream of Arrows is going and things like that. </p><p>Again though, adjust your group makeup and you should see some significant changes in the numbers you put out.</p><p>Oh, and by making this post I am in NO way saying I think I'm a great Ranger, just trying to help out some.</p><p>Message Edited by Demlar on <span class="date_text">04-10-2006</span><span class="time_text">08:23 AM</span></p>

[Velocidad]

<span><blockquote><hr>Darkzman wrote:<div>Ok i know there are some GREAT Rangers out there, I need your help because I stink at least thats what I been told by my Raid Guild and I have to agree with them I stink. With a lot of coaching from them I was able to be Tier3 damage and every so often Tier2 damage. Please read below and provide the feed back so that I can improve.</div><div> </div><div>1. What Bow should I be using at my lvl?  I currenly have Grizfazzles Bow.<font color="#ff0000">I'm using the same bow, as far as I know there are only 1 or 2 better that are raid drops.</font></div><div> </div><div>2. What types of arrows do I need and what loaction is the best place to buy them? Does the type of arrow really make a difference?<font color="#ff0000">I use a quiver full of the summoned arrows, the indiums you get from rip are best used for the times you run out of the the summoned ones. On raids where it counts you can get rares made for the extra auto attack dps.</font></div><div> </div><div>3. How should I arrange my Hot Bar to be more efficient I have tried diffent combos but does not seem right.<font color="#ff0000">I have 4 hotbars running, 3 on the left stacked ontop of each other. 1 with buffs, master strike and the hawk. The next has all bow shots, not including SoA, and our stun. The last has melee arts and assist macro. The right hand bar has odds and ends...carpet hotkey, heart/shard hotkey, equip clickies and hot keys for 1h and shield for quick equip, plus any lesser used CAs for convienence.</font></div><div> </div><div>4. Whatare the poisons I should be using are they worth using? Where is a good place to buy poisons at my lvl?<font color="#ff0000">For poison I am still using Adestes and Phantasmic. Both player made and work well. I'm sure there are a few good T7 poisons, I just haven't run out of the T6 yet.</font></div><div> </div><div>5. In what order should I fire my shots off in a Raid, when should I rush in for some close combat? Should I always be in offensive mode?<font color="#ff0000">First thing I cast is the Snipe line to reduce defense, then Devit Arrow, after that cast focus, and fire away. If it is going to be a short fight I cast Primal before Focus then fire away. After all bow shots are down rush in for melee, oce those are all down back out and start all over with the bow shots.</font></div><div> </div><div>6. Fighting with hand weapons should I hit the debuffs right off, etc.<font color="#ff0000">Use them first and everytime they refresh. Overwriting your own debuffs doesn't hurt anything.</font></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Thanks Your help is appreciated.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div> </div><div> </div><hr></blockquote>I am by no means the uber ranger. But I can put up anywhere from 400-1k dps. Just depends on the mob and who you are grouped with.</span><div></div>

[Jayad]

<div></div><ol><li>Grizzie's bow is fine, you probably won't find anything better that's not a fabled raid drop.</li><li>Arrow type makes a huge difference in auto-attack DPS, which is about half your dps now.  It doesn't make a difference in your ranged Combat Arts.   You have to summon as many arrows as you can with rip (indium) and the 61 arrow skill (adamantine), but for raids you will go through stacks of arrows like water.  Plan on bringing 20+ stacks of arrows besides a full quiver to a raid and you might go through most of them <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  It's very expensive if you have to buy them at the store, but there's no helping that if you want to do dps and you haven't spent a day questing and summoning.  You can buy them off of the high level arrow guys in town.  I buy them in Eldar Grove from the main arrow guy in the shop, 6.5gp per stack. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  There might be a guy in North Qeynos who also sells them..</li><li>I have my hotbar arranged to where the ranged damage CAs are all on the left side where my hand normally is, so the left hand of the hotbars are usually damage arts.  I also have the assist macro, focus fire, stun/evade, rip, and stealth skills in that side kind of in the middle.  The right side includes the debuffs, utility skills, etc. </li><li>I think the initial damage poison "caustic" is still the best option.  Adeste's is better than that if you have it.  Depending on if you are soloing or raiding, the 'utility' poison would change.  For raids I think a de-aggro poison is very good, or a debuff.  In grouping, you can use that or a stun poison.  In soloing, you use the lifetap poison or stun.</li><li>I think you generally want to stay ranged with raid mobs pretty far away, because they usually have nasty AOEs which you can sometimes avoid by being far away.  You don't usually want to blast it as fast as possible off the bat because you don't wnat to peel it.  If it's a trash mob, usually people will just blast those fast.  If it's a tough mob, usually the raid will debuff/DOT it for a while and then turn on max dps later.  When you want to go max DPS, you usually would cast your CAs as fast as possible, with a brief pause after the CA finishes before queuing the next one to allow for the auto-attack to cycle.  Cast focus fire as often as possible before a batch of ranged CAs.  When those are all gone, then rush in and hit your melee CAs.  The timing of this may be different if the whole raid is jousting (i.e. rushing out due to an AOE timer going off, then rushing back).  Aggro management is very, very important in a raid, with a peel often meaning a wipe.  If you have the right group setup you can do a ton of damage but not get aggro, but it depends on the raid.  On boss mobs, I like to time focus fire so I can stealth and use snipe.  Focus fire is your friend, it turns us into T1 dps for 10 seconds. </li><li>If you are in melee combat (close combat), I usually will debuff if the mob is a ^^^.  If the mob only lasts a few seconds it's not worth it.  For raid toughies, all the debuffs are worth it.  In grinding I use a lot of melee combat to conserve arrows (grrrr).   The large stealth backstab and DOT both contribute pretty significant DPS, and of course the melee rip arrows skill is a must use.</li></ol><div>Some other suggestions:</div><div> </div><ol><li>Max out your STR.  Seriously.  Or get it high enough that raid-buffed you will be maxed.  Then go for int.  you will get enough agility from STR gear.</li><li>Try to get DPS buffs from your raid party.  Rangers get a lot of haste but not dps.  This will help your auto-attack damage considerably.  You can hit for 2k-4k auto-attack in raids often with max haste/dps.  Assassins get dps self-buffs and need haste, we're the opposite.</li><li>Allow for a pause (quarter to half a second) after casting a range CA so it gives you an auto-attack with a bow.  Don't "chain" your CAs.  Maybe somebody can tell me I'm wrong, but I don't notice the auto-attack going off when I chain them.  Since this is half your dps, if you don't let it happen you are missing a good chunk there.  If I'm wrong about this - somebody please tell me so I can chain my skills. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></li><li>Get adept3s as much as you can.  They add up.</li></ol><div>Hope that helps</div><p>Message Edited by Xney on <span class="date_text">04-10-2006</span><span class="time_text">11:02 AM</span></p>

[Stormhawk]

<span><blockquote><hr>Xney wrote:<div></div><ol><li>Allow for a pause (quarter to half a second) after casting a range CA so it gives you an auto-attack with a bow.  Don't "chain" your CAs.  Maybe somebody can tell me I'm wrong, but I don't notice the auto-attack going off when I chain them.  Since this is half your dps, if you don't let it happen you are missing a good chunk there.  If I'm wrong about this - somebody please tell me so I can chain my skills. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></li></ol><hr></blockquote>Autoattack will go off between queued CAs.</span><div></div>

[Jayad]

<div></div><p>I've tested this a few times and it just doesn't seem to go off as much, although it does sometimes.  But I will try again when I play the ranja next time and test carefully.  Maybe in my previous tests I was just unlucky.</p>

[LoreLady]

First thing you have to know is what cycles of abilities will keep you going the longest, melee will only go for so long, ranged will only go for so long. You have to mix everything and try and get the recast abilities loged in your mind.Your best bet for high damage is use dev arrow, culling of the weak, tripple volly, and confounding arrowYour next fight go through a cycle of melee arrow rip, shockign thrust, lunging joust, mortal reminder, longblade, rangers blad - then finish it off with precise shot and confounding arrowYour next fight open with vieled fire, and use whatever melee abilities you can  and jump out and use precise shot and confounding arrowAlittle bit of advice - avoid using precise shot, and snaring shot whenever you can - even the master version of snaring shot only provides an average of 500 dps after averaging your proc. Precise shot is half usefull, but only provides "inbetween" dps when you are out of your decent stuff. Always use longblade, and emberstrike whenever possible - this cummulates to 600-1.4k dps. - its much better on dps if you use emberstrike/longblade and use surviel to used vield fire.

[klepp]

getting into t2 dps is actually good for rangers these days =p

[Blarth]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Demlar wrote:<div></div><div></div><p>Lead off with your debuffs, yes.  Try to always have Forester's Noose/Vines on the mob before you hit Emberstrike or Precise Shot since both of those do fire damage.  There is no "right way" to trigger all of your CA's though, it is all situational.  Just remember things like you can use Focus Aim while Stream of Arrows is going and things like that. </p><p>Message Edited by Demlar on <span class="date_text">04-10-2006</span><span class="time_text">08:23 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Don't Forget About Debuffs and Short term buffs. SOE gave them to us for a reason. Focus Aim is an amazing skill once you learn its potential. Normally I will use Focus Aim right before I let fly Culling the Weak, Triple Volley, Devitalizing Arrow, and either Rain of Arrows(if i dont need to worry about breaking mez), Precise shot(two shots, twice the chance to crit) or Amazing Shot. This is in a raid situation though. Also make sure you are using t7 arrows, they make a huge difference. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Blarth on <span class=date_text>04-12-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:33 AM</span>

[Teksun]

<blockquote><hr>Blarth wrote:<div></div><blockquote><hr>Demlar wrote:<div></div><div></div><p>Lead off with your debuffs, yes.  Try to always have Forester's Noose/Vines on the mob before you hit Emberstrike or Precise Shot since both of those do fire damage.  There is no "right way" to trigger all of your CA's though, it is all situational.  Just remember things like you can use Focus Aim while Stream of Arrows is going and things like that. </p><p>Message Edited by Demlar on <span class="date_text">04-10-2006</span><span class="time_text">08:23 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Don't Forget About Debuffs and Short term buffs. SOE gave them to us for a reason. Focus Aim is an amazing skill once you learn its potential. Normally I will use Focus Aim right before I let fly Culling the Weak, Triple Volley, Devitalizing Arrow, and either Rain of Arrows(if i dont need to worry about breaking mez), Precise shot(two shots, twice the chance to crit) or Amazing Shot. This is in a raid situation though. Also make sure you are using t7 arrows, they make a huge difference. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Blarth on <span class="date_text">04-12-2006</span> <span class="time_text">12:33 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Just a little curious on your listing: I try to use Devitalizing as soon as possible (after stealth or backshot) for it's debuffing properties, giving Triple a better chance to hit all 3 shots... <div></div>

[Jay]

<P>Aye, I open almost every fight with Cover Fire, Vines, and Devit Arrow. </P> <P>Some of the biggest adjustments I've found are getting away from our multi-shot arts all the time (they just don't have much point anymore since they'll only proc once) and getting myself to use Confounding and Amazing shot as often as possible. Also rearranged my hotbars slightly to prompt myself to use my Focus and Instinct buffs every time they're available. </P>

[skylancer]

<P>Well not to say I am a top notch Ranger, but I have been playing this class since day1 almost exclusively.</P> <P>I am jaded I know, but my best advice to you is give it up. SoE doesnt have a place or a defined role for this class.</P> <P>Grizzlefazzzzle's procs once per 4 minute fight according to my parse- I'm back to the valian bow as it seems to parse btr than any other. Grizzles is busted, on purpose I think, SoE really doesnt want this class around.</P> <P>Yes after spending gobs of coin on grandmaster's, blah blah etc... etc... at 43 AA's with bow crits maxed, poise and the int line with poison's crits etc coming along....</P> <P>BRUISER'S, ZERK'S, EVERY CASTER, AND FOR GOD'S SAKE FURY'S (HEALER BTW SOE) OUT DPS ME MOST OF THE TIME.</P> <P>Bye SoE come Vanguard.</P> <P> </P>

[Blarth]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Teksun wrote:<blockquote><hr>Blarth wrote:<div></div><blockquote><hr>Demlar wrote:<div></div><div></div><p>Lead off with your debuffs, yes.  Try to always have Forester's Noose/Vines on the mob before you hit Emberstrike or Precise Shot since both of those do fire damage.  There is no "right way" to trigger all of your CA's though, it is all situational.  Just remember things like you can use Focus Aim while Stream of Arrows is going and things like that. </p><p>Message Edited by Demlar on <span class="date_text">04-10-2006</span><span class="time_text">08:23 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Don't Forget About Debuffs and Short term buffs. SOE gave them to us for a reason. Focus Aim is an amazing skill once you learn its potential. Normally I will use Focus Aim right before I let fly Culling the Weak, Triple Volley, Devitalizing Arrow, and either Rain of Arrows(if i dont need to worry about breaking mez), Precise shot(two shots, twice the chance to crit) or Amazing Shot. This is in a raid situation though. Also make sure you are using t7 arrows, they make a huge difference. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Blarth on <span class="date_text">04-12-2006</span> <span class="time_text">12:33 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>Just a little curious on your listing: I try to use Devitalizing as soon as possible (after stealth or backshot) for it's debuffing properties, giving Triple a better chance to hit all 3 shots... <div></div><hr></blockquote>That is a good point. I am no where near an great ranger imo, but Im trying to learn as much as i can. Also the mob is pretty much debuffed to hell by the time i get to it. (i.e using Vines before Precise) If you got a Brigand in the raid, try to time Sniper Shot with Dispatch. Dispatch will take down all the mobs resistances by 3000 for 13 seconds. The only classes that should out dps a Ranger would be Wizard, Warlocks, and Assassins. I consistanly am sitting in the top five BUT top player is either a Necro(dont like him cheating with his pet names the same as his) and a Brigand. The Brigand can hit anywhere from 600-1000dps depending on the mob. Seriously, [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn] SOE. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Blarth on <span class=date_text>04-12-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:09 PM</span>

[A]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> skylancer wrote:<BR> <P>Well not to say I am a top notch Ranger, but I have been playing this class since day1 almost exclusively.</P> <P>I am jaded I know, but my best advice to you is give it up. SoE doesnt have a place or a defined role for this class.</P> <P>Grizzlefazzzzle's procs once per 4 minute fight according to my parse- I'm back to the valian bow as it seems to parse btr than any other. Grizzles is busted, on purpose I think, SoE really doesnt want this class around.</P> <P>Yes after spending gobs of coin on grandmaster's, blah blah etc... etc... at 43 AA's with bow crits maxed, poise and the int line with poison's crits etc coming along....</P> <P>BRUISER'S, ZERK'S, EVERY CASTER, AND FOR GOD'S SAKE FURY'S (HEALER BTW SOE) OUT DPS ME MOST OF THE TIME.</P> <P>Bye SoE come Vanguard.</P> <P> </P><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>With over 30% of our damage coming from bow auto-attack these days the only thing you're going to achieve by  using valiant bow instead of Grizzlefazzle  is nerf your dps...</P> <P> </P>

[A]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Jay42 wrote:<BR> <P>Aye, I open almost every fight with Cover Fire, Vines, and Devit Arrow. </P> <P>Some of the biggest adjustments I've found are getting away from our multi-shot arts all the time (they just don't have much point anymore since they'll only proc once) and getting myself to use Confounding and Amazing shot as often as possible. Also rearranged my hotbars slightly to prompt myself to use my Focus and Instinct buffs every time they're available. </P><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>With poise I fire every bow art no matter what damage they provide.</P> <P>Casting time are so short that they modify very little the flow of auto attack so any Bow CA is just added dps...<BR></P>