Specing right for PvP?

Metallurion · 09-05-2008, 03:37 PM

Hi everyone,

I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems.

3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months.

A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does SMILEY . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear.

Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop.

I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance.

I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners.

I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense.

I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle.

Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything.

Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists.

Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post.

Ranja · 09-05-2008, 04:20 PM

Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Hi everyone,
I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems.
3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months.
A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear.
Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop.
I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance.
I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners.
I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense.
I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle.
Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything.
Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists.
Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post.

OK first thing I noticed is that you have +ca gear. +CA gear is probably the worst buff for Rangers since our CAs suck so much. You should be lookin for RC and RDA gear. In genearl all things being equal it goes RDA>RC>DPS>CA>Haste (only b/c we self buff haste). If we did not self buff haste then CA would be last.You should also spec the Double Shot line before the Extension line. This line will give you way more DPS and kill people much faster.]Also, why are you using Hemo. I would think in PvP you would want to frontload all of your damage for the quick kill. Everyone in PvE uses CAustic because due to our proc rate with bows it does more damage on the ZW. Is there a special pvp reason for using Hemo?

Metallurion · 09-06-2008, 07:06 AM

Thank you for your reply.

I will go with Mastercrafted gear then. The Hemo is for runners, it keeps ticking taking away their health while they're out of my reach, it does more damage in total, 2 ticks of Hemo (8 secs) = one proc of Caustic nearly.

I'll seriously consider taking the DA line for sure.

Come on guys, where're all the advice SMILEY .

gfx · 09-07-2008, 05:56 PM

Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote:Don't listen to the other guy

Hi everyone,
I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems.
3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months.
A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear.
Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop.
+CA damage is good for pre t8, cause in t5, where you currently are, CA's do most damage, and not auto attack.
I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance.
Well if you use butterfly + owl totem and use track proberly, noone should be able to sneak up on you
I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners.
I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense.
I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle.
May want to use Honed Reflexes, Feral Instinct, stealth, steady aim, THEN your ca's. For kiting or if they run towards you, use leg shot.
Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything.
The best way to own with a ranger, is find your own way to do it. It will take a while, but if you try and think alot, it will come.
Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists.
Instead of thinking so much about str, what about your hp ... ?
Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post.

gfx · 09-07-2008, 05:58 PM

Ranja wrote:

Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote:
Hi everyone,
I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems.
3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months.
A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear.
Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop.
I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance.
I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners.
I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense.
I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle.
Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything.
Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists.
Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post.
OK first thing I noticed is that you have +ca gear. +CA gear is probably the worst buff for Rangers since our CAs suck so much. You should be lookin for RC and RDA gear. In genearl all things being equal it goes RDA>RC>DPS>CA>Haste (only b/c we self buff haste). If we did not self buff haste then CA would be last.You should also spec the Double Shot line before the Extension line. This line will give you way more DPS and kill people much faster.]Also, why are you using Hemo. I would think in PvP you would want to frontload all of your damage for the quick kill. Everyone in PvE uses CAustic because due to our proc rate with bows it does more damage on the ZW. Is there a special pvp reason for using Hemo?

notice he said he was level 48? What RC and RDA items are there in pre t8 that are easy to get? SMILEY

no items.

Metallurion · 09-08-2008, 02:43 PM

Thanks Vin for your reply.

Indeed there're no RC or RDA in T5, but Ran's reply was appreciated for sure SMILEY .

I'm still considering the DA line in Ranger tree. Or any other spec in that tree, have 23 points to spend there and don't know what to spend them on, so should i stay in Extensions line, or ... ?

EDIT: I forgot you said Auto-Attacking doesn't do as much damage as in T8, so the DA line might not be as attractive in this tier. I was thinking ... take Snare upgrade 3, Leg Shot 5, Steady Aim 5, then work on Conservation line. Is that a good idea?

gfx · 09-08-2008, 04:16 PM

Well, how much do you usually auto attack for in PvP? Cause if it's only like 200, it's not worth going for Double Attack line. If you're 400 or above, it's worth it!

Metallurion · 09-09-2008, 07:16 AM

From the PvE point of view (will discuss PvP below) ... I just remember my upper limit in Auto-attack right now, which is 485 (from /weaponstat), that's without crits, the delay is 4.5 secs. I remember seeing 850 Auto-attack damage once coming off a mob's head, but i was actually looking SMILEY .

My CAs' damage are as follow (Just the 'Examine' upper limit is what i remember) ...

Hidden Fire ... 2200

Back-shot snare ... 1200

Heat damage ranged ... 400+300

Deaggro ranged ... don't remember that one, but like 500 or something

Triple attack ranged ... 500+400+300 or close to that

Defense debuff ranged ... 850

Miracle-shot ... 1200

Leg-shot is like 300 or something SMILEY , on an 8 secs recast right now.

Usually you take like 25% off the damage when PvPing, a Bow that does 200, does like 150 in PvP, might be even less.

If you need more info please tell me.

What about the INT line, is it a must-have? I mean, do all hardcore Rangers take that line, just checking, i love the line, but always had it, so don't know the effect of not having it, except that my Poisons will do 15% less damage based on a Crit sticky thread on these forums.

EDIT: I'm going to test Cautic Poison for a while, if that's a bad idea please tell me.

Thanks.

gfx · 09-10-2008, 04:05 AM

INT line is a very good idea. Combined with the extra % damage from poison line, your poison can be very lethal, when they crit. but if I was you, I would probably go for double arrow, cause double attacks can be quite nice. Make sure you use the best arrows for your tier, from broker. that's field points. In the 40's that would be.. fulginate field point arrow. you may be in t6 now, I don't know, but that would be indium field point arrow.

Metallurion · 09-10-2008, 09:17 AM

Cool, i think i might spec it after all. I always use those Field Point arrows indeed, always have a full 18 slot quiver full of them at all times SMILEY

. Also, i think the Caustic is working good so far, tested it a bit yesterday. I'm still level 46, i'm locked and not questing, want to enjoy this level range a bit, cause i'm still not convinced it's a good idea to go to T8, not from what i heard.

gfx · 09-11-2008, 03:05 AM

hm well, I would never want to go back to t5 or whatever, now that I'm in t8. So much pvp in t8 compared to the other tiers, really. are you on nagafen?

Metallurion · 09-11-2008, 11:05 AM

Yes indeed, i'm on Nagafen. From what i've heard about T8, it's a hell tier, a lot of one shotters, raid ganking, docks camping (same as lame T5), Mythical gear based over-powered toons running around!

If you look at T3 for example (best level of any alt i made so far was always level 26-29 maybe 33) you find people rolling in 2 or 3, most of the time alone, willing to fight, or even not willing but the damage isn't THAT high that they actually think about standing up and fighting. Setting all this aside, there're people to fight, especially in the sweet spot of level 21-22, most just try a class up to that level and if they don't like it they stop, so you can find even more players at that range.

I might not have all the perspective as i'm new to the server, but, nearly all of whom i talked to cursed T8 PvP, and now with WAR coming close i think EQ2 is in trouble in general. Well, as soon as the schools started i couldn't find PvP EVEN at busy hours, decent PvP can be found mostly on week-ends now. My guild rolls every other day starting 10PM EST and we just end up questing or named killing (we're all in the 40s), i just login a T3 toon and go out try to find someone to fight.

If you tell me that T8 isn't like what i heard, then i'm surely going to get an alt up there quick. I know money is really easy in that tier, but i'm not really in shortage of it, or at least don't need it that much (consumables aren't that expensive, and Fabled/Legendary gear are rediculously expensive or non-existent).

I actually thought about getting an Illusionist up to 80 to raid with him, cause i used to raid with one in T7 before i quit before RoK and loved him, i can DPS really well with that class from what i feel. But i had a hard time finding a decent raiding guild on AB, and when i did i had a blast. So just want to have fun PvPing instead of grinding then putting him on the shelf SMILEY .

Ok, i'm rambling now, lol, thanks for all your advice man.

KniteShayd · 09-29-2008, 05:25 AM

I have AGI 4-4-8-8-2

The rest are in my Ranger AA's. I have the Buffs/Extension line unlocked (5 def-5 rng-5 honed-2 feral) and the survival runspeeds maxed (5-Sprint, 5-Pathfinding, 5-Escape). I also have 5 snare- 5 legshot.

I will max out caustic damage and then put the rest into Lunge.

Then, I will max out some of the new AA's from the Ranger 2 line before touching the Pred line again.

AGI pred line should ALWAYS be your first to max out, unless you want the runspeeds. I AGI line, then runspeeds line. I would rather get away from a jump than try to melee a brig, assassin, swash, monk, or bruiser.

You need to max out your snare after that. Makes a huge difference for kiting, and for runners. Screw hemotoxin until INT line is maxed. Always go caustic because we are spike dmg. Caustic will get you killed by a sorcerer, healer, or anyone else that can out dps the poison tics or cure em. You can't cure the instant affect of the extra dmg from caustic. Granted, once you get your Int line maxed and are comfortable doing melee, then hemotoxin can actually put out more dps than caustic. Assuming the battle lasts that long. Hemotoxin is really better left to assassins since they have better poison AA's for it. Even better if it's a dark elf assassin as they have added racials for poisons.

Masters are a hard thing to come by for this class, so adept 3's are good enough. Mastercrafted will usually outweigh the treasured items (except some cloaks) and alot of legendary. You do want to find anything that can add to either your crits, ranged, hit chance, and auto range. Haste is nice, but better left to an enchanter you can have in your group. +CA is nice, but better if it's on a legendary. +8 str will overrule +4 CA.

If you are going to melee with int line, i suggest the buffs line maxed along with something that'll help avoidance when you fight another melee.

I don't bother with the damage line, I do just fine. But if it's fast, hard killsyou want, it may be worth it over the extesion line. But still max out the trapping line abilities for your snare to make it more speed reduction, and leg shot lines to reduce it's recast. Leg shot, at our level, is bread and butter vs. melees.

09-05-2008, 03:37 PM	#1
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	Hi everyone, I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems. 3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months. A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear. Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop. I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance. I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners. I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense. I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle. Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything. Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists. Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post.

09-05-2008, 04:20 PM	#2
Ranja Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,657	Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote: Hi everyone, I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems. 3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months. A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear. Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop. I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance. I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners. I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense. I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle. Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything. Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists. Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post. OK first thing I noticed is that you have +ca gear. +CA gear is probably the worst buff for Rangers since our CAs suck so much. You should be lookin for RC and RDA gear. In genearl all things being equal it goes RDA>RC>DPS>CA>Haste (only b/c we self buff haste). If we did not self buff haste then CA would be last.You should also spec the Double Shot line before the Extension line. This line will give you way more DPS and kill people much faster.]Also, why are you using Hemo. I would think in PvP you would want to frontload all of your damage for the quick kill. Everyone in PvE uses CAustic because due to our proc rate with bows it does more damage on the ZW. Is there a special pvp reason for using Hemo? __________________ Elbryan, 90 Half-elf Ranger Thoghmor, 70 Troll Bruiser Rotir, 90 Dark Elf Swash Terrano, 82 Dark Elf Dirge Aymon, 90, Barbarian Shadowknight The Destroyer of Worlds: http://s7.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=84341

09-06-2008, 07:06 AM	#3
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	Thank you for your reply. I will go with Mastercrafted gear then. The Hemo is for runners, it keeps ticking taking away their health while they're out of my reach, it does more damage in total, 2 ticks of Hemo (8 secs) = one proc of Caustic nearly. I'll seriously consider taking the DA line for sure. Come on guys, where're all the advice .

09-07-2008, 05:56 PM	#4
gfx General Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 542	Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote:Don't listen to the other guy Hi everyone, I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems. 3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months. A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear. Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop. +CA damage is good for pre t8, cause in t5, where you currently are, CA's do most damage, and not auto attack. I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance. Well if you use butterfly + owl totem and use track proberly, noone should be able to sneak up on you I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners. I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense. I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle. May want to use Honed Reflexes, Feral Instinct, stealth, steady aim, THEN your ca's. For kiting or if they run towards you, use leg shot. Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything. The best way to own with a ranger, is find your own way to do it. It will take a while, but if you try and think alot, it will come. Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists. Instead of thinking so much about str, what about your hp ... ? Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post. __________________

09-07-2008, 05:58 PM	#5
gfx General Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 542	Ranja wrote: Metallurion@Antonia Bayle wrote: Hi everyone, I have been playing EQ2 since 2 years ago, have always played Mage class in any RPG game, and same in EQ2, Necro and Illusionist. I started on AB, and been doing top DPS for all that time without any problems. 3 months ago i decided to check out PvP after quitting just before RoK came out and getting disappointed by AoC, I loved it, was playing Warden, Warlock for the first 2 months. A month ago i decided to make a Ranger, i'm having a blast of course playing him, everyone does . He's now level 46, and i don't think i have trouble with DPS really, but i want to reach max potential. I can't get Fabled and stuff like that, but i try my best to balance my gear. Couple of things i did ... first i noticed that when i got MC42 gear i had like 375 STR, VERY low resists. Now i went for Treasured/Legendary gear, with +CA Damage. That put my CA damage back to how it was with all that STR (got lower STR, will say how much in a bit), maybe 150 damage less on my 2k+ Hidden Fire, but the rest of the CAs are the same, here's the shocker to hardcore Rangers (who will for sure call me a n00b), i have only 235 STR. My resists are 2k all nearly, my health is 4k, mit is 37%, avoid is 27% in offense. My total +CA Damage is 180. My bow damage went down from 570 to 480 or something on the max because of the STR drop. I have 69 AAs, full INT and AGI line, full Extension line. My logic is that i need to defend myself from those melee classes who see me on track and i can't hit them hard and fast enough before they come close, they already saw me coming, that's the first 5 points in that line, i use that stance only if i go into melee, the extension just gives me 8m more on my bow and more hit chance. I use Longarm to hit from faaaar away, works great, works awesome on runners. I use DoT (Hemo) Poison, works great on runners also, i use Fettering and Warding Ebb till i hit 50/52 to use the one that decreases defense. I use Intox then stealth, then use Steady Aim, then Hidden Fire, then ranged back attack (snare one, forgot its name), Honed Reflexes then Feral Instinct, then fast cast CAs (2, one has deaggro and other fire damage), then the slow ones ... Triple Shot, Trick Shot, Miracle Shot. If in the middle of those he starts running at me, i use Leg Shot when he gets in range (has 42m range, the rest have 58m). When in melee range, i switch Defense Stance, i cast my defense reduction, then Kerra mit debuff, then poison debuff (INT line), then stun/snare, and sprint away casting Leg Shot in the middle. Now, my question is ... lol ... what am i doing wrong? I know i'm doing something n00bish in all this, if not everything, so i would REALLY appreciate any advice, any links to EQ2Flames for advice, tell/link me everything you know/posted/learned from please, even raiding advice. I already read everything i can on these forums. Just need more to make sure i didn't miss anything. Most go for full STR, but i got same damage without it with +CA Damage, that's just an example, that's why i listed all the above, to give you a full perspective about what i'm doing and what i noticed before giving my generic advice. I thought about just not thinking too much about gear and go with MC as usual, but i don't like following the herd, i want to 'think' about what i'm doing, resists really benefit me in PvP, my level 22 Ranger does great (or so i think o.0) in 1v1 just because of those resists. Thank you guys in advance for every bit of advice you're going to give me, and know i'll use it well. And sorry about that long post. OK first thing I noticed is that you have +ca gear. +CA gear is probably the worst buff for Rangers since our CAs suck so much. You should be lookin for RC and RDA gear. In genearl all things being equal it goes RDA>RC>DPS>CA>Haste (only b/c we self buff haste). If we did not self buff haste then CA would be last.You should also spec the Double Shot line before the Extension line. This line will give you way more DPS and kill people much faster.]Also, why are you using Hemo. I would think in PvP you would want to frontload all of your damage for the quick kill. Everyone in PvE uses CAustic because due to our proc rate with bows it does more damage on the ZW. Is there a special pvp reason for using Hemo? notice he said he was level 48? What RC and RDA items are there in pre t8 that are easy to get? no items. __________________

09-08-2008, 02:43 PM	#6
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	Thanks Vin for your reply. Indeed there're no RC or RDA in T5, but Ran's reply was appreciated for sure . I'm still considering the DA line in Ranger tree. Or any other spec in that tree, have 23 points to spend there and don't know what to spend them on, so should i stay in Extensions line, or ... ? EDIT: I forgot you said Auto-Attacking doesn't do as much damage as in T8, so the DA line might not be as attractive in this tier. I was thinking ... take Snare upgrade 3, Leg Shot 5, Steady Aim 5, then work on Conservation line. Is that a good idea?

09-08-2008, 04:16 PM	#7
gfx General Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 542	Well, how much do you usually auto attack for in PvP? Cause if it's only like 200, it's not worth going for Double Attack line. If you're 400 or above, it's worth it! __________________

09-09-2008, 07:16 AM	#8
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	From the PvE point of view (will discuss PvP below) ... I just remember my upper limit in Auto-attack right now, which is 485 (from /weaponstat), that's without crits, the delay is 4.5 secs. I remember seeing 850 Auto-attack damage once coming off a mob's head, but i was actually looking . My CAs' damage are as follow (Just the 'Examine' upper limit is what i remember) ... Hidden Fire ... 2200 Back-shot snare ... 1200 Heat damage ranged ... 400+300 Deaggro ranged ... don't remember that one, but like 500 or something Triple attack ranged ... 500+400+300 or close to that Defense debuff ranged ... 850 Miracle-shot ... 1200 Leg-shot is like 300 or something , on an 8 secs recast right now. Usually you take like 25% off the damage when PvPing, a Bow that does 200, does like 150 in PvP, might be even less. If you need more info please tell me. What about the INT line, is it a must-have? I mean, do all hardcore Rangers take that line, just checking, i love the line, but always had it, so don't know the effect of not having it, except that my Poisons will do 15% less damage based on a Crit sticky thread on these forums. EDIT: I'm going to test Cautic Poison for a while, if that's a bad idea please tell me. Thanks.

09-10-2008, 04:05 AM	#9
gfx General Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 542	INT line is a very good idea. Combined with the extra % damage from poison line, your poison can be very lethal, when they crit. but if I was you, I would probably go for double arrow, cause double attacks can be quite nice. Make sure you use the best arrows for your tier, from broker. that's field points. In the 40's that would be.. fulginate field point arrow. you may be in t6 now, I don't know, but that would be indium field point arrow. __________________

09-10-2008, 09:17 AM	#10
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	Cool, i think i might spec it after all. I always use those Field Point arrows indeed, always have a full 18 slot quiver full of them at all times . Also, i think the Caustic is working good so far, tested it a bit yesterday. I'm still level 46, i'm locked and not questing, want to enjoy this level range a bit, cause i'm still not convinced it's a good idea to go to T8, not from what i heard.

09-11-2008, 03:05 AM	#11
gfx General Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 542	hm well, I would never want to go back to t5 or whatever, now that I'm in t8. So much pvp in t8 compared to the other tiers, really. are you on nagafen? __________________

09-11-2008, 11:05 AM	#12
Metallurion Server: Antonia Bayle Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Egypt Posts: 100	Yes indeed, i'm on Nagafen. From what i've heard about T8, it's a hell tier, a lot of one shotters, raid ganking, docks camping (same as lame T5), Mythical gear based over-powered toons running around! If you look at T3 for example (best level of any alt i made so far was always level 26-29 maybe 33) you find people rolling in 2 or 3, most of the time alone, willing to fight, or even not willing but the damage isn't THAT high that they actually think about standing up and fighting. Setting all this aside, there're people to fight, especially in the sweet spot of level 21-22, most just try a class up to that level and if they don't like it they stop, so you can find even more players at that range. I might not have all the perspective as i'm new to the server, but, nearly all of whom i talked to cursed T8 PvP, and now with WAR coming close i think EQ2 is in trouble in general. Well, as soon as the schools started i couldn't find PvP EVEN at busy hours, decent PvP can be found mostly on week-ends now. My guild rolls every other day starting 10PM EST and we just end up questing or named killing (we're all in the 40s), i just login a T3 toon and go out try to find someone to fight. If you tell me that T8 isn't like what i heard, then i'm surely going to get an alt up there quick. I know money is really easy in that tier, but i'm not really in shortage of it, or at least don't need it that much (consumables aren't that expensive, and Fabled/Legendary gear are rediculously expensive or non-existent). I actually thought about getting an Illusionist up to 80 to raid with him, cause i used to raid with one in T7 before i quit before RoK and loved him, i can DPS really well with that class from what i feel. But i had a hard time finding a decent raiding guild on AB, and when i did i had a blast. So just want to have fun PvPing instead of grinding then putting him on the shelf . Ok, i'm rambling now, lol, thanks for all your advice man.

09-29-2008, 05:25 AM	#13
KniteShayd Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 1,190	I have AGI 4-4-8-8-2 The rest are in my Ranger AA's. I have the Buffs/Extension line unlocked (5 def-5 rng-5 honed-2 feral) and the survival runspeeds maxed (5-Sprint, 5-Pathfinding, 5-Escape). I also have 5 snare- 5 legshot. I will max out caustic damage and then put the rest into Lunge. Then, I will max out some of the new AA's from the Ranger 2 line before touching the Pred line again. AGI pred line should ALWAYS be your first to max out, unless you want the runspeeds. I AGI line, then runspeeds line. I would rather get away from a jump than try to melee a brig, assassin, swash, monk, or bruiser. You need to max out your snare after that. Makes a huge difference for kiting, and for runners. Screw hemotoxin until INT line is maxed. Always go caustic because we are spike dmg. Caustic will get you killed by a sorcerer, healer, or anyone else that can out dps the poison tics or cure em. You can't cure the instant affect of the extra dmg from caustic. Granted, once you get your Int line maxed and are comfortable doing melee, then hemotoxin can actually put out more dps than caustic. Assuming the battle lasts that long. Hemotoxin is really better left to assassins since they have better poison AA's for it. Even better if it's a dark elf assassin as they have added racials for poisons. Masters are a hard thing to come by for this class, so adept 3's are good enough. Mastercrafted will usually outweigh the treasured items (except some cloaks) and alot of legendary. You do want to find anything that can add to either your crits, ranged, hit chance, and auto range. Haste is nice, but better left to an enchanter you can have in your group. +CA is nice, but better if it's on a legendary. +8 str will overrule +4 CA. If you are going to melee with int line, i suggest the buffs line maxed along with something that'll help avoidance when you fight another melee. I don't bother with the damage line, I do just fine. But if it's fast, hard killsyou want, it may be worth it over the extesion line. But still max out the trapping line abilities for your snare to make it more speed reduction, and leg shot lines to reduce it's recast. Leg shot, at our level, is bread and butter vs. melees.