Debating making a Ranger

[Halius]

So I have a dilemma that I am hoping anyone with some experience on the class can help me out with. I am seriously debating starting a Ranger despite all the hate for them and the exp penalty. I have always been intrigued by the class and thought it would be fun to play. My Magician will remain my main but I want a class to play when I get bored on the mage and although my enchanter is fun with charm, I just want to shift from the caster classes. So anyways I have a couple of questions.

1. After selling gear and such from my chanter I should have close to 4-5k to spend gearing up a Ranger, will that be sufficient to be self-sustaining should I need it? I tend to solo a lot because I am usually quite busy and rarely have time to sit in a group.

2. How good is bow-kiting? Will it be torture with how slow the exp will come or is it actually pretty decent?

3. What is your favorite part about the ranger class?

4. Goes along with question 1, but any gear suggestions?

I really think the class looks fun I just want to make sure I can enjoy it, even solo if I have to. Well any advice on the class is appreciated, thanks in advance!

[Kender]

So I have a dilemma that I am hoping anyone with some experience on the class can help me out with. I am seriously debating starting a Ranger despite all the hate for them and the exp penalty. I have always been intrigued by the class and thought it would be fun to play. My Magician will remain my main but I want a class to play when I get bored on the mage and although my enchanter is fun with charm, I just want to shift from the caster classes. So anyways I have a couple of questions.

1. After selling gear and such from my chanter I should have close to 4-5k to spend gearing up a Ranger, will that be sufficient to be self-sustaining should I need it? I tend to solo a lot because I am usually quite busy and rarely have time to sit in a group.

2. How good is bow-kiting? Will it be torture with how slow the exp will come or is it actually pretty decent?

3. What is your favorite part about the ranger class?

4. Goes along with question 1, but any gear suggestions?

I really think the class looks fun I just want to make sure I can enjoy it, even solo if I have to. Well any advice on the class is appreciated, thanks in advance!


1. silver swiftblade is your starter weapon. it will see you through to level 20 with ease. at that point, unless you have a big wad of coin to spend you will probably want to look at something like a jade mace and css, or a lammy or a combnation. if you got the coin by then, Woodsman's Staff is your best bet.
ac/hp rings always help to keep you alive, sarnak-hide mask is a cheap str booster. tree weave for chest at 700ish pp is good, as is hero bracer. Runed oak bow or trueshot longbow are reasonably priced. there is alot of cheapish str gear you can look at

2. get runed oak bow or trueshot and it'll help alot. when you can snare (level 9) you can bow kite reasonably ok but it wont be fast. You can strafe run for distance and bow kite too if you really have to. with a good bow at low levels, you might be able to solo for more xp than in a group or at least be comparable

3. versatility. you can surprise groups if you play well. they make a pretty decent CC option with no chanter. you can save the healer from having to root. can tank if necessary with reasonable gear. harmony when you get it is fantastic

4. mentioned some in 1.

[Potus]

Make your ranger on Red. He'll steamroll people and get groups because of low pop.

[Rangerdown]

Bow anything is horrible. Dont do it. If your gonna solo, you gotta toe to toe like a pro whenever you can. Use a 2 handed weapon. Springwood staff is way cheaper than woodsmans. Banded armor is fine to start or if you really want to twink him use your mage to kill the mobs and quest yourself some ivy etched.

[Kender]

Bow anything is horrible. Dont do it. If your gonna solo, you gotta toe to toe like a pro whenever you can. Use a 2 handed weapon. Springwood staff is way cheaper than woodsmans. Banded armor is fine to start or if you really want to twink him use your mage to kill the mobs and quest yourself some ivy etched.

1-20 you can totally bow kite since with a runed oak bow (or trueshot is ok) and damage 1 arrows you do up to 22 damage. beyond that and the mobs start having too many hp. after 10 it will slow down alot though

you could do 1-20 with just a bow and a bag of arrows and no other gear too if you really had to. your melee skills will suck at the end of it, and you'd have to shoot off quite a few arrows.

[Rangerdown]

1-20 you can totally bow kite since with a runed oak bow (or trueshot is ok) and damage 1 arrows you do up to 22 damage. beyond that and the mobs start having too many hp. after 10 it will slow down alot though

you could do 1-20 with just a bow and a bag of arrows and no other gear too if you really had to. your melee skills will suck at the end of it, and you'd have to shoot off quite a few arrows.

Absolutely you can. You can do a root canal at home with a power drill and some super glue too. :p

In either case, if you can get to 22 you can solo to 60 once velious gets here fear kiting.

[Nocsucow]

i just started playing my ranger like a month ago for the very first time .. he just hit 50 and im having alot of fun with em .. just need them uber lewtz from the planes ( red server btw)

[kruptcy]

I just made a ranger and I love playing it. Certainly not as powerful solo as my enchanter, and bow kiting is torture, even with a Rain Caller and non-store-bought arrows. It's faster to go toe-to-toe and then heal and med up after than it is to kite. I'm level 17 now so not a great judge of how they are going to be later on... but 1-17 is a blast!

[Halius]

Awesome thank you all for the responses. So it sounds to me like I should just focus on some decent weapons and the bow is more useful for getting a little extra damage in if I say snare pull a mob and get a couple hits in before it reaches me.

And then I guess 2h weapons will be better? Is there a point when two 1h will out perform the 2h weapons? Other than Epic of course.

[eqgmrdbz]

Im a little late to the party, almost 47 wood elf ranger here, You have 4k for twinking nice, get ac/str/hp gear. I put all my points into Dex, dex gear is hard to come by, but str gear is all over the place. Dex also plays a big part if you want to solo at higher levels with the Swarmcaller. I did not bow kite, i used my bow as a dot, I would root dot then use my bow, i did this until 46 when i switched to using my Swarmy, and switching of to better weps.

Right now if you want me to give you a measure, I can kill 3 dark blue con Hill giants before i have to med. HG's have ton of hp's, so i can take out 4 or 5 DB con mobs with less hp's. I am using an FBss, but would really like to upgarde to a RBB.

Starting off, i would deffinetly go with the swiftblade, then upgrade to Woodman's staff, it seems that the Woodsman is the best wep to have, if you dont want to be reposted to death. Str or Dex is a tough choice, Str suppsedly makes you hit harder, but you do need that Swarmy to proc if you want to solo at higher levels. Anyways, i should of been 55 by now, but i have been missing too much playing time, and i also messed around with my other toons.

Rangers are not as bad as people say they are :)

[Halius]

Im a little late to the party, almost 47 wood elf ranger here, You have 4k for twinking nice, get ac/str/hp gear. I put all my points into Dex, dex gear is hard to come by, but str gear is all over the place. Dex also plays a big part if you want to solo at higher levels with the Swarmcaller. I did not bow kite, i used my bow as a dot, I would root dot then use my bow, i did this until 46 when i switched to using my Swarmy, and switching of to better weps.

Right now if you want me to give you a measure, I can kill 3 dark blue con Hill giants before i have to med. HG's have ton of hp's, so i can take out 4 or 5 DB con mobs with less hp's. I am using an FBss, but would really like to upgarde to a RBB.

Starting off, i would deffinetly go with the swiftblade, then upgrade to Woodman's staff, it seems that the Woodsman is the best wep to have, if you dont want to be reposted to death. Str or Dex is a tough choice, Str suppsedly makes you hit harder, but you do need that Swarmy to proc if you want to solo at higher levels. Anyways, i should of been 55 by now, but i have been missing too much playing time, and i also messed around with my other toons.

Rangers are not as bad as people say they are :)

Thanks for the tips. And I wouldn't beat yourself up too bad about only being 47. I started playing here October of last year and still only have a level 32 magician. My playtime is extremely limited which is why I want to be able to solo.

[scythic]

Being that this is EQ I would recommend joining groups and not worrying about what you can solo. You can fill in the tank roll well into your 40's. Use Flame Lick for instant aggro. A woodsman's staff will cost you about 7k. Better to stick with your silver swiftblade until the rest of your gear is decent.
I wouldn't recommend a Ranger if your goal is to solo.

[Halius]

Being that this is EQ I would recommend joining groups and not worrying about what you can solo. You can fill in the tank roll well into your 40's. Use Flame Lick for instant aggro. A woodsman's staff will cost you about 7k. Better to stick with your silver swiftblade until the rest of your gear is decent.
I wouldn't recommend a Ranger if your goal is to solo.

Well that isn't my goal, I would prefer to group. It's just with 3 kids, half the time that I do find a group, after about 30 minutes I have to bail because my daughter wakes in the middle of the night or something and then I feel like an asshole to the group. I just want the "option" to solo and I want something other than a caster. I love my mage and enchanter but I'm interested in playing a melee. I had a Paladin and Warrior on live back in 00'-01' (35th, 55th levels) so I know about sitting in groups for hours, but I just don't have that time anymore. Anyways, I don't want to go warrior or rogue because they are so group dependent unless you have a fungi which I obviously can't afford, and I have already played a paladin on live, hence my interest in a Ranger.

[Nirgon]

Snare mob -> spam flame lick and shoot arrows to keep agro while kiting

Have an epic rogue or enchanter with quadding pet maul shit

Bonus points if you can find a rogue or monk npc for the enchanter to charm

[Whirled]

Was killing this guy(( http://wiki.project1999.com/Axe_Broadsmith )) with a 19 ranger.

Some faction hits but you can keep the Hadden camper company in between spawns =D

[eqgmrdbz]

Woops i am not a wood elf ranger, i am a Half Elf ranger :o

[Tenlaar]

Honestly, it sounds like a SK might fit your play style a little better. From 15 on you can fear kite when you can't dedicate yourself enough for a group, and from 30 on you can FD whenever you need to step away and handle something without fear of random agro, not to mention saving you when things go bad so that you have less CRs eating up your playtime.

[eqgmrdbz]

Honestly, it sounds like a SK might fit your play style a little better. From 15 on you can fear kite when you can't dedicate yourself enough for a group, and from 30 on you can FD whenever you need to step away and handle something without fear of random agro, not to mention saving you when things go bad so that you have less CRs eating up your playtime.


That doesnt sound like a bad idea, especially when you need to step away. :cool:

[kruptcy]

Or even a monk? Higher DPS and more desirable in groups than an SK generally, also with good solo ability and the ability to feign.

[Malone88]

Make your ranger on Red. He'll steamroll people and get groups because of low pop.
I couldn't agree with this statement more, since it seems you play on both servers.
You will find a lot of ranger hate on blue from the min-maxers. You will be welcomed
into groups on red.

Some gear suggestions (some already mentioned):
+55hp rings
Hero Bracer
Sword of Skyfire
Green Jade Broadsword (i prefer a DW-ing ranger myself)
Hooded Black Cloak

Rangers are great pullers, can tank in a pinch, and do some solid
crowd control with root/snare/flamelick.

Good luck!

[Kender]

you can twink a monk better with 4k than an sk.

here's a good start. (not all slots listed cause i couldnt be bothered)
about 2k worth gve or take

wu's quivering staff 150-200
2x 5ac/55hp rings 500
sarnak-hide mask 100-150
Foreman's Tunic 150
Azure Sleeves 50-100
Sapphire Electrum Earring 160-200
Griffon Talon Gloves 60
Executioner's Hood 400
Gatorscale Leggings (campable on your mage and great xp for them)
Sapphire Platinum Necklace 350

[Halius]

Thank you everyone for all the info and tips, I really appreciate it!

I couldn't agree with this statement more, since it seems you play on both servers.
You will find a lot of ranger hate on blue from the min-maxers. You will be welcomed
into groups on red.

Some gear suggestions (some already mentioned):
+55hp rings
Hero Bracer
Sword of Skyfire
Green Jade Broadsword (i prefer a DW-ing ranger myself)
Hooded Black Cloak

Rangers are great pullers, can tank in a pinch, and do some solid
crowd control with root/snare/flamelick.

Good luck!

I actually did make a ranger on red last night, my only problem is I don't have any wealth built up yet on Red, but I guess that is a good part of the fun. Maybe I'll just keep him there :D

you can twink a monk better with 4k than an sk.

here's a good start. (not all slots listed cause i couldnt be bothered)
about 2k worth gve or take

wu's quivering staff 150-200
2x 5ac/55hp rings 500
sarnak-hide mask 100-150
Foreman's Tunic 150
Azure Sleeves 50-100
Sapphire Electrum Earring 160-200
Griffon Talon Gloves 60
Executioner's Hood 400
Gatorscale Leggings (campable on your mage and great xp for them)
Sapphire Platinum Necklace 350

Thanks for the tips! I actually already have a monk that I have tried out, I just wasn't sure of their solo capability at later levels, is it pretty good? He already has the rings and a couple Trance Sticks, and some raw silk stuff. Think monk would be better for solo play?

[Kender]

Thank you everyone for all the info and tips, I really appreciate it!



I actually did make a ranger on red last night, my only problem is I don't have any wealth built up yet on Red, but I guess that is a good part of the fun. Maybe I'll just keep him there :D



Thanks for the tips! I actually already have a monk that I have tried out, I just wasn't sure of their solo capability at later levels, is it pretty good? He already has the rings and a couple Trance Sticks, and some raw silk stuff. Think monk would be better for solo play?

monks pre 50 can kill stuff that's blue to them easy enough on 50% health with the right weapons. theya re also bind wound capped at 200 instead of the 100 that warriors and rogues are. that + mend means they have smaller amounts of downtime than other melees. and FD is an XP saver if it looks like death is looming

[Kender]

p.s. and they are always wanted in groups

[applesauce25r624]

1. After selling gear and such from my chanter I should have close to 4-5k to spend gearing up a Ranger, will that be sufficient to be self-sustaining should I need it? I tend to solo a lot because I am usually quite busy and rarely have time to sit in a group.

2. How good is bow-kiting? Will it be torture with how slow the exp will come or is it actually pretty decent?

3. What is your favorite part about the ranger class?

4. Goes along with question 1, but any gear suggestions?


1. be sure you can afford woodsman's staff at 20 (once the dmg cap goes away). You will be using that shit for quite a while and since you're gung-ho about soloing, you want ass-beating capabilities

3. They take death touches. Also the beautiful green armor

[Potus]

I actually did make a ranger on red last night, my only problem is I don't have any wealth built up yet on Red, but I guess that is a good part of the fun. Maybe I'll just keep him there :D

Have fun killing people.