Drawn to melee.

[Azelle]

I already have two level 15 (shaman and cleric) but realized I would have way more fun doing dps then healing/buffing. The mana aspect is annoying me. I don't wanna sit or wait I want to hit things and see them die!The thing is I can't make up my mind on what melee class to play.

- ranger looks fun and seems to add utility to acceptable dps and can probably solo when no group are around but I get answers like "reroll" when I dare ask for advice.
- monks are both group and solo friendly (I think) but the -can't carry much- penalty scares me. Is it such a hassle when in a group or only when soloing? As a newb we hold unto everything trying to sell it!
- rogues are great dps from what I can read but what else do they bring to a group?

As soon as I catch up to level 16-18 I'll be able to group with my guildmates once more. Naturally I want the most useful melee dps class to help my group.

Keep in mind I have maybe 150p on my current shaman to buy whatever on the new melee character, so twinking is totally out of the question.

I would appreciate any advice on this. I doubt we'll be raiding much, we just having fun.

[Daldaen]

Ranger is definitely the most soloable, with the utility spells they get.

Monks are wanted for groups and raiding for sure, pulling is also a fun aspect of the game IMO. Personally on my monk I don't pay much attention to the weight limit penalty (though he is quite twinked). It only impacts your defensive capabilities. So as long as you aren't getting hit and you have a tank, it's not a factor. That being said you will get hit when pulling and many times monks end up tanking in groups and pulling aggro from warriors.

In short, it shouldn't deter you much from looting at low levels. Around 40ish is when I'd think leaning out and buying some WR bags should be high priority for you.

Rogues can sometimes pull, drag corpses, scout and open locked doors (limited use but worth mentioning).

Rogue is the most dependent on others for exp (you basically have to group). Monks are more of a middle ground. Rangers allow the most flexibility and versatility, though they aren't optimized for anything.

I'd highly suggest ranger personally. You can DPS, heal badly in a pinch, root CC, learning to pull with Harmony and Snare makes you invaluable in outdoor zones. Plus there aren't that many rangers around on this server, whereas there are many monks/rogues.

[Azelle]

Thank you Daldaen for your answer. Where would you position ranger dps compared to monk and rogue? I know it's last but is the gap very big? Why aren't there more ranger on the server if they seem to be useful?

[Daldaen]

Uhh I'd say rangers are 60% of Rogues and 80% of Monks? Just off the top of my head numbers. Feel free to correct me people (this is ignoring any DDs or procs they do, so shift them up 5% when they can land those).

A few reasons. Primarily, they have a 40% EXP penalty (this will be removed in about 3-4 months). Secondly people here tend to min max obsessively. Rangers are a great class because they can fill in. DPS as needed, tank when real tank needs 5 min AFK (Rangers tank great on most group content when geared properly), root CC or Harmony pull outdoors, snare to prevent runners, heal as needed, throw DS on tank for extra DPS - etc. the problem with all of these roles, is someone else can do them "better". Which means in a group of 6, you will have a better backup healer or you'll have CC or a rogue to DPS.

Rangers shine in groups of 3-4 players because they can use all of their utility. Less so in groups of 6 (though they are far from useless in a group of 6... A group is far more likely to opt for a Rogue if they need DPS for that last slot or a Monk if they need a puller for that last slot, over the ranger).

If you have a static group of friends or guildmates who you will level with this is a non-issue though. Most of their issue is people's perception of them.

[Azelle]

Yes I have a static group that mix and match. The class we often get together are:
pally
SK
enchanter
mage
shaman
druid
Mix and match of course , like we don't have the druid (or other class) every evening, all depends on family, work and such. I think you are right ranger might be fine for the utility, I would be DPSing but would also offer something else when the need is there.

Thank you once more! I can suck in the 40% exp penalty and my guildmates won't mind.

[Tuljin]

Hybrids are all great classes that get an unfair amount of hate on this server. Even though there's always a class that's "better than you" at something, the utility of each hybrid class allows for incredible flexibility with group composition and in the hands of a great player Hybrids really shine.

Ranger is a great class and perhaps one of the biggest perks that hasn't been mentioned is non-nerfed tracking. If you are the only person who knows where the named mobs are, you can put your own crew together and go get some good loots, especially if you say you won't be "raiding" much. You can tank any dungeon content properly geared and healed.

Don't let the hot air blowing around this server make you feel bad about being Ranger - you are rare and useful and you can track mobs. You also don't have to wait in line for loot and spend tons of money on it.

[Donruss]

I vote monk.

You can "twink" any of these 3 for 150.

Monk- wu's quivering staff. 23/28ish? Crazy good as the dmg cap starts fading.

Rog- goblin backstabber is like 7/23? There is also something similar with a name I forget, tombcarver or something maybe? These are 1h weapons. Rogues can only use 1h weapons, another thing to think about.

Ranger- silver swiftblade Is what? 16/25 or something? I forgot, even though my ranger has one lol

If you choose to group on your monk you will pretty much HAVE to pull. I got annoyed with pulling during my monks early 50's.. KC was the final straw. I rolled a Rog so I could be lazy and do even more damage. Rog is lvl40 now, and I am back to playing my monk.

Monk can duo with any priest effectively. Even indoors.

If you want to pull, roll a monk
if you dont, roll a Rog

I will get back to you about ranger once mine is high enough to have an opinion.

[Pipip]

I enjoy playing my ranger, but it isn't for everyone. The xp penalty is annoying, but if you play an iksar monk (the most popular choice), your xp penalty is even worse. So I just don't think about it.

I don't really have any chronic problem getting groups, but I will add that in 90% of the groups I've been invited to, I'm expected to tank. Sure that will change at high levels, but there is a shortage of tanks, and rangers hold aggro really well with flame lick. A few days ago I was both the main tank and only healer in a PUG in mistmoore, and we kept that going for two hours. Monk, enchanter, wizard, two rogues. With slows from the enchanter, I was fine healing between pulls. Of course clarity also helps tremendously...

When not grouping, soloing is pretty good for rangers. You get downtime reduction with heals, and bow kiting is fun. Just crafted my trueshot a few days ago.

So my answer in short, is go monk, lol. jk, they all are decent choices

[jolanar]

I've been playing a monk but seriously reconsidering rerolling a ranger. Primarily because I feel like I can't even join groups without being the pull beyotch. I don't HATE pulling but it's a job that you can't ever really just relax with.

Do rangers really solo as well as monks do? What are ranger soloing tactics like compared to monk?

[Azelle]

Thanks again guys for the help! I went with a wood elf ranger after looking at the spell list and having guild telling me go ranger we need the snare lol. Level 7 now, going pretty smooth so far, the dps is good with a Dragon Dirk (6/23) that a guildmate gave/lend me until I can get something better. I soloed so far on blues and whites and it's going well. Might even have a druid to duo with until I catch up to my guildies in Permafrost!

My bow is crap damage though, will it ever be useful?

[ghost182]

Thanks again guys for the help! I went with a wood elf ranger after looking at the spell list and having guild telling me go ranger we need the snare lol. Level 7 now, going pretty smooth so far, the dps is good with a Dragon Dirk (6/23) that a guildmate gave/lend me until I can get something better. I soloed so far on blues and whites and it's going well. Might even have a druid to duo with until I catch up to my guildies in Permafrost!

My bow is crap damage though, will it ever be useful?

Ranger really becomes a lot of fun later on. Leveling up is a little bit bland.

Tanking is basically auto attack/kick/taunt and you cast flamelick and snare for aggro. you root park mobs when needed, patch heal in a pinch or just to speed up downtime between pulls, and the occasional nukes, which are more effective when squeezed in between a slower 2h weapon than with dual wield.

It is kind of cool that you can both tank and pull for a group, specifically outdoor. You have harmony to get singles, and you can root or snare one if you like to delay one mob incoming.

As you get higher lvl, your buffs (Skin, Coat, Str, Agi,) damage shield, quick-cast nukes, dots, snare, root, and heals become a lot more respectable. The melee damage is solid enough too.

I think you'll have a lot of fun 50+, maybe not so much tanking and pulling indoors and more of a utility dps.

The biggest things I would mention are

1. The ability to reach 91% haste on your own (sky cloak and a 41% haste on swiftwind).

2. The ability to slow (Swarmcaller/Earthcaller).

3. Double bow damage to stationary, but un-rooted, mobs with the chance to crit on top of that. It's surely not better than melee but its basically aggro-less, safe, and you can nuke in-between shots.

4. The ability to port to 3 major continents (WC Cap, OT Hammer, Faydark Breastplate)

5. Greater Healing + Chloroplast + Fungi.

[Pipip]

Bow damage is actually surprisingly good. You can crit on bow hits, I forget which level that starts. But if you root something, you can kill it with your bow (you'll likely have to re-root) without taking any damage. You can also just wear it down and finish it off with melee, taking minimal damage.

If you want to conserve mana, use a root proc weapon (there are a lot of cheap ranger weapons with root procs, like the blade of the earthcaller). Swing till you get a root proc, run a few steps, turn off autoattack, and start shooting. It gets even better in Velious when quivers give bow haste.

For solo tactics, you can do the above, or just tank and spank, healing yourself up after the fight. Snare the mobs so that they can't move when they try to run away <20%.

Tracking is nice for soloing. You can cherry pick the mobs you want without running all over the place at random like most other classes.

[ghost182]

Bow damage is actually surprisingly good. You can crit on bow hits, I forget which level that starts. But if you root something, you can kill it with your bow (you'll likely have to re-root) without taking any damage. You can also just wear it down and finish it off with melee, taking minimal damage.

If you want to conserve mana, use a root proc weapon (there are a lot of cheap ranger weapons with root procs, like the blade of the earthcaller). Swing till you get a root proc, run a few steps, turn off autoattack, and start shooting. It gets even better in Velious when quivers give bow haste.

For solo tactics, you can do the above, or just tank and spank, healing yourself up after the fight. Snare the mobs so that they can't move when they try to run away <20%.

Tracking is nice for soloing. You can cherry pick the mobs you want without running all over the place at random like most other classes.

Good call, and it's worth mentioning you can sort your tracking based on distance, level, or recent spawn/zone enter. the last one is huge when youre spawning named mobs etc etc. for instance Quillmane or Hunter/Forager cycle. Put the newest mobs in zone to top of list.

[Azelle]

I'm level 9 now, yay spells! I was tanking for a little group in Crushbone today, it went ok! Now to find a fire beetle eye for flame lick lol

[Roguejm11]

Rune Oak Bow. 150pp I think
Silver Swiftblade - 100pp


At low levels 1-10, you can practically one shot mobs.
Beyond that, the bow is a decent 1-2 shot dmg right off the back to drop your mob to 80% or so before you start attacking.

If you don't have a Silver Swiftblade.. GET IT. It is by far your max dps you can possibly get for a Ranger from level 1-20. 16/25 2hs is insane stats for a new ranger. Keep a crap 1hs weapon when you are in a group to keep your skill up. Spend 10-15mins on each new level using the 1hs to max the skill then go back to the Swiftblade.