Are Rangers still hated in Velious era?

[Loadsamoney]

Are they still shunned from parties in Velious P1999? I want to roll one from scratch, completely unfunded, but not if people are still ultra snobby about party composition.

[DinoTriz2]

Nah, they're fine. Ranger it up, bud.

[Loadsamoney]

Nah, they're fine. Ranger it up, bud.

Mmk. I figured that if not a 6-man, then at least most Raids would want a Ranger just for the tracking. But I plan to solo it as much as I can so if I can't get groups, hopefully it won't be too bad. With Root, DoT's, self healing and decent melee I'd think Rangers would make decent soloers as long as you can control the pulls.

[stebbins99]

Rangers are awesome pullers in outdoor zones for groups. Thus, if you're looking to group whilst levelling up, I'd suggest focusing on outdoor zones to maximize your desirability. (ie SoW and Harmony)

[loramin]

It really depends on context.

A lot of Ranger hate comes from them being sub-optimal on raids, and in truth Rangers do still get asked to take death touches on many raids (implying that they're the least useful class there). However, if you look at DPS parses a comparably geared Ranger isn't that far off from a Rogue ... certainly not to the point that a guild wouldn't want that extra DPS. And with a BFG the Ranger can actually deal superior damage, as long as their Trueshot discipline lasts.

But again, all that's for raiding, not grouping. In groups much of the Ranger hate came from the fact that they (like other hybrids) used to eat a disproportionate amount of the gorup's experience. But (being in Velious) we're past the point where group members are penalized for grouping with hybrids, so that's no longer an issue. Now in groups Rangers are still sub-optimal DPS relative to Rogues ... but as others mentioned they are vastly better pullers than Rogues in outdoor zones, and so definitely have a place in groups.

[Loadsamoney]

Alright, I guess I should compile a list of the gear I want to work towards now. The basics would be:

Lamentation x2
Velium Fire Wedding Ring x2
Velium Black Sapphire Necklace
Diamondine Earring x2
Banded Armor

So somewhere in the ballpark of 3-4kpp I'd need to save up, and I'd gradually swap out the Banded for Ivy Etched at the appropriate level, until PoHate gear. Lamentations would be my main weapons until when/if I can eventually do the Epic.

Guess I'd better get to farming bone chips, as it'll be cloth and rusty weapons until then. :D

[Legidias]

Skip necklace / earrings and some banded if needed and get a schw.

30 - 50's, wurmslayer is also like one of the best dps things you can use besides a woodsmans staff.

If youre really on a budget, lammy MH, silken whip of ensnaring (.5 ratio, 200p) OH.
Plat fire wedding rings are honestly fine unless you really need that top performance late game. The cost difference is huge compared to the little extra hp/ac. You can always re sell plat fire rings for basically 100% what you paid and buy velium.
SCHW is basically a necessity starter item for any melee char. Cheap 1k haste that will last.

Anything else is extra including armor.

But thats just my opinion

[Loadsamoney]

Skip necklace / earrings and some banded if needed and get a schw.

30 - 50's, wurmslayer is also like one of the best dps things you can use besides a woodsmans staff.

Schw? Is that...Silver Chitin Handwraps?

I'll keep an eye out for Wurmcaller/Woodsman's Staff, maybe Silver Swiftblade as well, but I still want dual Lamentation eventually because they have good melee stats (6 Str/Sta, 20 HP) and super fast swing speed.

And aesthetically Ranger doesn't feel right unless using dual swords.

Thanks everyone. Soon as I get the game up and running it'll be off to grind Decaying Skeletons.

[Legidias]

Stats on weapons is good, but really ratio >>>> stats unless the stats are ungodly (in most cases).

TBH swing speed for bonus dmg is good, but doesnt really come into play to really impact DPS until your 50's, which is why 2H / high ratio weapons are DPS kings in the mid level.

SCHW = silver chitin hand wraps. The haste is worth it.

[Loadsamoney]

Stats on weapons is good, but really ratio >>>> stats unless the stats are ungodly (in most cases).

TBH swing speed for bonus dmg is good, but doesnt really come into play to really impact DPS until your 50's, which is why 2H / high ratio weapons are DPS kings in the mid level.

SCHW = silver chitin hand wraps. The haste is worth it.

So you don't think Lamentation makes a good pre-epic Ranger weapon?

https://wiki.project1999.com/Lamentation

[Mentathiel]

Rangers still get to be the butt of many jokes, but I haven't seen a ranger turned away just for being a ranger, they get turned away because the group needs a cleric or an enchanter; I have seen rangers as pullers when there is no monk available, I have seen rangers helping the DPS, I have even seen twinked rangers tank when there is no 'real' tank going.

I'd say a ranger is the second choice for pulling, tanking and DPS, but the flip-side is that they can fill in as any of those when the zone is a little underpopulated.

[Legidias]

lammies are close to other .5 ratio weaps enough that they're fine. Plus they look kinda cool. Just that Im saying you shouldnt get hung up on stats with weapons.

[Ravager]

Ranger is probably one of the best classes to roll from scratch. I did one, only play it occasionally, but he's level 40 and I'm pretty impressed with the gear I was able to acquire on my own without living in EC. I never have trouble finding groups with him and it's pretty fun to play when I have the time. The only things I bought in EC with plat I farmed only on him were some 5/55 rings and a Springwood Stave and I think there's like 10k worth of gear on him. I never feel gimped or like I'm being shunned by others. It's way easier to be a Ranger in Velious than it was in Classic for sure.

[aaezil]

Not just rangers - people hate you for your racial choice, name choice, and guild tag these days!

[Legidias]

You do realize bards also have frontal melee immunity disc right?

[aaezil]

Ugh alleriah’s autistic screetching...

[Quextal]

Rangers are fun, enjoy!

[Loadsamoney]

Ranger has all the skills I wanted in a class, Double Attack, Dual Wield and Kick, along with Archery and some nice utility magic. So many tools I'll have at my disposal once I get to about Level 22.

I take it I should train Fletching as a Ranger too, make my own ammo? Or is the Bracer that creates ammo sufficient?

[Troxx]

I played a ranger as a main from kunark to after PoP on live. OoW I made the full switch to warrior. I was there for the noobish cluelessness, the bad, the ugly, and ultimately the good. Prior to Luclin they were fun but not overwhelmingly powerful. Luclin AA and archery stuff changed everything. With defensive aa they were plenty durable and with AM3/EQ they were kings of dps. They remained rock solid dps for many expansions but started to fall into mediocrity from the planes of Time gear level and onward as high end melee dmg again outpaced non-trueshot archery.

Here? Fun to play. Reasonable utility. Ok though somewhat disappointing tanks. Ok dps. Bad healers. Limited buffers. Great outdoor pullers.

That’s about it.

Good overall class ... but not (as the wall of text above asserts) “one of the strongest classes in the game”.

Not by a long shot.

I love the class but I’m also a realist.

[aaezil]

Right You are Legidias! With a shorter duration and a less reliable way of manipulating the aggro as well as a ranger they definitely have a frontal melee immunity disc ! :)

O hi Aaezil..I do apologize for having absolutely no idea who you are. Dont feel bad though. Your 1,209 posts on P99 Forums dating back from.. only Febuary of this year is something I'm sure you're very proud of and it's obvious you must have a lot going on for yourself. lelz

Wrong and toxic - wombo combo!

[jolanar]

Here? Fun to play. Reasonable utility. Ok though somewhat disappointing tanks. Ok dps. Bad healers. Limited buffers. Great outdoor pullers.

That’s about it.


I played a ranger in real classic eq and kunark. As well as one here too. This is my estimation as well.

[jolanar]

get better gear. wont be such a disappointing tank :)

Defense still stuck at 200 either way.

And also lol at your overly defensive posts.

[Legidias]

I mean, stick NToV gear on any melee (except a rogue maybe) and they can tank well. Same with weaps. Stating that a fully end game geared XXX can top a board doesnt really mean anything if the next person only has epic or less equipped.

[Troxx]

There you have it folks. Hes a realist! This is why some guilds are capable of completing end game content and acquiring best in slot drops as opposed to... whats your guild doing? Fear golems?
It might be a good idea to practice restraint until you rate being considered credible in regards to the topic. It would be a shame if someone was discouraged from playing a ranger just because you weren't capable of utilizing the class' full potential and felt the need to discredit the class.


Disclaimer: I'm not saying rangers are the sole reason to do end game content but it is safe to say raiding would be a lot more chaotic without them!

:rolleyes:

Ugh alleriah’s autistic screetching...

[deezy]

Defense still stuck at 200 either way.

Should be 220 as soon as the melee balance patch rolls out.

[Jimjam]

I mean, stick NToV gear on any melee (except a rogue maybe) and they can tank well. Same with weaps. Stating that a fully end game geared XXX can top a board doesnt really mean anything if the next person only has epic or less equipped.

For the record rogue is much better potential tank than often given credit for.

Saying NToV is unattainable is a bit of a straw man. Even 'lower end' velious stuff such as crystal chitin will let a ranger reach point of diminishing returns for much content.

[deezy]

I take it I should train Fletching as a Ranger too, make my own ammo? Or is the Bracer that creates ammo sufficient?

If you want to maximize your dps, fletching is once such route to take. But for day to day pulling, soloing, etc. the bracer is a very good investment.

[Troxx]

I really shouldn’t engage Alleriah but I can’t help myself :p

Damage mitigation:

Hit for hit ... round for round ... and gear being equal ... rangers take more damage than any other melee class. This includes plate tanks, bards, monks, and even rogues. Yes, even rogues will physically take less damage than rangers. Let that sink in for a moment. So, assuming your goal is to live while getting hit, rangers do that worse than literally every single other melee class in this game. Now we all know that being able to take a hit means nothing if you can’t hold threat. Rangers accomplish this well but don’t forget that 3 other classes can also do this on demand along with taking those hits better. Of the 4 classes who have instant and on demand aggro rangers are the least survivable. Warriors suffer from proc reliance but those worth their salt have the tools to get the job done.

Damage output potential has been hashed out over and over again. We know precisely where each class stands and gear being equal rangers, though capable, do not shine brighter than most other classes.

Once all classes have done the whole “get better gear”, many will tank better and many will put out more damage. Some classes (warrior) are capable of doing both better. Set up for strictly offense warrior with buffs/precision +/- berserk mode put out ludicrous numbers. Hunkered down for tanking ... again we again all precisely know just how well warriors tank. Even after defensive drops, no other class has more hp and no other class mitigates as well though there is an honorable mention on this front to monks with good gear and superior avoidance (this too is known and well established.

I have a lot of love for the ranger class. They are extremely capable. They bring balanced offense and defense to the table along with some unique capabilities that even you (Alleriah) have mentioned. Weaponshield is an ace up your sleeve. Keeping it around locks you out of offensive prowess depending on your setup but it’s well worth it. Rangers tank well enough to get the job done if appropriately geared. Spellbook adds a lot of versatility and remains another feather in the class’s cap.

They are super fun to play. Good class. Plenty of global power. The power is spread out but it’s there’s. I will say again though that I am a realist. I don’t drink the koolaid and neither do most of the people here.

Your attempt to win the argument by referencing content consistently captured is cute. Being a member of a high population guild of high playtime people makes a person neither smart/informed nor talented. I work 60 hours a week and have a family. I’ve been around for years and have approached p99 casually, only recently started raiding (hence my horde of high level toons). I don’t have BiS gear because I voluntarily let the sun set in my hardcore raiding habits well over a decade ago. My guild? I enjoy my guildmates and would happily play with them regardless of the content they capture. Content thus far has included numerous NToV named, tunare, and other crap all the way down. EQ isn’t hard and getting kills on this server is more a function of total warmbodies on the roster and relative playtime of each. Those with jobs and families they’re unwilling to neglect will have less playtime.

Being a warmbody amongst the horde and acquiring participation points traded in for imaginary loot doesn’t make you talented. Your pixels don’t make you smart. Your posts are not insightful, but please don’t stop posting. Your rambling delusions have a lot of entertainment value.

[deezy]

Here? Fun to play. Reasonable utility. Ok though somewhat disappointing tanks. Ok dps. Bad healers. Limited buffers. Great outdoor pullers

I'm gonna grade rangers based on that list. While I am bias, I'll do my best to check the hyperbole. Any comparison to other classes assumes everybody has equal quality gear.
-----

Utility: A-
Lots of natural utility like snare and root and can gain even more from items such as a slow proc from Earthcaller, or gating with Tolan's BP, etc. Weapon shield also adds a lot of utility for a variety of uses.

Tanking: B+
From 1-40 rangers are pretty much on par with warriors and knights in terms of mitigation. By 60 Rangers can still tank but warriors, knights, monks, and even rogues will be able to mitigate and avoid damage to a greater degree. However, Rangers have a superior control of aggro - with great snap aggro, very good sustained aggro, and the ability to jolt to lower aggro if needed.

DPS: A
Less DPS than a rogue and on par with a monk (for now). DPS can be raised by a great deal by using the true shot disc.

Healing: D-
A ranger can CH, but it will take about about 20-30 casts. It's more healing than a fungi or an invigorate bp, but a hell of a lot more mana. Can quickly go oom.

Buffing: B
Ranger get very good buffs for anybody who wants to melee dps. They also get inferior versions of druid buffs if a group is lacking something.

Outdoor pulling: A+
Harmony trivializes pulling in outdoor zones.

Fun: A+
Graded with complete bias.

[Loadsamoney]

Yeah, Greater Healing isn't exactly going to be all that good at 57 so I don't see a Ranger doing any backup healing, but Rangers do at least get Chloroplast as well, so I'll definitely mix that into the rotation to help ease the healers burden, or at least a little more self sufficiency.

I was going to ask that, while they still can't compete with Druids and Shamans, I would think that Paladins still make decent secondary healers just because of the fact that they eventually get the spell Superior Healing?

[deezy]

Pallys heal more efficiently and are good in a pinch.

[Crede]

Yeah, Greater Healing isn't exactly going to be all that good at 57 so I don't see a Ranger doing any backup healing, but Rangers do at least get Chloroplast as well, so I'll definitely mix that into the rotation to help ease the healers burden, or at least a little more self sufficiency.

I was going to ask that, while they still can't compete with Druids and Shamans, I would think that Paladins still make decent secondary healers just because of the fact that they eventually get the spell Superior Healing?

Heh, a paladin at 59 has more efficient healing than a druid or non torpor shaman. Longer recast though, but assuming it doesn’t need to be casted more than every 30 sec it’s better than nature’s touch and superior heal/chloroblast. Pallies dps still sucks, but velious made them fantastic healers for a melee class.

[Loadsamoney]

Heh, a paladin at 59 has more efficient healing than a druid or non torpor shaman. Longer recast though, but assuming it doesn’t need to be casted more than every 30 sec it’s better than nature’s touch and superior heal/chloroblast. Pallies dps still sucks, but velious made them fantastic healers for a melee class.

Why? Celestial Cleansing? Or just having Superior Heal as an option?

[Snaggles]

I started a ranger years ago for the fun of starting with a bit of a handicap. It really is the underdog class.

Mine is only 56 and with a woodsman, fungi, and CotCW is quite frail. Still being able to melee, bow, ensnare, root, track and SoW yourself is almost game-breaking so being a paper bag really does make sense.

People fixate on dps. Yes a rogue or monk is better if a parser is the only tool for determining success. Still, a ranger will bring everyone's attack power up. If you dont have a druid or mage they will add some DS damage as well.

If you are of the mindset that DPS > All in grind groups then don't even get a melee. Fill your group with 3 charmed pets...they do more damage and won't even brag about their backstab numbers.

[Crede]

Why? Celestial Cleansing? Or just having Superior Heal as an option?

Correct. It’s basically celestial healing with a longer recast time.

[Troxx]

Why? Celestial Cleansing? Or just having Superior Heal as an option?

Both.

Even without spec alteration Cleansing is super efficient. If the druid is 60 the extra 9 mana a tick you could make the case that druids over time heal the same total amount. The benefit of group regen should also not be discounted and total healing over time the druid will win out. But paladins have a lot more healing throughput. HoT is fast cast and you can twist in HoT and superior heals for some pretty impressive healing numbers when damage is coming in hard.

I find main healing on my 60 druid and 60 paladin for stuff like seb groups equally easy. Druid is probably a bit more comfortable with deeper mana pool and the extra mana regen, alteration spec, and with group regrowth but Paladins are shockingly GOOD at healing. Paladins can burst heal harder than druids and heal over time is more efficient. Extra mana regen for the druid, spec alteration, and group regen more than closes the gap though.

[Troxx]

To answer the OPs question of whether rangers are hated in velious though ...

Yes and no?

Rangers are a powerful class but ...

A) If a group is looking for a tank they will always pick a war/pal/sk over you. These classes simply do it the best and a *good* warrior won’t suffer much from aggro. On my warrior I want an instant slow on all but the most extreme content and in those situations the group will know. You won’t be actively recruited for this job. Period, with very few exceptions. That’s what you should expect. If those cannot be found bards do actually do it better but the average joe may not know or appreciate it and the average bard may not know how good they actually are. Most people/groups will still reflex to a monk tank over a ranger out of habit despite the lack of on demand threat. Monks make excellent meat shields but suffer from no on demand threat.

B) If looking for a dps they will likely look for rog/monk/ench/mage over you. You will dps well but other classes can do it better. Rogues? Better. Mages? Better. Monks? generally better unless massive gear difference. Necro? In general better or on par unless you have end-game melee damage but necros still bring heals/utility that is pretty neato for those 'in the know'

C) If looking for a puller they will likely look for a monk over you. Indoors bards have an undeniable advantage. Outdoors rangers are supreme pullers but this could and will likely be overlooked.

Rangers only suffer in the sense that they are best at nothing but add a whole hell of a lot of value that is harder to define. They are capable tanks for all the reasons discussed in this thread. They are less than ideal for tanking ... again for the reasons discussed? They are premier pullers outdoors but lots of content is not flagged as such. They are good dps but fall behind some others. Buffs are valuable but the really important buffs can be given by others as well.

They suffer from the hybrid hex ... great overall but best at little. If you are well known and respected smart people will actively seek you out. If you have a strong reputation and are well known, again people MAY actively seek you out. In general, you have to expect that people don't know you and thus may pre-discriminate against you based on your class out of either a poor understanding what you can you or a poor expectation of what you WILL do or add based on experiences with mediocre ranger.

They aren't hated, but unfortunately they are often overlooked.

[Loadsamoney]

Welp, I'll just have to deal with it. Rangers can solo well at least so I'll never be SoL. I plan to solo most of my 30's anyway, once I can reasonably take High Keep guards. Probably Crystal Caverns from there, but it depends on how often Geodes are camped there (there's orcs for Velium I guess).

[Troxx]

Rangers are loads of fun. Play well. Make a name for yourself. Make friends. I can promise you it is worth it and you will enjoy it ;)

Versatile/Agile/Lethal ... but most of all fun. The class will not disappoint.

[Loadsamoney]

Rangers are loads of fun. Play well. Make a name for yourself. Make friends. I can promise you it is worth it and you will enjoy it ;)

The grind to 9 is always the worst for a hybrid, I just want my spells already haha.

But I'm coming up on level 5 now and I'll have roughly 200pp once I sell my bone chips, so maybe I can find a cheap Lammy on the market.

[deezy]

If a group is looking for a tank they will always pick a war/pal/sk over you.
You won’t be actively recruited for this job. Period, with very few exceptions. That’s what you should expect.
Most people/groups will still reflex to a monk tank over a ranger out of habit despite the lack of on demand threat.
If looking for a dps they will likely look for rog/monk/ench/mage over you.
Outdoors rangers are supreme pullers but this could and will likely be overlooked.
They aren't hated, but unfortunately they are often overlooked.

In my experience, after leveling my ranger twice, none of the quoted statements are true.

My first time leveling, *untwinked, I tanked around 75% of the time and was either DPS or puller for the rest.
I was recruited to tank seb at level 52 where I stayed for several levels.
The same day I reached 60 I was recruited into a pug to tank juggs.

I do not believe I was an exception.

* I think I had some banded armor and some other similar quality items when I started my ranger

[Loadsamoney]

Welp, I'm about to ding 5, and now I face a decision, sell my bone chips and grind out the levels on orcs in Greater Faydark, or turn the bone chips in and shoot to level 9. I know I'm probably supposed to just turn them in, but the money is significant to me at this level, and I don't mind grinding it out, especially at a camp where I might be able to meet people.

What would you guys do?

[deezy]

Keep grinding and socialize imo

[Troxx]

Deezy,

Your experience is different than any I’ve had on p99 on any of the *toomany* toons I have leveled here. I believe you, it’s just not what I have seen unfortunately. Rangers are perfectly competent at the the tanking job.

Most times, any ranger tank in my groups was either a situation of opportunity or it was because the ranger was overgeared or someone knew the ranger. The same was true for inviting a ranger dps. If a random ranger was lfg along with a random monk/rog/etc, I cannot recall many (if any at all) the random ranger was chosen over another class unless I went out of my way to point out the benefits.

I haven’t leveled a ranger on p99 yet but it’s soon and I look forward to it.

[Snaggles]

Welp, I'm about to ding 5, and now I face a decision, sell my bone chips and grind out the levels on orcs in Greater Faydark, or turn the bone chips in and shoot to level 9. I know I'm probably supposed to just turn them in, but the money is significant to me at this level, and I don't mind grinding it out, especially at a camp where I might be able to meet people.

What would you guys do?

Level with the chips, buy a Silver Swiftblade. Skip the lammies and save like 1kpp.

A lam is only going to speed up the 1-20 grind. After that DW sucks for at least 26 more levels.

[deezy]

Rangers are perfectly competent at the the tanking job.

I'm not debating whether or not a ranger is competent in a tanking role, I don't need to. Only that rangers will get overlooked, never picked over any other tank, or that you should expect to rarely get a group. In my experience, the two times I leveled my ranger, it was quite the opposite.

[deezy]

Level with the chips, buy a Silver Swiftblade. Skip the lammies and save like 1kpp.

A lam is only going to speed up the 1-20 grind. After that DW sucks for at least 26 more levels.
I'm a big fan of lammys till epic. Lammy starts to equal a woodsman's staff dps around lvl 40. While there are better options from around lvl 20-40, those options don't scale into 50+ as well as a lammy does.

[Loadsamoney]

Glad I saved the chips, got to around Level 8 in Crushbone in about an hour thanks to some generous buffers. Feels like I saved some money there for sure.

Even if Lammy's arent the best mid-level, I still want them because they play aesthetically into a Rangers characters. Rangers are meant to dual-wield after all.

And I'd rather do a bunch of consistent little hits than the occasional big hit with wider variance.

[bomaroast]

Just because a ranger has the ability to hold agro does not make healing a ranger a fun job. Play a healer and you'll know why rangers get passed over.

[Snaggles]

Well it’s your prerogative. Just know that the feeling of doing more damage isn’t the same as actually doing more damage.

At least get a Jade and a CSS so you are in the .5 ratio club.

[Troxx]

Just because a ranger has the ability to hold agro does not make healing a ranger a fun job. Play a healer and you'll know why rangers get passed over.

Yep.

[Jimjam]

I recently saw a hands group that had a ranger and sk. The sk was leaving soon and they wanted a new plate tank. They would not consider moving the ranger to tank and having a monk pull (nor even having a monk tank). This was despite having an end and cleric in the group.

So obviously rangers do get invites, but there are still some players reluctant to let them tank. Which is odd as I tanked in most my groups as ranger when not pulling.

[Loadsamoney]

I don't intend to tank on Ranger unless the group asks me to do so, or incase I need to snap the aggro in an emergency. So I'm okay if they don't want me for that role. I'm happy to fill the role of DPS/Support.

[Cecily]

Lammys are terrible weapons. If you want a cheap main hand, use a jade mace which has a better pure ratio and delay. Stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Also, stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Finally, I just want to bring up that stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon.

[Freakish]

Lammys are terrible weapons. If you want a cheap main hand, use a jade mace which has a better pure ratio and delay. Stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Also, stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Finally, I just want to bring up that stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon.

I use my blue warrior epic with its terrible ratio all the time for the +atk. Fite me.

[deezy]

Lammys are terrible weapons. If you want a cheap main hand, use a jade mace which has a better pure ratio and delay. Stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Also, stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon. Finally, I just want to bring up that stats do not do enough to be the deciding factor in a weapon.

19 delay weapons are for losers and 18 delay weapons are for winners.

[Snaggles]

19 delay weapons are for losers and 18 delay weapons are for winners.

Yea but throwing away 1 delay on a primary weapon because of "fashion" is pure loser logic.

Realistically, you can get a 10/19 velium 1hs for like 1k. Lam's are the iMac G3 of melee weapons.

[Loadsamoney]

I'll defend my beloved Lammy to the death. Speaking of which, I've got one now, and I have eight levels to scrounge up enough money for the second.

[Crede]

I’ll take a venom axe over both of these. Mo dex mo procs

[stebbins99]

This man plans on being buried with a pair of Lammys in the casket! Let's not hate on the fellow! Heheh

[Cecily]

19 delay weapons are for losers and 18 delay weapons are for winners.

[Loadsamoney]

This man plans on being buried with a pair of Lammys in the casket! Let's not hate on the fellow! Heheh

They're going in a museum along with my Gran Torino.

[Snaggles]

19 delay weapons are for losers and 18 delay weapons are for winners.

Yea but throwing away 1 delay on a primary weapon because of "fashion" is pure loser logic.

Realistically, you can get a 10/19 velium 1hs for like 1k. Lam's are the iMac G3 of melee weapons.

^ Apparently this Snaggles guy can't read for shit. My bad :o

[Gozuk]

Yea but throwing away 1 delay on a primary weapon because of "fashion" is pure loser logic.

Sigh

[Loadsamoney]

Yea but throwing away 1 delay on a primary weapon because of "fashion" is pure loser logic.

Realistically, you can get a 10/19 velium 1hs for like 1k. Lam's are the iMac G3 of melee weapons.

That statement kind of comes off a bit brash man. Isn't that sort of like saying "Yeah but taking a Ranger for DPS when you can get a Monk of equal level is pure loser logic."?

[Snaggles]

That statement kind of comes off a bit brash man. Isn't that sort of like saying "Yeah but taking a Ranger for DPS when you can get a Monk of equal level is pure loser logic."?

No, it was in response of the winner vs loser comment by Deezy (which I misread).

I'm not literally imbuing these e-items with cultural status. In terms of delay it's just math, it doesn't care about our feelings. One is faster than the other. Do what you want but if you want to do slightly more damage don't go with a slower weapon of the same damage.

[enjchanter]

Looking cool is important

By that logic I'm not sure why there are so many halflings though

[Loadsamoney]

No, it was in response of the winner vs loser comment by Deezy (which I misread).

I'm not literally imbuing these e-items with cultural status. In terms of delay it's just math, it doesn't care about our feelings. One is faster than the other. Do what you want but if you want to do slightly more damage don't go with a slower weapon of the same damage.

I'm only asking, are the stats really that irrelevent? Is a 9/18 with no stats really better than a 9/19 with 6/6/20 Str/Sta/HP?

[Snaggles]

I'm only asking, are the stats really that irrelevent? Is a 9/18 with no stats really better than a 9/19 with 6/6/20 Str/Sta/HP?

The only time it's really a wash is when the stats are massive and it's in an offhand (like the epic). That or it has a great proc for an offhand slot (like the club of the ice ocean) Even at lvl 60 with maxed DW a Ranger's offhand is only swinging like 60-65% of the time. With the damage bonus your MH is doing the bulk share of your dps.

Lam's are just fine now but eventually for a few hundred plat going Jade/crystalline short sword or Jade/Green Jade Axe is technically "better". One of the stronger primary weapons for the money is the Guard Captain's Mallet but not many people use them for fashion sake: https://wiki.project1999.com/Guard_Captain%60s_Mallet These are really nice and have a good look : https://wiki.project1999.com/Polished_Velium_Warsword

[Loadsamoney]

The only time it's really a wash is when the stats are massive and it's in an offhand (like the epic). That or it has a great proc for an offhand slot (like the club of the ice ocean) Even at lvl 60 with maxed DW a Ranger's offhand is only swinging like 60-65% of the time. With the damage bonus your MH is doing the bulk share of your dps.

Lam's are just fine now but eventually for a few hundred plat going Jade/crystalline short sword or Jade/Green Jade Axe is technically "better". One of the stronger primary weapons for the money is the Guard Captain's Mallet but not many people use them for fashion sake: https://wiki.project1999.com/Guard_Captain%60s_Mallet These are really nice and have a good look : https://wiki.project1999.com/Polished_Velium_Warsword

How tough is it to get Ranger epic on this server? That's my eventual goal.

[deezy]

How tough is it to get Ranger epic on this server? That's my eventual goal.

It's on the easy side, but slightly harder than the druid epic

[Quextal]

I'm only asking, are the stats really that irrelevent? Is a 9/18 with no stats really better than a 9/19 with 6/6/20 Str/Sta/HP?

Yes

[Quextal]

I take it I should train Fletching as a Ranger too, make my own ammo? Or is the Bracer that creates ammo sufficient?

If you enjoy tradeskilling then do some fletching. Bracer is not clickable till 45

Another item that's great at 45 is a Lupine Dagger, being able to proc greater wolf form 11 lvls before you can cast it is pretty cool

[Loadsamoney]

Yes

Jeez. Strength and Stamina must do almost nothing then if they're that irrelevent.

Still keeping my Lammy. :cool:

[Iksar_with_a_plan]

From 1-10 get a low delay like a Lammy sure.. due to dmg cap..

10-17 get urself a silver swiftblade. Without DW and the first dmg cap lifted, it will perform better than most.

from 10-2? keep the silver swiftblade, but also switch to Duel Wielding with a decent ratio offhand with your lammy. A very decent but mid-level expensive combo is Crafted velium warsword / exq velium warsword. Probably the best combo till you start getting into the more expensive weapons. Either way, at some point your DW skill is going be high enough that certain DW combinations will out perform silver swiftblade, probably in mid to late twenties.

30+ Early / mid 30's Woodsman staff and exq velium 2handers can outperform most DW combo's thanks to DMG cap fully lifted. Unless your sporting some outrageous weapons like HoH and BoC together or something. Switch between Woodsman's and DW to just keep raising DW. More often than not if your budget is small, a woodsman's will out perform till the high 30s or low 40's.

46: Swiftwind is prioritai! Save up some cash to spend on the MQ. 20k maybe? Its not that tough, you could even do peggy cloak runs. OR tunnel quest for all i care. With a low delay primary and swiftwind in offhand, you can forget using the woodsman's as much. Itd be ideal to get both epics (primary and offhand), but getting that shattered emerald of corruption is still on the list of many high level rangers.

50+ see if you can scrounge up the cash for a swiftblade of zek with your swiftwind. youll be unstoppable. Theres so much plat on this server that making it isn't too difficult.

[Loadsamoney]

Now I see why everyone recommended I not get a Lammy...because nobody is selling any! Spent all morning trying to buy one in EC, no luck. I'm one level away from Dual Wield so I've got to snag it soon.

Ranger has been a lot of fun to play so far though. If only I didn't die to a f-ing Brownie yesterday.

[Loadsamoney]

Hey guys, what's a good level for a Ranger to start soloing Guards in High Keep? Not gonna be happening for a little while, but I'm Level 24 at the moment, one level away from starting Goblin and I'm wondering how long I should spend there before I'm reasonably able to take on HHK Guards without tons of downtime.

Was thinking maybe 35 so I'd have Disarm and Riposte?

[Snaggles]

Untwinked probably 30. I'd try Chopin on floor 2 (6 min repop). If you can't do him just run to zone. He's great xp until low 30's. Then you can roam 2nd and 3rd. 4th like 35+ depending on who you are attacking and what gear you have.

In theory some guards are lower like Blayle near the lowbie bard in the court yard. Just a horrible single-spawn camp due to repop time.

The key for a ranger is to have invis and harmony memmed. Don't turn a blind corner without being invised and when in doubt harmony pull to avoid getting two (don't need line of sight...can harmo through walls and floors). Fight in a safe spot and keep stuff snared in case you have to haul ass.

[Jimjam]

I'm not sure on the answer to that question; there is a wide spread of levels on guards. I never bothered with them.

Incidentally, what are your earrings like?

The mid/late 20s are a great time to do some fear kiting in Iceclad Ocean and pick up a pair of Cougar Claw Earrings.

[Loadsamoney]

I'm not sure on the answer to that question; there is a wide spread of levels on guards. I never bothered with them.

Incidentally, what are your earrings like?

The mid/late 20s are a great time to do some fear kiting in Iceclad Ocean and pick up a pair of Cougar Claw Earrings.

Orc Fang Earrings x2
Lamentation x2
Chipped Velium Amulet
Dwarven Work Boots
Clawed Knuckle-Rings x2
Crested Helmet

Everything else is Banded.

Saving up now for a pair of 65HP rings, then SCHW. After that I shouldn't need to buy any gear until it's time to start doing Thurg armor.

[Snaggles]

I'm not sure on the answer to that question; there is a wide spread of levels on guards. I never bothered with them.

Incidentally, what are your earrings like?

The mid/late 20s are a great time to do some fear kiting in Iceclad Ocean and pick up a pair of Cougar Claw Earrings.

Good suggestion, if your eyes can stand the backdrop good xp and nice earrings to boot. Only thing is they are a bit higher. 27+ per the wiki; I recall most are close to 30. Pretty painful since they run about sow speed and a zone flee is a painful one even to ToFS.

I recall doing those to mid 30's and then drakkel wolves after that.

[Iksar_with_a_plan]

Orc Fang Earrings x2
Lamentation x2
Chipped Velium Amulet
Dwarven Work Boots
Clawed Knuckle-Rings x2
Crested Helmet

Everything else is Banded.

Saving up now for a pair of 65HP rings, then SCHW. After that I shouldn't need to buy any gear until it's time to start doing Thurg armor.

Early/mid 30's is a good place for decent 2handers to cause some hurt..

See if you can find yourself a woodman's staff to switch off with. I think itll perform mch better than lammys at ur level. Youll see some nice big numbers too... After a while though most DW combos tend to out perform the 2handers

[Loadsamoney]

What spells are worth keeping memorized and using all throughout the Rangers life? I have to reserve three slots for Flamelick, Root, and Heal, so that leaves 5 spots to dedicate buffs to for frequent reapplication. The only one I'm okay memming and then dropping is Barbcoat because of it's long duration, but what buffs aren't worth using after a certain point?

Right now I'm using Firefist, Skin like Rock, Strength of Earth, SoW, and Shield of Thistles. I don't have Feet Like Cat memorized, and I'm skeptical of Firefist as well.

[Iksar_with_a_plan]

Root and snare saves lives..

[Troxx]

What spells are worth keeping memorized and using all throughout the Rangers life? I have to reserve three slots for Flamelick, Root, and Heal, so that leaves 5 spots to dedicate buffs to for frequent reapplication. The only one I'm okay memming and then dropping is Barbcoat because of it's long duration, but what buffs aren't worth using after a certain point?

Right now I'm using Firefist, Skin like Rock, Strength of Earth, SoW, and Shield of Thistles. I don't have Feet Like Cat memorized, and I'm skeptical of Firefist as well.

I haven’t Ranger’d in 15-16 years but for p99 I’d:

Always:

Snare
Root
Heal

Most of the time:

Jolt once you have it
Flame lick for when you want aggro (could argue this is in the always category)

With those 5 you have your bases covered and it leaves you 3 slots for situational spells and buffs. I’d personally keep one slot as my default for swapping in buffs needed less frequently. If outside harmony would stay up.

The beauty of the ranger spell book is in the simplicity. There aren’t a lot of hard decisions to make most of the time and you can get away with having all of your critically important tools mem’d near permanently. This isn’t the case when I play my shaman/necro/Druid or even paladin. Mage is a focused enough class that I can generally get away with only having 1-2 spots for spell swaps. Each has their own “always loaded” list but a lot more spell swapping takes place depending on then situation.

A more seasoned ranger for p99 may have some extra insight to proffer, but the tool kit is pretty straightforward.

[Cecily]

My bar was:

1 snare
2 root
3 flame lick (absolutely need this)
...
8 heal

Keep sow loaded if you’re outdoors

[Loadsamoney]

Why both Snare and Root? I'm only using Root right now, I feel like I only need one or the other since Flamelick covers the snap aggro.

[Jimjam]

Snare slows lowlife runners to a halt, but unlike root they won't be hitting you for their last few hp.

Heal (or a skin spell; some of these make a better heal than heals).
Snare
Flame lick
Root
Swappy
Swappy
Short term damage shield
Usually harmony or fast cast nuke

The swappiee tend to be short duration buffs (call of sky, chloroplast, fire fist etc),second root or cancel magic.

I personally find it worth keeping most of the longer duration buffs cast. Certainly sow, skin, strength and the longterm AC/ds buff.

[Legidias]

Root is easily broken on melee. Snare is not.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Assuming I've already buffed with SoN, CoP, CoE, Thorncoat, and Storm Strength, my spell bar is:

Heal
SoW
Chloro
Harmony/Jolt/Shield of Spikes
Sup Camo
Root
Snare
Flame Lick

Swap out Harmony for Jolt if indoors or not pulling, if I am not tanking but need to slow with Earthcaller. Or I will just tank and load Shield of Spikes instead.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Why both Snare and Root? I'm only using Root right now, I feel like I only need one or the other since Flamelick covers the snap aggro.

Root covers crowd control and snap aggro management, but as mentioned is easily broken.

Snare, as mentioned, keeps the mob in flee mode from aggroing adds and from beating on you or the tank for the last 20% of its HP vs. if you were to root it, plus is used as your snap aggro instead of Flame Lick if you have an enchanter in the group trying to mez adds. You also use it to build aggro on mezzed mobs so they come after you instead of the enchanter after mez breaks.

Flame Lick is your "i want the mob on me now, F everyone else including enchanters" spell. When used on mezzed mobs, I would not assume you have aggro by the time the first DoT tick breaks the mez unless you primed with a snare or two first.

[GinnasP99]

There's a bit of value in considering which spell you put in slot 1 for haste cloak/other clicky refresh. I typically leave heal in slot one when soloing so i can heal,click,heal,click myself to get hp back faster. I suppose if you're main tanking a group having flame lick or snare slot 1 might be what you'd want to do.

[Loadsamoney]

So I'm Level 35 now, still grinding it out at HHK. How am I doing equipment wise?

Orc Fang Earring x2
Velium Fire Wedding Ring x2
Chipped Velium Amulet
Silver Chitin Handwraps
Dire Wolf-Hide Cloak
Crested Helmet
Hero Bracer
Dwarven Work Boots
Lamentation x2

The rest is Banded. Looking to invest in a few reasonable replacements for that Banded by Level 40 or so, then saving the rest of my money for MQ's from that point on.

[Ripqozko]

So I'm Level 35 now, still grinding it out at HHK. How am I doing equipment wise?

Orc Fang Earring x2
Velium Fire Wedding Ring x2
Chipped Velium Amulet
Silver Chitin Handwraps
Dire Wolf-Hide Cloak
Crested Helmet
Hero Bracer
Dwarven Work Boots
Lamentation x2

The rest is Banded. Looking to invest in a few reasonable replacements for that Banded by Level 40 or so, then saving the rest of my money for MQ's from that point on.

Find guild to raid sky, get haste cloak ASAP, biggest upgrade. Then epics

[Loadsamoney]

Find guild to raid sky, get haste cloak ASAP, biggest upgrade. Then epics

And Thurg armor. That's why I want reasonable, cheap pieces for the slots that will eventually be Thurg armor. I don't mind spending more on slots I won't replace anytime soon, like shoulders, face or waist. I have specific items I want for those.

I'm pretty happy with my current guild, Castle. Nice group of folks, guild chat is always a hoot. It'll probably be a while before we even consider raiding since it's a leveling guild, but I think we'll eventually build enough of a force to do some planar content.

[Jimjam]

Thurg armour is kinda crappy and you can't liquidate it. I'd advise against spending platinum on that.

I went ivy etched (quested) -> crystal chitin (looted) -> sky shrine quested.

I'd say swiftwind is a bigger upgrade than DCOTS; you'll often have a buff haste in group 46+ and swiftwind has a decent ratio +attack and worn haste % that are 'always on'.

[Legidias]

cloak is nice for basically doing 0 extra work for it tho

[Loadsamoney]

Thurg armour is kinda crappy and you can't liquidate it. I'd advise against spending platinum on that.

I went ivy etched (quested) -> crystal chitin (looted) -> sky shrine quested.

I'd say swiftwind is a bigger upgrade than DCOTS; you'll often have a buff haste in group 46+ and swiftwind has a decent ratio +attack and worn haste % that are 'always on'.

Well I plan to farm as much of it as I can. Probably going to start doing Kael arena at 49 or so.

[mattydef]

Jagged Blade of Mourning in your offhand. Cant beat it especially for the price. I got one the other day for 500p. 13/25 3 ac 10 dex 10 sv magic

[Jimjam]

Well I plan to farm as much of it as I can. Probably going to start doing Kael arena at 49 or so.

That's a better way to get it, but consider some of the year quest gems are quite expensive. As well as doing this I suggest forming groups (or joining lvl 60 farmers to 'leach xp and provide company') for velks spiders. This will give you a chance to get gems and crystal chitin armour. As I recall the hands and arms are both on pretty common and have nice stats.

[deezy]

Well I plan to farm as much of it as I can. Probably going to start doing Kael arena at 49 or so.

chain is rare enough there that you should consider farming plat and buy an MQ instead of going directly to arena.

[Iksar_with_a_plan]

Thurg chain for ranger is pretty shit tbh.

But its better than nothing.

The tunic seems like the only decent piece in my eyes. But its all relative. Ive put some skyshrine armor on a lvl 6 ranger a while back..

lvl 46 is big for rangers, Epics, Sky gear, and helm of the tracker all equipable.

[Loadsamoney]

Thurg chain for ranger is pretty shit tbh.

But its better than nothing.

The tunic seems like the only decent piece in my eyes. But its all relative. Ive put some skyshrine armor on a lvl 6 ranger a while back..

lvl 46 is big for rangers, Epics, Sky gear, and helm of the tracker all equipable.

Whether or not I get my epic depends on how much the MQ costs and/or how often the key mobs are camped. Venril Sathir is one mob I need IIRC.

[Arm_Chair_Hero]

20k for the MQ, 5k for the jade reaver, the rest is a lot of running around and patience.

[Loadsamoney]

20k for the MQ, 5k for the jade reaver, the rest is a lot of running around and patience.

25k? That's it? That's not too bad. Must not be a lot of Rangers on the server.

I wonder what the ratio of classes is on P99, actually.

[Jimjam]

VS fight is pretty easy and always drops 2 stones. I'd offer to find VSR up for a guild. In exchange for your service they provide a kill force and get to keep one of the stones.

Contact guilds and see if anyone is interested in cutting such a deal. It might be less work than farming 20k.

Edit: he isn't particularly hard to find up either.

If you're dead set on Thurg and have the faction I can probably MQ you some pro bono.

[Loadsamoney]

VS fight is pretty easy and always drops 2 stones. I'd offer to find VSR up for a guild. In exchange for your service they provide a kill force and get to keep one of the stones.

Contact guilds and see if anyone is interested in cutting such a deal. It might be less work than farming 20k.

Edit: he isn't particularly hard to find up either.

If you're dead set on Thurg and have the faction I can probably MQ you some pro bono.

I'll see what I can do. I'm not going to worry about the Epic until I'm strong enough to solo at least the Teir-Dal Reavers that spawn with Dark Elf Corrupter. That's probably 60, which I'm fine with doing. Save up my money grinding towards 60, farm as much of the mats as I can for Thurg armor, then work on the Epic.

I'm still a bit away from doing Thurg Mq, Level 36 and still in High Keep, but I'm heading for Great Divide at 39 and binding at Thurg, so by then I'll be able to start working on faction.

[Jimjam]

If you can get a 60 Druid to port you to East Karana they will probably help you with the fight. Chances are they've done the fight before as the Druid and ranger epic quests share a lot of overlap.

I'd suggest joining a guild ad 46 for a ranger; getting swiftwind within a week is a realistic expectation.

[Loadsamoney]

If you can get a 60 Druid to port you to East Karana they will probably help you with the fight. Chances are they've done the fight before as the Druid and ranger epic quests share a lot of overlap.

I'd suggest joining a guild ad 46 for a ranger; getting swiftwind within a week is a realistic expectation.

I'm in a guild right now, Castle.

[Jimjam]

Fair enough. Send me a message if you need chain hands or wrists … I won't provide the gems for wrists, but I can probably supply for hands. … I'd recommend not using melee wrist gems on thurg gear though. They are kinda pricey.

[Loadsamoney]

Is it possible to MQ the entire Coldain Prayer Shawl questline, or do I need to raise the crafting skills myself?

[Loadsamoney]

How much of a difference does the AC debuff on Flamelick make at higher levels? The dot is inconsequential at this point, but I feel like I'm scoring a lot more hits when Flamelick is applied, adding up to more damage overall than Stinging Swarm would do.

[Loadsamoney]

What level is a Ranger able to comfortable take Freeport Guards? Thinking about doing some of my 50s on them, as they're a pretty open camp usually. I'm 40 at the moment and doing mostly Geodes.

Also, 40 really sucks.

[Snaggles]

With a fungi and Woodman prob your level but it won’t be “easy”. I was face tanking with my 40 SK there with a fungi. On the hard ones still had to tap a lot.

Your best bet is to fear kite in WL or the OT until 45 then use a tolan’s bracer to bow rot. On low HP guards and some HHK that will get ya mid 50’s even with decent gear elsewhere.

[deezy]

How much of a difference does the AC debuff on Flamelick make at higher levels?

An imperceptible amount. Flame lick is much better as a tank's snap aggro device than a damage enhancer.

[Loadsamoney]

An imperceptible amount. Flame lick is much better as a tank's snap aggro device than a damage enhancer.

Figured I should be using Stinging Swarm instead of Flame Lick when playing solo, but I can't get my Conjuration up. I've casted SS so many times and my Conj is STILL at 1.

[Legidias]

Lvl up with skill trainer?

[YendorLootmonkey]

Figured I should be using Stinging Swarm instead of Flame Lick when playing solo, but I can't get my Conjuration up. I've casted SS so many times and my Conj is STILL at 1.

After you've exhausted what points you can buy at the trainer, cast Dance of the Fireflies for Conj grinding... cheaper mana cost.

[Loadsamoney]

So I'm thinking about my first alt now, and pretty sure I want to roll a Bard. How tough is the epic for Bard compared to Ranger on P99? Ranger epic was said to be roughly 25k, how much for Bard epic MQ?

[Legidias]

(half) of ranger epic MQ is about 25k. The other piece is about 100K MQ from PoH.

White scales for bard is 400k+.

[Loadsamoney]

(half) of ranger epic MQ is about 25k. The other piece is about 100K MQ from PoH.

White scales for bard is 400k+.

I was told entire Ranger Epc was 25k overall, for both Swiftwind and Earthcaller.

[Legidias]

lol no. You are sorely mistaken. Just a VS stone is about 20k. Your PoH emerald (http://wiki.project1999.com/Shattered_Emerald_of_Corruption) is WTB in forums from multiple people @ 80k currently.

[Loadsamoney]

Welp, only the rich get Epic'd then, I guess.

I'm tempted to start a toon on Red though, maybe play my Bard there. Is there any future to be had on Red99?

[loramin]

Welp, only the rich get Epic'd then, I guess.

Or the people who join (raiding) guilds ... many of whom are far from rich.

[Jimjam]

Welp, only the rich get Epic'd then, I guess.

I'm tempted to start a toon on Red though, maybe play my Bard there. Is there any future to be had on Red99?

My ranger got his swiftwind in his 40s in under a week of joining an aspiring family feel guild.

Venril Sathir Remains is not a very difficult mob. Like I said if you reach out to guilds you might be able to trade tracking/spawning VSR for a stone.

[Loadsamoney]

Does Swiftwinds Haste stack with Haste from other items, like Sash of the Dragonborn? I'm planning on buying one of those to replace SCHW once I start on Thurg armor.

[Crede]

Does Swiftwinds Haste stack with Haste from other items, like Sash of the Dragonborn? I'm planning on buying one of those to replace SCHW once I start on Thurg armor.

https://wiki.project1999.com/Haste_Guide

Bro, you need to spend a couple weeks reading the wiki. Everything you’ve asked in this thread is there, or find a mentor lol.

Those are both worn hastes, the same type of haste does not stack with itself. Otherwise you’d have people running around with max haste 24/7.

[Jimjam]

Does Swiftwinds Haste stack with Haste from other items, like Sash of the Dragonborn? I'm planning on buying one of those to replace SCHW once I start on Thurg armor.

Although the effect has a different name it still counts as worn haste and so does not stack with other sources of worn haste.

[Loadsamoney]

https://wiki.project1999.com/Haste_Guide

Bro, you need to spend a couple weeks reading the wiki. Everything you’ve asked in this thread is there, or find a mentor lol.

Those are both worn hastes, the same type of haste does not stack with itself. Otherwise you’d have people running around with max haste 24/7.

A couple weeks? That better be sarcasm. One should not have to do hours of research to play a video game.

Jimjam: So basically once I have Swiftwind, I can pass on my Haste item to an alt or sell it?

[Crede]

A couple weeks? That better be sarcasm. One should not have to do hours of research to play a video game.

Jimjam: So basically once I have Swiftwind, I can pass on my Haste item to an alt or sell it?

Alright so OP is clearly trollin now.

Please move this thread to RNF titled help I’ve been here since 2014 and still don’t know how to play this game

[YendorLootmonkey]

A couple weeks? That better be sarcasm. One should not have to do hours of research to play a video game.

Jimjam: So basically once I have Swiftwind, I can pass on my Haste item to an alt or sell it?

No, you shouldn't have to spend hours of research to play Pac Man, but there are certainly a lot of mechanics, spell usage, equipment decisions, and quests that require a decent amount of research in order to effectively play a class in a MMORPG. Wait until you hear about Quiver Haste, which I don't believe is even covered on that Haste wiki page. Get a Fleeting Quiver if you don't already own one.

But yeah, once you get Swiftwind, for all intents and purposes, you shouldn't need to wear the other lesser haste item unless just for actual stats, or you forsee yourself obtaining an offhand that outdamages Swiftwind with its haste factored in if you were to have another worn haste item in effect (not sure Tantor Tusk or Shovel of the Harvest get anywhere close with 37% dragon haste plus DCoS at level 60... doubt it with the miss frequency on 2-handers)

[Loadsamoney]

Alright so OP is clearly trollin now.

Please move this thread to RNF titled help I’ve been here since 2014 and still don’t know how to play this game

Now I know you're the one trolling. Everquest is very much a jump in and play kind of game. You're just trying to get people to waste their time.

Yendor: Well, I still plan to buy a Sash of the Dragonborn, once I get Swiftwind I'll pass it on to an alt, either a Bard or a Paladin.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Everquest is very much a jump in and play kind of game.

For the basics, yes.

To master your class and the game mechanics, however, hundreds of class and leveling guides, hundreds of raid encounter guides, thousands of quest walkthroughs, dozens of class-specific forums, several Prima strategy guides, and tons of archived discussion threads over the last 20 years disagree with you.

[Snaggles]

Video games in general have a very performance curve available. Usually it’s reflexes/timing/instincts based. Donkey Kong being one example. The phrase “Nintendo Hard” is a real thing.

EQ in some ways is difficult but it’s mostly a DEEP game. I’m often drunk or halfway there and it rarely changes anything. Sure, you can play it with good reflexes and a very basic understanding of mechanics but you won’t be “good”. The gods of a game like this have pathing and strategy down on a dark magic level (I’m far from that).

How haste works is pretty rudimentary. Usually dropping wiki links or recommending to search is just the community being lazy. You certainly could spend more time reading. Nobody expects you to be able to name the frog titles in guk by level but having a decent knowledge of your own class is expected.

Don’t take as flaming, bullying, or whatever. If you care to learn the game it will reward you exponentially. Most of us are digging around on the wiki or ZAM dozens of times a week. If you don’t want to “waste your time” thats fine too. I recommend keeping plat on you and grinding in places with high chances of a resurrection.

[Loadsamoney]

Video games in general have a very performance curve available. Usually it’s reflexes/timing/instincts based. Donkey Kong being one example. The phrase “Nintendo Hard” is a real thing.

EQ in some ways is difficult but it’s mostly a DEEP game. I’m often drunk or halfway there and it rarely changes anything. Sure, you can play it with good reflexes and a very basic understanding of mechanics but you won’t be “good”. The gods of a game like this have pathing and strategy down on a dark magic level (I’m far from that).

How haste works is pretty rudimentary. Usually dropping wiki links or recommending to search is just the community being lazy. You certainly could spend more time reading. Nobody expects you to be able to name the frog titles in guk by level but having a decent knowledge of your own class is expected.

Don’t take as flaming, bullying, or whatever. If you care to learn the game it will reward you exponentially. Most of us are digging around on the wiki or ZAM dozens of times a week. If you don’t want to “waste your time” thats fine too. I recommend keeping plat on you and grinding in places with high chances of a resurrection.

Fair enough, if I have future concerns I'll read up on the wiki and see if it answers them first, and if not then I will ask about it here.

I'm closing in on 43, once I leave to get new spells at 49 I will sink the cash I've saved into a Rain Caller and a Fleeting Quiver. If I have enough left over I'll get a Tolan's Bracer too.

[Jimjam]

Gleed's Bow quest worth looking at. Bow of the huntsman. Kill a wurm (doesn't summon so you can slowly kite it down) and use invis/sneak to avoid faction work for hand in. The biggest drawback (archery pun, gaffaw) it's low delay meaning it devours arrows from the quiver.

Tolan's bracer is good, but there are a surprising number of vendors selling arrows in the mean time.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Fair enough, if I have future concerns I'll read up on the wiki and see if it answers them first, and if not then I will ask about it here.

I'm closing in on 43, once I leave to get new spells at 49 I will sink the cash I've saved into a Rain Caller and a Fleeting Quiver. If I have enough left over I'll get a Tolan's Bracer too.

Shoot me a PM here when you're ready for Rain Caller.

[Loadsamoney]

Shoot me a PM here when you're ready for Rain Caller.

I actually just looked at Rain Caller on the wiki, and was very disheartened when I saw that its Firestrike proc had limited charges, and wasn't an actual proc.

I think because of that, I'd rather take a cheaper option like Runed Oak Bow, and just use that as a placeholder until I can get a raid bow or do the Gleed's Bow quest as Jimjam recommended.

[Iksar_with_a_plan]

The 30/37 , 30/38 , 30/39 bows are just a couple k if i recall.. IF you're looking for something thatll deal "decent" dmg when kiting, or just to help u get out of a bind

Theyre the velious bows.

Double recurve,
Recurve
Wrapped?

[Snaggles]

The Raincaller is serviceable though. 200 range is sexy and starts in a slow many bows just leave you high and dry.

The Huntsman wasnt really easy. In hindsight I would have picked up a velium bow (any of them) for soloing and kept using my spectral for pulling.

[Troxx]

Eons ago on when ranger was my primary and before luclin and aa’s were a thing I carried 2 bows types. I always carried the best bow ratio I could get my hands on but also kept a high damage bow around regardless of damage/delay ratio to use for soloing. Arrows are, at times, a limited commodity. For solo purposes having a high impact but less than optimal delay was preferable to me when soloing as your per shot (expending an arrow) damage helped conserve your supply. High ratio came out for trueshot runs. Tolans was a heaven-send but I frequently fletched better arrows on the fly.

Velious makes this easier with 30 dmg velium bows but there still needs to be a head nod to underfoot bow from the hole with 33 base damage. Huntsman has a better ratio but the 30 delay can have you going through arrows pretty fast. The proc is always nice but remember it may have you needing to recast root more often.

[Loadsamoney]

So I'm Level 44 now and still having problems soloing in Crystal Caverns. I'm well above the maximum level of Geodes and Stalag Terrors and they still beat my ass pretty convincingly. Is my armor too low at this point (787), or are they just underconned as all hell or something?

It honestly seems like pretty much every mob beyond a certain level is underconned...

[Jimjam]

At 40 you will never get a defence skill up again*. In terms of tanking from henceforth you will forever be a 39 warrior in chain. Don't despair! Your worn AC cap will still increase every level, so your mitigation will continue to improve (aided by your various AC buffs).

I try to have 4.8 worn AC per level, simply because on live there was a 289 worn AC cap at level 60 in early velious. P1999 doesn't actually use that system though.

NPCs get a bigger power increase per level, e.g by 59 you might be soloing lvl 45ish mobs for XP. Just keep working on those levels and wearing sufficient AC. I found OT Tigers to be good fear kite XP in the 40s if you continue to struggle with tank and spank.


I agree that mobs above a certain level seem under conned. There seems to be a big power jump about the mid/late 30s. Maybe a greater minimum hit or a larger spread of damage.


*There is a rumoured pre-luclin patch that increases the 60 defence skill cap to 220. Half of that patch is already out so I am suspicious if the remainder will ever be implemented.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Unless you've got nice gear, fungi, and a Swarmcaller or Earthcaller, I feel like a ranger soloing tank-and-spank post-40 is going to be very challenging in Kunark and Velious, and not as efficient, as just going to find some animal NPCs to fearkite.

[Loadsamoney]

Unless you've got nice gear, fungi, and a Swarmcaller or Earthcaller, I feel like a ranger soloing tank-and-spank post-40 is going to be very challenging in Kunark and Velious, and not as efficient, as just going to find some animal NPCs to fearkite.

I knew my first toon should've been a Paladin. ;_;

I just don't understand why a Ranger would struggle so hard at these levels with all the tools at their disposal. Damage shield, self healing, dual wield, double attack, reasonable defensive skills and armor, reasonable HP, etc...

[Jimjam]

They come back into their own by 55. I soloed a lot of 55-60 in KC, and didn't have an earthcalller till 59 not a fungi at all.

I suspect the AC worn cap doesn't scale linearly from 1-60 as it feels like there is a big mitigation jump from 50-51.

Do you know how to bind wound in combat? If you aren't already doing it then that trick should give you the edge you are looking for.

A paladin has a harder time than a ranger. Stick with it; the late 40s are probably the hardest time as a ranger; at least you get the option of fear kiting sabertooth tigers in OT.

[Snaggles]

Fear kite to 45, bow rot the rest of the way (or 2h joust while rooted if a low blue). If you have both epics, fungi, and a PoSky cloak stuff is different I hear.

Paladins are WAY underrated for soloing. They aren't SK's or any caster but they aren't shabby...just slow grinding. I got to 45 easily with an iceflame and a reaver Only like 11k these days) made it basically self-PL with the DW helm to mid 50's. A Narandi is only 14k or so too.

I wish there was a near 1/1 ratio 2h weapon with stats and a 700hp dot proc available for rangers for the price of an Ikky regen bp...

[YendorLootmonkey]

I knew my first toon should've been a Paladin. ;_;

I just don't understand why a Ranger would struggle so hard at these levels with all the tools at their disposal. Damage shield, self healing, dual wield, double attack, reasonable defensive skills and armor, reasonable HP, etc...

Because shit hits hard, yo.

[7thGate]

I really like Rangers, personally. They're decent DPS, can sort of tank and are basically the best class in four specific situations:
1) Pulling outdoors for groups
2) Temporarily tanking something with a discipline
3) Doing DPS from outside dragon fear/AOE slow range or against things with wonky hitboxes
4) Tracking things

They also potentially have specific gear that can just make them best melee DPS period for 2 minute fights, or second best DPS when no caster haste is available due to mass dispel or lack of enchanters/shaman. That's not a bad set of niches where you're the best, given that you can also fill in as generic DPS, and at least one high level ranger is usually desired for buffing.

I remember a parse against queen bee in sky where the ranger outdpsed the top three rogues combined, because we had a bad aggro transition off the first death touch and the queen flipped around and moved enough that the rogues couldn't stay on target and backstab successfully. Her hitbox is stupid as well and she flies, making it hard to visually track her and get in range and stay in range when she's moving to kill new people. The Ranger just sat back with Trueshot, 7 damage arrows and an exquisite velium bow and shot her for the duration of the fight while she buzzed around killing people, and ended up doing 25% of a 40 man raid's damage.

That particular fight was a huge mess, but in my experience it was actually pretty common for rangers to top DPS there if they come with a DPS bow focus and trueshot, because even if everything goes correctly its tough to stay on her 100% of the time in melee.

[Cecily]

My rogue was the best class against Draco.