Ranger solo gameplay style

[Selene]

Hi, I am looking to figure out how rangers play in a solo situation, as I've finally narrowed down my favorite kind of classes to the hybrids. I play casually for the most part and grouping has never interested me much in this game (not fun for me when you and 5 others just grind through a chain of mobs with hardly any thought or resourcefulness required).

I like hybrids because I think they require the most resourceful and thoughtful approach to gaining xp since soloing does not come so easy for them, and I prefer challenges and using all my abilities to their limits. My question is, how do rangers solo for the most part? Can they face tank as they solo? I don't like the idea of rooting a mob and then just shooting endless arrows at them that barely do any damage, so if that's the route then I probably won't go for it.

Also, how do they solo at the high end/end game? Can they take down nameds in dungeons? Can they dungeon crawl? Thanks!

[Zipity]

Rangers can face tank with solid gear to about 50 and then recover with healing spells etc. Don’t expect non stop killing though at Higher levels.
Fortunately at 50(until epics) the swarm caller exists which will allow you to slow enemies and this coupled with a full bar of mana will let you kill some named!
Any dungeon flagged outdoors like KC you can harmony and pull anything single super easily and also rangers have the best track in the game for doing those pesky outdoor named farms! Ranger is a very diverse class that gets a bad rep but they are pretty solid and will be able to solo all the way to 60 if you are patient.
But no you aren’t going to be killing 53+ caster named solo.
This is my general understanding of the class I’m sure someone much more versed in the intricacies of the ranger class will pipe in eventually :)

[Jimjam]

They can facetank solo most of the way up - that is just a case if finding the correct mobs.

Get a Dark Cloak of the Skies (50% haste click), twin epics (slow proc, decent ratio, worn haste and attack) and 55+ they are very decent. They can solo most of the KC named and move about the zone in relative comfort. They can also do the forager cycle in Trakanons Teeth, some Velks named and even slowly solo level 61+ Ice Burrowers in Western Wastes for silk with a decent bow. Not enc/nec/shaman tier, but respectable.

[Crede]

I generally agree with you on full groups being terrible but don’t pass up a good duo or trio which imo is the sweet spot in this game. But I think what you’re looking for here is a pally. They’ll be way more self sufficient than a ranger and are excellent at killing nameds later on. They just have that perfect dungeon crawl solo spell set whereas a ranger just gets spanked really hard. Ranger will be more fun to raid but that didn’t sound like your thing.

[Crede]

They can facetank solo most of the way up - that is just a case if finding the correct mobs.

Get a Dark Cloak of the Skies (50% haste click), twin epics (slow proc, decent ratio, worn haste and attack) and 55+ they are very decent. They can solo most of the KC named and move about the zone in relative comfort. They can also do the forager cycle in Trakanons Teeth, some Velks named and even slowly solo level 61+ Ice Burrowers in Western Wastes for silk with a decent bow. Not enc/nec/shaman tier, but respectable.

Keep in mind OP this isn’t casual gear unless you want to start raiding pretty decently to acquire this stuff or you casually are making a ton of pp on an alt to buy it.

[jolanar]

They can facetank solo most of the way up - that is just a case if finding the correct mobs.

Get a Dark Cloak of the Skies (50% haste click), twin epics (slow proc, decent ratio, worn haste and attack) and 55+ they are very decent. They can solo most of the KC named and move about the zone in relative comfort. They can also do the forager cycle in Trakanons Teeth, some Velks named and even slowly solo level 61+ Ice Burrowers in Western Wastes for silk with a decent bow. Not enc/nec/shaman tier, but respectable.

I mean no offense to Jimjam, his posts are invaluable to the forums, but he does trivialize the effort here. And as someone who doesn't raid this is a problem with lots of posts on the forums. You'll see stuff like "at 46 you'll get your epic and it's easy from there." It's just not realistic advice to most of the people who play P99.

For strategy, what I usually do is start with a root. Start softening the target with arrows. While rooted, cast snare and a dot (tolans arms are good for this). When the root wears off, facetank the mob with a Swarmcaller. Hopefully you get a quick proc, and you can switch to a higher dps weapon if you have one (hopefully a Woodsman's staff). Thankfully the Swarmcaller itself is a pretty solid dps weapon, since there will be times you don't get a proc until the mob is almost dead.

If you get low hp, root and back off. You can reapply a DoT. You can also time your arrow shots so that you can sit down and hit the meditate tick inbetween.

You are going to want to fight the lowest level dark blue mobs you can find. With snare and root you should never really die unless you get trained. To solo 55+ you are really going to want a fungi, so either prioritize leveling where you can also get decent plat or stop leveling and farm until you get one. It's doable without one, but it will just make life a million times easier.

Indoor dungeons will be difficult for a ranger. Harmony is stupid overpowered for pulling, but it only works in outdoor zones. (Unrest > Mistmoore > City of Misty > Karnors Castle you will be a single pulling god.) Any other indoor dungeon you will need to rely on root to handle adds and it's pretty much never going to be worth the effort from an exp perspective.

[Jibartik]

Pulling for your group in mm as a ranger is literally the most fun I’ve had in Eq so maybe that will change your mind.

[Snaggles]

Rangers have a TON of tricks but they really bloom late in the 50’s. It’s also a class with practice and expensive/exclusive gear the performance spectrum varies a lot. I remember the best and worst rangers vividly :). What they lack is a way to interrupt casters (besides procs) and a way to recover hps quickly. Throw in a healer and that duo can conquer almost anything even if less efficient than some combos.

Facetanking works ok with lower level old world mobs especially with a fungi. Casting Call of Flame and Firestrike (and later Calefaction) between swings with a 2h is also one of the better ways to take down casters hoping they don’t land bigger hits than you.

I never had the plat for good gear on the ranger (woodsman to 58) but still soloed to 60. I did a combo of fear kiting animals, short range bow rot (almost melee range) with the tolan’s bracer, and root jousting (turning on/off attack and waiting for the cool down). The last is quite efficient and I found while trying to proc the Swarmcaller I often would end up killing the mob before slow procced. I did a bit of this with an earthshaker too since that weapon can return a very high amount of damage per attack round.

It’s a very high mobility/dynamic hybrid. Less plodding than a SK or definitely a paladin, also higher risk. Being a bit of an underdog is fun as well, just keep at it! You still have tricks in dungeons but have clipped wings compared to outdoors. I’d bring a buddy (any class really) to make it more enjoyable unless you are trying to prove a point or impress sadistic Twitch viewers. It’s gonna take a lot of arrows...

[Stonewallx39]

Just make sure to pick a human with an eyepatch, that will improve your aim 17.777%...

All jokes aside you will spend a lot of time medding and regenerating back to full. Choosing a wood elf would give you hide allowing you to step away for 10+ mins while you med. Personally I couldn’t get over the looks of my wood elf and rerolled a human (obs with the eyepatch).

You didn’t mention which server, but during velious era rangers get fear animal which can be tedious but is also efficient. You’re basically just regenning mana after the fight instead of both hp and mana (mana regens waaaay faster). You also do more efficiently damage from behind the mob so kills will be theoretically faster.

Track is a superpower. After playing a tracker you will feel like part of the game is missing playing anything else. It’s just so cool and useful in unexpected ways. I recommend binding to a movement key with forage and sense heading while you level. Then Just find a nice corner of your screen to stick the window in.

Don’t underestimate bow kiting either. With Sow pots and eventually your own Sow spell you can kite down all kinds of major reds ( most useful for the random non casting named you come across). This is because archery doesn’t have the same check for lvl difference that melee and spells do. Where you have the same chance of hitting, and hitting for max damage as you would against a blue or green. Remember to pick up a reduced weigh quiver if you want this option as that will give your bow the equivalent weight reduction as haste.

[Kirdan]

rangers get hide as a class skill, no need to be a puny elf

[DoodyLich666]

I wish you could make barbarian rangers.

[Crede]

I wish you could make barbarian rangers.

Barbarian Paladin with a massive fiery sword would be ideal

[Philistine]

Pulling for your group in mm as a ranger is literally the most fun I’ve had in Eq so maybe that will change your mind.

I 100% agree that pulling well in MM as a ranger is awesome. Watch the monks and other classes struggle to bring back less than a handful at places like CE or tower then you run in as a ranger and pull singles all day, if the right tricks are pulled out of your hat ;)

My ranger is my main (low 50's, currently) and play a few times per week for 2-3 hours/night in the evening. My fear is mediocre, so I personally have found it most fun to group - face tanking i can only do 1-2 mobs before having to take a break, and I just get bored/frustrated with the tedium of fear kiting.

So far being casual and with soso gear hasn't been too bad, though the amount of progress I'm now able to me in a night is getting to be painfully little.

Overall, I think the class is a ton of fun and under-rated. I wouldn't play one if I really wanted to solo a ton though.

Just my 2cp, of course!

[Selene]

Thanks so much for the replies guys! I really appreciate it. I did play a ranger a while back but only got to level 31, never tried dungeon crawling with her, and obviously never seen the high levels. I just got tired of the root + bow all the time, felt so tedious. But after reading this I think i'll give it another shot! (no pun intended)

I have a paladin on blue and its been really fun in a sort of masochistic way lol.

[Snaggles]

Yea the paladin is kinda boring. Slow and steady, rarely in true danger.

While the ranger benefits from a wealth of plat and raid gear the pally is on the other end. A DW helm is like 500p which is good for solo healing. It’s a shoestring budget fungi or invigorate BP. A reaver or Narandi is like 9k too which is on par with some NTOV weapons.

Either on green are still dealing with the 40% hybrid penalty. A rough situation.

[Gustoo]

I used to do a lot of bow kiting and doting on mobs that were too strong for me. It took a long time but snare always landed and I packed a lot of arrows.

I never used a swarm caller because the dmg / dly was too bad and I thought slow and haste items werent worth the trouble when I could get lamentations X2 and boost my weak melee stats. I did use a woodsmans staff though.


That was just because I was dumb though.

[Ravager]

Ranger is probably the most overlooked class for farming. You can basically pop into any zone, hit Track and find plat. I dunno if Gats is still around, but he was probably one of the richest people on the server simply because of Track.

[Tethler]

Pulling for your group in mm as a ranger is literally the most fun I’ve had in Eq so maybe that will change your mind.

I feel that. Ranger pulling archon temple in CT was so much fun.

[greenspectre]

I feel that. Ranger pulling archon temple in CT was so much fun.

I happened to be grouped with LevelUpLarry's ranger once in CT Archon when he was streaming, so I got to watch him pull (as well as moon the camera when he went afk, lol). It looked fun as hell, floating around the pyramid just dropping reavers (err arrows) on lizards. He abused the FUCK out of harmony to get to the group safely from zoneline, too. So many tricks!

[Toxigen]

Unless you're going to twink the hell out of it, just play a monk.

[Croco]

Unless you're going to twink the hell out of it, just play a monk.

Speaking from the experience of having a 60 monk and an almost 52 ranger there are some important differences. Using a Swarmcaller and spells I can solo things at 51 on my ranger that I definitely couldn't on my monk at the same level.

Just going by dps the ranger can't hold a candle to the monk but it's definitely nice having sow all the time and harmo and unlimited invis. The amount of tricks and clickies a ranger has access to dwarfs a monks toolkit by far.

That being said every time I'm playing my ranger I miss FD dearly.

[Keebz]

I played ranger untwinked in classic and solo'd quite a bit.

Generally, you are doing some combination of face tanking + root and shoot. It is a little tedious but gets the job done. On the plus side, outdoors you can snare + bow kite pretty much anything that doesn't summon, even deep reds. So if you're lvl 15 and you need to kill a lvl 37 warrior mob outdoors, you can absolutely do it, albeit slowly.

With Kunark, you have some new goodies (e.g. Tolans, Swarmcaller, Fungi, Haste Cloak apparently, etc.) that will make the whole process easier. If you don't have a bunch of plat and or belong to a raiding guild, these will be less impactful of course, but they are there for you eventually. Velious will continue to bring fun toys to the class.

All in all, It is a pretty great 'explore the world' class. On my ranger, I can get around most places with ease, but no so much indoor dungeons. If you're looking for a dungeon crawling class, Ranger aint it.

[Keebz]

That being said every time I'm playing my ranger I miss FD dearly.

Every time I play my monk, I miss snare dearly!

On green, it's a long wait til that snare hammer...

[Pint]

Unless you're twinked your only viable option is fear kiting

[Zipity]

Unless you're twinked your only viable option is fear kiting

False.
There were plenty of rangers in classic who soloed to 50. now there some rangers soloing from 50-60. It’s very doable but don’t expect more than 4% xp per hr 57+.

[Gustoo]

You can't fear kite until Velious.

So you need to snare and arrow kite with dots and melee mixed in as your HP allows.

You can heal up fast if you sit between casts of minor healing like a smart guy, and use basically no mana to heal up, which will let you have relatively low downtime compared to a warrior but not that low.

Arrows for when you are too beat up to keep going. Works best outdoors.

Panic animal should have always been with this class but...well it wasnt.

[Keebz]

Unless you're twinked your only viable option is fear kiting

Rangers are a great money making class, so you can twink yourself if you know what you're doing. Hint: snipe nameds, do outdoor camps, etc.

[Shourty]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Croco View Post
That being said every time I'm playing my ranger I miss FD dearly.



Every time I play my monk, I miss snare dearly! ..


Yes to both. FD and gate on a ranger would be grand.

[Bardp1999]

I duo'd a lot with a Ranger on my necromancer and it was oddly a perfect combo for a shockingly large amount of content. That Ranger however was geared to the literal teeth (Orna)

[Pint]

Don't listen to all these nuts. If you try to solo an untwinked ranger past the 20s you will be doing a shit ton of rooting and shooting/rooting and healing. I know this bc my ranger had epics and full sky gear in kunark and has tov gear now at lvl52 and even then fights include rooting and healing. Tbf you are asking about soloing on a hybrid in classic eq in 2021 so you just might have the tisms necessary to slog it out though so gl.

In answer to your other question, rangers can get decently strong and solo some cool content at the high end but you actually are better off with a knight at 60 with bis gear if you want to play that game. I know this bc I've tried it on both on 99 with bis gear and the ranger still underperforms in comparison.

[jolanar]

Don't listen to all these nuts. If you try to solo an untwinked ranger past the 20s you will be doing a shit ton of rooting and shooting/rooting and healing. I know this bc my ranger had epics and full sky gear in kunark and has tov gear now at lvl52 and even then fights include rooting and healing.


You are fighting too hard mobs if that's true. One of the perks of a ranger is that they CAN kill higher end mobs than a monk. But it's not efficient from an exp/hour perspective.

[Jimjam]

Don't listen to all these nuts. If you try to solo an untwinked ranger past the 20s you will be doing a shit ton of rooting and shooting/rooting and healing. I know this bc my ranger had epics and full sky gear in kunark and has tov gear now at lvl52 and even then fights include rooting and healing. Tbf you are asking about soloing on a hybrid in classic eq in 2021 so you just might have the tisms necessary to slog it out though so gl.

In answer to your other question, rangers can get decently strong and solo some cool content at the high end but you actually are better off with a knight at 60 with bis gear if you want to play that game. I know this bc I've tried it on both on 99 with bis gear and the ranger still underperforms in comparison.

What are you fighting with this ranger?

[Crede]

What are you fighting with this ranger?

I wouldn’t say it’s what you’re fighting, but Pint is right it’s just painfully obvious how bad rangers are 45+ at face tanking content compared to a knight, regardless of how hard you twink one. When it comes to higher end solo content on a hybrid, Pallies win at this by a landslide, Sks really only start to be decent with epic, and rangers just never really ever get there. Fear kiting is your best bet on sk/ranger but I find that to be a miserable experience on a melee.

[Jimjam]

Just asking out of curiosity.

I remember 46-54 being tough. Struggled to facetank sonic bats, even though far worse equipped 51 war and monk each did them with ease.

51 did seem a little less bad than 46-50, as if there was a step up in worn AC cap or something (or maybe a good mitigation spell gets added?), but the lack of defence skill ups started to show again 52-54.

On blue rangers now get slightly higher skill caps for some defensive stuff, which might help out any non-green new rangers during their 50s.

[jolanar]

I wouldn’t say it’s what you’re fighting, but Pint is right it’s just painfully obvious how bad rangers are 45+ at face tanking content compared to a knight, regardless of how hard you twink one. When it comes to higher end solo content on a hybrid, Pallies win at this by a landslide, Sks really only start to be decent with epic, and rangers just never really ever get there. Fear kiting is your best bet on sk/ranger but I find that to be a miserable experience on a melee.

If you have raid gear, clicky spell haste, and a weapon that procs slow and you still have to back off and heal every fight then it absolutely has to do with what you are fighting.

[Crede]

If you have raid gear, clicky spell haste, and a weapon that procs slow and you still have to back off and heal every fight then it absolutely has to do with what you are fighting.

People always talking about ranger potential with sky haste/slow epic. This vastly misleads new/casual people because these items are extremely difficult to obtain unless you raid a lot and even then there’s going to be a ton of other ranger alts who want in on it.

And Relying on procs is annoying unless you’re rocking like 200+ dex. Sure there’s Swarmcaller proc but the ratio is terrible and how much damage did you just take trying to get that to proc? I’m even thinking of mobs like hhk nobles which are pretty easy for their level but yet rangers still get beat hard by them and have few ways to mitigate downtime. I have all 3 hybrids, have geared them to the teeth. And every knight, monk, bard, and war outperforms them and if you want to be a solo artist you will be disappointed when you hit 50.

I’m not saying rangers aren’t a cool class and they can solo, they’re just not efficient at it.

[Jimjam]

Offhand epic pretty easy. It's one raid that double drops the item, so easy to persuade guilds to help in exchange for tracking/whatever.

Lots of rangers use swarmcaller pre-primary epic for slow (I never found it worth it).

It's important to maintain the AC buffs, these are a huge part of ranger mitigation.

[Gustoo]

All hybrids are elite.

SK - FD, HT = win
PAL - Heals, Rez, CC = win
RNG - Bow, Track = win

I think they're the best classes in the game. Raid preference be damned.

[jolanar]

People always talking about ranger potential with sky haste/slow epic. This vastly misleads new/casual people because these items are extremely difficult to obtain unless you raid a lot and even then there’s going to be a ton of other ranger alts who want in on it.


We are specifically responding to someone who has those items.

[Snaggles]

I lost track which server the OP is on. If green then life is tough. Very tough. No fear and a 40% hybrid penalty...

If blue ranger grinding is easy. You can hit 50 in OT or low 50’s in Emerald Jungle. I went from mid 30’s to 49 in WL on Tigeraptors. 49-54 bow rotting in Grobb holding down 5 spawns in 24 mins before repops. Up to 58 in HK off Dyrna. After that my grind to 60 solo went from “weeks” to “months” but I was in no rush. At 58 I had a woodsman staff and cloak of crystalline waters, no fungi yet. Nuking between swings in Dyrna and hoping for the best. If not her, pick low Hp mobs that don’t cast and root joust or bow plunk. This is the era of YouTube and windowed EQ. If you aren’t a masochist find a duo partner and it would be way better.

A knight solo to 60 is way easier. Groups are easier to find as well.

[Selene]

Im on blue, though i'm not sure if i should be starting the ranger on green instead (i have a couple toons on green already).

it sounds like rangers generally won't fight toe to toe with things, so maybe i should just stick to knights if i want to dungeon crawl by myself

[Crede]

Im on blue, though i'm not sure if i should be starting the ranger on green instead (i have a couple toons on green already).

it sounds like rangers generally won't fight toe to toe with things, so maybe i should just stick to knights if i want to dungeon crawl by myself

Depends, what is your budget and which classes are you considering?

[Snaggles]

So what do you mean by “crawling dungeons”? A bit late in asking for definitions (sorry) but let’s dig into this.

Crawling any dungeon that gives anything but green con exp at 60 will be exceptionally difficult, dangerous and slow. Npc’s scale more aggressively than players since this is a group-based game. For example, a blue con in Sebilis will usually have 2-3 times the hps of an unbuffed tank. A good player with a 60 shaman (with all the toys) can do this slowly and safely. Necros and enchanters can efficiently as well (plus some really good druids). The best melees on the server have but mostly (I expect) as a badge of honor. Now as a duo...completely different. Fun, faster, safer, etc.

If your are exploring dungeons with good gear 30 levels higher than the npcs any melee can do it. The average monk or knight is on the more capable side (monks faster). Rangers are less capable if only since a lot of these lower level npcs will have 6-8pt damage shields and you likely will be dual-wielding 1h’s.

So you might clarify what that means to you and how important it is. Is it for fun, profit, or the achievement itself? Whittling away at a npc with a lot of hps is rarely fun or profitable unless it’s a named spawn and you are very committed to burning some time.

[Crede]

Bard definitely wins for melee dungeon crawling 1-50. 51+ not so much since charm song starts using mana, but you can still go a pretty good while before running out of mana but you will have to med for 1-2 hours to get that mana back when you do run out. FT items become big here.

I'd have to give the edge to pallies 50+. Calm/root and their ability to heal up health ridiculously fast gives them the edge for toe to toe dungeon crawling. However, when finally reaching 60, you may find yourself enjoying an SK or Monk more due to just being able to flop around dungeons with ease.

[Pint]

What are you fighting with this ranger?

Najena > sola > solb is my preferred route to 60 but I did branch out a lot with my ranger as I never intended to get him last 52. I also killed in kedge, perma, com, velks, kael, kc off the top of my head. I can kill stuff anywhere with epics/sky cloak and velious ac/100hp items but it still required too much downtime to be enjoyable (for me). You can solo anything to 60 in eq, I just think it's misleading not to let someone know that in the year 2020 if they want to roll a hybrid, grind to 60, then gear it for dungeon crawling solo then they better not want to get to the crawling till the year 2022 assuming their play time is high. The high end ranger I used mostly in hate and their mitigation just kinda sucks, dps is decent but doesn't bridge the gap.

[Selene]

I want to level up for the majority of my hybrid's life in dungeons, and then to be able to go after nameds. I like pally and have one in the mid 30's but i've found that whenever i log on to my old ranger (who is early 30's), i really missed that fast swinging action...

she has the haste gloves cuz she was made on blue like 2-3 years ago before i quit for a year, and a lamentation and jagged sword of mourning. whereas my poor pally doesnt have any haste items on green, but i can afford an FBSS now if i spend all my plat on it.

but based on what you guys are telling me it seems that as you get into the higher levels, a ranger can't like, go up to a mob in a dungeon, face tank 100% of the fight, and be done with it like a pally can. i just wanted to know if this bow rotting technique ends up getting more drawn out and longer/more tedious at higher levels. i'd assume no soothe/calm also hurts.

btw, is blue a dying server? I was in west karana last night and i was the only one!

[Ennewi]

I want to level up for the majority of my hybrid's life in dungeons, and then to be able to go after nameds. I like pally and have one in the mid 30's but i've found that whenever i log on to my old ranger (who is early 30's), i really missed that fast swinging action...

she has the haste gloves cuz she was made on blue like 2-3 years ago before i quit for a year, and a lamentation and jagged sword of mourning. whereas my poor pally doesnt have any haste items on green, but i can afford an FBSS now if i spend all my plat on it.

but based on what you guys are telling me it seems that as you get into the higher levels, a ranger can't like, go up to a mob in a dungeon, face tank 100% of the fight, and be done with it like a pally can. i just wanted to know if this bow rotting technique ends up getting more drawn out and longer/more tedious at higher levels. i'd assume no soothe/calm also hurts.

btw, is blue a dying server? I was in west karana last night and i was the only one!

Blue is top-heavy, though there are groups to be found at the lower end here and there. West Karana is just a dead zone, save for the occasional duo at bandits or soloer at ogres. Rangers are fun because of all the items that enhance them, but those enhancements are costly and hard to obtain. Having access to slow procs from Swarmcaller or epic mainhand are significant. Paladins aren't dependent on haste or slow when soloing, using root to joust instead, sitting and medding in between swings. Rangers can do the same, but they lack the damage mitigation. Harmony is superior to calm but then it is restricted to outdoor zones, limiting your dungeon crawl ambitions to Mistmoore, Karnor's, City of Mist, and maybe one or two more that don't immediately come to mind.

[Snaggles]

If you’re talking about just powering through a mob a monk is probably the best class. The perk of a hybrid (even a ranger) isn’t efficiency but capacity. Besides mend or clickies a monk just relies on doing more damage than the npc than it does to them. If they can’t...they have to feign or again burn expendibles. A pally can root and heal; a sk can tap with their pet helping or snare/fear, a ranger can do a bit of the pally game and also bow or dot stuff. A bard, well they have a huge list of tricks.

If you are a casual ranger/monk with around 2200 hps or a pally/sk around 3k a npc hitting for 80’s is one thing (lvl 40’ish old world mobs) but 150’s is a different game. Especially if that npc is a wizard, healer, or some random warrior who got buffs from another shaman NPC. You are going to grind off easier targets but being able to kill what you set your mind to is cool. I’ve killed a 12k hp lvl 49 SK spider with my ranger...10-15 mins and about 500 arrows but I did it.

The devs believed hybrids should be weaker than the pure counterparts. Hybrids have flexibility though that in situations can make up for their melee or casting downfalls. Rangers have their flaws but between track, snare, root, harmony, and spirit of the wolf they make a pretty fun class. They have other buffs and skills as well but those are some great hat tricks.

[Vitalsign]

Can the Holgresh in Wakening Lands be ranger animal feared?

[Snaggles]

Can the Holgresh in Wakening Lands be ranger animal feared?

I'm pretty sure only the panthers and tigerraptors can be. EJ has some animals that seem blue to low 50's. WW or bear pits (if you are brave) can take you to 60 I hear.

[Selene]

So what I'm hearing is that soloing on a ranger requires a ton of arrows. That was one of my main questions, because I'd rather not play a ranger if, as you get higher and higher in levels, you do more and more bow rotting. It gets tedious for me pressing 1 and seeing each arrow do so little damage....if shooting the bow to get the mob to 50% or even 70% health is required, then I probably won't go with ranger....

[Selene]

And just wanted to add to some earlier posts...
my main goal in this game is to be a solo artist. I just don't have the time to commit to regular raiding and those irregular hours that come with it. For me, the fun is in viewing this game almost like a single player game and making my way through a tough dungeon and fighting some bosses. If I'm going to be disappointed at 50 or 60 as a ranger trying to be a solo artist, then maybe it's not the right class for me.

[Croco]

And just wanted to add to some earlier posts...
my main goal in this game is to be a solo artist. I just don't have the time to commit to regular raiding and those irregular hours that come with it. For me, the fun is in viewing this game almost like a single player game and making my way through a tough dungeon and fighting some bosses. If I'm going to be disappointed at 50 or 60 as a ranger trying to be a solo artist, then maybe it's not the right class for me.

If your goal is to be a solo artist ranger is 100% not the class to play. Enchanter would be the #1, then Shaman, then probably Monk or maybe SK.

[Stonewallx39]

And just wanted to add to some earlier posts...
my main goal in this game is to be a solo artist. I just don't have the time to commit to regular raiding and those irregular hours that come with it. For me, the fun is in viewing this game almost like a single player game and making my way through a tough dungeon and fighting some bosses. If I'm going to be disappointed at 50 or 60 as a ranger trying to be a solo artist, then maybe it's not the right class for me.

Going back to your original post and this update, if you want to play a “hybrid” you should play a shaman. They really are a hybrid, just lean a little further on the caster strength vs melee. You have tons of options that a more melee focused character doesn’t have and you will really enjoy your quality of life. Shaman can easily melee there whole life, but you can also tailor your strategy to whatever the situation. Shammy are cheap to twink starting out (legit some banded, hp rings, and a decent weapon and your golden until 30).

Then there is tons of gear upgrades to keep it feeling new. You have pretty decent race options. Barbarian might work if you like humanoid looks, iksar is totally viable, and ogre/troll look hilarious and are very strong.

You will not regret starting a shaman and you will have unlimited upside, to the point where you can become a god at the high end with torpor and crazy strong gearing.

[Philistine]

So what I'm hearing is that soloing on a ranger requires a ton of arrows. That was one of my main questions, because I'd rather not play a ranger if, as you get higher and higher in levels, you do more and more bow rotting. It gets tedious for me pressing 1 and seeing each arrow do so little damage....if shooting the bow to get the mob to 50% or even 70% health is required, then I probably won't go with ranger....

I agree with your assessment. I love playing a ranger but with average to below average gear like mine, soloing in the low 50s is agonizing. The grouping is a ton of fun, but the soloing is rough.

[mattydef]

Just play a bard. Less melee damage but way more abilities that allow them to solo all the way to 60 (swarming, fear kiting, charming, even face to face with slow/dots/melee etc).

[Croco]

Just play a bard. Less melee damage but way more abilities that allow them to solo all the way to 60 (swarming, fear kiting, charming, even face to face with slow/dots/melee etc).

He wants to be a solo artist and kill named mobs in dungeons, what about that to you screams bard? lol

[Jimjam]

He wants to be a solo artist and kill named mobs in dungeons, what about that to you screams bard? lol

Shaman is probably best call I’ve seen in thread.

[mattydef]

He wants to be a solo artist and kill named mobs in dungeons, what about that to you screams bard? lol

What makes you think a ranger would be any better than a bard at being a solo artist and killing named mobs in dungeons?

[Snaggles]

What makes you think a ranger would be any better than a bard at being a solo artist and killing named mobs in dungeons?

I mean...besides root? Not getting hit is an ideal way of not getting killed. Although we really should quality what "killing names" means since many 51+ mobs summon and imho neither are terrific at this.

Back to the OP, you have the hps of a rogue and worse defense caps. You do less damage than a monk. You're HP recovery or avoidance is horrid compared to a knight.
You have no "escape" method besides snaring and running or rooting and camping out. Why would you pick this as a solo artist? It's an underdog class through and through.

Again, you can solo to 60 (with any melee really). If you dont have the patience for summoning arrows I'd pick a different class, probably not even a melee. They are ALL a dredge to hit 60 on. Finding a group with a ranger will be more tough than most melees; a monk or rogue can get to the camp far easier and usually will be preferred if all things considered.

Shaman is probably best call I’ve seen in thread.

Agreed though they are pretty expensive to gear up. A great basis for a dungeon duo even if a scrappy one.

[mattydef]

I mean...besides root? Not getting hit is an ideal way of not getting killed.

Root is very powerful and definitely helps the ranger, but bard being able to mez/charm/fear will still make them better. I only suggested bard because the OP clearly likes the hybrid play style and IMO the bard is the closest to a ranger and would be technically better at what he wants to accomplish (even though his preferred class choice might not generally be a good fit for his goals in-game).

[Snaggles]

Root is very powerful and definitely helps the ranger, but bard being able to mez/charm/fear will still make them better. I only suggested bard because the OP clearly likes the hybrid play style and IMO the bard is the closest to a ranger and would be technically better at what he wants to accomplish (even though his preferred class choice might not generally be a good fit for his goals in-game).

I hear ya :) . A good bard is a marvel to witness at work. Definitely a love or hate gameplay style. Either I'm a marginal player, marginal bard, or just not confident in myself...probably a some of each, Lol.

I've always seen a SK as having some bard tricks plus feign death. Less capable compared to a really good bard but definitely simple to play. Way more downtime. If the OP wants a "modern" MMO feel in an old MMO the bard is definitely a path. The nice thing is you will know if you love or hate the game play fairly soon after starting it.

[mattydef]

I love all the hybrids and I’m currently working on a ranger and plan on getting his epic(s) so I can have all of them. It would be way too hard to pick a favorite, literally every single time I play one I’m like “oh yea this guy is for sure my favorite”...then I hop on the next character and say the exact same thing, lol.

[Croco]

What makes you think a ranger would be any better than a bard at being a solo artist and killing named mobs in dungeons?

I never said it would be? I literally told him if he wanted to be a solo artist he should go with Enchanter > Shaman > Monk/Sk in that order. Ranger would be slightly better at doing it in a dungeon. Put a bard in a dungeon and you eliminate about 75% of what makes a bard great. They need open outdoor zones to really shine and utilize their entire toolkit. Same with rangers but a ranger has a better universal toolkit with clickies and spells than a bard does in a dungeon.

[Snaggles]

A ranger can bow-rot from almost melee range. The prob with tough names is early root breaks and a lack of recovering hps from those 140+ hits. That and whittling down an 8-10k hp mob with bow shots. Even ensnared you dont have much time to toss a fresh root up.

As soloists the sham/necro/ench are certainly the best at it. The rest of the semi-capable solo classes are just making do with what they have.

[mattydef]

I never said it would be? I literally told him if he wanted to be a solo artist he should go with Enchanter > Shaman > Monk/Sk in that order. Ranger would be slightly better at doing it in a dungeon. Put a bard in a dungeon and you eliminate about 75% of what makes a bard great. They need open outdoor zones to really shine and utilize their entire toolkit. Same with rangers but a ranger has a better universal toolkit with clickies and spells than a bard does in a dungeon.

Wrong. I can go through a dungeon much easier than a ranger on my bard. Indoors a ranger can't harmony pull, a bard can. A ranger can root adds, but a bard can mez or charm it. The ranger can baby heal himself which is nice, the bard can twist a SS BP heal in his normal song rotation with his hp song. On demand attack speed slows helps mitigate a lot of damage as well for the bard. If its a high end dungeon either one aren't going to be great soloing, I'd give the nod to the bard for sure though. In low to mid dungeons it doesn't really matter, they'll both be fine but the ranger would probably do it faster.

[Croco]

Wrong. I can go through a dungeon much easier than a ranger on my bard. Indoors a ranger can't harmony pull, a bard can. A ranger can root adds, but a bard can mez or charm it. The ranger can baby heal himself which is nice, the bard can twist a SS BP heal in his normal song rotation with his hp song. On demand attack speed slows helps mitigate a lot of damage as well for the bard. If its a high end dungeon either one aren't going to be great soloing, I'd give the nod to the bard for sure though. In low to mid dungeons it doesn't really matter, they'll both be fine but the ranger would probably do it faster.

That's great I'm glad bard is better than a ranger in dungeons for you. Neither one is going to do what the OP wants. Which is why I suggested Enchanter and Shaman. Hope this helps.

[mattydef]

That's great I'm glad bard is better than a ranger in dungeons for you. Neither one is going to do what the OP wants. Which is why I suggested Enchanter and Shaman. Hope this helps.

And thats fine, I didnt jump on you for suggesting those classes like you did to me for suggesting bard, lol. At least the bard is still a hybrid like the OP wants and has a very close playstyle to the ranger. Hope this helps.

[Croco]

And thats fine, I didnt jump on you for suggesting those classes like you did to me for suggesting bard, lol. At least the bard is still a hybrid like the OP wants and has a very close playstyle to the ranger. Hope this helps.

OP says he wants to be a solo artist and kill named in dungeons. You suggest bard... Should be easy to follow why someone would be confused by your suggestion. Hope this helps.

[Pint]

You want an enchanter for your best chance at hitting 60 somewhat quickly, bonus points since enchanters don't need much gear and cha gear should cost pennies by now. Shaman sounds closer to how you want to play though since with their slow they make decent face tanks and you can buy some decent weapons for them that I think stay viable into the low 40s.

[Pint]

You don't want to be a solo artist on a hybrid melee unless you spent literal years gearing it and only those of us with the most severe autism should even consider attempting this feat.

[mattydef]

The OP's whole thread is about playing a ranger, I suggested bard because it's the closest class to a ranger's playstyle (that he likes) that will be better at soloing and dungeon crawling. Are there other classes in the game better at that? Of course. Those classes generally play nothing like a ranger though. So he needs to ask himself what's more important, the hybrid playstyle or being able to solo harder high end content.

[Croco]

The OP's whole thread is about playing a ranger, I suggested bard because it's the closest class to a ranger's playstyle (that he likes) that will be better at soloing and dungeon crawling. Are there other classes in the game better at that? Of course. Those classes generally play nothing like a ranger though. So he needs to ask himself what's more important, the hybrid playstyle or being able to solo harder high end content.

He already answered that question. He's said he wants to be a solo artist and won't have fun if a ranger isn't able to do that for him. Which is why people start suggesting other classes. Reading comprehension ftw!

[mattydef]

If your goal is to be a solo artist ranger is 100% not the class to play. Enchanter would be the #1, then Shaman, then probably Monk or maybe SK.

You want to talk about reading comprehension yet as soon as the guy mentions "solo artist" you automatically assume he's talking about the player-made challenge where you try to solo the hardest mobs in Norrath. The guy clearly just wants to play a ranger and wants to know if he'll be able to solo on one without having to resort to root and archery spam. He wants to be able to fight stuff with his weapons "man to man" style, and you suggest enchanter.

[Croco]

Obviously Enchanter and Shaman aren't melee classes, which is why I also suggested Monk and Sk. I assumed, maybe incorrectly who knows?, that the OP would understand the difference gameplay wise between a caster and melee class. It's clear his top priority is being able to solo in dungeons, including named mobs. All 4 of the classes I suggested can do that with varying degrees of success. The class you suggested can't do that for any reasonable dungeon unless maybe you're fully geared out from Ntov. Reading comprehension indeed.

[mattydef]

I've finally narrowed down my favorite kind of classes to the hybrids.
I like hybrids because I think they require the most resourceful and thoughtful approach to gaining xp

His favorite classes are hybrids. I suggested a hybrid that is similar to a ranger that would also be better at soloing and dungeon crawling, which is exactly what he asked about. How you continue to be confused by my suggestion I will never understand. Keep recommending casters and non hybrids though, because that makes total sense.

[Selene]

Sorry, didn't mean for my post to lead to some arguments here lol...

I think I get what each of guys are saying. "Solo artist" led to suggestions of the true solo artist classes, and I get that shaman/enc/nec are the top. I just don't like casters, they bore me because in the long run their gameplay is so repetitive...they do the same thing over and over it feels like. Even though hybrids in a way do so as well, the nature of a melee fight is inherently a bit more dynamic to me. To each their own I guess.

I did want to play bard but but don't want wrist pain. And I also work with my hands at my job so I can't afford that, plus my friend is a bard.

I think it's pretty much ranger vs. pally for me. I don't like the downtime of an SK since they can't self heal, though I grant FD allows them to at least explore a dungeon better. I find ranger's style more fun, but then the drawback is the capability compared to a pally's dungeon crawl. I guess I'll just have to accept a tradeoff

[mattydef]

Paladin is a fun class, your damage will be lower but you can take hits a lot better with less down time, plus root and lull makes going through dungeons easier. Later on you can get a DW helmet and/or legs which really help with soloing into your 50s. GL with your choice, and remember most importantly, have fun.

[Crede]

Sorry, didn't mean for my post to lead to some arguments here lol...

I think I get what each of guys are saying. "Solo artist" led to suggestions of the true solo artist classes, and I get that shaman/enc/nec are the top. I just don't like casters, they bore me because in the long run their gameplay is so repetitive...they do the same thing over and over it feels like. Even though hybrids in a way do so as well, the nature of a melee fight is inherently a bit more dynamic to me. To each their own I guess.

I did want to play bard but but don't want wrist pain. And I also work with my hands at my job so I can't afford that, plus my friend is a bard.

I think it's pretty much ranger vs. pally for me. I don't like the downtime of an SK since they can't self heal, though I grant FD allows them to at least explore a dungeon better. I find ranger's style more fun, but then the drawback is the capability compared to a pally's dungeon crawl. I guess I'll just have to accept a tradeoff

Sounds like you’ve thought about sk as well. Sk with a focus on bind wound will mitigate a lot of downtime, can pick up one of those summon bandage daggers too. Pallies will out level them due to vastly superior out of combat healing but fd is sweet and when you’re 60 you might like having the all the sk utility better. Can maybe pick up a thurg bp on the way for 90 pt out of combat heals. Plus you get access to all the min max races. I’m enjoying ogre sk currently but you might prefer iksar or troll for regen.

[Keebz]

I think it's pretty much ranger vs. pally for me. I don't like the downtime of an SK since they can't self heal...

Well mainly, on SK you wanna find a place to fear kite, which is tricky indoors, but if you use your shorter fear it's surprisingly doable. Also, Snare + FD is amazing for splitting.

But in general, do people really think SKs have more down time than Pally? I was killing non-stop on my SK with clarity, and even with out it, I bet they kill faster than Pally, which would balance out any extra medding.

As for ranger, speaking as a Ranger main, I don't suggest Ranger if you want to solo dungeon crawl and hate bow rotting.

I'd go Pally if you're not into SK, imho.

[Stonewallx39]

Sorry, didn't mean for my post to lead to some arguments here lol...


Tis the nature of forumquest haha.

Rangers are bad ass, and the epic is fairly easy to get (if you could be talked into casual raiding... cuz it’s a lot of fun). You will be totally happy with your choice don’t look back.

I recommended Shaman, not because they’re awesome solo’ers (they are) but because they make very nice melee classes that are considered super dynamic and fun to play. Some people say Shamans a really hybrids so thought that could be a good alternative for you.

Full disclosure I don’t have a Shammy, I’m a pure melee. I mained a monk on green and a warrior on blue. And a pally and bard on live. It’s for sure a labor of love, but it’s your journey and should 100% chase what you love.

Beat of luck!

[Snaggles]

But in general, do people really think SKs have more down time than Pally? I was killing non-stop on my SK with clarity, and even with out it, I bet they kill faster than Pally, which would balance out any extra medding..

I love sk's and had one on live. My pally was on a shoestring budget for most it's life. No fungi, DW bp, dragon haste etc. It was surprisingly easy with the DW helm alone and a decent 2h just with self buffs.

Solo at 60 is rougher without all the toys, gotta pick your spots or have the patience to whittle down hard targets. Again tho, never played one at 59 with a fungi/dw bp, narandi crown, and TOV weap. I expect it would be similar to a well equipped SK. These days with the ZEM of The Hole a SK would be easy to solo or group depending on schedule.

In general though, a sk with a fungi is super fun. If you dont have a fungi I'd go paladin because by the time life gets tough (45) you have a mana-free heal. Rangers up to 55 w/o a fungi also kinda suck. My general rule of thumb: Do you have a fungi or not?

[VincentVolaju]

Many people in this thread seem to be mentioning about the power / ability of Paladins, both soloing and leveling speed.

Are you guys referring to ONLY Paladins on Blue? Like, is it something in Velious that increases the Paladins power dramatically? Because on Green, whenever I /who all paladin, I never more than 10-15 online. So I just assumed a Paladin was one of the weakest classes in the game?

[Ghost of Starman]

I facetanked on my ranger 1-60 in a few months. At 59 I was getting XP at the same rate as my friend in a Hole group. The trick is picking the right mobs, if you can find overcons its a breeze.

I was a mid range twink from 1-56 (I had an exquisite velium 2Her, CoF, a fungi, and then filled my other slots with cheap STR gear and HP gear). Once you get high enough for Swarmcaller to proc, pick one up, it can make soloing go alot faster.

Once I hit 56 it becomes harder to find overcons but they still exist. I paused the toon and started raiding, it took maybe 2-3 months to get a SEoC and a sky cloak. Once you have both epics and a sky cloak you are a one man group with self haste / slow, and the path from 56-60 is pretty straightforward.