Hi. No, exp penalty is a thing of the past finally. What race you pick is largely just, well entirely, a matter of aesthetics. Humans can wear
this and they get a cool looking Velious custom helm graphic. Tunare rangers get the option of questing this
item, which you won't get as a Karana worshiper. I strongly suggest you look up your race / gender custom helm graphic because that's how the Helm of the Tracker will look. It's also hard to say what stats matter since rangers are a weird DPS sorta tank sorta caster. I went 5 str / sta / dex / wis. If I did it again, I'd probably go heavier on str and sta, but none of my points were wasted.
As a GM tailor and a ranger, I think Tigeraptor is pretty bad for the price, which is considerable due to it using velium studs instead of boning. The only really appealing items in the set are the boots and cloak. The rest has mediocre stats and horrible ac, poorly suited to an alt tank role. Not sure about its look. Think orange? Probably go for crystal chitin pieces IMO. Heavy AC and nice ranger stats.
Weapons... Get a Silver Swiftblade ASAP. It's 16/24 2 hand slasher and is one of the nicest beginner weapons any class gets. Dirt cheap too thanks to our friends in Chardok AE. Think that's solid until 20. After that, you're gonna want a Woodsman Staff if you can afford it. That will see you through until your 50s and beyond. Was the weapon of choice until epics in Kunark. There's more and better weapon (more expensive) options, particularly for 2 handers now.
For procing weapons you'll want a Swarmcaller (slow) at lv 46 and Lupine Dagger (greater wolf form) at lv 45 when they proc. The Lupine is cool because it procs a stronger wolf than you'd be able to cast at 45. Clickies.. Tolan's Bracer is the best out of the set besides the BP.
True heroes don't need surnames. And my ranger has died way less than my rogue and druid. It's a tough class, but I think you'll enjoy.
Definitely my favorite character.
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