Screw you Mages and Necros.... Ranger Guide to Solo Killing Red HGs

[avant_tard]

INTRO: These are four tips for young Rangers out there who might have some questions about bow-kiting.

1. FLETCHING
A little dedication to fletching in the early game can get you a decent bow and quality arrows pretty quickly. Craft a fast firing bow (for elusive archery skill-ups) and long range arrows (parabolic, small nock.) In the later game you will want to spend time getting your fletching skill up so that you can reliably craft silver arrows (magic.) Then go hunt down the Ghoul Messenger and get yourself a Short Sword of Morin. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

2. DEXTERITY
This stat really only pertains to bow-kiting for Rangers, but for this specific strategy it seems to play a crucial role. Before I boosted my dexterity my bow shots were inconsistent. When the arrows landed my hits were weak and my criticals laughable. I thought the archery skill might be bugged it lagged so far behind. I got some gear and now I feel like Al Capone POP POP POP

3. PATIENCE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER
Now that you have the tools for the trade, USE THOSE ARROWS!! I see so many of those Ranger twinks popping a few off then melee'ing the rest of the fight. I have to think that even for them a little shoot and scoot would be beneficial. A good example is kiting mammoths in EF - try to balance your health and mana together while using your arrows to take those suckers down. Kill 4-5 in a row and head back to Starn loaded with tusks.

4. TERRAIN
Use hills, rivers, cliffs and other terrain to your advantage. You will depend on snare - not root - so knowing where you can safely run around like a turkey is important. Also, archery doesn't have a line of sight check, making for some interesting ways to avoid caster mobs by staying out of their LOS but still being in range with your bow. Finally, knowing where there are fletching merchants helps: for instance the frontier town in EK.
As a side note, obtaining Pegasus Cloak is probably easier for a Ranger than any other class (though Quillmane is resistant to snare/root - be careful.) Levitation makes for some great tricks in Rathe Mtns and OOT.

FAQ:
Dexterity? lol
Okay, so if you want to level as fast as possible: join groups only and gear accordingly (hp/ac/str.) If you are simply trying to suggest "twink w/ FBSS dewd" ummmm... no.

Why has you rolled Ranger main?
First toon I rolled in '99 when I was thirteen. One of the most fun classes to play imho.

discuss, class.