Ranger Newbie Guide

[Nierth]

A compellation of opinions and advice, useful for starting up a ranger and wondering what to do (opinions of players who wanted to share their knowledge):

1) Specializations

Delmor:
My honest advice is, specialize in flails. There are strong swords around the world, but less people are capable of using flails, which makes who ever can ise them better for damaging. Few can parry flails and you cannot use shield block does not work against flails and works worse against whips.

Geryon:
A ranger should choose flails. Eyejab, strip weapon and lash are crucial skills. And if you want to defend yourself - you always have your staff and stand off.

2) Affinities

Delmor:
Another advice, chose your affinity according to your roleplay... lots of people told me I should be bison cause his resistances plus mionotaurs resistances would make me overpower, but i chose bear because i imagined myself more offensive then defensive when I would be fighting. If you imagine yourself as a skilled hunter, perhaps you should be wolf or panther or even falcon(I do not know what falcon affinity does..) and if you imagine yourself as a resistant person that stands firmly where she wishes to defend, perhaps bison. These are just...well... one way of thinking.. I think your character will be much more fun and efficient if you know why he is the way he is. Why panther and not wolf? because one is stronger then the other... I do not believe in that, i think one has its utilities and other has its other utilities. I being bear gave quite more damage than other rangers of my rank... but one didn't have lag when camouflaging, other would be better in resisting...

Bear: Boosts strength, constitution, health, hitroll and damroll
Bison: Health, resistances, armor
Panther: Reflex Saves, camouflage with no lag
Wolf: Reflex Saves, Hitroll, and dexterity (slight chance of making a double amount of attacks per round)

Geryon:
A ranger can choose an animal to have an affinity with. Different affinities provide different powerups. Say, bison is more healthy and resisted against physical attacks, panther can move camouflaged etc.

ukka:
panther - camouflage without lag, creeping without skill, ambushing better.
bison - some resistances, health and probably saves.

3) Feats
*Balance, Toughness, Toughness
*Balance, Forester, Toughness
*Balance, Toughness, Uncanny Dodge

[Crusader]

hawk affinity:
permanent fly (at least you can walk on water), infravision during night, will and reflex saves

[ORKAN]

What about feats? Which are best to take for a ranger? And which would best suite mobile, dexterous elf and which ones hulking, brute minotaur?

[Raider]

balance forester toughness
or
tougness forester toughness
for every race.

or
toughness forester uncanny dodge
for dex races

[Nuitari]

Actually it depends much on the style of playing, the clan you're going to join (if any) and affinity taken.

first circle - 'hide tracks' if you're going to visit hard exploration zones (edge, nether) often, also helps greatly against stalking. 'balance' to compensate for the lack of recovery. 'toughness' if you don't know what else to take, or really lack health.
second circle - 'blind fighting' for solo playing. 'forester' for more supportive-type characters.
third circle - 'animal companions' for charmie-oriented rangers. 'uncanny dodge' for high-dex guys. 'toughness' for meaty guys.

'snake blood' - can't remember off the top of my head what circle it belongs to, but it can also be useful, some good weapons with poison damtype do exist, and almost no class has specific resistance against poison, making it very effective.
'horse nomad' - probably not very effective here as it improves 'parry'+'shieldblock' with the latter being not very popular amongst rangers.

It is arguably better to concentrate on a single idea. For example - 3*toughness for a meat tank (can yield great results for a minotaur), balance+blind fighting+uncanny dodge for a dextrous forest warrior, something+forester+animal companions (with a hope to find manual of the wild and get spider bracelet) for necromancer-type ranger with 4 (6) animals camouflaged and waiting to ambush someone.

[Matthew]

So you dont need to pick forester in the 1st circle to gain the group camo bonus?
And does horse nomad really aid shieldblock? This would be extremely valuble info to a mounted cleric.

[jemma]

No, you don't need to pick forester for 1st circle. Second question, I can't answer.

[Quino]

Horse nomad feat is useless because there are SOOO much methods to put you down from horse. And constant fleeing and mounting is no fun.

Maybe if improve horse nomad feat a bit - make you don't fall from horse if it's bashed or tripped or... even strangled or blackjacked maybe! That will be a valuable feat and will make sense for elves to pick it up...

[noober]

Hi, new ranger here, and having fun, but need some advice and have some questions.

I'm level 19 now and up to this point ive been killing mostly trolls and getting tired of the area, any advice on when/where to move on to?  I'm neutral alignment.

Do animal companions always take xp?  Do all pets take xp?

I ran into this item "a casing of ebonwood bark" the other day and think its pretty cool and goes with the whole ranger thing, I was wondering where this drops and is it possible to get it at my level?

Also, is there a staff better then the ranger summoned staff I can get at this level?  Does the ranger summoned staff scale with level?

Also when do I start hunting for manuals?

Thanks in advance,
-An inquisitive young ranger

[Werewolf]

The most popular areas at these ranks are draconian moors (for good-aligned group) which are west from Emerald forest, and forest with bears (not sure if it fits your rangers role) south-west from crossroads for evil-aligned one.

All the charmed creatures who fight along with you take experience. The only exception is the steed you are mounted on. They will not take xp, however, if you leave them to wait you somewhere else.

The exact locations and ways to get high-levelled stuff is beyond the newbie section, I think. Try to find it out in game.

Yes, the ranger staff do scales up with level. In fact, the only drawbacks of it is that it strikes with physical damage and that it crumbles. There are many not bad staves you can get on this level, especially if you specialize in flails. Try to ask about them in game too.

You can start hunting for them any time you wish But in most cases you have to be above 20-25 to kill the mobs with them.

[Matthew]

Wolf: Reflex Saves, Hitroll, and dexterity (slight chance of making a double amount of attacks per round)
Is that to be taken litterally? So that with 3rd attack dual wielding you have a chance to make 12 attacks in 1 round?!

[ORKAN]

Wolf affinity gives decent bonus to Reflex saves and Hitroll. About dex - not sure.

And I think that dual-wield gives you only one additional attack per round.

And about that slight chance to make double number of attacks ... it should write slight to none. I have been playing wild elf ranger with wolf affinity for some time and not once have made double amount of attacks.

[Rialon]

It's more like one extra attack in round, not double.

[Bacuha]

Thanks, Quino!

But I have one more question - its about Forester feat. It prevents other rangers from detecting you? Does it also allow you camouflage your pets? Whats the differense between circle 2 and circle 3 Forestrers?

[Quino]

No, every person with acute vision still can see you.
Don't know what's the difference between 2nd and 3rd circle feat, but even 2nd forester allows you to camouflage not only your pets but also your groupmates.

[Bacuha]

One more question about affinities.
I have chousen bear, and recieved a message that my strenght was increased. I had already maximum strenght and it did not change ofcourse.
Should I take it literally? Or should I delete and create new character with lowered str to recieve my bonus?

[Quino]

That's the question I can't answer..
But even with maxed strength you should feel okay if you have some invisible bonus to it, because simple plague+poison from some tough mob will reduce your strength (poison -3; plague -5), and you can drop your weapon because of lack of strength. So it's always nice to have dex and str overmaxed.

[Bacuha]

I agree. The question is - if there is such a bonus? Ill try to check it with poison.

Yes, there is an invisible bonus Not sure how much it is though.

[deda]

For example, beast assassins in dragon style always have max strength no matter whether plagued, poisoned and dranied...

[Bacuha]

Also I have mastered overhead and still dont do legsweep with it. Should I master legsweep also? (COMBO is on)