#3
by e5c4p3artist
I can give my opinions based on my level 153 Ranger. I do not spend much money on plat. I spend mainly for "essentials" such as more inventory/bank space and occasional stat/skill resets. I do not buy chests, fashion, elixirs, etc.
I tried a full DEX build. I tried a "mage" build - using mainly skills and not auto-attacks. I didn't like either. The latter in particular will mean you are always out of energy. I settled on a Hybrid STR/DEX build and have been quite happy with it.
If you search around a bit, you will see that STRENGTH hits a hard plateau somewhere between 300-350 points. Going higher than that does add minimal damage improvement, but at a greatly diminished return on investment. I plan to go to 350 and no further myself. Therefore, I do the following:
For every 10 stat points you receive (every 2 level-ups) distribute the STR/DEX/FOC/VIT as 4/3/0/3 until Strength is around level 300. Then change so that for every 5 stat points you receive (every level-up) distribute 1/2/0/2 until you hit 350 strength. Then stop raising STR altogether and only raise DEX and VIT as you see fit - I am still raising them equally for now. Yes this means I have not put any points into FOCUS. Instead, find gear that provides either FOCUS or ENERGY directly.
It is most effective to choose a small set of skills and keep them maxed, rather than a wide range of skills that are only mediocre. I suggest the following skills, but note the last two could be swapped out depending on your play-style:
Sharp Shot (maxed)
Rapid Shot (maxed)
Light Heal (maxed)
Bolas (only as high as necessary; typically 10-15 levels higher than yours)
Camouflage (only as high as necessary; typically 10-15 levels higher than yours)
Meditate (no points, but use it at level 1 to help with extra energy regen)
Quick note - I have from time to time raised Meditate by as high as 10 points - the extra mana regen was amazing! I liked it. I wish I could keep it, but I felt ultimately the points were better spent elsewhere. If you do spend money on more than just "essentials" then Energy Sigils would be a good investment.
There are other skills that are useful and could be swapped for some of those I mentioned, but let me give a short blurb for each skill:
Sharp Shot - No brainer. High damage, fast cooldown, zero windup animation.
Rapid Shot - Cast once do 50% more damage for up to 30-ish seconds! Saves lots of mana vs. casting other skills. Cools down in 60 seconds, so half of your life, you can have it active! Trains up your Bow skill quickly!!
Light Heal - Saves money on restos, keeps you alive during battles, heal quickly between battles, be a stand-in healer for groups that don't have a Druid. Heal your friends!
Bolas - Kill any melee-attack enemy without losing a point of health, even bosses. Or be lazy and only cast at the beginning of a battle and have your enemy half dead before you take any damage.
Camouflage - Some may scoff, but seriously - FRICKING INVISIBILITY!!! Go places way above your level. Easily separate one enemy from a crowd. No drawing aggro while traveling. Easily complete "gathering" quests.
Meditate - No brainer to use the skill at level 1 and increase mana regen by +7
Gear. I can give general advice here. Buy a necklace from a Lux vendor that gives energy regen ASAP. No need for health regen if you have Light Heal, so you can buy the "cheaper" version. Upgrade as necessary and as gold permits. Work toward a quiver (offhand) that will regen energy, but this won't happen until you are a bit higher level - 50 at least, but maybe even more like 80-100, but keep it in mind.
For armor - there are others that are going to have much different opinions than mine, but I like vendor-bought armor way more than quest armor. Because it gives stat bonuses to DEX and FOCUS. And if you put 0 points into focus, having your armor provide a ton of it is REALLY helpful. However, I would suggest free armor (quest armor) only up until level 100. Before then, it's just too expensive for the money you can earn and isn't necessary. I just used whatever I came across up until level 50-ish. Then i did the vendor quest to get Darkshadow armor (free quest armor) in Stonevale and used it all the way up to 100. Then I went for Opal armor (restricted to level 100). And honestly, it has lasted me just fine all the way to my current level 153. I am finally starting to see the need for more protective armor just now and looking into upgrading to Wyrmbone (vendor armor restricted to level 140).
Now, some quest armor is good. And I do absolutely suggest getting your Warden/Lunar armor - the main armor that everyone wants, but can take forever because rare boss drops. Do work on it for sure! But unless you get lucky or are gifted the drops needed for it, find something else until you can get it. Beastbone armor - quest armor you can get at level 150 is very good too. It provides no bonus to DEX or FOCUS, but does provide some direct bonus to ENERGY (which is basically all you need FOCUS for as a Ranger), so it is an option but not until level 150+.
Always be upgrading your weapon. Right off the bat, save enough money to the War Bow from the guy in Dustwither Catacombs. Then upgrade to Ancient Bow as you can in Shalemont. Then the step-up Ancient Bow in Stonevale. Personally I have stuck with vendor bought bows rather than quest bows. I bought the Opal (level 100) bow. Then upgraded to Adamant (level 120). May upgrade to Wyrmbone (level140). Check the auction for these things and hopefully you'll find a deal rather than paying full vendor price. That goes for armor and quiver too.
I am no expert on jewelry, but I boost my energy regen with the aforementioned necklace, and I use my bracelet slot(s) for items that give FOCUS. I tend to use rings that boost my skills. Especially Bolas and Camo - because I can save skill points that can be used elsewhere.
Mount: Wolf
Pet: Rabbit - Because it give FOCUS and ENERGY regen! Plus an extra heal! Other logical choices for Rangers are spiders and chickens (seriously) as they boost DEX. But as a Ranger with zero points in FOCUS, the Rabbit works best for me. Also you can spam a Rabbit's skill all the time to quickly level up the ability. The same is true for Chicken, but is not true for any pet that has an attack instead of a buff. So your spider will only do minimal damage for quite a long time, but you can get your Rabbit's health boost and energy regen up farily quickly.
Other tips:
- Always keep your inventory clear enough to be able to fast travel
- Get all your abilities from quests and start using them to level them up ASAP
- Never give your items to others and you can't be scammed
- Help other people when they need it. Rangers can do this better than other classes because others always appreciate 4 minutes of INVISIBILITY (you can cast Camo on others) and HEALS!!!