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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
is ranger really that bad?
clappy49
Member
Wanted to level up a ranger but all i hear are bad things about it. Is it really as bad as i keep on hearing? Also how would solo leveling be for ranger? I just want to go at my own pace and don't want to group up to mob grind. I understand this is Alpha and tons of things will change but for now how is the class?
1
Comments
They are not terrible but their skill tree is just really bad if you compare it to any other class lol, definitely needs an entire overhaul but you can still have fun on them, at the moment they play like a physical damage mage which feels terrible
they need like a 20%-30% range increase imo for class idenity.
i kinda wanna see the bow mastery passive to include all skills since ranger have way to many long CD skills this would help there (maybe increase the CD on thundershot to compensate but rest should be fine i think) would make weaving in basic attacks rather important for them.
the skills/skill tree dont realy work to well with eachother compared to other classes aswell.
But tbh not much point in doing balance atm until they fix enchanting and see how things fall there.
rangers are the only class now that hasnt received a balance or skill pass yet so we will probaly see some changes somewhat soonish i feel
for example :P ive also managed to climb half way up tower of carphin outer wall basicly you can jump onto the 6th floor or something from the wall through a window there :P
Thematically the Ranger is the one class that is solo oriented, but you won't feel that at the moment from what is in game. The current iteration of the ranger is EXTREMELY gear dependent and feels very lackluster if that gear is not up to par. Also, their skill kit does have synergies, but they're not very well thought out and feel backward compared to the other classes. So, if you plan to mostly solo and go at your own pace (I fully understand), you will feel let down on the class.
1v1...depends really on the opponent, and the current power scaling issues don't help with the judgement here. Yet I have seen rangers in pvp "pretty" well especially if they have an advantage and are attacking. Camouflage helps for multiple reasons, as you cannot be targeted by single target abilities, even if for whatever reason it bugs out and you are visible. If it works you can sneak up on people and open up with some strong combos. Quite a few classes might struggle to avoid or heal that burst damage, especially if they are surprised. With how broken the current TTK is, at high Physical Power, you can have your target at half HP with Snipe, follow up with Barrage, and many classes at that point are dead. That's not even the full single target combo potential.
Blown past falling sands…
I haven't been able to be on the last couple months so I can't speak with any expertise, but the issues people describe can be solved this way. And it adds them nicely into the husbandry economy.
You can beat people 1v1 you just have to play intelligently. Use your bear traps, keep one between you and your enemy.
I nuked a friend of mine in 4 second ish and they were on a mage.
The class fantasy is a little weird as it feels like a single target nature mage with a bow. Other than that, they excel in group PvP. They bring a good amount if utility and can reach people other classes can’t. Esp in a siege.
It's also worth noting, that the majority of my time was not spent leveling, but spent on resource gathering/artisan stuff, and exploration. When I *did* focus on leveling it went quite fast...Maybe an hour or two tops at each level, all the way up to level 22.
Also, also worth noting, that my current opinion has been formed after having been able to try out *all* the classes at level 25, during the recent realm-test....So I *have* gotten to play all the classes at level 25 to see how they all felt.
I currently think the ranger is just more convoluted/misunderstood than the others, and it doesn't follow the way typical MMOs set them up. Especially when it comes to stat priorities...which isn't DEX first, as one might assume.
That is not to say I think the ranger is in-line with the other dps classes...And it's definitely in a spot where it could use some attention/love/help. Some of the "higher tier" damage skills just feel absolutely garbage when compared to the very first skill you're able to unlock as the ranger.
Otherwise, it's been fun. I had/am having fun with it still, and it definitely got a whole lot better once I straightened out my stat distribution, mastered the various dps rotation(s), and maxed out/optimized my weapon perks.
And despite what I've seen people say...if you use *ALL* of the mobility options available to you, and learn how to jump-kite and dodge-roll-jump...The ranger definitely feels the most able to dictate range than the other classes.
On top of that, the rangers basic auto-attacks with a longbow, and it's subsequent finishers/extended finishers hit quite hard all by themselves...while also applying some pretty nasty debuffs at the same time. 50% reduced healing from 10 stacks of wound [longbow], snared [shortbow], and bleeding. Couple that with either concussive shots [50% slower cast time for target], or barbs [more bleeding]...jump hopping away while just firing basic attacks still does significant damage, especially with crits. (I've seen my extended finisher crit for 1/3 of the damage that a crit from snipe would do)
Camoflauge for ninja-looting dead bodies, getting to pick your engagements and sneak-attack other players, sneaking through PVP zones unseen, being un-targetable while harvesting resources, all while looking like the predator...is also pretty neat...when...camoflauge actually decides it wants to work...
So if a more complicated/convoluted/higher skill ceiling class doesn't sound like your cup of tea...then just run a mage. The mage will solo just fine, and tends to be the preferred DPS class in groups, should you choose to run them.
I can sum up PvP for you.
1v1 = Ranger run away every time cause u auto loose basicly all fights unless you super out gear the opponent
8v8 or above = Be good at vine throwing cause thats pretty much ur only job otherwise just be a mage :P
Rangers just need more range (for class fantast/role idenity) than they do atm and a longer TTK and they be in a decent spot i think although i would like to see some skill reworks/tweaks to be more synergised/comboable with each other and little things like evasion bonus while disengaging/airstriking (basicly like dodge gets, rogues get something similiar too)
Mages overshadow rangers atm a great deal since mages are super burst where rangers tend to be more consistant dmg output they have some burst but no where near as effective as mages. Like shortbow rangers need to get a full AA rotation in before they even do any kinda of real dmg and when fights end in 2 spells then yeah thats not happening :P
It's not only the fact that ranger feels lackluster, misses class identity, can't win a single 1v1 in a rock paper scissors game, has worse mobility than every other class bar none ( yes even clerics can intervene further than rangers disengage )
The issue for me is that Intrepid don't seem to care, ranger skills have been broken since day 1 phase 1 with hundreds if not thousands of bug reports and we can't even get our basic skills fixed whilst in the mean time I trepid are releasing much more diverse classes, tank, bard, rogue and have seem to have just pushed ranger out of their line of vision. I would expect an entire overhaul with the rogue release as I can't think of any other reason why the broken aspects of ranger are just completely ignored
Intrepid.. rangers are not a physical damage mage come on..
On top of that, the Ranger practically has no dodge, while other classes handle the bow with extreme dexterity, never missing a single shot on me. It feels like anyone can be a better archer than the actual Ranger.
The Ranger from Intrepid Studios is by far the worst archetype of any MMO. I know it's still in alpha, but the lack of attention to the class is evident. In its current state, the Ranger is nothing but pure trash, with no impact, identity, or real utility in the game.
P.S.: Despite all the complaints, I have to admit; we’re pretty good at buffing caravans.
I think i might crack out my steel energy wand on my ranger atleast i can imagine i can be a useful class like a mage then hahaha
i feel ranger might get looked over after rogue tbh, they wanted to get rogue out cause people know it spose to be coming since roadmap and class rewords are not on the roadmap so we get pushed back by the class team till rogue gets added. also some of the rogue mechanics will work well with ranger aswell like the evasion on some of their acrobatic skills can be applied to ranger disengage/airstrike potentially. I feel we should be next on the rework list since we are the only class untouched by and reasonable changes.
Ranger has no skill ceiling for the most part. There is only one real build as its useless to spec into multiple hunts, marks, or ammos as they can't be used at the same time as a different one. This leaves us with only half a dozen damage abilities as a dps class which feels horrible and gives no room for different builds. The skill ceiling for this class is extremely low and basically is oriented around creating distance from your enemy with movement ccs and mobility skills. The class isn't complicated. It's far too simple with no unique class mechanic to speak of and no build variety. If you meet another ranger, he's going be running the exact same thing build and use it most likely in the same order. Ranger isn't misunderstood. It simply completely missed the class fantasy and doesn't feel good to play.
I'd say it's less about the number of available skills, and more about one's path through those skills depending on the situation, and which bow one is using.
Could you explain to me, your typical DPS rotation(s) based on the situation? Because I bet they'd take a little longer to explain than the mage's...
And I'd wager that your skill-tree and bow-perk selection have a good chance of being different than mine...
This simply hasn't been the case, in the various farming groups I've been in...I've seen a lot of rangers opening with their snipe before bleeds are applied, using raining death + air strike, traps, explosive thundering shot...None of which I use in my current setup.
That's not to say I don't agree that having a majority of your skill-tree comprised of non-overlapping skills isn't annoying...But sometimes more doesn't always = better.
Some prefer short-bow...which I did as well...up until I had enough attack speed rating from gear to warrant switching to the long-bow.
Have also seen a lot of rangers in group not using their auto-attack cycles to their advantage...Whom are easy to spot, since they're always running out of mana.
And there are the skill specific things one needs to learn how to do outside of group PVE. Jump-hop timings with the longbow to maximize kiting speed, dodge-roll jumps, abusing terrain, getting the most out of disengage, etc....
Dodge-roll jumps would be considered a skill yeah? And they become subsequently more difficult to perform in the heat of the moment.
When to dodge-roll? When to use disengage? Is there an opportunity to proc the 2nd disengage while snaring the target?
I made the comment of ranger being misunderstood, purely from observations made in group PVE. When you sit there for 1-2 hours grinding mobs, you've got plenty of time to see what the other rangers in group are doing...
Would still argue it's more about viability than fantasy...Even in wow, huntard in burning crusade consisted of macro'ing steady shot and your pet together...and just mouse-wheeling up...and nobody then complained about class fantasy, because they were always at the top of the DPS meter.
And I already noted, that I don't think ranger is currently in-line with the other dps classes...but it's still quite viable to solo PVE content with.
Dps rotation will depend on pvp vs pve but essentially only a few abilities interreact with each other highlighting the only viable combos.
In pve, where you have massive health bars, its best to go bleed route and proc bleed with either auto attacks or concentrated scatter shot, follow with snipe to proc hemorrhage, barrage immediately after to get the maximum damage due to shaken, and follow that up with 4 autos, followed by thundering shot with barrage again, followed by autos. If enemies group up then mixing in concentrated scatter shot with vine field to proc hemorrhage again and raining death following thundering shot. Headshots of course when the enemy is below half health. This takes only looking at the skill tree for 2 minutes to figure out how you play for the rest of the game basically. You can use daze ammo if the enemy have mages but the silence is very unreliable so in pve scenario its not as good as bleed for the higher dps.
Now, in pvp it gets even more stupid simple. Watch youtube videos of ranger gameplay and you could be forgiven for thinking all these players watched the same guide but really its because its really the only viable way to fight. Spam snipe into barrage, throw down vines when the enemy group up, Thundering shot into barrage as well, and double headshots with lightning reload when the enemy gets low. They hardly stay in range long enough to get off many autos before you have to switch to burst someone else down. Traps can work as well but the vine field is by far the better ability. All the wars and group pvp that I've taken part in tends to be you switching targets really fast and spamming thundering shot, barrage, and headshot and occasionally throwing in concentrated scatter shot if the enemy group up or get caught in vines. Snipe misses a ton as the enemy get out of range by the time you load up a 3 second charged shot or you get run over by their group by the time you get it off. Obviously hold your cc break and disengage to get away and ideally your dodges to but with no defensives if they target you, you are usually dead in a second.
Now, have I seen other people play the class differently? Yes. Somehow people don't know the best combos sometimes but really the best ones are extremely easy to find as they are the only synergy in the class. Compare this to mage which has tons of skills synergizing with each other proccing effects that are far more useful than rangers. There is no comparison with which class has the better skills for combos. So sure, people may use it differently in pve but anyone who has dedicated much time to the class almost all play very similarly. We literally don't have any choices for damage skills due to hunts, marks, and ammos that can't overlap.
Jump hops, dodges, and abusing terrain isn't specific to the ranger and really just shows skill level outside the class of non ranger mechanics.
If you are arguing for viability, theres an argument to be made that ranger has one of the highest single target dps. But the class feels bad and the class fantasy and skill ceiling don't exist. Sure, people will always play bad but anyone who tries the class much won't find anything difficult about it after a week or two. Skill expression or high skill ceilings are a must I believe for every class with the right abilities. Maybe there should be simpler abilities in class kits that allow people to relax but ranger has hardly anything that is challenging to pull off or advance your gameplay outside of simply kiting, which since all classes use ranged weapons doesn't even really work that well for us in pvp except against fighter. Is ranger viable, sure. It can deal damage and lay vines for a team. Does it feel like a ranger really? Hardly at all. As many have made the comparison, its basically a mage with a bow having almost exactly the same range and charge up abilities that slow you but without the skill combo synergy that mage has and with having to spend points on hunts, marks, and ammos that don't give anything better than what the mage procs off its abilities. The free status procs off of auto attacks after elemental abilities don't even need to have points put into them as opposed to rangers ammos. So why bring ranger? in pvp, vines. Thats mostly it. We have single target damage but nothing the mage can't bring along with aoes. In pve, I guess if the enemy has high magic resistance? Good single target damage that's entirely gear dependent to keep up with mage.
The point is, we have single target damage and vines. Its viable in those aspect but really doesn't make a class feel good. No unique resources, not enough damge abilities, hunts marks, and ammos are extremely weak, etc. The class identity feels weak.
Barrage AA Barrage AA barrage AA Barrage AA throw in headshot after barrage (only when your Attack speed is above 110%) when mob below 50% hp along with mark of the raven.
Welcome to shortbow rangers where your most optimal DPS is basicly a single button
Ranger is actually super fun, and you can EASILY solo on them due to all the snares and roots. so if that is really what you want to know a big green light. alot of us are also hoping (at some point) Ranger gets some love cause they honestly need to bring the damage for group play up a bit. so who knows you might have a great time with it then end up getting buffed as well!
L
I'll preface by saying that I'm aware that quite a few things are still missing from ALL the classes based on the roadmap, which I expect will change the play style a bit. I'm also aware that the archetypes will change how some of them feel and that we can't really say how that will affect things, so all this feedback should be with that as standard.
A big problem, and @Veeshan just mentioned it also, is that most of the gameplay is just auto-attack. You can't weave attacks between AA, or you'll break the chain, so you just have to sit there and watch your toon just go through the AA motion. This is the same for all classes, which currently makes this feel very like a MOBILE game almost (to me at least). To add to this, a lot of the abilities that ranger currently has, don't really add to the class, or damage much more than AA does.
Rangers are definetly pushed towards a more AA role with the passive bow mastery.
I think they need to lean into the AA weaving playstyle more with rangers as their thing, mages tend to use spells back to back rangers hav e to use AA chains to get the most of there kit.
Some skills in ranger kit shouldnt interrupt the AA combo for example disengage imo should be one that doesnt interupt it (tbh i would have AA continue being fired while disengaging tbh) since it doesnt give you any dodging bonus and u cant attack while doing it using the skill in a fight is typicaly a bad idea due to you taking dmg and enemy not taking dmg and this would help here. Thundering shot tbh should be another one and maybe headshot.
Ammo types should give bonuses to AA aswell say weighted arrows could make AA have 10% faster attack speed, Barbed is 5% armor penetration on AA and concussion could be 5% bonus dmg dmg with auto attack skills.
So if i were the devs i wouldand wanted to lean the class into more AA orinated roll with skill weaving in they should do a couple things.
1 - Make bow mastery passive apply to all spell/skills and adjust CD to accomodate this
2 - Make ammo types provide a bonus on ranged weapon finishers (maybe melee aswell with secondaries)
3- Give some skills for rangers some skills they can use that wont interrupt AA chain (like the disengage above suggestion)
4 - Consider giving ranger a slight range boost over other classes for class fantasy/class role especialy in pvp i feel 40m(shortbow)-45m(longbow) would work well here (wands/books for secondary roles maybe too). like fighters effectivly has 4 gapclosers so and mages have range and blink so they all still have ways to get to a ranger easily but it does mean they need to trade a skill to close the gap so i think the range bonus will be perfectly fine
Edit: another skill that could work well with rangers is a quick shot skill that fire an arrow quickly and grants a slight movement speed boost 20% for like 5 seconds or something (could have a passive that applies the movement to party members potentialy as an option)