Lunicant Posted December 21, 2005 Report Share Posted December 21, 2005 “We ain’t no tree-huggers” - Kalug’s guide to Rangers INTRO: Rangers are a well-blended combination of Warrior and Thief that allows for a strong combative class mixed with limitless possibilities for RP and creativity. They can be the honorable protector of the forest, defending it from the vile intruders from the cities, the rogue highwayman that lies in wait to waylay the unprepared passerby, the master hunter that serves king and land by keeping the forests safe for travelers and gathering food for feasts, or any number of other way of life one might seek. Rangers have a long and varied list of skills and abilities to choose from. They can become masters of the bow, call on beasts to serve and protect them, call thunder from the skies to rain down on their enemies, summon a swarm of insects to overwhelm a foe, and blend into the woods to keep people from finding them. They are truly a fun and interesting class for players of any level of skill or understanding of the game. CREATION: Stats: When generating stats for a Ranger it is important to remember that they are a combination of many different classes, and as such are best made with high stats in all abilities. The importance of each stat is as follows: STR: Not only allows for striking foes better, but is key for weight allowed to carry.INT: Rangers have few spells, but many things tax mana, the higher this is the faster they recover it. It is also key to how many practices it takes to reach 75% in a skill.WIS: This determines how many practices you gain per level as well as how much mana you gain per level. As stated above, mana is important to Rangers due to the number of skills/spells dependant on it.DEX: Dexterity affects various aspects of NOT getting hit. From armor class to ability to dodge, the higher this stat is the batter it is for you.CON: The staple stat for health. The higher this is, the more hit points you receive each level. Always keep this as high as possible. Race: The races that can join the Ranger’s guild are as wide and varied as the class itself. All have strength and weaknesses, and in the end balance well within the game. - Human: A well rounded Ranger, they posses good strength and higher health then most of the other races. Unlike an Elf or Halfling, you will be able to wield a majority of weapons and end up with a bit higher HP. The 0exp cost of humans also gives you far more friendly PK range, and allows you to gain ranks faster. This is a good choice for anyone new to the game or class. -Stone Giant: A favorite for many reasons. Stone Rangers are extremely tough. They have high strength and constitution while being able to gain 75% with three practices. They do have a low dexterity and an inherent vulnerability to mental attacks, but that is made up for with the high stats in the others as well as gaining 100% automatically in some skills. -Ogre: Challenging and fun. Ogres are another race that allows for high strength and constitution mixed with unusually high hit point gain. The gain is needed though, as they have a high vulnerability to magic, and are therefore very hard to play. If you are new to the lands this may not be the race for you, but if you seek a race that is a challenge, this is it. As is their nature they are lacking in wisdom and are not very dexterous, but these can be overcome by a player with good patience and knowledge of the lands. -Gnome: Gnomes seem to be a rarely played race within the Ranger guild and the reasons for that are varied. Gnomes have a low strength which limits the weapons they can wield and the amount of gear they can carry. They also have a relatively low constitution compared to some of the other races which makes for low hit points. They do, however, have one of the highest wisdom scores in the game, and due to that, learn things very fast. Their vulnerability to bashing also can make them a challenging race. This is not a choice for the faint of heart. -Half-Elf: This is another well-balanced race akin to Human. They have decent but not extremely high stats that allow for a rounded character. They are another good choice for someone new to the game and/or class. -Werebeast: The Werebeast can make quite a formidable Ranger. They have somewhat lacking stats at creation compared to others, but when mixed with the ability to change form and their inherent affinity with summoned beasts, they can be a very successful character. -Halfling: This is a very popular choice for Rangers. Though they have low stats in strength and intelligence, they have good scores in wisdom and constitution, as well as the highest dexterity in the game. This, combined with a natural resistance to magic makes them extremely formidable. -Elf: Elves make strong characters as any class in the game. They have good stats across the board with the exception of constitution and do very well as Rangers. They allow for high mana, fast mana regeneration, good natural armor class, and can wield most weapons available. It is important to remember to put as many trains as possible into hit points to make up for the low constitution. SKILLS/SPELLS: While it is debatable what skills are more important than others, and when it is best to learn and master them, virtually all are important to Rangers to one degree or another. The following is a breakdown of what they are and how they can help you to be successful: Critical Skills/Spells: -Basic Attacks: Rangers get Second Attack and Third Attack. This allows for multiple attacks against enemies and is critical for combat. -Staves: A much-overlooked skill. There are items in the game that allow you to cast sanctuary on all members of your group, this is a nice ability for one that gets numerous pets. -Fired Weapons: Another overlooked skill. Gives the ability to add an additional attack in combat, and if done correctly to lag an opponent or take advantage of a vulnerability. -Camouflage: A staple in the Ranger repertoire. Allows a Ranger to blend into his surroundings while in certain terrain. Learn it as soon as possible, and master it shortly after. It is imperative to have this mastered, as you cannot tell when you are successful at camouflaging yourself. -Keen Sight: Allows Rangers to see other Rangers while camouflaged. -Dirt Kicking: A staple of the fighting class. It’s harder for an opponent to hit you when they can’t see you. -Scout: Allows a Ranger to see farther away, can prove critical in certain situations. -Butcher: Allows a Ranger to create steaks out of corpses to feed on. -Herb: Gathers herbs to cure hit points and certain maledictions. -Ambush: A surprise attack that can cause great damage. -Disarm: While at higher ranks this proves to be less effective, at the lower ranks it is critical. An enemy with no weapon is usually less a threat. -Blind Fighting: Another fighter-type staple skill. You have the ability to have a smaller penalty when blind/dirted and in combat, take advantage of it. -Quiet Movement: If an enemy can’t see which way you've gone or see you walk into a room it is always better for you. -Enhanced Damage: The more damage you can cause the better. -Hand to Hand: In case you lose your weapon you need something to fall back on. -Two Handed: This is a key skill for a Ranger as it affects defenses. Learn it as soon as you can, and master it quickly after. -Barkskin: Covers your skin with bark and increases your armor class. Once you can learn it do so and always keep it active. -Haggle: Most may not consider this critical, but I certainly do. As a Ranger you will need to keep yourself stocked with potions and pills, the less these cost the more you can buy and the better off you are. -Camp: Creates a camp and causes you to sleep. Allows for faster regeneration of health, mana, and moves. -Thunder Storm: The only offensive spell for Rangers. It can cause quite a bit of damage but the weather must be right to cast it. -Meditation: The faster you regain mana the better. -Tame: Gives the Ranger the ability to pacify an angry creature. Does not work on players, but can be crucial against certain mobs. -Dual Wield: Allows the Ranger to wield weapons affectively in both hands. -Warcry: Calls blessings down from Ones God to make them more effective in combat. Like Barkskin, once you can learn it do so and always keep it active. -Beast Call: Calls the beasts of the forest to serve you at your side. Up to two beasts can gather around a Ranger at any time. -Throw: A Ranger can throw weapons and shields to cause damage and stun their foes. Once learned, experiment with this skill to observe the effects. -Pugil: This skill allows a Ranger to use a staff as if it were two weapons. A Ranger will better attack, defend, and strike more often with this skill while wielding a staff. -Dual Parry: While wielding two weapons a Ranger will use the off-hand weapon to parry attacks. -Ranger Staff: Rangers can create their own staffs by using this skill. As the Ranger gains ranks the staff will grow in power. The staff will only last for a short time then will fall apart. -Mind Link: Gives a Ranger the ability to control their pets in interesting ways. A Ranger can use ravens to stalk an opponent, take total control of a leopard, cause a displacer beast to sacrifice itself for the Ranger, and make a mammoth jump in front of a blow, taking the damage for the Ranger. -Insect Swarm: Calls an infestation of insects to attack an opponent. Can be quite useful when used in the right situations. -Weapon Expertise: Allows a Ranger to learn a weapon past the 100% level. -Ranger Lore: Gives a Ranger the ability to gain special powers and customize the class. I will not discuss the skills and abilities here. Less Useful Skills/Spells: -Kick: Causes low to medium damage and no lag. While this can help at the lower ranks it is quickly replaced by Fired Weapons and Throw which cause better damage and can have extra effects. -Lore: While this can be useful to learn the origins of items, it is not critical to survival. -Control Weather: This is a very taxing spell on a class that gets limited mana as it takes a lot of casting to change the weather in an area. WEAPONS: Rangers have a decent array of weapons to choose from and can typically equip themselves with a weapon that will give them an edge against an opponent. The key is to learn all that are available and to know what it is your opponent cannot use. If possible, like any other class, find a weapon that cannot be disarmed so that you will not have to worry about changing weapons in combat. Always try to have spare weapons and shields in your inventory so that you can throw them in combat. DEFENSES: A Ranger’s defenses are surpassed only by the Warrior. Rangers can learn Shield Block, Weapon Block (Two-Handed), Parry, Dodge, and Dual Parry. This allows a Ranger to always have three defenses active at all times. Because of this the Ranger can have the upper-hand in melee with most classes. Learn and master all defenses. COMBAT: Fighting with a Ranger can be quite different depending on the race you play. I will instead of giving a race-by-race breakdown of combat simply give some general strategies that will allow you to use the class with enough understanding to survive and experiment. This is not meant to list “The Way” but is simply a guide. Rangers for obvious reasons can be quite effective at hit-and-run tactics. They have the ability to move without being seen, attack, run without the enemy seeing the direction the fled, hide, and attack again. While this can be quite successful, it is not the only way of fighting with a Ranger. Lets break things down to before, during, and after combat. Before Combat: -Turn on logging if you have a client that allows for it. -Call pets. You can have two pets to assist you, make sure you have them both. If lost in combat you may or may not want to call another depending on the situation. -Ensure that you have Warcry, Barkskin, Flight, Detect Invisibility, Keen Sight, Invisibility, and Sanctuary on you at a minimum. While this is not all that you can have, it is a good standard. You can also have most of these on your pets as well. -Check ammo inventory. You should have a good supply of arrows/bolts and weapons and shields to throw at your enemy. -Check the weather. Always know when you can use Thunderstorm. -Keep yourself hidden. If it is at all possible keep yourself camouflaged. During Combat: -Lead with dirt kicking unless fighting a Slith. This will confuse your opponent and generally leads to them fleeing. -If they stay in combat it is a good policy to have your pets rescue you so that they, not you, take the damage or any nasty spells that might be directed your way. You do this by typing ‘Order all rescue’ without the quotes. If the person still decides at this point to stay in the fight it is a good time to start in with fired weapons or thrown items. They will add to the damage and if done right lag your opponent so that it will be harder for them to flee. Keep dirt up as needed and keep the things flying. If done well your opponent will be worn down quickly and you can finish them off at most with a slight chase. If the weather permits cast Thunderstorm when they get low on hit points, a good landing Thunderstorm does quite a bit of damage and can finish a fight quicker than an opponent might think. -If they flee simply chase them down and reengage them. Attempt to use the above tactics once you have engaged again. -If things go bad simply run and camouflage. If possible leave the area and find another that you can camouflage in then rest/camp. -Use the Herb skill if you want to heal quickly and return to battle. After Combat: -If you win order your pets to retrieve the items from the corpse left on the ground by typing ‘order all get all corpse’ with no quotations. Then butcher the corpse to make sure they cannot be resurrected by any meddling Healers. Once that is done wander to a quiet spot and have your pet drop the spoils so that you can sift through them or hand them to you so that you can drop what you don’t with to keep. ‘Order drop 1.’ or ‘Order give 1. ’ without quotes will allow you to do that. -If you lose attempt to return to your corpse to retrieve any items that may still be there, get what you can, dust yourself off, and drive on. -Always evaluate what you did, what went wrong, what went right, and how you can do better the next time. Use your log to see exactly what happened, win or lose, as things can move so quickly that you may have missed something critical as it happened. INVENTORY: Although you can heal and cure yourself of most maladies it is still critical to have a good supply of potions and pills to use in emergencies. It is also important to keep a good reserve of potions and pills that enhance your survivability. You should at all times have: - 2 recall potions - 3-5 gyvell or dark-red potions to cure blindness - 1 teleport pill - 5-10 vials or pills of sanctuary (in your inventory and in a backpack) - 5-10 flight potions (in your inventory and in a backpack) - 5-10 potions of detect invisibility or blue pills - 3-5 potions of invisibility - Extra weapons and shields - Ammo for fired weapons SUMMARY: Rangers are a class that mixes Warriors and Rogues. They can take the direct approach to combat or strike at a foe with hit-and-run tactics. They can use the forest to hide, pets to assist, herbs to heal, and the elements to strike. They are a well-balanced and fun class for people of all skill levels to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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