Ranger

Description

The ranger is a hybrid class combining the combat skills of the Warrior, with the magical abilities of a Druid.

Like a Rogue, Rangers are a lightly armoured offensive class which focuses more on delivering damage than tanking. In terms of combat skills they can use all types of weapons and get dual wield, double attack, and kick. They also get a number of defensive skills including dodge, parry, riposte and disarm. However, because they are Hybrids Rangers learn most of these combat skills a few levels later than pure melee classes.

Rangers have higher offensive skill caps than any other hybrid class. However, they are significantly lower in a number of defensive skill areas. They have a much lower taunt, riposte, disarm, dodge and parry. Because of this Rangers get hit a lot more, and should not be left to tank for significant periods. Unlike the Rogue they have no skill to reduce the monsters hate for them and must rely on their magical abilities or their party to reduce the damage inflicted on them.

Rangers get the highest tracking skill in the game, which helps to find people or enemies within the area. This is particularly useful in the large outdoor zones of Kunark.

Rangers are one of only two classes that can do critical blows with archery. However, this skill is only useful in very limited circumstances, and by no means the primary damage dealer for the class.

In terms of magic Rangers get a range of nice utility spells. They receive both Spirit of Wolf and later Wolf Form itself. They also get spells to reduce monster frenzy ranges, and this enables them to single pull out of a group. They have both healing spells, and damage shields which inflict unresistable damage. This is coupled with a solid series of HP and AC increasing buffs, as well as some minor stat buffs. Damage wise they receive both direct damage and damage over time spells. They can also snare and root mobs. You can view the full ranger spell list here.

The major challenge in the ranger class is staying alive. Rangers can die very easily because of their high damage output and low armour class, hitpoints and defense capabilities. They are slower to level because of their hybrid nature, and the limited variety in armour can also be frustrating. Also, despite their magical power they do not have the ability to bind or gate. This means that Rangers, like any other melee, may have long runs back to their corpses if they die.

If you are looking for a class with strong damage output, and a little bit of magic to spice things up this class could be the one for you. Just be warned that you will need a lot of patience before you reach Level 60.

Creation Guide

Statistics

Strength
Strength determines how much you can carry. It influences maximum and average damage and how quickly you learn many offensive skills. As an offensive melee you really want to have a good amount of points in this stat. Over the course of a long battle a higher strength can make a huge difference to the total damage done.

Stamina
Stamina affects how many hit points you have, and how long you can hold your breath. Unfortunately the amount of hitpoints gained from putting in bonus points at creation is very small. Whilst Rangers need all the hitpoints they can get - this is better done with items in the game. We do not recommend putting bonus points into this area.

Agility
Agility affects how quickly you can learn some defensive skills, how difficult it is to hit you as well as how much damage you take when you are hit. The true effect of Agility is often debated. Since Rangers have a lower defense cap than other hybrids, and a lower armour class from their chain based equipment, there is a solid argument for putting points into this statistic. The AC difference is very minimal however, and generally a higher strength will reap more rewards.

Dexterity
Dexterity affects how quickly you learn weapon skills, and how often weapons will do their special. Most of the powerful ranger weaponry have magical powers, and a solid score in this stat is important. Rangers already start with a high dexterity in most cases though, and it can be raised very easily in game through items. Like Agility, a higher Strength is more crucial to the class in most situations.

Wisdom
Wisdom affects the amount of mana the priest classes have, also rangers and paladins. It also affects how quickly you can learn many skills if your wisdom is higher than your Intelligence. For rangers this is the core statistic for their mana pool. However, most ranger spells lie in the area of buffs, and are used in downtime. Finding items which give direct Mana is more useful than a high Wisdom in most circumstances, and your bonus points should really focus on improving your combat ability during creation.

Intelligence
Intelligence directly affects how quickly you can learn most skills. It affects the amount of mana for bards and all pure casters, as well as shadow knights. This statistic has no real relevance except for increasing the speed you learn trade skills if it is higher than your wisdom. You should not assign any bonus points to it.

Charisma
This affects amount you will be paid for goods by NPC merchants, and how much they will pay you. This is not something to be concerned with when making your character.

Picking the Right Race

The first thing you have to pick then is your race. Which race you pick will determine the foundation of you character for the rest of your life in Norrath so it is kind of important you pick one you like.

Wood Elves are quite a good race for rangers. They have naturally high agility, and can wear both small and medium armour. They also start with the ability to forage, which can help save a lot of funds at low levels, although all rangers get this skill later in life. Wood Elves also have natural infravision, and start in the tree city of Kelethin.

Half-Elves are limited to medium sized armour. They are very well balanced, and have slightly better starting stats than the wood elf, though they lack some of the natural abilities. They have the highest natural dexterity of any ranger race, and also have infravision. However, the druid part of a ranger is let down with a low natural wisdom. Half Elves start in Surefall Glade near Qeynos.

Human rangers have very balanced stats, across the board. They have the highest natural strength of any ranger race, and all other stats are certainly in an acceptable range. However their natural agility is quite low compared to the other classes. Humans have no night vision, which is perhaps the largest reason that many people decide against playing a Human Ranger. Rangers do however receive an infravision spell at level 30, and an ultravision spell at level 56. Human rangers start in Surefall Glade near Qeynos.

All of the ranger races level at the same rate, and faction wise are all well received in any town with a neutral or good alignment.

Spending Your Bonus Points

Rangers have to keep in mind that even though Stamina gives more hitpoints it is not a huge amount. It is certainly not going to be enough to make any significant difference between life and death. Also, whilst Agility increases their armour class, once again the amount is very minimal. Rangers are very different to the Shadowknight and Paladin hybrids. Like a Rogue, they are a lightly armoured offensive class, and in our opinion should focus on this offensive side rather than attempting to buffer a defensive ability they will never match the other hybrids in. With this in mind here are our suggested bonus point spendings:

   * Half Elf: Add 20 Strength.
   * Human: Add 15 Strength, 5 Dexterity
   * Wood Elf: Add 20 Strength. 

Religion

Religion does not play a large impact upon the Ranger class. The two choices are Karana or Tunare (except for Wood Elves who must choose Tunare). Picking one will not alienate you from another, and there are no known items or quests which are restiricted to either of these at this time. Choose whichever appeals to you more.

Spells

Level 9

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Endure Fire	Increase Fire Resistance		Abj.	Vendor.	20
Flame Lick	Damage over Time with Armor Class Debuff		Evo.	Vendor.	10
Glimpse	Zoom Vision		Div.	Vendor.	5
Lull Animal	Decreases an animal's aggro range		Alt.	Vendor.	10
Minor Healing	Heals damage done to the target		Alt.	Vendor.	10
Skin Like Wood	Increase targets hitpoints and AC		Abj.	Vendor.	10
Snare	Slows the movement rate of target		Alt.	Vendor.	15

Level 15

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Burst of Fire	Fire Based Direct Damage Spell		Evo.	Vendor.	15
Camoflage	Turns target player invisible		Div.	Vendor.	15
Cure Poison	Cures poison		Alt.	Vendor.	20
Dance of the Fireflies	Summons a globe of light		Con.	Vendor.	10
Feet like Cat	Increase Agility		Alt.	Vendor.	40
Grasping Roots	Direct Damage with Root		Alt.	Vendor.	35
Invoke Lightning	Area Effect Direct Damage		Evo.	Vendor.	32
Thistlecoat	Self only Damage shield and AC		Abj.	Vendor.	25

Level 22

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Bind Sight	Bind Vision With Target		Div.	Vendor.	15
Endure Cold	Increase Resistance to Cold		Abj.	Vendor.	20
Enduring Breath	Allows breathing underwater		Alt.	Vendor.	35
Firefist	Self Only ATK Buff		Evo.	Vendor.	30
Harmony	Area effect Calm spell		Alt.	Vendor.	25
Ignite	Fire based Direct Damage		Evo.	Vendor.	30
Light Healing	Heals damage done to the target		Alt.	Vendor.	25
Panic Animal	Forces an animal to run away in terror		Alt.	Vendor.	10
Skin Like Rock	Increases targets hitpoints and AC		Abj.	Vendor.	60
Ward Summoned	Direct Damage vs Summoned		Evo.	Vendor.	30

Level 30

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Barbcoat	Self Only AC and Damage shield		Abj.	Vendor.	50
Cancel Magic	Attempts to remove a buff or effect		Abj.	Vendor.	30
Eyes of the Cat	Self Only Infravision		Div.	Vendor.	35
Invigor	Increase Stamina of the target		Alt.	Vendor.	20
Shield of Thistles	Gives the target a damage shield		Abj.	Vendor.	40
Spirit of Wolf	Increase movement rate of the target		Alt.	Vendor.	40
Stinging Swarm	Magic Based Damage Over Time		Con.	Vendor.	65
Strength of Earth	Increase strength of the target		Alt.	Vendor.	40

Level 39

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Bramblecoat	Self Only AC and Damage shield		Abj.	Vendor.	75
Call of Sky	Self: Enchant Weapon with Stun and Damage proc	Vel.	Alt.	Vendor.	50
Calm Animal	Decreases an animal's aggro range.		Alt.	Vendor.	45
Careless Lightning	Magic Based Direct Damage		Evo.	Vendor.	70
Dismiss Summoned	Direct Damage Against Summoned.		Evo.	Vendor.	90
Healing	Heals damage done to the target		Alt.	Vendor.	60
Levitate	Levitates target above the ground		Alt.	Vendor.	30
See Invisible	Allows the target to see invisible		Div.	Vendor.	25
Skin Like Steel	Increase targets hitpoints and AC		Abj.	Vendor.	100

Level 49

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Call of Flame	Single Target Fire Based Driect Damage		Evo.	Quest.	125
Ensnaring Roots	Direct Damage with Root		Alt.	Vendor.	60
Immolate	Damage over Time with Debuff		Evo.	Vendor.	120
Resist Fire	Increases resistance to Fire		Abj.	Vendor.	50
Shield of Brambles	Gives the target a damage shield		Abj.	Vendor.	80
Spikecoat	Self Only AC and Damage shield		Abj.	Vendor.	110
Superior Camoflage	Removes the target from visible sight		Div.	Vendor.	40
Wolf Form	Turns the caster into a wolf		Alt.	Vendor.	60

Level 50

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Call of Earth	Single Target Long Duration Damage Shield & AC Buff	Vel.	Alt.	NPC Drop.	50

Level 51

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Ensnare	Reduces movement rate of the target	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	35
Jolt	Single Target Aggro Reducer	Kun.	Alt.	Firiona Vie.	60
Strength of Nature	Single Target ATK and HP Buff	Kun.	Abj.	Kelethin.	125

Level 52

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Extinguish Fatigue	Full stamina restoration	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	35
Firestrike	Fire based Direct Damage	Kun.	Evo.	NPC Drop.	155

Level 53

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Storm Strength	Increases strength of the target	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	85

Level 54

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Drones of Doom	Magic Based Damage Over Time	Kun.	Con.	Vendor.	141
Skin Like Diamond	Increases targets hitpoints and AC	Kun.	Abj.	Vendor.	200

Level 55

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Call of Fire	Self: Enchant Weapon with Fire Proc	Vel.	Alt.	NPC Drop.	50
Chloroplast	Gives target a Regeneration effect	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	200
Cinder Jolt	Single Target Aggro Reducer	Vel.	Alt.	E. Com.	60
Resist Cold	Increase Resistance to Cold	Kun.	Abj.	Vendor.	50

Level 56

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Chill Sight	Self Only Ultravision	Kun.	Div.	Vendor.	75
Greater Wolf Form	Turns the caster into a wolf	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	90

Level 57

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Greater Healing	Heals damage to the target	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	150

Level 58

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Nullify Magic	Single Target Magic Effect Debuffer	Kun.	Abj.	Vendor.	50
Shield of Spikes	Gives the target a damage shield	Kun.	Abj.	Vendor.	100

Level 59

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Calefaction	Fire Based Direct Damage	Kun.	Evo.	Firiona Vie.	250
Skin Like Nature	Increases targets hitpoints, AC and Regen	Kun.	Evo.	Lavastorm.	300

Level 60

Spell Name	Spell Description	Era	Class	Location	Mana
Call of the Predator	Group ATK Buff (Max: 40 ATK)	Vel.	Alt.	NPC Drop.	200
Enveloping Roots	Direct Damage with Root	Kun.	Alt.	Vendor.	80
Thorncoat	Self only Damage shield and AC	Kun.	Abj.	Vendor.	175

Skills

Combat Skills

Level	Trained	Skill	Cap Until 50	Cap Above 50
1	No	1 Hand Blunt	200	250
1	No	1 Hand Slashing	200	250
1	No	2 Hand Blunt	200	250
1	No	2 Hand Slashing	200	250
1	No	Archery	240	240
1	No	Bind Wound	150	200
1	No	Defense	200	200
1	No	Hand to Hand	100	100
1	No	Offense	210	252
1	No	Piercing	200	240
1	Yes	Taunt	150	150
1	No	Throwing	113	113
5	Yes	Kick	149	205
8	Yes	Dodge	137	170
17	Yes	Dual Wield	210	245
18	Yes	Parry	185	220
20	Yes	Double Attack	200	245
35	Yes	Disarm	55	55
35	Yes	Riposte	150	150

Casting Skills

Level	Trained	Skill	Cap Until 50	Cap Above 50
9	Yes	Abjuration	235	235
9	Yes	Alteration	235	235
9	No	Channelling	200	215
9	Yes	Conjuration	235	235
9	Yes	Divination	235	235
9	Yes	Evocation	235	235
12	Yes	Meditate	185	226

Miscellaneous Skills

Level	Trained	Skill	Cap Until 50	Cap Above 50
1	No	Alcohol Tolerance	200	200
1	No	Beg	200	200
1	No	Fishing	200	200
1	No	Sense Heading	200	200
1	Yes	Swimming	75	75
1	No	Track	200	200
3	Yes	Forage	200	200
10	Yes	Sneak	75	75
25	Yes	Hide	75	75