Arelith

Wanting to do some kind of slinger or archer build for a concept, I've been muddling around a bit with ranged combat and at this point I'm honestly wondering, is it even possible to play a ranged character on Arelith in terms of taking on the mobs and encounters if the game (assuming you're going to be solo more often than not)?
My initial impression is 'absolutely not', cue to how encounters are constructed but I may be missing something. I'm thinking horse archer build might work but haven't tried it yet.
Thoughts?

If you're willing to play an elf, drow, or half-elf, AA builds become open to you. This seems to be the most reliable way to play an archer.

I highly recommend reading up on the assembly template mechanics before making any ranged combat character, though; the wiki page does a really good job explaining it.

Rogue archers can be pretty solid too, although it's one of the more difficult play styles.

Using the highest level summon scroll possible and a lot of choking powder to daze opponents for setting up sneak attacks can work quite well. Once you get epic dodge you can do the expertise + shield thing as a backup.

Divine caster with ranger dip and zen archery is also an option. Works best on Shaman due to synergies. Gives you summons to tank with while you let fly arrows.

If you want something both dark and pew-pewy (Or self righteous and pew pew) you could try a Ranger/AA/Blackguard (or paladin) for divine might boost to damage output. Requires kiting skill.

There is also an approved suggestion of letting unrestricted weapon buff spells (Like bless weapon and Blade Thirst) apply to bows, so when and if that comes into effect, a ranger or paladin heavy build without AA levels may become a viable option as well.

Having some sort of concealment via stealth to ambush and crowd control is an absolute must. Ranged builds have the potential to deal a lot of damage very quickly, but they're very vunerable when swarmed. Unless you switch to a melee weapon/shield, but that takes away a lot of your DPS.

Darkness, summons, animal empathy, traps, or anything that can slow/immobilize an opponent (epic traps, death attacks, etc) are all needed. The more options you have the better. Called shot: leg is pretty much a requirement to prevent things from closing in on you as well.

Anything that can boost ranged damage should be considered. Standard Assembly templates, divine might, sneak/death attacks, and certain poisons and spells can all be of use, though each has their own issues. Everyone should make use of templates, but they're another consumable resource and can get quite expensive over time. Divine Might requires CHA and divine class levels. Sneak/death attacks require getting close to a mob, and absolutely puts you in "get swarmed" range.

Ironically, the greatest danger to me when I played a ranged build was other ranged enemies. Mages typically don't have great HP or detection skills and went down quickly when ambushed. Melee enemies could be immobilized, kited, or worn down to critical health before they got into melee range. Ranged enemies though? They typically had a detection range farther than what I could physically see on screen, and had an AB high enough to punch through my AC while I ran for cover.

I haven't tried horse archer builds or the new AA's, but I the same basic strengths and weaknesses would still apply i'd imagine. I actually would -not- recommend a horse archer, as they require mounted feats to use effectively I think, and its going to be a waste when trying to explore the 60%+ of the server that is inaccesable to horses.

msterswrdsmn wrote: ↑

Wed May 03, 2023 9:06 am

I haven't tried horse archer builds or the new AA's, but I the same basic strengths and weaknesses would still apply i'd imagine. I actually would -not- recommend a horse archer, as they require mounted feats to use effectively I think, and its going to be a waste when trying to explore the 60%+ of the server that is inaccesable to horses.

Currently playing a cav; less of the server is inaccessible to horses than you'd think, but definitely: if you can only get the big numbers you need to not die before your enemies die if you're on a horse, this is going to be a problem because going through a transition only to see your character hop off their horse as they have skipped right into an ambush is very unfun as a melee designed for close-range combat.

Amateur Hour wrote: ↑

Wed May 03, 2023 12:16 pm

msterswrdsmn wrote: ↑

Wed May 03, 2023 9:06 am

I haven't tried horse archer builds or the new AA's, but I the same basic strengths and weaknesses would still apply i'd imagine. I actually would -not- recommend a horse archer, as they require mounted feats to use effectively I think, and its going to be a waste when trying to explore the 60%+ of the server that is inaccesable to horses.

Currently playing a cav; less of the server is inaccessible to horses than you'd think, but definitely: if you can only get the big numbers you need to not die before your enemies die if you're on a horse, this is going to be a problem because going through a transition only to see your character hop off their horse as they have skipped right into an ambush is very unfun as a melee designed for close-range combat.

Here's my suggestion and one you can put in the suggestions thread: A toggle-able setting that will not let you transition into a non-horse area if you are on a horse to prevent that, if it is activated.