FROM NOVICE TO MASTER - HOW TO BECOME A MASTER
RANGER
by
Brisc Rubal
INTRODUCTION
Since I wrote my first guides to the Scouting profession over a month
ago, I have been working hard to master the elite profession of the
Ranger. My guides have been so well received that upon announcing that I
finally had earned the title of Master Ranger, the requests for a "From
Novice to Master" guide have been pouring in.
Well, a week later, here it is. I hope that the tips, tricks and hints
that I've provided here help you as much as they helped me.
Despite the common misperception, Rangering is definitely not Scouting
version 2. While some of the old tips you read in my previous guides
still hold true, there are many new facets to the Ranger path that make
those old Scouting ideas obsolete. So be prepared to change your
strategies, and throw out any old ideas that just don't seem to work
anymore.
As I write this guide, the Ranger profession is in a state of flux. The
developers have outlined a number of new plans for Rangers (which I will
outline here). However, please note - as of the writing of this guide
(August 27, 2003) most of these changes have not been implemented,
although some are currently in testing.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get to it.
THE BASICS - GETTING NOVICE RANGER
Rangering is an elite profession. It's going to take time to master, and
lots of hard work. Know this going in - while you may have made Master
Scout in two weeks, unless you have no job, no life or never sleep, it
will take you much longer to hit Master Ranger. So while you need to
monitor your XP and set personal goals for yourself, don't set them so
high that minor setbacks (like a rollback, or RL issue) frustrate you.
Now that you've decided to take the plunge and become a ranger, the
first thing that you need to do is to visit a Ranger trainer. Like any
"novice" profession, you cannot be trained as a novice Ranger by another
player. You will need to visit a Ranger trainer and pay the 5000 credit
fee.
The unfortunate thing is that Ranger trainers are rare - there are
generally only one per planet. I have located trainers in the following
locations:
(5279, 6591) - Kaadara, Naboo
(-5167, -2535) - Narmle, Rori
(4234, 5262) - Nashal, Talus
(1238, 3356) - Mos Entha, Tatooine
Once you are trained in novice, you can be trained by other players for
all other levels, including Master Ranger.
ASSUMPTIONS
First, I'm going to assume that you've read my previous guides and are a
Master Scout. If not, you're in the wrong spot. :)
As our primary means of gaining XP, we've needed to camp, kill creatures
and harvest them, and trap them as well. This requires us to have combat
training. For the purposes of this guide, I am going to assume that you
have reached the "master" level in at least one tree of the Marksmanship
or Brawler lines, and have qualified for the Novice level of an elite
combat skill. These novice levels include Pistoleer, Carbineer,
Rifleman, Teras Kasi Artist, Swordsman, Fencer, and Pikeman.
You can also have worked on Creature Handler as well, to compliment your
combat skills. A non-elite combat skill person who is well on the way to
being a Master Creature Handler has good, if not better, striking power.
If you have not done this, your path to Master Ranger will become
exponentially hard. While (using Maskscent only) it is theoretically
possible to be a peacenik Ranger, it will not only take you 5.6
gazillion years, you'll also never get the Trapping you need to make
Master. You need a combat skill, and you need to work on it.
I'm also going to assume that you have a good weapon. If you don't, get
out and make some money and get one. Read the galaxy forums and learn
who the best weaponsmiths are and get out to their shops. Once you get
that good weapon, find a trustworthy Master Smuggler and get it sliced.
The harder you hit, the faster you can kill and harvest your prey, and
the faster you'll go through the trees.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE RANGER TREES
There are four trees in the Ranger profession, and they are roughly
analagous to the Scouting trees. I will outline them here to make it
easier:
RANGER (SCOUT)
Wayfaring (Exploration)
Frontiering (Wilderness Survival)
Field Bioscience (Hunting)
AdvancedTrapping (Trapping)
As it was with Scouting, Wayfaring and Field Bioscience both use "Scout"
XP. Frontiering uses "Survival" XP, and Advanced Trapping using
"Trapping" XP.
Please note - there are some significant changes that are going to be
rolled out in regards to the Ranger template here. First, the XP
requirements are going up. Second, Field Bioscience is going to be
renamed "Tracking". This will facilitate the addition of a number of new
skills, including /areatrack, that will give us the ability to find
specific types or creatures, NPCs and Players in the wild.
TACTICS - WHAT SHOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY
FROM SCOUT?
This will be the absolute hardest part - unlearning all that you have
learned.
While many of the same things that were important to Scouting are
important to Rangering, you'll need to adjust many of your tactics to
advance quickly through the Ranger trees. Some of these changes in
tactics include:
1.) Groups are your friend: It was advantageous for you as a Scout, to
go solo. You had exclusive rights to the harvest, and could make good XP
over time. This changes dramatically when you hit Ranger. The same
creatures that you were killing before aren't going to hack it at this
level. You'll need to be hitting the higher level creatures. Whereas you
ran Gnort missions before, you need to run Kaadu missions now. The
downside is that these harder creatures, while giving more XP and
material, are harder to kill. That equals "longer to kill". And the key
to mastering Ranger is to make sure that your average XP over time stays
high. When soloing, always balance out the level of XP you gain from
killing a critter with the time it takes to do it. Sure, you can kite
Bell Bolle's and clear out a nest in an hour - but how many gnort lairs
could you have harvested in that time?
That's why groups are your friend: The extra people in the group help
jack up your XP over time exponentially. Having one or two friends with
you who are at least novice elite combat players can boost your speeds
to the point where killing the larger creatures is more effective than
going solo. For instance - a group of 5 of my follow PA members got to
the point where we were able to take down Fambaas on Naboo is 30
seconds. Assuming 15 Fambaas per lair, with each giving 440 XP per
harvest, I was able to haul 6600 Scout XP in less than ten minutes. You
can triple that number in terms of Trapping XP, so long as you have
enough time to hit with each of your traps. So finding a group of
friends who don't need the Scout XP and are willing to group with you is
a fundamental strategy that is different from Scouting.
Groups are also very effective in getting your Frontiering XP up. While
there are changes that will make this easier (crafting camps and traps
will give survivial XP now) for the solo Ranger, the quickest and
simplest way is to camp often with the group that you are in. A five or
six person group can help a Ranger get the full amount of XP in less
than 5 minutes of camping - even with full HAM bars. This can take a lot
of the frustration of camping away.
So if you've been a reclusive hermit, now's the time to get out and make
some friends. They'll be important to you as you move up.
2.) Join (or start) a PA if you can find one: This is a personal tip
that I have - not all of you can do it. As one of the leaders of the
Tarkin Memorial Brigade, I am frequently writing emails, coordinating
membership plans and events, and responding to constant /tells in game.
One of the easiest things to do was to grind out my camping XP by
sitting in camp and doing the "administrative" work. That way I'm not
wasting any time - I'm getting XP and getting my PA stuff done at the
same time. In addition, holding group "meetings" in your camps is
another way of getting XP quickly. Our Joint Chiefs of Staff (our
executive board) meetings are usually an hour long, and in that time I
could make upwards of 10k worth of frontiering experience. Joining a PA
is also a good idea as it gives you a group of friends who have an
incentive to hunt with you and help you level.
3.) Don't bother with forage for now: Unless you decide to become a
fishman, foraging for goods now is a bit of a waste of time. When you
were scouting, you didn't have a lot of money to waste on "food" type
buffs. Now that you are higher up, with a bigger bankroll (thanks to
those new monkey making opportunities. :) ), you can afford to splurge
on food buffs. The only foragable item that you will still need is bait
for fishing.
4.) You'll need to start dropping your excess skills: As a Scout, having
novice Entertainer, novice Artisan and novice Medic were key - you were
usually soloing, so you needed to be able to do everything by yourself.
Now that you are a Ranger, you'll be grouping more often, and can start
to rely on others for the healing and materials that you need. You are
also going to start facing the problem of skill points - you're going to
run out. As a Ranger, you'll need your combat skills far more than
you'll need your medical/entertaining/crafting skills, so dump your
excess skill points into mastering your combat profession. Make friends
(or do what I did - marry one :) ) with a good entertainer or medic, and
be sure to have them in your groups while you are out hunting. The order
that I dropped my excess skills was Artisan, then Entertainer, then
Medic. This is why joining a PA, or finding a good core group of friends
with diverse skills is key.
WHAT PLANETS SHOULD I HUNT ON?
The starting planets remain good choices for soloing, and the all have
their "elite" level creatures that give good Scout and Trap XP, like
Torturs on Rori, or Fambaas on Naboo. These will be your fallbacks when
you can't find a group to go off planet.
You really should be concentrating on the upper level planets now. Lok,
Endor, Dathomir, Dantooine, Yavin 4 - you should become intimiately
familiar with each of these planets. They each have a diversity of
creatures, as well as massive amounts of them. You will also find the
higher level missions on these planets, and the payouts are outstanding
- generally 10k - 20k credits per destroy mission.
I have grown fond of the Torturs on Rori and the Snorbals on Lok. Both
are large creatures that give good XP, are slow enough that you can
generally outrun them, especially if you are using an Adhesive Mesh or
Phen Dart that will slow them down, which makes them solo capable. With
a mix of traps, warning shot, stopping shot, or surprise shot (if you
have them), you'll be able to solo these critters if need be. Always
keep in mind the XP over time rule, but if you want a challenge with a
good reward (and some good harvests) these are the way to go.
Groups will do especially well on planets like Dathomir and Yavin 4
where most of the creatures are aggressive, and many are social.
COMBAT SKILLS - WHAT WILL HELP THE MOST
While each of the individual combat skills has its benefits and
drawbacks, I personally feel that as Rangers, the best compliment to our
unique set of skills and attributes is the Rifle combat skill.
I know this is going to PO the Carbineers and Pistoleers (and the
redheaded step children of our class, the Melee-ers) but here is my
reasoning. First, rifling compliments maskscent much more than the other
two skills. When attacking a critter at long range, using your rifle and
maskscent, you can generally cripple a high level creature (even one
with high hams) at long range before they realize they are getting hurt
and figure out where you are. From a role-play point of view, how many
master hunters out there go out into the woods bear hunting with their
trust 9mm? :) None.
Now, of course, there are downsides to each combat profession. Rifleman
can't hit the broadside of a barn from less than 5 meters, so you better
keep that creature away from you, or you're Bantha poodu. Using warning
shot will help this process. Rifle speed is always a problem, so
overcome this by using bleeds (mindshot 1 and 2) and getting multiple
crates worth of speed powerups for your weapon.
I have added two-handed sword to my combat strategy, to give me a
close-in option, as well. Two-handed sword hits the mind pool with its
specials, and can help for the in-close battles you'll get if your rifle
doesn't get the job done at range.
For those of you who like to solo, for right now, Pistoleer is the best
combat profession for doing so. With pistol whip and stopping shot, you
can render most creatures defenseless and your weapon speed can make
quick work of even the toughest critters. I've seen my wife Daria take
down a group of Snorbals solo with a combo of these shots. So expect
that these are going to be getting nerfed, but for now, they should be a
part of your Pistoleer strategy.
Melee masters have the hardest time with Rangering. Not only do they
lose out on the usefulness of maskscent, they also do not currently
benefit from the to-hit bonus that ranged Rangers get as they work their
way up the Field Bioscience tree. So my suggestion is that having a
melee skill be a backup to your primary combat skill - that way you have
the option of being both ranged and in-close, as need be.
THE QUICKBAR AND MACROS
Your quick bar should remain primarily the same as it was while you were
focusing on Scouting, but keep in mind that you have a number of new
skills coming that way crowd out slots that you had previously assigned
on the bar. Changing quickbar placements is one of the absolute hardest
things to do, because untraining yourself of the reflexes that you had
for so long while mastering Scouting doesn't come easy.
One of the most useful macros I've ever made (besides the harvesting one
that I outlined in my scout guide) was my rifle macro. It is very
simple:
/mindshot1;
/mindshot2;
/headshot3
This hits the three shots that I typically use in each battle, whether
against a critter, NPC, or in PvP. It saves me the time of doing this,
and clears up a quickbar slot or two. I still have /headshot3 on the bar
for single use and for cleaning up anything that the macro didn't take
care of, but this has sped up my attack ability significantly.
For those non-riflemen out there, figure out what the three things you
do most frequently are in battle and create a macro for them. It'll make
life much easier.
TIPS AND TRICKS ON GETTING XP
Scouting XP
I've outlined a number of good tips above in the other section on
"tactics". The #1 thing you must keep in mind while getting Scout XP is
the concept of XP over time. You need the highest average XP over time
that you can get. If you can get this in a group, group. If you can get
it solo, get it solo. But always be figuring out what will give you the
most bang (XP) for your buck (time).
I won't go into specifics here on what creatures to kill, or where to
find them. As Scouts you should already know the best critters for
getting XP and where to do it. That's part of what scouting is - the
minor leagues. As a Ranger, you're in "the Show". Put those scouting
skills to good use. Good hunting.
Trapping XP
The tactics you will use (for right now) are the same as you used when
you were a Scout. Throw every kind of trap you have at every creature
you attack. Period. That's the best way to get it up right now. In a
group, let your buddies to the killing, while you stand back and throw
traps all day. They'll take the aggro, you get the trapping. Fambaas and
other high level critters give 400 or so XP per trap that hits, so if
you are grouped up and safe (relatively), you can make your XP very,
very quickly. It took me two days of hunting with my PA to reach Trap
Master.
Please note: There will be an entirely redesigned Ranger trapping skill
set, that will include stationary traps. These are not ready yet, but
should be added to the game in the future. They will require different
strategies, which I will post in upcoming editions to this guide. Your
Scout traps will still work, but you will also get a number of new traps
including:
Heavy Claw Trap - In order to use this trap, you'll need to draw a
creature across it. When the creature draws near enough, the heavy claw
trap snaps shut, rooting the creature. The stronger the creature, the
more likely it will eventually work itself free.
Lure - A lure can be filled with meat or greens to attract nearby
creatures. A creature who detects a lure might break off from its
packmates to inspect it.
Tripwire - The tripwire trap can be laid against NPCs as well as
creatures. A target who runs across the tripwire will be knocked on his
back for a short time.
These new traps will provide a new layer to the trapping field, and
should help add a new contrast between Rangers and Scouts.
Survival XP
It takes a while. We know. It also uses up significant amounts of
resources. But camping is a vital part of the Ranger profession, and one
of the few things that makes us stand out significantly from all of the
other professions. Your Field Base and High Tech Field Base camps not
only look great (women swoon over them), they also provide good regen
rates and crafting tools for your artisan/medic buddies.
I've already outlined in the above "tactics" section some good tactics
for survival camping - groups are great, and doing other things while
camping, like reading the Ranger boards or emailing friends/guildmates,
help pass the time.
There have been a number of macros that have been developed to allow for
AFK camping. Some work better than others, but they are all a violation
of the EULA - so don't use them. I don't want any of my Ranger and Scout
buddies getting in trouble for that. If you do use them, make sure you
are at your computer.
Also, keep in mind that the higher level camps DON'T use hide and bone
at all. They only use metal and polymer, so stock up early. Running a
harvester for a night or two on a good metal or polymer spot should get
you enough metal and polymer to last you well through the entire
Frontiering skill tree.
WHICH DO I TRAIN FIRST? WAYFARING VERSUS
FIELD BIOSCIENCE
In my Scout guide, I always advocated going up the Exploration tree
first. The bonuses to burst run, terrain navigation and the addition of
maskscent were just too tempting to pass up.
But this ain't Scouting any more.
Wayfaring doesn't provide the same level of skills to a Ranger as Field
Bioscience does. The creature to-hit bonus, as well as the increased
creature knowledge and creature harvesting ability make Field Bioscience
the better alternative for Rangers.
This may change once /conceal is added to Wayfaring and Field Bioscience
becomes "Tracking", but for now, my suggestion is to go for the Field
Bioscience line to increase your combat ability and your money making
(off of selling the hides).
/MASKSCENT
As of the big update that went live in mid August, maskscent has been
bugged. For low level scouts, this was horrible - not only were they
getting no XP and no message that it was breaking, they were getting
attacked by yellow (non-aggressive) creatures left and right.
But for us, it was a godsend. While there was still no XP, maskscent was
rarely - if ever - breaking and we could run around the toughest worlds
petting the Gnarled Rancors and Crystal Snakes and never even getting a
second glance.
This will, of course, change.
In addition, maskscent will soon be a Scout based command, with us
Rangers getting "/conceal" in its place. More on that is below.
/CONCEAL
Right now, this is currently in testing on Test Center. Here is, in the
words of the Ranger Dev, what /conceal will be:
"Scent mask is now the realm of scouts. Rangers will now get a similar
ability called /conceal. A Ranger's conceal ability works very much like
scentmask, except for three differences. First, it is a lot more potent:
it lasts longer (up to 25 minutes for a Master Ranger) and it rarely
breaks. Second, it can be applied to other players. You can now conceal
your friends to give them a chance to sneak past enemies as well. The
success of the conceal depends on the skill of the Ranger who applied
it. Third, it requires a component to apply: a camouflage kit.
Camouflage kits are crafted by the Ranger and are planet specific. For
example, a Desert Camouflage Kit will allow a Ranger to conceal
themselves on Tatooine. Each camouflage kit is assembled from resources
gathered on the planet it affects. Camo kits for advanced planets like
Endor may be fairly difficult to assemble.
The Ranger will earn experience for successful sneak checks by players
he conceals."
Right now, /conceal is in testing, as are the conceal kits. As I have
not yet played with these new commands, I will not speak further of them
here, but check the Ranger and Test Center forums for updates as to how
exactly they are being utilized.
Once these get in game and we test them more, I will update our guide
here.
/RESCUE
This is an interesting skill, as it is both loved and hated by members
of our profession and many others (this one's for you, Mr. Bounty Hunter
man).
Using it lets you shift the target of an attacking creature or NPC (or
even another player) away from their current target and onto you, if it
is successful. It does cost a bit of mind to do this.
Generally, this is another underutilized skill, as most rangers aren't
going to be able to tank very long against a creature or NPC that's
womping on their buddy. But it can be very useful in meeting women
(thank you for /rescuing me! /kiss)
TRACKING - /AREATRACK AND /TRACK
These are two new commands that will be added to the profession shortly.
/areatrack is currently on Test Center and /track is still in
developlment. Here's what they'll be like, according to the Ranger Dev
and the Test Center QA Buildmaster:
"/areatrack - At Novice Ranger, the Ranger will recieve the /areatrack
command. Players familiar with EQ's tracking system will understand how
this works. You can search the area for animals, people, or players. As
you climb the tracking tree, more options and information (like
direction and distance) will appear. This should make rangers effective
at completing hunting missions or tracking down a specific target.
/track - Higher up the Tracking tree, the Ranger will earn the /track
command. The /track command will let the Ranger specify a specific
creature he wants to find. Hunting for a Veermok? If you are in a region
where Veermok live, you can /track for one. Tracking a creature will
lead the player on a small mission to find a creature in the area (or in
the case of a critical success or failure...an unexpected surprise).
Whereas scanarea checks for already existing mobs in the area, /track
can be used even if a Veermok lair (or whatever creature you want to
find) isn't nearby."
(I have changed the /scanarea command to /areatrack as this change was
posted in a later thread)
"AreaTrack gives you a list of the creatures that are nearby. The radius
increases as your skill increases, as does the information shown in the
window. It does not point you in the direction of the creatures."
(This was a clarification made by Vass, the Test Center developer)
These two new skills will make us extremely valuable, as well as cut
down on our time out in the field by making it much simpler to find the
creatures we are looking for.
WEAPONS AND ARMOR - WHAT SHOULD I GET?
Again, this depends upon your combat class and your goals. Weaponry is
simple: get the best that your class can use, and get it sliced. Keep an
eye on the min/max damage, the armor rating and the speed.
For Armor, generally stick with Mabari (for kinetic damage) or go to a
higher end set like Composite, but only if it has good encumbrances (the
lower the better) and can protect well against kinetic damage - animals
don't shoot at you. ;)
Always keep in mind that just because it's "Composite" or "Ubese"
doesn't mean that it's better than a lesser armor. Always look at the
attributes. A very well made set of Mabari is significantly more useful
than a poorly made set of Composite.
MONEY MAKING- HIDES/BONE/MEAT AND THE NEW
MISSION TERMINALS
You are going to need a significantly larger amount of money as an elite
than you did as a novice. Rangering, in and of itself, isn't expensive,
but the finer things in life are. The basic equipment you'll want - cool
threads, a good gun, and a good pack can cost a considerable amount of
money. Throw in PA dues, houses, harvesters, food, furniture, travel
expenses and other non-essentials, and you'll be blowing through the
dough. You need to get some solid monkey making opportunities going on
(if you don't get this joke, check the Scout forums...).
First, sell sell sell those harvested materials! Nearly 1/3 of the
professions in SWG need either hides, bones or meat, and the better the
quality, the more money you can get from it. Searching out higher
quality goods is a necessity. While you can never know for sure what
will give you the best material (it shifts, just like static resources
do), you should always be checking the overall quality of the hides that
you harvest, and be sure to "farm" an area with the best hides, as they
will give you the most XP.
The new Explorer mission terminals are excellent - they provide us with
a monetary incentive to do the things we already do. Some of them can be
very tough, but they can also be a great way to get out and see the
planet. There are two types of missions - hunting and recon. Recon is
exactly what it sounds like...you get paid to take the mission and run
out to the Waypoint. Once you get there you are successful and get the
cash award. Generally these missions are 3k to 5k away from where the
terminal is, so expect a good hike. The hunting missions are much more
difficult, but provide better compensation. They require you to kill
between 15 and 45 of a certain type of creature. Be careful: they are
EXTREMELY specific. If you get a mission to kill Spineflap Soldiers, you
can kill Spineflap Guards until the cows come home and you won't get any
credit. They HAVE to be the same critter the mission calls for. Each
time you kill one, you'll get a spam letting you know how many more you
need to kill to complete the mission. The other difficulty is that you
don't receive a waypoint for the mission - you need to find the
creatures yourself.
The higher end hunter missions can go for 10k credits and above...so
while they are time consuming, they also are very lucrative.
