So you are looking to master the fine art of the bow?
Do you wish you were as cool as Legolas? Too bad on the
latter, but we
can fix up your skills so you can hold a candle to the
legend. PvE as a
Ranger is stressful but highly rewarding. Executing your
strategy well
will reward you with resounding victory, and failure results in soul
healing.
The first trick you need to master is 'jump shotting', or the art of
hitting
jump just as you initiate a special shot that requires you to stand
still. This isn't to look stylish, it's to resume your
mobility rather
than getting stuck in an animation of firing. It's virtually
required to
be a soloist once enemies begin to hit hard enough to punch through
your
pathetic leather armor. Being a ranged class in Aion is about
having no
downtime, and getting hit will make that highly problematic when you're
forced
to chug healing potions rather than mana potions.
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If you have the time to pose for the camera, you're doing it wrong.
Second, you must realize that your ranged damage chains are NOT the
only skills
you need to utilize in groups. We rangers can function as the
last line
of defense in crowd control via Sleep Arrow and our Entangling Root
trap.
It's important to not have tunnel vision and only worry about your DPS
rotation
when things get ugly. The cleric WILL thank you when the mob
reaches him
only to pass out.
Keep your buffs up at all times. Rangers have high mana
consumption when
going all out, and you'll need to keep a steady consumption of Mana
Potions or
Mana Treatment going to keep the shots coming. Don't forget
your food and
drink buffs to increase your attack and regeneration.
Depending on your
Stigma setups, you'll at least be running Bow of Blessing and possibly
Strong
Shots, and if you're serious about your damage, run Aiming as
well.
Failure to run these and any others could lower your output by 30% or
more!
When gearing up, prioritize physical critical manastones until you
reach the
soft cap and then go full on Attack. Accuracy is never a
problem due to
our passives and Aiming. Your bow is EVERYTHING.
Never skimp on your
bow. Sell your soul in order to equip the best possible bow
or start
farming it ahead of time from the instance of your choice.
Your armor can
wait, but remember you don't exactly care about anything other than
putting out
as much damage as possible when you're focusing on PvE. Value
the
critical and attack of your armor more than anything else and upgrade
accordingly based off this.
Your rotation will vary as you level, but generally you want to favor
your
debuff chains over the direct damage ones. Remember that if
you're going
to pop Mau Form, you need to do it sooner rather than later since it's
a damage
buff over time. Fleshcutter Arrow and Rupture Arrow are your
primary
chains, and don't forget to use your traps to your advantage for damage
if it's
safe. If it's a crowd control situation, it's NOT safe to use
your
traps. The radius can be kind of crazy and will not always
play nice
around sleeping and rooted enemies.
Slamming enemies down as a Ranger is a blast. We have all of
the benefits
of critical hits and powerhouse physical buffs, and none of the
drawbacks of
being a melee class and having to run in and out of area of effect
attacks, or
positioning beyond basic range. You're only as good as your
gear, and
even then, you've got to unleash your attacks properly and prep
accordingly to
put out the best damage this side of the abyss. So get out
there, and
practice, practice, practice! Don't get complacent, and
perhaps most
importantly--don't forget your arrows!
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