The Marksman

The sound of wind whistling through an arrows fletching is often the first indication a foe has that a Marksman has them in their sights. Notching another shot with lightning speed, the second shot is in the air before the first has made its devastating impact. This fear instilling barrage of a ranged assault is the hallmark of one of the most powerful DPS souls in the game.  

 

Pros

• Excellent mobility
• One of the best DPS souls in the game
• Capable of  burst or sustained damage
• King of kiting foes
• Works well in both PvE and PvP

Cons

• Not as strong against multiple foes
• Weak melee is a liabilty when cornered
  
• Offers no utility other than DPS
  

Overview

Featuring exceptional DPS and mobility, the Marksman is the quintessential non-spell based ranged DPS soul. Like Rangers from EQ and LotRO, the Marksman specializes in bow and gun based attacks and keeping their foes at a distance. The Marksman lends itself well to players who enjoy a strict DPS role and has several good pairing options in the calling.  Marksman, in raid or group situations, will usually settle into a set rotation that maximizes their damage throughput. The rotation is more dynamic in solo or PvP settings, but can feel repetitive at times.

Solo Play

Solo play as a Marksman can be a little tedious at lower levels, but given the relative ease and speed of leveling, this period is minimal. Once more souls are unlocked and the Ranger is added to the mix, the solo prowess of the Marksman becomes hard to match as many foes are dead well before they reach the player.  The main consideration for the soloing Marksman is ensuring their foes are properly slowed and that they maintain an optimal speed increase, which is a core component of their abilities.

Group Play

Often tedious at times, group play for a Marksman is a single minded pursuit of maximum damage output. Shooting, shooting, and shooting some more accurately defines their role in groups and raids. The upside is that the damage output of this soul is immense and players who enjoy measuring their contribution in sheer DPS will thoroughly enjoy playing a Marksman. Maximizing their rotation and analyzing gear choices are major concerns for Marksman who want to remain near the top of damage parses.  

Pairs Best With

Ranger

Marksman and Rangers are well suited to each other as both utilize similar attacks.  Adding the Ranger as the first additional soul is a wise move for the free pet and an instant boost to leveling speed. Throughout the leveling process players can maintain a fairly even point distribution among the two souls, but at max level its best to switch the lion’s share of your points back into the Marksman tree. 10 points are optimal at level 50; granting 2 pets, enhanced survivability and an increase in overall damage.

Assassin

Many guides will rank the Saboteur as the best tertiary soul. For pure group oriented DPS they may be correct, however for the best well rounded and versatile build, the Assassin offers the most upside for the least investment. At a mere 5 points the Marksman gains some much needed melee enhancements as well as the ability to stealth. The 5 points spent should be restricted to Ruthlessness, which increases critical hit chance by 5%.