Ranger or Rogue?

[EZ_Wurzag]

Hi yall. Just wanted to get some input. I can't decide between a ranger or a rogue.

I like the 'sneaky' parts of both, and I really like using a bow.

But rogues can use bows, and seem to be a better over all class (I see alot of 'rangers suck' threads on different boards)..

Could someone just put it out straight, whats the defining points of each? I can't figure it out. Yeah, I'm probably being stupid, but I need some help with this =) Thanks!

[ShadowCross]

What are you planing to do?

Solo or Group?
Low-level or high-level?
group or raid?

Rangers are way better for soloing and for some highend fights in PoP, but in between those two extremes it really depends on what you are going to do with your char. Marauder ShadowCross Bladesong
Everquest: Marauder Shadowcross Bladesong,
*****Teir'dal Master Deceiver (65), Kael Drakkal

Assistant Messageboard Administrator:
*****The Safehouse - An RPG Rogue Community

[EZ_Wurzag]

I want to get high level, and group with my real-life friends (the reason I came back to EQ in the first place) .. So, high level and grouping alot, probably. Raids = fun as well.

[EZ_Wurzag]

I guess what I'm really wondering is, are rogues any good with bows? Or is it mostly just a novelty. Because, along with being able to stab critters in the back, I want to be able to be a decent bowman.

[ShadowCross]

Archery will always be a toy, novelity or pulling tool for 99% of the time unless you are a ranger leve 60+ with some AAs.

If you want to be a "decent bowman" you have to be a level 60+ ranger with Endless Quiver and Archery Mastery 3.

[EZ_Wurzag]

Ah ok. Well, oh well, I can't have the best of both worlds =P

thanks for help, I'm gonna roll myself up a rogue.

[ShadowCross]

Quote:thanks for help, I'm gonna roll myself up a rogue.

Good choice

[EZ_Kheldhar]

/agree

[EZ_labiara]

Quote:But rogues can use bows, and seem to be a better over all class (I see alot of 'rangers suck' threads on different boards)..

If you believe every thread you read, then I have some velium blocks I'd like to sell you for 1k each because they increase your backstab cap by 10 when equipped in general inventory slots. Labiara Stankfoot - Forest Stalker of Gorilla Warfare - Huntress of Fennin RoSpices - Gimpicus Clericus Maximus

[EZ_AsturiasAurora]

LOL Labiara, sounds like something you'd do

I have a ranger AND a rogue. And from all that I've seen and done over the years playing this game, I have to say, ranger DO suck until at least 55 when they get their true-shot disc or if you happen to be rich or in a good guild that shares drops. An untwinked ranger has tissue-paper ac while growing up, poor dps with weapons, almost none at all with bows, and have such a lousy mana pool that we run oom just buffing ourselves half the time. One of the reasons folks always joke about how rangers always die so much. Frankly, other than using a bow and dual-wielding, rangers seem to be pretty much just druids (with less mana) in chainmail. Once you get past 55 though, their significance and uniqueness increases. Your bow shots will put other dps classes to shame (especially rogues ) and your atk buffs will become a key element in those quick-dps encounters you may find yourself in, such as in the trials in PoJ.

Don't get me wrong, I love my ranger still. Bow killing and kiting is still a fun way to do things. Kinda reminds ya of all the ol' D&D days of elves bein' all good at bows and such. Snare or root the mob and fire away. If your snare/root holds, you can have a dead mob in a moment, GREAT However, if it doesn't, you run like a pansy while your snares/heals/roots fizzle away all your mana then ya die

From a game standpoint though, I do enjoy my rogue so much more, even if they are a nerfed has-been dps class these days. I haven't even touched my ranger 'cept to twink him with a bow my rogue got, in about 2 years.


Coins Malone - Sneaky Bastige
Asturias Aurora - Eternal Master
Ventagge Wyldfyre - Everlost Pathfinder
Flamewart Firetongue - MystiFrog

--Fennin Ro--

[EZ_Macbrea]

Be warned!

Levels 35 to 50 are ugly as a rogue. With LDoN you may have better luck then most of us have had. But, they still have to be the most boring set of levels you can do. Nothing changes except 23hps/level. You will not be able to solo and will need a group.

During those levels all the casters (except cleric) will find that they get better exp soloing then being with a group. This means your groups will not find casters unless they are bored and wish to group.
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[EZ_m0r1d1N]

you can solo those levels. just depends on your gear. Any class can solo to 50, just depends on gear.

[EZ_Sheldator]

yeah but wouldnt it be great to do 40,000 damage in 2mins as a ranger

[EZ_Curyllic]

72K you mean Hunter Curyllic Leifspinner
-Primal Evolution-

[EZ_labiara]

Yes, we all do 600 DPS every trueshot disc. The secret is out. omg! Labiara Stankfoot - Forest Stalker of Gorilla Warfare - Huntress of Fennin RoVenerable Beth Goldenflame - Fiesty Archon

[EZ_Curyllic]

Quote:Yes, we all do 600 DPS every trueshot disc. The secret is out. omg!

I said 72k up there but that wasn't damage during a trueshot disc.
That was total damage done during the construct of nightmares fight at the end of the PoN maze event. Hunter Curyllic Leifspinner
-Primal Evolution-

[EZ_labiara]

err, I don't really understand, but that's ok.

[EZ_Aethine Roxursox]

I just had to throw in my 2 cents, Rogue > Ranger, that is all.

Exarch Aethine Dipety
Evil Cleric of Cynosure~!

[EZ_Sharkeye Shadedsight]

RANJARS SUX!

Actually they are pretty good to have around. It's just that they can get so uber that soloing is a better exp option for several levels that they won't group.

www.magelo.com/eq_view_pr...num=865957

edit fix magelo Edited by: Sharkeye Shadedsight at: 11/25/03 3:59 pm

[EZ_catseyes coeurdenuit]

each class is best for one thing and not for all the rest.
As long rangers can aim with bows they are better in dps than any rogue . They have track , they have spells and hellish self-buffs ,they can be fine offtank or main tank with a high gear etc etc.

Rogues are better in dps when it's close range melee. They can sneak , hide , picklock, etc do a lot of roguish things. But rogues are more scoots and spys nowadays than pure Dps class. We are less than wiz and mages ,we are more than warriors. Our purpose is different,it's just that.

To resume,it's not a question of what is best for , but what do u want to play really,how do u see you playing ,what do u like more in the class u will choose.
Or u'll will be disappointed in the hellish levels and will roll another class . The more important,is to play the class who will bring you the most fun.

sigh, long post,sorry was my feeling about this. Catseyes CoeurdeNuit 65 Marauder Aurore-MT

[EZ_roblex]

Rogues have one brilliant advantage in my eyes....they can hide indefinitely at a moments notice! I am always being interrupted and called away from the keyboard so the ability to just hit hide and disappear for as long as it takes it great

Most other classes you either have to hope the emergency can wait long enough for you to get somewhere safe or hit /loc and hope you can retrieve your corpse later Even an invisibility spell takes time to cast, might fizzle and can wear off without warning.

In-game it comes in real useful too. You can be surrounded by red mobs and down to 2% health and as long as you are not actually in combat right now then you just hit hide, bandage up and sneak away to somewhere a little safer to finish healing a bit more.

[EZ_Kinvaras Ceasar]

Well Ranger's get hide too. It doesn't always work and it's the lesser ability, but a Ranger can hide indefinitely too. Innate camo AA is more or less the same thing. It lasts for something like 30 mins and is insta cast. I know you don't get either at level one, but that's the only difference I see really.

Both classes have some pretty mean dps. With good gear, both can tank, pull, etc. I don't see one being better than another really. Rogues can do some stuff that Ranger's can't and vice versa.

That whole thing with Rangers sucking until they get EQ and AM3 isn't right either. It's always going to depend on the gear available to you. A Rogue can suck just as badly wearing RS and carrying a pinner poker.

Rangers don't get chewed up any more than their chain counterparts in the low or high end. Try both and see which one you have more fun with. Kinvaras

[EZ_Goodfort]

Ranger's uber DPS with a bow at the high end of the game is a myth...we actually do more damage with melee that with bow for time equipped rangers. And our melee damage is below that of an equivalently equipped warrior...so:

DPS =

Rogue>Monk>Warrior>Beastlord>Ranger(melee)>Ranger(Bow)


The "AM3 is godly DPS" crowd ignores the fact that what they are seeing is eye candy when a ranger pops off a 2200 crit...what they don't see is the 2, 40, 400, 88, 600, and all the misses/poofs/etc mixed in. Duty, Honor, Guild.

[EZ_Bombir]

what i like about a rogue is the ability to show up late to raids ). with SoS we can run just about anywhere right before the named is engaged. so with a not so long play time a rogue is good.

i have told myself that if i was to ever start anew char and get him 60+ with some aa's, it would be a ranger. i also like using range weapons but from the lack of dps with a bow as a rogue i dont get to use it much.

[EZ_Negolien]

Hey,

Try a Rogue cause Rangers suck lol..
Ranger looking for a rez please can be heard all across Norath
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[EZ_Suineko]

I've played a ranger since '99 - its good fun, recommended. You get a good variety of play styles, but are kinda jack of all trades of them. Ranger DPS is *amazing* at one point in the game, around 59-63ish when you can buy an elemental bow in the bazaar before your peers get elemental weapons, and use AM3/EQ. This is where the 'ranger DPS' legends come from.

There is no way a ranger will outdamage an equivilantly equipped rogue without trueshot though - ever. Rogues get some nifty utility with shroud of stealth (which should never be underestimated), but are far less self sufficient than rangers.

At the end of the day, as a ranger, I have tanked all my career, done reasonable DPS and been able to get myself into (and sometimes out of ) whatever trouble takes my fancy at a given time. Thats nice. The combination of (very) light heals, self buffs for transport and utility, and some nice utility items are compelling if you like faffing around. I dig illusion wolf form too

But if you have a guarenteed group and want to maximise your contribution, rogue may be the way to go. Rogue DPS is just hard as hell to argue with, and a guarenteed group of friends with regular playtimes will mitigate most of the rogues disadvantages.

Seeya,

Puppy Sui
Suiddaru Snapdragon,
Proud daughter of the Kujikage Ryu

[EZ_Reapperr]

rangers dont suck. not one class 'sucks'. some are more fun than others, yes.

rogues cant hold a candle to rangers, in me eyes.
after playing both and having a lvl 65 rogue friend, this conclusion is obvious to me.

hes 65. my druid was 49, my ranger was 55. he fought both of my chars. DIED HORRIBLY each time.

PvE - rogues do more DPS, however a rangers DPS is far from 'under-par'.

lets get real. if i dont want a rogue to backstab me....he wont. but there is nothing a rogue can do to me that i dont want. it was actually funny letting him eat himself on my DS (as my 16lvls lower druid) alls i did was start him off with a dot...then heal myself. i didnt move on purpose. he got the picture.

[EZ_labiara]

PvP has nothing to do with PvE, and thus 97% of most people's EQ experiences.

This thread is old. *
Huntress Labiara Stankfoot - Forest Stalker
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Gorilla Warfare - Fennin Ro