Ranged PotD build. Need help!

[Sotnik13]

Hi guys! I am finishing game on Veteran dificulty and want to start new game on PotD.

 

I want one of party members as ranged DPS with bows (estethic mostly). Ranged DPS that relly on auto attacks with good single target damage.

 

So my suggestions are:

 

1. Single class Ranger(Sharpshooter) (for Frostseeker + Twinned Shot). It has more AoE pontentional the single target but never the less.
2. Devoted/Sharpshooter (Get Penetration and Hit to crit conversion from Devoted + some benefits from Sharpshooter)
3. Rogue(No Sub-class)/Ascended (Idea is to stuck +damage from both classes + Easy to get ascended state. Also with frostseeker can uply rogue affliction to crowds)
4. Any combo of Ranger/Cipher/Rogue (Any advices will be apriciated)

So help me to figure out what class/class combo will be better. And maybe there are some better choises. Thanks.

[Dorftek]

I'd suggest my Howitzer build. It's very effective

[1TTFFSSE]

Pure ranger is not recommended as it alone does not bring enough "juice" to the table imho.

 

Strengths of each class choice when picking:

 

Ranger: accuracy, consistency and low micro I guess and a pet initiate aggro and give time for your party to prepare for a fight

Cipher: moderate to good extra dps, cc, some party pure support but only a little bit like Pain block - support is a tertiary role on cipher however and mostly they are decent damage and decent crowd control and party support should be given to a paladin priest or chanter

Devoted: mirrors what ranger brings in a way because it mainly accuracy/ proficiency buffs to yourself, survivability is lower priority on ranged

Rogue - best dps boost, best burst dps to kill stuff like mages/ priests quicly

Paladin (offensive subclass) a bit like Rogue in an offensive setup with less burst pure damage but more party support (they are good multi-specs for a ranged dps though)

Barbarian (Zerker) - more dps  (Frenzy speed and penetration bonuses) and good kiting and  dmage mitigation tools (sprint+savage defiance) con - you are not using barbarian though to its full potential though on ranged because of how carnage only works in melee, but still the class kit brings enough with it to make it a very good addition even on a ranged dps. The penetration bonus from Zerker frenzy is particularly good for low penetration weapons like hunting bows. 

Monk - damage and cc

 

 

 

Those above are more pure "weapon" specs. My point is that just because with "Ranger" one naturally thinks that is the top spec for a ranged dps it is not really so in PoE2. From the list above I would not stack two classes with similar strength like Devoted and Ranger because they are too similar in what they bring to the table. Also I would not stack cipher and monk although that combo is strong but still those classes duplicate each other in terms of cc and you don;y need cc from both monk and cipher in one class imo.

[Marigoldran]

Devoted/Sharpshooter is most solid with least micro.

 

Helwalker Monk/Ascendant Cipher is nasty if you're up to the micro.

 

Swift Flurry and use Might from wounds to build up focus quickly.  Once you ascend, massacre everything with Disintegrate.

[aimlessgun]

For focus on 'autoattack' and single target damage I think it's pretty hard to beat Ranger/Rogue, not too hard to always be Sneak Attacking for ~50% dmg, Deep Wounds is more dmg, at very high level you get another 50% from Deathblows, Debilitating Strike lets you proc sneak attack/deep wounds on your own and adds penetration for only 1 resource, being able to Blinding Strike casters from huge range is great, Devastating Blow finishes stuff. 

 

Ranger you get accuracy, Driving Flight is amazing, and another spammable 1 resource attack in Wounding Shot, and the pet is ok. 

 

It's not literally an auto-attack build but it's very easy to setup AI to spam Accurate Wounding/Debilitating Strike and Devastate targets under half HP. 

Edited June 26, 2018 by aimlessgun

[Sotnik13]

For focus on 'autoattack' and single target damage I think it's pretty hard to beat Ranger/Rogue, not too hard to always be Sneak Attacking for ~50% dmg, Deep Wounds is more dmg, at very high level you get another 50% from Deathblows, Debilitating Strike lets you proc sneak attack/deep wounds on your own and adds penetration for only 1 resource, being able to Blinding Strike casters from huge range is great, Devastating Blow finishes stuff. 

 

Ranger you get accuracy, Driving Flight is amazing, and another spammable 1 resource attack in Wounding Shot, and the pet is ok. 

 

It's not literally an auto-attack build but it's very easy to setup AI to spam Accurate Wounding/Debilitating Strike and Devastate targets under half HP. 

 

Do u think rogue/ranger outperforms rogue/ascendant in pure damage?

[aimlessgun]

 

Do u think rogue/ranger outperforms rogue/ascendant in pure damage?

 

 

I think so. Soul Whip damage increase is less valuable because you are already stacking so much +%damage from Rogue. Multiclass, non-Ascendant Cipher spells won't do all that much damage with low power levels. On bosses Recall Agony and Disintegrate might shine but I think generally it will be a significant damage loss (obviously charm and Pain Block will greatly help your party in other ways though). 

[Kaylon]

chanter/rogue - for speed/lash chant, summons, buffs, AoE armor debuff

rogue/cipher - to apply long lasting AoE eystrike, charm, etc with 2x pistols and modal

monk/rogue - with frostseeker

ranger/rogue - with dragon's dowry

ranger/devoted -with hunting bow and modal

[Sotnik13]

chanter/rogue - for speed/lash chant, summons, buffs, AoE armor debuff

rogue/cipher - to apply long lasting AoE eystrike, charm, etc with 2x pistols and modal

monk/rogue - with frostseeker

ranger/rogue - with dragon's dowry

ranger/devoted -with hunting bow and modal

 

How monk/rogue benefits from Frostseeker? Except from AoE afflictions. Since swift flurry not procing form ranged attacks.

[Kaylon]

 

chanter/rogue - for speed/lash chant, summons, buffs, AoE armor debuff

rogue/cipher - to apply long lasting AoE eystrike, charm, etc with 2x pistols and modal

monk/rogue - with frostseeker

ranger/rogue - with dragon's dowry

ranger/devoted -with hunting bow and modal

 

How monk/rogue benefits from Frostseeker? Except from AoE afflictions. Since swift flurry not procing form ranged attacks.

 

Increased AoE (monk int), huge dmg (both from rogue dmg and monk lashes), high speed and good crit chance (dance of death, dirty fighting). But a ranger could work too with the monk for even more accuracy and driving flight which can make the bow proc like crazy.

[Sotnik13]

So for now. For pure damage we have something like rogue/monk(nalpazka) or rogue/ranger or maybe ranger/monk (But I am curios how much accuracy is valuable).

[jorill]

I am also trying to figure out what would be an interesting/potd viable ranged dps build.

 

My current thought is devoted/troubadour, planning on using frostseeker. My thought was to go devoted for the great passives, and since I will be mostly auto attacking, thought that passive auras (particular recovery speed on ranged) and occasional summons would work well. 

 

My concern was that not pairing with rogue, ranger, or cipher would hurt my damage too much to make this a good idea on PoTD?

 

Also, I have seen that ranged DPS builds with Monk were really good prior to 1.1, does Monk really add enough to ranged DPS build now that swift flurry doesn't work the same way?

[Sotnik13]

I am also trying to figure out what would be an interesting/potd viable ranged dps build.

 

My current thought is devoted/troubadour, planning on using frostseeker. My thought was to go devoted for the great passives, and since I will be mostly auto attacking, thought that passive auras (particular recovery speed on ranged) and occasional summons would work well. 

 

My concern was that not pairing with rogue, ranger, or cipher would hurt my damage too much to make this a good idea on PoTD?

 

Also, I have seen that ranged DPS builds with Monk were really good prior to 1.1, does Monk really add enough to ranged DPS build now that swift flurry doesn't work the same way?

 

Monk can give attack speed(flurry), lash damage(turning wheel), more Int = more AoE radius (Dance of Death), +might (Helwalker passive and Thunderous Blows) maybe I something missed. But yea they can bring alot to ranged DPS, even without Flurry procs (which was broken as f...ck and it's better they nerfed. But they better somehow drasticly lower proc chanse rather than eliminate it)

[jorill]

Alright, so it really seems like helwalker adds alot to this then. Between the speed from swift flurry and the acc/damage from dance of death/helwalker passive.

 

Which leaves me trying to figure out whether to focus more on crit/frostseeker and go sharpshooter, or devoted for the passives/+pen?

 

Lastly, how worthwhile is considering adding cipher somewhere in this? I am assuming ascendent makes sense, auto attack with hunterbow modal then dump out spells once ascended. If I were to go this route, what other class makes the best pairing? Still helwalker?

 

[Sotnik13]

Personaly I am testing rogue/monk for ranged DPS (auto attack based). Ciphers have good DPS modifiers but Rogues outperforms them in my opinion. For Ascended ranged autoattack u can try monk or maybe ranger. It could be paired with rogue, but from what I've heard It's not great Idea to stack so much +damage without something else.

[Lampros]

Pure ranger is not recommended as it alone does not bring enough "juice" to the table imho.

 

Strengths of each class choice when picking:

 

Ranger: accuracy, consistency and low micro I guess and a pet initiate aggro and give time for your party to prepare for a fight

Cipher: moderate to good extra dps, cc, some party pure support but only a little bit like Pain block - support is a tertiary role on cipher however and mostly they are decent damage and decent crowd control and party support should be given to a paladin priest or chanter

Devoted: mirrors what ranger brings in a way because it mainly accuracy/ proficiency buffs to yourself, survivability is lower priority on ranged

Rogue - best dps boost, best burst dps to kill stuff like mages/ priests quicly

Paladin (offensive subclass) a bit like Rogue in an offensive setup with less burst pure damage but more party support (they are good multi-specs for a ranged dps though)

Barbarian (Zerker) - more dps  (Frenzy speed and penetration bonuses) and good kiting and  dmage mitigation tools (sprint+savage defiance) con - you are not using barbarian though to its full potential though on ranged because of how carnage only works in melee, but still the class kit brings enough with it to make it a very good addition even on a ranged dps. The penetration bonus from Zerker frenzy is particularly good for low penetration weapons like hunting bows. 

Monk - damage and cc

 

 

 

Those above are more pure "weapon" specs. My point is that just because with "Ranger" one naturally thinks that is the top spec for a ranged dps it is not really so in PoE2. From the list above I would not stack two classes with similar strength like Devoted and Ranger because they are too similar in what they bring to the table. Also I would not stack cipher and monk although that combo is strong but still those classes duplicate each other in terms of cc and you don;y need cc from both monk and cipher in one class imo.

 

So what is your preference in conclusion?

[Auspex Hexprone]

I'm planning a Seer with Ascendant and Ghost Heart, and I'm trying to choose a weapon type. I'm primarily interested in Focus generation to get to Ascended immediately, but damage matters too.

 

What's my best ranged weapon choice? I was thinking of starting fights with Arbalest and then switching to warbow or hunting bow. Good choice?

 

(I understand Arbalest will give somewhat less damage than Arquebus for my opening strike, but since this character will be focused on CC, I like the extra knockback and daze effect from the Arbalest.)

[Haplok]

If you want fast Ascension, you should look out for powerful active weapon abilities. The best is Kitchen Stove blunderbuss Thunderous Report. If you manage to get a few enemies in it's (huge) cone, it's almost guaranteed one-click Ascension. It's 1/encounter too. Another good option is Amira's Wing Rod Wilting Wind ability. Even easier to aim due to huge circular aoe. But it's 1/rest. So those are 2x 1-click Ascensions.

 

At early-to-mid levels also 1 salvo from the Red Hand Arquebus should make you Ascend. Later more will be needed, but Red Hand remains my favorite caster ranged weapon (once you Ascend, you don't have to wait for Recovery but can cast immediately). Also great damage output and modal ability.

I'd not trade arquebuses for arbalests. The +20 Accuracy modal is too good, particularly for Alpha strikes (when shooting from stealth, your next action is 80% quicker, so the long reload with the modal doesn't hurt much). Plus Red Hand is just sick , nothing on arbalest side compares to that baby. Keep the CC for the Cipher side, it's much better at it (Secret Horrors, Mental Binding, even Tenuous Grasp, Whispers/Puppetmaster/Ringleader, Mindlance/Amplified Wave to interrupt; maybe even Eyestrike or Phantom Foes - if you don't have an even better way to apply Blind/Flanked), don't gimp your damage - and your Focus generation.

 

Although this is a ranger, with Driving Flight, Accurate Wounding Shot, Marked Prey and (I hope) Stalker's Link. Plus eventually Borrowed Instinct. So Accuracy will be trough the roof and single target crit rate should be pretty sick too. Another excellent option is the Frostseeker warbow then. It launches 3 projectiles per shot and causes nice aoe damage on crit... which should be plenty with high accuracy and extra driving flight projectiles. Of course, the aoe generates focus as well.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Haplok

[Clerith]

Swift Flurry is melee only now, Turning Wheel lash is melee only now. Monks used to be the best for ranged, but not any more. While they still have buffs, I rate Ranger, Devoted and Rogue above them.

[Gregorovich]

Currently playing Cipher/Chanter (Ascendant/Troubadour) with the Red Hand. Ila gives you 20 % recovery and reloaded reduction, so the total bonus is 40 if you use weapons with need of reload! That makes you insane damage-dealer and can absolutely compensate the recovery from arquebus special ability, personally never turn it off. Plus you have summons and debuffs, and you are able to have second damage-dealer-shooter, as Ily gives bonuses to everybody in the area of effect

[mant2si]

I found Gold Pact/Ghost Heart with DW pistols is very cool combo, good attack speed because of Pistol modal and Scordeo's passive, good accuracy because of Ranger passives, good defenses because of paladin passives and new range ability. Stylish look - DW pistols with full armor and Flames of Devotion - less micro, good auto attack (especially with Eccea's Arcane Blaster and Scordeo's Trophy)

This class combination even viable for solo

Edited October 5, 2018 by mant2si

[Haplok]

Currently playing Cipher/Chanter (Ascendant/Troubadour) with the Red Hand. Ila gives you 20 % recovery and reloaded reduction, so the total bonus is 40 if you use weapons with need of reload! That makes you insane damage-dealer and can absolutely compensate the recovery from arquebus special ability, personally never turn it off. Plus you have summons and debuffs, and you are able to have second damage-dealer-shooter, as Ily gives bonuses to everybody in the area of effect

 

Get Acina's Tricorn for even faster reload. And Maia's Shootist Garb if you're set on arquebuses.

[Gregorovich]

 

Currently playing Cipher/Chanter (Ascendant/Troubadour) with the Red Hand. Ila gives you 20 % recovery and reloaded reduction, so the total bonus is 40 if you use weapons with need of reload! That makes you insane damage-dealer and can absolutely compensate the recovery from arquebus special ability, personally never turn it off. Plus you have summons and debuffs, and you are able to have second damage-dealer-shooter, as Ily gives bonuses to everybody in the area of effect

 

Get Acina's Tricorn for even faster reload. And Maia's Shootist Garb if you're set on arquebuses.

 

I do not use them, as the character become too OP as for my playstyle, I'm going to use Changeling's mantle and Survivor's Tusks, that's all about fun)

[Haplok]

I do not use them, as the character become too OP

 

 

 

Error. Error.

Does not compute.

[bigbazoopa]

The chanter chant that gives extra ranged speed is currently bugged I think. It is giving a boost to both reload and recovery 20% each. Firearms have both so it is giving a 40% boost while bows are getting only 20%.

 

So if you want a good POTD ranged build use this chant.