What is the best firearm for a ranged rogue?

[Malignacious]

Previously we have learned that hunting bow is faster than the war bow despite both having the same stated speeds in their descriptions.

 

Which firearm can be reloaded and shot the fastest? Do they have all the same range as stated, 15m?

[Ichthyic]

all have same range, pistols and blunderbus have same firerates and reload times, arquebus is a tad slower.

if the idea is to do the most damage to a low armored targets with a single shot, go with a blunderbus, and I would also recommend trying out envenomed strike, as that will stack the poison damage per projectile.  Pistol vs arquebus for high armor targets is a closer call.  considering the game is rather lenient on absolute damage as it is, I don't think you need to agonize over the decision.  just pick whichever fits your mood, or the weapon focus your character already has.

if the idea is to be able to switch targets rapidly to put debuffs and interupts on them, you're still better off with a hunting bow.

I find ranged rogues do best with hunting bows, and everyone else does best with a blunderbus myself.

...oh, and that would be post patch.  prepatch, the arbalest outperforms everything for pure raw damage.

 

Edited April 9, 2015 by Ichthyic

[Aron Times]

The canon resolution of Heritage Hill should be an entire party packing shotguns, er... blunderbusses blowing the heads off of AMC's The Walking Dead.

 

Oh right, guns... I believe the first reply covered it succinctly.

 

Blunderbuss vs. low-armored targets. It's a freakin' shotgun.

Pistol and Arquebus vs. high-armored targets.

[Malignacious]

The canon resolution of Heritage Hill should be an entire party packing shotguns, er... blunderbusses blowing the heads off of AMC's The Walking Dead.

 

Oh right, guns... I believe the first reply covered it succinctly.

 

Blunderbuss vs. low-armored targets. It's a freakin' shotgun.

Pistol and Arquebus vs. high-armored targets.

So how come pistol doesn't have a much faster reloading speed? I could swear I've read that somewhere.

[Malignacious]

Is this correct, do all firearms have lower range than bows?

[Rosbjerg]

Early firearms were notoriously hard to aim, as bullets were anything but standardized. They could fire further than a bow, but it wasn't really until the 17th-18th century level technology that they were more precise.

 

So it should be seen as effective range.

[gkathellar]

Is this correct, do all firearms have lower range than bows?

This is accurate. If you look at combat training manuals from the 16th century, firearms were short-distance weapons, and knights sometimes trained to use pistols in particular at melee range. Big volleys of gunfire can be used at a greater distance against armies, but in a skirmish against individuals, there's not much point.

[Malignacious]

At what range does "marksman" perk cease to apply?

[Baron Bawookles]

 I refuse to use any of the firearms in PoE, they are OP and just don't fit in a fantasy world imo. Bows and crossbows for me only.

[cid]

At what range does "marksman" perk cease to apply?

I believe it applies to attacks beyond 4 meters

[cirdanx]

I wouldn´t say there is a best one, pistoles are good but a big hit by a blunderbus can do lots of damage, it´s really up to your playstyle and what you prefer. I choose to stay away from them and went for fast weapons, Hunter with a Hunting/War bow...low hits but lots of them and crits without end. It´s really up to your party and what you prefer.

[Malignacious]

So, does Dexterity affect at all the speed of firearms, which need to be reloaded after each shot, unlike the bows where there is no reload mechanic?

[Crucis]

I have seen it suggested that the best ranged weapon for a Rogue is an arbalest.  Why?  Because it has greater range than any of the guns, which in turn means that you are ale to shoot from behind your party's tanks when the enemy is charging your party ... because this, in turn, means that those charging enemies will (or should) choose to attack the people that are closer, i.e. the party's tanks. 

 

That said, crossbows, hunting bows, and war bows have the same 12m range as arbalests, whereas IIRC pistols and arqabus' have a range of 10m and the blunderbus' range is only 8m.  (Also, wands, rods, and sceptres have a range of 10m, IIRC.)  Arbalests are the hardest hitting of the 12m ranged weapons, but also the slowest to reload (hunting bows being the fastest reloading).

[Mungri]

I'm using an exceptional arbalest and crossbow on my ranged paladins since I bought those in act 2.

 

Also ot works out because one paladin needed an extra feat on zealous focus crit upgrade, so he's a talent behind. That one used a crossbow while he didn't have gunner, and now the arbalest while the other one has penetrating shot.

[Elerond]

I would say Arbalest or Hunting Bow are my choices for ranged rogue, because Arbalest can cause prone, which takes them out of fight and gives sneak attack bonus for the damage and hunting bow has highest rate of fire, which works excellently with damage bonuses from sneak attack and might, even though high pierce DR enemies maybe harder to deal than with firearms.

[Atheosis]

Blunderbuss.

[Willownen]

I've been using pistol on my rogue ever since the start of the game. The loading times are annoying, but even with low Might, my rogue is still the top damagedealer in the party.

[Sabin Stargem]

I would guess a blunderbuss with a superb enchantment would be quite deadly.  Get Scon Mica's roar, it reduces all enemy defenses by -5 on a hit, with +20% grazes into hits.