Ranged Rogue or Ranger with Mechanics?

[Venatio]

I am trying to decide between a ranged dps Rogue or a Ranger who has a lot of points pumped into Mechanics in order to round out my party. The only down-side with the latter option appears to be that Rangers level up their Mechanics slower than Rogues which could present some issues. Has anyone tried to do this already? What would be the most optimal for a scout who can lure enemies into bottlenecks, snipe from the back and take care of any traps between me and my objective?

Edited April 10, 2015 by Venatio

[Exoduss]

What , wait ... What is this about? It doesnt matter which 1 you choose they both can have max mechanics and stealth and rogue just gets 1 point early and thats it isnt it ?

Edited April 10, 2015 by Exoduss

[I am Catharsis]

Yeah, it's not Baldur's gate bro. You can max out the mechanics even if you're not a thief

 

The only thing that changes if you get a Rogue is that you're gonna have 1 extra point in Mechanics eary on, but that makes no difference at all late game.

 

So chose only the class you want for its gameplay. If you prefer ranged class, then go for a Ranger. They are probably way better than Rogues of that.

[Exoduss]

Sadly rogue is probably better

Marksman unless you put a really good thought in your ranger build

[Crucis]

Yeah, it's not Baldur's gate bro. You can max out the mechanics even if you're not a thief

 

The only thing that changes if you get a Rogue is that you're gonna have 1 extra point in Mechanics eary on, but that makes no difference at all late game.

 

So chose only the class you want for its gameplay. If you prefer ranged class, then go for a Ranger. They are probably way better than Rogues of that.

 

Agree with both points here.

 

You can max out mechanics on any class.  I used the cleric, Durance, as my mechanics specialist.

 

And as for a ranged combat specialist, Rangers all the way.  Their class talents seem focused on ranged combat and their animal companion.  (I haven't taken a single talent for my ranger's animal companion.)  One thing to be aware of is that if the animal companion is knocked out in battle, the ranger takes a big accuracy hit.  I didn't know this early on and just kept sending my ranger's wolf into melee.  But knowing this little fact, the best thing to do with the AC is to hold him out of melee for a while (sometimes the entire engagement), unless it's necessary to get him into the fight if only as a distraction.  From my perspective, what you gain by having the AC in combat doesn't seem as useful as not losing 20 accuracy off your ranger if the AC takes a dirt nap.

[Venatio]

Thank you for the advice everyone, I have been muddling around at the beginning of the game fretting over every detail. 

[Enoch]

What , wait ... What is this about? It doesnt matter which 1 you choose they both can have max mechanics and stealth and rogue just gets 1 point early and thats it isnt it ?

 

An extra point in a skill at character creation translates to every subsequent rank being cheaper, as the cost acceleration of skillpoint buys doesn't count the ones you get from your class/background. 

 

A Rogue/Merchant who starts with 3 ranks in Mechanics can buy rank 4 with only 1 point at level-up, and can get to 10 ranks with only 28 points spent (i.e., almost every point from 5 level-ups).  A Ranger/Merchant who starts with 1 rank would have to spend 6 points to get to rank 4, and 45 points to get to rank 10 (almost every point from 8 level-ups). 

Edited April 10, 2015 by Enoch

[AdmiralPrice]

^ Tabletop vet.

 

Every point, even if it looks insignificant, is important. In these kinds of games, things tend to snowball. 1 point now + another stack from something else will usually reap huge rewards.

 

IMHO, go full DPS/Survivial/Stealth with your Ranger and go mechanics with your rogue. People say there are no archetypes in this game, but the best way to play it, especially on PoD, is to stick with the archetypes.

[b0rsuk]

Ranger tanks a bit better. You can teach your pet Knockdown. Wounding Arrows slow nasty enemies so you can use Divide and Conquer tactic. Just don't go with Hunting Bow or any other fast weapon unless you really know what you're doing (for example Stunning Arrows don't depend on damage, just accuracy, so fast weapon is good).