Ranger with guns

[Kalina]

Is such character viable at all ? Twin shot works with bows only I think, but 50% reload time from early talent seems huge? And good accurency with lead splitter might lead to one shot kills.

[MaxQuest]

Is such character viable at all ? Twin shot works with bows only I think, but 50% reload time from early talent seems huge? And good accurency with lead splitter might lead to one shot kills.

Viable? Well of course.

It might be slightly behind of the TS+Stormcaller in terms of dps and overall cc (due to less stuns), but [Dulcanale + Swift Aim] or [Lead Splitter + Vicious Aim] will still dish quite solid damage.

Bonus being that higher base damage will quite benefit Wounding Shots.

Also the fact that taking Penetrating Shots won't affect your relative fire rate that much. Just don't forget to max DEX if going for reloading weapons.

 

P.S. And finally firearms do work with Powder Burns. Which theoretically can provide the highest dps, surpassing that of Twin Arrows + X. The practical problem being proper positioning, such that you won't decimate your own team.

 

but 50% reload time from early talent seems huge?

Because of the way reloading time is calculated, bonus 50% in reloading speed translates into minus 33% of reloading time. 1/1.5 = 0.66 Edited April 5, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Boeroer]

Of course it's viable. I don't think it's as good a a bow ranger, but it's good. With very high DEX and Swift Aim you can reload pretty fast. You can see the difference best when you use arquebuses.

On the other hand you can always go for Vicious Aim and use an Island Aumaua, Arms Bearer and Quick Switch. With Powder Burns and Scion of Flame you should reach pretty nasty AoE damage numbers. Don't forget to wear that unique eyepatch when you burn your powder.

[Blunderboss]

I love Vicious Aim with Quick Switch since PoE release , both ways can be viable i think Reloading and Quick Switching , QS is always harder tho and requires microing for anything to happen

[Boeroer]

Yes, the micromanagement can really get tedious - especially in easy encounters where it just slows down your steamrolling because you have to pause all the time in order to switch. 

[Kalina]

 

but 50% reload time from early talent seems huge?

Because of the way reloading time is calculated, bonus 50% in reloading speed translates into minus 33% of reloading time. 1/1.5 = 0.66

 

 

I see. And how does it work with +20% faster reload talent ?

[MaxQuest]

I see. And how does it work with +20% faster reload talent ?

Keep dividing: e.g. new_reload_duration = base_reload_duration / 1.5 / 1.2

 

So for a blunderbuss, reload time would end reduced from 150 to 83.3 frames.

Edited April 5, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Jojobobo]

I was making a pistol build with Forgiveness (the only gun with the speed enchant), but as I was going solo I hadn't got too far with it yet (or even gotten Forgiveness yet - I wanted to play a law-bringer sheriff type so killing the Doemenels in that quest is quite tricky if you want to do it immediately in the Goose and Fox like I ideally want to).

 

However running around with a Fine Disappointer (sounds like a nickname for someone's manhood) in Act 1 worked pretty well high dex, might and per going solo. Guns obviously have a lot higher base damage, so I'd say your DPS is going to be at least comparable to Twinned Arrows more or less (considering Swift Aim and Twinned Arrows don't stack) - and if you give your pistol a flaming lash plus take Scion of Flame I'd imagine your Powder Burns damage is going to be quite brutal.

 

The main flaw is all those cool additional item effects you're missing out on (Wounding on Persistence, Returning Storm on hit/crit on Stormcaller, etc.), but from what I was experiencing it seems entirely workable.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Jojobobo

[Blades of Vanatar]

Here's a thought. I am using a Fully loaded Island Aumaua Ranger with many Arquebuses, light armor and Shod in Faith boots just standing put, firing away. If such a character gets surrounded by enemies dies their engagement effect my accuracy? Is there a penalty to ranged accuracy when engaged by a melee enemy?

[Boeroer]

 

I see. And how does it work with +20% faster reload talent ?

Keep dividing: e.g. new_reload_duration = base_reload_duration / 1.5 / 1.2

 

So for a blunderbuss, reload time would end reduced from 150 to 83.3 frames.

 

Together with the chanter's reload chant and 20 DEX you'll get near the point where your reload time is below 40% of it's original value. Plus: your animations and recovery time will also be very short. Most people say that this is not important because the reload time is the bottleneck - but you can feel the diffrence nonetheless. All in all the time needed from shot to shot will be near 1/3 of the original value. I think that's this is really good. 

[Boeroer]

Here's a thought. I am using a Fully loaded Island Aumaua Ranger with many Arquebuses, light armor and Shod in Faith boots just standing put, firing away. If such a character gets surrounded by enemies dies their engagement effect my accuracy? Is there a penalty to ranged accuracy when engaged by a melee enemy?

No - you only get flanked and suffer from -10 deflection. But you will get interrupted like hell I guess. That's no fun because the animations when shooting are very long even without getting interrupted all the time.

[MaxQuest]

Together with the chanter's reload chant and 20 DEX you'll get near the point where your reload time is below 40% of it's original value. Plus: your animations and recovery time will also be very short. Most people say that this is not important because the reload time is the bottleneck - but you can feel the diffrence nonetheless. All in all the time needed from shot to shot will be near 1/3 of the original value. I think that's this is really good.

No one was saying that it is bad

Going from 278 frames down to (52+83)/1.3 = 104 frames (i.e. 37%) is great (assuming 20dex, zero recovery, swift aim, chant, gunner).

 

If you are referring to my old advocating of warbow over firearms, that was in context of ranged weapon for cipher. As thus there were no Swift Aim.

Plus warbow's default 127 frames could get reduced to estimative 52/1.3 = 40 (i.e. 31%).

 

 

I was making a pistol build with Forgiveness (the only gun with the speed enchant)

You might want to take a look at Dulcanale as a viable alternative. Reason being that speed enchant brings (relatively) little to a reloading weapon.

It would result into [53+75+151] => [53+60+151] frames (provided no other buffs/modals). Or a 5.7% increase in dps.

Edited April 5, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Crucis]

 

Here's a thought. I am using a Fully loaded Island Aumaua Ranger with many Arquebuses, light armor and Shod in Faith boots just standing put, firing away. If such a character gets surrounded by enemies dies their engagement effect my accuracy? Is there a penalty to ranged accuracy when engaged by a melee enemy?

No - you only get flanked and suffer from -10 deflection. But you will get interrupted like hell I guess. That's no fun because the animations when shooting are very long even without getting interrupted all the time.

 

 

Is there a penalty to being engaged by a melee enemy if you're going to shoot that enemy with a gun?  No and sorta yes.  It depends on whether your character is a Wood Elf and/or if you've taken the Marksman talent.  In both cases, clearly shooting at a melee enemy with a gun will be well below the range which would trigger the long range accuracy bonuses for Wood Elf or Marksman, so I'd say that the loss of a bonus is in itself a "penalty".  But there is no direct penalty beyond that.

[Blades of Vanatar]

I was thinking about shooting at the enemy squishes from afar while surrounded by enemy melee combatants. I wasn't thinking about Interrupt. Meh. So much for that idea. Maybe if I had all defensive items equipped to help increase deflection and chugged a lot of potions and stood next to a Pally Clipper and support Priest. I guess it is doable in a Party.

[Jojobobo]

You might want to take a look at Dulcanale as a viable alternative. Reason being that speed enchant brings (relatively) little to a reloading weapon.

It would result into [53+75+151] => [53+60+151] frames (provided no other buffs/modals). Or a 5.7% increase in dps.

Thanks for the tip, Dulcanale was another one I had my eye on - rending is always a sweet effect especially on a gun and especially as I was intending on using penetrating shot in the first place. St. Guaram's Spark probably also works well with the pet and/or figurines that you need to use on solo, albeit you can't change the lash.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Jojobobo

[Boeroer]

Eh - I totally forgot why I hated Powder Burns so much: It doesn't work with Swift Aim or Vicious Aim. Boooh!

[JerekKruger]

Eh - I totally forgot why I hated Powder Burns so much: It doesn't work with Swift Aim or Vicious Aim. Boooh!

 

Isn't the same true of twin arrows?

[Boeroer]

Yes. Also booh! But losing 20% speed and gaining an additional arrow is not as bad as losing 20% speed AND 50% reload time while gaining an AoE burn effect and getting blinded after each shot. Blind is a serious affliction. Since guns are already inferior to bows on rangers they should have made it so that Swift Aim and Powder Burns stack OR remove that silly self-blind. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by Boeroer

[fiddlesticks]

There's a new hat in the game which gives you immunity to Blind. That seems perfect for this kind of build. Unfortunately, it's a reward for one of the Caed Nua adventures, so there's some randomness involved in getting it.

Edited April 6, 2016 by fiddlesticks

[Crucis]

There's a new hat in the game which gives you immunity to Blind. That seems perfect for this kind of build. Unfortunately, it's a reward for one of the Caed Nua adventures, so there's some randomness involved in getting it.

 

The "hat" is an eyepatch, but it also comes with the mild negative of -1 (or maybe it's -2) to perception.  But I suppose that it might be worth using if one wanted to use that Powder Burns ability.

[Blunderboss]

Eye Patch has 10% Bonus Damage to Flanked , so you can replace your Glanfathan boots with something else , thats a big plus

Edited April 6, 2016 by Blunderboss

[MaxQuest]

The "hat" is an eyepatch [...]

Rumble-rumble,.. something about ability to wear an eyepatch and a hat at the same time...

[Elric Galad]

And 10 rings.

Plus 10 on your feet.

 

And also "Mister T style bunch of magical necklace"...

 

Restriction about number of magic items has always been based on the "it's magical" motto.

 

 

My only regret about PoE is that you can't wear cloak and necklace at the same time.

[MaxQuest]

Restriction about number of magic items has always been based on the "it's magical" motto.

Aha! So the character actually can wear a magical eyepatch with a simple, non-magical hat!

 

P.S. Yeah, I agree about necklaces <-> cloaks. Perhaps in Eora, these two work on the same magical frequency.

Edited April 6, 2016 by MaxQuest

[JerekKruger]

Yes. Also booh! But losing 20% speed and gaining an additional arrow is not as bad as losing 20% speed AND 50% reload time while gaining an AoE burn effect and getting blinded after each shot. Blind is a serious affliction. Since guns are already inferior to bows on rangers they should have made it so that Swift Aim and Powder Burns stack OR remove that silly self-blind. 

 

Yeah, I agree that Twin Arrows loses less, I was just pointing out that that's probably the reason powder burns doesn't stack as well. Honestly I'm not sure why you can't stack the various ranger modals, I suppose the argument could be made that firing fast precludes firing viciously and firing two arrows simultaneously precludes either due to the complexity. Perhaps, in theory, powder burns involves loading the gun with a lot more gunpowder, and hence precludes reloading fast?