Can a melee ranger be useful?

[Madscientist]

In the topic "worst possible build" somebody suggested a melee ranger.

I accepted the challenge and tried to make something useful out of it.

This is my idea:

 

class:

stalker/rogue

 

race: moon godlike (for survuvability)

 

animal companion: boar (for regeneration)

 

I am not sure about the stats and I could not tell which one is more or less useful.

 

talents:

lv1: boar companion, marked prey, crippling strike

lv2: vicous companion

lv3: mercyless companion

lv4: dirty fighting, takedown

lv5: resilient companion

lv6: protective companion

lv7: blinding strike, predators sense

lv8: gouging strike ( for dot effect)

lv9 heal companion

lv10: riposte, stalkers link

as soon as possible deep wounds.

 

The rangers pet causes more damage via sneak attack and against dotted enemies. So its kind of a rogue. I thought that 2 rogues together might be good.

When attacking the same target, they gain the following bonusses:

- They give flanked status for sneak attack

- Rogue lets the enemy bleed and that increases pet damage (unfortuanatly not with a lv 1 talent like a ranged ranger)

- more accurancy via stalkers link

 

Problems:

- looks like a rather fragile char

- Sometimes it may be hard that both chars attack the same enemy, maybe because other enemies block the way

 

Do you think that such a char may be useful?

[draego]

Ye i want to try a single class stalker version of a build like this. But if i do a subsequent run i thought about doing multiclass with either druid (for the double fury attacks) or rogue. For the single class stalker you can use battle axe modal to proc predetor's sense in melee. It would be nice if that bleed effect wasn't weapon specific so you can choose what weapon you like but it works. I like the ranger class for the animal companion and not the ranged combat. Its always felt like these were two different classes smashed into one. nice stuff though.

Edited November 21, 2017 by draego

[Madscientist]

Thanks for reminding me of the axe special. Good to know that a melee ranger can cause dots at lv1.

When you get deep wounds ( much later ), you can use any weapon.

[DigitalCrack]

Really a ranger melee build is a pet build. At the moment there isnt many melee options outside building your pet. I have run ranger in several melee builds and my favorites have been Barbarian/Ranger and A soul blade/ghost heart.

[Akos]

Well, it can now. Latest Dev Stream revealed that they've made it so most Ranger abilities can be used regardless of the equipped weapon. 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/209325992

[draego]

Well, it can now. Latest Dev Stream revealed that they've made it so most Ranger abilities can be used regardless of the equipped weapon. 

 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/209325992

 

Ye i saw that but even if they didnt i was able to mod the abilities so its nice that is not needed

Edited December 14, 2017 by draego