08-05-2004, 10:55 AM
Unless things have changed in the last push, a warrior's "ranged" skills have a very tight area of effect (not sure if this applies to the ones with long cooldowns, or if any of this has been tweaked in this phase of the beta). By "very tight" I mean, if you aren't close enough to punch the enemy in the nose you probably aren't close enough to affect them with your various non-weapon skills (taunt, demoralizing shout, thunderclap) either. This is a small point that I think gets overlooked in some discussions, particularly about aggro management.
Anyways, here is how it affects pulling. Sometimes, you get a few enemies close together that are "linked" such that if you pull one you also pull the other. But sometimes, you will be in an area that is pretty thick with enemies who aren't linked but still somewhat close to each other. In this case, it is possible to pull one without the other. With a ranged attack, it is easy. Without one, it is easy to screw up. So having a ranged attack makes pulling much easier and more reliable. However, it is quite possible to do the single pulls without a ranged attack in most cases. You simply walk to a spot where one enemy can see you but the other is too far away, pause to let the one see you and attack you, and then back off.
I wouldn't be in any hurry to invest in a ranged weapon. When you reach a point where the skill points don't seem like that much of an issue, you can consider whether it is worth it. It does make things simpler, especially when soloing. Or if you don't want to be bothered with trade skills at all, go for it. But otherwise you will want to build up your trade skills first and think about the ranged weapon later.
Anyways, here is how it affects pulling. Sometimes, you get a few enemies close together that are "linked" such that if you pull one you also pull the other. But sometimes, you will be in an area that is pretty thick with enemies who aren't linked but still somewhat close to each other. In this case, it is possible to pull one without the other. With a ranged attack, it is easy. Without one, it is easy to screw up. So having a ranged attack makes pulling much easier and more reliable. However, it is quite possible to do the single pulls without a ranged attack in most cases. You simply walk to a spot where one enemy can see you but the other is too far away, pause to let the one see you and attack you, and then back off.
I wouldn't be in any hurry to invest in a ranged weapon. When you reach a point where the skill points don't seem like that much of an issue, you can consider whether it is worth it. It does make things simpler, especially when soloing. Or if you don't want to be bothered with trade skills at all, go for it. But otherwise you will want to build up your trade skills first and think about the ranged weapon later.