Well Thanks 
I have to say, that this ranger has been far more of a project than I thought it would be when I started. I really thought for a bit that I was going to give up on it. The Ranger Tree Revamp has been a MAJOR life improvement for people playing non conventional builds. There are still those moments where I wish I were playing something more conventional, but This has been an odyssey for sure.
I am definitely hoping that I can progress to a point where I can see "how far" I can get before Anarchy ends, and I'm thrust down to Standard. Anarchy may be "easy", but not having access to some things has really made me a better player. No Onyx Amulets, No Prismatic Rings, has really altered my strategy on gearing and the passive tree. It's kept my dps lower in a couple of ways, and has impeded my progress gear wise as well. It's a nice challenege for someone like me.
In WoW, I knew loot tables, and drops better than anyone. Playing a game like this is really a change to my thinking, and has probably led to some of my frustration with the crafting / currency system. (which I still LOATHE). I try to be a min/maxer whenever I can, but this game is definitely a whole new ballgame for me.
I was hoping that it would satisfy my gaming urges, and it has. I'm still trying to get that same thrill I had in WoW from soloing content though. I think to find that though, I'm going to have to get a 2h'd Life Leeching Marauder into Maps, and get REALLY good with it.
I have a very love/hate relationship with the resist nodes. 6%, just doesn't seem to blow my hair back enough to consider it worth it. Especially when comparing it to the Templar / Witch area resist passives that are just Better in any measurable way.
Here, have 10% ele damage, AND 10% Resist.
Here, have some resist, AND Armor, AND Energy Shield.
Oh... What? You use a shield? SWEET. HERE Have more Resist for just making that decision about how you want your character to work.
Here, have % increased damage in an Element, AND resists for that element as well.
IMO, if they really want to balance out the tree, and see higher numbers of Rangers in the Ladder (The Ladder Watch App shows that Ranger is the least represented class overall in Ladders, by a large margin), they still need to address this. Either by further nerfing the Resists in those areas OR (and my preferred method personally) Give more resist "grab bag" nodes in the other areas of the tree.
I have to say, that this ranger has been far more of a project than I thought it would be when I started. I really thought for a bit that I was going to give up on it. The Ranger Tree Revamp has been a MAJOR life improvement for people playing non conventional builds. There are still those moments where I wish I were playing something more conventional, but This has been an odyssey for sure.
I am definitely hoping that I can progress to a point where I can see "how far" I can get before Anarchy ends, and I'm thrust down to Standard. Anarchy may be "easy", but not having access to some things has really made me a better player. No Onyx Amulets, No Prismatic Rings, has really altered my strategy on gearing and the passive tree. It's kept my dps lower in a couple of ways, and has impeded my progress gear wise as well. It's a nice challenege for someone like me.
In WoW, I knew loot tables, and drops better than anyone. Playing a game like this is really a change to my thinking, and has probably led to some of my frustration with the crafting / currency system. (which I still LOATHE). I try to be a min/maxer whenever I can, but this game is definitely a whole new ballgame for me.
I was hoping that it would satisfy my gaming urges, and it has. I'm still trying to get that same thrill I had in WoW from soloing content though. I think to find that though, I'm going to have to get a 2h'd Life Leeching Marauder into Maps, and get REALLY good with it.
(08-06-2013, 05:32 PM)Brimstone Wrote: Why not take that 6%-to-all resist node over near Beef?
I've followed a similar path to yours - evasion, armor, and back to evasion; with Iron Reflexes 4 nodes away, it was a cheap-ish experiment, but after the nerf it just wasn't worth giving up Ondar's. At 51, I'm sitting here and headed somewhere around here, give or take a node. Depending on how my life totals feel when I get there, I may run up to the Evasion node behind the Ranger start area instead of the life node with Thick Skin.
I've been mostly using added cold damage-culling strike-frenzy and split arrow-mana leech-[rotating cast of characters], mostly because I can't roll a decent 4l or better to save my arse. I do run RoA (with Blind and Faster Attacks linked right now), but to be honest I mostly use it to pop totems, necromancer types and pots/baskets/whatever. I keep forgetting the awesomeness that is Projectile Weakness; that is, until I run up against a curse-immune mob and wonder why it takes so long to die! I wish I could handle running more auras, but for now Grace will have to do. I have run a BM'd Anger/Wrath or Haste, but right now I don't have the links for it, plus I kind of enjoy the full-life speed boost I'm getting from Daresso's Salute. (Even without the boost, I'd be hard-pressed to replace the resistances.)
Still - still having fun. I just started A3 cruel and already am on the lookout for some gear upgrades - as if there was ever a different state of being in a game like this. I really, REALLY need to track down some 4L or better gear soon; I've been carrying around a number of support gems in my "spare" unlinked slots that would really help out.
I have a very love/hate relationship with the resist nodes. 6%, just doesn't seem to blow my hair back enough to consider it worth it. Especially when comparing it to the Templar / Witch area resist passives that are just Better in any measurable way.
Here, have 10% ele damage, AND 10% Resist.
Here, have some resist, AND Armor, AND Energy Shield.
Oh... What? You use a shield? SWEET. HERE Have more Resist for just making that decision about how you want your character to work.
Here, have % increased damage in an Element, AND resists for that element as well.
IMO, if they really want to balance out the tree, and see higher numbers of Rangers in the Ladder (The Ladder Watch App shows that Ranger is the least represented class overall in Ladders, by a large margin), they still need to address this. Either by further nerfing the Resists in those areas OR (and my preferred method personally) Give more resist "grab bag" nodes in the other areas of the tree.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright