(08-01-2013, 03:48 PM)shoju Wrote: I got OBLITERATED over, and over, and over, and over, on the spawn of the adds, because even though Ondar's Guile should push me over the 95% Evasion Cap VS Projectiles, they were DESTROYING me in the first volley.

• When Playing with Mana instead of Blood Magic, The Thicket Bow is just not the bow to use for this build. I use both Life Leech, and Mana Leech linked to Frenzy, and the Thicket was leaving me OOM. When I switched over to a slower bow, of similar DPS, I found that I'm ready to ditch a Mana Flask, because I don't need as many anymore.
  
  The mechanics behind the reasoning are simple. Fast Bow = More Casts per second to achieve the DPS = More Mana Cost on an already high cost skill. Slower Bow, with comparable DPS = Less Casts per second = Less Mana spent = Higher damage per hit = More Mana Leeched per cast.
  

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• This is personal preference I'm sure, but Rain of Arrows w/ 7 Frenzy Charges is the Best AoE Bow DPS for me.
  Rain of Arrows is just a fun skill IMO. I played a Hunter in WoW as an alt, and It reminds me a lot of Volley. coupled with Mana & Life Leech, rounding up a good group of mobs is also a great way to get topped back off, and fill up the flasks.
  

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• Blind is a much better support gem than I ever gave it credit for when looking at it.
  I was struggling pre-ranger changes with groups of mobs. My Evasion was low, and I was folding quickly. Then I picked up a blind support, and tossed it on RoA to see if there was a noticable difference on damage intake.
  
  Turns out? There is. I love it.
  

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• Lightning Arrow, while not supported by my build, is a great totem to get enemies to peel off of you. I recently encountered the Molten Giant in Crematorium + an Exile (the ice shot? ranger). LA Totem was able to keep Hateheat (is that his name?) at bay while I dropped the Exile. I'd recast it around the room to keep him chasing. By the time I was done with the Exile, He was around 40% health. I was REALLY surprised by the damage efficiency. After that, i'm pretty sold on using it as a ranged distraction. I've thought about linking a Blind Gem to it as well to improve it's survivabilty.
  

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• Ondar's Guile is a must. after the Respec, I forgot to grab this skill. I don't know why, I'll blame it on my age. My old addled mind just forgot. The difference with, and without it, is night and day.
  

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• The Armor / ES reduction on Acrobatics doesn't make me anymore inclined to use non EVA gear. I still have the chest I was wearing Pre-Ranger changes (when I was still going Armor). I love the chest, but I'm actively pursuing something better. The 50% penalty means I'm just looking at it, and not happy with it, as opposed to not putting it on.
  

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• I wish that there would have been some resistances added in the Ranger area during the changes. Here I am, mid 60's (I know, not impressive), and my resistances are still lagging behind. Part of that, is because I apparently have angered GGG, and cannot roll good upgrades. The other part of that, is that I might be expecting a lot after playing Templar's and Witches, and being pleased with the Ele Resists that they are able to pick up along the way in their passive tree.
  
  It would have been nice to have something comparable in the Ranger Area. I think even the Marauder Passives have been resists than Rangers, and there's are lagging behind the Witches and Templars.
  
  In actuality, it's probably because, previously, I would have just strapped on a pair of Prismatic Rings, and been close enough to Resist cap that I wouldn't feel this "weird" about my resists.
  

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• I still feel like there is an overemphasis on life nodes. It might be my unfamiliarity with ARPG's (this is my first), but I still feel like I am going to end up finishing off the Acrobatics area, and going to get more life nodes instead of investing in more DPS (which is what I feel I "need") the changes to the Ranger Tree helped, but I'm still staring at 7 Life Nodes that I'll probably end up picking up, because I need more health.
  

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• I wish that the game had a better way to tell me what monsters are shooting projectiles, and what monsters are casting spells, so that I know when I can stand my ground, and let my (capped) Ondar's Guile evasion help me, and when I need to run for the hills because ZOMGTHEREAREALOTOFSPELLSCOMINGATME. Case in point: The adds on the Vaal Oversoul fight. I was convinced that Ondar's Guile wasn't working. Come to find out, those are spells being cast, not projectiles being spit at me.
  

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• I wish that Quiver types "meant more". As it is currently, I keep quivers, and ID / Roll them based on Ilvl, not because the static mod means anything to me. I value Light Quivers more, because the Dex is added Evasion, and Added Accuracy, but past that, I don't care much. Belt types are more interesting than Quiver types at this point. (At least to me)
  

(08-06-2013, 02:36 PM)shoju Wrote: Well, I tried to start a conversation in the Ranger Forum, but alas, I didn't get anyone to start talking. So I figure I will see if I can get some conversation going here.

(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.