Quote
odrirg
Rangers have been changed for a long time now.

Log request: some of the new ranger skills that I can't find by searching the log forum.


Brutal rush....most mobs are hand to hand, so I guess useless in ranking? is it worth it to wear a dagger and use against an axe wielding giant?ever useful?

Basically, the way this skill works is that it greatly reduces the number of attacks you get based on weapon length. Staff/spear/polearm and you probably aren't getting any in round attacks. Sword/axe/mace/etc and you might get one or two. Dagger/hands = no effect. One of the best parts about this skill is that you can basically kill anything (NPC) with a weapon and not a lot of special attacks by spamming it. As far as in PK, well if in round attacks are your only concern, sure it's useful, but that isn't often the case.

Quote
odrirg
savage blow....bearcharge + damage? damage more than serp? or pugil? useless on a ranger not a giant?

Savage blow is trip lag in the wilds. It never lagged for me in civilized terrain. It's good damage that is definitely size/str based in some regard. It's probably a little more damager than serp on a giant, and a little less than pugil. It is definitely not useless on non-giants. The success rate is very high even for them.

Quote
odrirg
storm calling...how good is this?

I've only ever had this called on me (I haven't played a mariner), and it seems pretty limited. Basically it's like multiple call lightnings, but only if you can keep them on water.

Quote
odrirg
spirit guardian/allies/howl. anyone see this in action? log? what are your impressions.

One of these gives you some decent pets, one of them gives your spells a spellcraftish (but not quite as good) boost, and I don't have any experience with howl, but the possibility of deafen is always useful.

Quote
odrirg
predator's stance and the 3 kinships...worth all the skills you lose out on?

Predator's stance is nasty. Basically it's like wielding two exotics and having hour in the offensive part plus a big ass boost to your hth damage.
Bearkin is useless.
Serpentkin has some rather nasty effects, but is sort of mana-intensive and a bit too unpredictable for my liking, but it *might* be useful in pk... I haven't tried it much.
Wolfkin is extremely useful. It's basically beastcall for non-Outlanders, and the wolves track and are pretty buff. Most useful against non-melee types that you need to pour on the damage with.

Are they worth losing scrolls and call lightning? Maybe if you don't consider cloud of wasps, but with it, the beastmaster path is one of my favorites... There are times where I wish I could read scrolls though.

Quote
odrirg
prot metals > or < elf/drow metal vuln? is this one of the only ways one of the faerie races can cover this vuln? is it as good as it seems to me for those races? Or just mild dam redux that doesn't cover the vuln?

It's just like druid prot vs metals, which means it's roughly 25% dam redux, and the vuln is 33%. It doesn't work like other vulns/resists so as an elf or drow you are still going to end up 8% vuln to iron/mithril, but never everyone is going to have two iron or mithril weapons to fight you, especially since they shouldn't even know you are there. I would think it's better for giants, seeing as how it stacks with physical resist, but that's just my opinion.

Quote
odrirg
improvise weapon
mud
paint..... not seen any logs with those in them. Worth losing the use of metal weapons and armor? I gather from the forums that you should gear a savage like a druid....no metal....but go for full gear, unless you are using mud/paint....they worth losing lots of gear slots? under what conditions?

Improvise weapon is useless. It might save your life once if you practice it, but then so might pen.
Mud and paint seems to need you to leave a lot of gear slots unused... this can work, but you'll hurt for saves. I'd probably have a mage fighting and normal set if I was a savage and switch between the two as needed. Your normal set would concentrate on maximum damage in minimum slots, because you get the big ambush bonus. Mage set, you're going for saves and trying to lag them with savage blow, so it isn't as important to have mud or paint.

Quote
odrirg
sand swirl
dervish dance
whirling simoon ............how good are these? worth the fact that you are pretty much limited to just south of scions?

No clue, but dervish dance apparently received some recent loving... so find out for yourself I guess.

Quote
odrirg
rebounding strike
cavernfall
smokescreen
shadowstride.......

Rebonding strike triggers a lot. Basically every dodge, but the attacks are dodge/parryable, so it isn't as nasty as concealed/riposte
Cavernfall can be very deadly if used properly, so can smokescreen, which can do mangle/demo damage at high levels.
Shadowstride is also very good. If you can get someone to fight you in a cave, you'll dodge most of their targeted skills.


I've seen logs of the plainsrunner skills (the tiger-pounce is good) and the archery skills....

I'm just really surprised that rangers have been out for this long and I can't find any or significant logs of any of the others listed above.

so I'm asking if anyone has any logs of these, please post (both used against you, or you using them).

also, any AAR (after action reports) on what you think of the afore-mentioned ranger skills. what kind of things are obvious once you have them for 50 hours that aren't obvious from the helpfile?