I read somewhere that the expense of being an archer was so great that you should not even afford to use a bow till over level 40-45. Is this true..or did I misunderstand ?
Bows can use a lot of items called "soul shots". Sould Shots give your attacks greater efficacy. But they can get expensive.
If you lay off the shots or use less then you should probably have no trouble with them. However, you will level slower (please remember, in this game killing mobs that give slightly less xp but that you can kill very quickly is better than killing mobs that give slightly more xp).
Also, don't forget that in this game "kiting" is a very common practice. So don't just stand there and let whoever/whatever beat on you.
Use a dagger until at least 40 (you might even get away with one until late 40's) to conserve on shots.
That's what I've heard countless times now, and with an assassin of my own I can say that at least until 40 your bow skills won't make that much of a difference that they're worth the money you burn on shots.
I switched from a +8 Strengthened Long Bow to a +7 Mithril Dagger and I'm burning through mobs just as fast as I was before.
No one is saying that you can't hunt with a bow, but that it is just more expensive to hunt that way. It is also considerably slower at No Grade, and D grade, because you don't have much mana, and your range and arrow launch/attack speed aren't so hot at the early levels. And please read that again: bows are mana dependent. It is the Devs way of curtailing your XP rate. Mana pots and elixirs help, but with a dagger, it's not an issue at all.
As with most aspects of this game, it really depends on what resources you have (such as clan help, out of party buffers, etc.), your equipment, and where and how you hunt. It is possible to establish an exception to the rule.
I have two archers...
On the HE I used a dagger exclusively until I reached B grade. I wanted to keep cost down and I had a Shilien Elder for 'round the clock buffs. It made sense to use VR and mow down mobs with a dagger.
On the PR I threw the budget out the window. I was only concerned about leveling quickly no matter the cost. I also had the additional resource of having a Prophet, whose buffs are more closely catered to archer types than the SE. On the PR I used a dagger from 1 - 19, an OE light crossbow from 21 - 39 (primarily because I stumbled on areas where I one shot mobs with the bow); at C grade, I used an OE Focus dagger, because at that level, Hex + Focus stacked + VR is a beautiful thing.
You won't kill faster with with an Emi (anywhere from 3 - 5 arrows on most mobs on average, without crit). The PR and HE have higher p.atk than an SR, so you might add +1 more arrow launch to that average for SR. And the soulshots....yikes...10 soul shots per attack means that you'll be stopping to refuel more often.
B grade is when the fun begins. You use less shots, earn your passive attack speed increases, including movement speed, and the weapon p.atk combined with your masteries make the damage that you deal off the charts.
Again, we're not saying that you HAVE to use a dagger before B grade. You can use a bow starting at No Grade, if that's what you really want to do. But the conventional wisdom is there for you to use or ignore. Good luck and have fun.
lvl 1-20, use a dagger
lvl20-40, use a pole or a dagger
lvl40-52 use a pole or a dagger
lvl52-61 use a pole, dagger or bow
lvl61+ use bow (if OOM a dagger)
using a bow befor 52 is very very expensive, and you will have to run to town to restock a lot.
at 52 its OK using a bow, wont have to restoxk that often and its not THAT expensive anymore. at 61, using lets say a soul bow, its very cheap leveling an archer. My guess only pole is cheaper to use. and there will be long time between restocks at Agrade.
First off, if your new to the game. You can't afford to use soul shots. Its simply too exspensive. So I think bow is better then dagger for leveling. You will have downtime, so its even more important that you have fun with it. Stick to green mobs which die in 2-4 shots, get money quests for help boost your profit for each mob.
First off, if your new to the game. You can't afford to use soul shots. Its simply too exspensive. So I think bow is better then dagger for leveling. You will have downtime, so its even more important that you have fun with it. Stick to green mobs which die in 2-4 shots, get money quests for help boost your profit for each mob.
And yet if my choices were to use a dagger without shots, or a bow without shots, I'd use a dagger. No shots means that you will ultimately have to fire more arrows to kill a single mob. Firing more arrows means that you will burn through more mana. Downtime is never efficient. In fact, it can be downright frustrating when you realize that you are paying for the time that you are sitting, doing nothing.
If you aren't going to use shots, I think a dagger is still the better weapon. Faster attack speed, naturally more crits, and it doesn't use any mana, unless you use your specials. You should not have any downtime.
Bows come from drops or purchased initially..right ?
Ok, I'll try not to confuse you too much.
No Grade weapons can be purchased in the NPC stores.
With the exception of top tier weapons, the same applies to most D grade weapons. You can craft top tier at D grade, get them via a lucky drop, or use Ancient Adena to trade up for top tier weapons via the Blacksmith of Mammon. (Please consult the Library's Seven Signs section for background info.)
A limited number of middle tier C grade weapons can be purchased in the Luxury shop in Giran, albeit, using D and C grade crystals as the trade currency. As with top tier D grade, top tier C grade weapons must either be crafted, obtained via drop, or traded up for via the Blacksmith of Mammon.
All weapons above B grade are craft only, with two exceptions:
1. Some dual swords, which are created by combining two swords typically of the previous grade can be created by purchasing some swords through the Giran lux shop and combining them with the help of the local Blacksmith. For example, you can purchase two Swords of Delusion, which are C grade, and combine them to make Dual Swords, which will have B grade status. There are more twists and turns to this scenario, not the least of which being where you can have certain dual swords combined (you may have to see the blacksmith in Aden, depending on which dual swords you'd like to craft.)
2. Orcs can exchange B grade weapons through the Blacksmith of Mammon for Fist type weapons only. Only Orcs have this privilege.
A grade weapons and above are craft only or obtained through a rare drop. A grade Duals are obtained via the Blacksmith of Mammon.
Where do arrows come from ?
You can buy No Grade through C grade arrows in the NPC shop or get them via a mob drop. (Path of least resistance dictates that you buy them from the shop.)
You must craft B grade arrows or get them through a mob drop.
A grade arrows can be crafted, obtained via a mob drop, or summoned by high level archers (I think at level 66) using a skill and crystals.
That's the gist of it, but others I'm sure will fill in the blanks.
I know most are gonna dissagree with me but if you can afford it, use the bow all the way.
I got my SR from 1 to mid 60's never even touching a dagger.
Find a quest such as a.bone or cbp in Stuggart and any other quest you can do with out too much distruction and that'll help you with finance. Do the Coin of Magic quest, get up to lvl 1 collector. Once you hit 50+ go to Forsaken Plains and do the Coin quest there, there rewards are much better and more valuable.
Yes at times you'll have MP issues, mostly Pre-40. Once you get to 40, Cheap Shot SA is very beneficial, and unless you'll be pvp'ing a lot, it'll be better to use Bow of Peril as high as you can as BoP has Cheap Shot too.
Being an archer is quite expensive but fun nonetheless. The problem with bows is the increased number of soul shots they require while you advance from NG all the way to B grade. It's a hell of a looong way, but I'd rather see it as a test of my determination to keep going.
Till level 40 you have to struggle hard to make ends meet, but even so you level fast -- even if you don't think you do. I'd advise against using soul shots in every single shot, and also suggest you take into consideration your budget before venturing for the next "great buy" once you change grade. I started with a short bow, the cheapest and only one I could afford at low, NG level; I happen to like quests and did every single of them, and at lvl 20, and with class change to Elven Scout, while others were running wild with Light Crossbows [top D grade bow], I could only afford the top NG Composition bow -- and that with the help of a friend. :P
I think levels 20-40 is the hardest and most unenviable, joyless levels in the whole game. You might still gain bigger xp per kill, but if you are hunting alone you have to rest often, because mana points are not enough to keep you going for long. Plus, the skills you receive are splitted, half of them to suit Silver Rangers to be and the rest to suit Plainswalkers.
Soul shots are expensive and you have to use them only once, and in special occassions twice, per mob. Using your skills as an alternative to fast killing is a no-no -- unless it's utterly necessary.
Kite all the way. At level 28 you receive passive skill Quick Step, which makes you run faster, and at lvl 32 active skill Sprint 1 which is equal to Wind Walk 1. You also get passive Critical Chance, which raises your rate of critical hits -- and I didn't notice anyone mentioning Elven archers crit more often, which is true and not an urban myth.
At level 36 you receive Esprit lvl 1, passive skill, which helps your MP and HP regenerating faster while you're running. Yeah, I know. Lot of running/kitting, but this is what a Silver Ranger is all about. This is also what the last part of the second class transfer quest [at lvl 40] tries to teach you: a true Silver Ranger is the one who does not allow to anyone or anything come close enough to touch him. Hopefully, till then, hunting experience will have taught you that.
One last thing: upgrading your bow when and if possible, is the very first thing you should always do. Armour should come second. I bought a Reinforced Leather light armour from Giran when I was lvl 36 -- with NO boots to get the bonus of extra MP points. I changed armour at lvl 55 or 57, don't recall exactly, for a Doom Light. Never tried a C grade armour, never afforded to pay 1 million+++ for Manticore boots. I had been saving all the way since the beginning for that buy. When B graders saw me at raids in Reinforced leather and laughed at me saying, "You're B grade and still in C???" [it seems hardly does anyone go for Reinforced Leather]I could only reply, "Hell, no! This is a D grade armour!"
I know most are gonna dissagree with me but if you can afford it, use the bow all the way.
I got my SR from 1 to mid 60's never even touching a dagger.
I won't. However, a dagger or a lame sword is good to have in you -- for those cursed moments you suddenly wake up and find yourself with two mobs on you and no mana to shot arrows.
I know most are gonna dissagree with me but if you can afford it, use the bow all the way.
I liked using the bow at D grade because of the one shotting. It was really fast XP. My D grade didn't last nearly as long as most. But again, I did not have a typical setup, and I didn't have to worry about making adena to afford equipment, shots, etc.
The OP can always try both by exchanging his weapon with Blacksmith o' Mammon. Spend one level hunting with a Bow, and another level using the dagger. That way he'll know for sure what works best for him. Sometimes it just comes down to what feels right to you.
I have a L62 PR and I just love being an archer but having made the mistake of struggling through D&C grade constantly worried about the cost of arrows and soulshot I would recommend that anyone new to the game makes some adena first. I finally realised that I needed to make an alt to support my archer - so I made a crafter and earned money from selling shots. As soon as I had a regular income life as an archer became real fun. The only risk is that you will realise how easy it is to level with a pole and lose interest in the archer.
The posts I have seen about concentrating on upgrading the bow are absolutely correct. Archers are damage dealers so focus on that; if you fancy some good old fashioned hand to hand use your alt and do it properly.
As for down time - find hunting areas where mana potions are dropped or have a few elixir of mental strength.
Elixer of mental health are way too expencive to be of any use. It's nice to have a few when the chit hit the fan but to contactly stock up on them is a waiste of adena.
Hmmm right now im so pumped up to level my lvl 20 de archer just by reading ur posts guys. But I also have a lvl 17 de mage that im planning to build as a spellhowler.... well since its still early for me to find my real career... which u think is more damaging? An archer or a spellhowler? If we talk about mana issues i think a spellhowler is the one that loses mana first since it really eats tons of manas than PhantomRanger unless you have a SE with you. But u know why i feel like making this PhantomR? its because no one will dare cross this char lol. Yes u cud get killed but this pR thing was meant to be a longrange killer and thats the scary part.
Both are leathal, it all just depends of your buffs and the situation, personally a fully buffed SH vs me as Hawkeye can turn very nasty with Curse Fear.
Hmmm right now im so pumped up to level my lvl 20 de archer just by reading ur posts guys. But I also have a lvl 17 de mage that im planning to build as a spellhowler.... well since its still early for me to find my real career... which u think is more damaging? An archer or a spellhowler? If we talk about mana issues i think a spellhowler is the one that loses mana first since it really eats tons of manas than PhantomRanger unless you have a SE with you. But u know why i feel like making this PhantomR? its because no one will dare cross this char lol. Yes u cud get killed but this pR thing was meant to be a longrange killer and thats the scary part.
I like this guy! Takes me back to when I first started playing the game. The enthusiasm is great!
But listen, no class is safe in this game. Never forget that. Big fish eats little fish. Heck, big fish eat big fish. There will always be someone daring/stupid enough to try to PVP you, no matter who you are, or who you're allied to. That's what makes this game fun.