A couple of ranger questions

[Jagel]

Fav. enemy from Harper class and ranger do not stack (so 21 ranger/5 HS) will have +5 dmg vs ranger fav. enemies and +2 against HS fav. enemies. However: will all FE feats benefit from the Bane of Enemies feat or only ranger FE?

And another question: is dex ranger a simply a sub-par build or is it unviable?

[afreshstart]

afaik BoE should work for both FEs. And dex ranger is okay but will be harder to level since your damage early on is lower. But they do well in end game pve from what I've seen.

[Jagel]

Relevant to my interests: how does the changes to spears work with dual wielding? Guessing you can’t wield two spears at once, but spear and short sword for instance?

[The Greater Good]

Spear and nothing or spear and shield only I believe. (Pity they don't twohand tbh)

[Jagel]

Hm, a shame. It actually makes spear a somewhat lacking option for Rangers since it does not allow wielding and is not finessable (so not got for archers as aux weapon)

[Ork]

I recently rolled a dex xbow ranger and my damage was legit. I think melee has more challenges as you have to find more sources of damage, but it wasn't cancer in the slightest.

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

Sub-par but doable. A rogue splash of five to six levels helps a lot in the mid to epics range when dual-wielding in flanking, stealth, and KD/IKD attacks (and rangers get ultravision so carrying a wand of darkness is a very strong tactic in PvE).

It'll add 3d6 to all those attacks (2d6 pre-epic which equals your BoE bonus), which will stack with your BoE damage after epic, and as of the new update, it will help mitigate being flanked yourself during solo play (uncanny dodge I or II) while still leaving you 3 or 4 other levels to fill if you want a third class.

Levels five and six in rogue should be taken post-epic. I'd take the first four pre-epic for quality of life- you'll only lose 1 BAB off the build. Ranger3/Rogue3/Ranger6/Rogue1 (15 UMD/Tumble here, 16 in UMD if you dumped CHA), rest to taste. I'm sure there's a very specific optimal path to take but that's a good basic starting outline, IMO.

[Jagel]

thanks

[Peppermint]

A dip of three rogue levels is fine for the skills, but I would never, ever do more just for the sneak attack. If you just want damage, you're probably better off going fighter; epic weapon specialization gives you more upfront damage (which helps you finish a target after you've exited stealth, too!), and fighter levels grant more feats--which will help up your AB.

Don't ever do five rogue levels just for the sneak attack. Please. It's super bad.

Assuming you run paragon (and why wouldn't you?), your damage will already be solid DEX-based. Let's assume a 1d6 weapon and zero strength modifier:

3.5 (base) + 5 (blade thirst) + 4 (permanent essence) + 3.5 (temporary essence) + 10 (divine might) + 7 (bane of enemies) + 5 (favored enemy) = 38 damage per hit. Minimum. With full buffs and optimal gear you will probably eke out more.

I'd probably go Ranger 21/Paragon 5/Rogue 3 or Ranger 21/Paragon 5/Bard 3, leaning toward the latter. The latter nets you superb saving throws.

(Yes, I'm aware both builds are 29 levels. Do whatever with the last one.)

[Jagel]

The harper/ranger builds seem pretty feat starved for any non human char though. You’d have to give upon IE, IKD, BF or weapon feats to get the prereqs

[Dr. B]

You’d have to give upon IE, IKD, BF or weapon feats to get the prereqs

The choice here is obvious: sacrifice IKD.