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| Take Aim |
Picture from FFXI Compendium
Hello there! Welcome to the Take Aim guide. This guide is a massive combination of my experiences with Ranger and information from various resources. This guide is now officially the work of at least three rangers on our boards. Myself making the original guide. Lambtor provided me with the bulk of the information. Finnaly, Spider-Dan added some more technical information which include the "Ranged Attack | Holster" phases and so on. Others have influenced the guide also and for those who I did not name thank you as well.
Due to [/b]Killing Ifrit[/b] having a new forum layout, I cant color Lambtor's sections. However you may visit Final Fantasy XI Wiki and check out Lambtor's own version of this guide which gives his own outlook on the job.
Index
1. The Ranger
2. General Equipment guidelines / food
3. Preparations before leveling the job for the best success
4. Advanced Job Quest Ranger
5. Important Stats and Sub-Job selection’s
6. The beginning (Levels 1-30) *
7. Advancing to the Goal (Levels 30-60) *
8. Final Steps (Levels 60-75) *
9. The Ranged Weapons *
10. Stats and Skills of a Ranger
11. Ranged Attack damage modifiers
12. Ranger’s Abilities
13. Notable Gear for Ranger’s
14. Endgame Ranger
15. Links
Sections with a * next to them indicate important and detailed sub-sections within that section
1. ~The Ranger~
Ranger is often regarded as a notorious class because of the major changes it has gone through in the past couple of years since the initial release of the game. Before the Ranged Accuracy / Attack adjustment, Rangers were regarded as one of if not the best damage dealers ever. Once the update hit Rangers took a big hit in there damage department and basically were leveled with other damage dealers. However with recent changes and new gear options Ranger is more than able to hold its own against other damage dealers now. Ranger is best known as the best ranged attacker in the game. They can utilize all three different types of ranged weapons (Xbow, Bow, Gun.) And deal massive damage with them. They also posses incredible tracking abilities which is very useful in areas such as Sky.
2. ~General Equipment guidelines / food~
Rangers have poor base STR. All RNG job traits are accuracy bonuses or Resist Poison. In order to do damage, you first have to make sure you can hit your targets. Since RNG don't have many equipment options to get Ranged Attack+ (compared to standard melee and attack+ gear), and also don't have many job abilities to increase damage (unless through sub job), it's generally easier (and also cheaper) to try to get as much Ranged Accuracy as possible in equipment, and increase Ranged Attack/STR through food.
There are only 2 ways to make up for poor STR and low ranged attack. You can either eat meat foods or equip ranged attack+ gear. Most RNG don't perform as well as they might otherwise be able to because of an inconsistent set of equipment. To maximize your damage output, you need to make a decision on what you're more comfortable with. Either you should equip as much ranged attack and STR+ as possible, and eat sushi, or equip as much ranged accuracy as you can and eat meat. Suggestions for food will be given in their level sections. Inconsistent gear means you will likely see many RNG wearing pieces that have good stat benefits, but conflict with or sacrifice the bonuses available from other gear.
For example: wearing a headpiece that gives STR+ and also wearing hand gear that gives only RACC/AGI, at a level when ranged attack+ is available in hand gear and head gear. If you decide to go with the ranged attack/STR equipment route and eat sushi, devote all your equipment slots to boosting these statistics. When exp parties are fighting lower level targets (Tough-Very Tough), you can sometimes swap out some ranged accuracy in favor of ranged attack and still hit consistently enough to benefit from eating meat. The best way to find out if you're maximizing your dmg output is to run your own tests in the field. Before Lv 50 you won't have many choices of RACC vs. RATK, but keep this in mind as options become available.
In the earlier levels you won't have a lot of ranged accuracy available to you in gear, and not many foods provide this benefit either. In the level sections, food suggestions for RACC+ will be provided, but it's good to note here that for any job you should NOT eat sushi for accuracy before level 40. Other foods provide static amounts of RACC+ that are either equal to or greater than what sushi will give, and should be considered first. If these foods are unavailable at your AH, only go to sushi as a last resort.
When you do eat sushi in exp sessions, try to use sole for the STR+, as the AGI+ from squid will not be noticed in your DoT, and will have a minimal boost on marksmanship weapon skill dmg. The small amount of STR+ in sole sushi will make only a 2-3 point dmg/shot difference in normal ranged attacks, but that serves better than the 0 increase from AGI+.
Changing ranged weapons will cause you to lose TP, but changing ammunition does not. If you change ammunition and the game automatically un-equips your ranged weapon because of it, you will still keep TP. There are no throwing weapon skills.
Haste does not effect ranged attack delay, so don't bother trying to knock yourself out to get haste+% gear.
QUOTE
Ranged Weapon Delay / Wait time calculations
Every compound (weapon + ammo) ranged attack has three phases:
I) aim shot (dependent on weapon delay)
II) holster weapon (~1.7-1.8s)
III) "free" time until you can start another shot (~1.1s)
Phase II and III are not affected by weapon type, weapon delay, Rapid Shot, Snapshot, or Velocity Shot. Only Phase I is affected by weapon delay; ammo delay does not affect any of the phases.
I) Aim Shot
Ranged delay progresses at a speed of 110 delay/second (as opposed to the 60 delay/second of melee weapons). A 660 delay ranged weapon will fire 6 seconds after you push CTRL+D, not 11 seconds. If you move (or are moved) during this phase, your shot will be cancelled. Your melee auto-attack timer is paused during this phase.
II) Holster Weapon
Your character will put their weapon away. This phase lasts 1.7-1.8 seconds, regardless of weapon type or delay. You cannot start another shot during this phase. Your melee auto-attack timer is paused during this phase.
III) "Free" time
You are still unable to start another shot, but your melee auto-attack timer is unpaused. This phase lasts 1.1 seconds, regardless of weapon type or delay.
You can start another ranged attack after Phase III is over.
TP return is calculated by adding ranged weapon delay to ammo delay, then plugging the sum into standard TP formula. This is the only variable that is affected by the delay on your ammo.
-Information Courtesy of Spider-Dan
3. ~Preparations before leveling the job for the best success~
If you are completely new to Final Fantasy XI, and want to know how to unlock Ranger, you may want to search through another guide or ask someone in game. This guide is focused on how to maximize the effectiveness of your play within the job. If you have unlocked the job, you therefore have a basic job at Lv 30 already. If that Lv 30+ job is one that can use a ranged weapon, and has an ability to build that skill, you may want to spend some time getting that skill to a moderate level. A good idea would be to bring it to that of a Lv 20 ranger, or 60-65 skill, which as a Lv 30 you should be able to do solo without too much difficulty. The jobs that should be able to do this are:
* THF (C+ Marksmanship, C- Archery)
* RDM (D Archery)
* WAR (D Marksmanship, D Archery)
* SAM (C+ Archery)
* DRK (E Marksmanship)
* NIN (C Marksmanship, E Archery)
* COR (B Marksmanship)
If you have a job at Lv 75 and want to be a more potent ranger, meriting is an option available to you for additional preparations. Recommended merit categories (where possible) before starting the job are:
1. Combat skill - (marksmanship or archery; see "selecting a ranged weapon type" below)
2. Enmity decrease - (higher hate threshold allows you to put down more damage before getting killed or having mages use mp on you)
3. Critical Hit Rate %+
4. STR+
4. ~Advanced Job Quest: Ranger~
To unlock Ranger, you need to complete the quest given to you by the Mithra NPC in Windurst (Perih Vashai.)
The guide can be found here:
http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/The_Fanged_One
5. ~Important stats and Sub-job selection’s~
Ranger at it heart is a very powerful damage dealer. To amplify your damage and accuracy you need to focus on some stats to increase them. Strength and Agility can be regarded as a ranger main priority for damage. Strength increases the power of your ranged attacks while Agility increases the accuracy for those attacks. As you increase in levels options for Ranged Attack + and Ranged Accuracy + armor will come around. It’s not until level 55 that Ranger’s start become the powerhouses they are known to be so until that time make sure to make the best out of your weapon selections and armor to get invites. As for sub-jobs:
Ranger / Ninja: The most common used sub-job for Ranger (although its popularity seems to be slowly decreasing with Samurai’s options.) Ninja offers the ability to wield a second 1 handed weapon. Usually this is a + Accuracy weapon such as an Archer’s Knife or Trailer’s Kukri (with Fransisca or Krigsbeil replacing them later.) In addition Ninja also gives Ranger’s the ability to cast the protective spell Utsusemi: Ichi at level 24. Three shadows give ranger’s some cover just in case they pull too much hate or while there pulling. At 74 you gain Utsusemi: Ni which further enhances your defense. Ninja also offers a little boost in Agility and the ability to cast Invisible without the need for a Prism Powder.
Ranger / Warrior: Second to Ninja as the most popular subs for Ranger. Warrior offers an increase in Strength which is a welcome addition for any Ranger’s stats. In addition you gain the ability Berserk at level 30 which increases the damage dealt by your ranged attacks by a noticeable amount. As you increase in levels the power of this sub increases with it. Once at 75 the sub will give off increasingly higher numbers than possibly any other sub-job. You gain the ability Defender at level 50 which can help you survive a hit or two more than you could without it.
Ranger / Samurai: This sub-job’s popularity has been steadily increasing with almost every update. With Samurai you get the benefit of Store TP which allows you to fire off your Weapon Skills slightly faster. At level 50 you gain access to the ability Hasso which gives +5 Strength and Haste plus melee accuracy bonuses when wielding a Two Handed weapon. Ideally you will want either a Fire or a Vulcan’s staff for this. At 60 you gain the Meditate ability which gives you 60 TP over the span of a couple of seconds (Is 100 TP with Samurai main.) At 70 you gain the ability Seigan. Seigan almost acts like Utsusemi in a way in that it absorbs attacks directed at you (It can even absorb Multi-hit weapon skills.)
Ranger / White Mage: This sub-job is very situational. Its most notable use is for Holy Bolt spam set-up. Since Mind directly effects the amount of damage the additional effect of Holy Bolts will do it’s great to use for the set-up. You get some healing spells and Stoneskin and Blink but with limited MP its most likely you will only have enough for a couple of castings.
Ranger / Dancer: More or less a situational sub like White Mage. Because of Rangers high TP gain with ranged weapons (15 TP with Bow) they can accumalte TP rather quickly. With Dancer you get Waltz's for Cure's and Erases, Sambas for Drain, Jigs for sneak and invisible, etc. Its great for Campaign and most types of soloing. As for XP and merit parties there's probably better options.
6. ~The beginning (Levels 1-30)~
After unlocking Ranger select one of the beginning towns and go outside and start killing monsters. At this level you can start to skill up your Archery and Marksmanship skills via Bows and Xbows. Xbow’s fast rate of attack will surely outdo the Bow’s damage at this level but try to keep both skills as capped as possible. If you want to try to skill up your melee skills then grab an Axe or a Dagger and start hacking away. You can cut down on your downtime by subbing White Mage and using a Rolanberry Pie to gain + 50 MP. This will surely keep you in the action for quite a while. Sharpshot should be used on tough enemies to give you an advantage in terms of accuracy. If you want a macro for these commands you can do:
/equip Light Crossbow
/equip Crossbow Bolt
/range <t>
And:
/ja “Sharpshot” <me>
/echo Sharpshot
Once you get to the dunes some things change. For one, you gain an Accuracy Bonus trait which you will most likely need for the dunes as accuracy is a very prominent issue here. Make sure that you have an accuracy food such as a Jack-o-Lantern because you WILL be missing a lot. At level 15 you gain the trait Rapid Shot which will kick in every once in a while and speed up the rate of fire of a random ranged attack. Also at level 15 you gain access Acid Bolts. Acid Bolts are EXTREMELY helpful for cutting an enemies defense especially PLD type mobs like Crabs. You can start using a Gun with competent ammo at lvl 15 but you best save your money for level 22 when the good bullets become available. Once you finish in the dunes you can head to Qufim Island. In Qufim you will have quite a happy time since the first enemies you take on are immobile worms which are very possible to solo. At level 22 you gain access to the powerful new Bullets for your Gun which can cause tremendous amounts of damage comparable to or surpassing the Bow’s damage but at a slower rate of fire. At level 24 you can sub Ninja to gain Utsusemi which will help your defensive skills considerably at this point. Once you hit 25 you can proceed to the Jungle’s. In the jungle the mandys are quite agile so your attacks might miss a bit for the first few levels. Make sure you keep upgrading your weapons and armor and have plenty of ammo and status bolts to spare. Ranger gets a significant boost at level 30. Hitting this level enables you to wear the Noct armor in addition to several other pieces of armor. Also at level 30 you gain another Accuracy Bonus trait and the Barrage ability which is great for burst damage and quick TP gain.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 1-10
From the outset, you know that the job is focused on ranged weapons and ranged weapon skills. If you have been able to get a ranged skill developed through your previous Lv 30+ job(s), this is where you will benefit. Marksmanship and archery are an A- skill rating for RNG, so like all other jobs, you won't have access to weapon skills until Lv 3.
Job Ability:
Eagle Eye Shot (2 hour recast, Single shot, Lv 1)
Eagle Eye Shot is a solid 2 hour, as it can provide the extra boost in damage necessary to finish off a target, and therefore prevent the death of other party members, if not your own. All ranged attack damage and accuracy are influenced by the VIT, DEF, evasion, and distance of the target. EES ignores the distance part. The damage output of EES is exactly 5x a ranged attack single shot dmg (ignoring distance penalties). As far as I know, it is impossible to critical hit on EES (I’ve never seen it happen, and have played the job for almost 3 years). EES can miss; I’ve seen it miss on too weak targets, and I’ve seen it connect without any RACC equipment vs. IT+ targets. As a general rule, if the situation gives you the time, try to swap in as much ranged attack+ or STR+ gear as you can before hitting Eagle Eye. Also try to switch to your highest damage ranged weapon and ammo combination as well. You'll likely not notice an RACC penalty but will see a real bonus in dmg with RATK+ stacked on. Don't be afraid to hit your 2 hour when situations get bad, as hitting it just as you see your party get into a situation they won't be able to handle can save a lot of exp loss and arguing about who made what mistake. You don't often have people argue when someone's used their 2 hour early (especially if it's a damage dealer), but you'll have people on your case if your group gets wiped out and your 2 hour could have made a difference.
As previously stated, don't bother to use EES if you are double weakened. Due to the nerf on black magic and ranged attacks while in double weakness status, you'll most likely not hit with EES. If double weakened BLMs can cast flare for 0, there's no reason EES can't miss or do 0 dmg as well.
EES becomes a vital JA for endgame situations and lots of missions. Don’t just keep it in your back pocket; bring what you can to make it as effective as possible when it has to be used.
Sharpshot (5 minute recast, lasts 1 minute, Lv 1)
Early on, this isn't an important job ability, because you can't use it all the time, or with any other JA. From Lv 1-30 you can either use it anytime it's available, or when you have TP to give that small boost to your weapon skill accuracy. This JA is most effective with barrage (Lv 30) and/or flashy shot (Lv 75, 3 merit points). As it is, the JA is not meant to provide a consistent boost to normal hit accuracy the same way other jobs' abilities are (focus, aggressor, hasso). Since it only lasts for 60 seconds, this is best used when you want to unload a weapon skill or fire multiple shots in a row (barrage). Try to get used to activating it with weapon skills early on, but don't depend on it to guarantee a shot will connect, or that it will help your overall RACC by much during the course of an exp session.
Job Trait:
Alertness (Lv 5)
This trait says that it reduces the chance of being detected by enemies. It may slightly reduce the aggro range of those who detect by sight or detect by sound. This does not necessarily allow you to get past enemies without being detected, but it does cause all targets to show up on your radar as red dots. As a general rule of thumb, if a target shows up on the radar, you're inside detection range.
Soloing for EXP
Immediately you'll notice upon changing to ranger that you do not have a lot of what most other melee jobs get. Rangers do not take hits well, and are not meant to be tanks. Rangers cannot heal themselves without resting until later levels (see Lv 20-30). Rangers are meant to put large holes in things, and do it quickly. Rangers have:
Low HP
Low VIT
Low STR (Lower base STR than all jobs except SMN and BLM)
High AGI
E rating in evasion (same as BLM, PLD has a C; Lv 75 RNG evasion caps
at 200 without merits)
No parrying skill (unless available from sub)
No shield skill (unless available from sub, and cannot equip any
shields outside of the BCNM30 rewards)
Low defense (cannot equip heavy armor; only cloth shirts/robes etc.
and light scale armor, with a few exceptions)
When you're solo and just starting out, the easiest and sometimes only way to stay alive is to take out targets quickly.
For the first few levels, use a longbow; because when you are soloing, a high damage weapon only benefits you. In exp situations, higher delay on longbows can be a disadvantage (compared to other options at that level, which will be mentioned in the level range sections), but when soloing, it helps to put as much damage as possible into that initial shot (also referred to as pull shot) on the target. This will give you possibly 2 shots of damage before mobile targets can come up and hit you. Your early exp should focus on stationary targets like worms if possible, as you'll only get hit with the occasional stone spell.
This is also the best time to work on how to do what you'll be asked for most often in exp groups: pulling. When soloing, start with stationary targets and then work up to mobile targets when you get a bit farther out into the field. Fighting beastmen as an early soloist will give you practice on the basics of party camps and pulling. You can search for safe areas, shoot a nearby beastman, then run back to the safe spot and minimize the possibility of additional enemies teaming up on you.
One more note for early soloists: as mentioned before, undead are weak to blunt, but strong to piercing weapons. They also have abilities that can drain HP -and you don't have much- so avoid undead when choosing exp targets.
Pulling and Links
You’ll notice soon that certain targets link, and with practice you'll be able to pull enemies that are close to each other, but do not link on to you. Early on, most enemies will link only when they see another enemy like them running after you. If their backs are turned and a nearby friend of theirs is on you, they will stay where they are. In the upper levels, some enemies link on sound. If they are close enough to hear one of theirs run by on the way to you, they will turn around and join them.
EQUIPMENT 1-10
There are not many early weapons or armor that help a great deal. For those with gil to spend, there is Feather collar+1 at Lv 7 for a small amount of ranged accuracy. Also at Lv 7, if you've spent the time or the money to get them, Leaping/Bounding boots are the best you can get until Race-specific gear in the upper 20s. Longbows are the way to go, as ammunition is cheap but provides good damage. There are crossbows also available with bolts for decent damage as well, and will serve to increase your marksmanship skill if you couldn't build it before unlocking the job.
For standard melee weapons, use an axe and swing it on targets between shots.
WEAPON SKILLS 1-10
10 skill is Hot Shot/Flaming Arrow. It is basically a straight damage weapon skill. Higher TP= more dmg, along with the attributes mentioned at the top of this guide to boost weapon skills.
SUBJOBS 1-10
For the first few levels when you're soloing, you are best served by subbing WHM if you can for cure spells to minimize downtime. If you don't have a sub available that can cure, use /MNK for the extra HP and WAR if you have nothing else. /NIN does not give any benefits to RNG until Lv 24, and doesn't allow a real benefit until after Lv 28-30. An explanation why is in that section.
FOOD 1-10
Grilled hare, meat jerky, and other low level meats are a good way to go, but you may want to use a food that helps reduce downtime. For example, apple pies will keep resting to a minimum if you have /WHM available, due to the extra MP.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 10-20
Job Ability:
Scavenge (5 minute recast, Lv 10)
Scavenge is one of the job abilities people tend to forget about. It’s slightly less profitable than steal, so that's probably the reason. You'll randomly get a free item when you use it, and sometimes you'll get nothing. You cannot scavenge anything inside a city. Almost everything you can scavenge is an item used in crafting ammunition, or will be pre-made low quality ammunition. The ammo you may get that's ready to use isn't anything you'd bring out in an exp party, as it will have lower base dmg than buyable or craftable ammo and has RACC-. If you have woodworking or alchemy leveled, you can benefit from free logs/lumber, firesand, bolt heads, fletchings, or arrowheads. The type of item you get is based on the lowest level targets in the zone. In Boyahda tree, you can get Demon Arrowheads, but in Bibiki Bay it's Holy Bolt Heads, etc. One of the RNG Artifact quests requires you scavenge up an item, but aside from that it's essentially unused by most.
Job Trait:
Accuracy Bonus (Lv 10)
As it says, will make your ranged attacks as well as normal melee hits more accurate. I won't get into the exact acc bonus amount when you are RNG main, as several sites have estimates on it. Gaining this trait does not change your equipment setup for exp until possibly Lv 70 anyway, so just know that it does help, but only to compensate for exp target evasion jumps as you level.
Rapid Shot (Lv 15)
Occasionally you will execute a ranged attack with almost no delay. You only get 1 of these job traits, unlike NIN or MNK who get an additional boost to delay reduction every 15 levels or so. You really have to pay attention closely to notice when it kicks in, since it doesn't seem to happen very often. Rapid shot rate may be based on a stat most RNG won't gear themselves for like INT. It's more likely, however, not to be based on any character statistic, and is just a set % chance of kicking in, like double attack. You’re probably best off by not trying to find ways to boost this job trait, since it does not visibly kick in often.
EQUIPMENT 10-20
As RNG, depending on your comfort level with soloing, you may have joined your first parties at Lv 10, or waited until 15+. At Lv 14 you see Ranger's Necklace, which is RACC+5, RATK+5. This piece can be worn until at least Lv 40, and the alternatives through Lv 75 for neckwear will not do much better. The alternatives will be discussed at the levels they are available.
There is also Trailer's Tunica (Lv 16, rare/ex). With nearly any job at Lv 30, you can solo the NM that drops this in the Horototo ruins. This body piece will last you from 16-30, though if you don't have it, the AGI+1 is unlikely going to hurt your performance. You’ll get to exp in what looks like a mining shirt. If you can't get one or don't want to spend the time, scale armor will provide a bit of defense in the spot you can't get any other bonuses. At 17 you can put on the lizard gear, but get used to looking at whatever shirt you pick; you don't see a new one until 30.
Bone rings+1 are your first real chance to get some ranged accuracy, and do well at Lv 16 to provide that. These do not get replaced until Lv 21 with Beetle rings. Not much is available to give RACC or RATK at these levels outside of a ranged weapon+1, rings, and Ranger's Necklace.
The San d'Orian CP headband (Royal Footman's or Kingdom) is really nice for the low levels. 1 AGI and some HP+ are about all you can hope for in low level gear. If you can get them, there are Linen Cuffs +1 (Lv 12) that give +1 STR, but for the cost you may or may not consider it worth the time. For waist gear, brave belt (Lv 18 ) gives a small amount of STR+, and is worth the -1 AGI.
If you can get one, a Hunter's Longbow (Lv 12) is a really nice ranged weapon. High dmg, STR+, AGI+, RATK+, RACC+. The combination of stats this longbow provides are only imitated in Eurytos' bow, which by many is considered the best ranged weapon in the game outside of full relic. The major drawback to Hunter's Longbow is the fact that it gets replaced by Power bow+1 (Lv 16). That leaves its utility to a very short period of time. If you decide to go with archery, take Hunter's Longbow until Power bow +1. You will be set on that slot until Lv 30. As far as ammunition with archery, there are Fang arrows (Lv 15), but Iron arrows are a decent alternative if you want to save some gil. The best arrows you can see in this stretch are Poison arrows (Lv 19). Base your decision on availability at AH, and how much you value the benefit. As a general rule, however, most people won't be impressed with how you do dmg in the Valkurm Dunes.
If you don't want to use archery and Fang arrows or Iron arrows, you can use crossbows. Blind bolts are available (Lv 10), to help you avoid a hit or 2 on your way back to camp from pulls. You can also use acid bolts (Lv 15), which provide a defense down effect on targets. As mentioned before, the additional effect of acid bolts will not process often on targets with high wind resistance. This means puks, greater birds, golems, ice elementals, etc. The estimates are that the defense down is about 10-13%, and you'll notice other melee in your party doing up to that much more dmg when the additional effect processes. Increasing your entire party's dmg output by as much as 10-13% won't show up on any parser, but it will translate to faster enemy kills and higher exp/hr.
The incredibly low base dmg on bullets before Lv 20 makes guns more for show than anything else.
For standard melee weapons, use an axe and swing it on targets between shots. Beestinger (Lv 7) gives AGI+1, but the dmg of a 1 handed axe vs. VT-IT targets is much higher than any benefit you'll see from the AGI+ combined with the dagger's pitiful 4 base dmg.
WEAPON SKILLS 10-20
40 skill gets you Split Shot/Piercing Arrow. This weapon skill does dmg and has an additional effect of lowering a target's INT. Unless your party is really getting hurt by enemy spells, stick to Hot Shot/Flaming Arrow.
SUBJOBS 10-20
Monk works well here, since you're not going to see any traits from subjob that are of much use. Monk gives HP+ for a little more survivability in parties. If you are still soloing to 20, you're still best served by going /WHM. If MNK is not an updated option, /WAR does fine as well. Do NOT set your subjob to Ninja before Lv 20, as you don't get dual wield or any ninjutsu, and your base AGI difference will at best be 1 point; most likely at the sacrifice of 1 STR.
FOOD 10-20
Galkan Sausage is good for the dunes if you need RATK, as are Rarab Meatballs. Vegetable Broth/Soup will give RACC+5 or RACC+6, and some AGI. If you don't mind eating food that lasts for over an hour, the best option available overall is Flounder Meuniere. This gives RACC+15 (flat amount), RATK+14% (caps at +25, or about what skill for Lv 50 would be), and Enmity-3. Use this food if you believe your exp party will be fighting for over 2 hours straight, as this can't be beaten for the bonuses it provides at this level.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 20-30
Job Ability:
Camouflage (5 minute recast, lasts from 15-45 seconds, Lv 20)
This is another often ignored ability. Mainly because many RNG have an invisible spell available through subjob, and ninjutsu or white magic invisibility is not only much more dependable, it also has a much lower recast time than 5 minutes. Camouflage is good for low levels, when you need to walk past an enemy that will otherwise come after you. Camo does not help you avoid aggro from targets that detect by sound or low HP. It only helps with detection by sight. At the time you have this ability, you're not trying to avoid enemies that detect by sight anyway. When you do fight those enemies that detect by sight again for exp, you'll likely have ninjitsu to go invisible instead.
Job Trait:
Resist Poison (Lv 20)
Sometimes you resist poison status. Does not reduce your hp/tic loss from being in poison status or the duration of poison. This can prevent attacks or opposing abilities that have an additional effect of poisoning you from giving that status, however. When a spell is resisted the log will show "Resist! ______ resists the effects of the spell." Otherwise, you may only see "______ evades."
EQUIPMENT 20-30
Almogavar Bow (Lv 20). Decent base dmg, some ranged attack+. It drops off an NM named Fraelissa in Jugner forest if you have a job 50+, but sells on auction house for pretty cheap. There is also Power Crossbow (Lv 25), and Zamburak+1 (Lv 29), which is an excellent crossbow for Promyvions and the jungles. For bolts, there are Venom bolts (Lv 25), which can poison targets, and there are Bloody bolts (Lv 25). For the soloist, these are a necessity at any level you can use them. Most hits with Bloody bolts will drain HP. The amount ranges from single digits up through 50 or 60+hp. The amount might depend on your INT, and on the target's dark resistance. These won't work against undead or dark elementals.
In longbows you won't see anything change from Power bow+1 for now. You have Horn arrows (Lv 29), and also Silver arrows (Lv 24). Silvers have higher base dmg but no RACC+. If you need the RACC, go with Horn, but if you can land hits well, use Silvers.
Guns get normal Bullets (Lv 22); a 46 dmg ammunition, but before Lv 30 the lack of RACC and RATK in guns makes it a hard choice to justify the cost in gil. The 600+ delay from guns hurts as well.
Martial slacks (Lv 24) are a great piece of gear for the time due to the AGI+, and evasion+. For the same reason you'll want to get a Nomad's mantle (Lv 21), and Emperor's hairpin (Lv 24). RNG are very restricted when it comes to good back gear almost through Lv 75. Around the upper 20s, you get access to race specific gear, and for some slots, these offer about the best RNG can get for quite a while. For all races, RSE feet (Lv 29) can replace leaping boots, because RSE will give either the same AGI+3, or a more beneficial STR+, along with HP+ in some cases. RSE Hume hands are the only STR+3 gear RNG can wear at any level in that slot. Taru can use the STR+ from RSE hands, but Elvaan, Galka, and Mithra will best be served by upcoming Noct.
Archer's knives are a necessity at Lv 28, regardless of subjob or race. RACC+10 & AGI+1 is huge. If you are hell-bent on going /NIN before you exit the jungles, get 2 of these, and eat RATK+ food.
WEAPON SKILLS 20-30
40 skill gets you Split Shot/Piercing Arrow while 80 skill nets you Sniper shot / Dulling Arrow. This weapon skill does dmg ignoring part of a target's defense. The amount ignored is based on TP at time of use. Now that ranged attacks are based on a target's defense, the way melee attacks are, this weapon skill is the one to use. You'll be using it for a long time, too, since you get absolutely nothing new in ranged until skill hits 175 (Lv 55 w/o merits, 53 with max merits possible in skill).
SUBJOBS 20-30
/WAR works well for HP+, and some STR+ until Lv 28 or so. You won't be using provoke, so subbing MNK is actually not a bad idea for the HP+ to survive pulls. /NIN does not really provide its full benefits until 28, when you can dual wield Archer's knives for RACC+20 and AGI+2. On top of that, you'll have access to Utsusemi as /NIN at Lv 24, though targets you pull before Lv 33 don't really hit all that hard. /DRK might be a viable sub from 20-30 as well, since the attack bonus is better than what most subjob passive traits will give you.
FOOD 20-30
If you don't mind eating food that lasts for over an hour, the best option available overall is Flounder Meuniere, and this is true through Lv 35. Stats for this are listed in the 10-20 section. Otherwise you can use Mutton Tortilla or Navarin from Lv 25-35 for RATK+ and some STR+. For RACC+ see previous food level sections.
*** Important Gear for levels 1-30 ***
Light Crossbow (+1)
Short bow (+1)
Leaping Boots (Bounding Boots)
Royal Archer’s Longbow
Hunter’s Longbow
Legionnaire’s Crossbow
Ranger’s Necklace
Acid Bolts
Power Bow +1
Trailer’s Tunica (Best body for Ranger until level 30)
Bone Ring +1
Beetle Ring +1
Martial Slacks
Nomad’s Mantle
Bullet
Pirate’s Gun +1
Archer’s Knife (Hawker’s Knife)
Raja’s Ring
Noct Doublet Armor Set
Great Bow +1
Zamburak +1
7. ~Advancing to the Goal~(Levels 30-60)~
By level 30 you should have gained a well balanced knowledge of how to attack your foes from afar and what weapons to use in which situations. When you reach the deserts don’t expect to be doing any major damage from the outset since the enemies you will be fighting have very powerful defensive capabilities. You will be ask to pull now in an area where you are most likely sharing a camp with a neighboring party so enemy competition comes in mind when trying to pull monsters for EXP chains. When you hit level 40 you gain the ability Shadowbind. This ability might come in handy when your group gets a link and you need to hold off the other mob for a few seconds. This ability also shines in areas like Sky. At 45 you gain the newly introduced Velocity Shot ability that was included in the November update of 2007. This ability grants Ranger’s 5 minutes of increased ranged attack power and speed (Ranged Attack Power and Delay around 15%) while lowering melee attack values for the same amount. This ability greatly helps Ranger’s with their damage output and is a wondrous ability to help keep your damage steady with other Damage dealers until level 55. At level 50 you gain yet another Accuracy Bonus trait to further enhance your accuracy. The Ranger JSE from Sacrarium or Phomnia Aqueducts becomes available at this time also. Start questing for your Ranger Artifact armor also as its very reliable until around level 70.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 30-40
Job Ability:
Barrage (5 minute recast, lasts for 1 RATK, Lv 30)
This is the Lv 30 ability that defines the job. Other jobs have
theirs; Samurai with meditate, Dark knights with soul eater, Thieves with trick attack. This job ability allows several shots to be fired within 1 ranged attack. The number of shots fired increases with level. At Lv 30, you can get up to 4 shots, and it increases by 1 every 15 levels, with a maximum of 6. You won't see the individual ranged attacks show on your battle log; it will only say "________ uses barrage. The _______ takes ___ points of damage."
From what I have seen, barrage can miss entirely, and it actually does a fair amount of the time at Lv 30. The reason for this is that damage for each shot is only figured out if the shot before it has landed. If you miss the first shot of barrage, that's it; all shots miss. If you hit the 1st, and miss the 2nd, the 3rd and 4th miss, etc. Again, you won't see any of this show up on the battle log; it's all done when calculating your total JA damage. You also won't see any special animation on your screen (like firing your bow 3 or 4 times very quickly). You’ll only see a regular ranged attack animation, but there will be a sound to let you know it was used.
Barrage seems to have a ranged accuracy penalty, as the first shot will land based on your total RACC vs. target evasion, but landing a full barrage on IT targets is unlikely without RACC+ food. Even with sushi you won't land all hits every time. For best results, it's a good idea to macro the ability along with sharpshot. Any ranged accuracy+ gear you may have swapped out for ranged attack+ during your normal shots should be swapped back in to try and get all barrage shots to land. Barrage also will not fire more shots than the amount of ammunition you have equipped, so try to keep an eye on the ammo you have left before using the ability. It looks bad when people see you shoot barrage for only 100 or so damage simply because you ran out of ammo.
Using barrage does several things. First, it puts out a large chunk of damage (and gets you enmity along with it). Second, it provides exactly as much TP as the number of shots landed would normally give you (when added up). For example, if your TP gain 15% per shot, and land a 4 shot barrage, you'll get 60% TP return. The TP return is just as valuable as the damage of the JA, because it allows you to use a weapon skill almost immediately afterward (depending on TP gained and the TP you had before using barrage). Barrage, you could say, is the ranger's form of meditate.
When you activate barrage, it will not be lost when you use a weapon skill, but it will be overwritten if you try to activate unlimited shot (Lv 51). Since it stays active when you use a weapon skill, you can use Sharpshot and barrage when you already have TP, and then fire a weapon skill with sharpshot's bonus on. The weapon skill itself will give you a bit of TP, and the TP return from barrage can get added to that. Many RNG will use barrage this way (total TP at each step, assuming a 4 shot barrage, is on the left):
100% 1. Start at 100% TP+
2. Activate Sharpshot
3. Activate barrage
15% 4. Use weapon skill
75% 5. Use ranged attack macro (barrage fires)
Of course, if combined TP from first weapon skill and barrage are over 100%, you can weapon skill again.
This combination will generate a LOT of hate. Just activating sharpshot and barrage will generate a bit of hate. It is not likely that anyone will be able to pull hate off you once you've gone through this list, be they PLD or NIN. Fortunately, targets are usually either dead or very close to it after all this is put on them. Some RNG will even use EES on top of it all if the target isn't dead. This front-loading of job abilities is what RNG are known for, and we get asked to do it against lots of enemies in mission fights, etc. This combination is what makes RNG the game's top performer in spike damage.
You cannot use the TP gained from barrage to skillchain with yourself. The only weapons capable of gaining 100%TP from barrage are too slow delay-wise to allow the weapon skills to chain. It might be possible if rapid shot kicked in during the barrage, but I’ve personally never seen this happen, so don't depend on it or spend lots of time trying to put a build together for a self-skillchain.
The combination listed above (with or without EES included) is where guns shine. Weapon skills can be used instantly almost anytime, despite weapon delay. Barrage will fire up to 4-7 shots using only the delay of 1 ranged attack. The high base dmg of guns maximizes the use of this stacking of abilities, and even the higher delay of guns is an advantage, because the TP return of barrage is increased by the weapon delay.
If you've neglected to skill up 1 weapon type to favor the use of another, you can use barrage to build that low skill much faster. As RNG you can solo skill marksmanship or archery up to cap at any level after 30. Barrage a target, zone, wait for barrage to return, repeat.
Barrage does not work with throwing weapons or throwing ammunition (pebbles, tathlums, bomb arms, grenades, shuriken, boomerangs, etc.). Barrage is also lost if you use Shadowbind (Lv 40) when it is activated.
Job Trait:
Accuracy Bonus II (Lv 30)
EQUIPMENT 30-40
Noct gear (Lv 30) fulfilled a big need for rangers when it came out. Before Noct equipment, RNG had to keep kingdom headband (Lv 15) until Emperor's Hairpin (Lv 24) or Hunter's Beret (Lv 54). Noct body, hands, and legs are the only RACC gear available until Jaridah (Lv 55). Get Noct+1 body, head (those with no Emperor's hairpin), legs, and hands. If you're Hume or Taru, and the RACC loss doesn't affect you that much, you can keep the RSE 1 hands for STR+. Don't get Noct feet; RSE or leaping boots will serve you better.
Genin earring (Lv 30, rare) is a must for any RNG/NIN. The AGI+4 is the best you can get, sadly, in earrings outside of triumph earring (Lv 67), Bushinomimi (Lv 72), and Fenrir's earring (Lv 70) through Lv 75. Drone earrings (Lv 35) are a good option if you can't find or afford 1 Genin. Don't bother with Genin earring if you are /WAR.
Bastokan/Republic cuisses (Lv 34) are good when the RATK from nation's conquest is active, so keep a pair of those. You can probably just keep them on instead of Noct+1 legs for a while, since the agi+2 isn't a huge departure from the RACC+ of Noct. Horn rings +1 (Lv 35) will do well for a while. RSE legs don't serve any of the races well enough to replace Bastokan/Republic cuisses, Noct legs, or even Martial slacks.
Hawker's knife (Lv 30) is an upgrade from Archer's, and if you have the gil, Hawker's +1 is the best you can get for a long while. If you know people who enjoy hunting NMs in Phomiuna Aqueducts, Cheiroptera dagger (Lv 38 ) is another good option. If you exp inside nation's control a lot, there's also Garde pick (Lv 30) for some RATK+. You can also use Bowyer ring (Lv 29) for some RATK. Shikaree ring (Lv 30) gives some RACC, but it's not really worth the time to camp Stroper Chyme for it. Another ring option is Crossbowman's ring (Lv 30), which gives RATK+5 at the expense of some defense. This is the most ranged attack you can get in the ring slot without fighting Absolute Virtue or completing the Treasures of Aht Urghan missions. If you use sushi or ranged accuracy isn't a problem, look into Crossbowman's ring as a good way to boost damage output.
For ranged weapons, there is Great bow+1 (Lv 30), Serpentine gun (Lv 34), Zamburak +1 (Lv 29). Serpentine gun has a nice RACC+10 and RATK+10, but the delay of 660 is horrendous. 20-30 delay of that weapon sees no TP gain at all (since guns of about 620 or so already hit the TP/shot cap), and the 2-3% more TP than longbow gives isn't worth the massive delay penalty.
Crossbows will see holy bolts (Lv 30). The additional effect dmg of Holy bolts is quite a bit, and makes up for the low base dmg of crossbow at this level. The other bonus is that additional effect damage is not added to your hate total, which can allow those who use xbow to get out a bit more damage over time without pulling hate.
WEAPON SKILLS 30-40
Nothing new here. Last weapon skill was 80 skill, and next is 175.
SUBJOBS 30-40
/WAR outdamages anything else from here through 75. Unless you've got a power leveler in your party, /WAR is also going to die the most. /NIN allows you to actually use an otherwise empty slot in your equip screen by letting you dual wield an additional Hawker's/Archer's knife. See subjobs 40-50.
FOOD 30-40
Flounder Meuniere for the RACC+, RATK+, and Enmity- combo. See 10-20 section. Aside from that, Rice Dumplings work well for RATK after Lv 35.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 40-50
Job Ability:
Shadowbind (5 minute recast, Lv 40)
An instant JA, this will be guaranteed to bind your target for 15-20 seconds, regardless of its shadows or any resist bind passive traits. You must have at least 1 shot of ammo equipped to use this ability, as it will consume a bolt/bullet/arrow. You cannot Shadowbind with a throwing weapon. Shadowbind will ignore unlimited shot, and will consume ammo anytime it's used.
Targets with immunity/high resistance to ice-based attacks (fire elementals, for example), cannot be bound this way. Statues in dynamis also cannot be bound this way. While a target is bound, the second it takes damage from anyone, it becomes unbound. Most rangers know this, but many other players do not. It used to allow the RNG who bound the target to continue to use ranged attacks without breaking the bind, but an update some time ago removed this. It was most likely the update that prevents anyone outside your alliance from getting hit by a target bound right next to them. If for some reason you need to bind a target, try to create a macro that gives 1-2 seconds of warning before using the JA. It can also be a good idea to put some form of <call> in the macro, but to be courteous, try to avoid the more annoying sounds.
This JA does generate a fair amount of hate. The speed of this JA allows it to be used to claim targets, since its range is about the same as provoke. This JA also ignores the restrictions on normal ranged attacks, as it will allow you to bind targets in range that you cannot normally shoot due to the "You cannot see the _____" message. This is good for times where you need to zone and want to buy time for party members to run, or want to wait out a target's 2 hour, etc.
Velocity Shot (5 minute recast, lasts 5 minutes, Lv 45)
A recent update added this ability to seemingly close the gap between rangers and the standard melee jobs in damage output. Previous adjustments to other melee had been made and ranger hadn't seen anything in updates over the last 2-3 years aside from senseless damage restrictions. To level things out a bit, and simultaneously encourage rangers to rely on shooting from a distance, this ability was implemented.
The 5 minute recast and 5 minute duration mean it can be active all the time, but it also prevents the ability from being used only for WS. When active, ranged attack and ranged delay are improved. This, however, is at the expense of the same amount of standard melee attack and standard melee speed. At the time of this writing, estimates are about a 15% increase in ranged attack, and an 15% reduction in standard melee attack. The benefit to ranged delay seems to be very similar, at the cost of standard melee slow+%.
While this ability will still be used in experience parties because the sacrifices on standard melee output are relatively minimal for the benefits, this really makes its impact when rangers are at events (BCNM, Limbus, Dynamis, etc.). This ability should be active at all times once it is available. The effect can be dispelled. Even those who rely on multi-hit weapons will likely use this ability, as it will enhance the main source of their total damage: Slug shot (Lv 55).
Job Trait:
Resist Poison II (Lv 40)
EQUIPMENT 40-50
Longbows see Battle bow+1 and Scorpion arrows (Lv 40). There are also fire/ice/lightning arrows (Lv 45), which provide a small amount of additional effect: elemental damage, but are mainly used due to their higher base dmg. Usually it's better to go with the higher base dmg ammo, but if accuracy is an issue, use Scorpions. If you can't find a Battle bow+1, you can use a Shikar bow (Lv 40) until you do. The lower base dmg of Shikar, and lower RATK+ make it a less effective alternative, but still an option anyway.
Crossbow users will have mythril bolts (Lv 40) to swap in for weapon skills. At this point, if crossbow is your main ranged weapon, you'll be getting into the habit of swapping ammo all the time. Put some /echo lines in your equipment swap macros for ammunition so you know what bolts you've got equipped. Once targets get to the party, open with acid bolt for defense down, then use holy bolts for TP, then swap to mythril for your weapon skill. This can get draining after a while in exp sessions, and causes you to carry 3 types of ammo instead of just 1, but is about the best combination possible to increase total party damage output.
Guns see nothing new worth mentioning in this range. No guns 40-50 give any RACC+ or RATK+, and bullets remain stagnant in base dmg.
If you've done the RNG AF1 quest, you'll get your artifact weapon, the Sniping bow (Lv 41). This bow is essentially worthless in exp situations, and even farming you're better off with a longbow or crossbow. This weapon only serves to tell you that AGI is a good stat to increase for your job. Put this in storage or throw it away; just get it once so you have the ability to do the other artifact (AF) quests when you hit Lv 50.
Another available weapon in this stretch is Junior Musketeer's Tuck +1/+2 (Lv 43). When outside nation's control, this gives RACC+5 RATK+5. Since joining your first party as RNG, hopefully you've been meleeing with main and sub weapons (if you changed to /NIN in the 20s) while you shoot for additional TP. RNG have a D in sword, and at the level these swords become available, the difference in skill (even when capped) compared to axe/dagger is pretty large. Meleeing with axe/dagger even in the 40s is a difference of 10~12 accuracy. At the same time, vs. Archer's knives (Lv 28 ) there is a tradeoff of 5 RACC and 1 AGI for 5 RATK. The only time these will help more than the alternatives available in melee weapons is: when partying in areas outside nation's control (non-ToAU areas), and the RACC lost is not noticed in ranged attacks, and the TP gain rate from using a D rated weapon isn't much worse than dagger. If the last 2 situations are true, chances are you're eating sushi. If you're eating sushi, you'd still be better off going with daggers for RACC+ and changing to meat food.
New neckwear is available for those who are completists. Jagd gorget (Lv 40), gives 1 RATK and 2 defense more than Ranger's necklace (Lv 14). Carapace rings+1 (Lv 45) replace Horn+1 (Lv 35), but some may be tempted by the shiny Marksman's ring (Lv 40), for its RACC+6 and 2 def without any ACC-. Just go Horn to Carapace. Brigandine (Lv 45) used to be an option for RNG, but with Noct, there is no reason to put it on. Vision earring (Lv 49, rare) is a good idea to combine with a Genin or drone earring for some RACC+.
Sniper's rings (lv 40) might be considered an option because they give RACC+, but the DEF- and expense make these a poor choice. These also don't provide as much ranged accuracy as Carapace rings (lv 45) or even Marksman's ring (lv 40). The only time sniper rings benefit the most is when using a multi-hit weapon in main or sub for the majority of your TP gain (kraken club, etc.).
WEAPON SKILLS 40-50
Nothing new here. Last weapon skill was 70 skill, and next is 175.
SUBJOBS 40-50
If you've continued as /WAR, you'll notice here that pulls are getting increasingly difficult to perform. Exp enemies start hitting much harder, and your defense hasn't increased since the 30s. I personally had started as RNG/WAR through Lv 46, but was coming back to camps in red HP. This itself was an MP drain on party mages, but on top of that, the need to get a large cure from healers was creating massive hate problems for tanks even before they engaged. Shadowbind does not help this problem very much, as the extra distance between you and the target is only available once per 5 minutes. It is also not wise to bind targets and run back to camp without knowing if that target will link anything on its way to you. Shadowbind does also generate a fair amount of hate.
To put it simply, /WAR can outdamage /NIN at any level from 30-75. /WAR is also not party friendly. /NIN might provide less possible max damage, but hate control is much less of an issue, and party mages will be able to conserve a lot of mp by not having to heal you. On top of that, pulls will become much less of a problem because you won't risk dying on long distances between target spawn points and camps. Nothing is more embarassing than failing to return to camp because a target has killed you on a pull; especially if the party knows your target didn't link with anything.
Even though /WAR has the ability to outdamage /NIN at any Lv from 30-75, the total amount of dmg you can do is still limited by the enmity of your party tank. /WAR has the ability to push the hate threshold (the amt of dmg you can do before pulling hate) much faster, but also can't handle the hits taken once the target turns. /NIN have the 3-6 shadows from Utsusemi to avoid enemy attacks, and can either use the extra time to try to finish that target off, let someone else pull hate back through a provoke or weapon skill, or to shed some hate through the shadows being eaten. /WAR and /NIN can both push the hate threshold, but /NIN has the ability to raise that threshold slightly, by being able to take target attention for a small bit. In perfect situations, yes, /WAR is the way to go for damage.
If you have the setup to throw a lot of damage at a target, ideally you'd always have tanks capable of holding more hate than you can generate. This is almost never the case, however. I’ve played both the tank and damage dealer (DD) sides of this hate threshold, and tanks in exp get increasingly annoyed at DD who know what the hate limit is, and purposely cross it anyway. Even I had stopped using Cover as PLD; not because I'd forgotten about it, but because I'd wanted to spite the RNGs who seemed to have a death wish (and made things more difficult on a tank that already has to manage alot). As a DD, you want to be at the very edge of the hate threshold at all times. Let your tank do their job, and you can do yours. If you try to do too much, you'll end up stepping on other peoples' toes, and you might also be face down on the ground shortly afterward.
For the price of shihei and berserk, you gain survivability. The survivability you get is more important to some than others. If you want big numbers, use /WAR. However, if you go /WAR, don't complain about eating 2-5x as many deaths as anyone else in your exp parties, or about your lower exp/hr due to mp conservation issues and the time you spend waiting until you think it's safe to WS/JA. My opinion is you're no good to your party/alliance/linkshell when dead.
If you don't want to party unless it allows you to be /WAR and force you to hold back, that's your decision. If you want to be a team player, use /NIN. Either way, use whatever you have more fun with, but my recommendation is to use /NIN through 75, with /WAR only in limited situations. The rest of the sub job sections will refer to this area; the situations where /WAR is more beneficial will be addressed in the Lv 70-75 section.
FOOD 40-50
For RATK use Rice Dumplings. For RACC Flounder Meuniere is still a good option, but Sole Sushi will give slightly more RACC.
Level Breakdown Sub-section 50-60
Job Ability:
Unlimited Shot (3 minute recast, lasts for 1 shot or 60 seconds, Lv 51)
At the level you get this ability, you'll probably consider it useless. For 1 shot (or 60 seconds if you don't take the shot), your ranged attack will not consume any ammunition. This applies to thrown ammo (pebbles, grenades, etc.) as well as bullets, arrows, bolts. There isn't any ammo considered valuable enough at Lv 51 to warrant using this ability, but at 60 it can really make a difference in your weapon skill damage. Combine this ability with the ammunition you can obtain through conquest points in Bastok (Gold Musketeer's bolt) or Windurst (Patriarch Protector's arrow), and you can get about 1/3 of all your weapon skills an extra 100-200 dmg. The most important use of this ability is for throwing winds at gods in sky (see Lv 70-75 section).
Barrage will overwrite unlimited shot if you used unlimited shot first, and unlimited shot will overwrite barrage if you used barrage first.
Job Trait:
Accuracy Bonus III (Lv 50)
EQUIPMENT 50-60
Archery holds on well for a while here, with War bow+1 (Lv 50). If you can afford it, Eurytos' bow (Lv 55) is the best overall archery weapon RNG can get outside of full relic bow. High base dmg, RATK+, RACC+, STR+, AGI+. Bodkin arrows (Lv 50) give RACC+, and if you want elemental dmg, use water/earth/wind arrows (Lv 55). The highest base dmg arrows you'll get are still the Lv 45 fire/lightning/ice, though. Despite the higher damage on Sarnga (Lv 59, rare), the huge delay does not make this a good weapon to exp with. The real advantage of Eurytos' bow is the 490 delay. This makes it the best overall bow for exp and many endgame events. Only full relic bow can outperform this weapon in archery. If you can afford it, get one, but if you can't, you can still put up solid damage with some other bows later on.
Crossbows start to suffer in this stretch. With a high powered weapon skill available at Lv 55, the focus of overall damage output shifts a bit from normal shots to weapon skill and TP gain rate. Crossbows from 50-60 remain relatively underpowered, but darksteel bolts become available (Lv 52).
With the ability to equip silver bullets (LV50), guns become an extremely powerful (if expensive) option. Musketeer gun (Lv 50) and Musketeer gun+1 (Lv 52) are available.
Here is where you start to get options and select a path of sorts with your setup. If you can get one, Shikaree Aketon (Lv 50, rare/ex) is an excellent piece to replace Noct body until at least Hunter's Jerkin (Lv 58, rare/ex). The aketon is RATK+7 and Enmity-1, and Hunter's Jerkin is RACC+10. If you plan to eat sushi, use the Aketon until you decide to use meat (or through Lv 71 if you still eat sushi at that point, and have Archer's Jupon). If you can't get the Shikaree Aketon, Jaridah body (Lv 55) is good until artifact (AF1) body.
Rings get changed with Scorpion +1s (Lv 55). However, if you have completed the missions for Treasures of Aht Urghan, and chosen Jalzahn’s Ring (Lv 50), this will stay with you for quite some time. The combination of RACC and RATK are unique, and this ring should definitely be worn full time as ranger anytime you do assault. Only Bellona’s Ring (Lv 75) outperforms this ring in both the RACC+ and RATK+ benefits.
Belts get to be useful finally, as Royal Knight's (Lv 50) and Royal Knight's +1 (Lv 52) give STR+, AGI+, and the +1 gives RATK outside nation's control.
Headpiece gets a huge upgrade in Hunter's Beret (Lv 54, rare/ex). Enhancement to Rapid shot, RATK+5, HP+, more defense, and a hat that finally sets you apart from low Lv players is really nice. If you go with the RATK/STR+ and sushi route, wear this hat through Lv 75, or until you can get AF1+1 (Lv 74, rare/ex).
Hands see a new piece here, but Jaridah (Lv 55) don't necessarily replace Noct. The RACC of the NQ Jaridah is the same as Noct, but Noct don't also give -HP. The HQ Jaridah can replace Noct, as the RATK+ can be more valuable than the 2 RACC. Hunter's Bracers (Lv 52, rare/ex) give absolutely nothing that will benefit RNG in an exp situation. The only reason not to keep these at mog full time is to macro in for Shadowbind.
Completists will want Sniper mantle (Lv 50) for the RATK+1. If you have CP to spend, you can replace Nomad's mantle with Royal Army mantle (Lv 55, rare/ex) or Federation Army mantle (Lv 55, rare/ex).
Jaridah salvars (Lv 55) also serve RNG very well. The RACC and RATK combo can't be found in any other leg piece. Like AF1 hands, Hunter's braccae (Lv 56) do not serve RNG well in an exp situation. Holy bolt spammers might keep them for the MND+5, but even they should use salvars to keep base dmg consistent on shots. Otherwise, the only other time AF1 leg could be worn is when activating sharpshot.
Hunter's Socks (Lv 60, rare/ex) are the best you can find in feet for quite some time, depending on race. AGI+4 and HP+ are both your friend when no RATK+, RACC+, or STR+ are available.
Some people will recommend Fire staff (Lv 51). This gives STR+4, RATK+10. If you are using sushi, you may consider this as an option. However, with the recent updates, you can stand directly on top of targets and melee with the normal hand weapons between shots (daggers, axes, etc.) for more TP gain, and only back up for weapon skills as needed. Rangers have 0 staff skill without sub job, so any melee hits you get will likely miss or do 0 dmg; effectively removing that option for additional TP gain. At the same time, Fire staff also takes the place of an RACC option like Hawker's knife. If you are /NIN, the trade turns into AGI+4, RACC+22 <-> STR+4 RATK+10. Not many standard melee will be willing to trade ACC+11 or ACC+22 to get 5 STR and 10 attack. Even if you are using sushi, you still won't be guaranteed to connect at 100% TP vs. IT targets on slug shot/sidewinder without some amount of RACC+, so you may notice the RACC loss combined with the weaker TP gain.
My recommendation: DON'T USE FIRE STAFF AS RNG. The alternatives provide better TP gain, and ranged accuracy on top of that.
WEAPON SKILLS 50-60
Slug Shot (marksmanship), Sidewinder (archery) at 175 skill; Lv 55 if you don't have merits in the combat skills mentioned. This is another major increase in overall dmg for RNG. The single most powerful weapon skill in the game at 100TP, it does about 8x a single shot worth of dmg to your target, and will out damage Eagle Eye Shot anytime it connects. This weapon skill is inherently very inaccurate, but updates over the last 2 years in food and gear have made this a weapon skill that can be spammed. The accuracy of these weapon skills increase with the more TP you have, but it seems to be highly inaccurate at 300%. Once you get this weapon skill, delete all your other weapon skill macros. This weapon skill can open distortion, open/close Reverberation, and close Fragmentation. RNGs live and die on Slug shot / Sidewinder from the time they get it until the time they put down the job. RACC+ first to make sure you can connect with this weapon skill reliably at a minimal amount of TP, then RATK+ to increase dmg, then STR+ where you can't get RATK. As a general rule, if you can get an equal amount of STR+ in a slot as you could otherwise get in RATK+, take the STR+. If you can get 1.5~2x as much RATK+ in a slot compared to STR+, take RATK.
Slug shot / Sidewinder skillchains fairly well, and it is powerful enough to practically guarantee a target will turn to you so a THF in your party can use their SATA + weapon skill to close a SC onto your tank. Very potent skillchains at Lv 55->60 are: Slug/Sidewinder > Dancing Edge (Distortion), Slug/Sidewinder > Rampage (Distortion), Guillotine > Slug/Sidewinder (Fragmentation), Tachi: Yukikaze > Slug/Sidewinder (Fragmentation). Beware of closing skillchains, however, as an unresisted fragmentation will throw a lot of hate your way. I have seen fragmentation do as much as 50% of Slug-Side damage, and if Slug-Side is pushing 1000 or more, you won't be able to get targets off you until they die.
SUBJOBS 50-60
Use /NIN if fighting raptors. If you're asked to pull them, not only do they hit hard, they also hit fast. On top of that, they run quite a bit faster than you do. See subjobs 40-50.
FOOD 50-60
From here on out, if you go with RATK/STR+ in gear, use Sole Sushi. If you stack on RACC+ in gear, it's Dhalmel Pies or Wild Stew to Lv 55. After 55 you can switch to Boiled Cockatrice.
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. The guide is a monster and I am heavly thankful to Lambtor for all the info he gave me. I will update the Notable gears section soon with alot more gear and touch up on some other things. Until then toodles and enjoy!
guns benefit more from Rapid Shot than other ranged weapons.
