Ranger Start Tree feedback

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Qarl wrote:

0.11.1 or maybe 0.11.2 will include a reworking of the Ranger skill starting area (and areas nearby if needed).

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Leading questions -

What do you want for your bow characters.

I just now saw this thread, and I am glad you see the Ranger needs some love.

1) the Ranger should have the best path for archery - as many of the bow based skills need physical damage, the damage nodes need to be meaningful and not scattered to the four winds.

2)Damage+IAS - I would add an IAS cluster and pull the combination of minor ias and minor damage. As others have said, some bow characters like to use a bigger bow and want more damage, not slight IAS. There's another factor in there too - mana usage. I'd rather have my character take fewer bigger damage shots over a longer period than a bunch of smaller shots.

3) Puncture - as evasion characters with avoidance chance and no damage reduction, my characters NEED to stay on the move to be clear of attacks, or at least minimize the time they are getting clobbered. I know I will get hit in combat, but standing there and taking it with no damage reduction is a quick death.

Puncture means a) I stand there and take more hits - and die soon.

b) I run to avoid hits . . . and die in about 3-5 steps.

c) I hit one of my staunching flasks (On the rare occasions I can tell I've
been punctured before my life globe plunges)

Puncture needs some better indicator (unique sound/lower screen graphic etc) and a slight nerf on damage while moving.

4) more movement speed - maybe some nodes with Dex+movement speed. Even Nessa knows this is critical to the ranger and mentions the ranger's "speed" in her opening statement.

5) All the elemental arrow skills have some damage buff nodes. Poison arrow needs some damage boosters and a keystone as well.

6) a few more easily accesible strength nodes.

7) at the upper part of the ranger tree, there are too many highly specialized nodes clusters that don't do much for the points you have to invest in them, and are difficult to continue even if you do take them.

8)life nodes - too many 6% and too many split circles where the pathing to get the second portion is far too expensive. Less life nodes and more meaningful ones please.

9)Dex should boost arrow damage in some tiny balanced way. Where that arrow hits makes all the difference in the world.

As for Melee - Even if you could pick nodes at will from the ranger tree, It does not look viable without going into another part of the tree.

Since the ranger was POE's first character, and started out with melee - perhaps some less specialized melee nodes instead of so many highly focussed ones.

A keystone to the far middle right that converts a portion of dex into added chance to critical.

........

One other thing I'd like to see in the ranger tree is a trap cluster that boosts holding time of bear traps against ALL mobs. Right now the trap is not really a trap, just a thrown damage device against too many mobs. I don't expect it to last a long time, and I don't expect the boost to be free, but would like to augment it with some passives.

I <3 Primal Spirit.

Just speculating on the screenshot of the early revamped ranger starting area.



-Primal Spirit is the left most node and is flanked by increased mana nodes.

-Perfect Aim is at the top left connected with attack speed, projectile damage, and bow damage node paths.

-Opposite of Primal Spirit and located in the middle of the screenshot shows an unknown notable passive with the picture of what looks like a heart on a tree. I'm guessing this might be something like 'Heart of the Oak/Forest' and might give similar buffs to what Primal Spirit does but is applied to life, life regen as well as life flask recovery increase and stats. This node is flanked by either 'avoid stun' or 'stun recovery' passives, its hard to tell since both have the same node picture.

-Underneath these notable passives is an unknown notable passive that seems to be leading 7 different directions. Must be something good!

-At the top right is another new notable passive with the picture of a bird around the bow/projectile area. This might be something like 'Eagle Eye/Bird of Prey'.

-The middle right shows Heart of the Panther's new location and under that is Weapon Artistry, good locations for both.

-I'm guessing the path underneath Weapon Artistry is the Single Handed weapon path and both the duel-wield and single-handed damage nodes meet on the other side. This would mean that the notable passive at the bottom left gives some benefits to melee rangers alone.

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SaranCadrey wrote:

Just speculating on the screenshot of the early revamped ranger starting area.



-Primal Spirit is the left most node and is flanked by increased mana nodes.

-Perfect Aim is at the top left connected with attack speed, projectile damage, and bow damage node paths.

-Opposite of Primal Spirit and located in the middle of the screenshot shows an unknown notable passive with the picture of what looks like a heart on a tree. I'm guessing this might be something like 'Heart of the Oak/Forest' and might give similar buffs to what Primal Spirit does but is applied to life, life regen as well as life flask recovery increase and stats. This node is flanked by either 'avoid stun' or 'stun recovery' passives, its hard to tell since both have the same node picture.

-Underneath these notable passives is an unknown notable passive that seems to be leading 7 different directions. Must be something good!

-At the top right is another new notable passive with the picture of a bird around the bow/projectile area. This might be something like 'Eagle Eye/Bird of Prey'.

-The middle right shows Heart of the Panther's new location and under that is Weapon Artistry, good locations for both.

-I'm guessing the path underneath Weapon Artistry is the Single Handed weapon path and both the duel-wield and single-handed damage nodes meet on the other side. This would mean that the notable passive at the bottom left gives some benefits to melee rangers alone.

I would say those are logical conclusions. Though who knows they might be throwing some craziness at us and we are blown away with surprise come patch day lol.

Honestly though, as much as the tree needs revamped, I'm way more curious as to the changes to avoidance mechanics and how those changes will affect the defensive passives in the ranger tree.

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SaranCadrey wrote:

Just speculating on the screenshot of the early revamped ranger starting area.



-Primal Spirit is the left most node and is flanked by increased mana nodes.

-Perfect Aim is at the top left connected with attack speed, projectile damage, and bow damage node paths.

-Opposite of Primal Spirit and located in the middle of the screenshot shows an unknown notable passive with the picture of what looks like a heart on a tree. I'm guessing this might be something like 'Heart of the Oak/Forest' and might give similar buffs to what Primal Spirit does but is applied to life, life regen as well as life flask recovery increase and stats. This node is flanked by either 'avoid stun' or 'stun recovery' passives, its hard to tell since both have the same node picture.

-Underneath these notable passives is an unknown notable passive that seems to be leading 7 different directions. Must be something good!

-At the top right is another new notable passive with the picture of a bird around the bow/projectile area. This might be something like 'Eagle Eye/Bird of Prey'.

-The middle right shows Heart of the Panther's new location and under that is Weapon Artistry, good locations for both.

-I'm guessing the path underneath Weapon Artistry is the Single Handed weapon path and both the duel-wield and single-handed damage nodes meet on the other side. This would mean that the notable passive at the bottom left gives some benefits to melee rangers alone.

I think the Node flanked by the Avoid Stun / Stun Recovery, has to be a notable Avoid Stun, because it is a heart in a tree, and trees are thought of as strong (Unwavering).

The Node below them has the image of +30 Dexterity, so it must be a +20 Dex along with something else node.

Edit: The "heart in the tree" could also be a ribcage, now that I think of it.

The 'Primal Spirit' node looks to be quite nice and the +20 to both Strength and Int will be very helpful to Rangers early on. I do like the idea of also having more mana regen from flasks, but I also hope Rangers get some nice mana nodes to make that blue ball nice and full to take advantage of the flask. Of course, I know this is only a teaser image and won't be showing everything, but so far it looks moderately promising. :)

Do want to see more of the tree and have a reason to pick up one of my Ranger characters again and hopefully have as much fun with her as I did my Shadow and Duelist.

This one dexterity node between ranger path and new Life/evasion node (posted in this announcement) seems to be so much useless. Such a useless node not linked to anything but other dexterity nodes doesn't happen for any other char starting area.

So far, this is what we have. The newer node, Revenge of the Hunted, apears to be more of a dex based Shadow buff lol

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Awkward0ctopus wrote:

So far, this is what we have. The newer node, Revenge of the Hunted, apears to be more of a dex based Shadow buff lol

Spoiler

That is exactly what I was about to do, merge the two pictures to get a better idea! lol

I'm so glad they decided to flip Gymnastics over to the left side of the vertical highway. It was really crazy either forcing to go through the Frenzy nodes or looping down around the bow nodes and then work your way from bottom to top. Made it feel like you were getting nowhere fast.

I'm thinking that major notable passive at the bottom left is Finesse reworked. It's something that gives +10-30 Dex at the very least since it's background is that of the Dexterity notable. Possibly evasion/dexterity since it seems in a position where both bow and melee users can get to it.

My only concern is how easily other classes are able to get into these new highways.

Another thing to note is that the '4-leaf clover' of weapon nodes at the top right seems unchanged. I hope they either add notable passives for each weapon-type there, or move the whole group altogether. No one ever goes there to take any of those nodes.

ABSOLUTELY agree with the poster above


The "clover cluster" ( Sword, Claw, Dagger, Bow) between shadow and Ranger is COMPLETE GARBAGE,
it lures noobs with cheap promises and doesnt deliver.

The only passive worth while in this WHOLE cluster is Claw Pride, however it is slightly let down by the combined accuracy /phys damage nodes surrounding it