Rng Decent Sub for Samurai?Follow

Hi there,

Decided to post this on the Ranger Board instead of Samurai 'cause I figured you guys would have a better grasp of Ranger.

I'm currently a lvl 22 Sam, and I love it - I have no plans to change my main job. But I've been flirting with the idea of Subs (other than War), particularly Ranger as my Sam recently learned the Peircing Arrow weaponskill, but cannot use it. I'm also often the puller for my parties, and Wide Scan would be a huge asset to me. However, as a Sam I need Dexterity (Warrior doesn't fill that bill, but with all the plusses it's not a bad call).

So waddaya think? Would Ranger make a good Sam sub?

Yours,

-Chance

Lvl 22 Sam
30 War
15 Thf

Titan

I don't think rng is good sub other than for hunting purposes.

For pulling purposes, you want something fast like voke or fast spells or some fast range weapons. Bows are way too slow for pulling so you get your target stolen quite often. Secondly, I would let the tank pull if no rng is avaliable becuase of the hits you take running back. Sam don't make good pullers.

As for ws, the best ws is flaming arrow. From first hand experiences, flaming arrow does more damage than piercing at low tp even to a high defense mob; once in a full moon, peircing deals more to high D, but you should stick with flames for a long while. Usually, the chaining bonus aren't worth the damage nor trouble to use other ws other than flames unless you can get lvl 3 sc off.

As for stats, you got too much grounds to cover. First off, best rings for rng are +racc, but you lose acc by wearing the rings. Secondly, Attack bonuses like beetle earings or insane 0_0 rice balls bonuses for sam don't affect ratt (I tested). Thirdly, no daggers like archers or hawkers (no, you can't just switch weapons because of tp lost). Fourthly, passive bonus that you would get subbing other jobs. Fifthly, stats boost from other jobs. Sixthly, you can't wear/use some of the most powerful weapons in the game like loxley or eurytos and other powerful AF and ranger exclusive items, which pretty much makes all the difference late in the game.

At early lvls, ppl don't care and don't know the difference so it might not be a big deal; you can pretty much do whatever you like. But once you are higher lvls wearing AF and getting more specific, rng won't work as a sub for combat. Rng is only really good as main; even for hunting, thf main is better than rng main. Sam is all about ws and rice balls, but they don't mix well with rng sub because of items.

Edited, Sun Feb 15 01:28:16 2004 by komputer

From what I have been reading on the Sam boards, at lvl 30 Sams can WS off of themselves using Meditate. This is going to be the main thing you use your sub for (the weapon skills). Flaming arrow doesn better damage but misses sometimes, and Piercing arrow is more reliable. Great Katana does very good damage already, and since skill is higher in that than with a bow I think you will be using that for most of the fight (unlike a Ranger who uses bow most of the fight). Also as a puller you will do just as well as a Ranger, because you have Wide Scan. Actually you may be a better puller after lvl 30 since you will probably be the one to take the first few hits until the thief does trick attack (Sams take hits a lot better than Rangers). Once your skill gets high enough you will get Sidewinder, and from what I understand one of the best bows in the game is Sam only.

So there are the strengths and weaknesses. I think it is probably best after 30 since before then you will often be in parties without a Paladin and need another provoker. After 30 you will get Meditate and can skill chain off of yourself.

You might want a lvl sam/rng to confirm all this.

I think sam can only ws off himself if he use his 2hr, which is not all practical. I seen meditate in actual play and I don't think it gives you enough tp fast enough in time to chain off yourself. I don't think you can double sidewide and hit reliably without all that rng gears. What you can do with a bow is add more ws variety so you can pretty much chain off anything from another player. Then, of course, you got to worry about aggro.

The Shigeto bow (think its name. lvl 71) is a good bow; ppl (lowbies) say it's the best because it's pretty good and comparably easy to get so it's most practical. But eurytos (lvl 55) and loxley (lvl 57) are clearly better. What most rangers I talked to, they get a couple of friends and get one of these bows when they are that lvl. AH are overpriced for eurytos so it might appears that shigeto is better.

Wide scan is great for pulling in non-populated maps, but then it's not useful to say that because any job can sub rng for wide scan. What you really want is something fast like voke in populated maps.

Edited, Sun Feb 15 12:24:08 2004 by komputer

Hi - thanks for all the great feedback.

I found Rnd great for farming, but not much else :( Wide scan is fun, but not really useful in most situations I've found - I don't really hunt NMs.

I've decided to stick with War for my Sam sub - two more weaponskills just aren't worth giving up the strength, defense and tanking ability.

But just to make a correction:

At lvl 30, any skilled Samurai can pull of single-person skillchains with proper timing and use of Meditate, or 'Silent Concentration'.

Yours,

-Chance
23 Sam
30 War
15 Thf
11 Rng

Titan

Samuria 2hour + great kantana/bow skills = one man rekai's

If you are talking about lvl 60, mind as well use rng/sam and sidewind all you want with better accuracy and more powrful bows. Why gimp yourself with melee when you can just meditate, side, barrage, side. Better yet, get a few stacks of protector's arrows for your ultimate fighting machine! 0.0