Ranger (Archer) interesting feat choices?

[MacMathan]

I am building a Archer-type Ranger for a game that will not advance past heroic tier.

What I am looking for is some more interesting yet still fun/cool feat choices other than the normal exotic weapon, weapon expertise/focus, chain.

Basically I am looking for a build idea that uses feats for more interesting things than pluses to hit and/or damage.

The character will be human and the game is looking lower magic level than standard 4e so a lot of human type opponents probably.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Get the hunter training feat... clever shot is fantastic!

 

[Chris Knapp]

I have a Human Ranger (Hunter) with the additional at-will option. I took Nimble Strike and then took the Harrowing swarm student feat to give me the option of adding a -2 debuff (rattling) to my target. Hunters are great, but sometimes I don't want to slide/prone the enemy. Having the option to hand out a debuff has come in handy on many occasions.

My other feat fav's are about gaining CA, especially distant advantage. It sucks when I miss and even my level 3's base +13 to hit misses on occasion.

 

[bargle0]

If you're using a bow, the basics are Greatbow proficiency, Bow Expertise, and Weapon Focus (Bow). With a human, you should be able to have all of those by level 2. There are a couple of nice things you can throw in there after that.

You can take Hobbling Strike and World Serpent's Grasp, and maybe Grounding Shot as well. Basically, you drop a die of your quarry damage to slow with one hit, then prone your quarry with World Serpent's Grasp. This means you can slow and prone in a single action with Twin Strike or any other double tap power while still maintaining striker effectiveness. The importance of quarry damage drops off pretty quickly once you start adding in static bonuses to damage and maximizing the number of attacks you can make in a round.

If you're looking for something a little more leadery, you will probably have the wisdom to multiclass in to Shaman with Spirit Talker. This gives you a daily skill buff, the Nature skill (so you can have both that and Dungeoneering), and a nice encounter Opportunity Action. If you do this, you should pick Spirit's Prey so you don't need to make attack rolls with wisdom without a totem implement. You can also then pick up the Mending Spirit feat which gets you an encounter heal.

I play a paragon-level human ranger in LFR. I went with a Superior Crossbow instead of a Greatbow, for better accuracy. With the advent of Crossbow Expertise, it also means I can ignore cover which gives me a great deal of flexibility in terms of where I can be on the battlefield. However, it comes with an extra feat cost for Speed Loader. You don't want a load minor weapon at all, ever.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

If you're using a bow, the basics are Greatbow proficiency, Bow Expertise, and Weapon Focus (Bow). With a human, you should be able to have all of those by level 2. There are a couple of nice things you can throw in there after that.

Did you read the opening post? Especially where he wrote about "more interesting feats"?

 

[mneme]

Beast Master (Wolf), Grounding Shot, Savage Wolf?

With this combo, your beast prones on a basic, and in addition your ranged attacks get +2 damage and no penalties against prone foes. So when an enemy tries to get away from your wolf without shifting, it gets an OA and knocks them down, then on your turn you can shoot them and get +2 to damage and have your wolf shift away to prone-lock them. Particularly great on humanoid foes (as they typically don't have reach and a movement of 6, so it's not that hard to put them into a situation where all foes are 1 or >6 squares away.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I am building a Archer-type Ranger for a game that will not advance past heroic tier.

What I am looking for is some more interesting yet still fun/cool feat choices other than the normal exotic weapon, weapon expertise/focus, chain.

Basically I am looking for a build idea that uses feats for more interesting things than pluses to hit and/or damage.

The character will be human and the game is looking lower magic level than standard 4e so a lot of human type opponents probably.

The Hobbling Strike/World Serpent's Grasp/Grounding Shot combo would be the classic more interesting option providing single target control as well as a lot of damage. As would getting Clever Shot for options as your second At Will. (That's four feats - clever shot giving you effectively three extra at wills - basic + slide 2, basic + prone, or basic + slowed (save ends)). Also really use Prime Shot - play right on the front lines (which really pays off at Paragon).

Use Prime Shot - Fox's Cunning provides you an extra attack per encounter. And getting prime shot to work is fun.

Alternatively just shrug, go hunter, get a superior crossbow, and pin people to walls. You have five at wills (not that accurate shot is often used) multiplied by two stances to start with. Oh, and an encounter power (but no daily). One feat for a Superior Crossbow and then go wild; you have Crossbow Expertise (or Bow Expertise) for free and Weapon Focus isn't such a priority. Pick your multiclass - being a skillmonkey is easy when you start with six trained skills, and some stances can add to your skills (and a multiclass feat will add a further skill with another bonus).

Start off in the stance that gives you +4 to initiative and most fights you should be able to get your disruptive shot off before the enemy has acted, meaning you can Immobilise (Save Ends) a brute or skirmisher on turn 1 before he's acted so he'll arrive at the fight when everyone else is going down. Then what to do with your feats? You've got them spare. My slightly perverse suggestion: get Int 13 which allows you to become a ritual caster (through Multiclass feat) especially if no one else is a ritualist. And you're up to seven trained skills. Eight if you went wizard and then multiclass again to get arcana trained and storm pillar (it doesn't need an attack roll and can be really obnoxious). You're a stealthy skill monkey with a snipers' crossbow and ritual caster. Good enough a hook?

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

A fellow player in one of my groups has a ranger built for shooting in melee and avoiding OAs. He took the Hunter combat style, which gives free Quick Draw and +4 AC vs OAs for firing in melee. He then took Defensive Mobility for a total of +6 AC when he provokes for firing at melee range.

He has a Rhythm blade for the additional AC boost, which he can draw when he needs to make an MBA himself, then sheathe as a free action before getting out the bow again, if necessary.

It certainly isn't the most optimal combo, but it sure is fun to see in play, and guarantees that he has Prime Shot at all times. It's also pretty fun to see him flanking stuff with the fighter and shooting in melee to bait the monsters into triggering the fighter's Combat Challenge.

 

[bargle0]

Did you read the opening post? Especially where he wrote about "more interesting feats"?

Did you read the rest of my post, where I talked about "more interesting feats"? My specific point about the tax feats is that they should be taken first. Actually, if the OP decides to go with an Essentials Hunter, then there's no real need to go after Weapon Focus until much later, if at all.

 

[bargle0]

A fellow player in one of my groups has a ranger built for shooting in melee and avoiding OAs. He took the Hunter combat style, which gives free Quick Draw and +4 AC vs OAs for firing in melee. He then took Defensive Mobility for a total of +6 AC when he provokes for firing at melee range.

This is an excellent suggestion. There's no reason to go with the Archer Fighting Style other than the Battlefield Archer Paragon Path, which the OP will not be taking anyway. Also, the Battle Caster Defense is better than Defensive Mobility, if one's concern is defending against OAs provoked by ranged attacks specifically.