So I’ve been looking around on the inter web box and can’t seem to find any decent write up on ranger tanking and how to build all the Aggros. I know flame lick is a staple and it appears snare is a pretty heavy Aggro builder. I haven’t really ever played a tanky class in EQ I’m just looking to hear some tips, tricks, suggestions, ridicule and actual current for tlp information regarding the class. It’s one of the few I’ve never ever played and it’s fine to play a pewpew stick elf.
Yeah aggro is largely built for rangers by a couple means. 1) Doing a lot of damage 2) Dots like flame lick 3) Snares 4) Procs like on weapons [Earthcall slow builds huge aggro] or your ranger direct damage proc buffs. 5) Healing damage 6) Instaclicky spam like jboots [might not work anymore] Then taunt puts you 1 point ahead on the aggro table if it works. Taunt can help you rip aggro but not keep it.
This was changed years ago. Taunt currently gives 50% of max aggro on a partial success, max aggro +2% on a normal success, and max aggro +10% on a crit success.
Ranger Gating 1) Weaponshield 2) Cast origin Ranger tanking 1) Stack AC. Then when Heroics come out you stack hAGI and hSTA till your shielding/avoidance are capped 2) You can't riposte while casting so you don't actually wanna spam lick 3) You want a weapon with agro procs in your main, you'll wanna start the fight with 2 flame licks or 1 flame like 1 Tangling Weeds(quick cast snare you get in Luclin) 4) Starting in Velious Rangers get the Call of Sky Strike spell. It's a buff you cast that makes you proc a stun and small DD, this is a major agro generator 5) Don't spam taunt. When you lose agro press Taunt then drop 2 agro spells. Taunt mobs before breaking Mezzes. 6) Shield AC doesn't count against the "AC softcap." Because of that it's really OP and as silly as it sounds you should wear a shield while Tanking raid mobs, epic fights ect or Rampage tanking. 7) 2 Handers with Rune proc are really OP for tanking in groups
Thanks for the comments y’all. As far as augments go. What’s the most Aggro creating aug I can use for my weapons? Is it the stun Augments?
Use a bow when grouped. That will draw aggro from all the other members. j/k I don't really believe in Ranger tanking unless there is a solid reason for it, like you are grouped with 5 Wizards in a closet sized area. I mean that is what Root and Snare are for. Really stick with specialties vs trying to compete with a plate clad tank while wearing leather or chain. Light blues maybe, even then the healers will hate you. That being said, carry Prayer Beads https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=2351 they are droppable, rechargeable, and good for 20+ levels. You just need one character with good Priest of Life and in Surefall zone faction. I origin one character in Qeynos and bind in AkAnon to go back and forth to pick up a handful. Ranger tanking can happen, I do some of it on Live with high level Rangers. I don't really see it as desirable on a freshly started TLP server. Not enough good armor for a couple of months and even then, over priced. Don't forget to kick, bash, taunt, and disarm. If you can get some other clicky like Journeyman Boots, clicking them during a fight will help draw some aggro as will any positive buff. Hope you get grouped with people that know the limitations i.e. a Magician who knows to summon an Air pet for the stuns as well as everyone else that has some form of stun available. Bard and Enchanter bringing haste to you would help. Enchanter that does AoE mez quickly for bad pulls, Shaman slowing the MOB so it dies before you do, that kind of stuff.
The DD augs add aggro well above the hit point amount. Nobody should be using one unless they are trying to hold aggro. You can put one of a lower level on your off hand, so that you have 2. Flame lick, and snare are same amount of hate. Use Tangling weeds when you get it, it casts faster then both. You should be able to carry around a decent tank set of gear, and a dps set. Thats what I always did. Rangers can tank blues, with some yellows mixed in, if you have decent gear, and your healer isnt an invalid. If you level this ranger on a server that is to Kunark, get a Woodsmans staff as soon as you can. You will outdamage pretty much every class up to a certain level, I believe its around 40 or 50. Totally overpowered weapon.
Oddly enough, the reason I ask is because my tlp experience in the past says that rangers do fine in classic as tanks and more often than not this is the role they fill over dps. I’m not actually rolling a ranger to be a tank. I just know it’s a thing I’m gonna have to do and I’d rather have an idea than none.
In theory it doesn't matter how much damage a tank is taking unless the healers mana bar hits zero. In reality what this means is Rangers are often the ideal tanks in EXP groups simple by virtue of being the highest DPS class with a taunt button. Other scenarios happen in which the charm pet is doing the "tanking" and you just want someone with a taunt button to break mezzes and be above the Cleric/Chanter when charm breaks. Other scenarios are like when all your SK and Warriors get banned for 7 days because they used an exploit to claim 200 lamp posts and some defiant gear, then you end up Ramp tanking in VT for a week. Other scenarios include when all those SK and Warriors are 2 cool to help their buddy kill some Rock Golems to get a Zerk their 2.0 Other scenarios include when you go back to Time during GoD and you just wanna show off your massive E Shlong. I wouldn't recommend rolling a Ranger to be a "Tank" but i would highly rolling a Ranger as a DPS that isn't one dimensional and CAN tank when needed or desirable.
You can easily tank your way up to 50 in classic if that's what you're thinking will happen, there's a semi-decent chance you'll be doing it at some point. For group content, ranger tanking is pretty easy once you're at 50 grinding out gear I seriously wouldn't overly worry about it, keep a shield in your bag for hard hitting named, use a 2h otherwise. If, for whatever, reason(like, for example, if you think using a 2h on a chain-clad wood elf is super lame....) you decide to dual wield while tanking, still use a 2h when running weaponshield. I prefer flame lick for aggro, since I can just recast on timer instead of guessing when I need a slight boost for aggro. The stun/dd augs will hold threat ridiculously well if you decide to go all out on it.
You have two spells at your disposal for building aggro. Flame Lick, and Tangling Weeds. Flame Lick isn't as great as it once was, but it's still worth casting in lieu of nothing. Rangers additionally have 4 nukes on a .5 second cast time, between timers 1,2,3 and 4, and can be spammed every 30 seconds. Come TSS Rangers have access to the Summer's line which has a built in hate override and can help build a solid lead. Your post doesn't exactly detail at what era you're looking at, but given that TSS is just around the corner for Coirnav, I'll stop there, but as far as snap aggro goes, there should be little that a rangers can't do in the group game. Taunt if a mob isn't actively attacking you and needs to be. Taunt mezzed mobs and follow up with Tangling Weeds just to be safe and you should rarely have issues with breaking them.
I didn’t realize I didn’t specify. This will be for Aradune. So the most basic of basic abilities are at my disposal.
You are limited to the lousy armor until you can afford or get to~ https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=3897 for instance. Even Bards and Clerics can wear plate and stuff like bronze they can use drops at a much lower level. You also have to watch out for riposte since you will be squishy. This means trading off dual wield for a 2 hander, neglecting 1hs, don't dual wield or use a fast weapons against anything that riposte, archery, et al all fall behind. Only good thing is you get your dodge up. It's a lot more difficult then people who play on a server with Defiant make it out to be. You will in all likelihood be in tattered and banded for the first 20 levels while using a lousy shield and/or slow 2h weapon. If you don't mind it, go for it. 2hb are cheap. This is not to say a twinked Ranger can not do it as an alternate for instance. I just don't find it fun when your healer has to heal you so much they draw aggro from the MOB in spite of your best efforts to hold aggro. Save that Root for saving the healer.
They do, rangers are excellent group tanks. Ideally, play in a group that knows this already; pick up groups, while they've improved over the years, are still largely unaware and as a ranger you'll still find yourself trying not to pull aggro from some ogre with little ac who's mighty sensitive about it. And not being offered the tank slot when they leave. The character is worth it. The general frustration of not being allowed to fulfill your role - if you can even get a group - isn't.
