You DO NOT want to use macros as a ranger...here is why

[p]Any top DPS ranger knows not to use macros. As a ranger your high dps comes from your auto attack. If you use the macros on the posts below, you will lower your dps considerably because you do not let yourself auto attack at every available opportunity. [/p][p]As a top dps ranger, you will need to find your rythem. The best way is to use ACT (Advanced Combat Tracker - google it). In the Trigger/Sounds tab, you can make it Beep using the expressions "YOU hit" and "YOU critically hit". This will cause it to beep when you auto attack. What you will want to do is use focus aim, beep, tripple volley, beep, rain of arrows, beep...etc. And when you find your rythem so your doing full dps with full auto attacks, you will parse well above 2k most fights with fabled gear. If you do not have ACT, it's no problem, just watch for your auto attack to hit, it should be 2k+. If your around 70 haste, it will be about 1.5s between your combat arts, if your at 150 haste, it's much faster, just try to find your rythem so your auto attack hits every time.[/p][p]DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT, use two combat arts in a row, UNLESS it is very very fast, or you have really low haste and have time between auto attacks, in which case I recommend getting some haste.[/p][p]Hope this helps, good luck rangers![/p]

Maybe I'm incorrect, but .... doesn't auto-attack queue to trigger after a combat art? As I understood it, if a combat art is used when your auto-attack is ready to fire, the auto simply goes off afterward.

This is exactly what recovery timeout on each spell/CA is for in the game mechanics - to let the autoattack go off. Default recovery timeout is 0.5 sec, and some classes also get abilities to lower it.

Thibbledorf@Venekor wrote:

[p]Please dont ever give advice like this again. EVER. Its bad, and its wrong. I dont know what type of boy YOU have, but Im using a rigid scale. at 191 haste, my bow drops to a 4s delay. So, by your method, using one CA then waiting 2-3 more second, I could have used another CA and still NOT missed or delayed an auto attack. With this method, I usually find myself anywhere between 2.8-3.5k, which is well over your 2k+. I understand that you're just trying to help, but when the informations wrong, you arent helping anyone.[/p][p]I do agree with you on the rythem part. Its vital (at least for me) to have that rythem. I can usually tell how well I parsed by how well my cycle flowed. The idea of using some sort of audible for your auto attack isnt a bad idea for those that havent gotten a system down yet, but doing this just reminds me of training wheels, and that beep, or ding would just annoy me after about my 3rd fight.[/p][p]I just double checked my Ranged CAs, most of them are either 1.11s or 0.74s, so even using 2 in a row, I dont use the full 4s delay. You could easily line up (read spam) 3 ranged CAs and still not delay certain bows auto attacks ... [/p][p]Rounding up, 0.75 + 0.75 = 1.50 + 1.0 (recoverys) = 2.5s + 1.2 = 3.7 even if I add the next 0.5 for recovery, Im sitting at 4.2s. So now Ive delayed my CA by 0.2s woo freaking whooo... which is more like 0.1s due to rounding up. Thats pretty much 3 CAs with almost no AA delay.[/p][p]Give advice, but please, dont ever give bad, wrong advice. Know what you are talking about beforehand. And yes, I realize that not everyone has a 9s delay bow, so this isnt an "oh it has to be like this" type of post. There are variables to every situation. Things will be different for equipment, bows, and play styles. Its up to you as an individual, to figure that part out. [/p]

[p]Also how about this macro[/p][p] [/p][p]Useability (any melee combat art)[/p][p]Command: /autoattack 2[/p][p] [/p][p]Now that is a rangers macro right there. There are a couple of melee arts you wouldn't want to set this up on, but you'll figure that out. [/p]

If you don't have a set grp for every raid do a /weapon everytime you change grp, adapt your ca's to fit and do the counting in your head till you find your rythm.

I use the SWL with a 7.0 sec delay. When I'm cycling through my focus, I can fit 2 CAs between each AA easily. But I still don't macro my damage CAs just in case I have to make an immediate adjustment. And yea, the beeping sound would drive me nuts also. I have a very good "feel" for when my AA goes off so I don't really need to introduce an annoyance to the game. Others might benefit from this though.

TerriBlades wrote:

[p] Ummm, you just RECONFIRMED everything I just said...[/p][p]#1: I have to laugh at this statement: "I usually find myself anywhere between 2.8-3.5k, which is well over your 2k+. " Do you know what 2k+ means? LMFAO. It means ABOVE 2000...think before you write.[/p][p]I also wrote "you will lower your dps considerably because you do not let yourself auto attack at every available opportunity." This is true.[/p][p]I also wrote, I quote "DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT, use two combat arts in a row, UNLESS it is very very fast, or you have really low haste and have time between auto attacks. LOOK AT THE UNLESS, READ THE WHOLE THING. Did you even READ this?[/p][p]This is also true. Most people don't have rigid scale with a 9s delay and high haste. Your average ranger, who this post applies to, is using a 6s-7s delay, with around 70 haste. I said, unless your two CA's are fast, or u have low haste (IE: 9s bow delay) SAME THING. [/p][p]Hamervelder: You auto attack does queue, but if u spam more than 2 Combat arts in a row, your auto attack will NOT trigger unless you have really low delay. Because you gave no delay between CA to let auto attack hit.[/p][p]Boramyr: Isn't clicking the ability, the EXACT thing same as making a macro like that, LMFAO. [/p][p]To ALL: I agree I should have stressed it more when I said this "just try to find your rythem so your auto attack hits every time." Meaning that you CAN use two CA's, if you have the longer auto attack delay, and lower haste.[/p][p]HOWEVER: Most of your abilties will be DOWN if you get two CA's per auto attack. And you will have plenty of down time, it's the same [I cannot control my vocabulary] thing once you settle into rythem, but you ASSURE yourself you do not miss auto attacks, which is 50%ish of your damage, depending on your armor, skill, M1s, buffs, etc.[/p][p]Bottom line, most ranger's who can't DPS high is because they use 3-4 CA's in a row, not letting their auto attacks hit. This isn't meant for NEVER EVER use macro's, I said UNLESS (You have low haste or longer delay).[/p][p]BOTTOM BOTTOM LINE (for you [I cannot control my vocabulary]): MAKE SURE YOUR AUTO ATTACK HITS (ACT IT)[/p]

[p]DUDE! Quit YELLING[/p][p]it's hurting my tender ears[/p]

[p]Actually I'll spell it out since I was called out on it. [/p][p] Clicking a Melee CA does the melee CA and turns on Melee autoattack.[/p][p] [/p][p]Macro [/p][p]Use Ability : Melee combat art X (uses the art and turns on Melee Autoattack)[/p][p]/autoattack 2 Turns off melee autoattack and turns on RANGED autoattack[/p][p] [/p][p]/autoattack has the following arguments that I know of 0 = off, 1 = melee, 2 = ranged. [/p]

Nesse is right though. Delaying your CA's only lowers your dps, there is a recovery time in each and every CA there is its at 0.5s this allows auto attack to go off.. Your ACT advise is good advise, it will help with timing snipers shot with a auto attack and will give you an idea when you need to hit the ranged auto attack key.

[p]This makes a lot of sense. Assuming a seperate hotbar is set up just for raids, we can macro all of our melee CAs to automatically turn on ranged attack. Since we are usually in the sweet spot anyway, this will ensure we don't miss any ranged auto-attacks while cycling through our high damage melee abilities.[/p][p]This will also work for the solo'ers. Use this macro for the stuns so you'll already be in ranged mode when you back up for your bow shots.[/p][p]I'm going to try this over the weekend and see if I can't eek out another couple hundered DPS.[/p][p]Thanks for the tip. [/p]

[p]I setup ACT awhile back to "ding" whenever an autoattack went off. (FYI to the OP -- you also have to include a different sound when you MISS an autoattack, which happens sometimes.) I had to mess around finding different WAVE files that were clearly audible but weren't harse on the ears and could be heard above Ventrillo chatter.[/p][p]However it probably hurt me more than helped. See, not everyone has a consistent group that we ALWAYS get in for every raid. Furthermore, depending which buffs and procs you have, your HASTE can go up a lot *during* a battle and make as much as 1 second difference. I have a Acrylia Band of Agility, plus sometimes I'm in a group with a Beserker and maybe I cast Honed Reflexes in there to boost my haste at the cap. When that happens the timing of the beeps chages and it can be confusing to hear that beep coming faster all the sudden. You can't get a rhythm down when it's always changing. You have to get used to an irregular rhythm.[/p][p]For that reason using /weaponstats is silly because it will change in the middle of battle -- unless you have no haste procs.[/p][p]So I just live with the rule that I can get two CAs off no matter what my haste is at that moment. With the 7 sec delay Rain Caller at 200 haste, I can still get 2 CAs and have enough time for autoattack. (Having the final ability in the AGILITY AA line makes it possible.)[/p]

Thibbledorf@Venekor wrote:

[p]Dont get mad at me because your advise was wrong. I cant help that you are too busy writing faulty information and expect ppl to take you at your word and you got your feelings hurt because someone called you on your crap.[/p][p]Yeah, I know what 2K plus means. However, if I also realize that ppl tend to scale stuff up. You could have just as easily said 2.5K, or 3K but you didnt. So from where Im sitting, it looks to me exactly how you wrote it. 2-2.4k. Fact of the matter is, your over stated the fact that 2 CAs strung together are very very bad. Im merely correcting your error. Dont like. Thats tough. Get your stuff right before you post next time. Bad advise doesnt help anyone, and there are alot of players that come here looking for information, or some help improving their DPS.[/p][p]Even in this thread, you are still giving out bad information. I know for a fact, that I can chain spam ALL my ranged CAs and still get an auto attack off in between. Yeah, it might be delayed by doing as much, but they still fire. Hamervelder was correct with what he posted. You on the other hand, dont understand the mechanics of this game and shouldnt be trying to tell anyone how to play. That whole 0.5s recovery is not adjusted to your bow, so I dont see where a bows delay or low haste factors into if your AA will fire between CAs. [/p][p]So Im going to ask you one more time. Please stop giving bad advise to players. Many of us are keenly aware of how this game works, and can see through your bull. However, there are those that have recently taken up the class and I would hate for them to read a post as faulty as yours and think it was valid infromation.[/p][p]Most rangers that cant dps have a ton of issues. Its most likely not so much how they use their CAs as it is their Group Make Up, Weapon, Ammo, and Strength. I cant count how many times I have seen level 70 rangers with one or more of those issues. Using your CAs and timing your auto attacks is just a way to REFINE your dps to get the most out of it. [/p][p]I cant wait to see what kind of junk you post next.[/p][p] [/p]

[p]hey terriblades how ya doing,[/p][p]I am a 70 ranger and i am able to parse over 3 k if i really work it but if i do i always get agroe so i settle around 2.5 k 2.8k anyways i got a couple a questions which might be entwined with advise can ya tell me if i am correct in understand what is being said in this post ? i would really appreciate yer time and effort (and knowledge ofc)[/p][p]ok so here goes: first about macroes i have the macro this other guy posted on all my melee cas i am always in the sweet spot now my Q is if ya use like a macro that triggers yer Heroic opp then cast evade rigth after and i got it linked to ma root line erm lunging joust i think its called ![/p][p]Ok the HO is instant cast so lets say 0.2 secs then evade is a lil longer so lets say 0.5 secs the melee ca takes about 0.7 (poise ftw btw) so thats a total of 1.4 s now i also have the rigid scale bow so same delay as you so easy for you to get this verified (im horrible at those things) now if i am using focus aim and honed reflexes (dont have illy) i push my delay down to 2.5 secs so if i add another melee CA which has the /autoattack 2 macro in there i would sit exactly at 2.1 s and have auto ranged back on would this delay my AA or skip it? i dont grasp what you two are trying to tell the community can ya plz elaborate this?[/p][p]Ok secondly the 0.5 cooldown what does this mean your talking about spamming cas and still ahve AAs go off? between the CAS? i always pause a sec b4 using another CA to give it time for that autoattack are ya saying this isnt needed at all? im confused about this![/p][p]ok thirdly how do you manage to hit 3.5 k dps wihtout pulling agroe of the tank (plz dont say look for another tank cause our guardian is really good) currently i press teh evade HO macro i described above whenever the HO is up! i use the stalk line wehnever its up and i have the tinkered item which i use if the mobs turns on me! and also have the 41% hate reduction buff up at all times oh and all my cas are M1 except for defensive stance and amazing shot![/p][p]PLZ be a lil more specific so this noob ranger can understand wth yall are talking about (btw my native language isnt english) and perhaps learn a thing or two to get better![/p][p]Thx a lot in advance [/p][p]sincerely Styxxey![/p]

[p]The 0.5 second "cool down" is called recovery time (there are things that shorten that time, but the standard time is 0.5 seconds). It exists on every combat art (and spell for other classes). If you have 3 combat arts that each take 1 second to cast, you can't actually cast them all in 3 seconds. It would take 4 seconds to get the 3rd art off (1 sec CA + 0.5 recovery + 1 sec CA + 0.5 recovery + 1 sec CA) and after the third art was off, you'd have another 0.5 seconds before you could cast your next art.[/p][p]As TerriBlades mentioned, not delaying your auto attack is a way to refine your DPS. It isn't the end all and be all of Ranger DPS. Let's just consider a very simple example. Say you have a bow with a 4 second delay that does 2k each attack (for simplicity, let's just say the delay and 2k are constant). This means the auto-attack by itself does 500 DPS (2000 / 4). In a 60 second fight where all you did was auto-attack, your bow would do a maximum of 30000 points of damage (500 * 60 = 30000). [/p][p]Now let's say you are casting combat arts and happen to delay your auto-attack every time by 0.5 seconds. This would make your bow act like it has a 4.5 second delay. In a 60 second fight your bow would then only do 26667 damage, which is 444.44 DPS. Your losing about 11% of your auto-attack DPS that way. If you auto-attack accounts for 40% of your DPS, that 11% is about 4.5% of your total DPS. [/p][p]In reality, as long as your ranged auto-attack is turned on, I think it would be very difficult to delay your auto-attack for 0.5 seconds for every attack for 60 seconds, even if you just spammed CAs (it might be, but I'm thinking probably not). So you'd probably come in somewhere under that 4.5% reduction.[/p][p]Obviously 4.5% is very nice. But if you are parsing 1k DPS, it isn't the thing that will get you parsing 2k.[/p][p]Hope that helps...[/p]

[p]Grandmaster's Ignorant Bliss poison helps a lot if you are doing 3k+ dps. Obviously the type of tank and encounter (single or multiple mob) makes a big difference too.[/p]

Thibble is a good ranger guys and I know he knows what he is talking about. I just think his wording got messed up. So instead of arguing with each other just discuss the differences is your tactics. I'm using raincaller and with my haste mods and buffs (adept III's) I have a 4 second delay between auto attacks. Thats usually good for 3 to 4 CA's depending on which. I wouldn't use something like ACT just because to me it takes the fun out of the game and learning my class. I'd rather win some loose some with my style than use a 3rd party program to make me better. But thats just me

[p]Im not questioning Thibbles ablility, Im just trying to clear a few things up, to keep the confusion of our class to a minimum. The point I was trying to make was that you can use, or marco CAs together without losing your auto attacks. Thats one of the biggest reasons for the half second delay called recovery time. It gives a "queued" AA a chance to fire. Delaying an AA is not the same as not being able to fire one off. There are a lot of players that come to these forums for advise, and I would hate for them to get bad info.[/p][p] [/p][p]Styxxey, Im at work at the moment, but when I get some free time I will send you a PM answering some of your questions. Janaka has already giving you one good way to drop some hate, and there are a few items that have a proc that will help you lower your hate you might want to check out.[/p]

Use adamantine field points unless you can summon T8 Ammo~