You do realize that we have to melee 90% of a solo fight, do you?

here's a little tip that i use all the time to get 2 CAs off in 4 seconds. both cheap shot and the root line are castable on the move. mobs are slow to respond to your movements so here's what you do. start moving backwards while casting the root. once the root lands you should be far enough away to shoot arrows. stop moving the instant it lands and you'll have the full 4 seconds to shoot. you need to be very coordinated and have good timing to accomplish this but it can be done.

Poise final one in the agility line reduces casting time on all CAs

I also know about Poise, which is why I asked. I don't have Poise and if we're basing our ideas of what can and can't be soloed on having a massive amount of AAs, that's a significant point that needs to be clarified.

Gear and status of spell upgrades are another that will affect how much melee you have to do for a fight.

It isn't that hard to get in 2 CAs during a Lunge or Cheap Shot, but you have to use the right ones. You can fit a pair of 1.5 and 1 second cast time CAs easily. You don't need Poise to do that, just no lag.
Message Edited by Stormhawk on 06-22-2006 03:12 PM

AGI 4 - 4 - 4 - 8 - 1(8)
STR 4 - 4 - 5 - 8

that's 50 AA pts

I don't even bother backing up to fire arrows with Cheap Shot. I suppose I should...I'd probably do more damage, but I usually do enough with my initial Hidden Fire + Triple Arrow not to bother. For some reason I prefer Cheap Shot > Longshank > Crippling Blade/Tangleflame (whichever is up) > Tear > Survival of the Fittest > THEN back up and fire Sharp Shot + Miracle Arrow or Leg Shot or some other low casting time bow CA. If you do it fast enough the mob is stunned the entire time and you're just unloading the damage.

Of course, Cheap Shot is nigh on useless on ^ mobs. Really annoying. I love how I managed to solo the 49^ Rujarkian Orc Leader last night, yet I couldn't take the 47^ Spatterblind. I know named mobs get a boost, but good lord. I finished the Orc Leader with over 1k hp left, and Spatterblind waxes me 3 times. Ok!

Anyway, short of the occasional ^ mob, I have no issues soloing....even if I do melee more than most.

Oh and btw to any devs that might be reading...would it be at all feasible to maybe get like .5 seconds added to Point Blank Shot? Good lord, talk about an ability where you have no time (unless your timing is -perfect-) to pull off anything. Thanks =P.
Message Edited by Omnikain on 06-23-2006 12:46 AM

Yeah, PBS seems to be over before it starts, nowadays. I wonder if I have room on the shelf for another CA... it's getting pretty crowded with Stream, Thorny Trap, Hawk Dive, etc...

I'm not at home so I can't verify directly, but I know Sharp Shot is 1.5 when I examine it. Miracle Arrow is either the same or that might be shorter. Deb is longer to cast than Sharp Shot.

Which CAs are 1 second? I can't recall having any, but again I'm not at the computer to verify. Even following Sharp Shot with Miracle Arrow gets interrupted and Miracle Arrow is the fastest casting CA I have. Do we get a faster casting one later than 50?

And I always preferred doing the Cheap Shot-Pouncing Attack(I think, I always forget the name)-Crippling Blade-Tangleflame myself, although with the new duration of Cheap Shot I can only get up to Crippling Blade.

Granted I DO have poise, but I have know problem getting off trip shot with PBS...

What's the trip shot equivalent at my level? I have Trick Shot which I don't remember having damage on it, and Leg Shot which I've been trying to have as my second shot after Hidden Fire. Do you mean Triple (I think I have Arrow?)? That's a pretty long casting one and I can't even get it off using the root, let alone PBS.
Message Edited by TaleraRis on 06-23-2006 03:35 PM

Yeah, he means Triple Shot / Arrow / Volley. I don't even remember what I used to use with PBS, but I'm sure it wouldn't work anymore, with the shorter duration. I haven't adventured with Kae much lately, and when I have, it's been in groups so I haven't had to work out a new tactic for PBS yet, sorry.

Hidden Fire and Triple Arrow/Shot (whichever it is, can't look atm) are on the same par as far as casting time for me. They've both been mentally relegated to the "takes time" pile while Sharp Shot and Miracle Arrow are what I have put in the "cast really fast" pile.

Wow, really? You should take a look at Triple again... I'm 98% sure it doesn't take as long to cast as the Hidden Fire line. But yeah, the Sharp Shot line is fast, unfortunately it doesn't pack much of a punch. The Miracle line, strangely enough, ends up delivering some serious damage later on in the tiers.

PBS at level 4 (that's what I have) dropped from 2.8 sec to 2.1. I can still get off one fast casting range shot, but that's it. It works especially good on golem type mobs. For some reason, it seems to take them longer to stand back up once you've knock them down. It must be beause they are so big and lazy.:smileytongue:

Now I'm home and can verify.

Hidden Fire is 3.0 seconds for me. Triple Fire is 1.5s, Miracle Arrow is 1.5s, Trick Arrow (Although I never use this as an attack spell solo) is 1.0s, Sharp Shot is 1.0s, Deb Arrow is 1.5s, Leg Shot is 1.0s My Point Blank Shot at App I lasts for 1.8 seconds, down from 2.3 before the change. With having to back up even during casting, it's not enough for me to get even Sharp Shot completely cast. I can start SS but it won't finish because the mob moves into range.

Triple Fire honestly doesn't seem to be 1.5s in practice, though. I'm sure it is, but it feels more sluggish when I do cast it.

Adding in backing up, I can get Sharp Shot off no problem, but any of those others (besides Trick because I just don't use it much when soloing) gets the interrupt message when they're almost done casting. So it's close, but they still take too long to be effective.

Let me look at melee skills now.

Longshank is 0.5s casting time. Crippling Blade is 0.5, Surveil is 1.0, Tangleflame is 0.5. Cheap Shot lasts 4 seconds now. I used to be able to CS - Longshank - CB - Surveil - Tangle within the 6 seconds given under the old CS duration. I can now CS - Longshank - Crippling Blade - Surveil, but can't get that last Tangleflame off.

Given these difficulties, I do end up pure meleeing more often in a fight now, trying to do HO combinations to increase my damage output. Not 90%, but for those of us in the upper mid-range area, we find ourselves face to face with the mob a bit more often than those higher than us.
Message Edited by TaleraRis on 06-23-2006 06:10 PM

So PBS at App 1 is 1.8 seconds, and PBS at App 4 (highest most of us will bother getting) is only 2.1? Awesome.. so each AA point you invest increases the knockdown duration by a tenth of a second. BRILLIANT!

Yeah I know. I'm going to put in what's necessary to continue down the line and that's it. It wasn't even all that useful at 2.3s and it's pointless at 1.8s now.

I think PBS stun...err knockdown...lasts a bit longer at the 5th rank..like 2.4 seconds but meh...still is shorter than it should be...
***Edited*** It being early morning...and me being very tired...I was thinking about what I do when I cast cheap shot...not what I do when I cast PBS...One CA is all I get off with PBS..not two like I sleep-wrote a few moments ago...lol, need stronger coffee...***Edited***
I am still happy with how I am solo'ing...I started solo'ing the single up Ravasects in Bonemire to advance the grizzlefoshizzle quest...they are conning yellow to me (level 66 and 67 and I am level 63). Granted I am now using strength potions, 3 good poisons, and kiting the last few hp's...and I still die a bit...but all the other yellow even cons are like fishcakes for my Kerra Ranger to feast on...
Not discounting anyone just posting that where I am at in game, I am happy...things seem to be peachy for me combat-wise.
Then again...I got my full imbued xegonite gear going this weekend, and am pretty happy with it...though...I have to admit...I look like a member of a Rollerderby team...I look like a furry LL Cool J in that rollerderby movie he put out not long ago...
Message Edited by Saihung23 on 06-26-2006 11:05 AM

Maybe the OP meant time and not dmg.

If I'm killing greens and being lazy I'll pull with veiled and devit and melee down the rest of the mob while throwing cheap shot in a few times to reduce the beating I get. In that case the melee portion might take 90% of the time, but still no where near 90% of the dmg.