Rapid Fire vs Expert Focus or Read the Wind for AB

BaconSoda

BaconSoda

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

*Somewhere Under The Rainbow*

Leo

Me/

Well, I like all of these preps, and i need some help picking one for AB...so I'll write out my noticable pros and cons with my build and hopefully i can get some opinions from u guys. Oh ya, thanks for reading!

Marksmanship 16 (12+1+3)
Expertise 11-12 (10+1 or 11+1)*
Wilderness Survival 6-8 (5+1 or 7+1)*

Skills (excuse my not-knowing the icon comand )

Crossfire
Sloth Hunter's Shot/Keen Arrow
Burning Arrow {E}
Distracting Shot
Savage Shot
Expert Focus/Read the Wind/Rapid Fire
Troll Ungent
Natural Stride

Preperation Pros and Cons:

1. Expert Focus:
Pros:
Makes spamming interupts easier.
Nice damage boost.
Cons:
High Energy Cost.
Doesn't Effect all attacks.

2. Read the Wind
Pros:
Synergizes well with interupts.
Makes the Flatbow usable.
Nice Damage Boost.
Low Energy Cost
Cons:
Makes it difficult to spam attack skills.

3. Rapid Fire
Pros:
Low Energy Cost.
Effects all attacks.
IAS increase.
Cons:
No Damage Increase.
Makes Spamming attacks difficult.

So, hopefully i can get some help on this, and feel free to comment on my build (like i can stop you anyway right?).

* 2nd value is with Expert's Focus.

lennymon

lennymon

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Seattle

Odin's Hammer [OH] - Servant's of Fortuna [SoF]

R/

read the wind + flatbow > rapid fire with anything other than shortbow

Rapid fire increases damage output substantially without taking into consideration attack skills, which is good... however this is equalized very well by the armor ignoring damage boost in either Expert's or RtW. The energy reduction from Experts only pays for the increased prepapration cost if you can basically spam skills at high speed in my opinion. In general therefore Read the wind with it's all around awesome package is usually better, unless you tailor make a build for the others. In short go with the Ranger's *true* strength: flexibility.

All that aside, last couple times I went into Ab I brought Apply poison
But I also really enjoy just hunting down enemy MM's with splinter barrage

iridescentfyre

iridescentfyre

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2006

W/

If those three are the only choices, I say either Expert Focus or Read the Wind, depending on the build. Expert Focus if you have energy issues, Read the Wind if you need to interrupt from a distance.

But I still take Apply Poison myself. I wish I didn't have to, I really hate it; but its pretty useful

BaconSoda

BaconSoda

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

*Somewhere Under The Rainbow*

Leo

Me/

I don't Pack Apply Poison because i prefer the bonuses the others provide to interupts, and the 15e cost, ima try and replace natural stride with Poison Tip anyway.

Ty for responses, RTW it is then.

Diddy bow

Diddy bow

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2006

Jawsome!!!!!!!!!!!

looking for one :p

A/D

I got for rapid fire with the choice of the 3. You cant expect your bow to match the damage of other weapons, espically in arens. So the extra speed helps with interupts and condition spreading.