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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707665" data-attributes="member: 6793297">Equipment and Companions: Tools of the HuntHere, I'll be talking about what weapon types, what armor types, and what Beast Companion work best for you. Magic gear is in the next post.Weapon Groups: Elements of the HuntAxes - The members of this weapon group deal good damage, and their feats only require a mediocre Con investment, which frees up your stat points to travel elsewhere. To boot, they're also available as Ranged weapons, which means you get a two-for-one with the weapon-specific feats.Recommended Axes Battleaxe (PHB) - Good damage (1d10), and you don't have to buy proficiency in it. Solid.Double Axe (AV) - While it doesn't offer more damage over the Battleaxe, it does give you extra AC, and you only have to buy enchantments for one weapon.Handaxe (PHB) - The damage is rather piddly, but being Heavy Thrown and Off-Hand makes up for some of it.Waraxe (AV) - Why yes, I would love to be able to wield a d12 in one hand, thank you. Bows- The default weapon group for an Archer. While the Superior Crossbow does give you roughly equal damage in a vacuum, the Crossbow costs you an extra feat, and doesn't have an extra damage Expertise feat, so the Bow wins out once all the variables are considered. That, and it also has the option of going for control through some of its properties.Recommended Bows Greatbow (PHB) - Big damage, and very big range. Nice.Longbow (PHB) - The best weapon for Ranged Rangers barring Weapon Proficiency.Shortbow (PHB) - Small Archers really have no choice in this regard, but some of them have racial support to compensate. Additionally, this weapon is likely the one of choice if a Ranger wants to MC Rogue and is not an Elf. That said, I still don't think it's as good as the above two. Crossbows - The other default weapon group for an Archer. They're pretty comparable to Bows as far as damage goes, and some of them also have the option of opening up some nice multiclass options for a Ranged Ranger.Recommended Crossbows Hand Crossbow (PHB) - While it seems like a Thrown Weapon with more range at first glance, it does have the feat support to make it a very palatable option, especially if you MC into Rogue.Superior Crossbow (AV) - Bastard Sword stats on a Ranged weapon are very nice to have, though the loading time will require another feat to fix. Flails - Some very decent damage, right on par with Heavy Blades for one-handed weapons and with Hammers for the Heavy Flail. The Dex investment required for Weapon Mastery is a bit too high for some Two-Blade Rangers and the feat support blows for a Striker, but some of the powers you can mooch off other classes (namely, the Fighter's Rain of Blows) make this a nice pick.Recommended Flails Alhulak (DSCS) - A high proficiency bonus, and decent damage. A pretty good weapon to have, considering it's feat-free.Cahulaks (DSCS) - While the stats certainly aren't the best, this is a very versatile weapon.Flail (PHB) - Similar to a Warhammer or a Battleaxe overall. Serviceable enough.Triple-Headed Flail (AV) - Statistically identical to a Bastard Sword, its only flaw is that Weapon Mastery will be a bit too Dexterity-intensive for Rangers who like Wisdom over Dexterity. Hammers - Deals a load of damage, even a little on a miss if you spend a feat, and give you more toughness due to their higher Con needs. Requires devotion to Con as a secondary stat, which means they are only accessible to a fringe of Two-Blade Ranger builds.Recommended Hammers Craghammer (AV) - 1d10 brutal 2 averages out to almost the same thing as 1d12, so this is a decent choice.Throwing Hammer (PHB) - Heavy Thrown is nice to have for Melee Rangers, as is miss damage, so this is very decent. Heavy Blades - Their (usually) high proficiency bonus means a better hit rate, which means more chances for you to deal your damage. Weapon Mastery also requires a minimal Dexterity investment, which makes all Melee Rangers happy. They also have some decent feat support, should you have the room.Recommended Heavy Blades Bastard Sword (PHB) - The best weapon most builds can grab, and it's quite worth the feat.Broadsword (AV) - About equivalent to the Battleaxe. Good at first, but outclassed by the Longsword later.Drow Long Knife (EPG) - If you're going for a Thrown weapon, you're looking at the best stats of the bunch.Longsword (PHB) - The classic Heavy Blade, it's actually a pretty good weapon for a Ranger. Light Blades - If you pump Dexterity all the way up, this is your weapon of choice because of its great feat support. Beastmaster Rangers especially like these if they decide to go into Melee with two weapons, and thrown weapon specialists like them (Daggers in particular) because of their versatility and accuracy.Recommended Light Blades  Dagger (PHB) - The quintessential Light Blade. Don't underestimate its low damage die: its versatility can be a great boon to a Ranger, and you'll also find that most good Ranger powers don't rely that heavily on the damage dice.Double Sword (AV) - Decent damage, an AC bonus, and some cash saved by only counting as one weapon for the purpose of buying enchantments.Katar (PHB) - Essentially a Short Sword with high crit. Not quite as good as its cousin the Rapier because it costs a feat, but it's a good upgrade over the Short Sword if you have one of those to spare.Rapier (PHB) - This Light Blade is not off-hand, but that's not a problem for Two-Blade Rangers, and it does pack plenty of punch.Short Sword (PHB) - While unimpressive at first glance, you'll find that some builds can use it to great effect.Spiked Chain (PHB) - While this may seem like it's in the wrong section, Spiked Chain Training makes this the most damaging Light Blade in the game, as well as a Double Weapon with Reach. A very powerful tool in the hands of a Ranger. Maces - Not much in the way of support you can use.Picks - No real support yet. So put it down.Polearms - Considering your focus on Wisdom, a Beastmaster Ranger using a Polearm to punish enemy tactics is not really that out of the question as far as stats are concerned. Unfortunately, this approach will likely require Paragon Multiclassing into a class such as Fighter, so it pigeon-holes you quite a bit, and removes the possibility of dual-wielding to boot. Not worth it IMHO.Slings - While the damage and the range as compared to the big-boy Ranged weapons takes a hit (and not having access to the Bracers of Archery really, really hurts), being able to use a shield while attacking at Range and its Expertise feat make this more worthwhile, and it meshes fairly well with Rogue MC.Recommended Slings Dejada (DSCS) - Solid damage, average range, but being one-handed is what makes this respectable. Spears - Control is not really most Ranger builds' shtick (some Beastmasters can dabble in it). It is a pretty decent weapon choice if you want a thrown weapon specialist.Recommended Spears Gythka (DSCS) - Basically a Double Trident with an AC bonus attached for a feat. Not a bad choice.Javelin (PHB) - Big range, and mediocre damage for its proficiency bonus, but it's at least better than the Handaxe and Throwing Hammer.  Tratnyr (PHB) - The range of the Javelin and the damage of the Trident, combined into a harmonious whole.Trident (AV) - The versatility of throwing or attacking is nice, even if the range is disappointing. As a plus, it doesn't require a feat. Staffs - While there is feat support to make this option not a waste of time, that support will take feats you're probably better off spending somewhere else.Armor: Preservers of the HuntCloth - No real reason to wear this over the other two varieties of Light Armor. Stay far, far away.Leather - This has some nice properties that you can't get anywhere else, and can be nice if you're not a fan of the skill check penalty Hide carries. Still, I like every point of AC I can get my mitts on.Hide - The light armor with the highest AC, and that does count for a lot. Add in the fact that Armor Specialization deals with its only flaw in the skill check penalty, and I'd be hard-pressed to recommend anything else for most Rangers.Chain - If you're venturing into Heavy Armor territory, it means your Dexterity is too low to keep you upright in light armor. This is a decent choice for only requiring a feat, but having a speed penalty and a check penalty is not my idea of optimal armor.Scale - Now THIS is more like it! It has more AC than Chain and no skill check penalty, and the Armor Specialization feat even eliminates the speed penalty. If you're going for a Heavy Armor Ranger, this is your calling.Plate - You can't beat this base AC value in heavy armor. Unfortunately, it also comes saddled with a hefty skill penalty, as well as the customary Heavy Armor speed penalty. To boot, it also requires a heavy feat investment and some ability score pigeonholing. Not for the majority of you.Shields - Don't know if you noticed, but most of the Ranger builds require both of your hands to be occupied with weapons, tossing shields out the window. To boot, you're not proficient in them anyway. Conclusion: Not a good idea.Beast Companions: Brothers in the HuntBear (MP) - Though slow, this companion has a veritable truckload of HP, which means he will be hard to take down, as well as being among the hardest-hitting of companions. His attack bonus is positively awful, though it can work as the tough, physical counterpart to an Archer, as it can absorb more attacks than most of its fellows.Boar (MP) - Boars are fairly vanilla companions, with the only perk being +2 damage while charging, which is just not gonna happen too often. Only Dwarves should consider this as an option (because of the racial support available), though the Boar does have the advantage of getting a damage bonus on most of the better Beastmaster powers. Overall, though, avoid.Cat (MP) - It has more speed than most companions, which is a solid tactical advantage, but nothing jumps out to say, "Pick me!" It feels like a slightly weaker version of the Wolf overall, which basically says "pick the Wolf instead".Horse (D 392) - This companion's huge move speed and mount capability says it all; this makes for an excellent counterpart to an Archer, who (understandably) doesn't want to be all that close, especially since he won't have Prime Shot.Lizard (MP) - This guy has the best AC among the companions, which is good, and he also has a +2 bonus to hit on opportunity attacks. The only real flaw is that its Will defense is a bit low, but I can live with that.Raptor (MP) - Though weak combatants (their HP is dead last among the companions, and the Strength-based Beast powers are wasted on them), they are great to have because of their high accuracy, and their ability to fly means that you can Quarry any enemy you want using them as a starting point. A nice pick if you're not in need of a wall.Serpent (MP) - Solid all-around defenses, and a bonus to damage on OA's. Not bad, though I feel that what really makes it vaiable is the feat support (poison damage is good, though it does cost a feat).Simian (D 392) - While the attributes for it are kind of weak all-around, it provides a bit of action economy, which can count for a lot on a Ranger, who is typically action-strapped.Spider (MP) - The climb speed is a big-time conditional tactical advantage, but nothing else is a big deal about this companion (the poison damage burns a feat, and the Serpent gets it, too).Vadalis-Bred Griffon (EPG) - This is a special case in that it requires you to take a Paragon Path in order to select this beast companion, but it's easily the best companion, and that counts for something.Wolf (MP) - The most damaging Heroic Tier companion with Combat Advantage (which is easy as pie to get as a Beastmaster), it also sports a high move speed and decent defenses. A strong choice.</blockquote>

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