I am currently running an archer through SoA. However, when the quest abilities start coming, what should I pick ? I'm not sure about this whirlwind stuff, because as of right now I have 9/2 attacks. With an improved haste I have 9. Now I'm thinking if I get a bunch of critical strikes. I can have 9 criticals a round. Which does more damage than any 10 hits can do. And Improved haste lasts a whole lot longer than whirlwind. I'm also engaging from a different direction, so a disel's blast radius doesn't include me.

Also, has anyone seen any kind of +4 ammunition out there besides bullets ? I have 1 * in bsword, spears, and longsword, and grandmastery in long bows. I think I may have enough to get grandmastery in crossbows or slings. I really dislike the thought of using slings however, but I don't think there are any +4 arrows out there. Someone PLEASE say I'm wrong.

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Err... without whirlwind, the most attacks you can get per round is 5. Get a LOT of greater whirlwinds. That is a great skill.

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Hmm... I don't recall any arrows better that plus 3.

Frankly, none of the special abilities the Archer gets are as cool as the plain old Called Shot. I did try out the Whirlwind together with Called shot, and it worked amazingly well.
There's a special that knocks back enemies - Smite? or something. That might be cool, if it didn't push things out of range. You might try swatting enemies away from a melee comrade in trouble http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif

Lets see

First - you only get the opp. to choose critical strike once (and thus can only use it once per day). However you do need to choose critical strike once to be able to choose Smite (which is critical strike plus stun & a blow-back teleport similar to dragon's wind). Smite can be chosen again and again.

Second - I believe that improved haste (with a 9/2) will get you more than 5 attacks per-round.

Third - arrows of piercing are +4 (funny though that they didn't hit the demilich in SOA).

They are not +4 arrows but mearly give you a bonus of +4 in rolls because they pierce armour.
+5 bullets exist from the Sling of Everard.

Oh to answer you Q:

It depends what you use your archer for?
Melee you should use whirlwind attacks. How do you get 9/2 on melee?
Otherwise get Hardiness as that will absorb 40% of all melee damage!!!!!
War Cry is good against lesser forces.

Improved Haste doubles the number of attacks per round. Attacks go by halves and wholes. I have nine-halves of an attack. If I cast improved haste on myself, I now have nine attacks per round. Only one short of 10.

Critical Strike can be chosen several times a day. Smite, however can not. ( I do not see the rationale behind this, knocking enemies half-way across the screen, forcing you to haul ass after them is no-where near as unbalancing as giving you 10 attacks per round )


Anyways to clarify I only have 9/2 using my longbow. In melee I have like 2 or 3 at max I think. I'm proficient, have the warrior bonus attacks, and I don't think sans whirlwinds and items, it can get any higher. However, I'm just sticking my ranger's melee slots with weapons no one else is proficient in. Spears, longswords, and katanas for example.

War cry is nice, but I don't get mobbed often, and when wielding taralash and ammy of cheetah speed, and under the effects of improved haste, I can run faster than anybody else in the game. Boots of Speed don't come close.

Though I probably will choose a few war cries for those situations, like the stamina challenge in watcher's keep and the test of retribution, and other assorted gobbledy gook. Though I do suspect a greater malison needs to drop before it can work with any semblance of regularity.

Keep the suggestions coming !

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Death comes for you, FEEL IT'S ICY TOUCH

I say don't even bother with War Cry. The enemies are *always* saving vs it anyway. Since you're an archer and have 9/2 attacks per round, just load up on Critical Strikes. This combined with the simple yet cool archer skill called shot, should allow you to do a whole lot of damage in little time.

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Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I just don't have to listen.
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I'd say get as many Critical Strikes as you can and possibly three or four Hardines. Called shot is nice too http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif. War Cry is really only useful against lesser oponents but those aren't much of a threat anyway. same goes for (Greater) Deathblow. Resist Magic or whatever that one is called can be useful, though you can probably just use the cleric spell Magic Resistance instead. and as far as I know Tracking (if archers even get it) is a waste.

as for weapons, you can get proficiency either in slings and use the Sling of Everard, short bows for the Short Bow of Gesen or crossbows for the Firetooth.
the sling fires +5 bullets so those hit anything, Gesen bow I believe is +4 so it's still very effective. Firetooth on the other hand fires just +2 arrows.
I'd recomend the Gesen bow since short bows have a better rate of fire than slings.

Robin Hood, Archer

Hardiness 2
Smite! 1 <---- I rather have 10 of these than Critical Strike. Sigh... ...
Critical Strike 10
Greater Whirlwind 1
Whirlwind 1
Power Attack 1
Tracking 1 <---- Regretted this, but what the Hell. http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...les/tongue.gif

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