Here's my "dilemma"?

• abc33kr wrote on 2010-08-14 16:12

  Quote from Phanterz;124813:

  Mana shield = use MP pots = minus strength
  Not only do I have 0 will, int, and luck, but now I have to have 0 strength too? lol
  I kept trying to interrupt the shamen's melee combo but it kept killing my pets D8
  
  Also, their LB is r5+.

  
  
  Why would you have pot poisoning?
  
  You shouldn't have to spam pots so much if you had enough control and not get hit.
  
  But if you lag a bit and is likely to spam pot, then just use mana shield till your mp runs out. Additional 200~300 "hp" is helpful.
• Vanof wrote on 2010-08-14 18:36
  TL;DR Version
  Range takes a lot of life skills, aside from the combat skills to get good damage. Be ready to spent a lot of time ranking life skills if you want to do range. Critical+ enchants recommended. Human range is very safe as opposed to elf range.
  
  Long Version
  
  I don't advise ranking ranged on a human unless you plan on committing to it.
  
  Why is this?...
  
  Human archers take about 100 more dex to manage the DPS an elf can have. There is a tradeoff, human range is much safer and reliable. But, still weak.
  
  Ranking all of your range skills is simply not enough to get the damage you need, hence life skills.
  
  Having at least 200 dex gives you acceptable damage, but it still can't match mediocre human melee skills when chained properly.
  
  With at least r5 AR and a normal/fast bow, you can juggle up to 3~4 monsters if you can windmill at the right time, and use your pets here and there.
  
  Crash Shot does take things, but with only ~150 max damage it still becomes difficult to do decent damage.
  
  Life skills take a huge commitment to training past refine. The 500 max damage mentioned is definitely a holy grail that's near impossible to achieve without r1 trans skills and a high leveled ego bow, but even with 300 max damage(much more realistic) human range will start to shine out a bit more.
  
  As for what enchants to go for, I recommend relying on crit as much as possible if you're human range.
  
  Anyway, I hope that helps shed some light. Human range is not ineffective, it's just weak as far as DPS is concerned. G12~G13 change this very much, don't worry.(although elves will always do more damage)
  
  Keep in mind, as of G12, you can support shot, then run into the mob you just shot and smash them for a 170%(r1) damage bonus.
• Kaeporo wrote on 2010-08-14 18:51

  Quote from Phanterz;124078:

  Connection is good enough for ranged, as I can still pull off 90+% aim's at max distance with AR, but the speed that the skills load are increased by about 0.2 sec.
  The problem i see with both magic and alchemy is that they require too much AP to use efficiently...
  
  Though you're right in that the range shouldn't be underestimated.
  
  R1 AR + R1 Range is almost as fast as elf range in DPS, but the magnum shot sucks hard.

  
  
  Human Magnum Shot DPS (minus refire time): 333%
  
  Arrow Revolver DPS (minus refire time): 490%
  Arrow Revolver aim speed: 300%, 50-100%
  
  Elven Ranged Attack DPS (minus refire time): 666%
  Elven Ranged Attack aim speed: 200%, 0-100%
  
  Elven Magnum Shot DPS (minus refire time): 1000%
  
  Arrow revolver is more reliable than elven ranged attack at the cost of rate of fire. I would call that a fair trade. Elven magnum shot is legions better than human magnum shot, especially when under the influence of final shot. Eh...human magnum still loads faster than smash.
• Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-08-14 18:55
  My best gameplay is between 200-300ms latency and I often have to deal with 300-1000ms latency, so I can understand your situation. Alchemy/magic can help, but will eat too much AP, so I'll just talk about melee and what works for me (as a lag-prone player).
  
  Firstly, check on disabling nagle algothrim if you haven't done that yet, it helps to cut down the lag a lot.
  
  With your situation you are best suited for party play and a lot of smashing/defending and windmill on situation for the higher shadow missions (Tara castle type like spirit of partholon). Some pet play can help, but you have to control them carefully or you will upset party play. You need to boost damage with enchants and also boost your defence.
  
  Even though you are better off working on melee, you should aim to get as much dex as you can because many of the best enchants for damage take off dex. (Examples being lich enchant for 2-handed swords - minus 30 dex and wooden needle for gloves - minus 16 dex.) Ranged attack and AR will only get you so far. You have to do life skills. It is not easy, but it will be worth it. Side effect being that you can go into range anytime you want and yet be awesome in melee. Refine is top priority, something that everyone should do if they can, before it becomes too difficult to do. Weaving also gives a lot of dex.
  
  Also, because of your lag, you should be looking at how to prolong your survival in dungeons. Heavy armor is recommended. PD or no-PD doesn't matter. That is up to you. Defensive/oak with max def upgrades is the best defence combination but if it is too difficult at least a defensive/imp with max def upgrades is good.