To translate a little better: Try and play a class before you judge it.
Well based off your sig, I don't think you've reached DL levels or "end game" so to speak. So talking about who gets kills at raid bosses… that would be second hand info for you. But that's not too important.
Ranger skills definitely need to be worth using; there's no debate about that.
The real question is: after rangers get a skill buff, should a ranger's DPS match the DPS of an equally statted/geared/leveled rogue?
In my opinion, the answer to that is no. Range is an advantage in this game, and not just at bosses where rangers stand out of range of AoEs. Rangers can also solo lower level bosses by bolasing and kiting. This is something few end game rangers mention.
A level 180+ DL ranger can solo any 6* boss in OW except aggy without using items. A level 180+ DL rogue, even with maxed reflexes and life steal and the best raid loot for his/her level, cannot solo 6* bosses without using items. The reason for this is that 6* bosses use a variety of skills, mostly close range ones, that reflexes cannot help avoid.
A melee DPS class ought to deal slightly more damage than a ranged DPS class. Yakat didn't make this rule up; I didn't make this rule up. Sacrificing damage for range and vice versa are fairly universal principles in all games.
P.S. Druids getting kills on 6* bosses is an extremely rare occurrence on my world. If you're talking about killing 1*-4* mobs, then yes, druids can get the kill depending on which skills they open with. But if you're talking about 6* bosses, full DPS druids do not get the kill unless something crazy happens. And if for whatever reason, a DPS druid on your world consistently gets the kill on 6* bosses, that means they are also beating rogue DPS.
Dl levels... true. And yes, most of my information is secondhand. It isn't 'primary source material'. As in I am, myself, not of dl level. That said, I have been in more than one high-level clan and accompanied said clan on a dl raid multiple times. Bosses I have helped at personally: every boggan boss, glash, and spider. Being a ranger in tight spaces is the cause of receiving more AoEs than I care to remember in the boggan caves. I have specced to support ranger to assist with bolgs and trolls. I have watched other people take down or be in the process of taking down every endgame boss outside of necro (and recent event bosses...). So trust me, I (for a mid-level ranger) have a pretty good idea what all has been going on. Also I am very active on forums, though I do tend to lapse on occasion (recently began writing an AAR for NTW). Anyway, moving along.
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
Well its good to hear someone not a ranger say that. Thank you. Indeed, that is... a question. And, for rogues, a very important one. No one would want to destroy the rogue king's throne.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
(Though that is not what I am going for, just a class that can have comparable dmg)
I understand your opinion. Range is an advantage, as far as a ranger being able to get a shot or two off before a mob closes for close combat (excluding ranged-attack mobs). Bolas works great until, as it loves to do, it evades. Once it evades a bolas-built ranger is dead (rangers in v3 didn't get that memo until the spring for the most part). The reason so few rangers mention it: it evades so much and does no dmg, in pvp it is useless, and it requires a heck of a lot more space that most endgame leveling areas allow- even in ow its a tight squeeze. For the most part, given plenty of space, yes rangers can move out of the range of most aoes- provided they aren't being targeted and forced (wanting to or otherwise) to go toe-to-toe.
I believe most rangers 180+ with full dl (including quiver) could probably solo most, if not all, of the ow bosses without using items. Some, like others have mentioned like pyrus, would take too long without at least a couple more rangers participating at minimum. Also even with bolas, one has to be extremely skilled in order to stay JUST outside the boss's casting range while staying close enough to keep him from resetting. The end of my quote I saved up above comes into play here. That said, your right, I believe it would be extremely difficult for a rogue to even attempt such a thing, as far as the stonelord goes anyway. Most of the ow bosses have little enough health that at 180 a rogue would have little problem- provided they were properly built. That said, that is a personal opinion. I have seen a number of rogues on morr solo ow bosses at one time or another, but I am sure at least most of those were using plat items (though also too low-leveled to count).
dmg for range. That's a new one. a dagger between a man's fourth and fifth rib will kill him just as easily as an arrow in the same place- and both can be thrown (dagger by hand, arrow by bow). A good knife-thrower can throw from a pretty good distance.
Perhaps OTM could delve more thoroughly into the rogue's more camouflaged side? A dagger delivered in the dark is as effective, if not more so, than an arrow in the woods. Also keep in mind mages and druids are also ranged attackers (or can be, just like rangers). Though this v4 kind of kills my point, mages are supposed to be the best burst dmg… at RANGE.
For your ps: True, not always. Druids don’t regularly get kills on anything over the other classes. But some who are really good at their class can pull it off enough times to be made note of. Kind of like rangers atm with 6* boss kills… only most can’t pull it off with any regularity.