Ranger/Hunter
DPS build for PSO2

The Best PSO2 Builds by Odealo

1. Introduction

Ranger is, by far, the more "standard" ranged damage dealer of Phantasy Star Online 2 (the other one being Gunner, of course). Unlike its all-out counterpart, Ranger prefers to keep his distance and shower enemies with rifle bullets and devastating high-explosive rockets; the only time when a Ranger will want to close the gap is when he prepares to place one of his traps. Ranger's toolkit includes the before-mentioned traps that act as both AoE damage and AoE cc abilities, as well as Grenades that can stun or drag targets to the center of their influence (Gravity Bomb). His mobility is not quite on par with Gunner's but still very respectable, however, some of his skills promote a rather stationary playstyle. If there is one thing at which a Ranger really shines is ranged AoE DPS - his Launchers are extremely devastating when fired at grouped-up enemies.

Our Subclass of choice for this Ranger build is Hunter, as he boosts our DPS even further and gives us some much-needed survivability, with skills like Hunter Physique and Auto-Mate Half. This Subclass choice makes our Ranger a great choice for all players who want to try the class for the first time; It makes the build much more forgiving without gimping its capabilities. 

Important note:  This build idea adopts a lot from the JP version of the game and might be slightly reworked as we get to do more thorough testing for the PC version. Nevertheless, it will provide a very solid base for beginners who want to delve down the path of the Braver, and help you understand the basic playstyle and principles of this Class. 

You can also check other PSO2 Builds created by our team right here: Best PSO2 Builds

2. General Information and playstyle

Ranger is a versatile mid-to-long range damage dealer who excels at both single-target and AoE damage-dealing - depending on his chosen weapon. For single-target encounters, he uses Rifles, while for dealing with multiple enemies at once, he utilizes Launchers. Moreover, he brings good utility, in the form of multi-purpose grenades and mines, to the table. On top of that, he has the ability to mark his targets and thus increase the overall DPS of his group. When you play as a Ranger, situational awareness and positioning is the key; you want to make the most out of your "Stationary Fire" skills and move as rarely as possible. When marking your targets, try to mark spots that can be easily hit by both ranged and melee members of your groups - this will ensure that everybody takes advantage of the marks. Lastly, try to utilize your traps as well as you can, as each time you inflict damage with them, you will restore some of your PP. 

3. Build's PROS & CONS

4. Skill Trees

Our recommended setup was made for a level 75 Characters (the current cap on the English/North American server) with the Ranger main class and Hunter sub-class. For the Ranger's side of things, we have chosen Skills that are focused around raw DPS, sustainability, and maximizing Precision Damage. As for our Subclass, Hunter, it is built to increase damage output and survivability. The complete Skill Trees look as follows: 

MAIN CLASS: RANGER
Core Ranger Skills:
	Advanced Precision Hit (1 & 2) - Boosts your Ranged Damage dealt against the enemy's weak points. This is especially strong when combined with Launcher Non-Weak Bonus (L) Ring as it gives unconditional damage boost to your Launchers then.
	Blight Rounds - Assault Rifle skill that allows you to load your Rifle with rounds that lower enemy's defenses on hit. At 10/10 you load 6 rounds at a 90 seconds Cooldown.
	Stationary Fire 1 & 2 - Increases your damage dealt with attacks performed while you are stationary. Maxing out both 1 & 2 ranks of this will give you a 40% damage boost. Because of this skill, you want to limit your movements as much as possible - which makes proper positioning paramount.
	Mobile Fire - Increases your damage dealt with attacks performed while you are Moving. This has only 1 rank and thus provides only a 25% boost. Picking this up reduces your damage downfalls caused by moving and allows you to stay effective during movement-heavy encounters.
	Tactical Trap - Inflicting damage with traps will now restore PP. Great sustain-related skill to have. Use those traps.
	Ammo Maintenance - Prevents special rounds from disappearing when you switch weapons. This allows you to shuffle between your Rifle and your Launcher without losing any precious Blight Rounds.
Sub CLASS: HUNTER
Core Hunter Skills:
	Perfect Attack Bonus (1 & 2) - This gives your non-Technique perfect attacks a very solid damage boost. Must-have for an offensive-focussed character.
	Fury Stance - Increases your Damage Dealt and Damage Received. It is important to rise it to 10/10 as rank 10 mitigates damage taken increase, leaving just damage bonus. A large portion of this build's damage output comes from this skill. Fury Stance 1 & 2 improve your gains from this even further.
	Critical Fury - You want to use Fury Stance at all times, which makes this skill a must-have. It boosts your critical hit rate by 25% extra when maxed out.
	Hunter Physique - Reduces damage taken and prevents you from being knocked down while active. A very powerful defensive cooldown, when maxed out, it has a whopping 50% uptime. If you position yourself well during encounters and stay alert at all times, this skill alone should be enough to keep you alive.
	Auto-Mate Half - Your character will automatically use a "-mate' item when your Health falls below half. If you don't have lightning-fast reflexes, this will make your life much, much easier. It will also allow you to play more aggressively without looking after your HP total as much.

5. Recommended Gear

LEFT RINGS
Leaping Dodge (L)	Gives you access to the Leaping Dodge Skill that allows you to gain verticality, which makes locking on weak spots and selecting priority targets much easier. You are also immune to damage during the Leap, so this doubles as a defensive measure.
Precision Blight Rounds (L)	This ring makes your Blight Rounds hit locked-on areas even when they are out of your line of sight/obstructed. With this, you will become much stronger in encounters that feature cover (so many of them).
Launcher Non-Weak Bonus (L)	Makes your "Advanced Precision Hit 1 & 2" Skills apply to all damage dealt with Launchers. This ring gives you a 30% damage boost when using Launchers, without any secondary conditions.
RIGHT RINGS
PP Conversion (R)	Gives you access to the PP Conversion Skill. Using the skill will increase your natural PP regeneration rate and reduce your max HP by 30% for 20 seconds. It has 90 seconds Cooldown. Not the best thing for a "tank", but it's good to have in case of emergency.
HP Restore (R)	Grants you the HP Restore skill while equipped. This will increase your survivability and allow you to play more aggressively.
UNITS
++ Saiki Set	One of the most powerful Sets in the game. It gives you +60 across all offensive stats (S-Atk, R-Atk, and T-Atk) as well as 80 Dexterity and 25 PP.
MAG
Ranged Attack	This build relies mainly on Ranged Attacks so you need to use the R-ATK Type Mag and evolve it accordingly.

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