Beginner Ranger

This is my personal suggestion for a Ranger set-up while playing through the main story and leveling up to pilot level 30. Early game there is quite a lot of freedom to play however you want as guns are quite effective and most gear is as well (this is not the case in the end game). Feel free to change things out or just do whatever feels good to you personally.

Weapons

Devastator

• The guns are entirely personal preference as most of them will get the job done. Devastator is my favourite gun in the game. It is SO satisfying to use and the explosive rounds can clear out several small enemies with a single shot. I will forever use this Sniper Rifle when on a low level pilot.

Havoc

• My favourite automatic gun. A high RPM light machine gun that packs a serious punch. Very good at tearing off Valkyrie shields, or just killing them outright.

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Melee Weapon

Seismic Mace

• This is the detonator melee weapon, which has a small area of effect allowing you to detonate multiple combos if you prime several enemies in a small area. It also deals respectable damage on it's own if you need to finish off the last little bit of a health bar

Gear

Venom Darts

• The ever important acid primer. Acid reduces enemy resistances by 25%, increasing all damage for the duration. Make sure you spread acid around as much as possible, this gear comes with 2 charges and a pretty fast recharge rate which makes that pretty easy.

Frag Grenade

• A high damage, medium area of effect detonator. Use this when you have a group of enemies primed, use your melee for single target combos.

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Support Item

Bulwark Point

• Puts up a shield bubble around you, blocking all damage until it breaks. Very helpful if you get into trouble or you need to revive a team mate. Get your use in with it now, its entirely useless in GM3 because it breaks before you even finish the animation.

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Components

As you level up you will unlock more component slots, maxing out at 6 slots at level 23. Use this list as a guide for the ideal components to use as you unlock more slots. Keep in mind that your Javelin’s shields and armor come from your components, which are based on the item level. You may have to switch out a preferred component for something less ideal if you outlevel it too far and can’t get a higher level version.

Ranger Combo Augment

• 50% increased combo damage, absolutely huge buff. You need this component.

Ultimate Inscription

• Adds 15% damage to your ultimate. Ranger has a particularly strong ultimate and it is the focus of a lot of end game builds.

Grenadier Inscription

• Recharges your grenade 30% faster, very nice for obvious reasons. More booms = good.

Crossed Arms

• Increases blast damage by 35% and lowers impact damage by 15%. This is part of a pairing with the next component which has the opposite effect.

Convergence Core

• Increases impact damage by 35% and lowers blast damage by 15%. Now you have a nice +20% to both blast (grenades and other non-ult or combo explosions) and impact (guns and other single target attacks)

Firearm Calibration Core

• Boosts weapon damage by 25%. If you use guns a lot (a habit you should work on breaking if you intend to get into Grandmaster 3) you may want to rank this higher, but it's realy up to you.

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Overview

This build is designed to easily clear small enemies with your guns, melee or frag grenade while giving you very strong acid combos for larger targets and your ultimate for anything that survives that. Try to get used to keeping acid on any larger enemies and comboing as much as possible. Combos will also help fill your ultimate meter much faster. If you find yourself wanting to combo even more, swap out Frag Grenade for Inferno Grenade to give yourself a fire primer. This will limit you to only your melee weapon for detonation though, which can work fine as long as you're careful not to get slapped by something bigger than you. Check out our Advanced Ranger Guide for tips on movement and combat. Once you get up to or near level 30, check out the Ranger Guide for a great breakdown of all the Masterwork gear that you will start to find from level 25 on.

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