Ultimate Ranger

Ultimate Rangers find their footing in large mobs of small to medium sized enemies, where the ultimate’s ability to target quickly and efficiently means you can wipe out considerably sized groups in no time at all. Those few enemies left behind are easily wiped out by an ult-building combo or two, and with the right components and some lucky inscriptions you’ll also be able to go toe-to-toe in the boss fights. Combos are not forgotten in this build, but are primarily used to boost the ultimate-meter. Best paired with a hard-hitting team who know your build needs.

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Weapons

Gravedigger

• High rate of fire is the the primary reasons for this particular weapon choice. Combined with Elemental Ops (below), enemies are primed for combo in no time at all, with the bonus of +10 to your ult-meter from Badge of Devastation (below) for every ten shots that impact an enemy. Clever use of this weapon can get you several ult-charges and set up a number of primes for you to make use of. I find that mine takes shields down, due to the extremely high damage roll it has, but you may find this gun better used in the second slot. Alternative Weapon: Vassa’s Surprise - highest rate of fire in the game, good size ammo clip.

Artinia’s Gambit

• As with many other builds, this gun in this slot exists almost purely as a stat-stick. This one is in use because of the significant armor boost, and it also packs a decent punch and reasonable rate of fire. Should ammo be scarce, a quick swap out to this gun and you can maintain your ability to quick prime enemies and get your boost from Badge of Devastation.

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Melee Weapon

Rampager

• Good as a close-range detonator, the AoE can allow you to get multiple ult-charges at once if you chance upon a group of smaller-primed enemies. Look for gear-damage and weapon-damage inscriptions, and ideally only use this to combo base enemies, rather than their elite and above counterparts. When fully stacked, Rampager offers a 50% boost to all damage types including ultimate.

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Gear

Last Argument

• The centerpiece to the ultimate-build, last argument grenades offer a +7 to your ult-meter upon impact, and as an added bonus will detonate any primed enemies which offers an additional boost to your meter. Prime a group of enemies, lob a grenade into the middle of them, and watch your ult-meter fill up at a glorious speed. Ideally, the roll you want here is for charges, the more the better. Two charges, aimed well at middling sized groups, will get you your ultimate back in seconds.

Recurring Vengeance

• Long-range seeking detonator missile, for the purposes of this build is mainly used in conjunction with Tip of the Spear (below). Combos give you back your armour so in a pinch, you can use this to combo a couple of enemies, get your health back and keep moving. It’s MW ability giving you back a charge every time you detonate a combo means that you should have no trouble keeping these in stock for those moments when you need a boost, ideal rolls would be jav-wide damage or charges. Again, you can also use those combos to fill out your ult-meter.

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Support Item

Tarsis’ Last Stand

• This bubble augments damage by 20%, and ideally should be popped before any ultimates are fired for that boost. It is stackable, so two rangers in a single party carrying this item should ideally both use it in larger boss situations. You’ll be using your ult a lot, so charges are the best inscription for this item.

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Components

I use a mixture of Jav-specific and Universal components on this build, aiming for a solid build that could stay alive, put out good damage but also build the ultimate meter quickly and efficiently. Across my Javelin specific components, I have an ult-speed of +70%, meaning that even if I stand perfectly still, I gain my ultimate around a minute before any of my team-mates.

Badge of Devastation

• Mentioned above, Badge of Devastation gives a +10 charge to your ult meter when you make a successful 10 hit streak on an enemy. Combine this with a gun with a high fire rate and your meter will build quickly. I utilize this most in boss-fights, as the single large target makes hit streaks easy, and throwing in a couple of combos makes getting your ult-meter refilled incredibly easy. At higher difficulty levels and with good damage stats, your weapon will take out smaller enemies before you can get the boost, so this is better used on larger targets or bosses. Look for an ult-speed roll on this one.

Emergency Power

• Your pocket-ultimate will come in incredibly handy in tight situations, provided you can use the rest of your equipment to avoid proccing it when you don’t want to. For myself, this is also heavily used in boss fights, e.g. 3rd-phase Monitor, where I will Ult, immediately let my health crash to proc Emergency Power, and then hit him again. Look for a double ult-damage roll if possible, but any single high roll with any other benefit will be fine.

Extended Sniper Magazine

• I use this component as it has a double ult-damage roll. It provides no other benefit, as the build does not require a sniper rifle. This can be swapped out with any universal component that has a high ult-damage roll.

Softened Blows

• I mostly use this to stay alive, due to it’s MW perk of damage reduction. It’s not a necessary component, but it can roll ult-damage which makes it very important in boosting the damage output that you have. Look for a double ult-damage roll, or alternatively a single high ult-damage roll.

Tip of the Spear

• Again, not necessary for the build to work, but it’s MW perk of providing 40% boost to armour upon combo makes staying alive a cake-walk. I do a lot of comboing to gain back ultimate, so this component makes life a lot easier. If you’re using this on an ulti-ranger, you’re best to look for an ult-speed roll.

Elemental Ops

• Primes enemies with acid on a 5-hit streak. I wouldn’t say that it’s necessary for the build, and could easily be swapped out for another component that suits your play-style better, but when you are relying on combos to both stay alive and gain back ultimate, it’s a handy one to have. I have an ult-speed roll on mine, and would recommend that you look for the same in order to add benefit.

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Sigils

For this particular build, I run with 2x Ultimate Sigils and 1x Combo Sigils. The former is obvious, that latter is to boost my combo numbers to a point where I can reliably kill the enemies I’m comboing. If you’re wanting to focus on pure Ult damage, simply replace the Combo Sigil with another Ult Sigil.

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Overview

This is just one of many Ranger Ult-builds that are floating around, and it is definitely one of those builds that has great versatility in the items you can use to suit your own playstyle. The main downside to this build which takes some getting used to is that you rely almost solely on Acid primes. In solo play, this means that you have to be precision perfect with how you place your primes and detonates and where you use your Ult, or both will be wasted. On the other hand, this is a perfect build for team-play, where a team who understands your build will help massively. Rangers combo with enough damage to take out most minor enemies, and communication is key so that if you’re “stealing” primes, then your team know about it and are okay with it.

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