Beginner's guide to playing a ranger

This article is a work in progress!

The purpose of this guide is to assist inexperienced players understand and easily surmount the challenges of rolling up a new ranger from the ground up. It focuses on the entire process of character creation and slightly beyond into the beginning of a ranger's life, including character development, choosing initial stat placement, designing a skill training plan, and basic hunting strategies to bring those skill sets to life.

That said, the character building strategies described within this guide are meant to be only that – a simple guide – and are not to be taken as the only viable methods for doing so. The player is encouraged to take these generalities and build their character into the living, breathing person they envision. Gemstone IV provides an extremely vibrant and expansive world in which nearly anything a player can think up may be done.

What is a Ranger?

Rangers are one of the three semi professions in Gemstone. Rangers typically hunt using a combination of physical attacks and spells (both spiritual and nature-based). Overall, they are a very versatile group capable of hunting in a variety of styles and capably learning a variety of useful skills.

Rangers are also eventually capable of developing a life-long bond with a companion animal, who can assist them in their journeys.

Roleplaying and Character Development

The fundamentals of character development are all about the shaping and defining of one's character. To begin the process of character building, it is highly recommended that new players take some time familiarizing themselves with some of the game's lore found on the main website and within this wiki. Basic knowledge of the game's lore is invaluable in helping a player decide what they want their character to become, or at least start them on the path to discovery. Will he be a contemptuous half-elven pariah, exiled from some remote city in the Turamzzyrian Empire, or will she be an obedient giantman from the Grishknel Wolf Clan, a scout for her nomadic village? Getting to know even the littlest bits about the world of Elanthia will put a player leaps and bounds ahead into deciding who they want their character to be.

One of the best places to start the investigation are races and their respective subcultures as this will be one of the first things that players will be required to choose for a character before playing (technically, a subculture may be chosen later at leisure using the title verb, but a race must be selected when starting a new character). Cities and the political powers that govern them are another excellent option for starting character development (e.g. the cities of the Elven Nations and the Human – that is, Turamzzyrrian – Empire). Even looking at skill descriptions and game mechanics can help a player understand what’s possible within the world. However, looking into one subject can lead down the rabbit hole into a seemingly unending series of articles and subjects, so it is suggested that players pace themselves and remember while researching that they don’t have to figure out absolutely everything right away. The purpose of initial research should just be to get them started. Characters can and should continue to develop throughout their entire existence as they continue to gather experiences, make friends and enemies, and travel the world.

Of course, a player may decide to eschew this process initially and get right into playing. Many decide after character creation who they want their characters to be.

After character creation, one of the best tools to progress a character’s development is for the player to interact with others: watch people, talk to people, and ask questions. Watch the calendars for upcoming events and get involved (e.g. by joining a house). Make sure to explore and see the things there are to see – there are hints about the world everywhere. Finally, have fun and live the character’s story.

See Also

• Ranger (main article)
• New Players' Guide (a comprehensive beginner's guide for new players of any profession)
• The Art of the Bow (guide)
• The Art of Roleplaying in GemStone IV (guide)
• Player Guide Contest

References

• Ranger profession on Play.net
• GemStone IV New Player Guide on Play.net

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