How would you play a Ranger build?

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Alysa Roesch

Master Theif
I've been itching to really get into Skyrim again and I want to try a build i've never played before and was wondering if anyone had any advice for a Ranger build. Just any ideas on what armor, weapon, and quests you would choose.
 

Seanu Reaves

The Shogun of Gaming
Bows and Arrows, A few daggers, Your choice of open melee weapons (Sword, axes, one or twohanded)

Light armor, Kyne's Token (Quest reward)


Companions, most quests you find in the wilderness. I think the key thing is how you fight, Sneaking around for bowshots or dagger backstabs, and switching to a different weapon when enemies close in.

What is good about a rangers build is it is really open. You can go and do bounties to help the hold's. Wander and clear out caves and over such things.
 

xsneakyxsimx

Well-Known Member
I personally feel like a Ranger wouldn't be in line with being a part of any major factions or holds, being more a nomadic sword-for-hire. Just my opinion though.
 

Alysa Roesch

Master Theif
I personally feel like a Ranger wouldn't be in line with being a part of any major factions or holds, being more a nomadic sword-for-hire. Just my opinion though.
Yes I feel the same, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any quests a little more challenging then killing a few bandits for 100 gold, but not quite as committed as joining a fraction.
 

xsneakyxsimx

Well-Known Member
There are a few misc quests out there... such as helping the hunter rescue his friends bodies from Spriggans, assisting the warrior to stop a necromancer from defiling his family's tomb. Perhaps the Bard's College is another decent route, since it's a relatively neutral minor faction.
 

Seanu Reaves

The Shogun of Gaming
Ranger's can be part of a faction. Think of it like a character who shows up at the headquarters victorious, gets their pay, and then disappears again.

You can be part of groups and still have the wandering aspects. I feel with builds, you have to leave something open or else you run out of content trying to be faithful to the idea.
 
I feel a ranger would be a traveler. He's out to see and explore the wilds,of skyrim. He wouldn't visit cities too often preferring the smaller communities. Not really interested,in amassing tons of gold. Only carry enough gold to,purchase the items he needs. Maybe more,interested in finding certain artifacts or slaying certain types of foes. He would use a bow, sneak, be into alchemy and possibly smithing. He would use light armor and as far as magic is concerned maybe conjuring and or restoration.
 

TheLonelyWolve

My precious
Personally I feel a ranger would wear clothes ( and my prefered clothes would be the one faendal wears), having to travel "light" and be skilled enough without the use of armor and maybe leather boots and bracers which i'd go for imperial bracers (or for darker items, penitus oculatus bracers) starting off with an imperial or hunting bow and upgrading to different bows at higher levels. (oh and also a dagger or dual wielding daggers)

if you have dawnguard, maybe join them and hunt vampires, of course its all about the rewards in the end though, I wouldnt turn the build into a vampire hunter.
 
Bow and arrow obviously, maybe carry a dagger or other one handed weapon for back up if things get hairy. Also if you want more room for loot, you could try and use Bound Bow and Bound Sword. Dragonborn DLC I believe even has a Bound Dagger. I'm dying to play a build like this myself actually, a sort of conjurer/ranger mix. Anyways, definitely go for light armor, as you need to be able to strafe and dodge out of enemies' way or even run if things get bad. Either put all perks into Agile Warrior to make light armor give awesome protection or invest in Smithing and possibly Enchanting if you want to get fancy. lol
Sneak and Alchemy wouldn't be a bad idea either actually. If you're living off the land and all it only makes sense to use what the earth gives you to make potions. Sneak is always just a good thing to have as an archer.
Perhaps get Vigilance or Meeko as hunting dogs, or Barbas if you're willing to do a Daedric quest. I believe the latter is essential so he could definitely come in handy. I'd recommend Zephyr as the best bow if you want to solely rely on that but again that requires the Dragonborn DLC. Definitely do Kynes Trials, and if you want to serve the Daedric god of the hunt then do Hircine's quest Ill Met by Moonlight. You could get the Saviors Hide that way. Of course if you have PC then you can just Google ranger related mods and have just about whatever you want. :p Hope this helps anyhow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Rhew

The missing snow elf
I'd go with something like ecozombie said. Use bows and arrows, wields daggers, and a furry companion. wear a light leather armor for protection. If you're on pc get a campsite mod so you can actually sleep in the wilderness.
 

Ancano

High Justiciar
Was always very fond of the Imperial Legion Foresters from Oblivion.

These units were equipped with some combination of Heavy and Light Armor, along with their scout Class weaponry and tools.

In particular, the Legions who utilized Legion Boots, Gauntlets and Greaves w/ either the woodsman clothing or light armor were my fav.

Although, I suppose it would be more fitting to wear something like an Iron Breastplate and Boots, then maybe light armor (chainmail?) everything else.

That way, your vital parts are covered and you should still be able to move about rather quickly.
 

JoeReese

Well-Known Member
Jenassa is considered a ranger. She's pretty much what people have described. Light armor, prefers archery, one-handed, etc.
 

Vaga8ond

Active Member
From everything I read about Rangers is that they are secondary only to warriors in their melee prowess but greater use of the bow, however not as efficient as an archer. I would imagine they would be fairly adept at alchemy, 1hand weps, bow, light armor. I tried a 2hand build once but the amount of stamina required to pull of the build in the early levels made it a bit difficult.
 

Pete

Well-Known Member
My rangers use illusion. That way they can calm animals. Also the muffled movement and sneaking go well with the idea of not making alot of noise. He's a breakdown of a fun build I had
  • Illusion
  • Archery
  • 1H iron or steel only
  • Long bow or hunters bow only
  • Light fur armor w/fur helmet for full set
  • Enchanting
  • Alchemy
  • Staffs
Finding an iron mace of soul trap is truely a joyous time. A self enchanted hunters bow with a self created deadly poison and rapid fire are things to behold.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
From reading this, apparently my idea of a Ranger is totally different from y'all's. I base mine on Rangers from LOTR and other games, and, while they all use bow and arrow, the usually use swords (one or two handed) and knives as well, as well as alchemy and restoration magic. They also inevitably use light armor.

I'm probably just a freak though.
 

Nephor The Shadow Stalker

Strike swiftly and silently.
I always come back to my Khajiit ranger when I get bored with other builds. I use multiple skills and I'm not to picky about quests either. The only one I joined was the thieves guild do to obvious reasons. I find wandering a great deal of my time but every so often I need to stop in at a city to sell useless things and maybe buy a house to store my alchemy stuff. Archery is my strongest aspect with one-handed not far behind.
 

Orionza

New Member
I always play a ranger first in my games before anything else. Light leather armor, bows arrows and short swords or daggers (but I rarely need them). I use a Huskey companion from Dawnguard, but any animal works i.e. conjured wolf if you like. I usually make a Bosmer ranger for the stats. Mine will plan and sneak to get the bonus from Hidden Shot. When I can one shot most stuff, I turn up the difficulty. Use poisons. My Bosmer likes enchanting nature-y homes, and as a hunter she prefers in the woods. If you play on the pc you can find a few nice house mods. There is a nice mod where you can have animal companions via a worn ring. I used a sabretooth before I got the dog. No magic except restoration. Get Azura's Star for lots of soul capturing to recharge your bows.. Dawnguard for crossbows and exploding arrows.
 

romulus0806

New Member
first of all i play as a bosmer ranger.for factions i would choose the imperial legion(to be kind of a imperial scout and forrester) the companions for the werewolfism and the dawnguard. get ahold of some items right away.get both the saviour's hide and hircine s ring.get kyne's token from froki's mission.use the bow of the hunt in animal confrontations and the glass bow of the stag prince after the you get it.the poacher's axe is pretty cool to have.use leather armor and a cowl(or fur in the snowy regions of skyrim for roleplaying) the skills should be restoration(to heal any hunter or animal you find) light armor(protection and agility) one handed(dual wielding perks especially) alchemy(to craft poisons and potions for urself) and last but not least the archery skill wich is most important.i hope you enjoy this :)
 

sticky runes

Well-Known Member
I would probably think about what life event from my character's past caused him or her to choose becoming a ranger.

Daddy wandered into a cave and never came home? Then I'd focus on exploring caves that the guards warn me not to go into.

Mummy eaten by trolls? I'd become a troll hunter who collects troll skulls and place them around my home so that people know who to look for if they have problems with trolls and other dangerous beasts.

Doggy died protecting me from a pack of wolves? Then I'd befriend a stray mutt to keep me company on my travels. Maybe adopt a child to train in survival and combat, and to be best friends with the dog.

Lakeview would probably make the best home, with my archery instructor Faendal as steward.
 

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