There are many different classes to pick in Dark and Darker, but the Ranger tends to stand out the most for players who like keeping a safe distance while taking out enemies. With access to different types of ranged weapons and unique perks and skills, it is worth diving in and fully understanding everything that the class offers.
Key Highlights
- The Ranger is a dangerously strong ranged class with access to three different types of bows and a Crossbow.
- Ranger has a limited melee arsenal but can use the Spear or Rapier Sword combined with high movement speed to hold their own in melee.
- The Perks and Skills for Ranger class let them have various builds.
- Rangers can use the campfire to heal themselves and others, whereas traps can be used to catch enemies off-guard.
- There are many different playstyles that can be used with the Ranger, even making it a great fit for Solo players.
Ranger Weapons
As you might’ve guessed, the Ranger has more weapon options when it comes to ranged weapons as compared to melee weapons. However, you still have some interesting melee choices. Here’s a breakdown of the weapons that can be used with the Ranger.
Primary Weapons
Your Primary Weapon is what you’ll be relying on the most. It is important to choose this according to your playstyle and what you’re more comfortable with. There are three different bows that you can choose from.
- Longbow: If you’re the type of player that wants to deal as much damage as possible from a distance, then the Longbow is the right choice for you. It deals the most damage out of all the bow options. However, the large power and damage come with an added weight that slows down your movement speed. If you can get over that or are the type to position yourself strategically and away from your enemies, then the Longbow is a good option.
- Survival Bow: Coming towards the polar opposite of the Longbow, the Survival Bow is the lightest of all the bows. It allows you to maintain a high movement speed and fire rate. Because of the high fire rate, you don’t have to worry about being precise and accurate with each shot, as you’ll already be ready to fire again. However, the damage of your bow is also much lesser as compared to the Longbow, so you’ll need to hit your opponents more often.
- Recurved Bow: The Recurved Bow is a good balance of damage and speed. It doesn’t dominate in any one of those aspects, making it an in-between of both the Survival Bow and Longbow. If you’re a beginner, then the Recurved Bow might be a good option for you.
It is also worth mentioning that you can use a Crossbow with the Ranger as well. It is a really good option as you can deal an extremely high amount of damage with it. However, the Crossbow has a long reload time and a small quiver, making it less effective for most players. Although you can use a perk later on to increase your reload speed, you might be better off skipping the Crossbow unless you get your hands on a high-tiered variant.
Melee Weapons
- Rapier: The Rapier is a lightweight sword with medium range but less damage. You can maintain a high movement speed if you equip the Rapier. Therefore, if you combine your speed with some good footwork, you can deal a good amount of melee damage if you can get some continuous hits on your foe. And considering your primary damage dealer will be a bow, the Rapier is a good option as a secondary weapon.
- Arming Sword: Your second sword option is the Arming Sword which has higher damage output than the Rapier but reduces your movement speed more as well. Although the Arming Sword can be a viable option, it doesn’t quite make sense as if you wanted to rely on melee; there are overall better options than the Ranger for such a play style. However, it is worth experimenting with the Arming Sword, just for the sake of it.
- Spear: If you want to use a spear, you will need to use a Perk that allows you to do so. Considering that the perk also offers you an increase in physical damage, the Spear is a better option than both the Rapier and Arming Sword if you do plan on dealing melee damage to your enemies. Additionally, the Spear has a wider range than the other two melee weapons, making it more useful for sustaining a position where you can use both your melee and ranged weapons. It can also be effective against trapped enemies.
Ranger Perks
Also, it is worth mentioning that you can equip a maximum of four perks at a time. However, the number of usable perks also depends on your level. If you’re level 0, you can only equip a single perk. That increases with every five increments in your level, meaning you can equip four perks at level 15. Regardless, here is a breakdown of each of the perks.
- Crossbow Mastery: It offers a 50% increase in reload and movement speed while reloading. It is only worth using if you’ve got a high-leveled Crossbow due to the reduced amount of shots with the Crossbow. Regardless, you’ll be able to deal a serious amount of damage to your enemies, making it a useful but situational perk.
- Enhanced Hearing: A generally great Perk to have for almost any type of Ranger Build, as it offers you information about your enemies and can give you the extra edge. It essentially improves the enemy footstep sounds, allowing you to hear and detect them easily. If you’re the type of Ranger that likes using traps, Enhanced Hearing will be especially useful for you as you’ll be able to set up your traps more efficiently and according to your enemies’ movements.
- Tracking: While we’re already on the topic of footsteps, Tracking is another great perk that lets you see your enemy’s footsteps on the ground. That makes it a great Perk for players that use traps or those that are playing solo, as it’ll keep them more aware of their surroundings.
- Trap Expert: We’ve mentioned Perks that might be useful for those that love traps, but no trap master can get away without using Trap Expert. It allows you to set up or disarm traps much faster. Therefore, if you know an enemy is nearby, Trap Expert will ensure that you’re ready to face them.
- Kinesthesia: Useful for players who are either already suffering with a low speed due to heavy equipment or want to become untouchable. Kinesthesia offers a 10% increased speed while moving with a drawn bow. This can be useful if you’re using one of the heavier bows, such as the Longbow.
- Nimble Hands: It doesn’t matter what bow you’re working with; a faster-drawn bow will always help you give the extra edge needed in battle. As Nimble Hands grants you 15% faster bow drawing, it is vital for any Ranger player.
- Ranged Weapons Expert: If you’re primarily relying on ranged weapons and don’t want to dive too deep into the trap system, then Ranged Weapons Expert is a good perk for you. It offers a 5% increase in physical damage. If you’re just starting out, this might be a useful perk.
- Sharpshooter: Another perk that almost every single Ranger can benefit from is the Sharpshooter perk. It grants you a 15% increase in damage for headshots. If you’re using the Recurved bow or the Survival Bow, you’ll be able to use Sharpshooter more efficiently due to the faster reload, allowing you to dish out more shots and ultimately have a higher headshot chance.
- Spear Proficiency: If you want to use one of the strongest melee weapons in the game, a spear, then you’ll need to use Spear Proficiency as one of your perks. It allows you to use a spear and grants +10 physical damage.
Ranger Skills
The Ranger has five different skills to choose from. Out of all five, you can only equip two at a time. There are some abilities that seem much better than others, but in the end, it depends on your playstyle.
- Quickshot: As of right now, Quickshot is perhaps one of the strongest skills that you can choose for the Ranger. It lets you shoot three arrows rapidly and can inflict a good amount of damage in a short period.
- Multishot: Another skill you can choose that complements the Quickshot quite well is the Multishot. It lets you shoot five arrows that fan outwards, great for dealing damage to multiple enemies or those that get too close.
- Quick Fire: All of your actions’ speed increases by 50% for five seconds. Meaning you can set up traps, reload, and open doors and chests 50% faster. That makes the ability great for almost any sort of build.
- Field Ration: Simply put, it grants you +25HP. That makes the skill great for helping you gain a bit of health during battle and can get you out of many sticky situations.
- True Shot: Probably the least useful skill out of all is True Shot. It reduces arrow drops, making them more precise. On its own, it doesn’t sound too bad but compared to other skills; you definitely have better options.
Useful Builds
You can create different types of builds for the Ranger in Dark and Darker. All of these will heavily rely on what kind of weapon, perks, and skills you’re working with, as they can completely change up your playstyle. But one of the plus points of the Ranger is that it truly is one of the most malleable classes and can fit anywhere in between a tactful melee fighter, a ranged fighter, or a complete trap master. Here are a few builds for you to try out.
Balanced Build
Probably a good Ranger build for beginners in Dark, and Darker would be something that is a balance of melee, ranged weapons, and traps. You should use the build to get good at each aspect and then can later branch into specializing in one style. With a balanced build, you’ll also be able to survive solo against others.
| Weapons | |
| Recurved Bow (Primary) | Rapier (Secondary) |
| Perks | |
| Nimble Hands | Sharpshooter |
| Tracking | Trap Expert |
| Skills | |
| Quickshot | Field Ration |
Your primary source for dealing damage to enemies is going to be through your bow and your Quickshot ability. If things get close and personal, you can use the Rapier to get a few quick hits before creating distance again. Additionally, due to Tracking and Trap Expert perks, you’ll be able to spot enemies and quickly place traps in areas like doors or dimly lit places. And if things get too sticky, you can always backtrack to get health from Field Ration before going back to fight again.
Ranged Build
If you just want to remain at a distance and take out enemies from afar using your bow, almost like a sniper, then you can use a build similar to this. With a purely ranged build, your main objective is to constantly keep distance between your enemies and be precise with your shots, making this a build great for those that have high aim accuracy.
| Weapons | |
| Longbow (Primary) | Rapier (Secondary) |
| Perks | |
| Nimble Hands | Sharpshooter |
| Kinesthesia | Ranged Weapons Expert |
| Skills | |
| Quickshot | Multishot |
Your Longbow will deal most of the damage, and the buffs from your Perks will ensure that you’re doing as much damage as possible while also having enough speed to reposition yourself. You can use Quickshot or Multishot for serious burst damage.
Speed Focused Build
If used correctly, a good movement speed-focused build can make you almost untouchable. The main purpose of the build is to get as many movement speed buffs as possible so that you can shoot your enemies and constantly reposition yourself so they can never predict your position and land an attack.
| Weapons | |
| Survival Bow (Primary) | Rapier (Secondary) |
| Perks | |
| Nimble Hands | Sharpshooter |
| Kinesthesia | Tracking |
| Skills | |
| Quickshot | Quickfire |
The build is quite similar to a regular ranged build. Except, instead of focusing more on damage, the perks and skills have been shifted to increasing your speed. You can open any encounter with Quickfire, whereas Tracking will let you spot your enemies before they can spot you, allowing you to quickly get behind them. Because you can fire more often, you can land headshots more often and fully utilize the Sharpshooter perk.
Trap Master Build
The Ranger comes with Hunter’s Trap which can be quite useful for finishing fights before they even start. Many others are usually so focused on attacking you that they forget to look at their feet and eventually fall into a trap. You can exploit that fact and use the following perks and skills to make the most of it.
| Weapons | |
| Recurved Bow (Primary) | Spear (Secondary) |
| Perks | |
| Spear Proficiency | Enhanced Trap Expert |
| Enhanced Hearing | Tracking |
| Skills | |
| Quick Fire | Field Ration |
Enhanced Hearing and Tracking will allow you to judge your enemies’ movements and place your traps accordingly. You can use Quick Fire to lay down traps if there isn’t much time quickly, and if you do get damaged while doing so, you’ll have Field Ration to help you out. The Spear is useful for striking enemies that might be stuck in traps.
Heavy Hitter Build
If you just want to deal the possible damage with the Ranger class, then a heavy-hitting build is the pick for you. Remember that the Ranger isn’t supposed to be a tanky or extremely powerful class, especially in melee. But if you need it, you can choose the following build to help you out.
| Weapons | |
| Crossbow (Primary) | Spear (Secondary) |
| Perks | |
| Spear Proficiency | Crossbow Mastery |
| Sharpshooter | Tracking |
| Skills | |
| Multishot | Field Ration |
Crossbow deals the most ranged damage, so choosing that is no surprise. You won’t have many shots, so precision is key, especially if you want to deal the possible damage by landing headshots. As for melee, the Spear will let you keep your distance while damaging your enemies.
Playstyle
At times, you can even get a sneaky headshot on an enemy before fully engaging. The only thing you should be careful about is friendly fire. One accidental shot on your ally before a fight can put them in a hairy situation.
You can also use your fast movement speed to outsmart other enemies by going in for melee hits and then repositioning yourself. Although it might be tedious, especially against tanky enemies, you can hold your own in melee combat if done correctly. Especially if you combine your high movement speed with a wide-ranged weapon like the Spear, just ensure that you’re not rocking a heavy armor set and are using equipment, such as boots, that offer additional movement speed buffs.
The trap is great for damaging your opponent before the fight even begins. If you hear someone coming, a trap in the doorway is a great way to take down enemies. To make things more effective, you can set traps in the dark or completely remove torches to create darkness yourself.
With that, you now know a great deal about the Ranger class in Dark and Darker. If used correctly, it can be quite dangerous and sometimes outplay other classes like the Cleric or Wizard. Just make sure to use weapons that you’re comfortable with, make use of your extra items, such as traps and campfires, and you’ll be able to survive the unforgiving dungeons of Dark and Darker!
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