Are Rangers Used For End Game Content

I rather invest in a job that i know are being used for end game content.

Also what are the damage like now?

Which ranged weapons are good for damage guns or bow that does the most damage?

which one is better when it comes to damage Yoichinoyumi, Gandiva,Fail-Not, Annihilator, Armageddon or Fomalhaut?

No, only jobs used are WARs

When Sortie initially took off, and before the age of the SCH and BLM meta, we used RNG for the primary DD for 6 boss sortie runs, mainly Trueflight spam. These days it's typically double SCH BLM or SCH BLM RDM for 8/9 boss runs.

Easier with kraken but still doable, RNG can solo skillchain certain objectives pretty easily, Burning Blade > Fast Blade is an indefinite skillchain if you want to 4 step the fomors at D, Burning > Flat > Savage > Light makes quick work of the undead objective at C.

If you do Dyna D, RNG is probably only 2nd to SAM and NIN in total damage output for a full clear. RNG arguably has one of if not the best savage blade builds out there for W1/W2, otherwise Trueflight spam (magic weakness mob pulls) works well. In W3 it's pretty much just Trueflight spam, if you're buffed properly and there's a GEO malaise down, you're just spamming capped damage TFs. Often times I still use Armageddon just for the fun factor. You can still hit capped Trueflights and Hot Shots, and Flaming Arrow has made a resurgence for the bow users. Probably best used on the w3 boss (don't change targets when adds spawn to keep your 25 Hover Shot stacks). Triple shots with AM3 and full hover shot stacks on W3 boss is incredibly fun white damage.

RNG is used in Arebati V25 strat, you'll need an Annihilator and either Arma, Gandiva, or stage 4 prime bow, though I've read from some of the RNGs with prime that Sarv just simply rips too much hate and is probably more difficult to clear than just using Arma for the white damage (I cleared with Anni/Arma).

I don't think much else is considered endgame anymore, so for everything else, Omen, ambu, etc., RNG is fine for most content.


For raw dmg output, Arma and Gandiva are going to put up the most on white damage (ranged autos), while Gastraphetes/Trueflight on appropriate mobs/content will probably be the highest overall damage output for WS spam. Prime bow/gun are probably 1st or 2nd depending on content, but I'll let somebody with those weapons and experience speak to that. Fomalhaut dmg is decent, Last Stand isn't really a great WS unless you can cap Hover Shot but the TP bonus helps and it's the lowest effort ultimate weapon to get behind Annihilator.

Speaking for myself, RNG is a really fun job and a labor of love if you plan on building all the REMAs. Different tools for different needs, but Annihilator, Armageddon, and Gastraphates see more use than the rest of the weapons based on my experience.

I've seen a lot of these pop up in the past 24 hours. You're not going to find one job you can gear up and suddenly be valuable for all endgame content. Nothing. In fact, you're going to need at least 3 well-geared jobs leveled up just to even participate in some endgame content, let alone succeed.

The name of the game is creating jobs that fit the needs of the content based around the people you run with, the content you do, and the strategies utilized. Even the most challenging fights in the game have a solid mix of ways a group can get a win...a lot of which were built up by individuals who loved a job dearly, and worked hard to create methods to make that job valued.



Is Ranger used in endgame? Depends on who you ask. Almost everyone is going to cite Arebati in Odyssey:Gaol- many will stop the conversation there. Truth is, you can wedge the job in to almost all content with enough time and dedication. But that level of work will likely limit what you can put towards other jobs, and often that versatility will matter a lot more than having the world's most pimped-out <insert any job>.

Ranger's advantages can't easily be mimicked by other jobs when those advantages are needed. There will be times that the ability to deal high-end damage from a safe distance is actually a problem, not an advantage. Hate management matters a lot more for us than a DD 3 yalms from the tank. Its a paper-thin job in terms of sturdiness, even in great -DT/turtle sets. And there are fights were any piercing damage of any type is worthless...and while some other jobs who specialize in that can change easily, its harder for us.

There's also a lot of truth in watching the evolution of FFXI strategies for fights as the playerbase gets stronger, and the pattern held true for almost 20 years. First mage, then ranged, and finally melee. So having a strong cadre of shooters with appropriate buffers and a tank familiar with holding off ranged damage can sometimes mean a younger group can attempt fights beyond them.

Final warning: having a Ranger today means having a Ranger that can excel in several situations, and that's going to mean at least 2, and more likely 3-4, RMEA weapons. Its not something you can build quickly and on the cheap, because the few times we're in high demand, there's gonna be someone on your server- and likely several- who have spent years on theirs. And there just won't be a demand for multiple. Tackle the job....but be ready for it to take some time before you're known as a Ranger.

Theyre all from the same person (except mine made in jest), whos name is literally Masterbuyer, master buyer.

I think Galkapryme made a new account.

this is by far the best answer and tackles a ton of different points. having multiple well geared jobs is the only real way into consistent endgame. I value some one with several jobs in different areas that are geared to 80% bis far more than the war/drk/sam guy who has a single dps job pimped out. One is far more useful than the other and dps are the easiest thing to replace.

ah- saw they were from the same dude, first thought it was someone who came from another game where you "pick" a job and then that's all you play. Feels like step one was explaining that XI just ain't that kinda game.

Here's hoping its just a wide-eyed newbie who doesn't fully understand XI yet, but at least is reaching out. Based on the name though, I am sharing your worry^^

It's important to have a good spread, but you can't get anywhere unless you focus on just a couple at a time. That's a lesson I've taken away recently. Variety and adaptability mean nothing when every job is equally poorly-geared.

Thankfully, XI is pretty good at accommodating that now. You can choose the difficulty of the content to match what the group can handle. Joining an entry-level linkshell is really important because it means you can get your footing and graduate deeper into endgame.

This does seem somewhat unique to 11, other MMOs I've played did a better job of making all jobs relevant. They balanced content in such a way that the level of effort, cost, and ability to participate was more evenly distributed than it is in 11. Fewer jobs were flat out excluded from content. At the same time, you couldn't have one character with every job and most gear was bound to a specific job rather than several, so you had to commit to a single job or path. It was really frustrating for quests or content that was long and tedious, if you wanted to try another job, you had to do it all over again for every job. It's a tradeoff, but I prefer the way XI does it.

Even in the early days of 11, during 75-cap, pre-Abyssea and pre-level sync, I'm not sure it was really practical to have as many jobs geared for endgame as it is now. The core system was in place, but the level of effort, ability to participate in content, and potency of jobs varied (and still does) significantly. Point being, someone coming back from 75-cap might look at it somewhat similarly. Especially jobs like RNG or NIN, which were notoriously expensive

do very much agree. But I have felt since the start of the iLvl era that the "balance" between jobs is achieved by creating various content that allows the different jobs to have a space they excel in. Its not really possible in my limited view to make content that is both Challenging as well as All-Inclusive to allow everyone to bring the job they want vs needed roles. But- the days where 1 DD is seen as above all the rest because it truly was for all content is over. You're gonna want a DRK or SAM sometimes, you're gonna want a MNK now and then, you're gonna need a RNG once in a blue moon. But none of those DDs can show up to all 3 and be relevant.

It honestly blows my mind how balanced this game is considering how loose it is on a mechanical level. Other RPGs would need to completely homogenize their job/class system in order to achieve this level of balance.

I think it's neat that we're encouraged to break out of our comfort zone in order to provide variety. Especially since this is one of only a handful of games that will allow one character to do virtually everything. Those are some of the reasons why I prefer XI over other games in the genre.

Agreed for sure. However, also worth noting that a serious RNG will always want Fomalhaut too, for the ammo. Even when not using the gun itself, its Chrono Bullets are typically the best ammo for either Annihilator or Armageddon.

Fomalhaut is a pretty good first choice REMA for a RNG who is just jumping in to using the job for endgame activities, due to it being fairly versatile. TP Bonus means it's still pretty good for Trueflight in situations where magical damage works, it's the best Last Stand gun for when physical damage is needed, and the ammo is great for physical damage with any gun. Bonus that it also gives you a good COR gun.

But yeah, if you really get the RNG bug...

1) You're probably going to eventually want to work toward all four marksmanship REMAs, as they can all be "best" in specific situations:
- Annihilator for enmity mitigation (important niche) while also doing good physical damage
- Armageddon for max physical DPS for longer fights (Hover Shot + Empy AM3 procs = massive damage, especially in combination with crit and/or triple shot procs)
- Fomalhaut for the ammo and situational Last Stand use, solid all-arounder
- Gastraphetes for max DPS in situations where Trueflight is unresisted

2) The non-Prime bows are all skippable:
- Gandiva is strong for physical damage, but a very one-note weapon and can be risky for pulling hate. Doesn't really fill any niche that you can't also fill as well or better with a gun.
- Fail-Not for its Chrono Arrows, the best arrows for any bow. Can be fun to use for Flaming Arrow, but it's generally not optimal damage over the marksmanship choices.
- Yoichi is for completion's sake only. My most practical use is as a very fashionable lockstyle piece for my Samurai when I pull a mob with bow lol (and that bow is Ullr, not Yoichi... but the cool looking red weapon matches my SAM outfit better!)

3) You will want to have a good Naegling Savage Blade set. That will require making a magian trial weapon, the TP Bonus +1000 bow. A dedicated RNG will make this, though you can slack a bit on melee setups if your reason for building a RNG is specifically to be able to cover ranged-only setups like Arebati, ranged-friendly Ambuscade months, etc. A super-dedicated (and super-rich) RNG can make very effective use of an offhand Kraken Club.

It's worth noting that Namas Arrow is the only Distortion WS that Archery gets (or Marksmanship for that matter) so it does have an EXTREMELY small niche where it's necessary to make this SC. I think we were going to use it to make Darkness for Ongo at some point...maybe V20...? It never ended up coming into play in that situation for my group, but it's worth considering as an edge case for Yoichi.

This is veering rather off topic but I feel WHM fills this slot if any job does, outside of Gaol literally not allowing you to take WHM 3 times in a row. Part of that is because XI's healing model, especially in the ilevel era, is fairly basic and largely about dealing with status cleanses and heal bombing so future jobs couldn't riff on it in entirely new ways like other aspects of XI. Since player HP hasn't scaled and instead danger is assigned via contesting attack, defense, and evasion values on gear, really old cure potency gear still gets the job done. All the other jobs that can heal in XI just sort of riff on WHM in a "WHM but also weather and magic nukes and SCs" (SCH) or "WHM but what if it used TP instead" (DNC). Note that I'm only addressing the healing/status cleanse parts of the jobs there, I know SCH and DNC are way more than that.

I can at least attest that I've experienced the greatest success and desirability in Sortie and everything in previous endgame except Gaol (haven't got to it yet outside of some v0) by being an adequate WHM which is more than many other jobs could speak to.