The Ranger is a deadly marksman and an excellent survivalist. Rangers have a keen eye and swift Bow, making them Dark and Darker’s most deadly class at long ranges. Ranger builds do not bring lots of AOE damage in Dark and Darker like Wizards, but a well-placed arrow will drop most lightly armored classes or make any player run for cover.
Our glass cannon Ranger build focuses on the class’s strengths with long ranges while providing some good melee alternatives in case players close the distance.
Pros to Being a Ranger Class in Dark and Darker
- Fantastic long-range damage.
- Headshots are incredibly deadly.
- Above average movement speed and interaction speed.
- Can track enemy players.
- Can set traps to block off doors or walkways.
- Starts with a campfire.
Ranger Cons
- Low health
- Low armor
- Cannot equip most melee weapons
- Low damage with melee weapons.
- The Bow is hard to master because of the arrow drop-off range.
All Perks for Your Ranger Build in Dark and Darker
| Crossbow Mastery | Increases physical damage by 5% when using a crossbow, increases reload speed by 50% and movement speed by 50% when reloading. |
| Enhanced Hearing | Can hear enemy footsteps from farther away. |
| Kinesthesia | When moving with the bowstring drawn, movement speed increases by 10% |
| Nimble Hands | When using a bow, change your default shooting animation so it shoots 15% faster. |
| Ranged Weapons Expert | Increases physical attack power by 5% when attacking with a ranged weapon. |
| Sharpshooter | Headshot damage increases by 15% when attacking with a long-range weapon. |
| Spear Proficiency | Spear can be used. When attacking with a spear, gain 10 physical strength. |
| Tracking | Detect recent enemy footsteps. |
| Trap Expert | Installation time decreases dramatically when installing trap type items. |
All Ranger Abilities
| All Abilities | ||
| Field Ration | Cooldown: 24 seconds | Forage food and recover 25 HP. (3 stacks, non-replenishable) |
| Multishot | Cooldown: 35 seconds | When attacking with a bow-type weapon, fire 5 arrows at a horizontal angle at the same time. Damages for the five arrows are 50%,75%, 100%, 75%, 50%, respectively. Total of 350% damage if all arrows hit the target. |
| Quick Fire | Cooldown: 24 seconds | When attacking using a bow-type weapon, increase action speed by 50% for 8 seconds. |
| Quickshot | Cooldown: 18 seconds. | Hold three arrows in your shooting hand and fire them quickly in succession in a single action. |
| True Shot | Cooldown: 18 seconds | Projectile’s flight speed is greatly increased for 6 seconds. In addition, physical attack power is increased by 5%. |
Related Article: 10 Things You Must Know to Get Better at Dark and Darker
Best Ranger Perks and Abilities
For our Dark and Darker Assassin build, we take the following Perks & Abilities:
- Quick Fire
- Quick Shot
- Nimble Hands
- Kinesthesia
- Spear Proficiency
- Sharpshooter or Ranged Weapons Expert.
At the time of writing this, our best Dark and Darker Ranger build is a long-range glass cannon build.
For this build, take Quick Fire. This ability increases your action speed with your Bow by 50%, making you draw, fire, and reload significantly faster. Quick Draw is an excellent ability for slinging a handful of arrows in rapid succession for a ton of burst damage.
Next, take Quickshot, which loads three arrows into your Bow, letting you fire three times without reloading. Quick shot is fantastic for dealing a lot of damage to bosses or when an enemy player starts to get too close.
For Perks, taking Nimble Hands is necessary for a faster shooting animation. We cannot imagine any Ranger build in Dark and Darker without using Nimble Hands. Next, take Kinesthesia for the extra movement speed when your bowstring is drawn. Kinesthesia helps significantly when peeking corners or staying on the move when waiting for an opening to fire an arrow.
Then take Spear Proficiency, which adds Spears to the Ranger’s melee arsenal. The Spear is usually a weapon intended for a good Fighter build in Dark and Darker, but this talent allows you to wield them. The Spear is a great weapon with the longest melee reach in Dark and Darker’s arsenal. Since the Ranger lacks melee damage and weapon variety, this talent gives you a better alternative that lets you stay out of reach even in melee.
Lastly, take either Sharpshooter or Ranged Weapons Expert. Sharpshooter is amazing if you have stellar aim and land headshots consistently. Alternatively, if an overall percentage damage increase sounds better (especially if enemies have Shields), take Ranged Weapons Expert.
The Armor and Weapons that Ranger Builds Should Use in Dark and Darker
Rangers can equip the following armor and weapons:
- Leather Armor
- Arming Sword
- Rapier
- Longbow
- Recurve Bow
- Survival Bow
Regarding armor, there isn’t too much variety, or huge impacting differences between the several armor sets available to Ranger. Ultimately choose whatever has the best stats or armor rating.
When it comes to weapons, they are still relatively simple. Here are the best weapons for Rangers:
Rapier: The Rapier is one of the best weapons a Ranger can ask for. The Rapier is a one-handed sword with a medium-range and average hitbox. Typically you want to avoid being in melee range as a Ranger. The Rapier is one of the best weapons to use in case you have to be in melee, thanks to its above-average range, which lets you keep your distance from your opponent.
Recurve Bow: The Recurve Bow is the best all-around Bow the Ranger can pick from. The Recurve Bow has average attack and reload speed, being best at medium ranges. It also has the second highest damage output, but without the drawbacks of the Long Bow. The Recurve Bow is our favorite for any situation in Dark and Darker.
Long Bow: The Long Bow is the most damaging Bow a Ranger can use but has the slowest draw and reload speed. The Long Bow also has the best range. Suppose you want a bow with the highest headshot damage and the least arrow drop-off; use the Long Bow. However, be cautious because of the long draw time, and this weapon gets more difficult to use at close range.
Windlass Crossbow: Alternatively, if you find the appeal of a Crossbow more than a typical Bow, use the Windlass Crossbow. The Windlass is slower and heavier than the standard Crossbow but deals significantly more damage. Be careful when reloading this weapon since its animation will halt your movement, and the amount of time to reload the Windlass is seven seconds.
Related Guide: Complete Dark and Darker Beginners Guide
Ranger’s Best Stats in Dark and Darker
Every class in Dark and Darker prefers specific additional stats found on weapons and gear. These random enchantments make some items worthless or highly sought after by certaingroups.
Here are the Ranger’s best stats:
- All Attributes: Increases all stats of your character.
- True Damage: Damage that bypasses all armor and physical damage reductions.
- Agility: Increases Base Move Speed, Action/Attack Speed, and Equip/Interaction Speed.
- Physical Power: Increases your damage with physical weapons
- Max Health: Increases your character’s maximum health.
- Strength: Increases base health and physical damage bonus.
- Weapon damage: Increases weapon damage.
These are the best stats for Rangers, and specific items with any of the aforementioned enhancements will sell a lot on the market. It’s your decision if you wish to keep any well-stated
gear for yourself or sell it on the market, but these are the stats Rangers will be looking for.
Dark and Darker Ranger Tips
Ultimately all classes in Dark and Darker will take time to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Here are some tips to help you avoid some early game mistakes that can save a fewof your runs.
- Use your traps: Traps can cover doorways or make it difficult for enemy players to push you. The only way to avoid your trap is if they disarm, go around, or jump over it. If someone does get stuck in your trap, consider them dead since they need to lockpick the trap, or remain ensnared.
- Use your range and high ground: Ranger doesn’t have AOE damage like the Wizard, but you have a range advantage. Use your Bow’s strengths and slowly pick off your enemies while they struggle to push you.
- Strike first: Rangers are like Rogues. They are at their strongest when they aren’t seen. If you spot an enemy group, make the first shot before your Barbarian rushes into the frontline. Catching them off guard will make them panic or possibly lose one of their allies.
- Shoot through door windows: You can launch arrows through door windows at unsuspecting enemies.
- Hide your bear traps: You can hide your traps underneath other dungeon traps, dead bodies, or poorly lit areas for maximum effectiveness.
Wrap Up for our Dark and Darker Ranger Build and Guide.
That’s our Ranger Build and Guide for Dark and Darker. The Ranger is a great sharpshooter class that can make any long hallway or open area a deadly shooting gallery. Take cover, restock your quiver, and have a backup plan to retreat if players slip past your frontline.
If you enjoyed our look into Dark and Darker and want to learn more about the game, check out our Rogue or Wizard Guide for more Dark and Darker glass cannon builds.
For now, Good Hunting!
