Returning Ranger

Hi all im really after some advice please.

I have been away from the game for quite some time and its been even longer since i last used my RNG - i semi-retired RNG when Aby first appeared, mainly due to lack of regular parties and lack of funds to play it :( - and concentrated on my BST, then ive been away for about a year.

Anyways ive come back to the game and desperate to use my RNG again, but really need some advice on my gear - I just hit lvl 77 and currently have RNG/DNC.
I know there are numerous threads about gear but they are all aimed at top lvl gear and getting the best of everything and thats my biggest problem - i only have a few hours each evening to play the game, so dont get hours and hours to camp mobs/wait on parties, if i can solo it with my BST or get it from the AH then im in!

i have no idea how to do a weapon set thing, so this is what im currently using
ranged - Selenes Bow & Demon Arrows (Ive never been a gun Ranger - but do have a hellfire & silver bullets but not used them :/ )
main - Fransisca
sub - Kreigsbeil
head - O-Hat and macro in wyven helm for WS
neck - Spectactles
body - Kirins Osode
hands - Jaridah Bazubands
feet - War boots
legs - Aurore Brais
back - Amemet Mantle+1
waist - Venturers Belt
Ears - Vision & Drone earrings
rings - Behemoth and Crimson rings

Any thoughts on where i can improve please?

thanks :)

You want Empyrean armour ASAP. Do you like crossbows at all as an alternative to gun? Also level WAR & SAM for subs.

Get it to 99, dont waste merits on Apex Arrow, waste them on Last Stand. As far as guns go, one of the newer crafted guns arent a bad choice. If your ranged accuracy isnt where it needs to be, gearing for that should be your first concentration. Try to get into at least the +1 AF3 set, if you can, and if you're interested in bows, there's a couple in abyssea that are decent (Siege Bow then Vision Bow)

First things first, get to 99 and 5/5 merit last stand. For pure DD its your new sidewinder.

Either moros crossbow or opprimo +1 look to be the best AH marksmanship weapons of each type - xbow is cheaper for ammo, gun is better for dmg.

/war is generally your best sub for most things. /Sam has its uses still at times. When /war single wield a dagger - carabineer's is a cheap and effective piece.

Str+5 rings are cheap as chips now. At 99 you will likely have no acc issues with anything you do, assuming you up your gear quality before joining top end voidwatch etc, so nab two of these.

Otherwise as has been said, AF3 and some AF2+2 gear should be your priority. You can solo all your +1 stuff (albet, slowly) as bst, and possibly all the +2 also depending on gear/patience.

i came back to game about a month ago and have managed to get BST to 99 in the last few days, and gotten that fairly decently set up(ish) so hopefully i can use that to farm stuff for my RNG - my war is at a suitable level to use it as sub - never took sam past 25 though :( should i go RNG/WAR ? it was all RNG/NIN when i last used it.

Yes ive used x-bows at the same time as my bow - to keep my marksmanship and archery both at a similar level (and also for using bloody, acid and sleep bolts) - currently have a Grosveneur's Bow

Moros is a beast. I know you want to go with Bow, but consider that as an alternative for the time being.

Honestly it's a bit overwhelming trying to tell you a certain path to 99 as there's multiple styles of playing. First thing you should do is focus on XP, merits, and skillups.

Pretty much this. I can't stress last stand enough though, its superb.

/nin has lost most of its useage nowadays. Either the NMs bypass shadows or they wont hit you. /war offers a significant offensive boost with berserk, atk bonus and a new trait - fencer.

Cheers guys, ill get on BST and and get Sylvan ready for when i can wear it, ill also go for the seige bow, moros combination (oprimo looks a bit pricey for me at the mo) - bit unsure about the carabineer though as ive always used axes (got them capped by using them on bst) - but ill defo have a look at it :) if using carabineer as main - what would be the recommendation for the other hand?

Is using /war situational - bit concerned about using it solo, just means ill have to carry lots of bloody bolts i suppose :) - /dnc has become my norm on bst and a bit of a safety net for me - but change is good - or so they say ;)

I forgot to ask, is the 'tree' still the best place for me to solo on pages if i cant get an aby party?

Thanks again :)

When /war on rng, legion scutum is the best offhand as you only single wield to activate fencer. If you don't have access to that atm then any lv30 shield is better than nothing.

As a solo job rng pretty much sucks. RNG/SAM with earth staff makes an acceptable abyssea puller though and will help you burn the levels quickly, when you can swap to sleep bolts/arrows for safe skillups.

BST/DNC is boss, simple as.

Grounds of valor parties are amazing, can often rival abyssea for exp. For solo, anywhere you can burn through piss weak mobs to spam page exp works.

For aby pts - say you'll pull and a lotta people will want you.