Combat styles in RuneScape. Ranger.
8 January, 2012
There are no classes in RuneScape in the traditional for a MMORPG way. What a character is able to do only depends on the skills the toon has trained in. Any character may train any skills and choose any type of combat style.
However, RuneScape features 3 fairly clearly distinct styles of combat - melee, ranged, magic. These 3 combat styles are often referred to as "combat classes" and serve the main distinction and characteristics used to classify RuneScape characters. As the variety of skills is large, each class (combat style) may be further classified into some subclasses.
Ranger.
Rangers are those who prefer to act from a distance instead of close-range combat. Also rangers in RuneScape use physical damage (not magical).
Ranged combat style is consequently what rangers use, and according to the Combat Triangle of RuneScape, ranged combat is good and efficient against mages, however may not help in encounters with warriors that use the Melee combat style.
Rangers arsenal - bows, arrows (which is why they are sometimes called archers), thrown weapons such as darts, knives, javelins, and even axes and slings - in other words the weapons that can be used from a distance.
Rangers use leather armor which is stronger than that of the mages, but weaker than that of the warriors (melee fighters).
Ranger subclasses are based on the type of weapons used and include shortbow, longbow, crossbow rangers. Using a crossbow allows to also have a shield which is a significant increase to the ranger's defense.
