1. Critical-Based Elemental Hit - Deadeye
I've talked about this specific build before, in our “best builds” guide, so I won't take too much time with this one. Elemental Hit is its core, obviously, and this setup is a very famous choice for high-end gamers. A solid kit, which scales heavily with investment, so be sure to go all out if you choose this one. Fast release times, versatility, and huge unique damage are present, so you can't go wrong.
Construction however lies on the more expensive side, requiring a lot of resources to reach monstrous degrees. His ascendant however, Deadeye, can turn your character into a very fast demolition machine, which will lead you to clear the cards with ease, sending you game content faster. See where I'm going? Expensive yes, but gives you the tools to make a fortune, to spend afterwards.
2. Arrow of the Poisonous Plague - Pathfinder
Have you ever played a Ranger that looked more like an occult mage or warlock? Otherwise, the time has come. With Scourge Arrow being the mainstay of this build, you won't be hitting big numbers with direct hits, as poison and mayhem damage will do the trick for you. Oddly enough, the skills provided for this setup also make you quite a tanker, which is a second “first” for a Ranger class. In addition, it is semi-user-friendly and most of the necessary equipment can be found easily. For any part that is difficult to acquire, the guide available on the website explains how to obtain them.
The most important thing about this version is that it is really fun to play and quite safe for beginners. Easy to learn too, choosing to follow its poisonous ways is totally acceptable and effective.
3. Kinetic Breath / Power Siphon - Pathfinder
The famous kinetic explosion. It certainly doesn't need to be introduced, as the Pathfinder Rangers end up with another great tool at their disposal. Thinking of this specific skill, only one thing comes to mind. Speed. Capable of annihilating packs of enemies with ease, in less than an instant, Kinetic Blast is a fan favorite for people who want to go fast. It certainly succeeds gloriously in this area, its only weakness being its single-lens effectiveness. That is why we also use Power Siphon in this version, in order to compensate for the only downside of our crowd clarifier.
The build works well for all modes of the game, its one take not being too user-friendly. It requires a good knowledge of the different aspects of the game, including the management of Flask and more. Also, this is more of a late bloomer with the early stages being a bit difficult to deal with due to how spongy you can be. No worries though, as the investment will show its results at the end of the game, level 80 and above, where the power of this build really unleashes. Finally, being a wand skill, it's a path that many players don't walk, making it a great choice for someone who wants to see what this underrated weapon type can do. .
Echoes of the Atlas expansion is still in its early stages, so we'll keep this list short for now. Why do you ask? Well, simply because we still don't have enough data for some more efficient versions of Ranger to be displayed. There are indeed a lot that the community has tried, and a lot that you can experience of course, but here I present the best that you can find right now. Behind a setup there is a lot of research and practice to see if something actually works, so give it time and a host of other versions will be introduced. When it comes to Rangers, Raider looks the dullest at the moment, but we'll see in the near future what Path of Exile has in store for us.
