Ranger Build Guide – Zoria Age of Shattering

If you’re looking to play a ranged DPS character in Zoria: Age of Shattering, look no further than the classic ranger. But choosing your main class is just the beginning, so read on for my full Zoria ranger build guide.

Updated: March 8, 2024

This build is current to the v1.0.0 patch.

Best Ranger Build Guide - Zoria Age of Shattering

A happy ranger stands at the fringes of the battlefield in Zoria: Age of Shattering, with a great view in all directions, dealing out long-range misery to your enemies. Rangers are great for both single target and AOE damage, harrying as well as damaging enemies. That said you can still use your bow at close range and wear medium armor, so you’re not as squishy as many DPS classes and can stay upright at close quarters if you need to. And at higher levels, you can call on a powerful shield, as well as dabbling in healing.  

Best Stats for Ranger in Zoria Age of Shattering

Stat points will come from leveling up but you’ll also find a lot of extra bonuses available on the gear you equip. When spending your five attribute points at each level, these should be your priorities.

1. Agility: Agility gives you the Energy you need to use your abilities, while also being the governing stat for some of your key attacks including Swift Shot and Barrage. It also gives you a 1 percent dodge for every 40 points, as well as increasing your crit chance.
2. Strength: Having high Strength increases your damage across the board while also increasing your initiative. It also adds a bit of extra punch to your most-used attack, Precision Arrow. 
3. Stamina: While the last thing you want to have to do is take damage, you can’t ignore your Health, so adding some points to Stamina will raise it when required. 
4. Intellect: While this may be a little unexpected as you don’t use Mana, Intellect raises your crit chance on all abilities while also being the key stat for your magic-based attacks such as Fire Arrow and Mercy Shot, so it is worth investing some points into it.

I don’t concern myself too much with Initiative on my ranger, although acting early is nice to keep out of trouble in the first turn. Similarly, with Crit Chance, I’ll only switch to concentrating on it if I find a set of gear that pushes it up into the 20s. The most important sub-stat is Hit Chance, as you need to be landing those arrows every time. 

Best Ranger party in Zoria Age of Shattering

When you reach around level 8 you’ll find yourself at the Keep, which massively opens up your choices in terms of companions. This is my chosen four-person setup.

• Lancer: With an excellent Taunt ability (Roaring Command), reasonable damage, plus some strong shields, the Lancer makes an excellent taken for the ranger. Taunts will keep enemies with them, while you can hinder and harry any stragglers.  
• Battle Cleric: While your Lancer can keep most enemies happy, the Battle Cleric offers the extra insurance of another well-armored melee warrior who can also heal and shield. With these two in front of you, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting up close and personal at all. 
• Wizard: With you concentrating on fire damage, it’s nice to have a wizard wingman who can add ice and frost at range to the party. They can deal massive damage while taking advantage of any light armor you find on your travels. 

As the leader of the group, you’ll need to be in the center of the formation. Place the Battle cleric and Lancer two spaces ahead of you with a single gap between them which should allow you to shoot arrows down the centre. Put the wizard to your left or right on the Lancer’s side, giving them a better chance of good line of sight once they taunt enemies to them. 

Related: Thief Build Guide - Zoria Age of Shattering

Ranger Leveling Guide

As you progress, take the following skills in this order (you’ll get a new one every couple of levels).

Best Ranger Gear and Equipment

When you’re looking at bows, always look for those that add a Damage bonus over a Strength bonus at lower levels. Switch if you concentrate on upping your strength later, but I tend to stick to Damage bonus bows throughout if I can. Also, keep your best bow for both Magic Damage and normal Damage, allowing you to restart and switch if you face an enemy with high resistance to one or other.

As all of the base stats are useful due to your wide range of skills I look to wear the armor that gives the highest total of bonuses, rather than concentrating on any particular stat. Remember that Strength (every 50), Agility (40), and Intellect (30) all give bonuses each time you hit a new multiple, so be wary of dropping below one of these points by switching gear. 

How to play Ranger in Zoria Age of Shattering

Keep a close eye around the edge of the battlefield for potential adds before moving into a position. Try to choose a spot where you can take down multiple targets without moving again, as every move will take away precious AP that will be much better spent on attacks. For attacks, switch between Precision Arrow (which adds Focus) and any appropriate specialist attack each round. This should keep your focus high enough to sustain while dealing the most damage possible. 

For more on Zoria: Age of Shattering here at Pro Game Guides check out Zoria Age of Shattering – Should you choose Devana or Rosha to go with you?