Is Archer Class even any fun for any of you?

[NRGstorm]

I have a Lv26 Archer, pure Dex. I got so bored from it and created a Mage instead & a low lvl PVP bear.
Don't you guys agree that Archers are boring? Unless it's a WarBird.
I like to play around w/ other stats other than just 100% str/dex/or int.
Archers are really meant for 100% dex, or 40/60 50/50 60/40 or 100/0 for a WarBird..

[Fao]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Every class has its own personality, the bird is meant for quickness, so I think they are all really fun.

[Rare]

I think they are a lot of fun. But it does take less strategy than the other classes i think

[Zapoke]

I have a Lv26 Archer, pure Dex. I got so bored from it and created a Mage instead & a low lvl PVP bear.
Don't you guys agree that Archers are boring? Unless it's a WarBird.
I like to play around w/ other stats other than just 100% str/dex/or int.
Archers are really meant for 100% dex, or 40/60 50/50 60/40 or 100/0 for a WarBird..

The problem with your assessment is that you only went to 26 with the Dex Bird. Honestly, strength stays stronger then dex on birds until level 41 (with scarab bows). After that, Dex birds are very fun. But getting there is a pain, I agree.

[JaytB]

Having all 3 classes at 66, with about equal play-time, I strongly disagree with the statement that birds are boring. I also disagree with the statement that no strategy is needed to play a bird.

First, repulse shot... I don't see many birds who actually use their repulse right when running in PUGs. It's ideal to position that 1 enemy, that dodged a bears' beckon, together with the rest so they can be destroyed with a single wave of AOE attacks, instead of having a couple of players trying to kill that stray enemy. It requires a bird to actively target the enemy before firing it.
Second, break armor reduces the armor on tough enemies, so your party can inflict maximum dmg, so it's important to get that off before your team starts unloading their spells.
Third, thorn root. Requires timing. To many birds simply spam their skills instead of timing them right. Thorn root should be after a bears' beckon but before a mages lightning. It's a challenge to time it at the right place too, since it's cooldown is fairly long.

A bird also requires a very active play style IMO. As a mage you can simply blast your AOE spells and don't mind the auto-targeting system much. As a bird on the other hand, manually targeting the right enemy becomes a must, if you don't want to waste your shots and/or your 1 AOE shot (leaving avian scream out of this).

Another thing a bird is good at, is grabbing agro. In a good group this can be used to either pull enemies (when there's no bear), or grab agro from enemies while running back towards your group. This allows your group to deal dmg while you retreat and wait for your skills to cooldown (spamming health pots to be able to survive).

So yeah, the above points are simply to illustrate that a bird can actually be one of the most active classes in game, when played right. But, in the end it's all personal opinion I guess

[Snakespeare]

pure dex? you missed out!

Between levels 21 and 27 you can assign your stats so that you can equip Sandstone Caves gear in two different classes. You can also, if you are very careful about it, equip standard Dex gear and switch to the SSC gear of the other stat. My bird was good using Bow-Bow and Onyx strength armor. Or he could grab a warrior's shield and a talon. Or just smash some heads with Battlesword. At level 25 He switched to Onyx Bow, and strength armor. When he gets to L29 he will equip Sniper's Bone Tunic.

You can also play in the cross level maps, especially Mega Maze if you get bored of the winter zones. Kings Forest and Magic Castle also drop level 25 to 30 gear, including the rare bone armors.

Anyhow, I love playing a bird. I've passed 20 months now, and I am taking my main (a bird) back up through the ranks for the third time. This time, no elixirs!

[NRGstorm]

Thanks for your responses & opinions. So basically I prefer playing a Mage using the hit and run style of an Archer.

[NRGstorm]

90% of Birds are 100% pure dex. the only difference is what skills they apply their points to..

[Suentous PO]

I like my "glass cannon" bird, it suits my play style. Low armor + high dps makes it an bit of an adrenaline rush to play compared to my bear who can take a punch like a timeclock and keep workin.

[Rare]

Jay, I didn't mean to sound as though no strategy is required. Just less i think when compared to bear and mage.

But your points are correct of course. Auto target is definitely not for birds.

I find it difficult in a group when not juiced to use repulsion in the manner you mentioned. By the time I'm positioned, most mages have already unloaded.

[StompArtist]

Statistically speaking 33% of toons are archers. Got to be some fun factor in there.

[Cahaun]

I had alot of fun with the birds in AO. The bows were unique and fun to use. Like the crossbows, and scarabs, autobows, etc.

[Chopper]

I had fun during AO as well, but since then its been a drag.

I get killed at the drop of a hat. I cant seem to improve any of my items. There seems to be pretty much nothing worth upgrading to from lvl 51 to lvl 55. I am at 54 now and it seems there is nothing i can do to make me less of a liability until i level up again. A four lebel gap between any real upgrades in items sucks.

[darkmagesun]

All i am going to say is you probable never went far in the game with your bird. We all know later in the game is when it gets fun!

[slaveleia]

I kind of agree with him (no offense birds) unless your getting lots of pink drops or have a bunch of gold. I had fun with my bird in earlier levs when cruel blast kills groups of mobs. My Mage is my main & I like being able to support others by healing or reviving, sometimes as a bird I feel like I'm not helping as much. The birds main job is to be killers...dishing out the most damage so I know they are helping the group. Especially when it comes to bosses, a veteran bird really takes out the hard bosses so quickly. Man, I was so happy seeing a bird help me with the Overlord! Lmao.
I really had fun when I got a good set for my bird, Sentinel shotgun set....helped me dominate thru Sewers. The Void set is pretty cool too. I think you have more fun when you have a set you enjoy. I really connect with what he said about being bored tho cause I'm going thru the 100,000 xp mountain to 66. Staying on the outside firing from a distance does burn you out some. I switched to a Glyph dagger & started fighting close range which kind of changed it up...making it different/more interesting. That could help you on your bird...also the versatility is nice to switch between bow/xbow to a weapon.

[Elitelink]

I would have to completely agree with JaytB and love playing as a bird more than the other characters when helping lower levels. I do love helping people when they are lower levels with questing and leveling because as an archer you can fast kill through the dungeons. I do believe it comes down to a matter of opinion because I believe that in the game the three classes were made to compliment each other and pick up where the others lack. One of the things I enjoy the most and would have to agree with JaytB is the distance killing and retreating towards party members/ and or pulling single enemies attention toward party.
I very much enjoy the skills for the birds because they have skills for single out harder opponents repulse, break armor, etc or those used for damaging groups like thorn root, scream, etc (especially with a bear and mage present for REAL damage).

[Elitelink]

I would add though that we need more bears in the world of alterra that are not solely pvp bears because it seems the lobbies are usually more filled with birds and mages haha

[trunzoc]

I had fun during AO as well, but since then its been a drag.

I get killed at the drop of a hat. I cant seem to improve any of my items. There seems to be pretty much nothing worth upgrading to from lvl 51 to lvl 55. I am at 54 now and it seems there is nothing i can do to make me less of a liability until i level up again. A four lebel gap between any real upgrades in items sucks.

I think the biggest issue is the 55 gear. I'm seeing the same thing you are. up to 55 was fun, but then I got an l55 Raid Roach talon set put together and realized that it really sucked compared to the cyber talon set. So now I'm pushing 59 and still wearing cyber. I crafted the Roach Talon Set, but not the recurve yet. Maybe having the recurve will change my opinion.

It's really a shame that the top of the line 55 set is worse than the 50 set.

I love playing the bird, just hard atm because my armor really sucks for survivability. I'm just hoping I don;t get frustrated before I'm able to use the L60 Glyph set.

[Thasaint]

My bird IMO is the funnest character I have every created. For PvE it's extremely helpful (damage dealer) to the entire team. It's also a blast to use.

As for PvP... birds may not be as fun. It takes more of a frequent person that is experienced in the class to excel in using it.

I had made a mage, and have primarily been on it because I had overplayed my archer (lol). When I came back I had noticeably dropped in skill level from where I had been when I went off on creating a mage.

The main reason why they are harder is because their armor is low, and dodge usually doesn't dodge unless you have a top of the line set. The damage is too low IMO also. With this being a more strategic class, some could be turned off by it. Stay persistent though and you'll find the archer to be a very fun class .

[fuzzylazer]

Archers are the funnest character to play on. They may die quick but they have high damage. If you get to a higher lvl with your bird like 50 or higher, it is very fun to play on. (Also, mages are pretty good as well. )