[The Pathfinder] - A Ranger Frost Build (Work in progress)

"Soldier, the 41st Infantry is held back by separatist barrage on the eastern front. The survivors buried themselves in trenches, but the losses are increasing day by day. You were dispatched here to end the eastern blockade and allow our troops to advance inland. You will work alone, and any communication with HQ will be cut off during your mission. If you die for it, no story will remember your name ... Now go. Go, and lead the way."
-Voice recording of mission orders, Imperium archives.

Table of Contents

  • [Introduction & Playstyle]
  • [Gate of Fates]
  • [Skills]
  • [Equipment]
  • [Tips & Tricks]
  • [A word for the end]
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK ALL GUIDE LONG TO UNDERSTAND GATE OF FATES AND SKILLS: https://share.wolcen.dev/s/GvRWEzEgdV



[Introduction & Playstyle]

The Pathfinder is an archer build that mainly rely on Frost to keep enemies from a distance, constantly harassing them to proc Freeze, preventing them to even reach him. If they still do so, the Pathfinder can count on empowered dodgeroll and tricky backdash to fastly create a gap between him and his foes, combining high mobility for his own to attacks that prevent enemies from moving a toe.
Mostly designed for harassment, Pathfinder shine at constantly attacking and dealing with smalls to medium groups of mobs, running and dodging between them, more than packing all those to eradicate them at once. I would call that a skilled playstyle that need you to focus and to keep an eye at any incoming threats while managing your resources and knowing when and where to dodge.
The Pathfinder is a build designed for solo leveling and tricky gameplay. I do not recommend it for groups, since it does not add that much synergy with other players, as well as I do not recommend it for speedrun or fast leveling. It's a playstyle on it's own and one should focus on enjoying this rather than on how fast will I reach endgame or run higher expedition tier.
Now that it's said and you're warned, let's go straight into the guide.

Pro:
​ * Fun and skilled to play
​ * An alternative way to the common hack'n'slashs trinity "Rush - Pack - Kill"
​ * High mobility and active gameplay
​ * Boss killer
​ * We're using bows!

Cons:
​ * Kinda not meta... I guess?
​ * Bad at rushing expeditions
​ * Struggle during leveling, I highly recommend restating once Story Mode is over
​ * Gear dependent




[Gate of Fates]

As nothing matter more than your Gate of Fates decision in Wolcen, I'll explain here why I chose some instead of others, why this one is a good pick while this one is irrelevant, or how this node will impact your gameplay. Even if I do not recommend starting Pathfinder build at level 1 and rather restat once Story is over, I will still explain which path you should find and follow into your Fates journey.
Please refer to the WolcenUniverse link above to follow the Gate of Fates masteries.

1] Ring One, Red: Soldier

Starting with Soldier Ring will help smoothing your early damages, and is a good choice early on to get a solid leveling base.

The Wild Card - is our only pick here since it's a good overall boost to attacks. Any other nodes in Soldier are mostly made for melee, tanks, or heavy Rage users which we are not.

2] Ring Two, Green: Ranger

As a distance DPS using bows, Ranger is the most indicated Fate that come to mind and our main focus for midgame progression.

Archion's Teaching - is a must have for every ranged build. Adding 1 Projectile has absolutely no price and that extra projectile synergies so well with our playstyle and others nodes we pick. Just rush this node as fast as possible, with both the minor nodes linked to it.
Come What May - This is a little bit tricky here because we're picking every minor nodes that lead to Come What May, but not Come What May itself. Our build is absolutely not using "Pierce" and, in fact, the less Pierce you have the more efficient you will be due to another major node "Wintry Hail".
Meditative Focus - Heading to Ring Three, we cross this node on our path and this is just a great damage boost for nothing more than one point, two more when picking minor nodes.

3] Ring Three, Green: White Arrow

This Fate is our main one and this is where we pickup the quintessence of our build. Even by picking just a few of those nodes, this Fate is what created the Pathfinder build.

Wintry Hail - Is a first to go, rush this node as fast as you can since it's our main synergy with the build. Every projectile fired (mostly autos) will bounce between enemies, having a chance to proc Freeze everytime it hit. This is our main reason to pick "Archion's Teaching" for doubled bounces, as well as our main reason not to search for any "Pierce".
Acute Tracking - As a ranged build using Freeze to prevent enemies from coming closer, "Acute Tracking" sounds like a perfect damage booster. Keep an eye at enemies threats, dodge, freeze them, and permanently increase your DPS with this node. Once you have mastered the Pathfinder build, "Acute Tracking" can be considered as a permanent +60% damage boost.

Not picking Hungry Stalactite since it synergies with "Pierce" and, as said, we absolutely do not want that for our build. Bounce > Pierce.

4] Ring One, Green: Sentinel

Back in Ring one to pick up a few important nodes.

Backline Raider - Is an attack speed boost and this is what we lack in stats as no point is invested in Agility. However, this node is way more worth to take than slowly climbing Agility since it's just flat 50% attack speed.
Slippery - Is a minor node but I can not tell how important it is for our build. In fact, this node is what makes me using a few points on Sentinel Ring, and this node is even more important than "Backline Raider".

Once this is done, you should be able to turn Ring One once on the left. Sentinel and Ranger are now connected to each other, meaning your Ring One Red: Soldier is now free for new experiences!

5] Ring Two, Green: Assassin

From Soldier fate, head to Assassin as there's a few nodes here that may help our build and it's a good way to reach the opposite side of Gate of Fates.

Merciless Lethality - Is a real huge buff to our DPS if you have invested enough points on Ferocity, which should be the case. At this point you should have around 50% Critical Chance, meaning this node just say "50% of the time, decrease your damage by 30%. 50% of the time, increase your damage by 60%".
Sleeping Shadow - Is not a must have for our build, even tho the more I use it, the more I appreciate it. Pathfinder mostly rely on dodgeroll for his survival and we spam it all the way, the extra 50% Move speed is a really great comfort.

6] Ring Three, Green: Alastor

Alastor fate come as our second damage support with crits, attack speed, and two major nodes that synergies a lot with our build.

Intravenous Neural Cord - Is an attack speed boost whenever we crit, meaning at least 50% of the time... And since the buff last for three seconds, it's way enough time to keep refreshing it all the time.
Static Transferal - Is, with "Wintry Hail", what makes our build so great to play. While "Wintry Hail" improve your basic attack damages, "Static Transferal" boost your ability damages based on how many basic attacks you have used. Good news: we need both our basics and abilities to work together in order to clean content, and "Static Transferal" is what make this possible.

7] Ring Two, Green: Ranger

Back in Ranger fate, we're picking a few nodes that aren't relevant early on, but very good once your build is consistent and well balanced.

Persistence Hunting - and his minor node "Overwhelming Barrage" are both boosts that rely on Freeze. More chance to Freeze, more damage when you Freeze someone. What else?
Safe From Afar - From now on, you should be able to consistently keep your enemies at a distance, meaning "Safe From Afar" will, most of the time, greatly increase your DPS.

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Created: 2 years, 11 months ago

Category: Gameplay

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