Class deep dive
The Ranger
The Ranger at a glance
| Role | Hybrid: damage, pulling, emergency tank, heals |
| Armor | Chain |
| Key stats | Dexterity, Stamina, Wisdom |
| Arrived | Launch class (1999) |
Allakhazam’s class guide sums the ranger up as a druid and warrior hybrid: a forester who does strong sustained damage up close or at range, can heal a little in a pinch, handles brief emergencies but is more fragile than the other warrior hybrids, and is expert at tracking and archery.
Sources: Allakhazam: EQ:Classes (wiki)
What a ranger does
Rangers are warriors attuned to nature who can call on the wild to help them fight. They are mainly melee fighters, wearing chain and wielding many kinds of weapons.
They are scouts and hunters. They can track enemies from far away and engage them with deadly ranged attacks, but they also fight well in melee with a weapon in each hand.
Their spells come from nature: faster running, and better armor, health or attack for allies. In a pinch they can heal, or burn an enemy with fire.
Rangers can hunt alone or in a group, but allies let them use their abilities best, and every group welcomes the extra damage from a ranger’s bow.
Sources: Library of Erudin: EverQuest Library — The Classes of Norrath (official text) · Allakhazam: EQ:Classes (wiki)
The epic: Swiftwind and Earthcaller (a pair of swords)
Epic quests came to EverQuest in September 2000, shortly after The Ruins of Kunark. They were modelled on the paladin’s Fiery Avenger quest: long, multi-step journeys through the highest-level dungeons, usually needing groups to kill powerful creatures. Each ended in a unique weapon with its own model and particle effects. The ranger’s reward was the Swiftwind and Earthcaller (a pair of swords), with the effect Swift Spirit (Swiftwind) and Earthcall (Earthcaller).
Who could be one
In the classic era recreated by Project 1999, the ranger epic could be used by Human, Wood Elf, Half Elf, Halfling. The Iksar appear there because they joined with The Ruins of Kunark.
Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Class Epic Quest List
Titles
After level 50, each class earns titles that show in /who. A ranger became a Pathfinder at 51, a Outrider at 55 and a Warder at 60.
Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Character Classes and titles
Playing a ranger today
The class is still in the game on Daybreak’s live and time-locked progression servers. Project 1999 recreates the Classic, Kunark and Velious eras, so it has the original fourteen classes. See EverQuest Today for where the game stands now.
All class deep dives → The Shaman
Illustrations are original fan art made for this site, not in-game screenshots.